Chapter Three Hundred and Ninety-Five. The Adventurers in the Dungeon are always hard.

Chapter Three Hundred and Ninety-Five. The Adventurers in the Dungeon are always hard.

"I woke up quick, at about noon, just thought that I had to kill some monsters soon," Bob sang as he scrubbed himself with his loofa. "Gonna grind some skills before the day begins, gotta get those crystals, it never ends!"

His rendition was interrupted as a massive paw batted at the shower curtain.

He peeked around the curtain, blinking the water out of his eyes. "Good morning, buddy," Bob said cheerfully. "I bet kitty is hungry, huh?"

Monroe gently patted the curtain again.

"Kitty so hungry," Bob commiserated. "How could I neglect a kitty like that?" He shook his head and ducked back into the shower, hurriedly scrubbing his feet before giving himself a final rinse. He turned off the water and summoned a towel.

"What would a kitty like to eat this morning?" Bob asked. "Is today a steak day?"

Bob didn't get a reply from the big Maine-coon, but the bundle of emotions in the back of his mind were hungry-pet-play.

He pulled on his armor with a sigh, already regretting the loss of his inventory. He hadn't technically lost it yet, but he had moved everything out of it in preparation. Tightening the last few straps, he stood up and rubbed Monroe's ears. "Time to get little, buddy," he murmured.

Monroe chuffed reluctantly before shimmering slightly as he reverted to the size of a small mountain lion.

Bob reached down and picked up Monroe, slinging him across his shoulders as he stepped out of the bathroom and into the communal cubes they'd designated as a kitchen and pantry area.

"Boyz in the hood?" Jessica greeted him with a grin. "Really?"

"When I was working on a group project, one of the guys insisted on listening to music," Bob shrugged.

"It sounds like you're looking forward to delving a bit," Jessica said as she reached up to give Monroe a chin rub.

"I am," Bob agreed. "Our quest is important, but we also need to spend some time grinding up our skills. Figure another week, and we should be done with Kulaod."

"I'm glad to hear that," Jessica shook her head. "I mean, I'm keen to help the Urlinad, but I'd like to get a wriggle on, yeah?"

Bob deposited Monroe on one of the tables as he moved over to the kitchen counter and the huge stasis box, where he retrieved a bowl of steaming meat chunks, which he then placed in front of his feline overlord.

"I see his imperial majesty requires steak this morning," Jessica noted, taking a seat at the table.

"Only the best for the most handsome kitty in the entire multiverse," Bob confirmed as he pulled out a plate of scrambled eggs for himself.

"I reckon you're planning on a twelve-hour day, right?" Jessica asked.

"Unless I convince everyone to pull a sixteen-hour shift," Bob agreed. "Bailli is going to yell at me if I suggest it, though."

"Twelve hours is enough," Jessica shook her head. "I know that the upper levels of our spells are going to get crazy, but we're actually making pretty good progress."

"Knowing that we'll be able to delve while the Urlinad shepherd themselves is a weight off my shoulders," Bob replied. "It won't be long until we're staring at over a hundred million experience for each spell level."

"What's the cutoff again?" Jessica asked.

"We don't want to fall behind double our level," Bob replied. "So once our spells hit level one hundred and twenty-eight, we'll be free to tier up to tier nine, and once our spells hit level one hundred and sixty-two, we can tier up to ten."

"I still can't believe I'm tier eight, and a whole new species," Jessica sighed. "I still think of myself as human, you know? I might technically be a Wayfarer, but I still feel like myself."

"Well, the good news is that we can just go paragon then pinnacle at tiers nine and ten," Bob smiled. "So no more big changes, at least for a while."

Bailli had seemed quite pleased, given the villainous laughter she periodically unleashed along with her Lightning Blasts.

If they continued at the same pace, he would reach level one hundred with his Summon Mana-Infused Creature spell in another two days. He expected to reach level one hundred and four before they left Kulaod.

Another twenty-four staves appeared on the ground. "Next," Bob called.

"God, that's sexy," Jessica muttered to Dave.

He gave her a sideways glance.

"Don't pretend you don't see it," she nudged him with her elbow. "I see you looking at Amanda."

"She bites her lip when she's concentrating, which she's not supposed to do when we're in public as stipulated by the Adorableness Accords of twenty-twelve," Dave replied.

"You two," Jessica laughed lightly. "Look at Bob, I mean, look at him. He's not concentrating at all, his mind is a thousand miles away, he's just putting those rituals out like a machine."

"That's his thing," Dave agreed. "Back when we first met him, freshman year, Bob told us that he wasn't special. He said he wasn't smart, or talented, but he was willing to work hard." Dave shook his head. "He was wrong. His gift, his talent if you would, is his ability to keep going longer and harder than anyone else. Like anyone with a gift or talent, he didn't recognize it himself. I didn't realize it either, not until I saw the difference between him and the priests from the Church of the Light when they were casting regeneration rituals during the Old Guard's migration to Thayland. They kept having to trade out every hour, while Bob just. Kept. Going."

Jessica licked her lips. "I plan on putting his talent for repetition and hard work to good use," she purred.

"Oh lord," Dave laughed, shaking his head. "That was good."

"I'm sure he will be, once he's had a little directed practice," Jessica agreed. "Did I tell you that he Dave'd me?"

Dave cocked his head, giving her an uncertain look. "I'm not sure I know what that means, but I am sure that being verbed makes me nervous."

"Eh," Jessica waved a hand. "It's what Amanda and I came up with to describe those moments when you drop one of your sweet flirty lines on her."

"Getting Dave'd, eh?" Dave mused. "I can live with that. So Bob laid a smooth line on you? That doesn't seem like him. Are you sure he meant it like that?"

"Yep," Jessica said smugly.

Dave waited patiently before nudging her. "Well? Don't keep me in suspense!"

"Well, he started by complimenting me, of course," she said. "He said, 'Sometimes I forget just how smart you are,' then I said, 'How could you overlook my brilliance?' because I'm delightful, yeah?" Jessica explained.

"You are a brilliant light in our dark and dreary existence," Dave agreed dryly.

"I am the Lady of the Light, you know," she replied imperiously.

"So he said you were smart? That's not exactly a smooth line," Dave shook his head.

"No," Jessica shook her head, "You didn't let me finish."

"Ah, please, proceed, my Lady, with my apologies," Dave grinned.

"Then," she continued, "he said, 'Most of the time I'm blinded by your beauty.'"

"Oh," Dave nodded, "that is smooth. Surprisingly so, considering that, well, it's Bob."

"He gave you full credit," Jessica beamed. "He said after four years of watching you and Amanda, he'd picked up a few things." She sighed and shook her head. "You two sure do know how to make a Shiela feel lonesome, you know? But at least you're providing an educational example for Bob. He could do a lot worse than following your example," she finished.