David stood before the dark, gaping maw of the new dungeon, but his mind wasn't on the monsters ahead. He pulled a heavy, carved wooden stein from his belt and began to hum a rhythmic little tune.

  “A drink in the morning and in the afternoon,” he sang softly, his foot tapping on the gravel. “A drink in the evening and even after school... skinamarinky dinky doo, skidamerinke dee... I love you.” He took a long, satisfying pull of the amber liquid.

  “Great choice in lyrics, pal,” Tomas said, strolling up with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Care to share a drop with your old buddy?”

  “No. Mine. Go away,” David grunted, clutching the mug to his chest and trying to shoo Tomas off with a dismissive wave.

  Tomas didn't budge. Instead, he took a deep breath and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Hey, Cat! Dav—”

  A massive hand slammed over Tomas’s mouth, muffling the rest of the shout. David looked around frantically before leaning in close. “Fine! If you shut up, I’ll share. Just don’t tell Cat I’m drinking before a dungeon. I’ll never hear the end of it...” David made a talking motion with his hand like a nagging puppet, his face twisted in a scowl.

  He handed the stein over with a heavy, dramatic sigh.

  Just then, Cat stepped out of the cave entrance with Ann trailing behind. “Hey, did you call me?” she asked, wiping sweat from her brow.

  David’s scowl vanished instantly, replaced by a bright, innocent grin. “Yes, honey! I was just telling Tomas here that I absolutely shouldn’t have a drink before a dungeon. But he insisted! He said I needed it to ease my mind.”

  Tomas didn't even blink at the lie. “Is that so?” he chuckled. “Well, in that case, I’ll just take the rest for myself.” He tilted the stein back and drained every last drop of the magical whiskey in one go.

  David watched in stunned silence, his face falling from a grin to a scowl, and finally settling into a deep, tragic pout as Tomas tossed the empty mug back at him.

  “You’re right. No drinks before a dungeon,” Cat said, her voice small and deceptively sweet. She didn’t wait for an answer, turning on her heel and disappearing back into the darkness of the cave with Ann close behind.

  David stood frozen, his hand still reaching for his empty mug as he glared at Tomas.

  “Ha! Saved you from a lecture, didn't I?” Tomas laughed, clapping David on the shoulder. “Now you owe me one. I’m going to get the rest of the crew prepped. Good luck, partner!” He hurried away before David could formulate a response.

  Near the threshold, Cat, Ann, and Anthony were huddled around a massive stone door. It was a complex mechanical puzzle: three central circles surrounded by eight smaller, interlocking rings that moved in a dizzying sequence.

  “How’s the puzzle coming?” Tomas asked, leaning over Anthony’s shoulder.

  “It’s simpler than it looks,” Anthony murmured. His fingers moved with the precision of a clockmaker, sliding the stone pieces across the face of the door. “It’s not just a lock; it’s a map. You just have to align the currents like this...”

  As Anthony pulled his hand away, the stone groaned. The pieces clicked into place, revealing a trio of vivid, interlocking murals. The first showed a Naga King presiding over a slithering army. The second depicted a monstrous Kraken lurking in a lightless grotto. The final circle showed a harrowing scene: a ship being torn apart by Drowned Merfolk—creatures with fish-heads, clawed webbing, and jagged fins protruding from their scaled limbs.

  The door began to vibrate, a low hum that shook the cave floor, before sliding upward to reveal the shimmering blue haze of the portal.

  **SYSTEM MESSAGE: MAXIMUM PARTY SIZE DETECTED**

  **Only five party members allowed in the dungeon at a time**

  Team one consists of Tomas as team leader and support, Anthony dps, Hunter ranged dps and David as healer and tank.

  Team two consists of George as team leader and tank, Osia as support, Rick as dps and Christine as healer.

  Team three consists of Cat as team leader and healer, Ann as tank, Riley, James and Victor as dps.

  David moved among the groups, his heavy footsteps echoing in the cave as he distributed a final round of potions. There was a somber weight to the goodbyes; despite the whiskey and the jokes, everyone knew the desert dungeon wouldn't be kind. One by one, they turned toward the rippling blue portal that pulsed like a heartbeat in the center of the cavern.

  Cat’s group led the way—"ladies first," as the saying went. They vanished into the light until only Victor remained. He stood at the threshold, knuckles white as he gripped his staff. The courage he’d tried to muster had vanished, replaced by the cold reality of the unknown. He took a staggering step back.

