Two days of tense marching through Zone C.
The twilight forest deepened here. Canopy so thick it felt like walking along the bottom of an ocean.
His team walked in tight formation. The easy friendship of their first days was dead. Replaced by professional tension.
The rivalry between Erica and Lana was constant. Lana at his side with flirting and veiled threats. Erica on his other side, hands sparking with rage.
'Exhausting. But it kept them focused on me.'
Edgar walked near the back. His trust in Dante so absolute it was sad. He had no idea he was simply a resource waiting to be harvested.
After two days, the map led them to a cliff edge.
Below lay a vast caldera. At its center, a huge underground lake. Black water, still as obsidian.
In the center, a crumbling island. Crowned by ruins of a stone pagoda.
"The Ring of the Maelstrom," Dante said. "It's in that pagoda."
"How do we get there?" Edgar asked.
"There's a path," Talia noted. "Stone path, just under the surface."
A narrow path snaked toward the island. Almost completely submerged.
They climbed down. The moment their boots touched the first stone, the lake came alive.
Shapes moved beneath the water. Large, fast, silent.
"Edgar," Dante commanded.
"Abyssal Lurkers!" he yelped as a massive reptilian head surfaced. Six glowing green eyes fixed on them.
"Rank C! High speed in water, armored hide! They attack with harpoon tongues and drag prey under to drown!"
A dozen more heads broke the surface. A field of glowing emeralds.
They weren't attacking. They were waiting.
"We can't fight them in the water," Edgar said. "They have every advantage."
Dante studied the situation. His mind racing.
'These creatures will tear us apart from below if we all go. And even if someone fetches the ring, all paths back will be blocked. They'll swarm whoever tries to escape.'
'Which means someone needs to act as bait. Stand in the middle of that path. Draw their attention while Talia runs back.'
'And that someone... will be me. And that ring... will be mine.'
He turned to the team. Time to begin the performance.
"Listen carefully. Talia is the fastest. She'll fetch the ring. But the moment she grabs it and turns back, every single one of these creatures will block her path. She'll never make it alone."
"Someone needs to go with her. Act as a decoy in the middle of the path. Draw the horde's attention while she escapes."
Silence.
The weight of what he was suggesting settled over them. Standing in the middle of hundreds of those monsters. It was suicide.
"I'll do it," Lana said. Spinning her staff. "I can smash the water. Create tremors and splashes. Draw them to me."
'Of course you volunteer first, you desperate bitch. Always trying to prove yourself.'
Dante shook his head. "Your staff can make noise, but it won't hold their attention. The moment Talia moves, they'll ignore you and go after her. You need something that creates a constant, overwhelming threat in the water itself."
Lana's face fell.
Erica stepped forward. Eyes burning. She wasn't about to let Lana look more devoted than her.
"Then I'll do it. My fire can create massive explosions on the water. Steam, chaos, light. They won't be able to ignore that."
'And here comes the jealous one. Can't let Lana outshine her for even a second. Pathetic. Both of you, just shut up and let me work.'
Dante looked at her. His expression softened with fake concern.
"Erica... your mana pool isn't deep enough. To create the sustained distraction we need, you'd drain yourself completely in less than a minute. You'd collapse on that path, helpless. And without your cover fire, Talia would be caught too."
He stepped closer. Placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I can't let you die like that. I won't."
Erica's eyes glistened. He was protecting her. Caring about her.
'Perfect. Eat it up.'
Dante turned to face them all.
"There's only one solution. The ring itself."
They stared at him.
"The Ring of the Maelstrom can creates whirlpools. Sustained, powerful vortexes that churn the water and pull everything toward them. It's the perfect tool to control these creatures in their own element."
'I have no idea how much mana that ring actually drains. Could be nothing. Could be everything. But they don't need to know that. I'll make them believe whatever serves me.'
Talia's eyes lit up. "That's perfect! In the water, it would be the most powerful thing we have! I can fetch it and use it myself to—"
'Back off. That ring is mine.'
"No," Dante cut her off. His voice firm but gentle. "Look at the path. It's too long. And look at how many there are. You'll be completely surrounded by the time you reach the pagoda."
"You're a non-magical type, Talia. Just like Edgar and Lana. Even if you get the ring, you won't be able to channel enough mana through it to create the distraction we need. The whirlpool would be too weak. Too small."
"Then Erica—" Talia started.
'Will you shut up already? Stop giving them ideas.'
"Erica's mana pool is smaller than mine. She'd drain herself before you could escape."
He let the silence hang.
Then he spoke the words they all knew were coming.
"I have the largest mana pool. I'm the only one who can sustain the ring's power long enough for this to work."
'Whether that's true or not, who cares? They believe it. That's all that matters.'
"I'll go with Talia. When she grabs the ring, she throws it to me. I activate it and create the distraction while she runs back."
Edgar's eyes shone with admiration. Lana and Erica both looked ready to argue. To offer themselves instead.
