At night I covertly leave the house and walk a bit out of the neighborhood. The quiet bodyguard arrived only a minute later and we head for the academy.

"Juliana: Hey, hey, hey. You still sleeping? No? Mm.. we are around 10-15 minutes out. Bring a ladder to the location boss Mari showed you. I've got some 150 kg of things to carry over."

"Valentine: FUCK. You do know it's pitch dark outside? Couldn't you wait a few hours? Haaa… fine, whatever. `Sigh. Be there in 15, I ain't running around in the dark forest while blind."

"Juliana: You should have a couple of adjustable, covert flashlights. I know they are shit at being flashlights but that's the point. Just set the dark red filter and let your eyes get used to it, no white light."

I get a grumpy reply and the call ended. 'At least he listens and does as he is told to do, that's already a major positive quality.'

We leave the car a bit further away, to not flash it on any CCTV cameras around our destination. My cargo is nicely packaged into large backpacks and bags. The weapons were disassembled and the ammo crates repackaged. With the heavy load, my weight has basically doubled!

'Damn, I was too greedy. Half the ammo should still last me a week, unless they push for major action. Nah, better safe than sorry.'

"Valentine: did you pack bricks in there? Uggh, that's over 70 kg in there. haa… you should have called the girls with their boosted strength."

We get the stuff over the fence with ease thanks to the ladder and having enough people to pass the things without moving around too much.

The poor sap complains in a whisper, understanding the situation we are in.

"Juliana: cheer up my man, I'll let you play with my toys if you make me a good breakfast. better yet, you can expect an influx of ingredients and full mana batteries without having to lift a finger. doesn't that sound nice?"

"Valentine: … I've burned through quite a bit of both while trying to crack the damn binding solution formula and I still need some fine tuning. yeah, sounds good, breakfast is on me."

'Nice, free breakfast. `Yawn. Coffee too, hopefully.'

There isn't much reason to hurry, so we take a slow walk through the forest, guided by barely visible lights.

"Juliana: Was there always 3 underground floors? Boss Mari mentioned that it started with only 2."

"Valentine: Mm, think of it as a modular station. Spend Mp to buy an area and snap, it's there. When we get to upgrade the system, I imagine there will be a function to move the modules around, or maybe an elevator will be available, or some magic doors. For now, we get what it gives and don't complain. I've cleaned out a section of the large storage room when the gate room got cluttered will the previous delivery, hopefully your shi… kuhum, stuff fits in without a problem."

We carry the load to a storage area, and I'm left to my devices. I'll teach how to assemble and operate the weapons to everyone later, for now I apply oil and make sure that every part is in a good condition.

From looking around, I see that only boss Mari has a ranged weapon. The pistols don't smell of recent use and are probably backup weapons for emergency situations. I give them a round of maintenance just to be safe.

Barely two hours later I'm called for breakfast and Goods it's fucking five star quality. 'Mmmmm mmm mmm m, I'm ordering takeouts of the pastry and cakes. My girls will love it. Though… I may be spoiling them too much recently. Ehh, better now than never, maybe we can invite some kids their age over so that they can share these lovely treats? Hmm, yup, good idea.'

"Valentine: I've been asked to get you leveled up for today, after that you can take a day off to adjust to the physical boost you'll get. Haaa… If you need, I'll share my experiences when you come back, or you can just blast everything to pieces without bothering to learn. I don't care either way."

'Wow, spiteful words indeed. I imagine that being always the weakest slowly gets to him, especially as the others discover fucking superhuman powers.'

"Juliana: Thank you very much, I'll be in your care for a long time then. Give me ten minutes to pack my breakfast and get ready."

"Valentine: … Sure. We'll go after the onyans, I'll call in the squadron Bravo Foxtrot in full force to finish with this in an hour or two. Leave your guns for another day. You'll need to be close to the downed monster to actually get the exp. And don't blunt or chip the weapons too much! I'm the one stuck with the constant maintenance and I have other work to do today."

Mr. Grumpy takes the empty dishes away, and I start walking around and stretching. 'The onyans should be the small, cat-onion tear gas things. Safe but stinky. Better go with a spear then.'

I give the medieval weapons a once-over, picking a short spear that sits best in my hands. I freeze as there is a sudden weight on my shoulder.

"Caw. Caw. Cawcaw."

"Valentine: Squad leader Bravo Delta. She will be coordinating with you."

'I don't speak fricking bird!! Fuck! At least warn me if you decide to suddenly land on me!'

