《The Friendly Neighborhood Dungeon》 Chapter 1 I was just about ready to start looking for ways to kill myself when the magical eyesight kicked in. I say magical because there is no other way I can explain this complete, 360-degree view I have of everything around me. Currently, I can¡¯t see anything but dirt, however, I can look at myself from any angle I want, and all angles at the same time if I concentrate hard enough. If that isn¡¯t magical enough, than the fact that I¡¯m apparently a dodecahedron crystal of some type should be. More so, considering I seem to have no recollection of how I got here, who I am, or have any bodily needs, the only emotions I¡¯ve been feeling since becoming aware are curiosity and boredom. And there was more than enough of the later until a few moments ago, enough of it for me to try to commit suicide. A foolish endeavor in retrospect, now that I know I¡¯m not much more than a piece of rock. How am I to kill myself if I don¡¯t need to eat or breath, and I can¡¯t even mov¡­ ¡°Did I just move?¡± I try again and sure enough, there is motion. Not my own, however, I can see the earth that surrounds me give way a little. A small area of earth the size of my crystal body compacted itself slightly in the direction I tried to move in. ¡°Alright! I can finally do something.¡± Drunk on curiosity and excitement I decide to go exploring. ¡°One eternity later,¡± I say to myself in a weird nasal voice. Or an equivalent amount of time that feels even longer, I am proud to say that I finally made contact and am no longer alone. I have made a friend. He¡¯s not much of a talker, which is a good thing because I¡¯m not sure how I can converse with others, me being a sentient rock and all that. However, we do share similar hobbies currently, so we¡¯ve been hanging out and burrowing tunnels together. When I was moving earth by myself I wasn¡¯t makinggood time. Moving at most a tenth of my body length an hour, from what I counted. And yes, I counted, I was that bored. Any faster than that and for some reason, my ability to move earth disappears and I have to wait for a while before it comes back. My new friend isn¡¯t much faster by himself, yet when I reduce the size of the tunnel I make to his diameter, I can move more than my entire length per minute. He chooses the direction and I help him clear a path. I¡¯m pretty sure that he is an earthworm of some kind so I follow him in hope of reaching the surface, but I think there is something wrong with him. Wormy keeps changing directions randomly and resting all the time. A moment of disappointment passes once I realize Wormy won¡¯t be helping me reach the surface and I consider leaving him but decide against it. There¡¯s no time limit that I know of and I rather stumble around randomly with someone else, even if that someone is an earthworm that lost its way. As we continue making tunnels that look like a toddler trying to draw a straight line, the earth begins to shake. Weak tremors in the distance that seem to be growing stronger and coming nearer. Wormy is panicking and trying to dig faster. He¡¯s stretched out to his max length, trying to slide forward through the tunnel I opened up for him in advance, when a tremor situated directly over us makes part of the tunnel I made collapse. ¡°Wormy!¡± I rush to reopen the tunnel, not caring if the ability disappears before I finish, but I¡¯m not fast enough. Half of Wormy has been squished into mush and the other is wriggling and squirming erratically. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Not being able to see Wormy suffer like that, I remove a thin slice of earth a few centimeters over him, which makes a good sized chunk of earth fall over the moving remains of his body. I don¡¯t want him to suffer longer than needed so using whatever force that allows me to move earth I press and squish Wormy as quickly as possible. A moment later I no longer feel any movement.
Earthworm killed! +1 Mana For killing an animal the skill [Animal Creation] has been unlocked. You can now create earthworms.
Animal Creation Use mana to summon animals. Warning: Currently, only animals that have died in the dungeon can be created.
Congratulations Dungeon You have absorbed mana. This is your life essence, and you need it to survive. The crystal is your heart, if it dies you die. Protect it.
[Dungeon Menu] skill unlocked.
Achievement Unlocked No animals, traps or monsters yet blood still flows. For killing something by using nothing but the walls of your dungeon you demonstrate that although you are defenseless, it does not mean you are weak. [Terraforming] skill awarded. Environmental manipulation +100 dungeon points.
Dungeon Menu
Type: Sentient Dungeon
Name: N/A
Level: 1
Titles: N/A
Resources
Mana: 1/10
Index
Rooms: 0
Levels: 0
Plants: 0
Animals: 0
Monsters: 0
Skills
Mana Vision See through mana your core comes in direct contact with. The higher the density the better.
Dungeon Manipulation Exert a physical effect on your dungeon using mana
Dungeon Menu Know thyself.
Terraforming Alter the environment as you see fit.
Animal Creation Use mana to summon animals.
Achievements
Environmental Killer No animals, traps or monsters yet blood still flows.
¡°So I¡¯m a dungeon? Cool!¡± I thought with glee that soon turned into confusion, ¡°Then how come I have memories of being human?¡± Chapter 2 Thanks to gravity I now know what¡¯s up and what is down. In retrospect, this was an obvious way of figuring it out. Much better than following Wormy around. Well, can¡¯t really say I regret it considering it would¡¯ve been lonelier and more boring to tunnel my way up without him. Drawing on my newly acquired knowledge of all things earthworm related I¡¯m glad to realize that the surface should be no more than two or three meters up from where I first encountered Wormy. The crystal that is my body is about a meter or two deeper than that, so I¡¯m very lucky I stumbled upon Wormy when I did. Who knows how much longer I would¡¯ve tunneled around before finally chancing upon the surface. When taking into account the fact that I use up mana for shaping my tunnels and that my mana regenerates a measly one point per hour, and an ¡®eternity later¡¯ doesn¡¯t really sound so farfetched anymore. Thus after creating an earthworm for the price of one mana point, I direct it towards the surface and follow along. It was surprisingly easy to create and I have no idea how I¡¯m controlling the worm but it seems to understand my intentions and responds accordingly. What''s more, unlike with Wormy, I am aware of my creation even if my attention is directed at another place in my tunnels. This awareness doesn¡¯t give me much more than a general sense of its well being but it is a welcome change to the loneliness that even Wormy¡¯s presence couldn¡¯t exactly alleviate. A few hours later Wormy 2.0 reached what looked to my magical vision as a root, which I commanded it follow along. The soil was easier to move through now and from time to time we would breach into pockets of empty space. I felt weird every time that happened. The moment an opening was made into an empty space it would suddenly become part of me. This sudden addition to my mental awareness was disorienting, to say the least and I¡¯m sure that if I still had a stomach, its contents would have left it very quickly. With the roots getting thicker and thicker my anticipation was growing together with a tinge of fear. ¡°If small pockets of space left me feeling like this, what would happen once I reached the vast openness that is the surface?¡± In a moment of what others might call fear, but I rather think of as caution, I commend Wormy 2.0 to stop heading upwards and instead tunnel around looking for more pockets of air. I also summon another earthworm and tell it to do the same while I wait for my mana to regenerate. A few excruciating hours later and my six unit worm squad has done a decent job of increasing the domain of my dungeon. One of the pockets was so large that it knocked me out long enough for my mana to regenerate to full. This would mean that I was out for more than ten hours, ¡°Not a bad thing at the moment as I have nothing to do but wait, but what if this happens once my dungeon has an opening enemies can come through? The pop up window said that if my crystal is destroyed I die, so I need to start thinking of ways to protect it.¡± Thinking about it now was useless as I didn¡¯t have any options at my disposal except for summoning worms and the [Terraforming] skill which I don¡¯t have enough mana to use at all. Good news is, however, is that with my mana pool full I apparently have the option of leveling up my dungeon. Something I gladly do, but not before checking that my worms are doing what I told them to.
Congratulations! You have reached level two. Next level up at 100 mana. +10 dungeon points
¡°Hmm¡­ dungeon points?¡±
Notice: Dungeon shop is disabled.
¡°I see¡­ whelp maybe once my level is higher.¡± I shrug my nonexistent shoulders and wait for my mana to regenerate so I can summon more worms,¡±Maybe I can get lucky again and a large enough air pocket will knock me out.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. A few excruciatingly boring hours later that indeed happens and upon waking up I find that I have almost 20 mana at my disposal. ¡°Which is weird considering this air pocket was smaller than the last one. So either it has nothing to do with the pockets size or I¡¯m regenerating mana faster than I was before¡­ also, what is up with all this empty space under this tree? This can¡¯t be normal, can it?¡± With growing suspicion, I create 14 more earthworms and command them to tunnel in different directions. The rest of my mana I spend on getting rid of the leftover small balls of earth my worms poop out. ¡°It¡¯s my domain, after all, I should keep it clean and tidy.¡± I smile to myself at a job well done and return to the boring monotony of waiting for my mana to regenerate. Bored, I examine the beginnings of my worm army in greater detail. I wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if not for the newly created worms, but with them for comparison, I clearly see that the first six worms are slightly longer and thicker. Wormy 2.0 is almost twice the size of a newly created earthworm. For some reason that feels me with a sense of pride. Like a parent noticing how their child has grown, warmness fills me from inside, and as I take a mental step back to try and look at all my tunnels at the same time, a notification appears.
[Dungeon Map] skill awarded.
A short flood of information races through my consciousness and once done I notice that I now know how my domain looks. Not just the layout of the tunnels but the location of my worms and the length of each tunnel. No longer do I need to concentrate to try and figure where things are, the information is now always there at a moment''s notice. The first thing I do notice is that most of the air pockets are situated around the tree roots. The second thing I notice is that some of the original batch of worms I created are getting quite far from the roots, so I call them back. After which I instruct all of my creations to tunnel around the roots, looking for pockets of air. Once I¡¯m satisfied they are doing what they were told I decide to try something I haven¡¯t tried yet but the fact that I can lose my consciousness makes me think this might work. So I close my nonexistent eyes and try to sleep. And after tossing and turning inside my mind for almost an hour, I change my approach and try counting sheeps. When the flock passes the one thousand mark I change my approach again. This time I try meditating. I try to clear my mind, but to no avail. Random thoughts keep floating in and out. As I continue the thoughts are replaced by words that echo in my mind and then by a familiar tune. Sighing I try again, this time I try to count back from one hundred, starting from scratch every time something else pops in my mind. I¡¯m being very honest with myself, since I want to see how far I can actually reach, and after awhile my record stands at ninety-three. ¡°This is much harder than I expected it to be¡­¡± My original idea of trying to fall asleep is discarded and I start counting back from ten with renewed vigor. More than an hour passes when I finally manage to count back until two without any distractions. However, before I can continue a large pocket of air makes me lose consciousness. ¡°How long was I out?¡± I ask no one in particular. A quick glance at my menu and a full mana pool tells me quite some time has passed. Smiling at the opportunity I immediately choose the option of leveling up.
Congratulations! You have reached level three. Next level up at 250 mana. +10 dungeon points [Plant creation] skill awarded.
A sudden influx of moss related knowledge hits me, and when I check the skill, moss is indeed available for me to create. A quick experimentation once I¡¯ve regenerated some mana and three things are now clear to me:
  1. I can grow moss wherever I want.
  2. One point of mana covers almost a square meter of space in moss. Which is really cheap.
  3. I now get a point of mana about every 40 minutes.
¡°Question is, is it because of the level up or something else?¡± While I contemplate on the matter I become afraid as a familiar tremor passes through my domain, and just as last time the tremors are getting closer. Since I¡¯m closer to the surface this time the tremors feel more familiar, ¡°They feel like footsteps.¡± Unlike last time, however, the tremors are weaker and more rhythmical. What''s more, there is less of them. ¡°Feels like two people on a stroll, while last time felt more like a bunch of people running¡±. Remembering what happened previously I tell my worms to dig deeper and use the last of my mana to reinforce part of the tunnel walls around them. A few minutes later and whoever walked over my domain is gone and with him, so are the tremors. ¡°This is quite problematic¡­ if there¡¯s a path of some sort over me then having an opening here might be dangerous. On the other hand whatever made the tremors is much bigger than an earthworm so not much immediate danger, but I¡¯ll have to be careful how I go about expanding.¡± Deciding it is time, I command my smallest worm to tunnel upwards and stand back to watch and wait. I could probably do it myself but choose not to as I think it is just appropriate for a worm to have the honor. It¡¯s definitely not because I¡¯m afraid of what might be out there. ¡°Definitely.¡± Why the smallest worm than? That is just so that if I lose it, at least I lost the smallest one and not Wormy 2.0. Actually, no! It¡¯s because I want everyone to have a chance at greatness, even the smallest of worms. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s a much better reason. I¡¯ll go with that,¡± I smile to myself as I proudly watch my little worm struggle to reach the surface. ¡°Any minute now¡­¡± An hour later the small worm rears its head out of the ground and I lose my consciousness. Chapter 3
Congratulations Dungeon You have created an opening to the outside world. Remember that threats come in many forms. Protect your core and grow. [Monster Creation] skill awarded. [Dungeon Shop] unlocked. +100 dungeon points. [Animal Creation] skill is now fully functional.
The pop up clatters in my mind as my awareness returns to me, ¡°I wonder for how long was I out this time?¡± Although it hasn¡¯t been many times so far, I am getting used to the blackouts and pop-ups. ¡°In a way, I¡¯m even starting to get excited about them. Like I have this urge to get more of them¡­¡±, which does make sense somehow. I have no body and none of the normal urges that come with it. So seeing the occasional pop up means that I¡¯m actually growing and moving forward. ¡°The blackouts are just a plus as it means I won¡¯t have to suffer through waiting for my mana to regenerate,¡± and on that note, I check my menu to see how much I regenerated this time and am pleased to see that the mana pool is full and a level up is available.
Congratulations! You have reached level four. Next level up at 250 mana. +10 dungeon points [Animal creation] skill awarded.
Notice: [Animal Creation] skill is already available. +100 dungeon points.
Excited about the points even though I don¡¯t yet know what they are, I order all worms to lie still for a minute to commemorate Wormy¡¯s memory and join them in thanking him in what he gave us, ¡°Thank you, Wormy.¡± My next order of business is to check the opening of my dungeon and the new skills. The first one disappoints me as I can¡¯t see anything further than a few centimeters outside. ¡°Wait, I see through mana, right?¡± so I try to send more mana out but it dissipates as quickly as I can send it the moment it gets too far from the opening, ¡°Well, this sucks¡­¡± But does explain why I lose consciousness when exposed to large empty spaces. ¡°If I assume that my life force is mana, the same one that I see through and manipulate the dungeon with, then when a large open space suddenly joins my dungeon, the ambient mana flows into it. If the space is too large and my mana is spread too thin I lose consciousness until enough mana gathers.¡± Which means that the more mana I have the less common the blackouts will become. A blessing and a curse as the gaps in my awareness were very useful in passing the time up to now. Although now that there¡¯s an entrance to my dungeon, maybe losing consciousness is no longer that useful. The new skills, however, are without a doubt, useful. The [Dungeon Shop] proves to be a disappointment as almost all the displayed options are grayed out due to my level being to low. It seems that things start opening up at level 5 and until then I can¡¯t buy anything but a few small animals or plants. These are probably the various things I could''ve gotten from the corresponding summoning skills. Checking the now unlocked [Animal Creation] skill I see that it indeed allows me to summon one of the small animals I could buy in the shop. I decide to save my points for now as [Animal Creation] allows me to summon small mice, while the [Monster Creation] skill allows me to create a monster version of any animal I have available. Which is Dungeon Worm for the worms and Dungeon Mouse for the mice.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Both have quite the spike in mana cost attached to them. If a simple worm costs 1 mana, than the monster version of it costs 10 mana. The same with the mouse, 5 mana for the animal and 50 for the monster version. It¡¯s too early to tell if all monsters cost ten times its animal version, I¡¯ll need to have a larger sample size before I can conclude anything. Ordering a few worms to increase the size of the entrance slightly, the rest continue to dig around the tree''s roots looking for more empty spaces. It seems like the bigger the size of my dungeon becomes, the faster my mana regenerates. There¡¯s probably an upper limit to it but for now, it doesn¡¯t seem like I¡¯m close to hitting that cap. And if faster mana regeneration isn¡¯t a good enough reason to expand my dungeon, being knocked unconscious for some time by an large empty space is much better than watching a bunch of worms dig for hours on end. And I hope to get the benefit of it before the entrance becomes big enough for something that can threaten me to come in through. Unfortunately, none of the empty space my worms encounter are big enough to knock me out and I suffer through the wait. When I see that my mana hit 66, I choose one of the larger empty spaces close to the entrance of my dungeon and summon everything I can there. A worm, a mouse, and their dungeon versions. The only visible difference I notice is the size, with the monsters being twice as big as their animal counterparts. I look again just in case I missed anything, but except for the dungeon mouth teeth looking slightly longer and sharper, there''s nothing. ¡°Whelp¡­ that''s disappointing.¡± Not having any mana left and waiting for it to regenerate I entertain myself by making the worm compete against its monster version. Who, although not looking any different, is noticeably faster than the animal version. Almost six times as fast. Not worth it too much considering I can summon ten simple worms for its cost but still interesting and I might summon a few more. For the next test, I use the little mana I had regenerated to make a tunnel connecting the empty space where I summoned the mouse and the outside world. The tunnel is just wide enough for the small mouse to pass through, so I send it outside to explore. The small rodent squeezes itself through the opening and I see it scurrying around the entrance. Dead leaves and small branches are everywhere making me think that this might be a forest of some kind. Slowly, in ever growing circles it explores the vicinity. The farther it gets from the entrance the weaker my connection to it becomes, until eventually, the connection disappears completely. And the moment my connection to it is lost the mouse dissipates into nothingness, quickly crumbling to smaller and smaller pieces until it is nothing more than dust that is gone soon after. Glad that it wasn¡¯t the monster version that was lost, I give up on exploring for now. Instead, I summon three more simple earthworms, ordering them to join the rest in expanding my domain, and returning to the worst part of being a dungeon. The waiting. _______________________________ The boredom is interrupted when I feel that one of my worms is in danger. Curious, I quickly focus on it through our connection, just in time to see the monster mouse tearing it to pieces with its sharp teeth and eating it. There¡¯s nothing I can do to save the worm so I order all the others to stay away from the feeding monster. What happened is weird, as up until now the worms did not need to eat, the mana that filled my dungeon was more than enough to sustain them. Does this one require food because it''s a monster or just because it''s much bigger than the earthworms? I summon another mouse, a simple animal version for 5 mana, and put it in a small empty space. Observing it for a few minutes I get bored when all it does is run around for a while and then lie down to sleep when it sees that there''s nothing for it to do and no way for it to leave that space. I leave it there with the intention of returning to it after some time has passed to see if it is still alive even without any water and food. While this experiment is underway I order the monster mouse, ¡°I think I¡¯ll call you Miki from now on.¡± So I order Miki to stay in place and, somewhat excited at what might happen, summon another mouse into the same confined space as Miki. Disappointingly nothing happens. The mouse just sniffs the air a few times, notices Miki and backs away from it as far as it can. When I summon an earthworm to join them the mouse doesn¡¯t pay it much attention. Retracting my order to Miki there''s nothing holding him in place and as soon as he can move freely it attacks the small mouse. A short battle between the two ensues but the small mouse has no chance against the bigger and more ferocious Miki. Once he won, Miki surprises me by ignoring his kill and attacking the earthworm as well. Only when its dead does he return to the dead mouse and starts eating it. Somehow, Miki is able to devour both the mouse and the earthworm and once done simple sits in place, waiting. Waiting for more prey. Not exactly sure what to gather from the experiments, I decide against summoning any more monsters for now. I¡¯ve noticed that while I did get mana when the animals died, it was only half of their summoning cost. And currently, any point of wasted mana means more boring waiting. After a few boring hours of watching my creations dig I decide to do something I haven''t tried yet. Focusing my attention on Miki I order him to dig. My largest creation yet proceeds to move towards the nearest exit and use its front paws to move earth aside as it tries to push itself into the small tunnel, barely big enough for its animal counterpart that is half its size. He isn''t very efficient so I try to control him directly, thinking I can do a better job. The result is the opposite of what I''ve expected. I can''t do much more than fall to the side and writhe on the ground in a poor attempt to stabilize myself. I don''t know if it¡¯s because the disorientation of needing to control four legs and a tail at the same time or because the connection wasn''t made for this but even after taking some time to practice, controlling Miki¡¯s body for more than simply standing in place is not possible. The upside of the failure is that I¡¯ve learned that I can see and hear through Miki¡¯s senses. A process that is passive, allowing me to share my creations senses without interrupting his actions. So I summon another mouse and send him outside of the dungeon. I then merge with his senses as he plays around the entrance of his home, careful not to stray too far. ¡°I don¡¯t want to find out what will happen if the mouse disappears because of the lost connection, and I¡¯m merged with its senses when that happens¡­¡± However, a little risk is worth the scenery. The forest is a living thing, and though I have yet to see any animals, the gentle sway of the leaves in the wind is like night and day compared to the unchanging walls of my dungeon. This proves to be a nice, though short-lived distraction from the monotony of waiting for my mana pool to fill up. Chapter 4
Congratulations! You have reached level five. Next level up at 500 mana. +10 dungeon points
¡°And just like that I¡¯m level five,¡± I sing to myself giddily. The view from the forest''s floor was just what I needed to lift my spirits. Ever since I woke up as this dungeons core there was very little excitement in my life. Sure, there were a few moments here and there that enlisted some interest on my side, I even have the experiment on the mouse check up on later. However, for 99% of the time, all I do is just sit and wait for my mana to regenerate. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not that bad¡­ but it sure feels like that. I really hope things get more interesting once I¡¯ve improved my dungeon.¡± Whatever does happen, there is one thing I know for sure, there will be many more animals and monsters for me to entertain myself with. While sharing a mouse''s senses I¡¯ve had a great deal of new experiences. With the most exciting one surely being the near-death experience when the mouse noticed a predator and bolted back to the safety of the dungeons tunnels. I quickly order it to stay close to the entrance so that I can see what it was that scared it. What I saw was a fox of some kind. The red-furred, fluffy-tailed canine looked in my direction for a few moments, realized that its hunt has failed and left disappointed. However, before he could disappear completely in the bushes, an idea hit me. One I couldn¡¯t execute until I was at least level five, so I told the mouse to leave the dungeon again so that I can continue to enjoy my wait while also browsing through the grayed out options the dungeon shop has to offer. Familiarising myself with the different things it had to offer. Another interesting thing that appeared during my wait were the bugs. Fliers, walkers, and crawlers. I had the mouse kill a few and bring them inside the dungeon but I didn¡¯t get the option of creating them like I did with Wormy. Dismissing it as just a one-time thing related to the achievement I returned to just looking around at the forest ecosystem from the viewpoint of a mouse. Just like I¡¯ve been doing for the past hours with great pleasure from the lack of boredom. It was nighttime when a notification alerted me that I can now create a new animal. A Western Harvester Ant. When I checked to see how that happened I saw that Miki ate an ant that found its way inside the dungeon. ¡°So I only get whatever dies inside the dungeon?¡± I ask myself as I summon a Western Harvester Ant worker and look at it starting to waddles through my network of earthworm dug tunnels. ¡°I can work with this,¡± I say to myself excitedly. And now that I¡¯ve leveled up I¡¯m ready to spend my precious dungeon points on the newly unlocked options of the dungeon shop. I start from purchasing a skill called [Splicing] for 100 points. It will allow me to change the physiology and morphology of my monsters. The second thing I had to purchase for my plan to work was a perk called {Genetic Chimerism}. Perks were dungeon upgrades. They could be bought for specific skills, specific floors, or for the whole dungeon and could give some crazy bonuses.They ranged from just a few points to ones like {Reality Dungeon} for 10,000 points. The perk gave the ability to shape the physical laws of the dungeon. Having no idea how common achievements are, I don¡¯t even entertain the idea of ever purchasing it. ¡°I¡¯m too easily excited, and thinking of the entertainment I would get if I could bend the laws of nature will leave me too distracted to do anything else. I mean, for all intents and purposes I would become a god! Although I am close to something like one aren¡¯t I? I can see ¡®everything¡¯ that happens in my dungeon. I can move the earth with my mind, create life. Being god of the dungeon, or dungeon god sound really interesting. Why if I could make, wait, no,¡± luckily I catch myself before I¡¯m completely become lost in fantasy, ¡°Right now I need to focus. Increasing my animal variety comes first. Megalomaniac delusions later.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Going back to my new perk, {Genetic Chimerism} costing only 200 points, it allows the [Splicer] skill to combine two and more monsters to form an entirely new monster. This combination is incredibly useful as it means I don¡¯t need to spend points on buying monsters from the shop. Instead, I will create my own. ¡°I can only imagine the fun I¡¯ll have trying out the various combinations.¡± Restraining myself from rushing to try the new skill out immediately, I take my time to browse through the incredible selection of flora the dungeon has to offer. Settling on a cool looking Carnivorous Pitcher Plant and a bunch of bioluminescent mushrooms I activate the [Splicer] skill. Before me start appearing various lists and columns, next a whole interface manifests allowing me to control everything with my mind. Like a 3d artist''s tool it gives me control over all the animal or plant parts that I have. The perk is even more useful than it appears as it allows me to combine animals and plants. Might come in handy in the future, but this time I¡¯ll be focusing on just the plants. ¡°Which, luckily, requires less mana to splice together than animals.¡± All parts I can choose from are easily accessible and require of me only to drag and drop a body part on top of each other. Everything is simulated in my mind and after playing around with all the options I¡¯m glad to say that the whole thing feels like a game. I don''t know how long it took me, but by the time I had the result I wanted my mana, pool was full and I had the option to level up again. The network of tunnels dug by the earthworms has grown considerably as well. More and more roots were visible to me as the worms kept digging around them. There weren''t many more empty spaces left that I didn¡¯t discover, so I instructed a few worms to dig tunnels to the surface at chosen locations. Each tunnel, just like the first one with Miki, connects one of the larger empty spaces under the tree to the forest outside. Next, I spread some moss on the floor of those empty spaces and created a few of my newly spliced Carnivorous Bioluminescent Mushrooms. The mushrooms were small but came in a variety of shapes. Long bodies and small caps. Short bodies and large caps. Ones that looked like sponges and some that looked like miniature round tables or shelves that I stuck to the dungeon walls. Most I put in small clusters together, but a couple I put alone. Those I increased in size until they filled out the whole space. Each and every one of the mushrooms slowly increased its brightness. Most glowing in various tinges of green but a few in light shades of blue, and for the first time something brought some interest to the previously bare landscape. Since I had only two more spaces big enough to hold a Monster version of a mouse, I summoned two Dungeon Mice for 50 points each and put one in each. Once done I leave them for a moment to check up on the experiments results. The small mouse looks unchanged. Still lying about its cage of earth, getting up from time to time and moving around in the confined space. Focusing on him I don¡¯t feel anything special from sharing his senses, so the next thing I do is summon an earthworm into the space to see what happens. And surprise surprise, unlike the last time I tried this, the small mouse moves towards the worm. Attacking it and starting to devour. I take control for just a moment, ordering it to make sure it kills the worm first so it doesn¡¯t suffer more than it has to. ¡°So my creations can live on mana alone, but will also eat each other. Animals will do that only when enough time has passed that is supposed to make them hungry, while monsters will attack on sight,¡± I go through my conclusions outloud and then wonder, ¡°Why the difference?¡± Looking around at the two mice and the three monster variants and can¡¯t help but notice they are different in size. The mouse that was outside, eating and playing, is larger than its locked up counterpart. The same case is with Miki and his newly created brethren. ¡°The only thing I can think of is that eating and moving makes my animals grow stronger. This is true with the worms and mice, but the difference is especially noticeable in the monsters. Miki, who has eaten a mouse, two worms and a dozen or so bugs since being summoned is already slightly too big for its 15cm long, 10 cm wide and high room. I use a few mana points to increase the size so he¡¯s more comfortable. His room was the largest space I found, which means that if my idea works I¡¯ll need to increase the rooms of the other two monsters as well. But first, I take a step back to observe all seven of the entrances I made into my dungeon at the same time. Somehow, being a dungeon gives me mental capabilities I¡¯ve never dreamed were possible, allowing me to not even struggle to keep my attention on it. Even giving me enough leeway to contemplate over other things while waiting for the animals to come. The substance a normal carnivorous pitcher plant makes is used to attract prey to it. I spliced that ability onto the mushrooms. They now secrete it as a byproduct of the bioluminescent reaction, and as the mushrooms glow brighter and brighter so does the density of the odor released from them increases inside the dungeon, until eventually leaking out into the forest. ¡°I hope it works,¡± I watch the entrances excitedly as more and more mushrooms light up. Eventually, the first bug arrives, a small beetle. It entered through one of the unprotected entrances and started to chew on the mushroom. Hopefully it decides to stay inside the dungeon, living in the tunnels together with more of its kind that would come eventually. ¡°The more, the merrier,¡± I light up and smile to myself when I see the beetle move deeper into the tunnels and a few more critters scurry through other entrances. Some to join the first beetle in my growing dungeon ecosystem, while others to be eaten by my dungeons mice. I even summon a few more normal mice and place them in the smaller rooms to eat the bugs that are now wandering through my tunnels. The last touch is ordering the earthworms to start digging wider tunnels so that the mice can also start moving through the dungeon instead of being stuck in the same small room all the time. Chapter 5 After a day has passed, I had 28 new animals I was able to create. All were bugs except for one. A lizard followed the bugs into the dungeon and was killed by the smallest of the three monster mice, who after eating the lizard catapulted itself to be almost as big as Miki. I had to rush to enlarge the size of its room. I contemplated a few times during the night on if I should make one of the tunnels big enough for a monster mouse to walk in and out off with ease. Just in case a larger animal, hopefully, a mammal of some kind, would decide to explore my dungeon. ¡°I would love to have another animal to keep me company. Preferably something cute and cuddly. Like one of the foxes maybe. I could use one of the small mice as bait and while the fox wasn¡¯t looking have Miki and the other two attack it.¡± Yet I don¡¯t think the dungeon mice can win against it. And even if they somehow manage to do it, it¡¯ll have to be inside the confines of the dungeons walls for the fox to be added to the bestiary. I could always buy something from the dungeon shop, but all the cool animals cost too much for me and even if I could afford it I don¡¯t think spending the points on that would have been the right choice. I don¡¯t know of any other way but achievements and level ups for getting dungeon points. Achievements are too unreliable of a method to count on and leveling up will take longer and longer. Dungeon points should be saved up for now and not used on things I can acquire myself eventually. The forest is full of animals, and once I¡¯ve grown my dungeon big enough I¡¯ll add all of them. And then I¡¯ll never be lonely, having cute animals to watch and play around with. Maybe I¡¯ll get a wolf or a bear. A polar bear, or a¡­a¡± my excitement leaves me almost speechless, ¡°How did I not think about this until now?! With the [Splicer] skill I can probably create the coolest dragon ever!¡± My imagination takes over by that point and I spend hours playing around and adding to the idea. My dungeon can have all sorts of dragons. And not just dragons. Unicorns, Cockatrices, the cool sounding Chupacabras and many others can live with me in my dungeon. All I need to do is buy a perk to the [Splicer] skill that will allow me to better customise my monsters. Rushing to the dungeon shop to sift through the various perks, I soon have my fantasies crushed back to reality. The perk costs even more than the initial skill and unless I get an achievement or preferably two, there''s no chance I¡¯m getting it in the near future. Plus, splicing fauna is a whole different story then splicing flora together. The amount of mana needed is currently beyond what I can use without resorting to days of wait in between attempts. Sure, the rate at which I gain mana skyrocketed ever since things began to die inside my dungeon on regular bases, but it''s far from enough for my needs. So I check how much mana I have left and go back to daydreaming about dragons while I wait for it to fill.
