Charlemagne's eyelids fluttered angrily at the dim beam of light that had managed to penetrate through a hole in the protective shell that had covered him during his Class Evolution process. As the thin ray reached his optic nerve, it triggered a wave of pain and nausea throughout his transformed body. The rooster had no memories of what, if anything, had transpired while he was unconscious, but the process certainly hadn't done any favors to the headache that he had been stricken with after recovering a single hazy memory.

  The rooster's opinion on self-reflection dropped precipitously.

  The others called to him through the Party chat, but Charlemagne kept his eyes firmly shut and his mind as empty as possible as he reviewed the messages that he had received from the Squiggles.

  As Charlemagne allowed mana to actively flow through his Ember Core, he could immediately feel that both the quality and quantity of his magic powers had increased. And although Charlemagne had no idea what batteries were, he could tell that each cell in his body felt like it was bursting with energy. The channels that circulated his mana felt more defined and stronger, while those of his physical body had not only been reinforced by the Class Evolution, but also through one of his newest Skills, Veins of Fire. Now, not only did the energy circulating in his Ember Core benefit from the fusion of the Pyro Skill, but his very blood ran now hotter than any pre-integration chicken’s. Even if another parasite like the Plasmodium Champion found a way to enter his body, it would find the rooster’s bloodstream completely inhospitable.

  Examining his newfound powers didn’t come without cost, however. Even the slight effort of forcing mana through his channels caused his headache to spike. To compensate, Charlemagne sent soothing mana to wash over his aching head, relieving his pain and sharpening his thoughts.

  He had a question for the Squiggles.

  That got the rooster thinking, and he asked another question.

  The rooster bawked out loud, breaking the illusion that he was still asleep and initiating another wave of telepathic messages through the Party chat. He gave up the pretence and pushed himself up, breaking through the remnants of his shell and nearly slamming his head into the Dungeon's ceiling.

  Hey boss! You're looking stronger, Bridget cheered.

  Indeed, Phatagin added. To my senses, you've actually gained a significant amount of...well...I guess I would call it "weight", but it's more like resistance against being manipulated by my inertial powers. How fascinating.

  Charlemagne bawked a quick response and went back to looking at his messages. There were more messages remaining.

  Bawk, the rooster added to his report.

  So, Achievements can also grant bonuses to Class powers. That is very good to know, the pangolin mused.

  Bawk, Charlemagne agreed.

  Well, I think that my Class Evolution made me somewhere between one and a half and two times stronger. How does it feel to you? Because if you got that much of a boost, you're going to be unstoppable when we get out of there. Between all the boosts we got here in the Dungeon and the Class Evolutions, that pack of canines that injured you are going to be toast, Bridget said.

  Bawwk, the rooster said with confidence, hoping that others wouldn't notice that he had totally forgotten about the dogs waiting for them outside the Dungeon.

  Yes, and if they are still out there, they are likely being weakened by the radiation or having to waste precious resources staying safe from it. We will be able to catch them by surprise, and we should expect to capitalize on it.

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  Charlemagne tuned out as Phatagin explained the concept of boredom to Bridget, instead checking his last set of updates from the Squiggles.

  The Dungeon had been worth an additional three levels, giving the rooster another big boost to his base Attributes. With his newfound power, he felt confident that he could take out the Bald Bull in just a few attacks if they were to fight again. His Skills had grown as well, and several of them were entirely new. Summoning a few walls of mana, the rooster suddenly sprang forward, pushing his speed to its limits as he bounced around the Dungeon, getting a feel for his inflated attributes.

  Right away, he could tell that something was different. Every movement that he made was a bit smoother, a bit surer, and a bit more powerful than he expected. He bounced toward one of his constructed walls and aimed his most powerful peck at it. His beak broke through with almost no resistance. He tried the same thing again, this time using one of his claws, and obtained the same results. Finally, he pretended that he was Phatagin, somersaulting through the air and slamming through another of his mana walls. This one held a bit longer before shattering. He sighed, thinking back to a hen that he once knew that had a Class that used something similar to his Fowl Arts. What was her name?