"Juliana: Nice to be working with you, I'm TJ."

"Caw caw caw. CAW."

I give the translator a look, asking for bird to human translation. He gives me a shrug and walks over to get an axe and shield for himself.

"Valentine: She is just confirming that Mari has asked to look after you and that they will do their best. Tch, no one does their best for me, no, I have to pay for the help… ."

I give my little passenger a smile.

"Juliana: I'll be sure to thank Boss Mari when we get back and will follow your lead to the best of my ability."

As we don't have to move that far into enemy territory, we only grab a bottle of water and the minimum gear needed. And apparently the crows count as gear too, since I have four of them sitting on me.

'This is fucking creepy, I feel like an old cat lady but with birds instead.'

Regardless of my apprehension we go through the wormhole-portal thing and end up on a mountain.

"Valentine: Spread out and scout the area, I'll need around 30-40 monsters today."

"Caw, caw caw." A dozen black birds pair up and start scouting the area. 'Too bad drones get digested under 10 minutes. …Must be one hell of a way to die.'

We follow a trail leading down and five minutes later the bird return with intel on enemy numbers and positions.

"Valentine: So… Around 6 groups? Eh, they have thinned out a bit, and we'll need to walk for longer. TJ, you did get the memo on the onyans, right? I'm not looking forward to smelling like onions for the rest of the day if you mess up."

"Juliana: Don't sweat it Val, I'm former military and merc, I don't dillydally with dangerous elements."

"Valentine: Ok. Air support will bring them down, you just finish them off and suck up the exp. Mm.. hour and a half should do? Yeah, let's get back before 8 a.m."

As we take positions at the first location, I'm surprised by the viciousness on display. The monsters are shown no mercy by the air unit.

'If they had stronger claws, I'm sure that only pieces of monsters would be raining down on me. Damn, are all crows so dangerous? And Boss Mari has a fucking army under her command!'

I imagine that anyone getting on her bad side would be feeding the birds in short order, and you can't prove jack shit if some random birds suddenly ripped out your eyes.

"Juliana: I better stay on her good side." After mumbling so, I get a look one would give an idiot that only now understood that 2+2=4.

"Juliana: Yup, I'm off to work." The half dead monsters can't put up a fight and are gone after a little stab. I don't actually feel anything from absorbing this supposed exp, an itch at most.

With all the heavy support, we can move faster without worrying, making good time around the top part of the mountain. I actually get a chance to enjoy the scenery, though the spicy smell in the air is a demerit in my eyes.

"Valentine: Last group is up ahead, you can say that we've made a full circle around the top. I'll say this again: don't brutalize the spear! When the other women got suddenly stronger, they didn't give a fuck about the maintenance and hammered away without restraint! And then, I get flack for it!"

'Yeah, yeah, I'm not going to start stabbing rocks. Sheesh, calm down princess.'

I give my most sincere words of reassurance and start working on the last batch. Finishing the fifth one … suddenly caused an explosion within me!?!?

'OH FUCK! MMMmmm fuckitty flying fuck! No one told me about this!'

I suddenly feel like I'm 19 year old and just got my system flooded with super hormones. The sensation in my lower half is making my legs turn to fucking jelly and I'm burning with the need to relieve these frustrations.

'Shiiit!! Is it because I've been inactive for all these years? Mmm fuck! FUCK!'

I fucking have to sit down before my legs give out, as the waves of energy soak my whole body.

"Valentine: The fuck!? TJ you ok?!"

"Juliana: Peachy … need a minute to ride the wave." I keep it all under control, I'm not a jumbling mess of a woman, even if I start rubbing my hands and other parts more discreetly.

"Valentine: … Haa, good, you ok. We are done for the day. … Up we go hhhup… You can rest when we are safely back in the HQ, I don't trust this place to be 100% safe, after almost dying here a few times."

'Fuck! Don't just princess carry me when I'm all hot and bothered! Shit! Open your eyes and take a fucking clue!'

I'm taken back through the portal, all the while my body explodes with POWER, it feels to be possible for me to crush rocks barehanded. Newer have I ever experienced this kind of feeling before, and a sadistic streak mixes into my raging storm of emotions.

"Juliana: I need it. NOW." As soon as my top clothes have started to come off, I've lost it and pinned the man beneath me.

I ripped the shirts and pants off as he struggled to push me away. With all the energy I have flowing through me, I could break his bones if I pressed hard enough and it excites me even further. There is NO escape. I've waited and regretted for YEARS!

