Luke thought about his own situation. What Contract Authority did he have with Amigo anyway?

Dominion-rank must be the answer. Amigo was a wimp after all, following orders without resistance.

This meant that Luke was the better "summoner" than Scarlett since they both had Mythic beasts.

He watched Scarlett coax the Phoenix down and help it tend to its feathers, trying to keep it calm and cooperative for what lay ahead.

While she was occupied, Luke collected the monster cores from the perished golems. Out of fifteen that attacked them, only seven were collectable, meaning drops were not guaranteed.

If this were the case, Luke had to be more grateful for bringing Scarlett along.

Whenever Luke fought monsters, his system forced him to use Devour on everything he killed. Everything gets absorbed. Anything gets absorbed. This applied to essence and even the cores within the monsters.

Since this process was automatic, he could not actually harvest cores physically to store or give to Amigo to absorb and grow.

Having Scarlett do all the killing solved that problem because the system didn’t register her kills as his own.

"Amigo, store these cores," Luke said, and Amigo assimilated them.

"Master, don’t forget that you promised me monster cores after–"

"I know, shell-head!" Luke interrupted, shoving the turtle back into his jacket.

Further into the dungeon, Luke and Scarlett saw with their own eyes how dangerous a corrupted dungeon could be. If nothing was attacking them, then it was the black stuff that tried to corrode their skin. They even got to a point where the floor was open, and the sludge bubbled up from the unseen foundation.

Above that chasm were Obsidian Gargoyles, waking up from their sleep.

Luke and Scarlett recoiled to their sides while the Empyrean Phoenix charged forward to meet the monsters.

Using Echo, Scarlett borrowed Flaming Fetters, a skill that spawned chains made of fire. These chains captured the gargoyles’ legs, giving the Empyrean Phoenix free rein.

WHOOOOSH!

Heat hotter than my laptop melted the gargoyles, and they turned into slob, leaving another batch of cores behind for Luke to take.

Dozens of undead soon crawled out from the quagmire as Luke tried to gather the cores. He ducked away from a spear and a sword as the skeletons scrambled up, trying to pose a threat.

But KRAAAWWW! The Empyrean Phoenix poured down fire along the lip of the chasm, blasting them back to where they came from.

Luke was impressed with Scarlett’s insight into her beast abilities. She knew how to use them well.

"Good call on the wall of fire," he said, jogging back to her side. "That saved us a lot of time."

"I will have to call Nymeria back to recuperate," Scarlett replied as her beast vanished. "We need to hurry before my tank runs dry."

"Got it. Let’s keep moving. If any small fries show up, let me handle them. You save your strength. I don’t want anything happening to you."

"No one actually worries about me, husband," Scarlett said. "This is new."

"Good thing you only have one husband, then," Luke said as he summoned his gauntlet. "Makes it easy to keep track."

Scarlett recognized the gauntlet as the same thing Luke had used to dismember Chloe’s Elf. Up close, she could feel its aura.

Anyone would ask questions, but she knew better than to pry. Luke did not look like someone who felt the need to prove his strength to anyone. He was powerful, and that was that.

On Luke’s side, he was still injured, but he summoned his gauntlet anyway because he wanted to keep both of them protected while Scarlett and her phoenix rejuvenated.

He could count on just a punch or a skill like 〖Red Basin〗 that didn’t need much strain to keep them protected.

When they got to a dining hall, several lifeless objects brought to life by the corruption attacked them. Rugs. Kettles. Chairs. Candlesticks.

Luke and Scarlett kicked and pushed the annoyance away until they reached the last hallway before the boss room, covered in leeches.

"I’m getting Nymeria back. Can we have a clear path to the boss?" Scarlett asked politely, but secretly, she wanted to see what other things Luke could do with that gauntlet apart from ripping out a limb.

"No problem," Luke said.

He drove his armored fist into the floor, and the impact formed a crater that spread through the hallway like a volcano’s veins, incinerating every leech.