Congratulations! You have reached level six. Next level up at 1500 mana. +10 dungeon points
Another day passed and the dungeon ecosystem kept on growing. Some of the tunnels were now large enough for the monster mice to squeeze through. More area in the dungeon meant that there was space for the mushroom and moss to spread. Two more plants also sprouted inside the dungeon, somehow brought inside with the influx of bugs or a rare lizard. Both were added to the list of plants I can create.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. When grass started to grow and a flower bloomed all while insects reproduced and grew to maturity, in the span of a day, I rushed to the shop to see if there''s a skill or perk related to it. As I suspected there were quite a few of both. All, however, not worth the cost. There was even an option to increase my dungeons ecosystem growth rate by a standard amount for every point spent on it. A potentially limitless amount I could increase the speed by which my dungeon fauna andflora grew. ¡°But the initial investment was too high.¡± However, from the description of some of the skills and perks, I concluded that increasing the growth rate had something to do with ambient mana in my dungeon. This could mean that I might be able to get a similar effect by myself. Since I can control mana, I should be able to concentrate a lot of it in one place. If my theory is correct I should be able to speed up the growth rate of the things I want. Focusing only on one mushroom, I slowly pour mana into it through the connection I have with it. Nothing happens at first, but as more and more mana is pushed into it, it starts to grow. Larger and larger until it is twice the size of the ones around it. The skill from the shop would probably help offset the mana cost for such things, but getting more mana was easier than getting more dungeon points. So, for now, this will do, and all it means is that I¡¯ll have to wait for the mana to regenerate. ¡°Something I find is much easier to suffer through as the ecosystem in my dungeon grows. Not only because it''s faster, but because watching the circle of life is quite fun." I had about fifty mana left which I decided to try on the only monster worm I have. In the span of a few days it has become bigger. Now as thick as three of the regular earthworms, it was moving at a quick pace making a circular tunnel, half a meter deep around a dead tree, between whose roots my dungeon lay. Regular earthworms were connecting the circular tunnel to the main system of tunnels right under the tree. Along the circular tunnel and the ones leading to it, I used my mana to carve entrances outside. Simple one or two cm slits in the ground, for my ambient mana to permeate through. This allows my creations to move aboveground, wherever the slits are present. Bringing me more joy and entertainment the bigger the territory grows. But for now, I stop the monster worm, compact a cylinder of earth around it so it has space to grow, and infuse it with mana through our connecting link. For some reason a much stronger link than the connection I have to plants and animals. It the same strong connection I have to all four of my monsters. This time, however, I also try to add my intent and give my mana meaning instead of just pushing it mindlessly like I did with the mushroom. I concentrate on its usefulness in digging tunnels. I find my desire to grow the dungeon and focus on it, imbuing the worm with my wish to expand the dungeon as fast as I can. To dig tunnels that would take me to see interesting things all around this world. I don¡¯t have much mana, just 50 points, five times the cost of summoning a monster worm. So I can¡¯t spend the mana aimlessly, I need to improve not the whole worm but just a specific aspect of it. So I need to make each point of mana count, and movement speed is what will give me the best worth for each point. Slowly the mana leaves, as slow and deliberate as I can, so that I can shape it with my intent for longer. Eventually, the worm starts to grow, not in size but in length. Its body filling out the tunnel behind it, ending at an increase of 30 centimeters to its length. The monster is now half a meter long and has small visible setae, small stiff bristle-like hairs that stuck out at an angle from its body.
Achievement Unlocked You have a dream that you shared with your creation. Monsters will serve the dungeon until death. They will sacrifice their lives to do what the dungeon asks them to. Knowing what the dungeon wants the monsters will adapt themselves to achieve it [Conscious Growth] skill awarded. Advance your creatures into a desired path. +100 dungeon points.
Mana pool empty, I order the worm to keep digging tunnels in a spiral, expanding out with the tree as its center point. The now slightly more impressive monster worm mouth opens up and begins to burrow forward at an impressive 20 cm per hour ¡°Amazing. Such a result with only this little mana. And the achievement is a wonderful surprise.¡± Happy at the outcome I dive into my favorite mouse, the one I first looked at the forest through. Together we go exploring all the new territory I gained over the last few days. Chapter 6 A few days later and although my dungeon hasn¡¯t grown too much, the spiral tunnel system and slits expanding away from the tree allowed me to ignore the main dungeon between the dead trees roots, in favor of exploring the outside. However, when I notice the inhabitants of my dungeon acting agitated I stop looking through the mouses'' eyes and return to my other creation. Everyone but the monsters are running around, hiding and even rushing deeper into the tunnels. Worried, I search for a reason but can¡¯t find one. Then, suddenly, a tremor. Growing in strength quickly. The same tremor as the one that killed Wormy. The one I thought were footsteps. But this one is more constant, like a bunch of people running. I send some of the mice outside to look around for what is making them. Soon, mice stand on the edge of my territory, looking around for a possible cause while bugs fly around over them. A boy wearing a white shirt catches my eye as he runs through the curtain of green. Following him is a group of three boys. They are yelling and throwing things at the one with the white shirt. All four run by my tree without entering the territory. I notice the boy in front, exhausted and out of breath, is smaller than his pursuers who look no older than twelve. ¡°Humans,¡± I realize excitedly, ¡°There are humans on this planet, and they even look the same as I remember.¡± The group of three boys is wearing sports jackets and jeans. They could have overrun the boy a long time ago if they weren''t worried about ruining their clothes. The boy in the white shirt and dirty pants, even though he was smaller and less athletic was running away without any care for his well being. Jumping over roots and pushing through bushes. They were gone as suddenly as they came and I was just about to continue with my day when the small boy entered my territory on all fours. He was sneaking forward, seeking to hide next to the dead tree. His pursuers were shouting at each other, searching for their lost target. He now had his back against the tree''s bark, resting and catching his breath. His hands were busy searching for something inside his backpack and soon came up with an inhaler he greedily put in his mouth. With a deep inhale he rested his head back and exhaled slowly. I could see his eyes jumping around as he searched for any movement or sound that will give the pursuers location away. Their voices were slowly getting weaker as they kept on moving forward, not knowing that their target turned around. When the boy was sure that they were gone he got up, brushing the dirt off his clothes and taking another dose from his inhaler. He grabbed his backpack with one hand and stepped to leave. His leg punched through the tunnel-riddled ground around the tree and broke through some of the empty spaces. He lost his footing and fell forward. The section of the dungeon he dropped on collapsed underneath his weight, crushing hundreds of my inhabitants. And if the mana influx from their death wasn¡¯t enough, the sudden exposure of my dungeon to the outside sealed the deal, knocking me unconscious at the worst possible moment. _______________ Pov change The ground beneath his leg gave way, making him fall and somehow create a crater on the ground. He was holding his backpack in one hand and an inhaler in the other, so when he lost his balance he had no way to correct himself or at least break the fall with his hands. His face hit the ground hard, leaving him slightly disoriented and covered in dirt and dead leaves. He hurt but he kept silent. He didn¡¯t scream as he fell either, afraid Tim and his lackeys would hear him and come back. Slowly he pushed himself up with his hands and looked around to see what happened. The afternoon sun was high in the sky, illuminating each and every wiggling worm and scurrying beetle underneath him. ¡°Ahhh¡± Jason yelled from disgust as he saw the mass of worms and bugs that was rising from the crater. He regretted doing it immediately but he was too freaked out, yelling and jumping back before he could think. He felt something move on his hand and started waving both arms around wildly while kicking with his legs. Various critters fell off him and scurried back underground. He didn¡¯t finish cleaning himself up when he felt his chest start to tighten. It was coming, an attack. He reached for his inhaler but couldn¡¯t find it. He remembered using it before his fall, so he searched for it, finding it next to the crater. He felt something crawl over his skin but ignored it. He would take care of it later. Now he had more important things to worry about. Like air. Jason loved air, probably more than most who just took it for granted. Never experiencing the panic that came over you once air was no longer available. But Jason knew the feeling, the tightness in his chest that grew in strength, constricting his bronchi and leaving him breathless. He had to inhale now, before it got worse and he wouldn¡¯t be able to breathe at all. But the inhaler was covered by bugs, disgusting and slimy, can he retrieve it without touching them? Maybe the attack will pass away on its own. That happened on rare occasions. Sometimes it would begin but disappear without turning into a real episode, only a warning that it was ever present, waiting to ruin his life. -But not today,- Jason thought, -I exerted myself too much today. The inhaler is my only choice.- Steeling his trembling hands he bolts to the inhaler, grabbing and brushing away the dirt and critters off of it in a rush and inhaling deeply. Immediately his chest relaxed and he gulped down air greedily, not caring that bugs were crawling up his legs. Shaking himself off he decided it was time to leave this weird place, so he reached down to get his bag. But from underneath it something jumped at him, making him fall back. The rodent bit him on his hand before Jason could throw it off of him. He jumped to his feet right as the thing was getting ready to rush him again. It was black and had red eyes, together with a pair of long and sharp incisors, looking more like a monster than an animal. He wanted to run but the thing was already moving towards him so he did the only thing he could think off. The only thing he actually managed to do well in today''s team tryouts. He kept his eyes on the ball and kicked it as hard as he could.The rodent tried to jump away but the foot connected and launched it off the ground. The black creature sailed through the air but before it could drop back down it started to break apart, turning into dust that was scattered by the breeze. Leaving Jason staring, confused and afraid at the spot the monster was supposed to fall in. His body started moving on its own then, deciding for him that it was time to run. He remembered his backpack just in time and grabbed it before sprinting the hell away. ___________ When I returned to awareness it was already night time. I don¡¯t know how much time passed but my mana pool was full and I could level up if I wanted. Deciding not to rush I first check on the aftermath of the event that knocked me out in the first place. It wasn¡¯t good. Not only did I lose a large chunk of my territory, I also somehow lost a monster mouse. Which made no sense as the tunnels that collapsed weren''t big enough for the monster to be in in the first place. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Sending a few mice outside to look around I notice the boys inhaler and realize that he must''ve killed my creation somehow. Or maybe he ran away and it followed him and went out of my connections range, disappearing into nothingness. ¡°It¡¯ll explain why there¡¯s no corpse. Although I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if something ate it, this is a forest after all.¡± A forest I can use to my advantage and instead of fixing the crater I think it¡¯s better to go forward instead. ¡°To start the dungeon for real. The first floor of many.¡± Grabbing the system of tunnels between the roots, I pull them down, an easy thing to do with only my diminishing mana pool as a limiting factor. An Inverted pyramid 2m tall and 3x2m^2 for a base. The pyramids area full of tunnels and the rooms they connect, holding all manner of animals, slides through the earth until its 10m deep. Where it once used to be is somehow replaced with earth, making the dead roots under the tree, the ones around which my old dungeon tunnels looped around, now look as good as new. ¡°A new start, both for me and the tree,¡± I say when I see the small new roots that are already growing from the old. Inching deeper and wider, trying to reach more mana. And as the mana permeates inside the tree a connection starts to form. Too weak right now for me to focus on but enough to let me know that the tree is alive. It is part of my dungeon now, growing as I grow. Using the ambient mana to thrive. ¡°I know now, what I¡¯ll create.¡± The boy could be dangerous. Whether knowingly or not he is the catalyst to my discovery. He might not know yet what I am but he knows where I am and that I am something, something he doesn¡¯t understand and children are curious in nature. If the forgotten inhaler is not enough to bring him back, his curiosity is. He may be too afraid to return alone, or at all, but he will talk about what happened here and this will spark their curiosity as well. Eventually, someone will come to satisfy it and locate my dungeon core. My choices are, defending the dungeon from an ever-escalating level of threat, running away and starting in a new place hoping that I¡¯ll never be found out, or hiding deep underground and making a place that will never link to the outside. All options sounded boring to me, so I thought up another. I don¡¯t need to be afraid of their curious nature. Let them discover me. If there¡¯s one thing I understand in this world is the need for entertainment and instead of fighting against them I¡¯ll satisfy their itch. Going above and beyond their wildest dreams. And when they discover my entrance and what I am, their curiosity will grow and as long as I keep making new things to explore their curiosity will make them come back. Leading to a never-ending amount of interesting things that are sure to satisfy my boredom. ¡°And what do boys want? Adventure!¡± The sense of adventure and the thrill of discovery when they are young. The chance of love and the fear of death when they are older. I can supply two of them and help them achieve the third. Watching them grow stronger as they explore my creation is not enough, I want to help them grow. Because the stronger they will grow the more things I can throw at them. ¡°There will be four levels of difficulty. Bronze-rank for children, challenging but not dangerous. Silver-rank for the teenagers, dangerous but not deadly. Gold-rank for adults, dangerous and deadly. With the last but not least being the Named threats, people or groups that will be aiming at my core. ¡°Those I¡¯ll destroy in such a horrible way that it will make sure none will ever think of trying it again.¡± Spending the dungeon points I got with my last achievement I purchase a perk called {Appraisal} for my [Mana Vision] skill. It allows me to see a similar status screen like my own, giving me information about the general strength, age, and a short description of whatever I use it on. There are similar perks that give even more additional information but those are too expensive. Especially the one that can show an object or individuals true name, that one is almost as bad as the {Reality Dungeon} perk. This way I can change the threat level of the dungeon individually. Ordering some monsters not to attack certain people. Death would still be a possibility, but anyone 16 and younger will never be killed by one of my monsters or traps. With my plan finalized I start working on what would be the first adventure I throw at them. My mind shaped the first floor around what I think a child would enjoy. A secret passage, a cave to explore and monsters to fight. The floor should train him physically, in preparation for future challenges. The boy was small and scrawny and before I can challenge him I need to challenge his body. An obstacle course that will force his body to grow and adapt to meet the physical demand my future challenges will require of him. Traps that will train his awareness and monsters to increase his reaction speed. An obstacle he will not be able to face alone and in the end, a final test to warn him of the dangers to come. But a second floor will have to wait. One floor at a time. My mana pool is almost empty already but there¡¯s still so much to do. With my last points of mana I follow the newly expanded spiral the monster worm created and make slit like openings to the outside along its path. I then create mushrooms on the forest floor next to the slits. They can only grow where there is access to my mana, so they¡¯ll be an effective way to mark the borders of my territory. ¡°And at night they¡¯ll glow bright, telling everyone that the area is special, that my territory is magical, all while lighting up the path to my entrance. Welcoming all those who wish to come and sate their curiosity through my help. ________________ Jason ran home as fast as his body allowed him. He forgot about the inhaler because of the monster that attacked him. His spare inhaler was back in his room so there he rushed. -Dad will be pissed,- he thought as he entered their wooden cabin, taking of his shoes and hurrying to his bedroom where he found the inhaler on his nightstand, -Can¡¯t believe I lost another inhaler¡­- Throwing his dirty clothes in the laundry bin and putting on his home shorts. They had an easily accessible thigh pocket for his inhaler to slide into. He then washed his arms with soap and went into the kitchen to get the first aid kit. ¡°Oww ow owww,¡± he whined the whole time as he disinfected the shallow bite wound and bandaged it. Although his father refused to take him on his hunting trips like he did with his older brother, Jason was still taught basic survival skills and using the first aid kit was one of those. While waiting for the grilled cheese sandwich to toast, he called his father telling him he isn¡¯t feeling well and that he won¡¯t come to the shop today. Dad didn¡¯t press for details, he just asked him how the tryouts went in a disappointed tone. He knew it was foolish of him, he knew his dad thought he had no chance. -I know that as well, so why can¡¯t he at least try to believe in me.- ¡°I didn¡¯t get to finish today, but I have another chance tomorrow,¡± Jason tells him. He doesn¡¯t need to know he didn¡¯t finish because of an asthma attack. His father didn¡¯t ask anything else. Just sighed and hung up, making Jason feel tired. Nothing was ever good enough for him. He would never be good enough for him. Unlike his star athlete brother, Jason could never make his hunter father feel anything but disappointment. He tried getting the highest grades in his class but when his achievements were always overshadowed by his brother scoring a touchdown he gave up. He still got good grades, he just never worked hard to get any better. Being smart wasn¡¯t going to earn him his family''s respect. Both his father and brother were the stereotypical men. Strong, dependent and silent. Never asking for help and never talking about their feelings. They despised weakness and never complained. Jason¡¯s asthma was like a death sentence to him. His only family, pitying him and wanting nothing from him but to blend in and not cause trouble. Jason lay down in his bed, munching on his grilled cheese sandwich and remembering what it was like before his mother died. He was tired. More tired than he has ever been. Joining his middle schools football tryouts was not the worst snap decision he made, deciding to sneak after his father on one of his hunting trips and getting lost in the forest still held the top position, but the humiliation he experienced today certainly came close. He somehow managed to go through it without an asthma attack up until the very end, saving him a little face, but it didn¡¯t erase the fact that he was the physically weakest of all the 6th years. He was even weaker than most of the girls. ¡°Which the coach said was ok. Girls matured earlier he said. Something to do with hormones making them grow up faster than boys.¡± But that didn¡¯t matter to Jason. He was the only one of the boys who did worse than the girls. When his brother hears about it, he¡¯ll tell dad who will take me to the doctor again. And since there¡¯s little chance of him not hearing about it, with him being the star quarterback of the little hunting town we lived in, doing better in the second half of the tryouts tomorrow is a must. ¡°But can I do it? Especially after what happened in the forest,¡± Jason thinks as he looks at his bandaged hand. He closes his eyes and sighs. He¡¯s so tired. Almost exhausted from fighting for his family''s approval. And he was angry. Angry because he knew he could do it. He could prove to them that he had more than just smarts, that he could outplay his brother and outhunt his father. He could prove to them he was the best at everything if he didn¡¯t have this stupid disease holding him back. It was frustrating, a word he googled when he was trying to understand why he was so angry all the time. He was frustrated and tired. Or tired of being frustrated. It was confusing sometimes, trying to figure out what he was feeling. ¡°So, so tired¡­¡± he closed his eyes as his tired body told him it was time to sleep. Only to be rudely interrupted by a voice in his mind, telling him he leveled up. [Fighter Class Obtained!] [Fighter Level 1!] [Skill ¨C Basic Constitution obtained!] [Skill ¨C Power Kick obtained!] ¡°What was that?¡± Chapter 7 His hand automatically reached for his inhaler. An action that annoyed Jason but has become a reflex, it was the first thing his body did every time something surprised or scared him as it learned to expect the tightening of his chest that usually followed. This time however, nothing came. No pressure on his chest. No tightening of his airways. And no fear of death that came with every attack. Jason lay on his small bed, trying to remember what the voice said. ¡°It said I was a fighter? No¡­ not like that,¡± he shook his head. The word didn¡¯t sound the same. It said he leveled up, gave him a class and a skill, ¡°I am a [Fighter]!¡± he said loudly. It was the same word but it sounded completely different to him. And the skills. Two of them. Basic something and [Power Kick]. ¡°Does that mean I can kick better?¡± He¡¯ll google the word constitution after he wakes up. Right now, what he wanted most of all was to sleep.