… … … … … …

Goodbye Sengen (English Cover)【 Will Stetson 】

I am satisfied only after probably an hour of body pressing.

"Haaa hhhaaaaa fuuuuck. Fuuuu." I can finally get down from the high I've been on. The hazy feeling has almost completely waned, and I can take stock of the situation.

'Oh… Shit, shit, shit biscuits. Ugh.. I .. better throw him into the healing bath for a rinse.'

I … may have been a tad out of it… The angry red marks and running bloody trails tell me that I've been slightly too aggressive with my newfound power. I take a closer look at the ragdoll under me.

'I don't see any broken bones… probably. A few deep bites and .. ugh dislocated parts. Yeah, minor blemishes, just need to heal it all up and no one will know. Can't have sexual assault added to my resume under Boss Mari. Fuuuu, the bed needs to be replaced too, ok, ok. I have a few hours to sort this mess out.'

Lifting the unresponsive man, I marvel at how easily I can do it. Purely strength has risen by at least a third and I can feel much more confident moving my body around. The vacant look in Val's eyes, I take as being floored by my skills in bed and not the result of trauma.

"Juliana: …Kuhum, need a sponge bath sweety?" I try to break the ice after shoving him into the water and dumping 30 Mp into it. Not getting a response, I leave to take a shower and tidy up my mess.

"Fucking fabulous TJ, nice going. Fuck! Why the hell did everyone gloss over this part?! Haa.. I can now understand why the weapons would take a beating after the girls Lv up, fucking stress relief… . They probably didn't have it as bad as me either. Great! Now I need to present this in a less damning light, or risk feral women assaulting everything in sight."

Under a hot shower, I wash off the blood and a bit of the disgusting feeling from what I've done. There aren't any clothes that need thorough washing, with the ripped ones going into the disintegration bin.

This is the first time I use the tablet to summon things, but the whole bed needs to go. 'I'll work a bit more hours to get back the mana used up for all of this. Umm… Ok, take all this gear back to storage … and what else? … Mmm… Do I need to feed the crows?' Before going upstairs I check on Valentine's state.

Still sitting in the bath, at least he has changed his expression from mute horror to complex confusion.

Staying by the door, I call out. "Juliana: I'm just gonna say that it was only half of me being in loose control."

I patiently wait for a response, not feeling confident that more words will have a more positive result. He looks me dead in the eyes, still emotionally conflicted.

"Valentine: … .. Haaa… This didn't happen. Go…"

'No need to tell me twice.' I leave him alone and go upstairs to feed the birds. I find one of them waiting by the stairs.

"My little helper! Can you give me a hand in grabbing a snack for your squad? I'm not too sure on what you all like to eat."

"Caw. cawcaw."

The bird leads me to the kitchen and shows me which bowls and food I need to take and slice up into pieces. 'This won't stop giving me the creeps for some time.'

I have a couple of hours before Boss Mari comes over to check up on me, not wanting to be too imposing anymore I hide away in the gym.

'The equipment here is a bit … last decade? An upgrade could do. Eh, lifting weights and stretching it is then.'

I slowly get my mind away from thinking about the shit show I've ran away from, and switch to a different mood, slowly increasing the loads. There isn't much professionalism in my approach, but it gives a nice feeling. From the neck, arms, back, legs, all the way to my toes. Minutes pass by the dozens, but the exhaustion doesn't really kick in.

"DAMN, did I get an upgrade to my whole body, or what? I'm definitely pro athlete material now. Hmm, a visit to a shooting range needs to be added to my plans."

My reflexes have improved, together with my eyesight, I need to test how well I can perform after this Lv up compared to before.

A bit over two hours pass before I finally can say that I've hit my limit. It's about time for Boss Mari to come over, and I need to take another shower.

I decide to take a seat and wait on the rooftop, basking in the early rays of the sun. When passing the kitchen I was given a grunt, sounding somewhat between "fuck off" and "I'm fine", indicating that I should not bother trying to butter up to him and mind my own damn business.

'Yeah.. let's stay quiet for a day or two, until his manly pride recovers a bit and I can properly apologize.' I relax under the sun, in the company of birds, sipping a cold juice and snacking on crisps.

Boss walked up soon after and we had a little private conversation at the end of which she had a blush covering her face. Obviously I left out my unsavoury act, saying I've had to relieve myself a few times in a non-specific way.