  “I… I can’t do it!” Victor cried, his voice cracking. “I’m too scared!”

  Without a second of hesitation, Christine loomed behind him. In her massive bugbear form, she looked like a mountain of fur and muscle. “And I kick you,” she muttered flatly. With a heavy thud of her foot, she sent Victor flying headfirst into the portal.

  George’s crew followed immediately. As Christine reached the edge of the ripple, she paused and looked back at David. Her expression was hard, but her eyes betrayed her. “Hey, father,” she called out. “No one is allowed to kill you besides me. You got that?”

  David’s rough face broke into a proud smile. He stepped forward, his own boot already swinging. “And I kick you. Good luck, little one!”

  The final group stepped through moments later, leaving the cave in a sudden, heavy silence. Behind them, the wolves retreated into the shadows of the debris, settling in to guard the stash and wait for the return of the Crew.

  David stepped through the portal, and the world blurred. The darkness came and went in a flash, replaced by the damp, echoing interior of a cavern half-filled with murky water. The walls were slick with salt, and the path ahead sloped steeply into a black, lightless pool.

  “Curse you, System,” David growled, his voice echoing off the wet stone. “I hate water levels.”

  “Hey, at least it’s not cold! Get in, the water’s fine!” Hunter called out. He took a few confident steps into the shallows, but the floor vanished beneath him. With a startled yelp, he was sucked down into the depths.

  “Hunter!” David roared. Without thinking, he sprinted to the edge and leaped. Mid-air, his body rippled and expanded, his limbs lengthening and multiplying until a massive Octopus splashed into the dark pool in pursuit.

  Tomas shook his head, cast a quick warding spell, and stepped into the water with a casual shrug. Anthony, however, had a different plan. “A mermaid! Best suited for the cave!” he declared, triggering his transformation skill.

  There was a wet shimmer, and Anthony’s legs fused into a long, shimmering tail. He immediately lost his balance, slamming face-first onto the stone. “Gah! Ha... ha... should’ve thought about changing closer to the water,” he yelled, flopping pathetically toward the edge. “Go on, guys! I’ll catch up! This three-transformation-a-day business sucks!” He began dragging himself toward the pool, grunting with every inch.

  Below the surface, the water was thick with mana, but David’s new eyes pierced the gloom. He scanned the depths until he spotted Hunter. His son was being dragged deeper into a side tunnel by a thick, massive tentacle. For a heartbeat, David struggled to coordinate his eight new limbs, but the sight of Hunter gasping for air fueled his instincts. He jetted forward, a blur of suction cups and fury.

  Above them, Tomas drifted downward, a ten-foot sphere of air pushing the water away from him. He walked along the sloping floor as if on a stroll, humming a distorted “doo-do-doo” that sounded like a bubbling pipe organ.

  David pushed his mana to the limit, coating his cephalopod form in a shimmering aura to cut through the drag. He rounded a final corner as the tunnel opened into a gargantuan underwater grotto. In the center sat a massive Kraken, its many arms coiling like snakes as it pulled Hunter toward a beak the size of a rowboat.

  David’s pupils shrank to pinpricks. A frantic, primal rage surged through him, and he jetted forward, his silhouette blurring as he aimed himself like a torpedo at the Kraken. From the outside, his octopus form began to throb with a rhythmic, emerald light, pulsating in time with his thundering heart.

  He tore past Hunter, desperately reaching out, but the Kraken’s grip was absolute. Two massive tentacles lashed out to intercept him. David spiraled through the water, dodging the heavy limbs, but the resistance was slowing him down. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hunter drift past him—unconscious, limp, and dangerously close to the Kraken’s crushing beak.

  The determination in David’s soul snapped into something ancient. The green pulsing grew blindingly bright, radiating heat into the cold depths.

  Tomas rounded the corner of the tunnel, his air bubble shimmering. He took one look at the gargantuan beast and then at the emerald supernova erupting below. Just then, Anthony came barreling through the side of Tomas’s bubble, his mermaid tail thrashing as he tried to dive toward the monster.

  Tomas reached out, his grip like iron on Anthony’s shoulder. “Wait,” he commanded, his voice resonant and steady despite the chaos.

  “Come on! Let me go!” Anthony cried, clawing at the edge of the bubble.

