<Nocturnal Harmonia>

[Bloodedge]

Whatever look Gojo had on his face, he couldn't tell. All he knew was, he'd seen that kind of power before. A lich had been in that atypical Dungeon his old life ended in, but even that didn't really compare to what he was seeing here and now. It was... respectable, even if indicative of a terrifying future. Miko shouldn't have been looking at Gojo; she should have been watching her Intimacy score for him increase by a full 10% with the knowledge of how powerful they could become. "I take it that answers the question," Yugi said. "A hundred?" Gojo asked. "Almost. But growing," Yugi answered.

The queen's struggle was noted by both Players, but it didn't matter. Now that it proved possible for the queen to breed, Yugi was checking their extraction count to ensure it didn't count as more Shadow Soldiers, even though the 'infant' spiders looked the part. "She's got her own summons; no weight on us. And yeah... centipedes next. All three," was his response to Miko, whom he kept secured in their throne with an arm hooked around the small of her back. As for their primary target here in this area, Miko asked if he could see the deceased man. Sato Kenta had been thrown... somewhere; Yugi couldn't remember where. "We fought him somewhere over here, but I'm not wasting my eyes to look for Dickhead. Tell Instagram Thorax to put her damn kids to work~" he suggested while Gojo carried that throne toward the nearest giant centipede.

[Apollymi]

Miko thought it was worth it to see the look on Gojo's face. That extra 10 percent to their Intimacy would put him at 60 percent without her doing anything but blowing him the one time. It was interesting how these things chose to shift, she couldn't have understood it if she tried. "Chii♪~" Miko chirped a little vocalization with no real purpose, just a noise because she was sitting comfortably with an arm wrapped around her body in the lap of her boyfriend while they, ruined someone's perception of reality. Apparently their newest spider had her own summons, ones that didn't take from their combined storage. "Sugei, that'll come in handy if we run into any more the hive breeding bugs♪~" Miko stated observationally, as she happily wiggled in Yugi's lap settling into the hold he had on her comfortably.

Beyond that the centipedes were definitely next so Miko prepared to make use of her version of the skill, to raise the first one they got to. Before that though, Yugi claimed he wouldn't be using his vision to search for Sato Kenta, he suggested making use of the Spider Queen and her minions to find the man they actually came here to resurrect. "Great idea♪~" Miko chirped happily. "Oi♪~ Send the little ones, bring me the body of that broke bitch A-rank Tanker we killed earlier♪~" Miko asserted an order that had the spider queen communicating hissing vibrations to the infants. They'd scatter in a hurry searching for the battered and desiccated corpse of an A-rank Tanker. Upon Arriving at the Centipede Miko would extend a hand to it, saying the key phrase they'd decided upon in their Job-Change Quest. "Arise." another swirling mass of black mana would erect a large multi-legged shadow creature.

[POISON CENTIPEDE LV. 5]
GRADE: NORMAL

[Bloodedge]

Yugi didn't think it would be a bad idea at all to raise only the queen variant of creatures such as spiders, ants, wasps and so on. If that ever came up, they would be able to save a lot of storage space for Shadows. For now, they'd have to settle for the Knight-grade Spider Queen and her brood. That one's usefulness would begin showing itself the moment Miko commanded her to seek Sato Kenta's corpse, which would have the brood scattering immediately for that sole purpose. Following that, Miko took care of raising the first of three centipedes. "Only Normal Grade? I guess they would have been Elites a few hours ago," Yugi commented.

As time passed, more extractions would be performed. Yugi took the next centipede when they reached it, and Miko the one after. Eventually, they were no longer sitting on that throne ─ they were instead standing atop the spider queen's head, Gojo included. Dozens of human corpses had been brought back by spider babies that didn't have an actual clue what they were looking for. Yugi sighed. "Still animals. Though I guess they've got no reason to know who they were looking for," he commented, looking at the corpse of one particular B-rank woman he remembered. Of course, her corpse didn't have a head... but he remembered her from that voluptuous form. "Oh damn. She was in that third group. I was hoping she'd secretly made it out so I could..." Yugi paused there, giving something undue amounts of consideration.

