Fireworks weren't the only things blowing up that day.
Fourth of July was a perfect opportunity.
Patriotism was easy to package.
Even easier when the country was rattled by dungeon deaths and hungry for symbols.
Near the university's underground gate entrance, a huge outdoor screen had been set up. There was a portable stage, flags, sponsor banners, and corporate logos arranged neatly behind red-white-and-blue décor.
A crowd gathered.
Phones rose.
The broadcast was live.
Phong barely looked at it at first.
Josh appeared on screen.
Perfectly tailored suit.
Carefully managed grief.
Jaw tight enough to suggest pain.
He spoke about sacrifice.
About resilience.
About "continuing the legacy of the fallen."
Then Olen stepped up.
Freckles.
High-collar sweater, even in summer.
Soft-spoken confidence.
He spoke about innovation.
About empowering production classes.
About democratizing growth.
Then they shook hands.
Collaboration.
Joint expedition initiative.
Shared resources between combat elites and production elites.
The crowd applauded.
Phong shrugged.
Predictable.
He turned away.
Then he felt it.
Alex had slowed.
Not subtly.
Her posture changed.
He followed her gaze.
A woman stepped up to the podium.
Armor gleamed.
Not dungeon-practical.
Ceremonial.
White and silver plating. Filigree along the collarbone. Gem-studded mic clasp.
Her hair was flawless.
Her makeup was heavy but exact.
Her smile was practiced.
Modesty draped carefully over superiority.
Alex's jaw tightened, barely.
"Emma," she said through her teeth.
Emma Tannenbaum.
The name clicked.
Phong had heard it before.
Different times.
Pre-dungeon.
Debate halls.
Campus fundraisers.
If Alexandra had been debate club president, top grades, sharp tongue, earned authority, Emma had been cheer squad captain.
Homecoming queen energy.
Influence without visible effort.
A soft kind of cruelty hidden inside charm.
Two different kingdoms.
Two different crowns.
Now they stood in the same world again.
Only now mana existed.
Emma's voice carried smoothly through the speakers.
"Today, we stand united."
Her tone was polished.
She had stage training.
Because she was not just a diver.
She was a brand.
Rare class: Songblader.
Rumors about her class ran wild, even among elites.
Sound-based amplification.
Resonance control.
Buff harmonics.
Some said she could raise combat output by thirty percent with one verse.
Some said her voice could crack bone.
She had albums.
Dungeon-themed tracks.
Battle hymns.
She had endorsement deals.
A world tour.
Millions of followers.
Streaming contracts.
Product lines.
Luxury armor collabs.
A celebrity diver.
She smiled modestly.
"I'm honored to support this collaboration between innovation and strength."
Josh nodded beside her.
Olen gave a small, approving clap.
The optics were spotless.
Youth.
Wealth.
Talent.
Beauty.
Unity.
Emma kept going.
"We will recruit the brightest."
Pause.
"The bravest."
Pause.
"The ones willing to push humanity forward."
The crowd roared.
Whispers spread nearby.
"They're saying she's dating Josh."
"Power couple."
"Dungeon royalty."
Alex's fingers curled slightly at her side.
Phong glanced at her.
"You okay?"
She didn't look away from the screen.
"I forgot how much I hate that tone."
"What tone?"
"Modesty hiding condescension."
Emma's smile shifted almost invisibly when she mentioned "responsible leadership."
The kind of smile that said:
Some of us are meant to lead.
Phong studied her carefully.
Charisma? Yes.
Power? No question.
She was not incompetent.
Her eyes were sharp.
Calculating.
Used to cameras.
Used to being admired.
Used to being obeyed.
If Alex was steel wrapped in warmth, Emma was velvet over knives.
The broadcast cut to battle footage.
Emma singing in a dungeon arena.
Visible soundwaves rippling through the air.
Buffing teams.
Cutting through mobs.
Applause layered over it.
She wasn't weak.
She had earned her place.
But she liked the spotlight.
Alex exhaled slowly.
"She always wanted stage over substance."
"Does she have both now?" Phong asked quietly.
Alex didn't answer right away.
"…Maybe."
Josh stepped up again.
He talked about expanding to Floor Two.
About facing catastrophic threats head-on.
About restoring American leadership in dungeon progress.
The patriotic backdrop flared.
The crowd clapped again.
Emma rested a hand lightly on his arm.
The camera caught it.
Intentional.
Perfectly framed.
Phong felt the shape of it.
A story being built in real time.
Heroic trio.
Wealth.
Innovation.
Voice.
Sword.
Flag.
He looked at Alex again.
Her expression had cooled.
Measured now.
"She used to pretend she didn't care about rankings," Alex murmured.
"But she memorized them."
He smirked faintly.
"Still competitive?"
She shrugged.
"Always."
But something else sat underneath it.
Recognition.
Emma had already crossed Level 30.
Rumors said she evolved early.
Songblader into something rarer.
Choirblade? Hymn Sovereign? No one knew.
Official announcements had been delayed.
Brand strategy.
Build hype.
Sell the evolution.
Meanwhile, Alex was one level away.