¡°Dad, dad!¡± Jason called his father when he came home, ¡°You won¡¯t believe how good today went.¡± He could hear his father on the other side, breathing into the earphone. He waited, hoping to hear praise, which didn¡¯t seem will come. ¡°I¡¯ll know in a few days but I think I made the team.¡± ¡°As what?¡± comes the question in a low whisper. ¡°A kicker.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± he mumbles disappointed. ¡°For now dad. Once I¡¯m on the team I can show everyone how good I really am.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you will, son,¡± he lied, he always calls me son when he lies, ¡°How about we go visit Dr.Najeeb. We can tell him the good news and he can check up on you before you start your training.¡± ¡°He already cleared me before tryouts. What¡¯s the point of going again?¡± ¡°The point is that I heard why you had to stop yesterday. I just want to be sure you¡¯re not going to hurt yourself.¡± There he goes Jason thought, treating me like he did mom. -Same condescending voice making me out to be weaker than I am. I kicked the ball farther than anyone today, farther than even some of the regular players. Sure, it was probably thanks to my new skill, whatever that means, but so what?- ¡°What if that happens in the middle of a game?¡± my father continues, ¡°Do you plan on letting your teammates down?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you mean if I¡¯m planning on letting you down? You don¡¯t have to worry about Dr.Najeeb anymore.¡± Jason googled the meaning of constitution, and if he went by the results of his kicking today, the skill [Basic Constitution] meant that his body has become stronger. And if not stronger than at least healthier, ¡±I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll need to see a doctor ever again, dad. I feel 100%.¡± There was a short pause between them. Both thinking, but Jason thought faster. Or less. It didn¡¯t really matter. ¡°I¡¯ll get stronger from now on, dad. Soon I¡¯ll be stronger than you.¡± -If I can figure out how to level up again, that is,- ¡°I promise.¡± He will find a way. ¡°I hope that happens,¡± his father said and Jason feared he would call him son now. Or buddy. Being called buddy was the worst. ¡°You''re smart Jason. If you really believe you can do it I say go for it. But we¡¯ll go to the doctor anyway. Do it for me, even if all he¡¯ll do is confirm what you already know. K¡¯ buddy?¡± ¡°Sure, dad. When?¡± he said in frustration. ¡°I set up an appointment in two days. I¡¯ll grab you from school and we can go together. That way I can also have a quick chat with your coach.¡± Jasons'' heart sank when he heard the date of the appointment. His father must have set it up even before he heard the results of the tryouts. It never took less than three days. Usually, a week would pass from the time of setting the appointment and meeting his pulmonologist. It angered him that his own father thought him so weak, but he stayed quiet. There was no point in arguing now, he¡¯ll meet his doctor if only to get an explanation on how the skill affected his body. ¡°Okay. See ya later, dad.¡± ¡°Seeya later, kiddo,¡± his father hung up the phone, going back to his empty shop and the rare customers. Not many people cared about hunting anymore. There were enough for his father to make a living and pay the bills with, but most of their food came from his kills and a smartphone was a luxury Jason didn¡¯t dream off. Jason went to his bedroom, where he sat on a chair and stared at his inhaler. One that looked the same as the one he lost in the forest. Near the dead tree and the black rodent. ¡°It has to be that,¡± Jason wondered out loud, ¡°Kicking that thing killed it and made me level up. Because I fought it I am now a [Fighter],¡± he nodded his head. ¡°Just like a game.¡± His excitement was growing. He had knives, crossbows and even guns in their cabin. They were his fathers, but Jason knew how to use them, even if he wasn¡¯t any good. But did it matter? He managed to kill it with a kick. A weapon, of any sorts, will make things easier. ¡°I just need to protect myself from the teeth and it¡¯ll be okay.¡± His brother''s old football gear could work. He tried to remember where it was, the last time he saw it was more than a year ago. ¡°It must be in the shed. With all the other old stuff. Maybe I can find our old baseball bat there as well.¡± Yes. No one ever went in the shed anymore. Not since mom died. There¡¯ll be lots of useful stuff in it. Stuff that can be used to level up safely. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going to be fighting monsters,¡± he was jumping on his bed excitedly, ¡°I¡¯m going to defeat all of them and become really strong. So strong that they¡¯ll have no choice but to keep me on the team,¡± my imagination takes over and I¡¯m jumping over buildings and lifting buses. The realization hits me like a truck, ¡°So strong, that I can beat Tim and his lackeys. I¡¯ll be a superhero!¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. He jumps off the bed and hurries to the shed. It takes him some time to wriggle open the rusted lock and even longer to find everything he needs, and by the time he thinks he has everything he can use it¡¯s already dark. So he hides everything in a bag behind the shed and runs back to the cabin before dad or his brother come back home with dinner. ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll skip school and go directly there,¡± he says while washing himself from the dust he picked up in the shed. His eyes fall on the phone and he considers calling for his best friend to come with him but decides against it. It could be dangerous and he doesn''t want to risk anyone else. Plus, he¡¯s not even sure that it will actually work. This could all be just a dream. ¡°How else can I explain what¡¯s happening?¡±
Designing the first floor took less time than expected. I was done with the general layout in less than a day. Having a strong image meant I could move the earth in the direction I desired without pause. All that was left was filling out the details, however, it will take some time to flesh out as I¡¯ve run out of mana. I think the results are quite good. ¡°For a first draft that is,¡± I shrug my metaphorical shoulders. There are more stuff closer to the entrance than in the end and no boss yet, but if Miki keeps growing as fast as he is, he might do a good job of it. Surprisingly, their diets changed their bodies accordingly. Unlike his sister who developed a taste for lizards and snakes, Miki isn¡¯t a picky eater. Miki was big and strong, while his sister quick and agile. She preferred jumping on her pray from its blindsight, biting it before it had a chance to fight back. Miki however, took a more direct approach. Relying on his physical dominance over everything else in my dungeon to overpower everything he attacked. They were both adapting to the new floor well. They had much more area to move around in and the two monster mice quickly became the alpha predators of my dungeon. ¡°But they weren¡¯t strong enough to defend me yet.¡± If anyone but a child comes I¡¯ll be left open and exposed for him to discover my core. So instead of conserving mana, whenever I had enough recovered I¡¯d spend it on making my dungeon more secure. A monster version of a snake that was killed by Sally, Miki¡¯s younger sibling, also joined my rooster. Slithering over the walls and ceiling, waiting for prey from the shadows and attacking anything that strayed to far from the mushrooms light. I already had an idea of how to incorporate the snakes into my future second floor. But for now, I hide my core deeper into the ground. A small tunnel, going directly down from the end of the first floor. Eventually it will become the entrance to the second floor, but for now, it will be used to defend me in case of an emergency. Having a few more mana points left, I play around with the ideas I have on how to use the plethora of bugs I can summon. ¡°Sure, making them big could make a satisfying opponent for a child. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll enjoy making them go splat, but maybe something more subtle will be more entertaining in the long run?¡± _____________ Jason stood, slightly shaking from the morning cold. He was so excited for today, he couldn¡¯t sleep at night. Which wasn¡¯t the best way to start his adventure. Being sleepy when going into battle might end up badly for him. That was why he didn¡¯t take his jacket with him, hoping that a slight chill will wake him up. Unfortunately, that only worked for a few minutes, and now he was both tired and cold. But it¡¯s ok, he¡¯ll warm up soon enough. He just needs to finish duct taping the too big football armor to himself. He was wearing everything but the shoulder pads, with a pair of good tall winter boots to protect his feet. In his backpack were a first aid kit, a flashlight, a roll of duct tape and some snacks with a plastic bottle of water. An old wooden baseball bat and a large metal frying pan cover for a shield completed his equipment. ¡°Let''s do this!¡± he said in a poor attempt to pump himself up. Not because it wouldn¡¯t have worked but because there was no need too. This was the most exciting day of his life. A bit late now, but he suddenly realized that what he finds out there might only disappoint him. He still wasn¡¯t sure that this wasn¡¯t all some elaborate dream. Shaking his head and giving himself a few slaps, like he saw his brother do once when his head wasn¡¯t in the game and his team was losing, he pulls his hoodie over his head and tugs at the strings to make it tighter. ¡°Can¡¯t have it falling off mid-fight,¡± he says to himself as he marches through the forest. Treading slowly, Jason makes sure to check the ground before every step. The memory of crashing to the ground and being covered by bugs is still fresh in his mind. However, his caution doesn¡¯t last for long. Maybe if he started closer to the dungeon he¡¯d manage to keep his alertness levels high, but as he started his track ten minutes from the edge of the dungeons territory, by the time he entered it he was already dragging his feet and hitting trees and bushes with his baseball bat. ¡°Take that, foul beast!¡± he declares before bashing a low hanging branch and sending leaves everywhere, ¡°And that,¡± he smacks another branch, which instead of breaking like the last one, snaps back and slaps him in the face. ¡°Ow oww wow,¡± Jason crouches, letting go of the bat and grabbing his face in his hands. A smell grabs his attention and he begins to sniff the air, forgetting he was in pain just a moment ago. Searching for the source he finds a mushroom he¡¯s never seen before. It looked alien to him. Colored bright orange and purple, once he noticed it it was hard to look away. His father showed him which mushrooms were edible and which were not, and he had a few chances to browse through the pocket guidebooks in their hunting shop. He would¡¯ve remembered seeing something so eye-catching. Jason looked around for more of these mushrooms and sure enough, he found what he was looking for easily. None were growing the way he came but plenty of mushrooms stood out amongst the green and brown of the forest floor in the direction he was heading. And with more and more of them covering the landscape with each tree he passed, he had to gulp down as he realized that they were related to what he came here looking for. He knew better than to eat mushrooms he wasn¡¯t familiar with, so even though they smelled like candy and cake he just grabbed his weapon and shield tighter and moved on. With every few steps the mushrooms seemed to not only grown in number and size, but in variety as well. A few were super thin but grew tall enough to reach his hip, swaying gently back and forth. Using his bat he smashed their caps, regretting it almost instantly as the remains that got attached to the wooden bat were sticky and sickeningly sweet. He had to stop and clean the bat with leaves and dirt before the sticky substance flowed down to his hands. ¡°Ewww¡­¡± he wiped a drop that touched his finger on his armor and kept walking. Making sure to avoid stepping or bumping into any more of the rainbow-colored mushrooms, until he finally saw the dead tree. Only it wasn¡¯t dead anymore. Buds were starting to form on its once dead branches. They were small and few but they were there. ¡°Like trees after winter,¡± Jason thought, remembering the forest in the first days of spring. How empty it looked compared to the potential of life it held once the snow melted away and the weather got warmer. Stepping closer he saw, at the base of the tree, an opening in the ground. It was hard to miss considering the mushrooms looked like a path leading directly into the dark hole. He looked inside but the sun was still low in the sky and its rays didn¡¯t reach inside it. Removing his flashlight from the bag he flicked it on and shone the beam down the hole. What it presented him with was a spiral staircase which stairs were made of roots and earth. He looked back in the direction he came from, wondering what he should do now. Alien mushrooms and a hole in the ground was one thing, but the two combined with the dead tree preparing to bloom was setting off alarm bells in his mind. The tree was near the path he took to school sometimes. He liked going through the forest on sunny days and this particular trees branches remained bare of leaves for years now. ¡°Ever since mom first got sick,¡± he said in pain and looked up at the branches and the young leaves that were sprouting on them. He wondered if it meant anything. If it was a sign of some sort. He wasn¡¯t religious or prone to superstitions but he was a kid. A child that missed his mother and longed for his family''s approval. And as he stood there, puzzling over what to do next, wondering if maybe, just maybe, this all meant something more. He hoped this was all connected somehow. That he was meant to find it and that it was more than just a coincidence that led him here.
¡°I wonder what he¡¯s standing there for?¡± I sighed as the boy refused to go down the staircase. Not that I minded too much as it gave me more time to hide the dangers and change the dungeon into a difficulty that would fit him. ¡°I kinda wish it was someone older and stronger though¡­¡± I thought as I looked at my creations change color, scutter out of the way or dart into hidden parts of the floor upon my command. ¡°Would¡¯ve been fun to try them out,¡± I sigh again at my failed expectations and return my attention to the boy as he finally makes up his mind and steps down into my dungeon. Allowing me to see how strong he actually is. ¡°Huh? A class? Levels?¡± I scratch my nonexistent head as the {Appraisal} reveals the boy is a level 1 [Fighter]. ¡°I thought this was Earth¡­ but I guess it doesn''t make sense for a magical dungeon to appear on a world that has no magic.¡± Chapter 8 He moved his inhaler to an easier to reach pocket in his bag, just in case. He truly believed he won¡¯t need it but when he tried to leave without it a pit formed in his stomach, preventing him from leaving the house. Yet now that he was descending into darkness, with only an old flashlight to guide his way, he was thankful he brought the inhaler with him. Just in case his nerves got the best of him. Carefully he stepped down from one root to another. He tried putting his weight on the steps made of earth but after a few of those crumbled underneath his weight he avoided them. Since there were enough roots to use as steps on his way down, there was no reason to risk falling or losing his flashlight as he flailed his hands wildly for something to grab hold of. Something that happened twice already as the earth crumbled underneath his feet. His flashlight was stuttering and he hoped it will hold on. It was an old flashlight he dug out of the shed, not wanting to take the emergency one that was kept in the kitchen. A foolish decision now that he thought about it but at the time it seemed smart of him to leave it be. Just in case someone noticed it was gone or asked questions if Jason broke it during his adventure. So he lowered the brightness and kept climbing down, one careful step at a time. Wherever it was he was descending into, it was much deeper than he expected and he felt both fear and excitement grow the deeper he went. Eventually, the little bit of sunlight that entered at the top was blocked by roots and Jason had to slow down and carefully use the weak flashlight beam to check his every move. When his feet touched flat, solid ground he couldn''t help but be disappointed. ¡°There¡¯s nothing here¡­¡± he said as he moved the beam of light from side to side, looking for anything other than mushrooms, tree roots or bare walls. Yet there wasn¡¯t anything else he could see and he didn¡¯t have much time as the flashlight was losing power quickly. He refused to give up though. There had to be something here he thought. Something he was missing. Something that would explain his new class, ¡°Or at least give me more levels in it.¡± But there was nothing. No monsters, no adventure and worst of all no more light as the flashlight died in his hands. Left in the darkness he did the one familiar thing he knew he could, which was reaching for his inhaler and holding it in his hand in preparation. There was no need for him to inhale but holding the device in his hand helped him not to panic. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, a simple method for decreasing his rapidly rising heart rate. When he opened them, mind made up to start climbing upwards in the dark, his jaw dropped open and his eyes went wide. The grass he was standing on was glowing. And as he looked, mushrooms on the walls and moss on the tree roots were slowly lighting up and growing in intensity. A minute later and the staircase was bright enough for him to see everything, and what he saw was a path on the ground that he could crawl through. He drooped on his knees to look through it and after a short crawl he straightened up on a small platform. Looking around for a few seconds he thought he was transported into a different world. ¡°Is that water?¡± Jason stepped to the edge of the platform and lowered himself to look at the glowing surface below. He was sure that it was water, there were even small ripples passing through it, but when he reached his hand to touch the surface he didn¡¯t know if he was supposed to be disappointed or not. ¡°Mushrooms. Millions of them.¡± He moved his hand around, causing a wave to roll through the cavern. He lowered his baseball bat to see how deep the sea of glowing mushrooms was and the bat disappeared inside without ever reaching the bottom. When he lifted it back up it was covered with all manner of creepy crawlers. ¡°Ewww, disgusting...¡± he mumbled as he tapped the bat on the edge of the platform he was standing on to make the bugs drop off. His attention fell on the other side of the mushroom sea, where another platform similar to the one he was standing on right now was waiting. A wall on the other side was covered in rock outcroppings, holes and shelf mushrooms, all glowing in a bright blue color as if marking the way forward. ¡°So I¡¯ll have to climb over the wall but how am I supposed to reach it?¡± There was only one way onward he could see that didn¡¯t involve struggling through the sea of mushrooms, so he pressed his back to the wall behind him to get as much of a running start as he could and bolting forward he jumped. Flying over the mushroom sea he landed, with a dull thud, on a huge mushroom. One of many such mushrooms whose caps protruded out of the sea, looking similar to islands who together formed a path for him to cross. Each was big enough for him to stand on so he raised himself and swung his arms back and forth, preparing momentum for another leap. When he landed this time the mushroom deflated slightly, creating a sound like a giant whoopee cushion and making Jason unable to contain his laughter. And as the sound of the little boys giggling echoed, the room came alive. Fireflies, butterflies and moths, all glowing in different colors took to the air, dancing around him elaborately in their rush to escape. Lizards dropped their camouflage and scurried to find a different hiding spot on the glowing walls while something moved, invisible under the curtain of mushrooms, making the mushroom sea ripple and waves to form. For a few seconds Jason forgets he is supposed to be scared. He forgets about being tired or slightly hungry because he skipped breakfast. For just the briefest of moments the fart sound the mushroom made returns him to the happy child he was before his mother was gone. Before his father distanced himself from him due to worry. To a time when he could laugh freely and without reaching for his inhaler just in case he laughs too hard. Unfortunately, the carefree feeling doesn¡¯t last long, as a snake falls down from the ceiling and disappears under the waves of glowing mushrooms, causing Jason to panic and almost fall off after it. Catching himself in the last moment he continues onward. Jumping from one mushroom to the other, he reaches the platform panting and heaving. ¡°Phew!¡± he takes a few gulps of water and a half of his Twix bar to munch on. He is sitting with his back leaned against the wall, looking at the platform he came from. It¡¯s isn¡¯t too far away but as he was forced to follow a predetermined twisting path, the distance he traveled felt much longer than it looked. ¡°Yosh,¡± he gets up to stretch his muscles.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. They are sore from the past few days of sports but it''s a good kind of soreness. The kind in which the body is telling you that it is strong and getting stronger. A soreness Jason never knew felt so good. He jumped in place a few times, just for fun and to test how high he can do it. ¡°This place is so cool,¡± he said and could swear that the cavern dimmed for a brief moment before brightening back up again. It could be just his imagination but to him it looked like the place heard his words and winked at him in response. ¡°Yep,¡± -Definitely the coolest place ever,- he thought as he swung back his backpack, tightened the shoulder straps, spit on his palms like he saw once in a movie and began to climb. Even though the wall in front of him had almost perfect slits to grab or use as a foothold, the five-meter climb left the muscles in his arms burning from the strain. More than once he had to stop to rest while his body dangled from the vertical surface. He remembered hearing somewhere, maybe it was one of the customers in the shop or something he heard in a show, that when climbing, it was important to rely mainly on your leg strength. But no matter how Jason tried he always ended pulling himself up with his arms. Filing it up as another thing he would need to look up online, he finally managed to reach the top and after hooking his leg over the edge he managed to pull himself up and over. Only to proceed to lie down to rest, small glowing lizard running away from him or freezing in place to look at his resting body. He had another short crawl before he could continue to the next room, and he had to wonder to himself if it was time he headed back. It would suck to leave before he had a chance to fight some monsters, but his body was really tired from the past few days and even though he didn¡¯t do much but jump and climb he was exhausted. The football gear, while a good idea at the time, now seemed useless. Just extra weight that held him back. ¡°Just a peak then.¡± He began to crawl towards the next room, driven forward by sheer curiosity. What he saw was a room similar to the last one. Another field of mushrooms which disappointed him slightly until he saw there was no path he could use to avoid what hid under the surface. His eyes scanned for a way to cross and fell on what looked like ropes dangling from the ceiling. He crawled sideways and reached a hand to touch it making the rope light up. ¡°Another mushroom,¡± he grabbed and pulled at it, making sure it was firmly attached. He¡¯ll need to use it to swing across, from one such mushroom to another. ¡°An obstacle course.¡± He has seen enough ¡®American Ninja¡¯ to recognize what this place was, ¡°I mean it''s cool,¡± his hand reaches to the bat he stuffed into his backpack for the climb, ¡°But I wanted to fight monsters and level up¡­¡± He pulled on the rope mushroom again, contemplating on whether or not he should continue forward. ¡°Maybe the next room will have something I can fight?¡± Thinking about it the worst thing that could happen is that he¡¯d fall and get covered by bugs, or get stuck until he rested enough. He had his snacks and some water, he could survive. He tried to push himself forward but his muscles groaned. No, he¡¯ll need to go back. It was enough for today. It was fun and next time he¡¯ll be more prepared and rested to tackle it. Now that he knew that it was just an obstacle course he would ask Ben to come along. He¡¯ll love it here and he has a phone we can take pictures with. This place looks amazing after all. Thrice he almost fell heading back. Once because his leg slipped on the climb back down and twice he was a little short on his jump. Each time added more bruises and scrapes to his arms and legs. As he climbed the stairwell and saw sunlight he felt bittersweet. On the one hand he had fun, did something he never had a chance to do before, but on the other hand he was disappointed at himself. He felt he could do better. ¡°No. I will do better!¡± he said proudly and started walking home without even glancing black, mind already busy planning how he can improve and what needs to be looked up online. Tomorrow he had the doctor''s appointment so he might as well use the day to rest. He can ask dad to drop him off at Ben¡¯s place after it so they can prepare. ¡°Hey there, Jason.¡± He jumps in surprise and his hands move in search of his inhaler. He forces himself to calm down when he sees the source of the voice, ¡°Hello Mr.Locklear,¡± he answers apprehensively. He had many chances to practice his poker face thanks to his father, but right now, wearing duct-taped football gear, holding a bat and a steel pan cover while covered in dirt, he saw no way out of this. ¡°Cool costume,¡± said the man in front of him. A man carrying a rifle and covered head to toe in camouflage patterned clothes. To his belt were attached a few birds, most likely waterfowl of some kind but Jason couldn¡¯t tell which from a glance. ¡°I remember I also used to play as a knight when I was young. It was the reason I picked up a crossbow in the first place,¡± he scratches his bushy beard while his eyes unfocus slightly at the memory. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be at school though?¡± Jason opened and closed his mouth, searching for an excuse that didn¡¯t come. For some reason he had an urge to hide his discovery, and the chance that someone will find out about it filled him with sudden dread. The fact that this was someone who knew his father just increased the chances that Jason would be forbidden from coming near the dead tree and the secrets it held underneath. ¡°It¡¯s a secret Mr.Locklear,¡± Jason puts a finger to his lips. He likes the man in front of him, mainly since the man never treated him like a kid, so Jason decides that half truths would serve him best. ¡°I got accepted into the team and decided to train on my own,¡± he said and played the pity card, ¡°Thanks to my asthma holding me back until now I¡¯ll need to work hard if I want to catch up to the rest,¡± he started moving before he even finished his sentence. ¡°Congratulations on your hunt Mr.Locklear,¡± he started to run, ¡°It was nice seeing you. Have a good day,¡± he yelled as he sprinted back home. ¡°You too Jason. Stop by some time, Hannah will love to see you,¡± Mr.Locklear raised his voice, ¡°We can celebrate you making the team!¡± he shouted at Jason¡¯s disappearing figure. ¡°Good kid,¡± he said to himself and fixed the shoulder strap of his rifle, ¡°Wonder what he¡¯s trying to hide¡­¡±
