As Natalie pulled out the sed piece of loot, she tried to ignore how Liz was on her knees, sensually finger-painting Ana's pubic region.

  Maybe Ana found it a strictly practical enter to be in, not worth embarrassment in the slightest, but she was alone in that. The rest of them were blushing with various iies, seeing Liz down on her krag a finger around Ana's lower half. Especially sihe mage was holding her robes out of the anties pulled down so they could see the mound of her pussy—and a quarter-inch more would expose her entirely.

  Natalie wondered whether this was one of those iional or uional bouts of cluelessness. Probably a bit of both, but she expected more the first than the sed. Jordan might not be the only instigator of the group, just the one who was more direct about it. There was no way Ana wasn't doing this to mess with everyone.

  Digging out the neckatalie held it up for the team to see. Liz looked over and identified the item too, pausing as she digested the description.

  ***

  Treasure Hunter's Neckce

  Rare

  Lv. 2

  Effects

  - Rarity Boost. Item-bearer has increased odds of finding items of higher quality.

  Description

  A delicate silver adorned with a radiaone pendant.

  ***

  "Oh. That's … surprisingly not disgusting," Sofia said. "It came from the challenge room?"

  "Yeah." Natalie was also surprised by the non-lewd nature of the item. And, obviously, the effect. "Boosted loot rarity? We're already finding rares almost every day."

  "We'll have our first epi no time," Liz said. She shook her head in incredulity. "A level-two epic. Really, Nat really must be blessed by a goddess. That's the only way all of this makes sense."

  Natalie was still ing to terms with that ridiculous possibility, so she ighe ent.

  "It does take up an equipment slot, though," Jordan ented. "That's a pretty big downside."

  "We should still equip it," Natalie said. "Better loot is worth being a bit weaker. But who?"

  "Whoever bes from items least, probably," Sofia said.

  "And that is?"

  Sofia hesitated. "I'm … not sure."

  Items were crucial to all delvers, so it was a tough question. Natalie wasn't sure, either.

  "Either you or me, Nat," Jordan said. "I have the wear right now, so would lose the least in the immediate term. But you could also wear it, because you're the stro, and already at risk of outpag us. One less gear slot isn't that big of a deal. Maybe even a good thing, to keep us nearer in level in the long run." Jordan shrugged. "That said, tanks might be the most gear-reliant css, so maybe not. Dunno."

  Natalie chewed her lip as she thought it over. "No, I think that's fair," she said slowly. Of course, she didn't want to reduce her effectiveness in bat, but someone had to, and Jordan had made a great point—that Natalie was the stro, or was certainly approag that point, thanks to her css's unusual nature. "We figure it out ter, anyway. Don't have to piow."

  "We'll decide tomorrow," Jordan agreed.

  Natalie deposited the neckto a monster core. Ba the series of challenge rooms, she and Ana hadn't had enough cores to do so—but they had their old loot baow.

  "The grand fihen?" Jordan asked. "Your st reward?"

  "Yeah."

  Natalie pulled out the arrow, holding the shaft between two fingers as she ied its glinting pial tip.

  ***

  Arrow of Lustful Transmutation

  Description

  An arrow with a head of fed erotite. Upon embedding into a Boss monster, verts the target into a al Boss, whily a siacker engage. Arrow tip is brittle and will shatter when impag a hard, non-monster surface.

  ***

  "Oh," Jordan said. "What does that mean?"

  "al Boss," Sofia said ftly. "You're kidding. You found an arrow that makes monsters … what, want to fuck us?"

  Her cheeks c, Natalie's mind flickered to that writhing mass of vines she'd entered in their first delve. Had that been a moeically? The vines had certainly seemed alive. Would this arrow create a simir enter?

  "We'll probably want to use it carefully," Jordan said dryly. "Some monsters, it doesn't sound so bad. But most, I don't think so."

  That was obvious. Natalie was still balking at the whole cept, but there were defiiers between what monsters she would be okay with turning into a 'al Boss'. For example—that dryad they'd found would be a prime didate. Something like that would be more tolerable than, say, the wolf boss. Unless it turhe boss into some kind of … wolf girl?

  Natalie didn't know what exactly the transmutation would do—if it would create an enter patable to her senses, or kept the boss mostly the same—but if she had to choose between a tall, attractive pnt woman and a literal wolf, well, it wasn't much of a choice. She might be approag degeneracy the longer she spent in the dungeon, honing her css, but something like that was very much a no-thank-you. Human-like monsters only, please.

  Or something like those vihat hadn't been so bad. But definitely no 'real' monsters.

  "We'll keep this in our back pocket," Natalie said, her cheeks burning. "See what es our way."

  "Yoing to use it?" Sofia asked. "Seriously?"

  "If she doesn't, I will," Ana interjected. "I uand your reservations, but I think you're fetting how lucrative the rewards are. Especially sihis came as the ultimate reward for our challenge room. That it requires a follow-up must mean whatever we get from it is going to be even more phenomenal." She shrugged. "Besides—it could be fun just on its ow."

  "Fun."

  The dark-haired mage shrugged, unashamed as always.

  Sofia stared at her, then squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, as if mentally resetting herself—and holding back whatever her reply would have been. Pierg blue eyes refocused on Natalie. "Well, whatever," she said. "That's your choice. And only one person e, the arrow says, so it's not like it will drag us in."

  "We might want to find a level-one boss to use it on," Liz said. "Not a level-two. Safer that way. Since we don't know how it'll work."

  Natalie frow the idea. Liz had a point, but purposefully pig an easier oppo for the sake of safety didn't sit well with her. The boss ought to be banced so that a level-two could face off against a level-twht?

  " it be reused?" Jordan asked. "It says it'll break if you miss, but you recim it to use more than once?"

  "Good question." Natalie hadn't thought about that, and she could see it goiher way.

  "If it does, then Liz is right," Jordan said. "Start with an easier boss first."

  Natalie wrinkled her nose, which Jordan rolled her eyes at.

  "Maybe we make more of them, even if it breaks," Natalie said. "It's made of fed erotite. We found some of that. Just o find a bcksmith."

  "True." Jordan hummed. "It's something we decide on ter. We're all caught up, then?" She looked around the room, eyes settling on the exit. "It's time we get bapus. You're almost done, Liz?"

  "Almost," Liz said from dowween Ana's legs.

  "And I'll need my on back," Ana ented. "You three leave. I'm assuming Natalie wants some privacy. Especially since she'll o re-equip it on me."

  Natalie wiped a hand down her face.

  And at the reminder, she became, again, aware of the thick rod spreading her ass open. Like Ana had said earlier, it was amazing what she could adapt to. She'd nearly fotten it was there.

  "She's n," Natalie said ftly. "Privacy would be nice."

  Because with something that size, it was going to be a bit of a—both ing out, and having to put it bato Ana. And it was something they'd o take care of every durip. Hell, every m, if the crazy woman wao wear it to css. And knowing Ana? She actually might.

  Heavens Above, but her life was getting weird.