Throttle lay on the ground beside Bruce, both motionless, faces covered in blood.

  Quin and Eere were still standing, but just barely. Quin was really struggling, since he had Irion slung over a shoulder, evidently trying to move him somewhere safer.

  Judging by the discarded glass bottles, they’d already used the last of their potions.

  “Idiot!” Quin said, shouting in my general direction. He ducked under a sweeping attack, before continuing. “Why won’t you listen to what I say? You could've left!“

  Eere blinked, more focused on the twisted door behind me. She tilted her head, as if to say “did you do that?”

  “Are they alive?!” I shouted, putting myself between the party and the monster. It snapped back, confused as to where I could’ve possibly come from.

  Quin huffed. “Of course they’re alive. They just got hit pretty hard and they fell unconscious, that’s all.”

  As we spoke, the core crushed metal shards in the palm of its metal hands, making incoherent clicking noises. It had lumpy gold skin and wore a

  dangling silver chain, strung together from the remains of old swords, armor, and gold rings. Other weapons had been planted into it, blade first, and

  stuck there. There was one arrow shot into its faceless head, shaft sticking out the other end.

  If that bothered the Core, it didn’t seem to show it.

  Then all at once, it charged

  Before it hit, I thrust my shovel into its chest, gouging the metal.

  Instead of staggering back like anything sensible, the figure of rippling metal grabbed my shovel and pulled it deeper into its chest, until there was only

  the handle sticking out, like the other weapons.

  I was the one staggering back, dumbfounded.

  Quin sighed. “What were you expecting? It's a Core. It can absorb just about anything you throw into it. Why do you think we’ve been having issues?”

  “Then I won’t use a weapon,” I said, curling my hands into fists.

  “What are you even doing?” Quin groaned. “You’ve got no strength and barely any health and you're perfectly capable of going out the exit. What kind

  of idiot are you?”

  “If the door’s open, why are you two still here?” I asked.

  Quin rolled his eyes. “As if I’d let a lady fight the dungeon boss on her own.”

  Eere giggled, walking over, careful to keep the hem of her skirt from brushing against the stained and dusty floor.

  He glanced at me. “Go.”

  “No.”

  He shrugged hands in surrender. “Stay if you like, kid. I can’t spare the energy to try and stop you.”

  {Gauntlet of the GoldHide}

  [1/1 Hp]

  [3 Str]

  “Hey, that’s not so bad,” I said. “Just three strength should be pretty easy to manage.”

  “Strength isn’t the issue,” Quin muttered. “It only does a little damage, but it’s so freakishly good at swallowing our weapons that nothing we have can

  damage it. Except for Eere, of course. She's the only reason anybody’s still alive. She’s running out of mana, though. There’s a couple spells she could

  use, but we’d need the Core to stand still.”

  I smirked. “You just need a clean shot—is that it?”

  “That’s it?” Quin scoffed. “I’ve been trying to do it for the past half-hour. Good luck, runt.”

  The core twisted toward me, groaning as the metal lurched. It shot forward, cracking the stone underneath, arms outstretched.

  I took a deep breath and swung.

  It drove straight into my fist, knuckles crunching against its gold shell. I ignored the numbing pain, feet planted against the ground. I arched my back

  and drove the fist, cracking the stone on which I stood.

  There was a sudden crisp snap, and the Core staggered back, moving a hand over it’s newest dent..

  I brushed metal flakes from my fist, watching the gold turn black, then dissolve.

  Quin started talking, before he hesitated. “Eere, did you boost his damage or something?”

  She shook her head.

  The monster groaned, creeping further back, feeding metal from its blades into the dent. The gold pinged back into place, good as new.

  Eere grabbed Quin, frantically tugging on his sleeve.

  “Uh—Grind! Eere says it’s preparing for something.”

  “Really?” I asked, glancing in his direction.

  “Lots of mana or something like that.” He shrugged. “You know. Wizard stuff!”