¡°Well, that sucked¡­¡± I thought when I saw the boy leave the dungeon. I genuinely expected him to do much better. ¡°Were the obstacles to hard or was he too weak?¡± While contemplating on the matter I set my dungeon''s inhabitants free to roam wherever they want. Animals and monsters flood out from the two side spaces into the middle one. The one the boy struggled through. I set up the first floor as three long parallel corridors with many tunnels connecting them. The side corridors are the main ecosystem of the first floor. But as I didn¡¯t have enough mana for all three, the side caverns are still not as big as I¡¯d like them to be but eventually they will be responsible for populating the middle corridor with animals and monsters for my visitors to enjoy. I ordered most of the inhabitants to hide in the side corridors but now that the boy left they are free to play around as they wish. Looking at my dungeon as a whole and going over my experience with the boy I decide on a few changes. His words still echo in my mind but unfortunately letting him fight my monsters is problematic for now. What I¡¯ll do instead is separate the floor into two levels, kind of. First thing I¡¯ll do is get rid of the walls that separate each obstacle into its own room. Then, a safe path which allows traversing most of the first floor safely. Jumping, climbing, balancing or swinging your way through. This path will be reserved for children and if anyone older try¡¯s to use it the path will break apart under them. Anyone but the children will have to trudge forward, waist deep through the mushroom sea and the dangers it holds. As I transform the dungeon an idea pops into my mind. The snake that fell off the ceiling and scared the boy into almost falling down, something similar can be added so that using the safe path becomes more exciting. ¡°That way the boy will get what he wants.¡± Snakes might be a bit of an overkill but I have something similar that is perfect for the job and I think I saw something cheap in the dungeon shop that I can use as well. Something both useful and cool. I activate the [Splicer] skill to see if my idea can work but I¡¯m brought back out of it by something large entering my territory. A man, big and heavy is following the path of multicolored mushrooms through the forest, getting closer and closer to my entrance. I jump into one of my mice to get a better look at him. He is holding a gun and has a knife strapped to his belt. The clothes he is wearing make me think he is a soldier of some sort but when I see the dead birds he¡¯s carrying I realize he must be a hunter. ¡°Perfect!¡± I rejoice and leave the mouse to return my attention to the dungeon. I¡¯m not able to shape it while inhabiting my creations and there are still a few things I need to take care off in case the man finds my entrance. ¡°First amongst them is making the entrance large enough for him to go down through,¡± I smile as I rush to make the last minute changes. Chapter 9 Slowly, one careful step after another, the hunter descends into the darkness. The sun is high in the sky, illuminating the upper part of the spiral stairwell and giving him a good view of the roots and dirt he can use as footholds to go down. He has to bend slightly so his head doesn¡¯t hit anything but he continues downward undeterred. When he is far enough in, he turns on a small flashlight strapped to his forehead and although small it is quite powerful. Emitting a wide beam of light that illuminates everything in the direction he looks at in various shades of red. And if a hole in the middle of the forest with stairs leading down into it wasn¡¯t weird enough, when he is almost at the bottom I turn on the bioluminescence of the mushrooms. Letting him know that this place is more than what it seems. That this place is magical. ¡°Or at least that''s what I hope it looks like¡­¡± The kid''s reaction is making me doubt myself. I was certain the boy would be ecstatic at what I¡¯ve created for him but his feedback has left me somewhat disappointed and apprehensive about my ideas. ¡°So this time I¡¯m pulling out all the stops!¡± I say to myself with resolve. The mushrooms flare up in brightness as if mimicking my mental state. ¡°Or as much of it as I have prepared,¡± the mushrooms dim slightly, ¡°I didn¡¯t have enough mana to do much except for changing the layout of the floor.¡± However, if the rugged beard and wrinkles around his eyes weren''t enough than the {Appraisal} telling me he is 43 years old gives me the chance to try everything I have on him. ¡°Well, almost everything. The Cow Killer is reserved for those that come close enough to threaten me.¡± Eagerly, I wait for the man to continue. He stopped moving when the mushroom lit up and has been studying them since. Unlike the kid, whose facial expressions and vocal exclamations were a clear indicator of his thoughts, the man is impossible to read. His face is stoic and he hasn¡¯t uttered a word yet. Even when the mushrooms began to glow all he did was pause and look at them. ¡°Will you move already!¡± I mutter as my impatience grows, ¡°What can you even think about for so long. They are mushrooms, they glow. There are many more for you to look at if you¡¯d only start moving....¡± Eventually, when I¡¯m just about to give up and go back to my own business, he shifts. Moving forward as if he never stopped. Each step as careful and calculated as it was before the mushrooms. This annoys me somewhat and I have half a mind to just send my monsters at him there and then. ¡°But then I won¡¯t see his reaction to the floor¡­¡± Luckily I don¡¯t have to control myself for long as the man turns the corner and steps out onto the platform overlooking the mushroom sea. I don¡¯t know what I expected him to do, but it sure as hell wasn¡¯t to furrow his brows and clench his teeth at the hundred meters long, five meters wide, multicolored cavern with a field of glowing mushrooms that resembles a rippling lake in a gentle breeze. With no more walls to separate it into rooms, the whole expanse is now visible with one glance. I even sent out the fireflies and glittering butterflies to create a light show for him but he just scoffed at them and stepped closer to the edge of the platform. There, he lowered to one knee, unslung his rifle and just like the boy did, pushed it down between the mushrooms to see how deep they went. His longer arms and weapon managed to reach the bottom but he took his sweet time and probed around with the butt of the rifle. Whatever was going through his mind it didn¡¯t show on his face and I was tired of his calm and collected demeanor. It was time to ruffle his feathers. ¡°It is time to test my creations.¡± The first to act was the Arrowhead salamander, a monster variant of the Northwestern Salamander that stumbled into my dungeon and was eaten by Sally. Using the [Splicer] skill I took the slimy creature and made it as thin as I could, resulting in a monster 60cm long, 8cm tall and only 2cm wide. The head I shaped like an arrow, for which it is named, so that it can part the thin stalks of the mushrooms with ease and run around, agile and invisible under the mushroom sea. Its tail wraps around the rifle and pulls, trying to wrestle the weapon out of the man''s hands. He can¡¯t see what is happening but when he feels the tug he rises, pulling the rifle and the monster attached to it into the air. With a stone face, he brings it closer to him to observe. The monster thrashes its sharp head in all directions, trying to hit something but to no avail. While he is distracted two more Arrowheads lunge at his feet. One hits a thick boot, doing no damage and simply bouncing off to the side while the other reaches higher, hitting and leaving a shallow gash on his shin. It makes him jump back just in time to see two more climbing on too the platform. He swings his rifle as if it was a golf club and connects with one of the rushing salamanders, smashing the poor thing and sending it flying back to where it came from together with the one that was attached to his makeshift club. Not bothering to look at the flying pair of mangled bodies he flips the rifle and presses it to his shoulder, attempting to aim at Sally who is using the giant mushroom path to close the distance quickly. Unfortunately for him, part of the slimy salamanders tail is still attached to his stock and it sends his aim off. The sound from the gunshot echoes in the cavern, sending all its inhabitants into a frenzy and allowing Sally to slip into the mushroom sea for cover. He can still see where she is as her body parts the stalks, giving away her location while she moves. It doesn¡¯t matter though as the sound causes all manner of bugs to fly into the air, forming a cloud that buzzes away from him and effectively covering Sally''s approach for now and preventing him from aiming at her. Not that he could allow himself to focus on her with the salamanders jumping at his legs and reptiles falling on his head. The simple Garter snakes were modified by me to be able to climb the mushrooms growing from the wall and ceiling. There they feed on various insects, sometimes entering the mushroom sea below to hunt for mice and running away from any Arrowheads. Averaging at half a meter in length they are not as impressive as my salamanders but when half a dozen of them suddenly fall on his head, the man''s poker face finally breaks, showing for just a moment an expression of fear and surprise. An expression that was soon replaced with cold focus as he unsheathed his knife and cut two of the falling snakes in half. However, the combined assault and the quickly approaching Sally were enough to make him retreat back up the staircase. I considered following him but decided to cut my loses. Unless I got lucky my chances of taking him down were slim. My monsters, as great as they were, simply were no match in size or weapons to the hunter. ¡°Something I¡¯ll have to correct once I have enough mana.¡± As such, the early retreat is a welcome action from his side. It will give me time to prepare for him better. To make sure that in the next battle my side won¡¯t be so helpless. ¡°Although all things considered, it didn¡¯t go that bad. Did it?¡± Sure, I lost a few monsters but he didn¡¯t even step down from the platform. If he did then the ability to attack unseen might have changed the outcome greatly. ¡°There are two more monsters I still need to add to it, but the floor is mostly complete for now.¡± After all, this is only the first floor. I can¡¯t make it too challenging otherwise the next floors will never be visited. ¡°The question is what do I do now? Finish the first floor? Start working on the second? Or level up a few times?¡± The constantly growing ecosystem is providing me with quite the increase in mana regen and with the mana I got from the dead monsters I should be able to level up by the end of the day. Not too long of a wait, ¡°But the fight got me all excited now and I really want to start preparing for the next one¡­¡± __________________ ¡°A fighter.¡± ¡°No,¡± Jason said to his friend Ben over the phone. ¡°A Fighter?¡± ¡°Better, but still no. I know they sound similar but one is just a word while the other is like a proclamation to the world. I¡¯m not just a fighter, I¡¯m a [Fighter]!¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I don¡¯t know dude. I hear ya but I really don¡¯t get it. What you¡¯re telling me sounds exactly like a dungeon and there''s no way those are real.¡± ¡°Dude, tomorrow you come with me and see for yourself. Kapish?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know man. Sounds dangerous. Maybe you should tell someone about it?¡± ¡°No! Not yet. If any adults find out they¡¯ll go ballistic over it and I¡¯ll never get a chance to go there again. If its a dungeon, like you think it is, than doesn¡¯t that mean that in the end of it there should be t..¡± ¡°Treasure!¡± Ben interrupts, ¡°I¡¯m in. When and where?¡± ¡°Dude¡­ how can money excite you more than superpowers?¡± ¡°Dude, money is a superpower.¡± ¡°Whatever¡­¡± Jason sighs, ¡°We¡¯re not going there again. Tomorrow after my appointment I¡¯ll ask dad to pick you up and we can go. Be ready. Armor, snacks, the whole shabang.¡± ¡°Ughh¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to get a Switch?¡± ¡°Argh¡­ fuck it. Yeah. Adventure and treasure and shit. I gotta go, see ya tomorrow.¡± ¡°See ya,¡± he said but the line was already cut. Jason put the phone back in its place, made himself a sandwich and grabbed a can of Pringles before going to his room and crashed into his bed. Without looking he searched for his backpack on the floor and pulled it closer to the bed with his leg. There was a water bottle and the other half of his Twix bar inside. Now, with everything he needed at arms reach he rested, eating before trying to fall asleep quickly so he can hear the voice again. A voice that will hopefully tell him he leveled up. A few hours later he wakes up from his afternoon nap, disappointed he didn¡¯t level or at least got a skill, he gets up to take a shower. His father should be home in a few hours with dinner. Enough time for him to search online everything he needs. He plans to read a little about mushrooms as they clearly play a big role in the dungeon. A few videos on climbing and swinging, specifically tips on how to use his legs properly in both. Some cave exploration for beginners and if he has some time maybe look up gear he can use. ¡°A sturdy pair of gloves that won¡¯t limit movement will be great,¡± he says to himself while wincing from the burning the soap brought to the multitude of cuts and scrapes on his limbs. The worst one is still the monster bite but its healing much faster than expected, ¡°Must be [Basic Constitution] doing its thing,¡± he smiled as he applied a new bandage to the bite mark. If it keeps healing at this rate, in a day or two only a scar will be left. _______________________ Restraining myself wasn¡¯t an easy thing to do, but the promise of future rewards, specifically the access to more mana for playing around with, gave me the power to delay immediate satisfaction. The first floor will have to wait for now as increasing my mana pool and protecting my heart come first. Luckily both can be achieved by creating a second floor. Since the growing ecosystem of my dungeon provides me with an ever increasing mana regeneration rate, I decide that taking it to the next level is my best option. ¡°And since I conveniently have a forest over me, I¡¯m gonna work smart instead of hard.¡± Moving earth costs less mana than shaping it, so what I do is take an entire area of forest around my previously dead tree, in a radius of three meters, and simply lower all of it to a depth of sixty meters. As I move it down I shape the earth to create an empty space around the small grove. The result is a cylinder, 40 meters high with a 30 meters squared base. This way I get everything I need in one expenditure of mana. A huge variety of flora without doing any work or spending a single dungeon point. An empty space around my main tree for it to expand to, and a new floor to play around with. ¡°Not a bad deal for only a few minutes of work,¡± I pat myself on the back as I look at the result. My next order of business is to populate the second floor with something bigger than bugs, mice or lizards. ¡°And why spend anything on it when I can get it for free as well?¡± I ask rhetorically and send mice to locate a target, which they find an hour or two later. A red-fox, smaller than the one that tried to eat my mouse a while back, is moving through my territory on its hunt. It looks dangerously cute and fluffy too boot, a fine first addition to my second floor. So I concentrate and lower the earth beneath him. The sly fox doesn¡¯t fall though. He somehow senses what I am about to do a few seconds before the ground disappears under his paws, giving himself enough time to jump away. Undeterred, I attempt the same method with a bigger and bigger chunk of ground each time, eventually realizing that this method is not going to work. Somewhat disappointed things weren¡¯t as easy as I hoped they would be I reconsider my options and send my monsters to hunt outside. My territory has grown considerably since I first stepped outside and even if I send all my monsters out at the same time they will have more than enough space to run around. However, since I can¡¯t leave my dungeon undefended that isn¡¯t happening. What I do instead is send about thirty of them to hunt together. They will work in large groups and using mice as bait they will attack the target, all at the same time, while it is busy eating the bait. Once the animal is immobilized I can drag it down into my dungeon and kill it there. Thus easily adding it to my bestiary. ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate I can¡¯t use this trick outside my dungeons territory, but thankfully my monster worm already increased my territory by a considerable size.¡± The spiral originating from the tree over my dungeon as its center is steadily expanding outwards, at a rate the normal earthworms are struggling to keep up with and from time to time I have to help with making small connecting tunnels between the spiral loops and the outside. The monster worm has also grown considerably over the past few days. Some of it naturally but mostly due to me pumping leftover mana into it. Rarely more than one or two points at a time, but over time it accumulated enough to almost double the worm''s length. Not only did it gain a nice increase in digging speed, but also gained an ability to eat through tree roots. This was a great boon for the expansion of my territory as now the monster worm no longer needs to dig around the neverending number of tree roots it encountered. ¡°I wonder what large game I¡¯ll meet once my territory gets big enough.¡± A forest makes me think of bears and wolves but it will all depend on the location. ¡°Not like I can take down something that big with my current force, if the fight with the hunter was any indication. For that, I¡¯ll be using the monster versions of whatever mammals I manage to hunt. But not today¡­¡± The sun set and I recalled my monsters back to safety. I¡¯ll try again tomorrow but for now I have a nice surprise waiting for me. Something small that woke up once it was nighttime outside. A small, currently panicking, squirrel. It was adorable. Large eyes and a bushy tail, it climbed up and down the tree it lived in. Scared and shivering because of the impenetrable darkness of the underground. I took pity on the poor thing and quickly grew a huge flat mushroom on the ceiling of the second floor. As I poured mana into the growing mushroom I concentrated on the aspect of brightness, willing the mushroom to glow brighter than any other mushroom in my dungeon so far. The image of the bright sun, high in the sky, illuminating every nook and cranny and leaving no shadows was what I tried to imbue it with. The [Conscious Growth] skill kicked in and the image solidified in my awareness, shaping the mana that flowed from me into the mushroom. It was a slow process, my mana pool regenerating almost as quickly as it was being emptied. I had to stop only due to space restraints, easily continuing to encourage the growth of the mushroom if it didn¡¯t already occupy the whole ceiling area. A monstrous thirty meter squared, flat-capped mushroom that was rapidly increasing in brightness. Glowing bright in a color that kept alternating between bright yellow and light green, it made the floor look like it was in the late hours of a cloud cast day or a very early winter morning. The green that dominated from time to time added an eerie alien mood to the floor. ¡°It is a far cry from the sun I imagined it to be and it barely radiates any heat, but the small squirrel seems to be somewhat okay with it so it¡¯s all good.¡± A doubt passes through my mind on how exactly will the trees and plants survive without any sunlight but after feeling around and already finding a weak mana connection to all of them, the doubt goes away and my attention jumps to the no longer dead tree that marks the entrance to the dungeon. The connection between us has grown significantly and is now strong enough for me to actively push mana into. The tree has come back to life from its passive feeding on the ambient mana of my dungeon and I think it''s time we made our relationship official. ¡°But first, some new friends,¡± I rub my metaphysical hands as I send my monsters outside again. Apparently, while I was busy with the second floors light source, nighttime was over and the sun was appearing over the horizon. ___________________ ¡°Sorry for that,¡± said Jason''s father as he returned to the doctor''s office after answering a call. ¡°No worries Mr.Hunt, Jason and I were just catching up,¡± Dr.Najeeb said with a smile, ¡°He says he never felt better and I have to agree with him. His lungs sound great but I¡¯ve taken some blood to check his IgE levels and we¡¯ll do a spirometry just in case. For now though I don¡¯t see any reason to stop him from playing sports. Congratulation on making the team again, Jason.¡± ¡°Thank you. And you said that¡± ¡°Mind stepping outside for a moment Jason?¡± his father orders, saying nothing more and simply looking at Jason until he stepped out of the office. ¡°Arghh,¡± he kicks the wall in anger. He wonders what will happen if he uses his skill to do that and his imagination makes him smile. This makes him relax and he sits down on one of the chairs to wait for his father to finish with another attempt at stopping him from playing on the team. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter though. It didn¡¯t work with the coach and it won¡¯t work now,¡± he continues to grin. The medical check up went great. Dr.Najeeb told him that almost half of those with childhood-onset asthma eventually ¡®outgrow¡¯ the disease and that hopefully, Jason was one of those lucky people. But Jason knew the real reason and that made the whole appointment more sufferable than normal. He was busy attempting the obstacle course in his mind, replaying his attempt over and over. His leg was restless, jumping up and down on the floor as his anticipation kept growing. Thanks to Google and Youtube he now felt much more prepared for his next dungeon run. What he wasn¡¯t prepared for were his father''s words after they said farewell to the doctor. ¡°Sam, I mean Mr.Locklear called,¡± he said, as a matter of fact, causing Jason¡¯s heart to skip a beat and his palms to start sweating. ¡°Said he met you in the forest and wants to invite us for celebration.¡± Chapter 10 ¡°Finally!¡± I rush to lower the ground under a bleeding red fox. It managed to kill seven of my arrowheads before my monsters finally succeeded in bringing it down. Fighting like a beast twice its size it was just about to escape when Sally pounced on its back and held him down long enough for Miki to catch up and pin him to the ground in a collective effort. Once down in the second floor, it was killed as quickly and painlessly as I could manage, adding him to my bestiary. The second addition of the day, with the first being a cool looking porcupine, ¡°One I found climbing a tree of all places¡­¡± I quickly create two foxes for the cost of eighty mana each, twenty more than what a porcupine costs. I then order the foxes and two porcupines not to attack each other while they roam the second floor and return to waiting. Animals reproduce and grow quickly inside my dungeon but it still takes time. Monsters increase their numbers much faster than the regular animals and in my opinion it¡¯s because of their affinity to mana. However, creating even a simple monster variant of the cheaper porcupine costs a whopping 500mp. Not so bad as once I have a few they can grow in number by themselves but the initial expenditure is too high for my tastes right now. ¡°Right now I rather level up a few more times.¡± Before capturing the porcupine my level rose to seven, increasing my mana pool to 2500 but not rewarding me with any skills. It will take me another day to regenerate enough to fill my mana pool and level up to eight but that¡¯s what I¡¯m waiting for right now. The wait is much more bearable now that my dungeon has grown and even has a second floor. Entertainment is everywhere with all the creatures I can follow and share my senses with, the most interesting one of them all right now is, surprisingly, the small squirrel that got added to my dungeon by accident. His interest to me is not only how adorable it is, but in that he turned out to be more than just a simple squirrel, ¡°No, the little bugger can fly!¡± Or more specifically glide pretty well, but still, sharing his senses as he zips from one tree to the next is a rush I can¡¯t get enough off. Already, I have plans on how to turn him into an aerial threat not to be taken lightly. The result will most likely lack the flying capabilities of a real bird, but it should more than makeup for it with its ability to maneuver through the dense forest I intend to make the second floor into. ¡°Plus, I still didn¡¯t manage to get my hands on any birds¡­¡± That will change once the monster versions of my porcupines join the hunting group outside my dungeon but for now I postpone thinking about any of that as I¡¯m enjoying the sensation of mock flying while I wait for my mana pool to fill up. _________________________________ ¡°We¡¯re out of meat, dear.¡± ¡°Blasphemy!¡± exaggerates Mr.Locklear in response to his wife''s claim, ¡°No such thing can happen under my roof,¡± he proclaims and jokingly slams his nearly empty beer bottle on the wooden table. ¡°Than you must tell me where it is you live, dear. Because I just came from the kitchen and the fridge is empty,¡± she answers her husband calmly and passes him another beer, ¡°So I¡¯ll need you to get your butt down into the cellar and bring out some of your older catches,¡± she orders her man with a peck on his balding head. ¡°Ahha, I knew there¡¯s meat here after all,¡± he stands up proudly, ¡°Jonathan!¡± he gives a shout to Jason''s father, ¡°Any preferences?¡± ¡°What¡¯s your freshest?¡± ¡°Venison it is,¡± he empties his bottle and grabs the new one his wife put on the table for him. ¡°Care to give me a hand, Jason? He was a big one. Spent three days tracking him down,¡± he says, already moving away from the patio and towards the cellars entrance. Jason dropped his burger and rushed after the jolly man. He was anxious to come to the barbeque, not knowing what to expect once everyone met. Jason didn¡¯t think Mr.Locklear would cause him trouble on purpose, but being his father''s good friend and a father to two daughters himself, the dungeon might become off-limits under the excuse of keeping Jason safe. He relaxed somewhat when nothing happened immediately and the smell of cooked meat reached his nostrils. By the time he was busy devouring his second burger he had completely forgotten about the whole situation and was having a good time chatting with Hanna and his brother. So when he was called to help he jumped up without thinking. It was only when they rounded the corner of the house and everyone''s marry voices were cut off that he realized what has happened. He was alone with the cause of his worries. Which made his nervousness return full force, making him miss a step and trip forward barely catching himself in time. ¡°Careful there Jason. Can¡¯t be tripping on flat ground. Do that on a hunt and you¡¯ll scare all the animals away, or worse, you might fall into a field of mushrooms.¡± Jason froze, staring at Mr.Locklear''s¡¯ back with the urge to run away and bury himself somewhere no one can find. ¡°Relax will ya,¡± he says, taking another mouthful of beer, ¡°That place is your catch, so to speak, and I have no intention of bothering you on your hunt.¡± He stops before the cellar door and chugs down the rest of the bottle before opening the heavy doors and stepping in. ¡°However, that place is quite something,¡± he says while Jason follows him into the cold, dark room, ¡°I always considered myself a hunter, but now I¡¯m officially a [Hunter]. Class came with skills to boot. Ahh there it is,¡± he holds the lid of one of the many fridges open and begins to remove large pieces of meat and placing them in Jason''s hands. ¡°As such, with the excuse of keeping you safe but mainly because I¡¯m interested, I ask that you don¡¯t go there without me. Is that okay with you Jason?¡± he asks with a tone that makes it clear that he is genuine.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Do you promise not to tell anyone else?¡± Jason asks, staggering slightly under the weight of the meat. ¡°You have my word.¡± ¡°I also told Ben he can come.¡± ¡°Ben as in Benjamin? Tyron''s son?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I see. Well, it''s your hunt so you can do whatever you want. But if you¡¯re bringing in people would you consider having Hanna come along?¡± ¡°Of course she can.¡± Jason would never admit it but he had a small crush on Hannah. Even though she was a few years older than him. ¡°Glad to hear that,¡± the large man smiles as he grabs a large box with ease, ¡°Let''s hurry back before Joseline gets angry at me, shall we? We can talk about our hunt later.¡± _________________
Congratulations! You have reached level eight. Next level up at 5000 mana. +15 dungeon points