"..."

[Apollymi]

The Centipede raised as indeed only normal grade. The amount of time that passed, it's already lowered ranking and likely its lesser status didn't help its case, but a lower start didn't mean it couldn't be useful. "I assume it's a combination of factors, including the time. Truthfully, I'm just glad they don't sound super weird to me anymore..." Miko admitted. The sound those legs made used to make her skin crawl, but as shadows these creatures sounded more acceptable. By the time they worked through the Centipedes between them they were eventually standing directly on top of their spider summon and watching as her younglings collected a whole host of human remains.

Yugi commented that they were still animals and thus they wouldn't have known exactly what they were looking for. Miko agreed, but she'd not given her particular command without reason. "Hai, that seems to be the case. I was wondering if there was a mental link or extra understanding passed along to non-humanoid creatures. I feel like the Assassins or Mages might have been able to bring exactly what I was looking for," Miko said thoughtfully. "Iggy definitely seems like he would have at least only brought Tankers," Miko concluded based on her smaller observations. Still, those spiders brought every human corpse from the raid, not just the one she was looking for, and even pulled in a few ant bodies to boot. Yugi had been thinking about a young woman originally in the third group, "I am pretty sure anyone who didn't actually talk to us in this raid died. The group didn't seem to care much about group preservation or anything..." Miko said thinking back to that moment. "Anyway, I know what you're thinking and as someone who already had the thought, I'm not judging," she held her hands up in mock surrender. Somewhere in that mass of corpses she spotted it, that charred corpse which was basically only a husk and broken pieces of armor. "Damn we really worked him over huh?~" Miko said seeming to have misplaced such a thought a long while ago. It'd be her to hop off the spider's head and have the little ones scurry out of her way. "Oh and good job little ones♪~" Miko chirped she wouldn't be mean to spider kids even if they weren't as clever as they could be.

Once on the ground and in front of that Corpse Miko looked at him and extended a hand. "I can't help but think you got off too easy. No one said you get to rest in peace after all the shit you did today. Service is your only option..." she said, that same blue glow coating her eyes as she stood in pure defiance of that man previously known as Sato Kenta and everything he stood for. Miko felt oddly satisfied by the idea of running this man into the dirt for his bad behavior for the rest of eternity. And with that... a single word command was spoke. "ARISE." The shadows swirled and condensed that broken, burned and battered corpse produced a fully armored and helmeted individual with a blue face of shadow in armor of the darkest shade of black.

[A-RANK TANKER LV. 5]
GRADE: KNIGHT

"You've gotta be fucking kidding... put your fucking head in the ground you don't get to look at me right now," Miko said as she looked at a text box which asked her to name the creature she'd just risen from that Hunter's corpse. It's immediate response to the order was to literally drop to its knees and ram it head into the dirt, much to Miko's own amusement.

[Bloodedge]

"Mm. They also look less ugly," was Yugi's comment on the spiders. While the spider children were still struggling to find the right target in a sea of corpses, Yugi looked over some of their findings. Every human that was found, was brought in. That much was fine since they were only base creatures, all things considered... but he couldn't grant a pass to them bringing in ants. "... Seriously? They're not even humans! Fuck it, we're using Igris next time," he said, grumbling. Yugi didn't even seem bothered by Miko suddenly applying a pet name to their strongest soldier, though there was a mocking snort. Either way, he decided to raise ten-to-fifteen ants for hauling purposes alone. Then came... that woman, and an accompanying minute of heavy consideration. In the end, Yugi would only ever make one decision.

"AROUSE."

