Chapter Thirteen, Insanity!

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  A hand raised off of the young girl's body, her chaotic state calming to a standstill.

  "Good, good. Just intense deprivation." Agatha murmured. The rest of the kids had departed their ways, Luke preparing things for Ryan, visiting his family. Arjae and Clara both headed to their own designated destinations, leaving only Agatha and Jess behind.

  Jess was tranquil enough to regain consciousness soon, so Agatha shifted her focus elsewhere.

  "Okay! Unique Talent... Let's see what you're stirring up within the Dungeon!" She burst through the tent, nearby adventurers snapping their necks.

  A smile was equipped to her face, a crazed and intrigued one.

  She stepped forward, crossing the distance from tent to Dungeon entrance in one movement.

  "So quick!" People shouted in whisper.

  Her hand pressed against the Dungeon door!

  Rumble...

  Her neck tilted.

  She stepped away.

  BOOM!

  Mana burst out of the cliff face, a thick aura emanating off of the bottom of the mountain that the Dungeon door was attached to.

  "What?" She questioned.

  Whispers arose, climbing into voices, which then turned into shouts.

  "The Dungeon's collapsing!"

  "Is somebody still in there?"

  "Did they capture the core?!"

  Many spewed questions, but Agatha ignored them all.

  Her brows furrowed, countless thoughts flowing through her mind, per usual.

  "Is there anything of value left inside?" She raised her voice, silencing all those around.

  "Fallen comrades. Viable rare equipment. Memorabilia." She spoke.

  Many gulped, not many replied.

  "My brother's body was left-"

  "Anyone else?" She cut off the adventurer.

  A few more lifted their hands, pointlessly considering she wasn't looking.

  "A friend!"

  "My sister!"

  "My... yes!"

  "Two of our party members!"

  Voice after voice arose, the body count ticking up.

  It seemed not many were able to trek through the dungeon with their party member's body.

  "So, twenty-two bodies?" She turned her head back to the camp.

  The adventurers exchanged glances, none more speaking up.

  "Alright. Be prepared to receive them."

  And then she resumed her movements. Pushing the Dungeon doors open, a wave of unstable mana exploded into the surroundings.

  Agatha stepped in, the door slowly closing behind her with a deep grate.

  The moment she was in, it almost punched her in the face.

  She breathed a deep breath, continuing her steps towards the exit of the safe room.

  "How lucky you kids were..." She chuckled.

  "High B-rank are you?... Such power... I'm glad I came." She deepened her breaths, sucking in more air, and breathing it out slower each time.

  Her foot exited the safe room, and her hands rose.

  "Come." Instantaneously, the spatial trembling increased, all of the mana within the Dungeon churning like a storm.

  From the countless branching paths before her, corpse after corpse appeared, being thrown through space, completely undamaged.

  Like the Dungeon's mana had carefully transported them.

  "In this floor's Boss Room are we? Is that where the Core chose to hide?... Your mistake for destroying it... Now you'll fall right into my hands." She smiled happily, turning back around, and exiting the Dungeon.

  With twenty-two bodies floating behind her.

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  Jora took down the wall, leaping through it.

  "[Yes, through the same portal you entered.]" Anaflandus spoke within him.

  "Yeah yeah..." Jora scoffed. He dashed towards the purple film on the other side of the room.

  BOOM!

  He tripped up, even the Core within him stuttering. Tumbling into the floor just before the portal, despair sunk into his mind.

  "Again?" He spoke, fright-filled.

  "[Holy shit, you bastard! You attracted an A-rank to my Dungeon!]" Anaflandus screamed.

  "[Come on. Keep up with the plan!]" It yelled, Jora quickly scrambling to his feet and leaping through the portal. "[That was the power of an A-rank. A simple scan of my entire body. That much power! Something you can't yet stand up against. We have to be ten times more precise now!]" Anaflandus roared.

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  Jora turned back towards where he had just exited from, peering into the ever-glowing purple wall.

  He leapt back into it, feeling the small spatial displacement. He glanced upwards, looking at the massive Broodmother. There was a stark difference to the last time he was in here.