Same generation.
Different paths.
Emma monetized ascent.
Alex hid hers.
Phong leaned a little closer.
"You don't need a stage."
She glanced sideways at him.
"No?"
"You're better in rooms without cameras."
That earned him the faintest smile.
"Careful. That almost sounded like comfort."
"It wasn't."
"What was it?"
"Observation."
Emma finished to applause.
Josh raised her hand briefly.
Olen clapped again.
Fireworks burst behind the stage in perfect timing.
Polished.
Overdone.
Effective.
The crowd pressed toward the barricades.
Recruitment QR codes flashed on screen.
Sign-ups for the joint dive initiative.
Scholarships.
Training programs.
Merch drops.
Phong stepped back from the crowd.
"They're going to pull a lot of talent," he said.
"Yes."
"Dangerous mix."
"Yes."
"You worried?"
Alex watched Emma one last time.
Then turned away.
"No."
He raised a brow.
"Why?"
"Because spectacle draws eyes."
"And?"
"And I move better when no one's looking."
He understood.
Emma thrived in spotlight.
Alex thrived in precision.
Both powerful.
Different ways.
As they walked away from the screen, the cheers fading behind them, Phong asked quietly, "If she challenges you in public?"
Alex snorted softly.
"She won't."
"Why?"
"She doesn't fight unless the cameras are pointed right."
He glanced back one last time.
Josh laughing with reporters.
Olen talking to investors.
Emma posing with fans.
Golden-child trio.
America's dungeon darlings.
Fourth of July backdrop.
Fireworks still cracking overhead.
Phong felt nothing sharp.
No jealousy.
No fear.
Just the sense of board pieces moving.
Olen leveling farmers through slaughter.
Josh building power through narrative.
Emma turning influence into spectacle.
And somewhere underground, Camp Stymphalian kept growing in silence.
Level 1 farmer.
Almost-Level-30 Mind Blade.
Troll alliances.
Lizardman treaties.
Phoenix feathers.
Shiitake with week-long cooldowns.
He slipped his hand briefly into Alex's.
Not possessive.
Just present.
"Still want to dive?" he asked lightly.
She smirked.
"More than before."
He nodded.
Good.
Let the stage shine.
Let the cameras flash.
Some wars were never won under flags.
Some grew slowly.
Patiently.
Behind chili fences.
---
Selena looked like someone who had not slept.
Her hair was tied into a knot that had long since lost all shape.
Dark circles sat under eyes that were usually bright with curiosity.
Papers covered the lab table in uneven stacks, attacked with red ink.
Vanessa stood behind her like a guard dog in combat boots and black eyeliner.
The second Phong and Alex walked in, Vanessa pointed at Phong.
"This is your fault."
Phong blinked.
"…Good afternoon to you too."
Selena made a sound halfway between a laugh and a breakdown.
Vanessa crossed her arms.
"Ever since she figured out that Shifting causes actual spatial folding, real, measurable topological distortions, and that you're living next to an active anomaly, she hasn't slept right."
Selena finally looked up.
Her eyes were bloodshot.
"I can't publish it," she said hoarsely.
Alex frowned.
"Because?"
"Because Camp Stymphalian would get swarmed."
Not maybe.
Would.
Corporate research teams.
Government survey units.
Private military contractors pretending to be security.
Insurance auditors.
Media.
The whole ecosystem.
Selena's fingers dug into her sleeve.
"I have proof. Repeated coordinates staying stable across Shifts. Anchored spatial constant. Mana density swings that point to a central stabilizing vector."
She swallowed.
"And you're sitting in the middle of it."
Phong felt something twist in his chest.
She could have published.
She could have gotten grants.
Recognition.
Tenure acceleration.
Global attention.
Instead, she kept quiet.
Even though it was eating her alive.
Even though every part of her academic brain screamed to release it.
"That's… really kind," Phong said quietly.
Selena snapped her head up.
"Don't say it like that."
"But it is."
She clenched her jaw.
"You think I don't want to?"
Vanessa put a hand on her shoulder.
"She's been arguing with herself for weeks."
Selena let out a sharp breath.
"I hate secrets that matter."
"I know," Phong said gently.
"But you kept it."
Silence.
Her eyes softened a little.
"That's what friends do."
It wasn't dramatic.
It wasn't tearful.
Just true.
Alex stepped forward and hugged her tightly.
Selena stiffened.
Then melted.
"You idiot," she muttered into Alex's shoulder.
"You too," Alex said.
Vanessa sighed.
"Great. Emotional bonding. Wonderful."
But her expression softened too.
Selena pulled back and wiped her face roughly.
"I already planned to spend my vacation at camp," she said.
Vanessa blinked.
"You what?"
"I was going to make it official anyway."
She looked at Phong.
"Now that you're here, I'll just come with you."
Vanessa stared at her.
"You're moving into the spatial anomaly?"
"For research."
"For obsession."
"For revenge," Selena added dryly.
Then she looked between Phong and Alex.
"You do know this is almost poetic, right?"
"Please don't," Phong warned.
She ignored him.