So certain was Yugi as he spoke that phrase, which surprisingly caused the woman's corpse to produce a Shadow Soldier of Normal grade. She should have been elite, but obviously that entire group was fated to fall early in the raid. By the time those spiders located Sato Kenta and Miko began the process of raising his Shadow, Yugi was... standing atop the spider's head with a voluptuous female Shadow prostrating herself before him. "Sou ka," he commented simply. The Tanker Miko focused on was raised as a Knight-grade, much like Igris but with a lower level... and obviously less skill/less of a brain in general. Miko immediately had the latest Shadow slam its head into the ground. Of course... there was still a name to be given. "Should name it Iron. Y'know, because... obviously that's what someone did to him. Plus all he's good for is defense. Also... either I was right about this lady being a slut, Shadows are automatically that extreme, or using erect as a command makes a different type of servant," he said while pointing toward the unnamed woman. "Or... yes."

[Apollymi]

Both Miko and Yugi agreed that the risen creatures were less abrasive to their senses. Apparently the baby spiders were bringing things not just the human corpses but also ant bodies. Yugi seemed a bit annoyed by it, but no more so than normal. "Hai hai♪~" Miko confirmed the idea of using Igris for more complicated tasks. Miko noted that mocking snort but she only turned her head up. They weren't currently far enough removed from the ass whooping they were given by Igris for her to be as horny about him as she wanted to be. But she felt in her soul in a few days, she'd likely be having a weird sexual experience, maybe while someone like Akira watched, he'd enjoy that sort of thing.

Beyond that Yugi used a different word but still managed to raise a shadow. "Hm, the feeling of that word is still similar enough, I think..." Miko commented absently. She understood sound a bit better than most. Beyond that point, a minor tantrum was thrown by Miko as she realized she'd have to name this particular Shadow, which she would have rather left in his own little stupidity. Still, she only just barely stifled a chuckle before returning her attention to Yugi. "Oh, actually, yeah. I like the sound of that Iron, because obviously someone pressed his brains flat♪!~" Miko decided entering that name and placing a foot on top of that one's head while it was in the ground and stomping it twice, a show of rage she didn't normally have. "Your name is Iron, get in the fucking shadow!" Miko commanded of a shadow which looked eternally grateful to be given his name and returned to her shadow without question. "That's a lot, probably all of it, considering the Otome aspects. I'm holding off on thinking about it, lest we not get everything done," Miko said while casually eying that rather slutty pose from that buxom female who was killed in the Dungeon Break.

[Bloodedge]

It didn't take very long at all for the Players to gather more for their army. Sato Kenta had been risen to become the Shadow Iron, and Yugi managed to figure out that other versions of their given command still held functionality ─ and perhaps a bit of specification as well. He'd be addressing that bit first and foremost while that Sharingan remained locked on a wiggling Shadow posterior. "Well it's got a way better effect than normal," he commented. As for the suggestion of Iron as a name, Miko did more than just accept it. She took it, applied it, and proceeded to stomp the Shadow's head. "That's hot. Gotta make him watch later too," Yugi commented. He, too, had reason to despise that Shadow before it was a servant of theirs.

In due time, the Players were done making Gojo wonder how anyone could have such powers. Of their 25 additional spaces since the job-change quest ended, they left the former Field-type Dungeon with a Spider Queen, 15 ants, 3 centipedes, Iron, and the woman Yugi summoned simply because she had proportions he found desirable. 111 extraction slots were filled by the time they were, surprisingly, walking into Makima's office again some 15 minutes later. Gojo sauntered along behind the teens, the widest grin on his face. He was quite looking forward to the next opportunity to... claim he'd taught them everything they knew.

[Apollymi]

Yugi used a word not quite aligned to the original chosen and got a rather interesting effect from doing so. Miko in her infinite wisdom decided to put such thoughts aside just a bit. "Box it," she decided knowing that if she tried that out, it would be Igris she called and if she called him out she wouldn't be doing anything else today. She felt too strangely about him. At the same time, her rage against the Shadow who'd been given the name Iron, wasn't questioned and instead encouraged. Yugi thought it was hot, and thought to add this Shadow into a cuck chair kind of situation. "Definitely should and make him keep his fucking head down♪!~" Miko chirped as her foot ground into the back of his head right until the moment he was banished to her shadow. They managed to gather a decent number of shadows to help fill out their army for both utility purposes and a few with combat purposes.