Two more animals were hunted down and added to my dungeon, a Snowshoe hare and an adorable ermine. Both cost forty mana to create even though the ermine is about half the size of the hare. I¡¯m starting to think that predators cost more mana to create, ¡°Which is something I might be able to take advantage of.¡± Monsters made from herbivores should cost less than their carnivorous counterparts, yet both can be similarly dangerous. The hare is a wonderful addition to my growing forest ecosystem while the ermine I currently let roam the first floor. ¡°Later I¡¯ll add it to the second floor but for now, with all the bugs and mice inhabiting it, they will have more food on the first floor while the hare acts as food for the foxes of the second floor.¡± I also created another monster for the first floor. A mix between a mushroom and an earthworm that will hopefully present a fun challenge for the boy when he comes back. ¡°If he comes back¡­¡± With each passing day I¡¯m more and more concerned that he will never show up again. I mean I hope he will. No, I know he will. He¡¯s a young boy and I represent adventure but I still can¡¯t help but have doubts. ¡°I wish he¡¯d come back already,¡± I sigh and look for something to do to occupy my mind. There¡¯s only one more thing left in my current plans for the first floor. Most likely there will be changes to it in the future but once I¡¯m done with the last addition I¡¯ll start focusing on the second floor, ¡°And maybe even start planning the third.¡± I have a few ideas floating around on what to do with it but I see no reason to settle on one, at least not until I get visitors to my second floor and see their reaction to it. Though for that to happen I first need to figure out how I connect the two floors. A staircase is the simplest method but I already have one at the entrance to the dungeon and I don¡¯t want to repeat myself so early. ¡°Biggest problem is how do I make something that is both easy to go down and up with? People need a way to leave the dungeon from the second floor after all.¡± An elevator would be cool but a little impractical as it would mean having to traverse the first floor again to leave. ¡°Not a problem currently, as there aren¡¯t many visitors but once there¡¯s more they¡¯ll start blocking each other.¡± No, I need a way for them to exit the dungeon directly from the second floor and this means making another exit. And if I¡¯m making another exit anyways than I can separate the way down and the way up. ¡°Yes!¡± an idea hits me and I¡¯m excited to start working on it. So I check my mana, pick a good spot and hollow out a tube through the earth. A tube that starts at the end of the first floor, the place where the currently empty boss room is located, and opens up thirty meters down into a small room adjacent to the second floor. The small room will act as a safe space where people can rest up before deciding if they want to attempt the second floor or leave the dungeon. The tube will act as a slip n¡¯ slide. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t like slip n¡¯ slides?¡± I think giddily as I imagine the joyful screams of people going down in it. ¡°For an exit, I can use the elevator idea.¡± A small hollowed-out space, big enough to fit a few adults at the same time, one that I can move up and down with ease. It will cost some mana to operate but as a temporary solution, it will work. The people leaving the dungeon will be brought up in a different location than the tree and this way there won¡¯t be any clogging up the lines. ¡°Because I just know that one day everyone will want to come here and then there¡¯ll be lines of visitors waiting for adventure.¡± My last order of business is to make an elaborate doorway that separates the safe room from the second floor. I also add some mushrooms on the ceiling for light and benches made of earth on the surrounding wall. In the middle of the small five by three-room, a garden. Made thanks to a cheap perk called {Randomizer} to the [Splicer] skill. It gives me the option to choose the materials I want and randomly splice them together. The results are nothing too impressive but a few extra bizarre mushrooms, a bunch of weird flowers and a few deliberate changes and the outcome is quite eye catching. To finish the small garden I concentrate some mana around the plot of land and gasp as they explode in size and number. ¡°Eventually it¡¯ll be great if I could make the flowers have some healing effects or be edible.¡± I alter a few fireflies, making them bigger and able to glow in various colors and set them flying around the room and feeding on the flowers. The room is transformed from a bare waiting room into a small wonderland that I feel people would love to relax in. ¡°I¡¯d love to add a source for freshwater and something for people to eat but not now.¡± Now I go into the dungeon shop and buy a simple animal. It¡¯s quite big but doesn¡¯t cost a lot. ¡°Probably because it''s made almost entirely out of water.¡± Water which I replace with air using the [Splicer] skill. While the skill keeps amazing me with how easy and intuitive it is the initial result is not what I wanted, so I get back into the interface and keep experimenting. The result gets thinner and lighter, with less tentacles to weigh it down, yet the damn thing refuses to do what I envisioned it too. I give it a few more tries before deciding not to waste any more mana on experimenting. Instead, my mana is channeled through my connection with the tree next to my entrance. More and more mana flows through the roots and in return they seem to grow and twist as they try to suck more and more of the mana. In my mind I hold an image of beacon, signaling the world that I am here. That I am friendly. That I am magical, and most importantly that everyone is welcome. The tree responds slowly, taking its time as if contemplating on my meaning. Eventually it starts to change, growing not in height as I expected it too but in width. Leaves open up and new buds appear, multiplying in number until they are so dense it becomes impossible to see between them. Once it is almost three-meter in diameter it slows down its growth and a different change happens. Its bark starts to move, shaping itself to form an opening on one side. The opening stretches and contorts until it becomes wide enough for a person to enter through. As I pour more of my mana into our shared connection nothing happens. More and more mana leaves me, taking with it my meaning and hope for what the tree might one day represent but nothing else changes. Until with the last few points, the tree shakes and several small fruit pop out on its branches. They look not much bigger than a walnut and clearly unripe but I¡¯m out of mana so they¡¯ll have to mature at a normal rate until next time. Right now I need to wait for some mana to regenerate so I can make use of the new entrance. Chapter 11 ¡°What took so long?!¡± Jason whispered to Ben as they walked behind the father and daughter pair. ¡°Mom gave me another lecture¡­ I swear dude, this place better be as awesome as you say it is or I¡¯ll kick your ass.¡± ¡°It is. Your following will at least double.¡± Ben smiles and laughs, ¡°Yeah, I hope to get more than twenty people though. If I¡¯m risking my life and all I want at least a million.¡± He takes his smartphone out of his pocket and turns on the camera app, ¡°So where are those mushroom you talked about?¡± ¡°Couple of minutes walk ahead,¡± Jason answers, slightly lifting his voice as Ben has already rushed ahead to find his target. ¡°A million of what?¡± Hannah asks, making Jason panic and look at his feet. ¡°Instagram and Youtube subscribers,¡± Jason blurts out and runs away blushing to follow Ben. When everyone reaches the edge of the dungeon''s territory, marked clearly by the sudden change from green, grey and brown of the normal forest to the multicolored stained glass look of the dungeon''s territory. ¡°Wait till you see the first floor,¡± Jason said proudly when he heard Hannah gasp at the sight. ¡°Its grown, again,¡± Locklear remarks as he steps over a patch of bright blue colored mushrooms that wasn''t here the last time he came. A few steps into the dungeon''s territory he freezes in place. Everyone followed his example and stepped together, only to freeze in place as well. ¡°What is that?¡± Ben asks. ¡°Don¡¯t know¡± Jason answers. ¡°It feels like there''s something touching my skin,¡± Hannah says as she waves her hand slowly through the air, ¡°Feels kinda good.¡± ¡°It does,¡± her father echoes, ¡°And that''s what alarms me,¡± he continues walking and the other three follow behind him. ¡°How many photos you gonna take?¡± Hannah asks when Ben keeps stopping to take photos of interesting mushrooms before running to catch back up to us. ¡°As many as it takes. I¡¯ve got sixty-four gigs in this baby and I¡¯m not afraid to use them.¡± ¡°He¡¯s trying to become big on social media,¡± Jason says, eager to start a conversation with his crush now that he took some time to gather his courage. ¡°Most important skill to know nowadays,¡± Ben continues proudly, ¡°And hopefully,¡± he stops and brings his hands to his chest in prayer, ¡°My future V-log, praise be to PDP, can use this material,¡± with a quick ¡®amen¡¯ he goes back to looking for interesting mushrooms. ¡°Don¡¯t ask,¡± Jason whispers to Hanna who smiles while her father voices his disapproval of the modern world. ¡°How do I find you online?¡± she asks but her father interrupts before Ben has a chance to answer. ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t young lady,¡± he glares at her, ¡°You don¡¯t have time for this nonsense if you¡¯re still planning on becoming a doctor.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Daddy you know I work hard,¡± she retorts joyfully, ¡±but I still need to relax sometimes you know,¡± she adds while flashing her father a big smile. Mr.Locklear raises an eyebrow at that but doesn¡¯t respond. The look he gives Ben, however, makes it clear that he should stay quiet. ¡°Tell him to DM me later,¡± she whispers to Jason who blushes from the close contact and just nods his head. She continues walking next to him in silence. He desperately wants to say something but can¡¯t think of where to start. The silence drags on and suddenly even the topics he thought might have been good seem terrible. Frustrated and embarrassed he runs forward again to stand by the [Hunter]. ¡°Do you think it changed again?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know Jason. I hope that it hasn''t¡¯ but we know what it can do in less than an hour, so a few days might mean it won¡¯t even be recognizable anymore.¡± Ben passes everyone when he sees something interesting in the distance. ¡°Cool,¡± his words travel through the silent forest. When everyone comes to look at what he saw Jason and Hannah repeat Ben¡¯s words while Locklear frowns. The once dead tree is unrecognizable, changed so much that if it didn¡¯t look so impressive they would have kept looking for the old entrance. Jason puts a hand on the light brown bark and closes his eyes. Strangely the tree is warm, and there''s a weird pulsating hum coming from it. Jason stands there, heart rate slowly matching the rhythmic pulsation of the tree. Ben walks circles around the tree, phone in hand and trying to make sure he doesn¡¯t miss any angle. Hannah has both of her hands held out to the side and slightly in front of her, moving them as if she¡¯s conducting a symphony none of the others can hear. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± her father breaks the magical moment by trying to squeeze himself through the opening in the tree only to stop himself from falling forward when the opening suddenly widens to match his proportions. They follow him quickly down the stairs with Ben straggling behind everyone, hoping to record a video of the tree moving again but to no avail. ¡°Fuck me¡­¡± Ben says once he catches up to the rest of his party and gets a slap on the back of his head from their adult supervisor. All four are standing on the small platform that overlooks a sea of mushrooms. Jason has his mouth wide open even though it¡¯s not the first time he¡¯s seeing the bioluminescent light show. The expression is mimicked on Ben and Hannah. Ben is so astonished he forgets to take photos, phone slipping slowly from his grip as his wide eyes scan the room slowly. Locklear''s face stays expressionless while his eyes analyze the room for threats. Hannah is the first to recover, stepping forward and going down the stairs that let her go down from the platform to the mushrooms with ease. She is grabbed by her father, ¡°Not so fast,¡± he says and hands her one of his bags. Inside are four pairs of thick rubber waders and he tells her to put on two of them. He does the same before taking a step into the mushroom sea and walking a few steps, leaving a parted path behind him. He¡¯s looking for something and when Hannah tries to join him he stops her with a raised finger. Minutes pass before something happens. It¡¯s hard to notice at first but stepping closer and listening carefully they hear what sounds like something hitting the thick rubber boots Locklear is wearing. This continues for some time before suddenly stopping. Only then does Locklear signal to his daughter that she can come in. The two of them make their way forward slowly while Jason and Ben follow by jumping through the giant mushroom path. A path that weaves through the first floor, forcing them to move from one wall to the other instead of heading in a straight line. Annoying, but as walking through the mushrooms doesn¡¯t seem to be easy, they manage to keep pace with the father-daughter pair. Something hits Hannah''s leg and her arm lifts a harpoon/spear given to her by her father. She joins her father''s hunts from time to time and is quite athletic so the weapon is not just for show when in her hands. With one foot she parts the mushrooms looking for what hit her. Target acquired she prepares to stab the lizard that is batting its head against her thick rubber boots. Locklear stops his daughter at the last second. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± he orders, ¡°They can''t harm us for now so unless you plan on eating that, lower your hand.¡± Hannah does what she is told without a word, Ben, however, decides to protest. ¡°Mr.Locklear, you do know this is a dungeon right?¡± he says. ¡°Jason mentioned it to me¡±. ¡°Well, the thing with dungeons is that you''re supposed to kill any monsters you encounter. It¡¯s part of the game.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°You can¡¯t level up otherwise,¡± Jason adds. ¡°Well,¡± said the recently leveled up [Hunter], ¡°This isn¡¯t a game so things might work differently.¡± ¡°Yeah, but if something tries to kill us, we can kill it back right?¡± ¡°Survival comes first,¡± Locklear says in a deadpan tone and treads forward. ¡°What''s the difference than? Even if it''s too weak to kill us it''s still a dungeon monster.¡± ¡°There''s no such thing as monsters. These are animals, they are part of this ecosystem and killing them might upset the balance.¡± Both boys stop and stare at Locklear''s large back, ¡°They have knives for a head!¡± ¡°And praying mantises have them on their hands. They also eat each other when they mate. Nature works in mysterious ways and just because they look dangerous doesn¡¯t make them monsters.¡± There''s a pause where both boys concentrate on making a further leap than the ones they had to do so far. The mushroom they landed on is different than the previous ones and all the following mushrooms look similar to it. No longer large round caps but elongated ones. Becoming more and more elongated until they look like balancing beams more than mushrooms. The boys have a bit of a hard time traversing them at first so the conversation dies out. The balancing act is made more difficult by long mushrooms that grow from the ceiling and reach down. To move forward the party has to move them out of the way. Eventually, the boys find their balance and can move more confidently. It''s then when the first attack happens. ¡°Watch out!¡± Hannah yells. A few of the hanging mushroom vines that surround them come alive and grab at their bodies. The vines have teeth and are spitting slime, trying to wrap themselves around their hands and making them lose their footing. Jason swings his bat around but there are too many mushrooms hanging around him, preventing him from putting any force into his swing or even hitting the thing wrapped around his arm. Ben fares better, using his kitchen knife to stab at the mushroom wrapped around his foot. The blade cuts deep and with glowing green goo flowing from the wound, the monster unwraps itself and hangs lifelessly from the ceiling. Jason manages to make an overhead bash on his enemy, causing enough damage for the thing to let go of him. His, however, contracts and lifts itself to the ceiling, screeching in pain and hissing at him once out of reach. Panting and heart racing the boys turn to each other and after sharing a wide eyed look of shock they yell ¡°Yeah!¡± and ¡°Alright!¡± trying to high five each other but lose their balance and Ben falls down. ¡°Up you go,¡± Locklear lifts the giggling boy out of the mushroom field. ¡°Animals or not I¡¯m killing those things,¡± Ben says once his back up. ¡°They are nasty,¡± Locklear uses his machete to examine the slime dripping dead monster, ¡°I¡¯d still rather you don¡¯t though,¡± he says uncertainly while looking at the round mouth full of small jagged teeth, ¡°We can check which ones are real mushrooms and which are the hidden threats.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t,¡± answers Hannah with disgust in her voice. Everyone looks at her as she¡¯s trying to get rid of green goo that splattered all over her, ¡°I tried to hit one of them, nothing happened at first so I hit harder and it exploded into this,¡± she was waving her hands around trying to fling the sticky substance off of her. ¡°And it won¡¯t help to check each one either, ughh gross,¡± she wipes her cheek on the bottom of her shirt which was covered by the waders and was kept clean, ¡°The worm monsters won¡¯t break cover when you touch them. The boys pushed them away when they walked by them, nothing happened until they passed the things, only to be attacked from behind. They aren¡¯t stupid.¡± ¡°They are,¡± Jason says, ¡°It¡¯s just how they were created. They were put here for a reason.¡± ¡°Explain yourself,¡± Locklear demands. ¡°I think I get ya,¡± Ben answers instead of Jason, ¡°You said the first time you came here the place felt like an obstacle course, right?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°So these,¡± he motions with his hand to indicate the hanging mushrooms, ¡°Were put here to make things interesting for us. Otherwise, Jason and I would jump to the end, and as cool as this place looks I doubt I¡¯d return. Unless my following grows thanks to it,¡± he says while looking ahead with longing. ¡°Or there was some crazy treasure in the end,¡± Jason says Ben¡¯s unspoken thought. ¡°Exactly,¡± he smiles a wide smile and jumps to another elongated mushroom before taking out his phone to take some photos. ¡°So you think that these were created with the intention of testing us?¡± ¡°Not testing, there''s a better word for this,¡± Jason says, ¡°Uhm¡­ like a test is something that tests what you know right? This is supposed to help us improve as well, so... hmm...¡± ¡°A challenge,¡± Hannah comes to the rescue. ¡°Yeah, thanks,¡± Jason blushes but continues, ¡°We¡¯re supposed to overcome this together and become stronger through it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s why dungeon floors get harder and harder with each floor,¡± Ben explains while dangling his phone off over the top of the glowing mushrooms underneath him, trying to get a good close up shot, ¡°If all the floors are of the same difficulty nobody would want to play the game¡­¡± Moving forward and stating that this isn¡¯t a game Locklear makes them walk in a tight formation, covering each other''s back. He walks behind everyone, ready to jump in and help if anything happens. After every time they are attacked he also takes a moment to comment on how they can improve their handling of their weapons. He tries to convince Ben not to kill the animals and just stun them so they coil back up to the ceiling like springs, but with no success. Hannah does listen to him, although from time to time her targets end up hanging dead from the ceiling. Jason can¡¯t help but wonder if she¡¯s killing them on purpose and is just making them look like an accident but since it¡¯s never clear he stays quiet. When they finally reach the end of the hanging threats they are stopped by a sudden drop in the floor, a cliff they need to climb down or go back the way they came from. Looking down they see shelves made of mushrooms and small platforms of earth on the wall, just the right size for the boys to jump down. So without a care in the world, the boys drop off the cliff to the first platform. Their landing sends a dozen insects flying everywhere, lifting off of the humongous flowers they were sitting on and fly to the flowers covering the wall on the other side. A few small glowing lizards and snakes hurry away from the shaking created by the boy''s weight. Locklear hangs from the edge and tries to put some of his weight on the giant mushrooms but the thing goes limp under him. Struggling to regain his balance his foot finds a glowing notch in the wall and he begins to climb down carefully with Hannah after him. Jason rushes down while Ben waits for the other two party members climbing down using the holds in the wall. His phone is in his hands and he¡¯s taking photos of everything while the father and daughter struggle to descend. Luckily for them, there is a small space in the middle of the cliff where they can sit and catch their breath. Jason is already sitting there, relaxing with a snack in hand. The others take out their water bottles and some snacks and soon Ben joins them with a smile. ¡°Selfie time!¡± he lifts his phone over his head and does a peace sign. Jason sticks his tongue out, Hannah flashes a practiced smile with a slight head tilt while her father just looks in the direction of the camera and grunts. ¡°Nice,¡± Ben says as he checks to see the result before dropping his backpack and sitting down with the rest of the party, joining them in looking at the magical garden growing on the wall in front of them. Hundreds of flowers, in all shapes and sizes, are growing from the wall itself or out of small shelves of dirt, a few are even growing on top of mushrooms. Some are glowing while others are moving gently as if by a nonexistent wind, but it seems like all of them are releasing scents into the air. A sweet scent that is almost intoxicating. One that causes various bugs to buzz around the flowers and Hannah to pick a few small ones and place in her braid. With the glow of the bioluminescent mushrooms illuminating her from all directions she seems almost like a fairy, making Jason struggle not to stare. Ben doesn¡¯t seem to share his friends'' shyness and simply flips his camera on and says ¡°Look here,¡± before taking a photo. ¡°Show me,¡± she says and leans over Jason to look at the phone screen, ¡°Can you do a few more and send me please?¡± she asks, oblivious to the crimson faced boy next to her. ¡°Sure, but I¡¯m posting one of them on my page as well.¡± ¡°Deal,¡± she says and poses for the camera while Jason munches on his Snickers bar to look busy. ¡°No deal,¡± Locklear voices his opinion, ¡°You know what I think about you posting photos of yourself online.¡± ¡°Relax Dad,¡± she counters, adding an eye roll that her father can¡¯t see, ¡°I¡¯m just gonna use it as a new profile pic,¡± she turns to him with a smile. ¡±I¡¯m not talking to you sweetie, I¡¯m just explaining things to Ben,¡± he smiles back at his daughter, ¡°Understood?¡± and glares at Ben, ¡°You can upload any photo you want as long as none of us are it.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Ben lowers his head. ¡°And don¡¯t think I won¡¯t find out if you do, boy,¡± he says with a gruff voice and stands up to continue the descent. ¡°Wait until this place isn¡¯t a secret anymore, okay?¡± he ruffles Ben¡¯s hair. ¡°Okay,¡± Ben smiles and jumps down to the next platform with Jason on his heels. They reach the bottom first and as they jump down from the last platform, instead of hitting solid ground they are catapulted back up, almost reaching the platform they jumped off from. ¡°It¡¯s a trampoline mushroom!¡± they yell and continue to bounce up and down with joy. The next few minutes were filled with laughter and high pitched noises as the kids bounced up and down. Climbing the platforms they dived from as high as their courage allowed them to jump from, going one platform higher after each successful jump. Removing their skateboard helmets and throwing away the backpacks the kids did what kids tend to do, forgetting all their fears and doubts while having fun. Even though they were in the middle of a dungeon. Places that they knew were dangerous and deadly, filled with traps and monsters. Places it was not the best idea to ignore their surroundings and play while the adults were away. Because all the noise and excitement could be heard everywhere on the first floor, and while most inhabitants were scared away by it, some weren¡¯t so skittish. Locklear asked them to stop. To sit down on one of the platforms and wait until he came down before they continue, that he¡¯ll give them as much time as they want to jump around, but the kids didn¡¯t listen. They didn¡¯t care, they were having too much fun. Maybe if they spared a glance they would have understood that the hunters'' words were wise. That this was a dungeon. A dangerous and sometimes deadly place full of traps and monsters. Monsters that fear nothing while protecting the one who created them and the place they consider their home. Ones who are attracted to noise, and in this case to the jumping. With one such monster already looking at them from the shadows, observing how they fly high into the air and land lightly only to shoot back into the air again. With the duo distracted and screaming loudly, the monster used the opportunity to approach closer. Chapter 12 Attracted by the commotion, Sally creeped closer through the shadows. The two jumping boys fascinated her, she wanted to rip them apart and gorge on their soft hairless skin but she wasn¡¯t allowed to. Sally was bigger than my hares now. A body sixty centimeters long and a tail the same length, on the first floor she was second only to Miki in size. Most of her weight was distributed to the back legs, and her shape was starting to resemble a lean frog. Although with the small dark green scales growing in between her black fur, she was more lizard or snake than a frog. If lizards could jump twice their length that is. Sally, who had developed a liking to eating the lizards and snakes of my dungeon has developed an amazing jumping ability that allowed her to surprise her unsuspecting prey from the shadows. Launching herself with the hind legs and muscular tail at the vital points of her prey. I was worried at first that she would disobey my order and attack the unsuspecting children, but my worries were for naught. After a few moments, she dismissed the children all together, her attention focused on the mushroom they were jumping on. I couldn¡¯t tell what she was thinking but if I had to guess I¡¯d say she was waiting for her turn. I watch as in his haste the man jumps from higher up than he should, thinking that the mushroom will cushion his fall. Something I have no intention of it doing for adults, so when his feet touch the mushroom they don¡¯t find the elasticity that absorbs and returns the momentum like with the kids. Instead of the trampoline he expected to drop on he instead drops to a mushroom that is more akin to a hard mattress. Not the worst thing to fall on when one is expecting it, however, this man clearly wasn¡¯t and when he fell he landed badly. Spraining his ankle and falling face first into the mushroom. The boys stop their playing and rush to him. Later the girl joins them and helps lift the man up. He leans on her and after lecturing the boys, ¡°Without any anger or raising his voice I might add,¡± the party continues onwards at a limping pace. The lower half of the first floor is different than the upper one, here the mushroom sea is absent. Instead, the floor is made of hardened earth from which a few giant mushrooms grow. Mushrooms bigger and taller than the children. There aren''t many of them and they are mainly concentrated next to the walls, caps small and growing in random directions they looked like misshapen street lights with flashlights at the end. Interspersed amongst them are stones, big and heavy that the party will need to push around if they want to move forward. The giant mushrooms grow bright, creating a lattice from shadows cast by the boulders on the floor. Perfectly dark hiding places for my monster mice to attack from. For now, this part of the dungeon isn¡¯t separated by age. It is geared towards challenging the children''s strength, awareness and reaction speed. Once I have more mana I¡¯ll add a challenge for the adults as well. ¡°Thanks to all the mana that is flowing back into me from all the things they are killing and destroying, I might be able to do it after they leave.¡± I watch as the party reaches the field of shadows and hear the man curse for the first time, which makes me smile. Seeing Sally come out of the shadows once the area is clear and climb on the trampoline mushroom, makes my smile grow bigger. When she begins to bounce on it, squealing in excitement I can¡¯t help but laugh.
