“Why not? Isn’t it every player’s dream to have a dungeon of their very own?” Liu asked, less explaining and more boasting. She had been the catalyst for the change after all. Her plan had gone over incredibly well with the server population, both old and new, as more and more people hopped back to the start to try and beat Lucas and get their own dungeon. Since Lucas had yet to be defeated by the renewing players, it was great for the game. People were spending a ton of money on in-game currency to buy items and try their luck with starting characters, but the end result was that Liu looked better and better at her office, and Lucas and his group had gotten richer and richer. The last set of players that they had fought had netted the group over 21 gold alone for a single two-minute interaction. As a result, Bonnie, despite the fact she had dropped her prices for Lucas considerably, was now swimming in money.

“But there is a small problem, boss,” Bonnie said as she leaned back in the tub. She used her tail to cover her chest, which was on the verge of peeking above the water line.

“What’s that?” Lucas asked.

“Uhh, well, you see, it’s like . . . I don’t know how to lose levels, and all these players are about to put me over the island’s Level 30 cap. I want to stay here with you, where it’s nice and prosperous, but even though I killed myself a few times to level drop, it’s just too much work.”

“Yeah,” Nick said, “I’m having the same problem. Even though Bonnie killed me to help me drop my level once or twice—”

“That was the reason? I thought you were just giving me a birthday present,” Bonnie chuckled.

“But she’s right. Players give a lot of experience, and we’re both about to cap,” Nick said.

“Nnn,” Katie grunted, nodding.

“Well, once you hit cap, you only have twenty-four hours to reach the mainland, or you’ll be ported to a fishing town and kept there until you board a boat to leave,” Lucas said, thinking about the rules. He looked over at Liu and asked, “We’re going to have to leave, aren’t we?”

“You could get a new crew,” Viola suggested. “I mean, you’ll have to replace me soon, too, but it makes sense. You’ll have no problem finding a new princess with those roguish good looks of yours and those beautiful hand-tailored outfits Bonnie made you.”

“Feels kinda wrong if the boss is using my gear to pick up other chicks for some reason,” Bonnie muttered with a frown.

“Either way, you should have it easy, Mr. Villain. You’re the greatest. People will be lining up to help you in your world conquest,” Viola asserted.

“You really like to suck up to the boss, don’t you?” Bonnie coldly snapped at Viola. Lucas didn’t know when the two had started their occasional bickering, but he knew one thing for sure: Viola was oblivious to Bonnie’s attempts to upset her.