Soon enough they were walking back into Makima's office, the doors already recalibrated and open so that they could walk through them. "That was quick. Did you lose something there?" Makima couldn't help but wonder. She'd come to expect at least an hour or more lag between the actions of the Players and their movements. Even so she was quite excited to hear what they had to say and how they'd improved in that singular hour since they'd left. Ai was already gone, but that made sense, she had to go keep an eye on Kaguya and play with her new phone. Makima still looked calm and yet she was looking at the excitement on Gojo's face and wondering exactly what he'd seen to keep him looking so pleased. Obviously he intended to take credit for something.

[Bloodedge]

Back in Makima's office with a door that now functioned properly, the Players were considered to have returned quickly. Makima wondered if they'd left something behind during the field raid. Though that wasn't originally the case, more recent abilities made it so. "Something like that," was all Yugi said. "Dropped the bag~" Gojo added, his mood higher than ever.

Makima was going to want answers. Yugi knew that, Gojo knew that, and surely Miko knew that as well. Aki had also vacated the office to handle some menial tasks related to the new door ─ whatever got him acclimated to his general duties more quickly. How would she go about getting those answers though? Well, Yugi hardly saw a point in waiting around until questions were asked. "Claimed the throne. Quest complete, new Class unlocked, new... huh?" He stopped there, finding a blip that had been present for several minutes now quite annoying. Upon looking at it, Yugi realized something else about the latest System update.

[DAILY QUEST — CHAOTIC INTEGRATION]

Objectives:

• Increase total Intimacy by at least 10% [0%/10%]
• Complete 1 route event [0/1]
• Acquire 1 commemorative memory (Gallery) [0/1]
• Engage in intimate contact with any Bondmate [0/1]

Rewards:

• +1 Status Recovery
• +5 Stat Points (shared between both Players)
• 1 Random Loot Box

Failure Penalty:

• Intimacy Decay (-10% from highest Bondmate)
• Intimacy gain reduction (-50% for 24 hours)

There was another notification on the backlog as well...

[NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED]

Condition Met: 5 Bondmates with Intimacy 25% or higher.

Ability Unlocked: Limited Gold Access

Effect:
You can now grant limited Gold access to one Concubine at a time.
The chosen Concubine may use the granted Gold to purchase items from the System Shop (with restrictions).

System Message:
The bond has grown strong enough.
You may now share a portion of your wealth with one chosen Concubine.

Yugi read those two things quickly, but he didn't seem too pleased. Daily quests could have been granted to them ages ago, and they'd have two sets of rewards by now. As for their new ability... he wondered if it had anything to do with them breaking the 'game' with Tae earlier. "Well that's dumb."

[Apollymi]

Makima asked if they left something behind and the answer was... 'sort of'. How strange. The follow from Gojo was another of his references implying that what they'd left behind in the Dungeon Break field was some sort of power related thing. He'd been speaking rather oddly about the pair since their return from their Job Change Quest. "I might understand that one..." Makima claimed. No matter they were soon enough an explanation coming. One which Miko mostly left to Yugi, as she tended to do when dealing with Makima, finding no reason to change an established precedent.

And as such the explanation began. They'd claimed the throne after Makima and Gojo had been forced out. They'd completed their quest. That much made sense, both of them hadn't stayed behind or anything like that. They'd unlocked a new class and a new title... that was interesting to note, but in the middle of his explanation, Yugi had stopped speaking. Miko found herself looking off in the distance as well, as a new readout made its way to her, even though it'd been active for quite a while. "So dumb. This is that annoying thing where you get tasks after you've already completed them and they don't count!" Miko griped about one of her least favorite mechanics. At least her most recent acquisition of Intimacy counted. A whole ten percent had to have been Gojo and she checked it only to look back him him her brow raised curiosly. "A whole ten percent... do you have sennin-itis?" she wondered absently. It seemed a bit outrageous considering most of what she'd gotten from him had involved her doing something actively. "Okay something else went astray but you don't actually seem very upset. Explain, Quickly by the way... there's a field trip we need to take," Makima pointed out as the pair were prone to their minds wandering as they read and interacted with other things.