  The rooster’s thoughts were yanked back to the present as his body decided to try a new experiment. Instead of a mana wall, Charlemagne had decided to test out his new powers on the wall of the Lippity Dungeon itself. He hurled himself forward as fast as his powerful legs could propel him and timed his peck perfectly, his beak flashing through the gloom of the Dungeon like a meteor. The sound of something very sturdy cracking echoed like a pistol shot.

  Charlemagne regained consciousness to find both Bridget and Phatagin staring down at him.

  Boss, did you just try to break the Dungeon’s wall? The mosquito asked.

  Bawk.

  Those walls must be impenetrable. Your face is still not quite healed, but the process seems to be proceeding nicely. Was your experiment a success?

  Bawk bawk, the rooster replied as he pulled himself up. His vision swam as he did so, and the effort made his head throb. Charlemagne pulled more mana from his Ember Core and circulated it up into his head. The throbbing eased, leaving a dull ache behind.

  Well, I could barely track your movements, and I’ve got crazy cool compound eyes, Bridget said as Charlemagne took a few tentative, unsteady steps. Were you going as fast as you could?

  Bawk, the rooster confirmed.

  It’s likely that you would be even faster if you hadn’t already used up all the radiation in the Dungeon, the pangolin noted. How fast can you start absorbing once we get back outside?

  Bawk.

  Excellent, Phatagin said as he slowly steepled his claws, looking like a very languid super villain.

  Well, what are we waiting for? Bridget asked. Let’s get out there and start tracking down the canine pack. While you were busy with your Class Evolution, wide load over here and I came up with a plan. Since I’m small, stealthy, and have no real scent, I’ll go first and fly straight up once I’m through the portal. Then Charlemagne will follow after about 10 seconds. If all goes well and the Party chat works when we’re split up, I can guide you if the dogs are around. If you don’t hear from me, just come out ready to throw down.

  Since he wasn’t the one going first, this plan sounded good to Charlemagne

  Bawk, he agreed.

  In theory this is a sound plan, but I’m not entirely sure that Party chat will function when one member is not on the same plane of existence as another. That seems like it would be too powerful, Phatagin objected.

  I gave Charlemagne a Party upgrade token. Why don’t we have him use it and we’ll see what benefits it will provide?

  That is an excellent suggestion, the pangolin admitted. Charlemagne, if you please.

  It took the rooster a few moments to realize that the others were expecting him to do something. When understanding finally dawned, he immediately used the Party Upgrade Token.

  Bawk! The rooster cried with excitement

  Indeed, that is a powerful ability, Phatagin agreed. Additional experience is always good.

  Free exp! Bridget yelled as she buzzed in circles.

  Bawk, added Charlemagne.

  Yeah, it doesn’t say about long-distance communication, does it? Well, just ask the System, then? The mosquito counseled.

  Charlemagne did as Bridget suggested.

  The outraged rooster squawked at being rebuffed once again by the System. He was not used to such treatment: usually the Squiggles were much more accommodating. So incensed was Charlemagne that he forgot all about the rest of the Dungeon rewards, about his fear of facing the canine pack again, and even the battle plan that he had just agreed to. He stomped straight towards the swirling portal that led to the outside world and hopped through it without breaking stride.

  It took Bridget and Phatagin a few seconds to process what had just happened. The hours of discussion where the two Champions had formulated their plan had just disappeared through the portal with their Party leader. But once they had jolted themselves into action, neither hesitated to cross over to help Charlemagne out. Bridget, being able to accelerate to top speed faster, crossed over first. Phatagin was right behind her.

  The pair popped back into the ruins of Porto Novo and shook off the disorientation that always accompanied entering or exiting a Dungeon portal. Charlemagne had disappeared, and his absence made them not notice that something else was missing from the area. Something that had been a constant since the fall of the atomic bomb that destroyed the city.

  There was no more radiation.