Morgan stood, scanning as the error notice sound chimed loudly and insistently. The ever-increasing crescendo of error notices stopped, and Morgan breathed a sigh of relief, or tried to. He was frozen in place. Everything was still. A brazier nearby held a flame that didn’t flicker or move. A slight shimmer in the air twenty feet in front of Morgan revealed a tall, fit, well-dressed man who looked just like the puppet making the announcements. He walked forward with confident strides, hands raised, performing a silent golf clap.

  “Bravo! Splendid! Well done indeed, young mortal,” the pleasant soft voice drifted to Morgan. “However, you have created quite the predicament for me.” The man stopped when he was only 5 feet in front of Morgan. He was taller than Morgan, a lot taller. He looked Morgan up and down with steely gray perfect eyes in a perfect face. With an appreciative nod, he sat down. As his body sat, miniature puppets materialized and formed a stool that he rested on.

  “What are we to do?” he asked, placing his elbow on his knee, leaning forward into the thinking man’s pose, head in hand. As he tapped his finger to his lips, he murmured, “You should not have been able to kill…” he stopped himself. “Best not to say the name. I don’t know if that mind of yours could handle it or get turned to soup.”

  He sat up. “Well, technically you didn’t kill … the undying one.” He nodded self-satisfied. “You just delayed his manifestation by a few millennia. Of which, we are entirely grateful and you will be rewarded.” He leaned forward as he paused, rubbing both temples with his hands. “But, this was not a system sanctioned event, and the experience reward for this is well outside the normal… and your damn skill triggered, doubling it.” He let out a short laugh. Then he lost control, laughing maniacally.

  The laughing fit lasted a good thirty seconds. Then he regained control, wiping tears from his eyes as he focused back on Morgan. “I apologize. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the overseer and architect of the assessment of your world. Also, the originator of your Devil’s own Luck skill, and many others. How do you like it? I thought in a system full of rigid skill trees and people researching to find the ‘best’ skill layouts, why not throw in a bit of chaos?” As he said the last, a glowing spark twinkled in his eye. Then he continued, “I am surprised you also got S.O.P.H.I.A. When I created her, I thought it would be a great help in the opposite way. But that’s life.” He made a helpless shrug. “Anyway, I have been known by many names across the dimensions. I think the echo of me that most resonated in your world would be Loki.” He finished his introduction and stood, inclining his head slightly in a polite bow as the puppets making up the stool dissolved into dust behind him.

  “Oh, I forgot,” he said casually, and the force restricting Morgan lifted. Not knowing what to do, Morgan awkwardly returned the polite bow.

  “Morgan…”

  “Yes, yes. Introductions complete.” Loki interrupted. “You have solved a very serious problem.” He started pacing, mumbling to himself, hands behind his back, walking four paces and then turning abruptly and walking back. “But I can’t properly reward you without causing the entire assessment to become moot. The appeal process, the outrage! They might even just assimilate your world for its resources, regardless. I couldn’t allow that.” He turned facing Morgan, “I do have my reputation to think about.”

  Loki turned back to his pacing, ignoring Morgan. “Of course, the loot from the dungeon, but you already earned that yourself. The experience would be wasted. You can’t even reach level 72 yet…yet!”

  Loki whirled faster than a thought. “I figured it out.” he had a triumphant gleam in his eyes. “You are entitled to all this and more,” he swept his hand over the dungeon loot boxes that were scattered around them now. “But the proper reward you are too weak to fully realize. So,” Loki appeared beside Morgan, conspiratorially leaning into his ear, hand on his shoulder. The hand was very warm, but not unpleasantly so. “You will get the reward when you can ‘actually’ comprehend what it is.”

  He was once again in front of Morgan, speaking quickly and excitedly, “I will give you two rings,” a normal looking thin gold ring materialized on Loki’s outstretched palm. “This will hold all the experience you would have gained from this kill. It will deplete itself as you gain experience, doubling your gain, until it is exhausted. Once you have drained all the experience, it will transform into a truly marvelous artifact.”

  The ring disappeared with a pop and was on Morgan’s finger. He looked down at it. Everything was happening so fast. “I will also give you this ring.” a second ring appeared. This one was thicker and made of silver inlaid with a greenish gem. “This ring will allow you to temporarily give any of your skills to another person. Use it wisely.”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Loki grabbed Morgan by the shoulders, looking at him head-on. They were now the same height. “When your world has passed assessment, I will personally appear to thank you. This in itself is worth more than those rings. But I am partial to myself.” He grinned, then his look turned serious. Morgan once again couldn’t move. “Now, I should wipe your mind so you don’t talk about this to anyone. If word got out that I was interfering, it could be disastrous. Sorry.” He reached up and placed a cold thumb on Morgan’s forehead, then winked and disappeared.

