Lukas took the folder and opened it.

The documents inside were organized neatly, with each dungeon given its own section with relevant details noted in clean handwriting alongside printed information pulled from what looked like an official source.

Karrakas leaned back in his chair and looked at Melody and Akira. They were staring at him expectantly, so he sighed and began to explain, a small smile on his lips.

"We have three options available to us," he said. "All of them can be cleared within the week if things go reasonably well, but all of them are also different enough that the choice of which one to clear matters."

Melody placed her elbow on the table and cupped her chin. "So what are they?"

"The first one is called the Sunken Archive." Karrakas leaned back in his chair. "This dungeon is a flooded canyon with an underwater library sealed inside it."

"It has five wings, with each one opening sequentially. The problem is the timing. Each subsequent wing only unlocks after twenty-four hours. So even if you clear the first wing in an hour, you wait a full day before the second one opens."

"So, five wings to be cleared in five days minimum," Lukas said, still reading.

"Exactly. The dungeon itself is straightforward in terms of navigation. There are no layout changes or surprises in that regard. But the vaults flood periodically, so fighting in the wings requires the ability to operate underwater. Which means each of us needs to be able to swim, or own a skill that compensates for it."

Akira tilted her head. "What kind of beasts are in the dungeon?"

"Mainly aquatic beasts. They’re adapted to the flooded environment, which makes them fast in water, and a little slower on what little dry ground exists." He paused. "The dungeon is manageable, but the environment is the real challenge."

"And the second?" Melody asked.

"That’s the Clockwork Undercity." He said the name with a slight shift in his expression. It was clear he was a bit familiar with the place.

"The dungeon is a mechanical city built underground, designed like the interior of a clock. It has gears the size of buildings. However, the layout physically rearranges itself every few hours. The corridors shift, the exits relocate, and the entire sections rotate into new positions, like the hands of a clock."

He looked at them. "The objective of this dungeon is to reach the innermost room of the main clock at the center of the city."

Lukas looked up from the folder. "How long does it usually take?"

"Anywhere from two days to a full week," Karrakas said. "It all depends on the beasts inside and how cooperative the layout decides to be on a given run. Some groups get through it in two days. Others are still navigating on day six. And very few take two weeks."

"So it’s the most unpredictable," Akira said.

"In terms of time, yes."

"And the third?" Melody asked.

Karrakas nodded. "This one is called the Living Hive."

"It’s a hive grown by giant bee-like insect beasts that operates on a shared hive mind. Every beast inside is connected to each other, so the moment you kill one, every other beast in the dungeon knows exactly where you are."

"The queen lives at the center of the hive, and killing her is the objective. Getting there without alerting the entire population before you’re ready is the challenge."

Akira sat back slowly. "Every kill broadcasts your location."

"Immediately and precisely."

She looked at Lukas, then at Melody. "I think that’s the most dangerous dungeon out of the three."

"It is," Karrakas agreed. "And it’s the main reason the Living Hive takes as long as it does. Every decision about when to engage and when to avoid is compounded by the fact that the hive is always learning where you are."

"So, the choice is yours. Which one would you like to clear?"

Akira and Melody turned to Lukas, who spent a few seconds more going through the documents before setting it on the table. "So, what do you guys think?" He asked.

"The Sunken Archive is the most straightforward," Akira said immediately, leaning forward. "There are five wings which open sequentially, and with no layout changes. We know exactly what we’re walking into."

"But I can’t swim," Lukas said.

Akira blinked in surprise. "At all?"

"At all."

He never really went to beaches or pools when he was on earth, and since he’d arrived in this world, hadn’t made contact with a large body of water.

Melody turned to him. "We could teach you how to swim. It’s not really complicated once you understand the basic mechanics."

"Inside a flooded dungeon vault," Lukas said, "while beasts that are adapted to the water are trying to kill us, is not where I want to be learning the basic mechanics of swimming."

Melody opened her mouth, then closed it.

"Fair," she admitted.

"The Clockwork Undercity then," Lukas said, looking back at the folder.

Melody drummed her fingers on the table. "The timing worries me. Two days to a full week means we could still be inside when the ball happens."

"The Living Hive is more dangerous," Lukas said simply. "The moment we make our first kill, every beast in that dungeon knows exactly where we are. We’d be fighting a war of attrition from the first engagement."

He shook his head. "At least in the Undercity, the only problem is navigation. The layout changes, but it doesn’t fight back by itself."

"And Karrakas knows the dungeons here," Akira said slowly, understanding his reasoning. "Even if the layout shifts on us, he should be knowledgeable enough to guide us through it."

Karrakas nodded. "I’ve run the Undercity twice."

Lukas closed the folder. "Then it’s the Undercity."

Melody sighed. "Just don’t blame me if we’re still inside when the ball starts."

Lukas grinned at her. "Don’t worry, that won’t happen."

Karrakas grinned, speaking up. "Alright guys, let’s go stock up on what we need."

***

A/N: Apologies for the late update. Updates would resume as usual.