"Mari: … I'll be sure to add your input to the file and have the warning passed on. Anyway, congratulations on getting the Lv up. …Throne Warden Lv 1? Honestly, I'm not sure what this means, same as with most of these names. Risa's Samurai gives off the most vivid image, but the rest are a bit vague."

"Juliana: Mm, warden is easy to understand on its own. Maybe we need to build a throne for you, so that I can act as if I was a royal guard? I should bring it up with the big Man, a golden throne should be within his budget for a precious daughter."

I can't help but tease the girl after seeing her blushing once, it earned me a sharp look but was totally worth it. We finish our business for the day, and I get a box of takeout sweets before leaving for home.

My girls finished the deserts in record time.

.. .. ..

The next few days pass in relative peace. I focus on controlling my newfound strength and honing my skills. It may come down to using a sword for any number of reasons and I make damn sure that I have the basics down to muscle memory. Better safe than sorry.

After I feel more or less confident, and Valentine has stopped tensing up every time I get near, we decided to start working on the third floor as a pair.

Even with increased physical abilities, walking around this fucking tundra is a pain in the ass. Luckily, blasting the alien bugs to pieces has improved my mood somewhat.

.. ..

Today we are going after a pair of big fellows that were spotted farther away from the portal.

'Those are fucking dinosaurs! Weird headed dinosaurs!'

"Valentine: Tch, disgusting things."

'I mean, odd looking, yes. The bugs are more unpleasant in my opinion. Eh, matters not.'

We shadow the 3.5 m tall beasts as they move about in the distance of about 200 m. With those massive frames they push the snow aside very quickly, I doubt we could out run them if we had to.

"Juliana: You think going for the head would be most effective? I could empty a clip from this distance before they stomp over us."

"Valentine: … No, not enough. Tfha. Those things will soak up the damage. I've seen them squash a herd of the apple zerg. Minimum: Two people drawing aggro and two dealing fast damage. Also… Those tail whips are lethal if you're not quick enough. The terrain is shit here, it would be suicide fighting unprepared."

'A couple precisely targeted RPG strikes would probably go the job too or an autocannon.'

"Valentine: The scouts tell me that they are sparsely seen here and are of no value to me, record their route and ignore those filthy things. We follow the cliff wall for another 2 km before heading back."

"Juliana: Roger that. Recording."

'Does he hate dinosaurs? Didn't like Jurassic park or something?'

Our little excursion deep into enemy territory goes on for the third hour. According to the crows there is a hole in the stone someone ahead and a big thing guarding it.

The terrain is slowly becoming even more shit: 5 m large jagged stones scattered around, uneven ground, fucking hollow ice pockets, sudden drops down. 'Is this a fricking crater?'

We move at a snails' pace, having to walk on soft snow that I sink into up to my fucking waist. "Juliana: This floor is bullshit."

I get a tired snort in reply and nothing more. Even after having leveled up, I still feel my strength sapped from just walking in this environment for hours. Having no such convenient power up, he must be exhausted.

..

Warframe - Sleeping in the Cold Below (Gingertail Cover)

"Valentine: Fuck."

'Fuck indeed, a veeery large fuck indeed.'

There, by another cave entrance leading into the ground, is the mama dinosaur. A 5 m tall, sinister looking behemoth, decked out in spikes and plated armour like skin. This truly deserves to be called a monster.

"Juliana: Only observing today?"

The monster is acting like a sentry, standing with unresting vigilance.

"Valentine: … It's too dangerous for a recon in force. Bravo Sierra, I need a probe, 3 m above and 20 m between .. don't try getting closer, or Mari will feed me to your family, Prometheus style. Slow circles. Go."

'If she uses potions… Yeah, to be eternally condemned to become bird feed is a horrible way to go.'

We watch attentively as the scout closes in: 50 m - no reaction, 40, 30, 25, 20! It finally snaps its head and rushed forward like a train. The snow literally explodes outward as it moves after its target.

The scout reacted at the first sign of movement, turning back and gaining altitude. The monster covered 30 m in 4 fucking seconds and stopped, before returning to the previous position.

'Shiiiit. This is a fucking death trap. If I fire from this position, I'll become a pancake in 10-15 seconds. No healing bath would be able to fix me after that.'

"Valentine: Good job scout, you've earned your bonus. 10 more minutes of freezing our arses and we are done for today."

"Caw."

As we observe the surroundings, the monster remains dormant, not bothered by anything around it.

"Juliana: Any ideas? I'm leaving towards getting heavy ordinance for this."

