"Isn't it obvious?"

Vale, a little dejected, leaned back and slowly replied:

"No…?"

Salome let another quill separate and joined it with the other one Awilix had been chasing around, giving the cat two targets, momentarily stunning her.

Then, Salome spoke:

"Either they were hiding something, something beyond where I was that they didn't want us to find. Or… they simply wanted to corral Toy and me back in our dungeon if the assassination failed."

"But why would…"

'No…'

'Wait…'

'Wait a second—'

'Are they capable of such an intellectual feat?'

As Vale mulled over his opponent's actions, he couldn't help but think of how short-sighted he'd been. Just because their characteristics are closer to beast than human, he'd committed the fallacy he hated most in life.

A preconceived notion based on appearance.

Yes, he'd created a baseless notion that his opponents were of lesser intelligence. He didn't ever think of them as utterly stupid, yet he never saw them as smart or cunning. Even when he started the meeting, he insulted them by calling them more intelligent than they look.

'I'm a damned hypocrite…'

'Would I have underestimated them in the past?'

'...Just what is lust doing to my mind?!'

Vale shook any remaining bias and made up constructs about the chameleons out of his head.

After all, they were not to be underestimated… he'd figured out their plan. Or at least a part of it. Still, the 'why' remained a mystery. Vale couldn't help but feel there had to be another factor than greed…

As for their original plan…

It was a little hard to know precisely what his opponents were thinking because he didn't know how much they knew to begin with. But, assuming with their specialty they were able to spy on the dungeon at least a little, the chameleons would have known about Salome since she ventured out often, and at least be privy to the fact that she wasn't a trifle opponent.

Meaning, it is highly likely that the thirty who attacked Salome and Toy were both assassins and a test. If they could kill Salome, they would; if they couldn't, they wouldn't. Instead, they'd give her a reason to retreat.

As for the second prong to their plan, the fifteen sent to attack the dungeon…

They were not a scouting force at all, but a suicide force.

Sure, the Chameleon King may have had a vain hope that he'd be able to win with just those fifteen while distracting a strong foe, but that couldn't have been it… No… The king had no way of knowing if there were other beings as strong as Salome inside the dungeon…

'At least I think so, right?'

Anyways…

'The fifteen invaders were just to put us on guard.'

Why?

Well, if the assassination plan failed, which it did, then they could still gain something from it… They could scare Vale and his forces into thinking an attack could come at any moment, so they'd stay around the proximity of their own dungeon in anticipation of the raid.

Then the chameleons could increase activity in the area, making an invasion look even more fearsome and inevitable.

Finally… when Vale pulled Salome back inside entirely and bunkered down for defense…

'There is no attack coming tomorrow or possibly ever…'

The bastards planned to wage a war of attrition!

Even if they succeeded in assassinating Salome, they still would have amassed their forces at the entrance of the dungeon and kept Vale at bay…

Vale only held the terrain advantage inside his dungeon. Outside, the chameleons could use their camouflage and maneuverability freely, making it incredibly dangerous for Vale to go on the offensive.

Not to mention, such an offensive would only be possible under the conditions of sending Ximena or Salome out, which would leave the dungeon vulnerable.

'Damn it!'

Had Vale not realized sooner, he would have walked directly into their trap.

He would, and had, fallen into the line of thinking that because they sent fifteen into his dungeon to fight, why would they have hesitated to send over a hundred?

He would have continued to wait and wait for the invasion that would come only after Vale was already defeated, his Legion starved and weakened.

Still…

'Is there even anything I can do knowing this?'

'Tch.'

While Vale didn't need to eat or anything to sustain himself… Awilix, Toy, his workers, warriors, and archers did. Sadly, they didn't have many rations since Vale's Legion usually ate whatever Salome and Toy hunted that day immediately, and their water supply was low and contained only a few traces of Aether.

Salome could serve as a stopgap, making this choking of resources take longer because of her Vitality Drain, but, as versatile and strong as it was, the ability was not all-powerful. The conversion rate was not 100%. Meaning, if she used it nonstop to siphon from Vale to feed everyone else, her body would eventually give out.

Not to mention, Vale could only give so much Aether even if it replenished quickly.

Salome, having already worked this all out, seemed to have a look in her eyes toward Vale as if saying, 'What are you going to do about this?' as if this were all some sort of test.