  “Not yet. Look,” Tomas said, pointing toward the floor of the grotto. “When the time is right, you go for Hunter. Bring him back to the air. But for now... stay back.”

  Below them, the emerald light solidified into a piercing jade glare. David’s form didn't just grow; it distorted, his eight tentacles merging and lengthening into a massive, muscular trunk. His skin hardened into iridescent scales, and his head elongated into a draconic snout crowned with flowing fins. He grew until he dwarfed the Kraken itself, a titan of the abyss reclaimed from myth.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  **New Form Unlocked**

  **Bloodline Activated**

  **Ancient Sea Serpent Dragon**

  Deep inside a separate dungeon, Team Two emerged from a series of cramped, water-slicked tunnels into a gargantuan vaulted chamber. Below them, an army of Nagas stood in disciplined ranks, their scales shimmering like oil. Atop a jagged cliff overlooking the hall sat the Naga King, clad in sapphire scales and wielding a massive nine-pointed trident.

  The King raised his weapon, his voice rasping through the cavern. “Vhor’nax!”

  At the command, a line of slender Naga Mages on the high ridges raised their own tridents. The tips began to glow with a violent, electric blue energy.

  “Osia, shields!” George roared, planting his feet and bracing his own heavy guard.

  “Got it!” Osia snapped back. She threw her arms wide, projecting a series of dark green, transparent domes over the team.

  Beams of blue light rained down like searing lances, slamming into the emerald barrier with the sound of cracking glass. Osia groaned, her knees buckling as she poured mana into the flickering shields. “Someone needs to take out that artillery! I can’t hold this forever!”

  “On it,” Christine chirped. In a blur of feathers, she shifted into a Peregrine Falcon and rocketed out from under the shield.

  She spiraled upward, her small form easily lost against the chaotic flashes of the mages' beams. At thirty-three miles per hour, she crested the cavern’s ceiling, looking down at the sixty mages lining the ridges.

  She zeroed in on the smallest mage at the end of the line. Tucking her wings, she entered a vertical stoop. Gravity took hold, and her speed exploded to over two hundred miles per hour—a feathered missile aiming straight for the source of the fire.

  At the last possible second, she flared her wings to shed just enough momentum to strike. Her talons locked onto the glowing trident with iron strength. With a sharp twist of her wings, she wrenched the weapon’s aim away from her team and swept the beam across the ridge. The blue energy carved through the mages' own line, incinerating half of the artillery in a single, panicked arc.

  Christine didn't stop there. She banked hard, circling behind the disoriented Naga. She teased the survivor into firing a desperate shot at her, then led the beam directly into the cavern’s fractured ceiling. The stone groaned and gave way, raining tons of jagged debris onto the Naga infantry below.

  The Naga King’s voice hissed through the cavern once more, vibrating with fury. “Sss’kriss!”

  The meaning was unmistakable: Charge. From the shadows of the cave floor, waves of Naga warriors surged forward, their spears and tridents leveled at the small group. George planted his feet, his shield becoming a wall of steel that deflected a dozen thrusts, while Osia rained fireballs over his shoulders, turning the front line into a gauntlet of flame.

  High above, Christine abandoned her falcon form. She materialized mid-air as a massive, feathered Owlbear, her sheer weight crushing the Naga mage beneath her as she landed on the ridge. She didn't linger; she tossed a handful of her signature Boom Berries into the cluster of mages and leaped back into the sky, shifting into a bird before the first explosion rocked the cavern.

  Below, Rick was a phantom. He danced through the shadows, his blades flashing in the dark as he cut down warriors and vanished before they could even scream.

  Despite their progress, the blue beams from the remaining ridge continued to batter Osia’s shield. “Christine! Can you take out the other side?” Osia asked using her communication chip hanging from her neck.

  “I’m on it!” Christine chirped back, spiraling through the air to dodge a direct blast from the King himself.

  She reached the opposite ridge and slammed down as an Owlbear once again. The impact sent the leftmost mage plummeting a hundred feet into the troops below. She charged down the line like a living battering ram, swatting Nagas off the cliff until the King leaped across the gap to intercept her. She dodged a lethal thrust from his nine-pointed trident and threw herself off the ledge, shifting into her falcon form mid-fall.

  As she circled back for a final pass, she shifted into her true Wood Elf form. Suspended in mid-air for a heartbeat, she unleashed a hail of Boom Berries into the heart of the artillery line. “Boom,” she whispered, transforming back into a falcon.