  Energy crackled around the core, steadily intensifying into a low rumble. Then, in a sudden flash of movement, it crashed into me, cracking my back

  against the wall.

  “GRIND!” Quin shouted, pulling out his second dagger, in marginally better condition than the first, with a chipped blade.

  “I’m good!” I shouted back, keeping my feet planted on the wall and pushing back.

  [(-3) 35 Hp]

  GoldHide was definitely stronger than any normal monster, but couldn’t even compare to the two-star core. Three damage was nothing. This Core was nothing.

  I drove both heels through the wall, switching from pushing to pulling, and the Core tottered into my arms. “NOW EERE!”

  There was a blur of white energy, then the Core shuddered. In its chest, there was a smoking hole of bubbling metal, where a massive green crystal

  hung, tethered to the husk of gold by dangling copper strands.

  I ripped a foot from the stone and bashed it, as hard as I could.

  {GoldHide : (-1) 1Hp}

  The Core shuddered, imploding into a ball of golden goup on the floor. The goo solidified into a cocoon, too hard to bother breaking into.

  I could be patient.

  Eere blew the smoke off her palm, beaming to herself.

  “Wait…” Quin started. “Did we win?”

  “Not quite,” I mumbled. “There's still a second phase.”

  He scoffed. “Please. Now that we’ve found something that works, we’ll do exactly what we just did a second time.”

  Eere tugged on his sleeve, and he blanked, like a deer caught in headlights.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Eere says she’s out of mana,” Quin muttered. He bent down, picking Throttle and Bruce up from the floor, sliding them on top of Irion, all on one

  shoulder. “Come’on, Grind. We're going!”

  “I’ll cover you two!” I shouted, kicking the ball of metal to the other side of the room. “GO!”

  “B-But you’re—” Quin shook his head. “Ah you won’t listen to a thing I say anyway. Do whatever you like, boy

  The ball of metal began to churn. Silver waves stained the gold, creeping up until it covered the entire core. Then the metal took shape,

  hardening into a newer solid form.

  {SilverHide}

  [10/10 Hp]

  [5 Str]

  Despite everything, I was smiling. This was it. The boss’s final phase.

  It charged and I caught it, straining.

  We were frozen for a moment, before the ground beneath began to crack, and I staggered back.

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  The Core raised its fist and slammed down.

  [(-5) 30Hp]

  My head and neck exploded in pain, but despite that, I managed to keep myself standing, bracing against the floor.

  The Core seemed almost surprised, and in that surprise, it hesitated.

  I punched as hard as I could, straight into its chest.

  My fist struck, instantly going numb, bouncing harmlessly off the new metal body.

  A silver knee rammed into my stomach, followed by a knuckle to the face.

  [(-5) 25 Hp]

  [(-5) 20 Hp]

  The Core picked me off the floor and rammed my forehead into the ground, then giving a hard kick, for good measure.

  [(-5) 15 Hp]

  [(-5) 10 Hp]

  I spat black blood, slipping out of his grasp and out of immediate danger.

  Red notification boxes hung over my head, flashing in alarm. Despite them, I felt eerily— almost inhumanly—calm.

  Did health matter in this fight?

  If I died here, then I’d just respawn.

  Nothing to fear.

  The Core arced low to the ground, before charging forward, sharp claws sparking as they gouged into the stone.

  I jumped up, clutching one side, managing the next flurry of attacks, except for a low jab that grazed my arm.

  [(-2) 8 Hp]

  Sweaty hair plastered my face, and the dust clung to my skin. Technically speaking, I had more health than when I first woken up in the forest.

  Practically speaking, the blood loss was making my head spin. I wasn’t in any condition to keep the fight going.

  The Core reached into its chest, drawing a broadsword. It took a couple practice swings, effortlessly slicing through nearby stone and metal pillars,

  before leveling the blade toward my face.

  I stared down the edge, emotionless.

  I could just accept death here. It was pointless either way, wasn’t it?

  The monster charged, swinging up.

  I felt a sudden loosening sensation, followed by a massive spike in adrenaline.