"Valentine: Hah! Yeah, you try getting that shit moved piece by piece. How long will it take and how fast will the dungeon eat it? … I need time to consider the options. Haaa, let's go back, there is no point in staying here."

Halfway on our way back the snowstorm started picking up, covering our old tracks and further slowing down our retreat.

"Juliana: I don't think that this dungeon will be traversable without access to the portals. There won't be any 100% safe stops, the distance covered will be exhausting, the environment changes fucking every floor AND the dungeon slowly works to digests you all the time! There will be losses sooner than later if expeditions are done the normal way."

"Valentine: Haa, haa, fuu, you don't have to tell ME that, haaa, fucking snow. There should be some space wizardy, magic crafting job for tackling this problem, probably. Fuu, hooo, I'm still figuring out how to make magical food, like in the games, fuuu, you eat and get a buff. Haaa, haaa, it's not as easy as they make you believe it should be."

'Yeah, I still have no fucking clue what my magic powers are. Where is the manual when you need one?'

.. .. .. .. 

There is progress on the potions side of things, and I'm asked to help gather the ingredients and keep Valentine from rushing head first into danger.

Clearing the bugs is an easy task, provided sufficient firepower is available and the snowstorm isn't raging at full strength. I rack up the kills very fast, surpassing everyone's individual kill count. Considering that the girls work as a team of eight and I take most of the exp for myself, it makes sense.

To get the first level, I needed around 30 kills, though a few were shared with the air support unit. This time it's easier to keep count, by just deducting the number of collected drops I get a figure close to 70.

The both of us are a bit nervous about the upcoming Lv up, but for different reasons. He is obviously apprehensive about being … manhandled. The situation is made worse by the facts that I've downplayed the incident and that if I get overwhelmed during this time, we face the risk of being rushed by fricking alien bugs.

"Valentine: Just like usual, first we kill everything and only then you go closer for the exp. I need the drops anyway, so don't get any stupid, withdrawal drug addict level ideas."

"Juliana: I'm not stupid, I know the risks now."

As we get close to the next swarm, I level my riffle and take aim.

'Distance 160 m, number of targets ..10. Alpha bug.. is .. .. there!'

The bugs are pretty much identical, but two of them always take the commanding roles. To maximize our advantage, I take out the leading ones first, so that by the time they make it to us only a third are left running.

"Valentine: Switch targets, left 12, 60… Gun."

My spotter directs fire and calls to swap weapons. The shotgun produces a roar as the leftovers swarm closes in within the 40 m range, the extra fiery explosions gives them pause and allows me to take a second to switch the mag for a more penetrating ammo type.

The last one falls not making it past the 20 m zone. I stay vigilant until every bug is given a solid stab in the head with a spear or has already turned into loot.

"Caw. Caw."

"Valentine: Good work. The area is clear, TJ take those 4 for yourself. I'll pack up here."

'74 now, is it going to need 100 this time? An increase by 3-4 times? Haaa, not looking forward to finding out for sure on the next floor. Hopefully, it won't be the same, miserable environment down there.'

Absorbing the third bug sends a shiver down my spine. "Juliana: Oh! Shit! Here we go again!"

I get down and start fortifying myself… …If the previous time it was a flood of a hundred things crashing into me, this time it's barely a gentle wave that wets my feet. 'Heh, and here I was expecting another rush..hm, a little bit disappointing.'

Still on my knees, I sneak a peek at Valentine. The man has shouted for the birds to spread out and keep a vigilant watch, while closing in to a distance of 2 m between us and looking for the trail we left behind.

'Probably readying to haul me away at first report of danger. Phew, I was actually worried that he'd prefer to ditch me after what happened. Fucking hell, I would have done so if the situation was reversed! Better yet, an extra bullet and have the dungeon clean up the evidence.'

"Juliana: Ha ha ha ha! I'm good, I'm good. Barely 10% of the previous sensation. Just need a minute to get my bearings sorted."

Not wanting to push my luck any further I ease up on my acting and slowly do some stretches.

'Heh, still not bolting right away? Tch, a good man, a shame I've fucked up this a bit too strongly.'

As I do a bit of exercise, I don't notice the explosive growth in all of my senses. It's a bit easier to move, a bit faster, a bit stronger, a bit sharper. Not too magical, but an improvement nonetheless.

"Valentine: … Pack up, you can get that done in a warm gym. Haaa… I'll get the rest of the loot."

After making sure that I can move around, he goes to pick up the remaining loot that hasn't been absorbed by the dungeon by now.

"Juliana: Thanks."