Entering into the Dungeon, Jake felt a similar weight press down on his body. Yet, it wasn't like something was weighing down on his body; rather, it was more akin to being knee-deep in mud. As he continued forward, he watched as his surroundings twist and change. The sound of aged stonework under his feet yielded to that of shifting gravel. Cracked stone crumbled into root and soil. Continuing forward under the crimson Luminore, the tunnel began to give way to a much larger room. Akin to the size of a school gym, everything was covered in a wave of roots. They traced the floor and walls like veins, weaving in and out of one another and ground alike. As he traced their direction, he found himself in front of a wall of woven together roots. Following the pulsating trail, they entered into a tunnel that sat nearby. The roots that went into said tunnel occasionally pulsed, a soft glow traveling through them.

'So, there's a Guardian,' he thought as he turned his attention to the tunnel. Readying his rifle, he began to slowly make his way into the side tunnel. Roots cracked under his feet as he went deeper into the tunnel, which shifted and grew with each step he took. The tunnel gave way into a type of hallway, the roots and gravel fusing into a sort of wall and flooring. As it expanded, it formed into a room the size of a gym court.

Scanning his shifting surroundings, he came across a small horde of Skaava. They skittered about in small groups, their squeaking echoing against the walls. As he observed them, he watched as one of the Skaava broke off from its group. They made their way towards one of the walls, only for a spider-like beast to burst out and clamp its maw around its head. Before it can even resist, the spider snapped its neck with a notable crack, causing it to go limp. It then dragged the listless corpse with it back into the wall, hiding behind the curtain of roots.

'So that's what a Chavatark looks like. Guess the descriptions of them looking like larger Chienman Tarantulas are accurate.'

And if one can be seen, others are hidden nearby.

Reaffirming his grip on the rifle, he brought it to bear as he stared down the sights. Focusing his aim on one of the bigger Skaava, he let out a small breath before pulling the trigger. A loud crack echoed throughout the room as the beast's corpse crumpled onto the floor, a chunk of its head now gone. He felt the air sharpen as every single Skaava snapped towards his direction. Letting out an echoing screech, the horde rushed towards him, their bloodlust clear.

As they rushed forward, he began to fire into the sea of monsters. With each shot he fired, one of the Skaava fell limp, only for another to climb over its dead kin. Once one of them got close enough, it leaped towards him, its fanged maw wide. Jumping out of the way of the attack, he then grabbed the beast by its tail before tossing it back into the crowd. Shifting his grip on the rifle, he then swung it at another of the approaching beasts, caving its head in. Pulling out a pistol, he then fired into the nearby Skaava, each round landing between the eyes.

Focus.

As the world went gray, he took the magazine out of the rifle before tossing it aside, a fresh one now in its place. He racked the bolt shut, the sharp snap echoing through his ears. As color returned to the world, he took aim before shooting another in the head. Yet, before the body even fell to the floor, he saw the approaching horde suddenly split. The two groups snaked to each side before rushing forward, their beady eyes full of hate.

'Pincer maneuver. Basic, but smart.'

In a single motion, he put away the rifle before pulling out a sword and burying its blade in the head of a nearby Skaava. Twisting his body, he tore the blade out of its skull before swinging it into the neck of another. With each swing he took, the blade in his hand found flesh, cutting through it like a butcher. Steel split through meat, coating the ruby-lit room a deeper shade of crimson.

As he tore the sword out of the final Skaava's neck, he watched as the Chatavarks began to crawl out from the walls. Parts of their bodies were nothing more than living shadows, the blackness akin to that of tar. Pitch-black smoke came from their maws, covering the floor in a dark smog that reached to his ankles. With a loud hiss, they rushed towards, intent of devouring both him and the corpses alike clear.

Focus.

The world went gray as Jake put away the axe before pulling out the Aether pistol and firing into the crowd. With each trigger pull, he watched as the head of each beast he aimed at burst open, their body going limp.

'Alright, that's dealt with.'