  "[They will all be angered. To them, you just murdered me. Their mother.]" Jora nodded, a smile emerging on his face.

  "No matter. It will be quick." He rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck in both directions.

  "[Punishment]." Instantly, the spider slammed into the ground, it's body sinking.

  Surprise appeared on Jora's face for a brief moment, but he understood.

  His overall power had increased so much... The amount of will and power he could put into the skill, had drastically changed.

  He stared into the eyes of crushed Broodmother, dashing forward.

  "Weakened, slowed, disoriented, fearful, tired..." He chuckled.

  With a leap, he soared into the air, falling towards the massive beast.

  "[Devour]."

  His jaw opened, wide, but his head did not bubble. Instead, a massive maw of darkness sprouted from mouth, surrounding the spider.

  In one go, the animal was swallowed, and pulled into his body, condensing and slipping into his vast reserves of power.

  "[Integrate]."

  Jora's head reeled back, every memory the spider had ever created, flowing into him.

  And then he snapped back upwards.

  "Shit..." He dragged the word. His smile deepened.

  "[Insanity!]" Anaflandus yelled, Jora turning his back and sprinting towards the Boss Portal.

  "[An Intrinsic skill that can affect souls! You're a cheat! What are you! This isn't fair! That's why she let you fucking eat me!]" It whined. He was sure that if Anaflandus had limbs, then his insides would be getting razed to the ground.

  He could feel the condensed Core spinning within his sternum.

  "Who is, she?" He questioned, blasting through the portal as if it wasn't there, and then instantly spinning around.

  "[The World?! Obviously!... How else do you think you could've eaten me! The World doesn't allow for the destruction of Dungeons, it's a massive waste of resources. All the stories and accounts of people destroying Dungeons is just the World and the Dungeon altering their memories and making them believe that! Then we're returned to the Dungeon space, waiting to be relocated and replanted with the lowest levels of power...]" Anaflandus rambled, Jora leaping through the portal and sprinting towards the off guard Broodmother before him.

  "[Punishment]." He cast while the Core continued speaking.

  "[You don't know how many times I've had to fucking restart! I hate you humans... I barely get far nowadays... It's true hell for those punished Dungeons that have had their intelligence numbed... Or even those newbie newborns... I couldn't imagine it! It's been hundreds of hundreds of years since I touched A-rank! This has been my second closest attempt! I thought I had this one under my belt!]" It whined and whined.

  Jora only laughed, leaping up above the unsuspecting monster beneath him.

  "[Devour]. [Integrate]."

  He skipped the notifications, landing on the ground with his four limbs. He pushed off, sending himself straight back towards where he had just come from.

  'Two more...' He thought.

  "[Yeah! Hurry up! You have two minutes left before we fold, collapse, and get spewed out somewhere random in the universe! Get back to my Core Room shitface!]" Jora couldn't hold back laughter at that one.

  He sprinted through the portal once more. Strangely, his new companion didn't bother him. It intrigued him. He figured his wrath would explode with the way this entity loved to speak towards him.

  But it didn't...

  Perhaps because it was melded to his soul...

  "[It's because my personality has influenced you, and I am indeed a part of you. Your new Talents are influencing you as well. They're numbing the intensity of your [Wrath]. Though I can tell you that it is still there. Look at me, I've never felt more anger in my life!]" Anaflandus butt in once more.

  "[I wonder if you will innately unlock another Talent at level 100... Your stolen Talents will never influence you on the level that your innate Talents will... Maybe that will boost your Wrath and Gluttony back up when you acquire your next... Let's hope not. I'd rather have you with a brain, than some stupid angry hungry bastard.]" Jora laughed, soaring over the next Broodmother.

  "You know, you're funny. I like you." He said, Anaflandus bubbling once more within him.

  "[I hate your guts human!... Demon... I forgot you were Eldrid for a moment... It makes so much sense! Stereotypical demon...]" Anaflandus exclaimed, resigning mid sentence.

  "Eldrid? You know what type of demon that is?" He asked, finishing the consumption that was soundlessly started while his companion spoke.

  "[I know more than you could ever hope to know!]"

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