"Phong versus Josh."
"Alex versus Emma."
She spread her hands dramatically.
"It's like the universe is writing symmetry."
Alex groaned.
"Don't give it story structure."
Vanessa tilted her head.
"…You do realize Emma Tannenbaum is technically ahead of you, right?"
Alex gave her a look.
"I'm aware."
Selena smirked, despite the exhaustion.
"Oh, this is delicious."
Phong raised a brow.
"You're enjoying this?"
"I haven't slept in thirty hours," she said. "Petty rivalry is fuel."
Vanessa pointed at Phong again.
"Also, she's losing her mind because she can't talk about the Shifting anchor."
"I'm not losing it."
"You tried to map non-Euclidean flow at three in the morning."
"It was relevant."
"It was terrifying."
Phong rubbed the back of his neck.
"I didn't mean to break academia."
Selena squinted at him.
"You absolutely did."
He sighed.
Then decided to make things worse properly.
"There's more."
Selena froze.
"What."
Phong glanced at Alex.
She nodded once.
He lowered his voice.
"There are at least two other floor bosses."
Selena blinked slowly.
"What."
"Sky Emperor."
Her hand tightened on the desk.
"And."
"Horns of the Earth."
Vanessa frowned.
"…That sounds metal."
"It is."
Selena's voice went very still.
"You've seen them."
"Indirectly."
He explained.
Sky Emperor, the roar that froze whole ecosystems.
Monsters stopping their war the instant it sounded.
That deep, shared fear.
Then Horns of the Earth.
The sleeping colossus.
Bull the size of a mountain.
Biomes growing across its back.
Horns like diamond towers stabbing the sky.
She didn't interrupt.
Barely seemed to breathe.
"And the Phoenix," she whispered.
"That makes three," Phong said. "Three catastrophe-tier entities."
Selena leaned back slowly in her chair.
"Monstrous Phoenix. Sky Emperor. Horns of the Earth."
Her mind raced.
"Three floor bosses confirmed."
"Confirmed?" Vanessa asked.
"Observed by different sources. Different regions. Different biomes."
Selena looked sharply at Phong.
"And you're just… sitting on this."
"What exactly would you like me to do," he asked calmly, "announce it on Twitter?"
She didn't answer.
Because she knew.
Panic.
Market crash.
Government crackdown.
Forced dungeon mobilization.
Corporate raids.
Humanity had barely survived one Phoenix event.
Three?
Public knowledge of three catastrophe-level entities would shake everything.
Selena pressed her palms against her eyes.
"God."
Vanessa moved closer.
"You okay?"
"No."
But she straightened anyway.
"This means the dungeon isn't escalating at random."
Alex nodded.
"It was never a video game."
People forgot that because of levels, stats, and classes.
But the dungeon had no interest in fairness.
It could throw trolls and lizardmen onto Floor One without warning.
Phong had wondered, more than once, what would have happened if Camp Stymphalian had not been there, sitting like a thorn beside troll mountain and Lake Baratok.
If those Level 35 monsters had been left to roam freely.
Selena's gaze sharpened again.
She was already thinking farther.
"Then Level 30 evolution isn't just prestige."
"No," Alex said quietly.
"It's preparation."
Silence hung heavy.
Outside the lab windows, late fireworks still popped in the distance.
Three floor bosses.
Corporate alliances forming.
Elite divers nearing evolution thresholds.
Spatial anomalies anchoring first-floor land.
Production guilds monetizing slaughter.
Selena exhaled slowly.
"…I hate that this is exciting."
Vanessa groaned.
"There it is."
Selena looked at Phong again.
"You're Level 1."
"Still my one redeeming quality, thank you."
"You're living beside an anomaly."
"I wouldn't call her an anomaly. Maybe a little weird."
Alex poked him in the ribs for that one.
Selena ignored the couple nonsense and kept going.
"You negotiated treaties with Level 35 monsters."
"Yep."
"You identified three floor bosses before most governments."
"You say it like that and I sound creepy."
She stared at him for a long moment.
"You are deeply irritating."
He smiled faintly.
"I hear that a lot."
Vanessa crossed her arms.
"If this kills us, I'm haunting you."
"Fair."
Selena stood fully now.
"I'm coming to camp for vacation."
"Officially?"
"Officially."
Vanessa groaned again.
"Guess I'm packing."
Selena shot her a look.
"You're not letting me go alone?"
Vanessa sighed.
"…No."
Alex smiled softly.
"Welcome back to chaos."
Selena squared her shoulders.
"If I can't publish spatial distortion anomalies, I might as well live inside one."
Phong nodded.
"Bring comfortable shoes."
She rolled her eyes.
"Idiot."
But there was warmth in it.
Real friendship was not loud.
It wasn't dramatic speeches.
It was keeping secrets that could help your career because exposing them would hurt your friends more.
Outside, fireworks popped faintly again.
Inside the lab, the weight of three catastrophe-level bosses hung unspoken in the room.
And somewhere in the dungeon, the Sky Emperor breathed.
The Horns of the Earth slept.
And humanity kept pretending it was still in control.