As color returned to the world, he holstered his pistol before walking over to a nearby Skaava corpse. Kneeling down next to the carcass, he set down his bag next to him before pulling out his dagger. He then began to cut into the corpse, cutting open the chest like one would a package they ordered. Once both skin and flesh were opened, he then shoved his hand into its open guts. As he rummaged through its entrails, his fingers brushed against a familiar lump. Wrapping his fingers around the pulsing Core, he then ripped it out before looking it over in his hand. It was somewhat like a typical Magos Core in size, if not somewhat bigger.

Yet, that was where the similarities ended.

Instead of the generally consistent warping of a Magos Core, it was much more...erratic. It warped and twisted at random, with none of it being at the same time. Some of it felt like half-browned marshmallows while other parts became like sandpaper. Not only that, it pulsed with a rhythm that is only describable as 'dub-step on meth'.

'Seeing an Irregular Core really is something else.'

Letting out a small hum, he tossed the Core into his bag before beginning to peel away the creature's hide. Once fully removed, he then rolled up the rawhide before tossing it into his backpack. Grabbing his bag, he got onto his feet before making his way over to another Skaava corpse and doing the same thing. He made his way through each of the Skaava corpses, dressing them down like one would a buck.

Finishing with the last Skaava, he tossed its Core and rawhide into his bag before putting the rest aside. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he then made his way towards a nearby Chatavark carcass. He knelt down next to the body before pulling out his dagger and getting to work.

Using the dagger to flip over the body, he then dug the blade between its carapace before cutting into its flesh. Splitting open the creature's abdomen, he stuck his hand into its entrails. Feeling his fingers brush against it, he grabbed it before ripping it out. He then tossed the Core into his bag before going to another corpse and repeating the process. He made his way through each of the Chatavark corpses, taking out their Cores and tossing the rest aside.

'And that is the last of them,' he thought as he tossed the final Core into his bag. Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, he then made his way towards a familiar wall of fog. Stepping through it, he found himself in a rather different area. A mix of bone and flesh littered the floor as the stench of rot permeated the air. In the middle of the room stood a figure that he remembered seeing before. Bone-like spikes protruded from its body, its posture stuck in a perpetual hunch. Yet, even with that, it stood a few heads taller than him, its body near the size of a tractor. Its fur was caked in a mix of blood and viscera, akin to a bloodstained carpet.

'A Skoga, huh. And a Revenant one, at that.'

As Jake pulled out the rifle on his back, he watched as the Skoga paused, as if suddenly aware of something. Sniffing the air, a low growl emanated from the beast's throat as it began to turn towards him.

Now.

As soon as the Skoga was facing him, Jake fired a round at the beast's head. The bullet punctured into one of the beasts’ eyes, causing it to stumble back as it covered its face, howling in pain. As the creature was stunned, Jake pulled out his axe before rushing towards the beast. Ducking into the beast's blind-spot, he then slammed the axe into one of its legs, forcing it onto its knees. Ripping out the axe, Jake jumped back as the Skoga slammed its fists into where he once stood. Sheathing the axe, he began to fire round after round at the beast's head, forcing it to bring up an arm in defense. With its free hand, the Skoga ripped out a chunk of the ground next to it before throwing a wave of debris towards him.

Focus.

As the world became monotone, he slung the rifle over his shoulder before dashing out of the way of the debris. Pulling out his sword, he then made a beeline towards the beast before stabbing its legs. Twisting the blade, he then tore the blade out from its leg, all but cutting it off. The world began to regain color as the beast fell forward, catching itself with its arms. Before the beast could regain its bearings, Jake rushed towards the head of the Skoga. He then stabbed the beast in its eye, burying the blade to the hilt before tearing it out, killing the beast. The Skoga went limp, as if a wooden puppet that lost its string as blood oozed from the fatal head wound.

Sheathing the blade, he stepped back as roots began to come out from the ground and wrap around the carcass. He watched as the roots dug into the corpse, the sound of cracking bone echoing throughout the room. Once the roots had consumed the body in its entirety, they then slithered towards the center of the room. They weaved over one another, eventually creating a podium. On it sat what looked to be a Nexus Bulb, but as he made his way over, he noticed some differences. It was smaller than the Nexus Bulbs he had seen in the game, alongside glowing a somewhat darker hue. Additionally, the veins seemed to be brighter and more pronounced than the usual Bulb.