  The second explosion was even larger than the first. The entire ridge groaned and disintegrated, sending the remaining mages screaming toward the floor. As Christine fell, she was silhouetted by desperate, frantic blue beams from the falling mages—one last attempt at revenge. One beam grazed her wing, scorching her feathers. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she tucked her wings and went into a terminal velocity free-dive, the ground rushing up to meet her at a terrifying speed.

  The Naga King let out a guttural hiss of rage, his sapphire scales bristling. He didn't just fire; he focused, his nine-pointed trident crackling with a condensed, blinding white-blue energy. He thrust the weapon downward, tracking Christine’s trajectory through the air.

  A massive beam of pure destructive mana tore through the cavern, trailing a wake of steam and ozone as it homed in on the falling Wood Elf.

  "Christine, look out!" George bellowed, but he was pinned down by a dozen Naga warriors.

  Standing on the deck of the massive galleon, Ann peered over the railing at the churning water. "Be ready! They're coming up the hull!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the roar of the waves.

  Cat took to the sky, circling the crow's nest to provide aerial surveillance. Below her, the deck was a fortress: James, Ann, Victor, and Riley stood shoulder-to-shoulder, weapons glinting under the dim dungeon light.

  The first three Merfolk vaulted over the railing, their webbed claws clicking against the wood. James didn't give them a chance to breathe. With a grunt of effort, he swung the massive Great-hammer he’d claimed from the Ogre Chieftain. The heavy iron head connected with a sickening crunch, clearing all three off the deck in a single mighty arc.

  Behind him, Riley and Victor met the next wave of five. Riley’s muscles surged as he grew in size and strength, his blade becoming a blur as he cut down the first two attackers. Victor followed up by conjuring three spheres of jagged ice. He fired them in rapid succession; two Merfolk were blasted back into the sea, but the third—a lithe creature wielding a rusted hand axe—managed to roll out of the way.

  The survivor dropped to all fours, skittering across the deck with predatory speed. It darted between Victor’s ice bolts before lunging at him, claws extended. Victor froze, his eyes going wide as he threw his arms up to shield his face.

  The expected blow never came. Instead, he heard the sharp shing of steel. He lowered his arms to find Riley standing over the dead Merfolk.

  "Heh, that's three for me," Riley grinned, flicking blood off his sword. "How many have you taken out, Vic?"

  "Two!" Victor snapped, his face flushing with determination to beat his younger brother. "Just you wait, I’ll pass you by the end of this!"

  "Keep your eyes peeled, boys," Ann warned, her wings beginning to unfurl from her back. "Don't lose your heads over a game."

  A swarm of ten Merfolk crested the bow. Ann waited, her great sword glowing with a faint, blue light. As the first three closed in, she stepped forward with a devastating cleave, slicing through them like paper. The remaining enemies split—two leaped high into the air while the other five rushed low.

  Ann dropped into a crouch. With a powerful flap of her wings to propel her forward, she spun in a low circle. Her blade caught all five runners at the waist in one fluid motion. Without stopping, she took flight, skewering one mid-air before kicking off its chest to gain height. She plummeted back down, her blade taking the head off the last creature before she landed silently on the deck.

  More Merfolk began pouring over every inch of the railing. From above, Cat rained down [Faerie Fire], lighting up the targets for her team.

  "On me,” Victor yelled. The crew moved in from all sides, “Shadow Dome, now!" he yelled, slamming his staff onto the deck. A sphere of impenetrable darkness erupted, swallowing the group just as the Merfolk lunged from all sides.

  "This better work, Vic," Ann muttered into the gloom.

  "It will... at least, I think it will," Victor whispered, his voice trembling just a bit.

  As an Ancient Serpent Dragon, David was a blur of emerald scales and raw power. He surged through the depths, his eyes glowing with a blinding green light. He unhinged his jaw, and a concentrated beam of jade energy lanced out, striking the Kraken’s right cluster of eyes. The beast shrieked, the water vibrating with its agony, as it curled its tentacles around its head and spun into a violent frenzy, releasing Hunter into the chaos.

  “Go!” Tomas commanded, physically shoving Anthony out of the air bubble and into the depths.