  The flames started dancing again. There were no more error chimes, and the large desiccated head and hands were no longer on the platform. Morgan scanned the area, just loot and the shaman’s body.

  Morgan asked.

  Sophia said.

  Morgan reassured her.

  She had been talking to him during the fight with The Undying One… he remembered everything. Didn’t Loki say he was going to mind wipe him or something? Thinking back, Morgan realized Loki had said he

  wipe his mind, then winked. Did he think other gods were listening in? What the hell is going on? Then the notifications he had been expecting appeared.

  ::Congratulations! You have defeated a Champion in a named Dungeon - The Labyrinth. Two of Two::

  ::Congratulations! You are the first person in this world to kill Three Champions. Title Granted::

  ::Title Granted - Triple Threat - Chance to do triple damage to an enemy::

  ::Congratulations! You are the first person in this world to Solo a Dungeon. Title Granted::

  ::Title Granted - One-Man Horde(r) - You may automatically loot in an area surrounding you ::

  ::Congratulations! You are the first person in this world to clear a named Dungeon - The Labyrinth. Title Granted::

  ::Title Granted - Labyrinth Leader - While inside, or underground, your damage, and resistances are doubled. You gain 15% increased movement speed towards enemies you have damaged::

  ::Title Granted - Hidden::

  ::Title Granted - Hidden::

  ::Title Granted - Hidden::

  ::Absorption complete. You gained Invader Core Champion (x2). Contents: Two Rare. Two Epic. One Legendary.

  Morgan told Sophia as he sat in the meditation pose and started trying to calm his breathing. Everything was catching up, and the adrenaline was wearing off. He fought hard to maintain a calming, even breath and keep the shudders of his body to a minimum.

  He had met a god. The god of chaos, Loki, does that mean that Thor and all of them were out there somewhere also? The other giant orc he had killed, was that a god? Did he kill a god? After a minute of focused calming breath, he stood back up. He was ready and calm again.

  Floating nearby were six of the small glowing boxes. Morgan tried his newest ability and scooped those into his inventory. There were two of each box.

  ::Dungeon Loot Chest - 2x Epic/2x Legendary/2x Mythic - Loot from a dungeon requires Dungeon Key (purchasable) ::

  The shaman’s body also wore a few items, which popped into his inventory without him moving.

  ::Sacrificial Dagger - Rare - Material: Dark Iron - Weight: 1lbs. Properties: Bleeding Strike, Life Tap::

  ::Armor of Enemies - Epic - Material: Basalisk Hide - Weight: 5lbs. Properties: Con +3, INT +3, Superior Magical Resistance::

  ::Staff of Concentration - Legendary - Material: Ironwood - Weight: 4lbs. Properties: Split Mind, Mana Absorption, Endless Pool::

  ::Wand of Focused Lightning - Legendary - Material: Ashwood - Weight: .5lbs. Properties: Lightning Strike, Ball Lightning, Wall of Lightning, Lightning Ward::

  ::Title Progress 21 of 100 - Kill more elite invaders to unlock this title.::

  ::Title Progress 324 of 1000 - Kill more dungeon invaders to unlock this title.::

  Blood drinker was at 36 out of 100, and his wallet contained 12421CT, 529UT, 284RT, 112ET, and 18LT.

  None of the items interested him. Each one required using mana, and he already had nice armor.

  “

  She replied, and they disappeared from his view.

  Morgan also realized that it was almost 8 in the morning. He had been in the dungeon all night.

  Sophia said.

  Morgan glanced at his stats real quick.

  ::Your current attributes are Str - 37, Dex - 34, Con - 30, Wis - 18, Int - 22.::

  ::Rare - Flicker Step - Move through Shadows you can see::

  ::Rare - Improved Mage Armor - Increases Damage Resistance::

  A chime sounded, and then a polite female voice said, “The dungeon will begin to self-destruct in five minutes. Please make your way calmly and quietly to the nearest exit.” Morgan checked he had everything, then sprinted back the way he had come, practicing his Flicker Step every ten seconds when it was off cooldown, making him streak through the dungeon faster than he could have imagined.