Chapter 136

The initial sweep of the room left Natalie and her team confused; they found no traces of the boss’s loot chest. There was a possibility that the encounter didn’t have one, since anything could happen in the dungeon, but she found that unlikely, as did the rest of the team. Odds were higher that they were missing something. But a second look-through of the arena unearthed nothing, either.

Ana, eventually, was the one to figure it out. “Jordan,” she said. “Come look at this.”

Natalie turned from her own inspection to see Ana peering inside one of the mirrors. Jordan, who had been nearest her, walked over to join her. Jordan’s eyebrows furrowed as she tried to identify whatever Ana was pointing at, then they shot up. She turned around, looked at the roof of the arena, then back to the mirror.

“Wow. Good catch.”

“What is it?” Natalie walked over to join them, as did the rest of the team. She peered inside the mirror, seeing only the room and themselves reflected back.

“There. On the ceiling.” Jordan pointed through the glass.

Natalie scrutinized the reflection. It was awkward through the mirror; Jordan’s finger didn’t line up perfectly. But her eyes finally snagged on the object of interest.

A small box, nearly camouflaged, hung by a rope from the ceiling. Natalie, surprised, turned to look at it in the real world—but saw nothing where it should be.

“Huh?” Natalie said.

“Invisible,” Ana replied. “Except through the mirror.”

“Tricky,” Sofia said.

“How do we get it down?” Liz asked. All five of them were crowded around the mirror, shooting glances between the reflection of the dangling loot chest and where it should be.

“I can,” Ana said. Gauging the location of the chest for a second, she withdrew her crystal ball. Magic hummed to Natalie’s sense, and a moment later, a giant black tendril of energy whipped out. It slashed the air where the rope would be.

On making contact, the entire assembly blinked into existence, the invisibility effect dispelling. The box hit the ground with a loud thump, locks rattling and sending a wave of dust rushing outward. Tile cracked around it.

The team approached, excited to see what they’d gotten. As was becoming custom, Sofia finagled the lock open and popped the top. She reached in and withdrew their first piece of equipment.

Natalie paused.

Pet Collar

Rare

Lv. 2

Effects

- Minor increase to physical Prowess.

- Minor increase to physical Tenacity.

- Submissive. Declare an Owner. When obeying Owner’s commands, Collar will slowly evolve. Demeaning and uncomfortable commands provide more evolution points.

- Hindrance-Free. Leash cannot be tangled in combat and reactively grows or shrinks.

Description

A thin black collar with a gold loop for attaching a leash. A silver nameplate adorns the front, currently empty.

The group stared in silence at the item in Sofia’s hands. Sofia’s expression was suspiciously blank.

“Seems like a great fighter item,” Jordan commented, her tone deliberately professional—to the point of being obviously mischievous. “All yours, Sofia. Who do you want as your owner?”

Sofia looked slowly up at Jordan. Her face remained neutral. “And what,” she said, an edge in her voice that betrayed her controlled expression, “makes you think I would wear this?”

“A rare? With prowess and tenacity boosts? That evolves? mean, I would take it, but tenacity is a waste on me. It’s perfect for a fighter.”

“So, Nat could use it.”

“Nat already has the overpowered class,” Jordan said dismissively. “Besides, I don’t think she’d do well with orders.”

“And I would?” Sofia said, a hint of a growl appearing.

Jordan shrugged—but wisely didn’t respond. Her smirk was answer enough.

Sofia turned the venomous look to Natalie. “This is your fault.”

“My fault?”

“Your class’s doing.”

“Sorry it keeps giving us amazing loot,” Natalie said. “I mean, sure. It’s weird. But two minor boosts? It’s a good item.”