¡°They are lighter than they look,¡± says Jason as he pushes a boulder bigger than himself with Ben¡¯s help. Locklear is trying to balance on one leg while Hannah stands guard. Twice now they got attacked by giant rats that jumped at them from the shadows, and as they knew there were more of them hiding they were nervous and alert. As the boulder moved the boys gave it a strong push and jumped back quickly, getting ready for the pack of rats that would run at them and try to climb up their legs. These weren¡¯t as scary as the hidden jumping ones since they knew they were there and were prepared. This was the third such wave they had to kill. The first one surprised them enough that Hannah dropped her father in her attempt to fight them off. And on the floor, surrounded by hissing, giant black rats that were aiming to tear flesh with their absurdly sharp teeth, Locklear didn¡¯t hesitate to give the kill order. The second wave was much easier to handle and the third wasn¡¯t bad at all. They came in groups of five to ten, each about the size of a small house cat. They couldn''t jump high but they could climb well and bite through even the thickest parts of their boots. If Locklear was in full health they would be easy pickings, but since he needed Hannah''s help to stand he was useless in a fight unless they attacked him, which by the fourth wave they stopped doing entirely, focusing instead on the other three. This didn¡¯t mean he could allow himself to relax though, although nothing tried to climb him, rats were constantly flying at him. These monsters hid in the shadows and lunged at his upper body from all directions, always at the worst of times. And every time they succeeded in making him stumble and fall a wave of ground rats scurried at him, trying to wound and kill while the target was vulnerable. Slowly, one wave at a time, the party progressed. Scrapes and bites covered their hands and legs and they were sweating and panting heavily. The game of shadows on the floor was forcing them to stay alert and whenever they thought they were safe, a monster would jump out from an unexpected place and scare them. Pushing increasingly heavy boulders had tired everyone to the point where they could hardly lift their hands up anymore, so fighting off the never ending horde of rodents was becoming more and more difficult. It''s in this haggard state that they reached the boss room. A large empty space, dimly illuminated by a few rare mushrooms. With just enough light to see where they step, the party advanced carefully, eyes darting everywhere in search of movement. There were pedestals and shelves on the walls all the way up to the ceiling. Weirdly smooth stalagmites littered the floor, allowing for blind spots from which an attack could come at any moment. Smooth stalactites hung from the ceiling. Long, sharp and threatening to impale anyone who refused to lower his head. The room was silent except for the echo of their footsteps. Walking together they try to cover each other''s back as they wait for an enemy they are sure will come. Tired, so very tired, they try to remain vigilant as more and more time passed with them encountering nothing. Without realizing they reach the end of the floor. No attack happened and instead of calming them down this just increased their anxiety. The slight fear of the unknown growing inside them as they saw a large hole in the wall in front of them. They looked around but there was nowhere else to go. They have reached the end of the floor but there was no boss monster to fight. No treasure to show for their hard earned reward. ¡°This can¡¯t be it?¡± Jason turned to Ben, ¡°That''s not fair!¡± ¡°Maybe we missed something,¡± nerves on edge Ben turns on his phone''s flashlight and the others reach for their phones and flashlights. Using the beams of light they search for something, anything. There had to be something they missed. Ever since Jason told Ben about the dungeon they wondered what they would find. Because if this was a game there had to be a reward of some kind, an item of some sort to represent that they rose up to the challenge and passed the first floor. What kind of self respecting dungeon didn¡¯t offer a reward? Because if there was no reward can you call it a dungeon? And if it wasn¡¯t a dungeon then what was this place? They searched low at first. Thinking that there maybe was a path they missed, so they shone their lights on the floor and wall edge. The only thing they found was the same person sized hole they saw at first, so they continued to search, moving their flashlight higher and higher until they almost reached the ceiling. There they saw the thing they missed. ¡°What the fuck is that?!¡± Hannah whispered loudly and instinctively ducked her head. ¡°Another rat,¡± Jason says in fear.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡±That''s a rat?¡± ¡°It''s as big as you Jason,¡± Locklear''s eyes glint with excitement. The [Hunter] in him just acquired a new target and the exhilaration makes him ignore his daughters'' outburst. ¡°Don¡¯t say that¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if it tries to attack us I¡¯ll take it out,¡± his gun already in hand and aiming towards the black rodent that was looking down at them with blood-red eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t you just shoot it now?¡± Ben whispers. ¡°No. I have no way of carrying it back and I won¡¯t kill it needlessly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s retarded!¡± Ben exclaims. ¡°Just shoot it Dad, please.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have anywhere else to go, if that thing follows us,¡± Jason swallows loudly, unable to finish the sentence. ¡°If it does, and only then, I will. Don¡¯t worry Jason, you¡¯re not the only one who received new skills. If it attacks it will die before it can even get close, you have my promise as a [Hunter].¡± ¡°Than what are we gonna do?¡± Ben asks. ¡°That, I do not know.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to go down the hole,¡± Jason says. ¡°No we won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Yes, we will. You can¡¯t climb up the cliff with your leg, and we don¡¯t have any way of lifting you up even if we did have rope. The hole is the only option.¡± Jason tries to move, looking up at the monstrous rodent staring at them. When it doesn¡¯t do anything he takes a few steps towards the hole. The whole party moves after him and Jason points his flashlight down the dark opening. ¡°It goes down,¡± he says, ¡°Probably to the second floor.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t go down there, you guys said that each floor becomes harder right?¡± her eyes jump from one boy to the other, ¡°Look at how the first floor left us, and now look at that thing up there. Do you really want to descend?¡± ¡°What other choice do we have?¡± Jason asks. ¡°We can leave Dad on the trampoline and one of us can climb out of the dungeon and call for help.¡± ¡°That could work. It will take time for the monsters to respawn,¡± Ben is still whispering, ¡°We should hurry back.¡± ¡°Those things come back? We¡¯ll need to clear them again? No,¡± Hannah suddenly realizes what this means, ¡°We can¡¯t do that. I barely have enough strength to walk. No, this can¡¯t be happening.¡± She looks like she''s about to start crying and it isn¡¯t clear anymore if she¡¯s helping her father stand or simply hugging him for comfort. No, going back will be difficult. Jason looks at the path they came here through, at the monster looming over them and back into the hole. ¡°The dungeon was fair up until now,¡± he says. Looking from Mr.Locklear to Ben and letting his gaze stay on Hannah. He can¡¯t see her face as she¡¯s hiding it in her father''s chest. -She could be crying,- he thinks and looks back down the hole. He remembers all of his encounters with the dungeon, they are fresh in his mind even though almost a week has passed since the first monster he killed by accidentally kicking it. The rat attacked him after he fell on the dungeon. That rodent was much smaller than the ones they had to fight on their way here. The second time he came and the obstacle course waited for him he complained it was boring and the dungeon listened. This time he could actually call what they did a proper dungeon delve, and while it was hard there wasn¡¯t any moment that felt impossible to overcome. No, the dungeon was fair. Jason looked up and locked eyes with the mighty looking protector. He realized that this must be the first floor boss, which made him ask himself why it wasn¡¯t attacking. He looked at his exhausted party members and at the injured man that was still holding one arm up, aiming a pistol at the red eyed monster that was just sitting and looking over them. ¡°Jason,¡± Ben whispers, ¡°Don¡¯t do it. Don¡¯t you dare do it.¡± Jason stepped closer to the hole. They didn¡¯t need to go back he thought, the dungeon was fair. He looked back at Hannah and thought that even if something did happen to him down there at least they¡¯ll know that the only way to save themselves is to go back. They¡¯ll make it back somehow, Jason thought and smiled at Ben. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare,¡± Ben yelled and jumped to grab him but it was too late, he already disappeared out of sight. ¡°Jason!¡± the three rush to the edge and shine their flashlights down the dark tunnel but see nothing but smooth stone. ¡°... a.. Sli... enn... idde,¡± comes his voice from the opening. ¡°Jason,¡± they yell, ¡°Are you hurt?¡± ¡°No,¡± he yells back louder, ¡°Come down. It¡¯s a Slip N¡¯ Slide!¡± ¡°A what?¡± Locklear asks. ¡°A slide, a freaking giant slide,¡± Ben''s yells with excitement and jumps into the hole headfirst. The first few seconds he slides down through darkness, his phone light doing little to fight off the feeling of claustrophobia that is growing by the second inside of him. He¡¯s gaining speed, enough to cause his stomach to form an empty pit for his heart to slide into. It is then that the mushrooms appear. Like bright stars in the dark sky they litter the ceiling of the tunnel he is sliding down in. Flowers follow, weird and elongated, pulsing colored lights like shooting stars. Once he¡¯s speeding down the slide like a bullet the sources of light weave and flow, creating an animation in front of his eyes. He gets a weird feeling that they tell a story but before he can put his finger on what it is about he starts to slow down and shoots into a brightly lit room. He lands on something soft and tries to get up, but blinded from the bright light he stumbles to the side and is caught by something before falling down. ¡°It¡¯s a rest room,¡± Jason laughs, ¡°A freaking restroom.¡± Ben closes his eyes and gives them a good rub. When he opens them he sees a square room, about the size of his bedroom with benches made of stone and chairs made of giant mushrooms next to the walls. In the middle of the floor is a garden. A garden full of the biggest and most beautiful flowers he has seen so far. Amongst them are the unique fungi that look like weird corals of all shapes and colors. Glowing butterflies and fireflies fly around and in between the amazing garden, adding a whimsical nature to the scene. Hannah flies out of the opening in the wall onto a mattress like mushroom that is placed on the floor to soften the crash. She tries to get up and stumbles the same way Ben did but there''s no one to grab her so she falls to her knees. Her father exits onto the mattress mushroom a moment later. The sprayed ankle prevents him from even trying to get up so he just turns his body to face the tunnel he came out of and points the gun in its direction. There''s a moment of utter silence as everyone forgets to breathe as they watch the opening in the wall to see if the monster followed them down. A minute passes before they feel like they can breathe again, letting out the air held in their lungs simultaneously once the [Hunter] lowers his gun. Hannah comes over to help him up while Ben takes out his phone and start documenting the wild garden in the center of the room. ¡°What is this place?¡± Locklear asks. ¡°A rest spot, a safe place for us to prepare for the next challenge. ¡° ¡°Monsters won¡¯t come in here,¡± says Jason as he walks around the garden and explores the room. With a breaking voice, Hannah asks, ¡°So we¡¯re stuck here?¡± ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Jason mumbles. He found what looks like a crude stone door on the other side of the garden, there is even a handle for him to use to open it. He doesn¡¯t dare to try though, not yet. Who knows what lies on the other side and if he¡¯ll be able to close it. ¡°There might be a way out of here,¡± Ben explains, ¡°We passed the first floor. Some games will let you decide on whether you want to continue or leave the dungeon after each floor.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± she says. ¡°How do we know which one is this?¡± her father''s asks. ¡°We decide between this and that door,¡± Jason says from the other side of the garden that separates him from their view. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure this leads to the second floor,¡± Jason points at the stone doors when the rest of the party joins him. ¡°Question is, what is this?¡± he points at a perfect rectangle carved into the adjacent wall. It looks like a closet which door was removed, big enough for all four of them to fit in. A single small mushroom glows on the closets inner wall. A similar mushroom was growing on the outside. This one wasn¡¯t glowing and when Hannah touched nothing happened. Ben sticks his head inside and looks around. He doesn¡¯t notice anything they didn¡¯t see from the outside so he steps in. ¡°Careful,¡± Hannah says as he approaches the glowing mushroom and pokes it. Nothing happens immediately but after a moment the air changes around them, ¡°It¡¯s the same feeling as when we entered the dungeon''s territory,¡± Hannah says, hand moving in the air as if through water, ¡°But much, much stronger.¡± Her words hang in the air as the earth that makes the entrance of the closet slides and blocks the opening, hiding Ben from their sight. The wall becomes smooth, not even a mark is left to indicate there was ever a closet here. They stare with jaws wide open at the bare wall without any idea of how to react. Moments pass while each of them just stands in place and tries to understand what happened. Before anyone even thinks of saying anything the small mushroom begins to glow. Absentmindedly Hannah pokes it and it begins to blink. A few seconds later the wall opens up to reveal the small closet again and the mushroom stops glowing. Jason jumps forward to see what happened to Ben but doesn¡¯t find him inside. In his stead are letters drawn in the dirt floor, forming the words ¡®Way Out!¡¯. The other two limp inside and lean on each other with closed eyes. Jason takes a moment to look at the stone door embedded into the wall of the safe room, before raising a tired hand and pressing the glowing mushroom. They all inhale deeply as the tremor hits them and the air becomes thicker than normal. A sudden noise of cracking stone follows and Jason sees the stone doors open and on its other side is a forest of some sort. He leans forward to look outside but the elevator already closed and he felt himself move upwards. They are plunged into darkness, with only the small glowing mushroom as a light source. Jason shuts his eyes, opening them only once the movement stopped and warm sunlight hit his face. Ben was waiting for them and they soon joined him, a wall of the elevator shapes itself into steps that allow an easy climb back up to the forest floor. Next to them is the dungeon tree they came in through. They started their adventure not even three hours ago, yet to Jason it felt like a lifetime ago. ¡°We made it,¡± Hannah fell on her butt and chuckled. Her father sat next to her and looked at the dungeon tree with newfound respect. The boys just gave each other a look and began jumping with joy. Chapter 13
Congratulations! You have reached level nine. Next level up at 10,000 mana. +25 dungeon points
So many monsters were killed that I almost leveled up twice. ¡°Almost being the keyword here¡± Once I saw how the Arrowheads had no effect on the adults because of their armor I just sent them away. I¡¯ll need to do something with them so they are not so useless but other than that the whole thing was a success. ¡°It wasn¡¯t as challenging as I hoped it would be, especially for the adults, but the children''s screams of joy as they bounced up and down the mushroom trampoline or the high pitched and excited ¡°Weee¡± they made as they slid down the tunnel was music to my ears. I¡¯d have loved to let them fight Miki or Sally as an end boss but I can¡¯t afford to lose them right now. Plus, fighting a boss monster without receiving a reward for it is something I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll forgive.¡± Looking at my Mana pool I decided that instead of waiting a day or two to level again I will work on the second floor instead. ¡°But first, one last change,¡± I grin from the idea that hit me, ¡°The first floor might not be too dangerous but I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s never underestimated again.¡± For a floor to have a weakness is not a bad thing¡±, they need to be beatable and knowing how to exploit weaknesses is an important skill to have if one wants to succeed in life. Nonetheless, I can¡¯t let any floor have a glaring weakness, ¡°Especially if that weakness is a rubber suit¡­¡± No, the normal Arrowheads will stay and attack any child that falls down from the path. They¡¯ll be ordered to avoid the face and neck but otherwise, it''s okay to cut off fingers. This will keep the tension even for children and is a good lesson that nothing worthwhile in life comes without its own dangers. For the adults, a different variation of the salamander will work great. ¡°A Lancetail.¡± These won''t have the arrow-shaped head that allows for parting the stalks of the mushrooms and will be slightly bigger and heavier which won¡¯t let them remain invisible underneath. The Lancetailes will part the stalks as they move, causing their approach to be visible from over the caps of the sea of mushrooms. The adults will have to stay aware of their surroundings, as the pointy appendage of the Lancetail¡¯s will be able to pierce through and make holes in their feet if they aren¡¯t paying attention properly. The hardened tip should be strong enough to penetrate even bones. After creating a few and setting them on the first-floor ecosystem they quickly become the top predator of the mushroom sea. Satisfied with the result I shift my attention to the second floor. The first thing I do is increase the area drastically. The new area is about two hundred meters over fifty. ¡°Still small for what I want it to be but a good start.¡± I can increase it more but I rather populate it than leave it bare. The two kinds of trees I can create are interspersed randomly around the new area and the few bushes join around them. This creates small islands of green in the large empty space. Keeping to the mushroom motifs I add about half a dozen giant glowing mushrooms down on the ground. These are large monstrosities. Far larger than the ones in the second half of the first floor. Each is at least five meters tall and has a huge cap like an umbrella. I alter them to glow bluish-purple. The last thing I do is twist and turn the ground to make changes in elevation so that the landscape doesn''t look flat. This forces me to make the whole floor ten meters higher but is worth the investment as the result looks much more organic in nature. I even add areas where future creaks will flow. A few rapids and even a small two meter waterfall that drains into a shallow pool of water are added. No water for now but I¡¯m starting to get closer to the mana requirements of the [Terraforming] skill. Just a couple more levels to go and the new area I just added won¡¯t just be a nice boost to my mana regeneration but a unique forest ecosystem of its own. The next thing I do is channel a few thousand bugs from the first floor into the second. I laugh at the view of them going down the slip n slide. I then make them spread to all reaches of the second floor and to give them another food source by creating a few simple mushrooms that normally grow in the forest above, these are not bioluminescent. Dozens of flower alterations are planted but only in the proximity of the giant mushrooms. ¡°Don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do with these six spots eventually but they will look super magical in the mostly normal forest.¡± Next, I splurge and buy hares, a male and a female, and place a couple next to each new tree and the small island of green around it. The hares reproduce quickly in the mana fueled environment and as the island spreads in size the hares will spread with them. By the time everything grows enough to cover the whole floor the population of hares will increase in number dramatically and it will provide food for the predators I plan for the floor. ¡°Sure, my animals don¡¯t need food but I noticed that the strongest and oldest of my animals are slowly changing and mutating depending on the things they do and eat.¡± The change is easy to tell with my worms. The very first ones I created are not only bigger than the last ones, but they¡¯ve also gained different secondary characteristics. In general, the small cavern of tunnels I first started with, the one I moved exactly as it was from between the roots of the once dead tree to make space for the first floor, has vastly changed. After the days that passed, as it lay forgotten by me, not only did it double in size but the animals inside it have expanded not only in number but in variety. The closed up ecosystem had to rely on the same amount of ambient mana as when it was much much smaller. When I moved the tunnel system I didn¡¯t leave much of an opening for my mana to pass through. ¡°I was too excited to start work on the first floor and have been keeping myself entertained since then.¡± The secluded ecosystem adapted in an unexpected manner. With not enough ambient mana to sustain them the animals became more ferocious. Killing each other to release mana into the enclosed system. And as they killed and ate they changed, differentiating themselves from others of their species. As I watched them struggle I saw that their numbers stopped increasing and instead of they were growing in size. The strong were killing the weak to allow themselves more mana to grow with. The unique variations were intriguing. ¡°It seems like some of the animals have become truly magical.¡± One bug developed a method for spitting acid. A flying bug developed electrical shock which he zapped other bugs with. One of the mice is somehow able to blend with shadows, disappearing almost entirely from sight. I enter the [Splicer] skill interface and sure enough, the once empty -Traits, Abilities and Magic- tab now has those powers and more for me to choose from and manipulate to my liking using the interfaces other design tabs.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. For now, I leave it as I¡¯m not sure what it is I¡¯ll use it for. ¡°Traps would be a nice addition to my dungeon as currently, it is severely lacking them,¡± and while the choices right now are interesting I¡¯d like more of them so I give an infusion of mana to the isolated ecosystem. This sparks a population boom that will hopefully lead to more variations. Returning my attention back to the second floor I manipulate the giant mushrooms, adding small dens underneath them and creating an ermine in each den. Six ermine in total. Two light brown, one black as coal another white as snow and the last two a mix, with brown fur everywhere but on their bellies. The cute mammals are adorable and in my opinion, complement the glowing fungi well. The white ermine is already trying to climb his mushroom only to keep falling down and rolling around in the dirt. ¡°Eventually I¡¯ll also add a monster version of them that will roam the forest as predators.¡± Next on my list are the flying squirrels. I summon five of them so that they can start reproducing and leave them be. A few more porcupines follow and are added to the seven that are already roaming the forest floor. ¡°Once I have enough mana I¡¯ll make their monster versions my long-range threats for the floor.¡± Going back to the flying squirrels I realize that if I want to maximize their potential I need to have many more trees for them to use as platforms to jump and glide from. A flying surprise attack from an unsuspecting tree on an adventurers back is quite the deadly attack. So I look through the eyes of the monsters hunting outside and search for interesting additions. Currently, I have Sitka Spruce trees, around forty meters tall and an Alder tree around thirty meters tall. Both have straight trunks whose thicker branches start high up. As such, I¡¯m looking for something that will fill their lower gaps. This will allow an aerial attack to come from all heights and directions. A beautiful tree catches my eyes, it¡¯s few leaves are colored red and deep orange from the coming winter, leaving most of its branches somewhat bare. The white colored bark is what really catches my attention, however, and I decide to add it to my personal forest. I lower it down and pick for it a nice spot closer to one of the huge mushrooms. In a few hours, its roots will suck up enough mana for it to become part of my dungeon and be added to my list of things I can create. ¡°I wonder why the trees on the surface of my expanding territory don¡¯t count as part of me even though they are clearly surrounded by mana? Evident by the mushrooms that have popped up everywhere there¡¯s a mana vent¡­¡± With the latest addition to the second-floor flora what I¡¯m left with is just enough mana to summon a few more red foxes to my existing two, but instead, I decide that a small experiment will be more fun to spend that mana on. The [Conscious Growth] skill is able to take my intentions and meaning and use them to transform my dungeon inhabitants. And as I learned from the tree, that change isn¡¯t always what I¡¯d expect it to be. I thought that when I meant for it to be a beacon for everyone it will cause it to grow high into the air. To be seen from afar and lead visitors to my location. ¡°Instead I got a fat tree with fruits. Could be worse I guess¡­¡± I say with a small sigh. This made me start thinking of how else it can surprise me, so I¡¯m going to try imbuing mana with a general idea into the two foxes and see what the result it. The male red fox was the first one I created, an almost perfect replica of the one I killed. Making a copy of him was my way of apologizing for having to take his life. It made me feel better that he won¡¯t be forgotten. Sure, I knew that he wasn¡¯t the same fox but it was a way to commemorate his memory. ¡°I did the same with every animal I hunted so far and I plan to do the same in the future.¡± The second fox I created was a female so that the pair can reproduce. ¡±And sure enough she was pregnant, belly bulging to the sides carrying inside who knows how many pupps.¡± This makes the experiment even more exciting. Theoretically, giving them as much mana as they cost to create should double their size. However, from my experience, channeling mana into my creations will show results like only half the mana used. So eighty mana will give the size increase of forty, ¡°Or something like that as I can¡¯t create a fox for less than eighty mana points to check.¡± It doesn¡¯t matter really, as I don¡¯t care if they get bigger or not because what I think of as I begin to channel mana through our shared connection is the concept of intelligence. The foxes are by far the smartest animals in my dungeon right now, as monsters like Miki and Sally don¡¯t count as animals, and I want to see what the results will be. ¡°Or if I can even notice any change.¡± Intelligence after all, unlike the other meanings I imbued into my creations, is not really something you can discern visually easily and surely not from just their physical appearance. ¡°Unless, of course, for some reason, they develop big brains and giant heads,¡± something I really hope doesn¡¯t happen but I try to avoid any subjective influences. It¡¯s not easy as for some reason I remember foxes being related to trickery and sly behavior. But I try my best to keep the meaning I send objective. Concentrating on the word itself more than anything and preventing my subconsciousness from affecting it. As the mana flows and my meaning solidifies through the connection, the two foxes stop and begin looking around. Being the top predator of my dungeon, not counting Miki, they have nothing to fear. Both are always together, hunting, eating and sleeping. Which might explain why once they noticed the mana connection they walked closer to one another and sat down without a care in the world. And as more and more meaning flowed into them, with an expression of deep concentration they even closed their eyes and lowered their heads. I feel something pull on the mana from their side. Urging it to flow faster and refining the meaning the mana is imbued with. As it enters their bodies the mana starts to change color, becoming ever slightly purple instead of the deep blue that left me. ¡°They are adding their own meaning to mine!¡± Holding back my excitement I refuse their urge and keep sending mana at the same slow and steady pace I was doing until now. They don¡¯t understand that adding meaning to something takes time. And the more careful you are and the more focus you have the better will your meaning be understood. Life is meaningless in a way. We live and we die. Everything else we do in between we do because we want to have more time alive or enjoy the time we have more. Life even has a guidebook, a set of rules that lets you play it safe. Just do what everyone else does, it''s that easy. Easy but usually boring, yet most people choose to live life this way. Those who refuse to live like that need to find what it is they enjoy doing and shape their life accordingly. And how does one do it? By giving life meaning. Young children are interested in everything, having no focus on what they want, and for good reason. They haven''t experienced anything yet. They don¡¯t even know what they like or dislike. However, as they grow, their field of interests narrows down. Most humans focus their interests on what their surrounding tells them. Doing what is safe and letting their surroundings give them meaning. Most even live their safe lives mildly happy but almost all die with regrets. However, some people try to shape their surroundings instead. Living their lives one hardship after another, these usually die in peace, knowing that their lives held some meaning. That they managed to affect the world somehow with their actions. What the foxes were doing to my mana made me think of them like children narrowing down my meaning by their own choices. Accepting the hardships that will come along with their decision. It makes me think, just for a moment for no apparent reason at all, why people say that ignorance is bliss and that happiness in intelligent people is truly rare. Out of mana, I look at the result and just as I expected there is no physical change, the foxes stayed the same size and coloration. I observe for any small details I might have missed but their fur pattern stayed the same, nails and teeth aren¡¯t longer, it¡¯s not until I reach their eyes that I notice the change. Or more specifically they notice me. Both are looking in the direction my heart is located. The dodecahedron cube which I moved to a small opening at the far end of the second floor. They stare directly at me, frozen in place and not even breathing. Understanding flashes in their eyes after some time and the first to stir is the male. He looks away and takes a few steps. The way he moves lost its animalistic nature. Steps are slow and meticulous and he is looking around, carefully examining his surroundings as if seeing them for the first time. The female looks at me for longer. No longer with the intensity both of them had at first but more in a curious sort of way. As if she had many questions and that my direction might hold some answers. Her eyes draw me in and for the first time since I became a dungeon I try to speak to someone, ¡°Can you hear me?¡± I ask and something glints in her eyes. I wait for a response to come but none does. ¡°Can you talk?¡± I plea more than ask. I wait again but there''s no answer. ¡°I¡¯m still alone.¡± The small hope that I still had disappears and a wave of loneliness comes over me. I feel like ending this here and now, destroying my heart by myself and being done with everything. ¡°Who knows how long my lifespan is. Years? Centuries? Eons? I could be immortal for all I know.¡± The male fox returns to his mate and looks at me again. The female then puts her head on him and rubs her mate affectionately. The show of love interrupts my own depressing thought process before it has a chance to gain momentum. And as the foxes finish cuddling and begin to play with each other, running around the second floor for the joy of running itself and not just for hunting, I remember the children''s screams of joy as they went down the slide for the first time. ¡°An eternity of that doesn¡¯t sound too bad, does it?¡± I force myself to smile and take a moment to appreciate all of my creations. Chapter 14 The fox''s stare has left a mark on me and ever since that moment I can¡¯t shake the feeling of being watched, and when I check it is always one of my foxes whos looking in my direction. From time to time it''s the male fox, he¡¯s gotten into the habit of looking in my direction every time he''s not sure what he should do, always looking away before I can answer him. More often than not though, it''s the female fox that gazes in my direction. Sometimes for no apparent reason at all. She¡¯ll just lie down somewhere and look at me while slowly moving her tail from side to side. Eventually, I felt I had to ask her ¡°What do you want?¡± Her lack of response didn¡¯t disturb me and I kept talking to her whenever she would look. Talking to her about everything and nothing at the same time. I didn''t care if she understood or not, because once the dem was broken I couldn¡¯t stop the flood of words. ¡°I never knew I missed having someone I can direct my thoughts at.¡± I tried doing the same with the male but it just wasn¡¯t the same. I still did it from time to time, mostly commenting on his actions or praising him after successful hunts. With the female it was different, with the female I felt like I can say whatever popped into my mind and she wouldn¡¯t judge. We had our own special connection and I felt it grow stronger the more I talked to her. I was so engrossed in sharing my thoughts with her that I didn¡¯t even notice that my mana pool was full for some time. If she didn¡¯t need to go to sleep again I doubt I would''ve noticed it at and would just keep on blabbering.
Congratulations! You have reached level ten. Next level up at 25,000 mana [Item Creation] awarded. +25 dungeon points.
Excited I rush to see what the skill does and find out what I can create. Apparently, a small knife is all I have access to right now. However, when I check the dungeon shop what I find is a huge selection of items I can buy and a whole new set of skills I can purchase. The twenty-five points I got with the level up are spent on a medium strength health potion, ¡°Whatever medium is, it¡¯ll have to do as the strong potion costs a hundred points.¡± I spend another twenty-five on a mana potion and use a hundred more to buy a perk. The perk is called {Chemical Substances} and allows [Item Creation] to choose from various substances found naturally on earth. One of those things is water, a substance I¡¯ve been waiting to add for some time now to my dungeon. So without further ado, I create a ball of water from thin air and let it fall to the ground. It splashes and starts to pull, slowly being absorbed into the earth. It costs almost nothing, an amount enough to fill an Olympic pull for only ten points of mana. The only limit being that I can¡¯t create the water too fast or it just evaporates immediately. ¡°Still better than nothing,¡± I shrug and get to work. The first thing I need is a reservoir of water. This I create around the safe room. A large underground lake to hold the water. Compacting the earth at the bottom of it as much as I can so that it holds the water instead of absorbing it, leaving only a small opening. An opening that lets some of the water escape into a path I created in advance on the second floor. The path starts by the entrance to the floor and makes its way to the opposite side, where an exit will be located. Next to the exit will be the boss monster that blocks the way forward and the flow of water will help navigate the forest. To give a place for the water to go instead of collecting by the exit I create another reservoir, twice as large as the first one which I decide to eventually turn into a third floor. ¡°I rather not waste dungeon points on aquatic animals though¡­¡± One or two fish is one thing but making a whole water ecosystem is going to be too pricey. Maybe I can take the snake or salamander and change them into something aquatic but that can wait. First I need to finish what I started. I have enough projects as it is. I pick a nice spot and start creating water inside the empty reservoir on the second floor. It takes some concentration but by the time the reservoir is full and water starts to flow into the stream it¡¯s almost second nature to me. A steady rush of water is appearing out of nothing and slowly filling the reservoir from the bottom. The pace is a bit slow to my liking and I try to add another source of water, which works fine so I try to add another. I manage somehow but for the first time since I became a dungeon, I feel a limit to my concentration. When I try to create a fourth source of water it fails, the mana not forming into water properly. Anything else I try to do doesn¡¯t work either, ¡°I can¡¯t even create the simplest earthworm.¡± Still, three sources give me a nice strong stream flowing through the second floor. Eventually, fish will swim in it so I cover the bottom and banks with moss, grass and flowers and finish for now. The stream reaches the rapids and begins to fall down in a small waterfall, filling up a shallow pull of water underneath before continuing its steady flow towards the floor''s exit. For now, the exit is just a hole in the far wall through which the water enters and falls down to the empty third floor. ¡°I think I know what the boss monster of the second floor will be.¡± I check the dungeon shop and sure enough, the thing I¡¯m looking for is there. Close to the Fungi section but not part of it, the organism I intend to base my creation on costs a measly one dungeon point for the whole family of mycetozoa.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. But before I create the strongest monster in my current dungeon I still have a few items I need to try. The healing potion is simply too useful not to experiment with.