Vale leaned forward and looked down at the ground while pressing his hands into his temples.

'Think! Think!'

Sending Ximena out alone with her limiters removed was always an option, but no matter how strong she was, her survival wasn't guaranteed. Ximena was too valuable an asset for Vale to risk.

Sending Salome alone had the same problems…

Not to mention, even if Ximena or Salome could defeat them, the chameleons could just keep their distance, but stay close enough, making it too dangerous to send a group to scavenge. Then, they could just reform the blockade once whoever Vale sent out retreats. Sure, that may allow them to get some food for the workers, whatever Salome could carry, but they wouldn't be able to live like that forever.

'Damn them…'

'That damned look in their eyes…'

It had been one of desperation.

Now no longer underestimating their intelligence, Vale could see it clearly. The chameleons knew the strengths and weaknesses of a Vice dungeon… they knew that one being nearby meant they would eventually be outclassed, outranked, and slaughtered.

They knew this was the only time they might have the advantage… so, this attack was born of the desperation for survival, not just petty greed. 'No wonder they had such ferocious looks in their eyes…' No wonder they were going to such lengths…

'Damned bastards!'

'Damned insidious bastards!'

'...'

'This is what I deserve. I should have asked for help…'

'Hey world, you sure I'm Lust and not Pride?'

'...'

'Actually…'

'Wait, that may work!'

'That's it!'

Vale picked up his head and leaned back in his throne, a slight smirk etched on his face.

"It's time for a slight remodel."

Everyone except Salome had confusion plastered all over their faces, not knowing what Vale had just worked out in his head. Salome, in a honeyed voice, asked:

"What do you have in mind?"

Vale stood up from the throne and began walking toward the exit, stopping a little before it. He summoned the design layout and started playing with the blueprint function.

"A funnel..."

Marvel cocked its tiny head as it looked down the hallway.

"Baaduh?"

Vale had set a blueprint requiring the workers to replace a portion of the stone they mined.

The theory and idea were elementary; in fact, he'd keep the dungeon like this always if it didn't have its major drawbacks…

What Vale had done was lay a blueprint in the massive hallway that narrowed a part of the passage as much as he could and made it wind, forcing close confrontations… then…

"All Ximena has to do is sit in the middle, and we shouldn't have to worry about the core…"

However, once this rig was set up, the path to the core would be sealed for everyone except Vale, who could resist Ximena's Absolute Zero, unless she moved.

Well, Salome could resist it too, but her way of resisting it was to absorb Ximena's Aether, which would ultimately kill her if they got too close to one another… so… yeah…

And it was also assuming none of their opponents could resist Ximena. If they could… then that would also be a slight issue.

In any case, that still didn't solve the resource problem, but it gave them a little bit of leeway. It was still too dangerous to send Salome out alone… Even if they did send her out, they'd be dooming whoever was left on the outside of Ximena's position to a mass onslaught.

But there was one factor in Vale's favor. One that the chameleons probably didn't have the knowledge to consider.

'The Levels…'

Vale could get Aether by facing the Levels as well. Not only Aether, but he could also feed his Legion… The enemies the Levels summoned sank into the ground and were consumed by the dungeon once they died… but not before.

It was a bit gruesome and inhumane, but at least the workers and warriors wouldn't mind. All they had to do was incapacitate a few and…

Vale didn't even want to think about the rest. But what had to be done had to be done. He wasn't going to accept a slow, agonizing death. If the Chameleleon King wanted to strangle Vale, Vale was going to show him just the beast he was dealing with.

Vale clapped, then screamed his order:

"Get to work! Chop chop!"

All that was left was for him to decide who was where — who would be on the side of the core, and who would be maze side.

In the end, he decided to leave Alpha's squad and Toy in the core room, along with most of the workers, as an absolute last line of defense in case Ximena's ability was nullified, however unlikely that might be.

Stacy's squad, Awilix, and Salome would be the force dealing with the Levels and chameleon forces.

'Transporting food may be a slight issue… but as long as there are no challengers in the dungeon, Ximena should be able to move for a very brief time.'

Vale watched as his workers ran in and out of the core and began placing stone in the blueprint.

'You wanted me to lie down and take it like a good boy, Chameleon King?'

'It's time you learn…'

'I don't take punishment. I give it.'

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