But his logic was flawless. Because he had designed it to be.
"What if something happens to you?" Erica whispered.
Dante looked at her. At all of them. His expression one of quiet, heroic resolve.
"If anything happens to me... I'll make sure you're all safe first. That's a promise."
'God, they're so easy to manipulate. A few soft words and they'll follow me into hell.'
"It's settled," he said. "Talia and I go together. Lana, Erica, you provide cover fire from behind until we reach the horde. Edgar, give any valuable information you can."
He turned toward the path.
"Let's begin."
Dante and Talia started running.
Talia was faster. The gap between them grew with every step. Twenty feet. Fifty. A hundred.
Behind them, Lana's staff sent shockwaves into the water. Erica's firebolts exploded against the surface. Creating chaos and confusion.
But the Lurkers weren't fooled for long. They surged toward the two figures on the path.
Dante didn't summon his puppets. Not yet. He wanted to save every drop of mana for the ring.
'My ring.'
Talia reached the pagoda first. Inside, she found two items. The Ring of the Maelstrom—a silver band with a sapphire gem. And a leather bracer.
She grabbed both.
The moment she turned, the lake exploded with movement.
Lurkers surrounded her. Dozens of them. Harpoon tongues shooting from the water like spears. She dodged, slashed, but they kept coming.
Behind her, Dante was in even worse position. The horde had converged on him. He was standing in a sea of glowing green eyes. Tongues lashed at him from every direction.
He summoned Derek. The spectral Juggernaut materialized with its shadow greatsword, smashing aside the nearest Lurkers. Buying precious seconds.
"Talia! Throw me the ring! Now!"
She looked at the distance between them. It was too far. The ring would never make it halfway.
But she had no choice.
She threw with everything she had.
The ring arced through the air. Silver glinting in the dim light. It began to fall. About to hit the black water and sink into the darkness below.
Dante summoned the Guardian.
The Wardcrafter's phantom appeared beneath the falling ring. But not as a shield. As a slide.
The ring hit the angled surface and shot toward Dante like a bullet. He caught it. Slid it onto his finger.
Power flooded into him. Cold, swirling energy that connected directly to his mana. It felt like ice water rushing through his veins.
He smiled.
'Mine.'
He poured everything into the ring. The summons vanished back into him as he focused completely on the artifact.
The water beside Talia erupted.
A massive whirlpool formed. Then another. Then another.
But these weren't random vortexes of destruction. They were stepping stones. Platforms of spinning water, their centers flat and solid enough to run on.
A path. Made of controlled chaos.
Talia understood instantly. She leaped onto the first whirlpool. Ran across its spinning surface. Jumped to the second. Then the third.
Meanwhile, Dante was a storm.
Every Lurker that came for him was blasted back by surging water. Whirlpools formed around him like shields, pulling the creatures away before they could strike. Their harpoon tongues were dragged sideways, missing him completely.
The ring was magnificent. It responded to his will like it was part of his body. The mana drain was nothing. Barely a trickle from his swollen reserves.
'I was right to gamble. This artifact is perfect.'
Talia ran across the fourth whirlpool. The fifth. She was making incredible time.
Then her foot slipped.
The water surface wasn't perfectly stable. Her momentum carried her forward but she was falling. About to plunge into the black water and the waiting jaws below.
Dante reacted instantly.
A surge of water shot from the lake. Not a whirlpool this time. A slide. It caught her mid-fall and carried her directly into his arms.
He grabbed her. Steadied her. Then released her immediately.
'Can't have my assets dying before I'm done with them.'
"Watch my back," he said. Already turning. Already moving.
He led the way. His ring creating a corridor of churning water that kept the Lurkers at bay. Talia ran behind him, daggers ready for anything that slipped through.
They made it back to the cliff base.
The team rushed to meet them.
"Dante! Are you alright?" Erica grabbed his arm.
He let himself sway. Let his face go pale.
"Exhausted," he breathed. "The drain... it was worse than I expected."
He stumbled. Erica and Lana both caught him.
'Theater. All theater. I could do this ten more times.'
Talia handed him the bracer. Guardian's Vambrace. Minor defensive boost. He gave it to Edgar.
"For your bravery from the start," he said.
Edgar accepted it with worship in his eyes.
'That artifact is also mine now. Because Edgar is mine. Everything he owns, everything he is... just waiting for me to collect.'
Their leader had sacrificed himself. Had stood in the middle of a horde of monsters. Had saved Talia when she fell.
He was their hero.
Dante leaned on Erica. His expression one of noble fatigue.
But inside, he was laughing.
The ring's drain had been nothing. His mana pool, swollen from all the power he'd stolen, barely registered it. He'd made the whirlpools effortlessly.
And now the artifact was his. A powerful tool that could protect him from almost any threat.
No one would ever question why he kept it.
After all, he was the only one who could use it.
They had been manipulated into giving him exactly what he wanted. And they revered him for the "sacrifice" he had made.
The harvest, once again, was all his.