〖Flame + 5.8〗

〖You have slain a Plague Leech!〗

〖Flame + 5.8〗

〖You have slain a Plague Leech!〗

〖Flame + 5.8〗

〖You have slain a Plague Leech!〗x10

〖XP Gained: +220〗

〖You have leveled up to LV. 10!〗

〖Congratulations! Forge Slot Refreshed!〗

Scarlett got back to her feet because the tremor had knocked her off balance. Looking around, she saw that all the leeches were gone, but the hall was choking with red dust, the same substance Luke was absorbing.

"What is that?" she asked.

"It’s just the material I use to forge armor," Luke answered, then he gestured at the empty lobby.

"Right, the boss..." Scarlett said.

She noticed Luke following behind. Maybe he was just being cautious since the dungeon was corrupted, but a part of Scarlett wondered if he was staring at her...

Inside the boss chamber, they looked around until they saw the monster rising to its feet from a slab like a monk waiting for his students.

The monster had white fur and a bulky build, as it stood, matching the surrounding pillars in height.

"Woah. This is an albino gorilla," Luke whispered to Scarlett. "Leave some of its fur unburnt if you can. It costs millions."

"I think that is a yeti rather," Scarlett replied.

"Aren’t they the same thing?"

"No, they’re not," Scarlett said. "Though now that I look at it... is a yeti just a gorilla that got lost in the snow? I actually have no idea."

"What are you guys doing?!" Amigo shouted. "Watch out!"

BOOOM!

The impact was so hard that another crater was formed in the floor.

While they were debating, the Malignant Yeti had run towards them and thrown down its fist. But, Luke put up his gauntlet in time to block the strike.

The Hell Ape was leagues stronger than the Malignant Yeti, giving Luke the upper hand as he lifted its wrists.

Scarlett rolled away from the impact in the nick of time, and her phoenix appeared again. One breath of fire was all it took to incinerate the boss monster because it was busy locked in a battle of strength with Luke.

*********

Meanwhile, outside of the gate, the leader of Team Blue Crow was packing up to leave. Soon, the Bureau would detect the energy from the corrupted dungeon and lock down the airport.

If Luke and Scarlett were already dead inside, he needed to flee because he would get blamed for their deaths alongside other charges.

"Even if they somehow clear it, the Confederacy would never believe a Bronze-rank party like Blue Crow cleared a corrupted dungeon. This means this deal is over anyway!" the man thought as he threw things into his trunk.

Soon, his one eye caught the reflection of two shadows coming out from the terminal.

"C’mon, I told you not to burn everything. I could have become a millionaire..."

"I’m sorry. It was Nymeria. But if you need a million, I can give you..."

The man turned around fast. Huh? It was them! "They had survived a corrupted gate?!"

"Hey, you were trying to run away, weren’t you?" Scarlett demanded, pointing at the man. "And tell us you knew the dungeon was already corrupted beforehand."

"Lay him off a bit," Luke said, stepping in between them. "There’s no way he could have known. And besides, you can’t really blame him for wanting to save his own life when a gate goes red like that. Here you go, sir."

The leader of Blue Crow looked down at the agreed money, presented by Luke. It took him a while, but he accepted the cash before he turned without saying anything.

Luke took his hesitation as dissatisfaction with the payment, so he pulled out more money and handed it over.

"This is extra for all the chaos. Dealing with a corrupted gate is stressful for everyone, so consider it a bonus for the hassle."

"Keep your money," the man said. "Taking a bonus means fostering a relationship, and I want out. The business between us ends right here, right now."

Luke stepped back, confused by the rejection and also the termination of the partnership.

"Wait. Why? How am I supposed to keep getting access to dungeons if Blue Crow cuts me off?"

"Find another party," the man said. "I won’t be risking it any longer. The Bureau might even be here any second."

Sigh. Luke never thought things could fall apart this quickly. He had just reached Lv. 10, but unfortunately, he had lost his proxies.

He couldn’t blame Blue Crow for his decision. After all, no one wanted to deal with the Bureau or the Confederacy. That’s a whole different world of power.

Just then—Chka-chka Chka-chka Chka-chka

"A helicopter?"

Searchlights cut through the dark clouds, illuminating the airport.

Chka-chka Chka-chka.

Vrrrrmmm.

ATV’s came roaring down the hills, their headlights flashing everywhere as the trio was boxed in from every direction.

"If they aren’t already here now!" Amigo cried, shivering.