¡°A photographer?¡± ¡°Yep, a [Photographer]!¡± he grabs his phone and opens the camera app. He then holds the phone in front of me with one hand and lets me look at the screen while he takes a photo. ¡°Did you see that?¡± his hand grabs me by the arm and he beams at me, ¡°That¡¯s so effing amazing!¡± ¡°Yeah, just cuz I don¡¯t have one doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t know what a smartphone is.¡± ¡°No, my hand. Look how stable it is,¡± he says and lifts his phone in front of my face again. He¡¯s standing with an extended arm, using only his thumb and ring finger to hold his phone, he swipes the camera into video mode using the pointing finger of the same hand. Before the recording even starts I can already notice what he wants to show me. His hand is motionless, not even the smallest tremor passes through them even though it is held in an uncomfortable position. ¡°[Stable Hands],¡± he explains as I look at the school''s corridors through his phone screen, ¡°Woken up by the voice announcing my new class and skill I rushed to test it, and guess how good it is?¡± ¡°How should I know?¡± I hit his hand away so we can continue on our way to class. ¡°Cuz I¡¯ll tell ya, that''s how,¡± he jokes and pockets his phone. ¡°I went online and read about camera settings and apparently most photographers rarely shoot at less than one-sixtieth of a second as the subject will usually move and cause the photo to blur. Slower than that and you also risk introducing handshake to the photo.¡± We walk by rows of lockers, going slowly as children were still entering the building and classes haven¡¯t started yet so the halls were packed. ¡°To combat that, photographers use a tripod or in-camera stabilizers. Especially when shooting landscapes. These allow shooting at slower shutter speeds but thanks to the skill I don¡¯t need that. I checked on my dad¡¯s Canon. I¡¯m better than any tripod. I still can¡¯t move properly while using the skill but after some practice yesterday and on the way to school there¡¯s already a huge improvement. Videos I shoot while moving look almost like I¡¯m gently gliding, it¡¯s¡­¡± Ben doesn¡¯t get to finish the sentence as a cloud of dust and dirt covers us both. We close our eyes and start coughing, and through the cough, I can hear a familiar voice laughing. ¡°Out of the way, pussy,¡± Tim steps around the corner and shoulders me into the locker. In his hand is a dustpan and one of his lackeys is holding a dirty broom. My hands jump for the inhaler, searching for it in my pockets to the amusement of my tormentors. Triggering my asthma attacks is an activity they derive much pleasure from and their sneers make me angry. Anger that focuses me, reminding me that I don¡¯t need the inhaler anymore, and more importantly, it reminds me of what I¡¯ve accomplished yesterday. How I have passed the first floor of the dungeon. Sure, I might not have my trusty baseball bat with me but I doubt Tim is faster than the monsters that jumped at me from the shadows. By the time the dust has settled and I can keep my eyes open and breathe properly Tim and his lackeys are gone. Walking leisurely down the corridor, laughing and bullying others on their way. Ben seems unfazed by their actions. He is rarely a direct target, mostly just suffering secondary damage from being next to me. So while he goes back to ranting about the possibilities of his new skills, I can¡¯t help but add fuel to my anger. An anger that was always there, kept on a small fire as I lacked any means to change my fate. But no longer. No longer am I the helplessly weak boy Tim could push around however and whenever he liked. When he shouldered me just now, I felt it. I¡¯m stronger. It wasn¡¯t by much but I managed to resist his push, hitting the locker hurt less than usual. Whether because it''s from all the physical exercise I¡¯ve done these past weeks or from becoming a level three [Fighter] remains to be seen. One thing is certain though, I will get stronger, ¡°And I will make him stop,¡± I whisper through clenched teeth. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Nothing. Want to do the first floor again today?¡± ¡°Hell no!¡± he looks at me like I¡¯m crazy, ¡°No way in hell am I fighting those jumping things again without help.¡± ¡°Come on, we don¡¯t need them. I leveled up yesterday and we know what to expect so it¡¯ll be easier.¡± ¡°No man, we promised Mr.Locklear we will wait until he heals and go together. Just wait a few more days.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t enter the second floor. Just run the first one and leave,¡± I put an arm over him and hold him closer, ¡°I want to level and I¡¯m sure that stabilized video footage of the place will do wonders to your following.¡± ¡°People do seem to like photos of the place¡­¡±
The medium healing potion is better than I expected. When I tried it on one of my animals it healed any damage that wasn¡¯t deadly, the deepest cuts closed in a matter of minutes. It even managed to regrow a cut tail of the monster I tried it on. ¡°Only problem is that it isn¡¯t exactly cheap...¡± At two hundred and fifty mana a vial, it wasn¡¯t too bad, especially when one vial could be used three or four times before it was empty, but it¡¯s wasn¡¯t something I could waste willy-nilly yet. So I create another vile for one last experiment. This time instead of letting my test subject drink it directly I first pour it into a small area of compacted earth created in advance. The red liquid glows in its puddle even in the fake sunlight of the second floor. When I refill the vial with water and pour it into the same puddle the glow diminishes slightly but still glows mesmerizingly. The diluted potion is consumed by a hare I had an Arrowhead cut deeply. Another hare is cut the same way but doesn¡¯t drink anything, this one will be used as a control group. I make them sit next to each other and wait to see what happens. Over the next few minutes, the wound of the hare that drank the diluted potion closes up completely. When I have him move around it seems like there is is no residual damage. It took twice as long to heal than when the potion was consumed properly but it healed nonetheless. ¡°Interesting,¡± I smile. The way the potion is glowing makes me think of a place that will work great with it, so I create pockets of empty space in the ceiling of the first floor and fill it with diluted potion. A small tunnel connects the pockets of red water to the area over the firsts floor cliff. The tunnels are small enough to squeeze only a drop of water at a time and a steady rain of red glowing water starts. Each drop hitting the various flowers growing from the walls and splattering like red glitter into the air. Eventually, the rain will create puddles of the liquid on the various shelves and mushrooms growing on the wall, adding its red color to the light show together with the bioluminescent mushrooms and flowers. After having traveled down the wall of flora and fungi the drops stop on top of the trampoline mushroom underneath. Joining together into spots and lines that sparkle red as they slide to the edges and fall down under the mushroom and are absorbed into the earth. From underneath the mushroom I create paths for the glowing water to flow through and add itself into the larger reservoir of water that feeds the second floors stream. Several pockets of diluted Mana potion add drops of bright blue to the falling rain. Together they will allow the ecosystem to become ever so slightly magical. Both in appearance and on the inside. The water will have an added effect of allowing my animals and monsters to heal faster together with the chance that the Mana potion will also change them in some way, ¡°Hopefully for the better.¡± For now, I keep the potion severely diluted as I can¡¯t afford the mana to keep creating new ones, yet as my ecosystems grows I¡¯ll be able to make it more and more concentrated. ¡°Until pure potions will run down my floors in streams. And oceans of magical water will form,¡± I fantasize as I watch the raindrops fall slowly, ¡°Can¡¯t wait for that day to come.¡± Chapter 15 ¡°I¡¯ll show him busy,¡± Jason mumbles to himself as he massages Ben. He postponed again. Says he can¡¯t still. I¡¯m going alone Pacing around the room waiting for a reply he continues to mutter, ¡°Not recovered my butt. I did great the first two times without him, killed my first monster without even having a class.¡± Dude¡­ that sux but you cant go alone Come with me then, we can watch each others back. Nah dude aint happening. No way im going without mr locklear Don¡¯t you want to level up your class? Not enough to get hurt for it But enough to increase your following? Good try dude but still no. I still have a few dozen good photos I can upload to ride this wave of popularity. PLUS I leveled today, without needing to risk my life for it Pussy. Fuck you dude see ya tomorrow Jason''s fingers hovered over the keyboard formulating a reply. He started to type it out a few times but deleted it every time. Eventually, he pushed the whole thing away and got up from the computer to grab his backpack. Cramming everything he needed into it he ran out of the house towards the dungeon. It was getting late but he didn¡¯t care, six days of waiting were five days too long.
My second-floor boss was growing bigger at a steady pace. Created only a few hours ago it was already ten centimeters in diameter, growing larger as it absorbed water. Not just any water mind you, a barely diluted Mana potion glowing bright blue. That glow is what gave the Slime its bright green coloration. My Slime¡¯s natural color was yellow. The color came from the cell wall of the amoeba-like organism that was the Slime Mold. In nature the cell would split and become two and then those two parts would work together and split to make four, multiplying until they were a giant organism that worked together as one. What I did was take a single cell, strengthen its walls to the best of what the [Splicer] skill interface allowed me while also keeping them elastic, and began to pump it full of water. The spliced monster started growing but too slowly for my taste. When I looked to see why I saw that the reason was because it was excreting the water almost as fast as I was injecting it. Leaving only a tiny fraction of what he consumed, a fraction that soon made him glow in blue from the inside, and as the blue light passed through the yellow cell membrane it turned him green to anyone that looked at the Slime from the outside. It made me realize that it wasn¡¯t water that he was consuming but the trace amounts of Mana potion that circulated inside the second floor stream. ¡°Perfect,¡± I thought at that moment. The monster represented exactly what I needed from it. As the boss of the second floor, anyone who will try to enter the third will have to pass through it first. And just as a giant slime glowing radioactive green is not a thing one normally sees, so will every floor beyond the Giant Slime be the same. ¡°The tutorial is over,¡± and the magical slime will signify that those who wish to progress beyond the second floor must be prepared to face creatures they¡¯ve only dreamed of. The isolated system of tunnels, the one that became its own ecosystem has provided me with more than enough magical abilities which I can now add to my creations. The competition for the limited ambient mana has produced some very interesting paths of evolution for the constantly competing animals trapped inside. ¡°It¡¯s safe to say that I have big plans for the next floor,¡± but instead I¡¯m still stuck on making it large enough to hold my vision. I want it to be enormous. So big it won¡¯t be possible to see the walls if you stand in the center. ¡°Most likely impossible but it¡¯s important to dream big sometimes. Shoot for the moon, if you miss you¡¯ll still be among the stars or so the saying goes.¡± The third floor is already bigger than the second. Postponing all my other plans I spent a large amount of mana to make it that spacious, something I won¡¯t keep doing as what I have already should be big enough to last for a while. The water from the second floor falls from the ceiling, dropping fifty meters down and accumulating on the bottom. A waterfall of slightly magical water crashing down, filling up the future sea of my third floor. ¡°A sea I can¡¯t populate unless I spend dungeon points,¡± something I can¡¯t do right now as I used everything I had to buy a perk for the [Item Creation] skill called {Monster Core Formation}. It allows me to reach through the connection I share with all my creations and compact my mana inside of them to form a monster core. It solves two huge weaknesses of mine. I avoided it at first as the mana cost was too high at the time but now with my much bigger ecosystem, and the need for boss monsters, it can be used properly. My first weakness is that if my boss monster is defeated it will take time for another to grow to replace it. A boss monster should be something special so I can¡¯t have it be just any monster in the dungeon. It has to be unique for every floor. Either Mikki or Sally for the first floor and the magical Slime for the second. They each differ from the original form of the animal or monster template I created them from. Changed, ¡°Or better yet, evolved,¡± due to their interactions with the environment. Physical power, movement speed and magic are represented in each accordingly, representing the way they grew up in my dungeon. Putting a monster core inside of them allows me to revive them if they ever die. The second weakness that it solves is the inability of my creations to leave my dungeons territory. Sure, the Monster worm is doing a great job at expanding my territory, it even developed an ability to eat not only through tree roots but through solid stone as well, but it''s still a long time until it tunnels around the whole world. The monster core stores mana inside of it, growing bigger the more mana it accumulates, allowing a monster with a core to travel outside the reach of my ambient mana without dissipating into nothingness. Right now I almost have enough for one such core but I can feel the boy making its way to me, so any exploring I want to do will come after I choose who to set as the first-floor boss.
The main thing running through Jason''s mind was that the dungeon''s territory has increased again. In the few days he was absent the alien mushrooms that signified the border have extended two more minutes away from the entrance. Which would mean that the dungeon itself might have changed again. He stopped there, waiting at the edge and wondering if he should go back, ¡°Isn¡¯t it growing too fast?¡± He knew he was acting foolish, he knew that what he was doing was stupid, but he couldn¡¯t wait. Not when every day was a chance to level. ¡°The dungeon isn''t deadly yet,¡± he said, ¡°At least the first floor seems easy enough.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. He gives himself a few slaps and nods his head. One last check that his modified football armor and new skateboard helmet are sitting properly and he steps over a bright purple mushroom, making his first step of another adventure. Blood pumping and heart threatening to jump out of his chest he half runs the distance to the entrance, warming up his body against the cold. He decided to test the new [Basic Endurance] skill which he got when he reached level three so he increased his speed. By the time he stepped inside the dungeon tree he was flushed and just starting to sweat. Using his body felt good, and with the adrenalin starting to affect his body he ran down the stairs, sprinted the distance of the small platform and leaped to the first giant mushroom on the path. Landing on one leg he uses his momentum and immediately jumps to the next mushroom, only one leg ever touching each cap. He cleared a path that took them half an hour the first time in less than ten minutes, reaching the balancing shrooms and the curtain of vine-like mushrooms over them. Without stopping he pummels through, batting away any worm that tries to wrap around him. It''s difficult alone but he manages to survive, almost falling down twice. Covered in icky goo he hears the cliff before he sees it. It sounds like light rain and any change makes him cautious. He slows down his approach, bat ready and metal frying pan raised just in case, Jason noticed something glittering in front of him. Standing on the edge of the cliff he stared at the wall on the other side and breathed in air that smelled like rain. The way the glowing drops fell and splattered on the various flowers and mushrooms was relaxing so for a few moments he sat down on the edge and just listened to the environment. Looking down between his legs he wondered what would happen if he jumped from here, would the trampoline absorb his fall? Something in him wanted to do it, to just try and see what happens. He even leaned forward slightly, but there was courage and then there was stupidity. Jumping from here was stupid and Jason didn¡¯t consider himself one. Coming here alone was a calculated risk. Jumping down was suicidal. ¡°Yosh,¡± he dropped from the edge to the platform below and from it to the next one under it. Going down was scary but not too difficult. When he reached the halfway mark he didn¡¯t stop to rest inside the cave in the wall, continuing his way down and leaping off the edge. Breath taken away from him he feels his stomach rise into his mouth and prepares to absorb the impact. The thought that jumping from a height of four meters was a wrong thing to do barely registers in his mind before his feet impact the mushroom underneath and his knees bend from the force. The mushroom bends to accept his weight and absorbs the drop. He puts his hand in front of him to absorb the fall but the moment they touch the wet surface, the cap rebounds, catapulting him into the air. Not straight, but sideways into a wall. He manages to twist and raise one leg to cushion the blow. His body slams into the wall hard, leaving a bruise and rebounding him back onto the mushroom, where he bounces a couple of times before losing all momentum. Grimacing he waits for the pain to pass away while laying on his back. Glowing rain falls on him but he doesn¡¯t care. It¡¯s light and there''s some time before it makes him wet, and right now the cold drops feel amazing on his face and palms. With each drop he feels energy pouring into him, reducing the pain he is in and invigorating him. He lifts his legs up and tries to mimic the way martial artists jump back to their feet without using hands. The video explaining how to do it made it look easy but he barely manages to lift himself off the ground before falling down again on his back. Laughing at himself he flails around on the ground and tries a couple of more times with no success. Eventually, he lifts himself up using his hands and proceeds to jump around on the trampoline, enjoying the drops of glowing water that fly everywhere every time he lands. [Basic Endurance] works its magic again, making sure that he is barely out of breath after the intense exercise. Still, he takes a moment to eat and drink before beginning the second half of the first floor. Only several steps towards the boulders and already he is attacked by a monster rodent that jumps at his face from the shadows. He ducks at the last second, feeling the tail flick him on the ear. Turning around quickly he manages to glimpse the black rodent disappear back into the shadows. Excited, he climbs one of the boulders and sees rodents on the other side waiting for him. He takes a deep breath and jumps down into the fray. Crushing one under his foot he brings the bat down on another, killing both with one attack. There are two more so he rotates on one leg, swinging the bat in an arc right over the ground, hitting one rodent on its side and sending it flying into a boulder. Only one enemy is left and it runs at him prepared to climb his legs. Jason doesn''t waste time and uses [Power Kick] to send the monster flying to the ceiling. He watches as it falls back down to the ground with a loud mush. Proud of himself he straightens and prepares for the next wave of monsters when a noise echoes through the dungeon. A high pitched scream that sends shivers down Jason''s spine. He turns around and looks at the way it came from, from the direction of the dungeon''s entrance. It broke off as suddenly as it started and Jason couldn''t help but think something really bad had happened. Contemplating if he should go back to check on the source he wavers back and forth when he realises he might have to climb the cliff. He decides it¡¯ll be faster to finish the floor and come back in. He didn''t expect that unlike last time there would be a boss monster waiting for him. A monstrous rodent, smaller than the one they saw last time and more scaly than furry. It used its massive back legs to launch itself at Jason. The monster was ferocious. The smaller versions that jumped at him so far would only jump once before running away. Unlike them, whenever the boss missed an attack it would transition to a bounce and reposition itself using the stalagmites and columns that covered the boss room. Its attacks were fast and could come from any angle. But they were predictable, the sound of its tail and claws scratching the floor announced when and where it would come from. Jason would jump and roll in a random direction every time he heard an attack coming. He managed to dodge but didn¡¯t know how he could defeat the thing. One roll at a time he was trying to move the fight closer to the cavern wall, effectively cutting off the angles the jumping rodent could come at him from. With his back to the wall, he threw his backpack out of the way and dropped his shield. Holding the bat with both hands he prepared for the next attack. In the dim lighting, he couldn¡¯t see much but he could hear the low rumbling squeak the monster made as it hopped around him, looking for a good angle to attack from. Jason knew it wasn¡¯t stupid, he knew that the first jump would be a faint and tried to think what to do. He felt like a goalie during penalties, trying to decide which direction to jump as doing so after the ball was kicked was useless. He¡¯d have to choose what he¡¯ll do before the monster attacked. Before he could decide the monster appears out of the shadows, flying through the air towards him. Jason didn¡¯t move. Not because he didn¡¯t see the attack coming but because he knew it wasn¡¯t aimed at him. Instead, he turned to his left just as the rodent hit one of the outcroppings on the wall and changed direction, suddenly moving directly at him. Its muscular tail slammed into the wall, cracking it slightly from the forces needed to change direction so suddenly. Jason was ready however, his bat already whistling through the air in the direction the monster was coming from. The rodent tried to wiggle out of the way but it was too late. The bat connected with its skull before its weight slammed into the boy. Jason fell to the ground, struggling to lift the heavy creature off of him. He didn¡¯t know if it was dead or just stunned so he hurried to his feet and reached for his bat. Raising it overhead he brings it down on the rodents head and hears the weapon crack. Not stopping he brings it down again and the wooden bat breaks. Taking a step back and panting he sees his enemy twitch and fear takes hold of him as he grabs the broken handle and jams it into the monster''s eye socket. Hands bloody, he drops to the floor exhausted and feels the air change and become thicker, making his hairs stand up and breathing to become more difficult. A few moments later the feeling passes and in front of him is a small glass vial filled with a red liquid. He picks it up and turns it around to look at it, ¡°A health potion?¡± he says as the glowing fluid moves around inside, ¡°No fucking way!¡± His excitement dies down as quickly as it appeared. He remembers that they can¡¯t take anything out of the dungeon''s territory or they¡¯ll disappear like the flowers they tried to take with them last time. Jason hopes the potion won¡¯t do the same but he¡¯ll have to try to find out and he¡¯s not sure he¡¯s willing to risk it. Picking up his backpack and shield from the floor he slides down happily to the safe room. He leaves using the elevator and doesn¡¯t forget to check what made the scream. Down the stairwell he finds alcohol bottles littering the small platform that leads to the mushroom sea. Cigarette butts and many different footsteps are everywhere. ¡°Whoever it was they left in a hurry¡­¡± Jason says and exits the dungeon. When he gets home he places the small glowing vial, no longer completely full, on the table in his room and turns on the computer to message Ben, telling him about what happened. While he waits for Ben to reply he checks his friend¡¯s various social accounts to see if he uploaded anything new from the dungeon. What shines at him from the computer screen is something he tried to ignore since he first realized that what he found was a dungeon. He knew it was a possibility, he knew it couldn¡¯t be avoided. But even though he knew it was just a matter of time, the post informing him about the first life the dungeon has taken hits him hard. Staring at the screen he keeps reading the same sentence over and over until the tears make it incomprehensible. Chapter 16 While the boy was sitting at the edge of the cliff, enjoying the sound of magical rain falling, a group of people enters my territory. There are five of them, two males and three females, all teenagers aged sixteen and seventeen. One of them is the teenager who passed the first floor a few days ago, ¡°Looks like she brought her friends,¡± I smile when I see her new class. The group stops before the dungeon tree and starts taking selfies, but the girl just goes down the stairwell without a second thought. She is carrying with her a plastic bag full of bottles. Each of her friends is carrying a similar bag, and they put down their phones to follow her down when they see her disappear. They point and exclaim when they see what is waiting for them down under. Each of them takes a bottle or a can and lifts it up for a cheer. ¡°Happy birthday Lacy!¡± they yell and start to sing. The [Mage] finishes her bottle and takes another one. She is handed a cigarette which she puts into her mouth after downing her second bottle. The group is having fun. Drinking, talking and playing music. Two of them begin to kiss and a third joins in. The [Mage] ignores the others while she takes out thick waders from one of the bags. Putting it on, she stumbles down the stairs and into the sea of mushrooms. ¡°Get out of there,¡± says the one who didn¡¯t join the horny trio. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she spins in place. ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± he says, ¡°I just think there are better things you could be doing than playing around down there.¡± ¡°Oh really now? And what could that be?¡± she asks, cigarette still held between her lips. ¡°For starters,¡± he steps down the stairs and reaches his hand for her to take, ¡°You can always play around with me,¡± the boy says with a perverted smile. ¡°Hmm, doesn¡¯t sound so tempting¡±, she says and moves farther into the sea, ¡°Maybe after I smoke this joint.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± he holds up a lighter in his hand, ¡°How about you get out of there and I light it up for you so we can share?¡± ¡°Nah,¡± she twirls in the mushroom sea, sending the glowing caps rippling like waves, ¡°I¡¯ve got my own fire now.¡± ¡°Do you now?¡± the boy moves to the edge of the platform and crouches down to stroke the girl''s cheek. ¡°Since when does daddy¡¯s little girl risk getting caught with a lighter on her? Does she want another spanking?¡± Slapping his hand away she takes a step deeper in, ¡°Who needs a lighter when I¡¯ve got magic!¡± Her hand lifts up and her palm glows red hot, ¡°[Ember touch], quite useful for setting things on fire,¡± she lights up and takes a deep puff, ¡°I almost burnt my room down when I got it,¡± she says with a chuckle, ¡°you should¡¯ve seen my dads face when he came running with the fire extinguisher,¡± the chuckle turns into laughter when she sees the boys scared face. A laugh that turns into a scream once her leg is pierced by a Lancetail. She jumps up on one leg and has her other foot pierced as well. She falls and the lizards turn her into a pincushion.
Achievement! First sentient species killed by the dungeon [Comprehend Languages] awarded +100 dungeon points.
Congratulations! You can now create Humans.
