Rune ran back to the dungeon after leaving the weaver's shop. It was just past noon, which meant he had plenty of time.
Enough time to clear the first two chambers on the spider side.
And enough time to finally check out the boss on the sentinel side.
William had mentioned that the sentinel path only contained a single chamber before the boss room. Since Rune had cleared it shortly after waking up, it hadn't had time to reset yet.
When he reached it, the chamber was exactly as expected.
Empty.
It didn't take long for Rune to reach the tunnel at the back of the chamber. He found himself standing in a circular room, a single pedestal raised slightly at its center.
"So, I'm guessing I just go stand on that thing."
He stepped forward and placed his feet onto the marble surface. Blue light spread over him, washing across his body as the glow grew brighter and brighter. Rune closed his eyes against it.
Then the light vanished.
When he opened them again, a sentinel stood directly in front of him, its form pulsing with orange and green energy beneath shifting bark.
"Can't believe the boss of this wing is just a two core."
Compared to the day before, everything felt clearer. He knew where to strike. He knew how fast he needed to move. The uncertainty was gone, replaced by hard earned familiarity.
Rune ducked beneath an incoming swing and stepped inside its guard. With the physical power he had gained through the day before and that morning, he brought his axe around in a single smooth motion, shadow flowing along the blade.
With a sharp, controlled sweep, Rune carved the core free, the axe cutting through with a decisive swoosh.
The core didn't even hit the floor.
As if to show off, he left it balancing on the blade of his axe.
The construct dissolved into the floor, and a message surfaced in his mind.
[Floor Two Access 1/2]
Rune slid the core into his pouch.
"So killing the bosses gives access to the next floor. Seems straightforward enough."
He glanced back toward the tunnel he had come from.
"I should at least see what the spider boss looks like before I head out."
When Rune reached the spider wing, the fights ended almost before they began.
Light and shadow blurred together as he moved. The first three spiders fell instantly. He flowed straight into the next chamber, tearing through the small horde just as quickly.
Rune Shadow Stepped behind each one and smashed them apart, taking no more than a couple of seconds per kill before moving on to the next.
[Physical Power increasing… +6]
[Element Power increasing… +2]
"The gains are slowing down now that this is getting easier. I need to reach the second floor if I want to grow faster."
After taking the time to collect all the crystal ore and webbing, Rune moved deeper into the dungeon, following a long, winding tunnel.
As he turned a corner, a cool breeze brushed across his face.
There was no marble pedestal waiting for him this time. Instead, there was a spider.
The matriarch.
She was enormous, as large as a two-story building, her massive body anchored by thick strands of webbing that stretched out of her body towards the walls. Smaller spiders scurried constantly around her, crawling over stone, web, and each other.
Rune said nothing.
He simply pretended that none of this existed. That he had never come this far. That he had seen absolutely nothing.
Slowly, carefully, he backed away.
Once he had put enough distance between himself and the chamber, Rune turned and broke into a full sprint.
"Nope. Nope. Not yet. Once I get my armor and some money for better gear, then I'll deal with that giant thing."
He shook his head as he fled down the tunnel.
Rune returned the next day and cleared both sides of the dungeon. Then he did it again the following morning.
Each time, he left the matriarch alone.
He had the first floor down to a science now, able to get in and out within an hour.
*****
Today was the day he would cash it all in. Rune stood in front of the headquarters of The Ledger.
The building was massive, constructed entirely from pure white marble that gleamed beneath the sun.
Four stories tall, it was supported by enormous columns that held up the front of the building.
Red banners trimmed in gold hung between them, each bearing the faction's emblem, a set of scales sitting on top of a pyramid.
The streets leading up to the structure were packed with activity. Carts rolled in and out constantly, hauling goods of every kind imaginable.
People dressed in red and gold uniforms directed the flow with sharp gestures and practiced precision, keeping the constant movement orderly despite its scale.
Rune paused, taking it all in before heading up the stairs and into the building itself.
Inside, the headquarters was just as busy as the streets outside.
Multiple counters lined the hall, each staffed by several workers moving with practiced efficiency.
Lines were painted across the floor in various colors, branching and weaving to guide visitors toward different services.
Rune approached the nearest receptionist. Without looking up at him she spoke.
"Welcome to the Ledger," she said flatly, reciting words she had said thousands of times before. "Please state the nature of your visit."
"Um, I heard there was a bonus for dungeon materials, so I'm here to sell some."
"Acquisitions." She slid a green marker across the counter toward him. "Please follow the line that corresponds with your chip and join the queue. Thank you for your patronage."
Rune took the marker and followed the green line.
'I wonder if she could say all that in her sleep, or maybe she doesn't sleep and is a robot!'
He looked back at her.
'Help! I reincarnated as a Robot Receptionist in a Fantasy World! Now that's the perfect name for one of those web novels.'
Rune laughed quietly to himself as he stepped up to the counter.
"Hello, and welcome to Acquisitions. What can I help you with today?"
"I'm here for the dungeon material bonus. I've got a mix of materials. Crystal from the spiders, webbing, and sentinel cores."
She nodded and began filling out a form. "Alright, let's start with the spiders. Roughly how many spiders' worth of crystal do you have?"
Rune paused, doing some quick math in his head.
"Three clears' worth. So… somewhere around eighty."
Her pen stopped.
Slowly, she lifted her head.
"Ho… how many did you say? And what faction are you with?"
"Eighty," Rune repeated. "Eighty spiders' worth. And I'm not with any faction. I'm on my own."
Her expression shifted to pure disbelief.
At the next counter over, another worker leaned closer and whispered, just loud enough to carry.
"Don't you know who he is? That's the one people call the Immortal Goblin."
Rune smiled faintly.
"At least I'm not crazy anymore."