  Anthony’s mermaid tail beat with desperate speed, but the Kraken’s thrashing had created a massive, silt-choked whirlpool. He spotted Hunter’s limp form being sucked toward a dark secondary tunnel. Fighting the centrifugal force, Anthony lunged, snagging Hunter’s collar just before he was swept away. “Come on, buddy,” he grunted, dragging the unconscious boy back toward the flickering light of Tomas’s bubble. “Stay with me.”

  Back at the tunnel floor, Tomas went to work. His healing magic flickered over Hunter’s chest, but the boy’s lungs were full of water—the magic had nowhere to take hold. Tomas began frantic CPR, his hands rhythmically pumping. Still nothing.

  “Wait, let me try!” Anthony shouted. He cracked his knuckles, focusing his mana into a fine, needle-like thread. He forced the energy down Hunter’s throat, weaving it through the waterlogged tissue of his lungs and stomach.

  A moment later, a torrent of water erupted from Hunter’s mouth. Tomas slammed his hands back onto the boy’s chest, flooding him with healing light and oxygen. Hunter suddenly lurched upward, coughing violently and retching until his body gave out, falling back into a deep, exhausted faint. Tomas checked the boy’s neck, his own breath hitching. “He’s alive. It’s faint, but he’s alive.”

  Looking toward the center of the grotto, Tomas’s face hardened. He unleashed his blue Spectral Chains, the heavy links erupting from the seafloor to snare the Kraken’s thrashing limbs. The whirlpool died as the beast was pinned in place.

  David didn't waste the opening. He fired beam after beam, his dragon-sight searching for a flaw. Finally, a crack appeared in the Kraken’s armored brow.

  “I can’t hold it, David!” Tomas roared into his communication pendant, his arms shaking from the strain as the Kraken began to shatter the chains. “Finish it!”

  David inhaled, drawing every scrap of mana from the surrounding water. He didn't fire a wide blast this time; he condensed the energy into a point no wider than a finger. The sniper-like shot pierced the Kraken's skull just as the last chain snapped.

  The beast let out one final, low groan that shook the foundations of the cave before falling still. In an instant, the water, the Kraken, and the grotto faded into black, and the team was spat back out onto the dry floor of the desert cave.

  “Bug!” David screamed, dropping to his knees beside his son.

  “He’s alive, but barely,” Tomas said, his voice ragged.

  David grabbed Hunter’s hand, ignoring his own exhaustion. He poured the absolute remainder of his mana into the boy, his own body trembling as he forced the life back into Hunter’s frame.

  “Dad?” Hunter’s eyes fluttered open, whispering the word. “Did we... did we get him?”

  “Yes, Bug,” David choked out, tears finally spilling over. “Yes, we did.”

  An ornate golden chest materialized in the center of the cave, shimmering with the rewards of their victory. Tomas looked at his friend and nodded toward the loot. “David? Would you do the honors?”

  David stood, his face a mask of lingering adrenaline and relief. He didn't walk to the chest; he transformed into a massive Owlbear, let out a guttural roar, and swiped the chest with such force it slammed into the cave wall before tumbling to the floor. Without even checking the contents, he shifted back to his Trollkin form and sat back down by Hunter, his only treasure already found.

  The golden chest dissolved into shimmering dust, leaving only two objects resting on the cold stone. Tomas stepped forward, his eyes narrow as he used the ability scan.

  "David, look at this," Tomas murmured, his voice hushed with awe.

  [Orb of Dual Ability(Unique)]

  The Orb once absorbed will allow the user to choose two abilities during the next time or the chance will disappear. (4 minutes and 32 seconds until the Orb disappears.)

  [Call of the Kraken(Legendary)]

  This conch shell once blown calls the mighty Kraken to fight for you. This can only be used once so make it count. Requires a big body of water.

  Tomas gathered the items and walked over to David, who was still kneeling by Hunter’s side. He held them out with a firm nod. "Use it. You earned this more than anyone."

  David looked at the glowing orb—a chance to double up on his next ability choices from leveling up in the system, to become even more of a monster on the battlefield. Then he looked at Hunter, who was still pale and breathing shallowly. Without a word, David took the items and pressed the Orb into his son’s palm.

  "Bug," David rumbled, his voice thick. "You take it."

  Hunter’s fingers curled around the warm glass of the Orb. As the light absorbed into his skin. He tucked the Kraken’s shell into his spatial bag, his hands shaking slightly from the residual adrenaline.