  What was I going to do, Die? To this disgrace of a Core?

  I dug my heels into the ground and strained, muscles bulging. When I swung, I used my entire body, pitching forward, and the hit hit hard, with a clean

  blow to the chest.

  My fist sailed through into the metal hide, up the wrist.

  I was surprised.

  The Core was much more surprised than myself and it began thrashing, ripping off my fist and scrabbling away as fast as it could.

  “HEY!” Quin shouted, hands cupped against his mouth. “Eere’s giving you a buff! Use it quickly!”

  I glanced up, to a bright yellow notification. When I squinted, it expanded into an explanation.

  [Buff : Hyperextension III : Triples all melee-based stats (1:00)]

  Triple—exactly how strong was I?

  On impulse, I stomped on the ground.

  The stone floor didn't crack or shudder. Rather, it exploded underneath my feet, carving out in a shockwave of dust and rock.

  “Wow,” I whispered, raising a smoking foot.

  {GRIND}

  //81 Str//

  The Core started clicking to itself, grabbing the dent in its hide. Despite its clawing, the wound

  wouldn’t seal back up.

  I sighed in relief. “That new form is stronger, but it can still take damage. That’s just a matter of time.” I checked the rest of my team. “Where's everyone

  else?”

  “The other three?” Quin asked. “I just left ‘em outside. You didn't think I actually abandoned you in the middle of a Dungeon Core, right?”

  “Yes.”

  Quin frowned. “You could’ve at least thought about it.”

  “That was a welcome surprise,” I said, patting him on the shoulder. “Good work.”

  The entire dungeon shook.

  Quin winced. “Hey, runt, he’s charging something up!”

  The Core hunched down, shaking faster. Energy syphoned from the walls and floor in waves of shimmering light. Where energy was taken, stone

  blacked, then dissolved, until the dungeon room

  was littered with holes and patches,

  “Uh oh,” I muttered, sprinting toward it and ramming an elbow into its faceless head.

  The metal distorted, but the Core held its ground.

  Bare hands alone wouldn't be enough.

  I gritted my teeth and ripped the metal folds apart, brushing against a familiar handle. Said familiar handle had a bit of a tantrum , shredding the inner

  folds of metal.

  The Core jerked, tearing the shovel from its crust, and rising up, arms high. I took my shovel and belted it in the stomach, knocking the monster a good

  few yards away.

  Panting, I dropped to a knee. Exhaustion I had already started up.

  “What’s it doing?”

  The Core wordlessly reached for its face, and began to pull. Metal groaned then tore, splitting into a smile.

  “GRIND!” Quin screamed. “That thing just made itself into a 2-star dungeon boss!”

  “How is that a thing?!” I screamed back.

  Eere concentrated, and my buff refreshed.

  “Eere!” I shouted. “I’m going to need as much of those buffs as you can sustain! Quin, keep her safe and if need be get the Core distracted because

  this just got way out of hand!”

  “I’m your superior, runt,” Quin snapped. “But oh, whatever, it’s not like I’m strong enough to fight that. Eere says she’ll have another two or three casts,

  but at the expense of her long term health. If

  you can’t kill that thing before she runs out of health, I skin and beat you, understand?”

  I nodded. “Do you think those three have any chance of waking up?”

  “It’s not like they’ll be able to do much if they did,” Quin muttered. “Leave the worrying to the two of us. Focus on your fight with that thing.”

  The Core smiled, then frowned, testing the new metal muscles in its face, one by one. It scowled. It grinned. It sneered.

  Then it turned to me.

  I lashed forward, deflecting the next following strikes, and a flick from my shovel gave me the room I needed to dodge the third, providing a wide

  enough area to strike—not with the edge of my

  shovel but it’s flat end, that way I wasn’t so vulnerable to getting my weapon taken, as blunt attacks seemed to work better then piercing ones.

  The Core and I exchanged blows in rapid succession, heating up until I couldn’t scarcely take the time to breath between volleys, and then faster still,

  with a constant thunder of metal banging,

  groaning and grinding.