'Hm, that's odd. Eh, not my problem. They’re probably all like this in Abnormal Dungeons'

Giving the oddity a light shrug, he pressed his hand against the Nexus Bulb, causing it to bloom open. In it sat the Ruler Core, alongside a roll of rawhide, a bone as thick as his forearm, and a large claw. Taking the items, he placed them into his bag before making his way out of the tunnel. 

Once he was back into the main area, he saw that the wall of roots had receded, revealing a large tunnel. Bringing the rifle to bear, he then walked into the now open tunnel. As he made his way towards the boss room, the Dungeon once again began to shift. The hall grew as roots seemed to weave over each other, creating a sort of flooring. Continuing forward, he eventually found himself in front of the Gate. It was darker than any of the Gates he had seen before, but otherwise, it wasn't that different.

Stepping through the dark mirror, he found himself in a large cavern. Corpses of various creatures laid across the floor, each one in a state of destruction. Some had been torn limb from limb, while others were disfigured beyond recognition. In the center of the room was a massive tarantula-like beast, almost the size of a tank. Bone-like protrusions stuck out from its body, their look akin to that of spear heads. Its gaze locked onto him, no doubt agitated by the scent of blood.

'So, it's a Mega Necrachnid I'm dealing with. It explains the Skoga.'

Letting out a screech, the boss rushed forward, thrusting its front leg at him like a spear. Jake rolled out of the attack’s path before firing into the beast's side. Jerking away from the barrage of bullets, the tarantula leaped onto the wall. A heavy hiss left its mouth before it launched a stream of acid towards him.

Now, Focus.

The world went monotone as Jake stepped out of the slowly approaching stream. Once out of its path, he then took aim before firing into the Necrachnid's head. Color came back as the tarantula fell off the wall and onto the ground, screaming in pain. Taking advantage of the gap, he tossed the rifle aside before drawing his sword. He then rushed towards the beast, ready to pierce its skull and end it. Yet, as he closed the distance, he heard a familiar hissing noise from his side. He leaped away from the source, watching as the ground where he once stood exploded into pieces.

'Alright, change of plans.'

Flipping itself back onto its feet, the boss then rushed towards him, front legs raised. Parrying an attack, he jumped back as the beast lunged forward, attempting to consume him. Pulling out his pistol, he dodged through another attack before firing a bullet into its face. The Necrachnid stumbled back in pain, letting out a loud, venomous hiss.

Leaping away from him, it dug its legs into the floor before letting out a loud shriek. As it did so, a mix of root and bone began wrapping around its body. As its armor began to form, figures began to arise from the ground. Each one was beast-like in shape, ranging from animistic hound to humanoid Skaava. Once fully formed, they wasted little time as they rushed towards him.

Jake stepped to the side as one of the summoned creatures lunged towards him before kicking it away. Twisting his body, he then swung his blade at the head of another summon, carving a chunk out of its face. As the summon stumbled back, its body began to jerk as the wound stitched itself closed.

Hm.

Sidestepping an attack from another summon, Jake then swung his blade into its neck. The sharpened steel dug into the mixture of plant and bone, yet stopped a quarter through its neck. Tearing the blade out of its neck, he then knocked the beast aside before letting out a breath.

Focus.

As he felt the world pause, he began to scan through his surroundings. Various summons surrounded him, each one rushing towards him. While this was happening, the boss was not only healing, but actively getting stronger.

'All I gotta do is kill the boss and the summons go with it. Simple enough.'

Weaving through the crowd of summons, color returned as he rushed towards the boss. Closing the distance, he suddenly felt a surge of power rush through his body. With little hesitation, he mentally grasped the energy before letting out a breath.

Focus on it.

Guide it into the arms.

Now...

Strike.

Twisting his body, he swung his blade into the boss's head. The sword cleaved through the monster's flesh, splitting its head wide open. He watched as the monster's body fell to the floor, a mix of blood and brain matter leaking from the wound. Sheathing his blade, he stepped back as spikes began to puncture the beast's corpse. As he watched the boss’s body be consumed, he thought back to sense of energy.

‘Must be the skill from earlier. Seems pretty useful.'

Making a mental note of it, he pressed his hand against the newly-formed Nexus Bulb. Once the bulb opened, he took what was inside of it before making his way out of the Dungeon.