Peeing his pants the boy runs away with the others on his heels. For a moment I think of sending my creations after them to prevent my existence from spreading but the girl''s face is burnt in my mind and her scream is still echoing down the floor. I thought I was prepared but this was nothing like how the other animals died. ¡°Is it because I was human once?¡± For the dungeon to reward me for killing the girl and even give me an achievement leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I see no value in killing those who come to me. An abrupt end to their adventure means an end to my entertainment as well. I much rather they survive and get stronger so they can tackle harder challenges. ¡°If too many die¡­ will others even come?¡± Bringing me down even more is that if I follow my tradition I now need to summon an exact copy of the girl. ¡°I don¡¯t know what scares me more, that she¡¯ll turn out to be a mindless zombie or an actual human being¡­¡± While my mind is busy brooding, the girl''s body has been devoured and only her bones are left, so I decided to put them away for safekeeping until I know what to do with them. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll be adding actual humans to my dungeon and I think that a proper grave for the girl would be nice. ¡°And for that matter, while she¡¯s the first to die she¡¯ll certainly won¡¯t be the last so a graveyard of some sort might be a grim but needed addition.¡± A place where people can come to visit and remember the fallen. Distracted while thinking of how I¡¯m gonna go about adding a graveyard, my curiosity gets the better of me and I check my skills to see how much would creating a human even cost me. Surprisingly I find the option inside the [Monster Creation] menu, for the cost of twenty thousand mana. Both an expensive and extremely cheap price to pay for the creation of a human life. More surprising is that when I check to see how much mana I have I see it is full and I can choose to level. Meaning that the girl''s death gave me quite a huge boost. ¡°A great source of easy mana, but is it because she was human or because she was a [Mage]?¡±
Congratulations! You have reached level 11. Next level up at 50,000 mana +25 dungeon points
Tempted by the new source of mana, the mental struggle against my own greed is interrupted by a familiar sensation. Someone has entered my territory just as the sun was beginning to set. Jumping into one of my mice in the area I see that it''s not the teenagers but the [Hunter] whos returning for another round. Watching him limp through the forest with a huge pack on his back and a determined look on his face I feel my mood getting better the closer he gets. Unlike the last time where he had to babysit the kids, his attitude is telling me he won¡¯t be holding anything back. ¡°Wait¡­ the girl called him ¡®Daddy¡¯, didn¡¯t she?¡± I address the female fox who lifts her head up from a fresh hare carcass to look in the direction of my core, blood blending almost perfectly with her red fur, ¡°So either there was some serious age gap shenanigans going on between the two or, more likely, he was her father. Which would mean he¡¯s here for revenge?¡± The female fox returns to her meal while I return my attention to the dungeon to use the few minutes I have to order my creations around for the upcoming fight. Although it still saddens me she died the way she did, it was her fault for playing around in a dungeon and I have no intention of going easy on her father due to empathy for his situation. Monsters and animals waiting and ready I¡¯d love to do some last-minute structural changes but my mana pool is empty from the level up. Instead, I jump back into one of the flying squirrels following the man and watch him limp his way to me. The [Hunter] rushes down the stairs and not wasting a moment jumps down into the mushroom sea. Setting a fast pace forward with some liquid spilling from the bottom of his large backpack, leaving a wet trail behind himself. The first Lancetail moves towards him but doesn¡¯t get too close, the telltale sign of mushroom stalks parting over it earns my creation a shotgun blast from the keen eyed adventurer. Multiple pelts rip it to shreds as the gunshot spooks critters into a frenzy of multicolored motion everywhere on the floor. I wonder how he didn''t deafen himself and notice him pushing an earplug deeper into his ear canal. Pausing to check his kill he lifts it by its sharp tail and looks at the mangled body before throwing it away and continuing deeper into the floor.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. A few more Lancetails are killed, not even the ones who tried to sneak up from behind him made it closer than three meters. Now, however, he reached the hanging worms where I hoped they would provide a good distraction for the Lancetails to rush in. Without even slowing down he switches shotguns and empties his weapon from afar, killing and wounding the worms with a wide spread of small shotgun pellets, clearing himself a path. The ones who aren¡¯t dead curl up to the ceiling with a pained hiss. Guessing the outcome in advance I tell some of my ceiling snakes to drop on his head, trying to time it with the Lancetails going for his feet, but as I expected he isn¡¯t even surprised by the attack. Moving his body out of the way the moment the snake detached from the overgrowth on the ceiling he swivels on his good leg, shotgun aimed low with one hand while the other grabs a machete from a holster on his thigh. Perfectly timed, he unloads a shell that catches two Lancetails with its pellet spread, cuts the falling snakes in half with a move that would make ninja¡¯s envious and just when I think the last Lancetail will get him, he finishes his maneuver with a downward movement that hurls his weapon at the ground. The machete goes through soft flesh and impales itself into the ground with a thud. ¡°It¡¯s like he has a sixth sense or something,¡± annoyed at the nonchalant way he flicks his arm to clean the weapon from blood I decide to forgo tactics and just overrun him with sheer numbers. ¡°While I don¡¯t have too many adult Lancetails the number of Spearheads, snakes and salamanders on my first floor is no laughing matter.¡± Commanding my creatures I wait for them to assemble while the [Hunter] continues deeper into the vinefield, one shotgun spread at a time. ¡°There¡¯s good reason as to why adventurers form parties when delving into dungeons. No matter how strong a person is, his resources and stamina aren¡¯t limitless.¡± Proudly, I watch more and more creatures stream from the larger side caverns into the main path. Hundreds of them already encircling the enemy from all sides with hundreds more on their way. I wait for the [Hunter] to start reloading his gun before I send the signal to attack. The whole swarm moves at the same time and I watch with great joy as the man finally loses his poker face and shows genuine surprise and hints of fear that don¡¯t last as long as I would¡¯ve liked. His calm demeanor returns as if it was never gone and he lets go of the shotgun in his hand, letting it fall to his side, hanging from a strap. Hands free, he reaches behind him and I hear a click as he unclips the bottom of his backpack and a large jerrycan falls to his feet and a puddle forms as the man takes out another one. Ignoring the animals falling on his head and the Spearheads climbing his feet he quickly opens the container and holding the jerrycan upside down with one hand he flicks a Zippo into the air and starts to run. Approaching the Lancetails in a limping sprint he shoots two and jumps over the rest just as the lighter''s flame falls down to the puddle around the jerrycan and an explosion follows, setting its surrounding on fire and creating a beautiful giant ripple in the mushroom sea from the blast of hot air. Some of the Vineworms are set ablaze and with a pitched hiss they thrash around in pain, setting more of the surroundings on fire. Dozens die from the blast of fire and many more are burning, running around and spreading the quickly growing inferno. The line the [Hunter] left behind himself, a trail of gasoline that leads back to the entrance, ignites and helps spread the fire. Temperature rising fast I¡¯m slow to handle it because I see that the long stalk mushrooms that form the sea aren¡¯t very flammable and while the wildfire is dangerous, my main concern right now is the man who started it and is carrying at least ten more liters of fuel with him. Focusing my attention on the swarm I see them following him as he struggles with the Vineworms now that his shotguns are out of ammo. Surprisingly he isn¡¯t much slower without them, swinging his machete with great speed and uncanny instinct, hitting most real Vineworms and barely any of the decoys. If he wasn¡¯t limping my defenders would never be able to catch up to him, but since he is, the swarm is almost upon him. And apparently he knew it as well as once he exited the curtain of Vineworms he dropped his backpack, grabbed from it what turned out to be a folded spear, stood atop of the jerrycan as it emptied itself into a puddle and prepared to fight. Machete in one hand and spear in the other his motions were a blur as he cut and impaled anything that approached him. His face and hand became riddled by bites while his torso was mutilated by small shallow cuts. While he killed anything he could, his focus was the Lancetails which he impaled one after another with his short spear. For almost a minute the fight raged on and just as he was starting to slow down he threw his machete and jumped towards his bag. While in the air another Zippo was flicked and as it fell to the growing pull of gasoline the [Hunter] rolled on the ground and hid behind his large backpack. This explosion was bigger than the first one. If that wasn¡¯t bad enough than the fact that my swarm was more concentrated around it, was. Almost a hundred of my various creatures were caught in the blast, most dying immediately, while many more were burning. Immediately I tried to extinguish it but the source of water didn¡¯t come. ¡°What? Why? I have more than enough mana!¡± I tried again, putting all my focus into the task and this time a trickle of water appeared over the raging fire but disappeared into mist before hitting the ground. The [Hunter] didn¡¯t stay idle, quickly putting his backpack on and rushing away from the fire. Spear tucked under his armpit as he reloaded the shotguns while moving. Burning Spearheads were following him as fast as they could but most were slowing down as their flesh melted. Sacrificing themselves in their attempt to protect me, all they managed was to spread the fire even more. Canceling all the water sources that filled my second-floor reservoir I again tried to extinguish the fire, succeeding this time. Only to realize that it wouldn¡¯t be enough. I could barely focus enough to summon even one source of water, hardly enough to douse one fire let alone two. So much mana was being released from all the death that it filled my mana pool and kept on going, and by now the first fire became so big it reached the walls of the cavern and cut off the entire corridor. It was the walls that really turned the fire into an uncontrollable inferno. The shelf mushrooms I liked so much turned out to be easily flammable, with the polyporus caps catching fire and quickly engulfing everything with it. Seeing that the fire was starting to spread to the side caverns I slowly managed to close off the passageways, cutting off any easy escape routes my creatures had. Adding to my sorrows was the smoke that was starting to fill the cavern and leaving through the only exit it had. Rushing through the spiral staircase and leaving through the entrance of my dungeon tree. Something I wouldn¡¯t think twice about if not for the fear and panic the tree was sending to me through our shared connection. As I never even thought it was alive, or at least smarter than a regular tree I panic feeling one of its unripe fruits wither and drop. Hurrying to save the other fruits I open another exit directly over the fire and in my desperation I make the opening too big and lose consciousness as the smoke bellows out together with all the ambient mana that was concentrated into the first floor.
Greeting his teeth Liam tried to shift more of his weight to his left foot as he used his folding fishing spear as an impromento crutch. The combat boots underneath the rubber waders did an amazing job at keeping his heel stabilized but they couldn¡¯t do anything against the growing pain and swelling. Pain wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. Pain would keep him focused. Pain he could ignore and push through. As long as he could move, pain was meaningless. Mind empty and jaw clenched he considered stopping and treating his cuts but a quick look at the raging fire behind him was enough to change his mind. Resting can wait. The wounds wouldn¡¯t kill him. One step at a time. Step with the left foot and use it to jump forward slightly, keeping weight off the sprained right ankle. Speed is important but rushing is forbidden. Another glance back. Nothing pursuing him. Why? Where did they go? Keep moving. If anything comes [Hunter''s Instinct] will announce it. Get rid of the bag? No, still needed. There¡¯s the edge. Is that rain? No, drops from the ceiling to make it look like rain. Is it dangerous? Doesn¡¯t matter, no other way forward. Hammering three anchor points into the ground Liam connects a long rope to it and pulls a couple of times to see if they¡¯ll hold. Next he takes another rope and attaches it to his backpack, using it to lower it down a few meters before letting it fall on to one of the large mushroom shelves. Now it¡¯s the hard part. It¡¯s been years since he did any wall climbing and he¡¯s hoping it¡¯s like riding a bicycle. Standing at the edge he runs through the actions in his head while staring at the drop. He¡¯ll need to take it slow and compensate for his right side. Trusting his weight to the rope he slowly leans back until he¡¯s almost perpendicular to the cliffs wall. Resting his injured foot on one of the mushroom shelves makes it crumble, unable or not wanting to hold him. A small nod of approval at the consistency of the dungeon, he begins to rappel down the cliff using small jumps, compensating for the pain by redirecting most of the force from each impact to his left side. The descent is slowed down even more by his need to crumble any mushroom platforms underneath him and move his backpack down every time he reaches it. By the time he¡¯s reached the small cave in the midpoint where he can rest a little, his clothes are drenched from the falling droplets. Which is weird considering any drop that hits his bare skin dries up almost immediately. Even weirder is that his cuts have stopped itching and barely bleed anymore. He wouldn¡¯t have noticed if he didn¡¯t decide to spend his short rest treating and bandaging himself up, but now that he did he puts the bandages aside and decides to test things further. Grabbing a cap from his water bottle he holds it out of the cave until it fills up and pours the glittering liquid on one of his wounds, a large gash the length of his finger from one of the lizards with knives for a head. The result isn¡¯t very noticeable but he¡¯s pretty sure that the wound got a bit smaller than it was. Rummaging through his backpack he takes a small plastic bag that held some dried jerky and sets it up outside to gather raindrops. Giving it a few minutes to fill up he uses the time to rest, refill his weapons and check inventory. Done, he uses a pen to mark the edges of a cut and pours the liquid on the wound, slowly and carefully, and sure enough, it works. The cut is smaller and when shining a flashlight on it the redness around it is also decreased. With eyes narrowed and mind rushing with possibilities there¡¯s one more thing he needs to check before the rest stop is over. The plastic bag is set up again and the combat boot is taken off to reveal a swollen and bruised ankle. Sliding his legs away from the edge he lets the drops fall on a pained and pulsing appendage. Relief isn¡¯t instantaneous, it comes slowly, barely noticeable but clearly visible. In the ten minutes it took him to bandage and disinfect the worst of his cuts and bites the pulsing in his leg seized, the swelling diminished almost completely and the bluish bruising turned yellow. If not for the pain that still shot through his leg everytime the ankle moved he would think it was healed. Maybe a few more minutes would get rid of the pain as well but the rain was slowly getting weaker and its glittering colors more muted, so the combat boot went back on and it''s laces tied securely. The water that accumulated in the bag was poured on the sock giving him an uncomfortable sloshing feeling in his toes but hopefully, the healing properties would delay the ankle from swelling again. As there were a few drops left on the bag he pressed it to his nape and it eased the tingling sensation left from the heat blast. Attaching himself back to the rope he continued to descend with more ease than when he started, the recovered ankle allowing him to be less careful with his jumps. Stepping on to the sparkling mushroom at the bottom he secured his backpack and weapons, ready for the next part of the damn dungeon that took his daughter from him. This mushroom that twisted his ankle was a reminder of why he was here, and with the memory surfaced his guilt as well, making him blame himself for bringing her to this forsaken place. A place he¡¯ll do anything to destroy. Even if it costs him his life. Chapter 17 ¡°Don¡¯t go Dad. Please! Wait till Mom comes home.¡± Locklear moves her out of his way with ease and continues in silence. Movements slow and methodical he steps into his shed and locks the door behind him. His older daughter bangs her hands against the wood, yelling for him to come out or let her in. Her voice is like salt falling on his open wound, reminding him that his little girl is gone. Taken by dungeon. The dungeon he introduced her to. It took all his strength not to kill the boy when he came to inform them of what happened. Locklear didn¡¯t even need his new [Enhanced Senses] skill to smell the pee stains on the coward, so not even bothering to listen until the end he got up and headed outside with his older daughter following behind. The details didn¡¯t matter. His baby girl was dead and he knew who would pay for that. He knew he was acting irrational but he was caught off guard and his [Hunter¡¯s Instincts] skill kicked in to calm him down. The downside to that was that his [Target Acquired] skill activated as a result and it caused him to move on autopilot, preparing for a hunt and willing to risk anything for success. Not knowing if his skills were working for or against him, he didn¡¯t waste time thinking about it. A shotgun, a machete and the thickest boots and hunting clothes he could find were thrown into a duffle bag together with an assortment of random stuff he took just in case. Next was a good piece of rope he planned to tie his daughter with, so she wouldn¡¯t follow after him. She tried to fight back but he was too fast and she was never very athletic, unlike his baby girl who was amazing at everything. Oh how he¡¯ll miss her company on his hunts. He felt like crying but his skills prevented him, tears meant blurry vision and weakness wasn¡¯t allowed. A quick stop to get everything he needed and he was crashing his pickup truck through bushes while avoiding trees. He got as far as he could before misgauging a space and slamming into a tree. The airbags deployed hitting him in the face and causing his nose to start bleeding. Ignoring the disorientation and blood he grabbed his gear with the added guns he always kept in his truck and continued on foot, limping slightly from a still swollen ankle. When the first dungeon mushroom colored the forest floor he wasn¡¯t even slightly surprised that the territory has grown, he only adjusted his heavy camping backpack and switched hands on his duffle bag. A few minutes longer than he planned he reached the tree which seemed to have grown larger again and stepped down into the darkness. ____________________________________________ Seeing the rock formations and streetlight mushrooms, reminded him of how he leaned on his little angel. How strong she was, holding him and fighting off waves of enemies. For the first time, it makes him think he might die here. Never see his other kids or kiss his wife. But then the pain in his chest returns and the voice of his perfect girl overtakes any hesitation. Pushing him forward and although the rocks blocking his way were big they were lighter than they looked. Being somewhat round made them easier to move as well. With only one good leg to push with it meant he still had to struggle greatly, and the annoying rodents that never gave up trying to climb him or jump at his face from the shadows were a constant nuisance that more than one time caused him to fear for his life. But all in all this stretch of the dungeon was much easier than the first half. The attack pattern didn¡¯t change, there was no coordination or ingenuity, and while annoying, after the second wave Liam got the hang of things and it became simple exercise. And except that one time where he stepped on a rat with his bad foot and lost his balance the whole routine was just push, kill, duck, stab, push again. Rinse repeat until he came to what the kids called the boss room. A large cavern full of columns, stalagmites and stalactites that filled the area with dead spots where enemies could be hidden. Their spread didn¡¯t allow vision of anything further than a few meters and together with the dim illumination provided by randomly placed mushrooms, meant that an attack could come from anywhere. Locklear walked carefully, almost hugging the largest columns and stalagmites, using them for cover and moving quickly when going from one to another. Head swiveling and eyes narrowed, he was watching for movement. His hearing was useless in this setting as falling droplets caused echoes as they hit stone or puddles, masking his own steps and as such any noise his unknown enemy would make as well. Reloaded shotgun at the ready he limped his way through the maze, careful not to hit his head on any sharp edge of a stalactite. He moved away from a large stalactite, heading to a large column half as wide as himself when he heard a loud splash of water from the darkness to his side. Turning to face the direction the sound came from he got knocked backwards and fell on his backpack as something the size of a large dog hit him in the stomach. Whatever it was it didn¡¯t manage to bite him but it did try, leaving a hole in his rubber waders before jumping away. Aiming in the direction it disappeared with one hand he tried to get up using his other when something big moved from behind him. Not waiting to see what it was he pushed with his good leg, rolling to the side and trying to come out of the role in a kneeling position. He could feel the wind as whatever the thing was barely missed him but all he could glimpse of it was a thick long tail before he rolled into a stalagmite and broke it from his weight. Ignoring the pain in his twisted ankle he jumped to his feet as quickly as he could manage, dropped the backpack weighing him down and jumped towards the nearest column. Back touching the stone column he walked around it, scanning the area and waiting for another attack but none came. Not until he stepped away from his cover to grab a light from the backpack, when another loud splash echoed through the cavern. This time Liam didn¡¯t try to turn and just threw himself to the side just as a body came flying from the shadows aiming at where his exposed back was just a moment ago. Falling to the floor Liam didn¡¯t waste any time before starting to roll, already feeling the tremors that came from the giant rodent running at him. The same rodent he saw looking at him and the kids the last time he was in this room, but somehow bigger. A giant that most likely weighed as much as he did, not a thing to be underestimated as Liam was quite a large man. Hugging the next pillar he turned around, flashlight eventually hitting the dead end with the black hole in it¡¯s wall and an idea hits him. Jumping to the next pillar he manages to avoid the jumping threat. His next movement is anticipated and the giant rodent is waiting for him as he turns with his back to the pillar. Skills announcing it¡¯s presence before he can see the creature his shotgun colors the walls in red and he hears his target roar in pain. Using the moment of distraction he rushes to the hole in the wall. Almost there, something smashes into him, dropping him to the floor with it on top of him. It manages to take a bite of his palm as he tries to push it away, hands trying to get a hold on the slippery fur. Sharp pain shoots through his arm and he waves it sideways, hurling the monster through the air and feeling something tear away with it. Ignoring the pain and not waiting to see how fast the beast will recover he lifts himself up and jumps forward, chest hitting the edge of the dark opening painfully and knocking the breath out of him. Pushing with his sprained ankle he feels a snap but is already sliding downwards. Flying out of the tunnel Liam immediately rolls to the side, unholstering his pistol and aiming at the opening. Eyes blinking rapidly while they adjust to the sudden brightness, he balances on one leg as the sound of something sliding down after him grows stronger. Not waiting to see what it was he fires two shots into the dark the moment the sound hits a last straight before the exit, or at least tries to but nothing happens and he sees a green shape with black fur in between blur past him. He looks down at his hand while the creature finds its barings and sees his index and middle finger are missing, almost until the knuckle, with blood spurting out at the stumps. Switching to his other hand he aims at the rodent to see it jump away and hide behind the flower garden in the middle of the room. He waits but there¡¯s no movement. Just the sound of something slithering on the floor so he aims at where his skill screams his target is at and fires, the bullet passes through giant mushrooms and flowers like butter to hit flesh on the other side. A squeal of pain and a flutter of talons on stone follows and a moment later Liam is staring down a bloody maw, where sharp incisors the length of his severed fingers glisten in the multicolored mushroom light. Abandoning any caution the enraged rodent is aiming to bite off his face so all he has to do is step sideways and unload the rest of the clip as it flies by. Reloading with practiced ease Liam waits for any signs of life and after a moment the body begins to dissipate into particles. When only a small shining crystal is left the tired [Hunter] takes a few steps backwards and drops to one of the stone benches. His pistol slips out of his hand and he grabs his shirt and presses to the stumps of his fingers in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He is getting lightheaded and that can''t be a good sign during severe hemorrhaging. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Panting as he regains his breath, he thinks of the backpack he dropped as he looks around the small room for something to stop the bleeding. A red glitter catches his eye, similar to the raindrops that eased his wounds, so he tries to move towards them only to fall down, ankle no longer able to bear his weight. Looking down, pain begins to register as the only thing holding his foot from flopping around uselessly is the boot that is now cutting off circulation to the swelling appendage. Gritting his teeth Liam jumps the short distance on one leg and drops to his knees next to the garden and a small basin of glittering red liquid in between the glowing flowers. Holding his breath he lowers his hand and the scrapes on his remaining fingers heal immediately. Still not releasing his breath he submerges his whole palm into the shallow basin and relief washes over him as the pain disappears almost immediately. Saying a small prayer Liam pulls his hand out, disappointed to see that the sumps are still there, healed but not completely. Pulling off his boot with great difficulty he tries to bring the red liquid to his foot but it gets absorbed the moment it touches the skin. So after a moment''s thought, he dips the sock and puts it on. It takes a bit longer this time and he can feel movement under his skin but in less than a minute the sock is dry and he can stand on both feet again. Repeating the procedure two more times before putting the boot back on, Liam stands up. Properly balanced and sure-footed for the first time in a week, he opens a simple stone door, striding forward into the forest of the second floor with confidence. A rudimentary gaze makes the forest he stepped into seem completely normal. Almost an exact replica to the one above. The only visible difference is the yellowish-green colored mushroom for a sky and the eerie light it colors the whole forest in. A closer sweep of his surroundings allows his eyes to catch a similar glitter or reds and blues in the creek flowing out of the smooth stone wall next to him. Looking around the forest he spots no landmarks so he follows the creek as it weaves through the trees. His first sight of something out of the ordinary is bluish light coming from between the trees. Leaving the flowing water behind he walks towards the blue light and approaches a glowing mushroom taller than his house. A bunch of smaller mushrooms, but still larger than him surround the large one. He spots movement and raises his gun immediately. ¡°Just an ermine.¡± Keeping his eyes on the animal he watches as it climbs the mushrooms. It¡¯s more agile than any ermine he has ever seen and after a while, he takes a step back. The ermine notices him, jumping down to the ground and rushing to the safety of its burrow. Completely normal if it didn¡¯t jump from a height of four meters. Not sure what to do and knowing he won¡¯t be catching the ermine now that it¡¯s hidden he returns to the creek and continues to follow its path through the forest. He spots more animals. Porcupines and dears mostly, but the ever-present bugs and the occasional flying squirrel also make an appearance. Twice more he spots blue light coming through the trees but doesn¡¯t go investigating. His gut is telling him that what he will find what he¡¯s looking for at the end of this creek. His hands tighten on the shotgun his carrying and he increases his pace. Fifteen minutes into his track and he spots the color red for the first time. A red fox looks at him from some distance. It¡¯s look makes Liam¡¯s hairs stand up but it disappears as suddenly as it appeared so he marches on. The feeling of being watched returns every once in a while but whenever he searches for the cause all he manages to see is a flash of red before it disappears. ¡°Is it hunting me?¡± Liam stops for a moment to look around himself again. All he has seen so far were animals he was familiar with. None of the deadly abominations from the first floor. A few more minutes of walking the twisting path and he reaches a short waterfall he climbs down after walking to the side for a while. Done, he drops to one knee and washes his face. The floor is cold but he is still sweating from the adrenaline in his system. He encountered no threats but the damn fox has been keeping him on edge the whole time. Every time he lowers the shotgun to his side he feels the creature''s eyes on him and his heart pumps faster. Even now. The moment he let his guard down the feeling is back and sure enough the moment he lifts his head in the direction he glimpsed a red tail disappear from sight. He wants to hunt the thing down but knows there¡¯s no chance of catching it. And either way, he has a different target. His goal isn¡¯t the challenge of the hunt but the satisfaction of revenge. Feeling refreshed he gets up and marches onwards. Soon the trees become more sparse and he spots the stone wall in the distance. A few minutes later and he sees his destination. A cave where the creek he was following disappears into. Approaching the cave the sound of squelching reaches his ears. It¡¯s a weird noise that reminds him of a rubber ball hitting a puddle of water. Not taking any chances, his shotgun aims at the dark entrance and step by measured step he stalks closer. When there¡¯s less than ten meters separating him and the opening the noise gets louder and sounds like it¡¯s moving towards him until a moment later a giant green blob of jello plops out of the cave. He¡¯s so surprised he forgets to shoot and watches as the substance jiggles and squelches as more of it flows out of the hole in the wall. It has no eyes or distinguishing features but the [Hunter] gets the feeling it''s looking and assessing him. It is bigger than him and four times as wide. Blocking the entrance almost entirely. Taking a few steps to the side the gelatinous substance spreads to block his path into the cave. ¡°A guard?¡± Whatever it is it¡¯s moving slowly so Liam comes closer. Only a few steps away from the entrance he spots a reflection from the dark interior of the cave. A floating purple crystal decahedron the size of a soccer ball, reflecting the green of the guardian blocking him. He remembers the boy''s words, an explanation of a dungeon core and if that wasn¡¯t enough than the [Hunter] in him screams that he found his target. He jumps to the side and unloads his shotgun in the gap between the living jello and the cave''s wall. His aim is on point but the slime expands in a burst of movement and blocks the pallets. They penetrate into it, passing completely through to the other side but lose all momentum on their way through and simply fall to the cavern floor. He tries again, dashing to the other side but the squishy guard flows to intercept. Angry, Liam stands in front of what he can best describe as a living ball of radioactive waste and unloads another round, point-blank. There is no reaction. It doesn¡¯t even bother attacking him. Simply staying in place and accepting the abuse. The [Hunter] tries cutting it, hitting it and shooting it a couple of more times in frustration after nothing works. Letting his weapon drop to his side he punches his hands into the gelatinous substance, trying to claw some of it away and tear it to pieces but it just reforms every time. Leaving no trace of his efforts but for irritation to his exposed skin. An itch that turns into a prickle of a chemical burn. When the pain becomes unbearable he tries to pluck his arms out but the substance refuses to let go. Weakly sucking him dipper and flowing towards his torso. Fearing for his life Liam jumps backwards and his arms are set free with an accompanying sound a vacuum popping. Rolling backward he rushes to the creek and plunges his hurting hands into the cold water. The pain subsides immediately and he does his best to wash away the slime that stuck to his reddened skin. ¡°Dammit!¡± he punches the waters. He looks back at the Slime guarding the dungeon core and notices a lack of vegetation around it. A dead space of dirt even though the forest floor is covered by flora. While he thinks of how to pass it the flow of water reduces the pain in his arms to no more than a sting. ¡°Fire.¡± But he has no lighter or matches anymore. Taking his hands out of the water makes the pain return in full force but he ignores it and searches for wood he can use to start a fire. He has to stop and drop to his knees to reduce the pain of his arms before he can find anything that is even remotely dry enough to be lit. The forest is too new. There¡¯s barely any dead leaves of twigs on its floor. He does a few more rounds of searching in between running back to the waters to recuperate, with nothing to show for his suffering. Even if he manages to climb the slide back to the first floor, there''s still the giant black rat waiting in the boss room. ¡°Fuck. Fuck, fuck. Fuck!¡± The damn thing that took his daughter is staring him in the face, only a meter and a half of slime separating them and he can do nothing but stay on his knees. In desperation, he rushes the Slime. Plunging himself inside and trying to swim through it. He doesn¡¯t care what happens to him as long as he can avenge his daughter. Halfway through his supply of oxygen, he sees something on the other side of the green obstacle that makes him give up. He struggles and manages to free his head to gulp down air. His whole body burning he grabs the edge of the cavern and pulls himself out. Not bothering to look back, he stumbles and collapses into the sweet relief of the flowing creek. His skills deactivate and he starts to cry. Pain and salty tears washed away by the magical waters as he crawls upstream. ¡°Velvet ants,¡± he stops to punch the water, ¡°A freaking nest of goddamn cow killers.¡± Once he saw the distinct red of the deadly wasps on the floor and walls of the cavern, moving to protect the dungeon in case he manages to break through the slime, Liam knew he stood no chance. He continued to crawl, skin burning and waters no longer able to calm his pain. Because now he was again burning from the inside. Fires of revenge were growing stronger by the moment. ¡°It can be killed.¡± Knowing that fact reignited him, refocused his mind and gave him energy. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t protect itself so thoroughly unless it was afraid.¡± He got up and started walking. ¡°You¡¯re mine and I will never give up. Never forget what you took from me.¡± Pushing through the waters he didn''t look back or to his sides. He marched forward, climbed the small waterfall instead of circling around it. ¡°I¡¯ll grow stronger. Levels. Skills. And if that''s not enough I¡¯ll use humanity''s worst weapons to destroy you.¡± He steps through the stone doors back into the garden of the restroom and uses what''s left of the red water to heal the worst of his burns before entering the elevator and punching the glowing mushroom embedded into its wall. Nothing happens and he punches it again and again until his knuckles are bleeding and the air starts to change around him. ¡°The hunt will end,¡± he professes through gritted teeth as the wall closes, ¡°when one of us is dead.¡± -------- END OF PART 1 --------