  The Core heaved, staggering backward.

  I staggered, black spots flickering around my vision.

  Adrenaline surged from my body, followed by another bright yellow notification.

  Beside Quin, Eere slumped, clutching her chest. She was clearly running low on mana, if she hadn’t run out already. What exactly did quin mean about

  using life force? Could she die, if forced to

  keep this up?

  I swallowed.

  This’ll have to end quickly.

  The Core charged forward, scrabbling for my shovel with both hands, so I headbutted, and it staggered and I twisted around, belting it over and over

  with the dull blade.

  It crumpled, helplessly,

  Over our exchanges the Core’s metalhide had begun to deform so far out of shape that its movement became cumbersome and slow, giving me the

  opportunity for additional hits. Additional hits or

  not, I was running out of time.

  [Hyperextension III (0:35)]

  Eere rose to her feet, wiping blood from the side of her mouth. Quin was trying to talk

  to her, but she ignored him. If I couldn’t kill it, she’d use mana again.

  The Core reached forward, latching onto my shovel for what had to be the fifth time in the fight.

  I smacked it around, tearing its grubby little hands off my legendary weapon.

  The Core shook, lunging forward again, and then another time after that.

  Its smile had begun to pool filled with liquid metal and its movements, which had, for a brief moment, been artful or at the very least methodical,

  became clumsy and stupid.

  Legendary weapon.

  Do Cores gain power by absorbing whatever they get off players?

  That’d sure explain a lot.

  If this was a legendary item, why was I limiting myself to smacks, wacks, and stabs?

  An idea was beginning to form in the back of my mind.

  This was a shovel, wasn’t it?

  Shouldn’t I use it like one?

  [Hyperextension III (0:26)]

  It swayed forward, and I ducked, plunging the shovel into its hide. The metal instantly

  softened, tethering around the blade, pulling it between layers of metal.

  I gritted my teeth and strained, slowly gouging a shovelful of soft metal from the beast. It shuddered, then lashed out, and I repeated the process,

  ripping metal hunks from its silver husk. Once

  removed, they bubbled and dissolved into black goup, much like the rest of the dungeon. Without direct access to their core, they had no power.

  [Hyperextension III (0:08)]

  The Core began to act frantically, like a dying animal, thrashing wildly. It flickered bet

  ween its gold and silver forms, perhaps to heal damage but only making it easier to gouge, now that the metal was soft.

  Even so, I was running out of time. If I couldn’t do enough soon—

  [Hyperextension III (0:05)]

  Between folds of mixed metal, I spotted a glistening green gem.

  The hole turned gold, sealing itself, but that made no difference to the shovel.

  I gritted my teeth, and with one last final tug, ripped the massive green crystal from the Core’s husk.

  [Hyperextension III (0:02)]

  But it wasn’t dead. Not yet.

  The dying corpse lunged forward, seizing my neck and squeezing as hard as it possibly could. It’s strength was dropping fast, without a lifeline.

  [(-3) 5 Hp]

  [(-2) 3Hp]

  [(-1) 2Hp]

  I took a deep breath and clenched my fist, breaking the crystal down to a fine powder.

  At once, the metal form stopped, frozen in time.

  Then it began to blacken, then flake, then its bits and pieces tore from one another, crumpling under its own weight. Colored orbs, exp, and fifty or sixty

  stolen weapons streamed out, crashing into one another, exploding at my feet.

  Someone shouted behind me, more in joy and surprise than anything else, and there were other noises, ones I couldn't quite recognize.

  Actually, I couldn't focus on anything happening around me. It all felt so far off and distant, like it’d been happening to someone else entirely.

  All at once, I felt pain.

  And cold.

  [Hyperextension III (0:00)]

  [Debuff: Exhaustion XIV: indefinite]

  [Debuff: Exp Poisoning I: (6:00:00)]

  My vision began to smear, then blur, and with a dull thud, I collapsed face first onto the shattered dungeon floor.

  au revoir