Forgotten Dungeon

Uno

My consciousness flew higher and higher, the speed of ascent more similar to drilling through the earth, than earlier soaring quickness. The minutes of traveling through the dirt passed slowly, so I started asking some important questions in the meantime.

[Guardian, are you there?] I sent a mental message to my loyal minion.

[Yes, my lord. What are your commands?] He answered quickly, not bothered in the slightest by my sudden communication.

[I want to ask you a question.]

[Then I will try to answer to the best of my abilities.]

[Do you know anything about the anti-dungeon tool that the half-elves brought with them?]

[Errr… my lord, I wasn’t present when the invaders attacked your sub-core. How would I know?]

I nearly facepalmed.

Of course, only I had access to cameras, my minions weren’t privy to such things. Something that I might consider changing in the future. For now, a simple explanation would suffice.

[The elven princess, Minnalea brought with her something that looked like a dagger with a red gem handle. They called it a Royal family’s weapon or something like that.] I trembled for a moment, remembering the traumatizing feeling that came after she plunged it into my sub-core. [It… broke a part of me. Devoured it, rather.]

[I see…]

[So? Any thoughts?]

[I’m not familiar with the methods employed by the Luna Kingdom or the elves in particular.] He answered with some hesitation. I inwardly nodded. They weren’t even around when Guardian was turned into a vampire.

[I can, however, say, that the most important ingredient of Dungeon binding practiced in my country has always been a dormant core.] He stopped for a moment. [Maybe the elves use the same principle?]

[Are you suggesting that the red gem I saw was a former Dungeon?] I asked incredulously. A mental nod was my only answer.

[This makes sense…] I muttered. There was a certain sense of familiarity, and sameness when confronted with the hungry being contained within. A shudder came through my invisible body. Would my kidnapped core be used for similar sinister purposes?

The dagger was dangerous, that much was certain. I was, however, playing dead right now. Was a single item, no matter how powerful, really worth breaking that facade? I desperately needed time to grow. To learn. To rebuild my forces.

It was better to play it safe.

My focus dispersed as soon as I managed to arrive at the surface. If the slow rate at which I was currently moving was the only side effect of my sub-core destruction I would be more than willing to pay this price.

A curious sight greeted me after emerging. Or rather when I took control over one of the surviving Devil Eye cameras. Pretty much the whole population of the outpost - a few hundred souls - was currently standing in a large clearing just beyond burned-down buildings. The civilians, adventurers, soldiers, and Order’s troops were condensed into a homogeneous human mass, which to me looked no different than a bunch of sheep.

Guarding them, or should I say - herding - was a small contingent of soldiers clad in black armor. Their choice of clothing would seem overly edgy and even comical in normal circumstances if not for the gloomy aura that they emanated - heavy enough to keep the commoners in line.

A shabby-looking platform was erected close to the human mob, made mostly from the rough-hewn boards gathered from freshly cut silver trees, still wet with resin in some places. On top of it stood a large, muscular man with a commanding posture. He wore an easy-to-recognize hawk’s helmet and expensive-looking black leather armor. A faint feeling of power radiated from his body, as his growling, deep words slowly spilled from the lower, open part of the mask.

I knew him.

Or should I say that Non knew him?

One of the targets of her revenge, was the leader of the Geinard Kingdom's special forces, arrogant Hawk, a powerful warrior in his own right.

Lord Hawk was his name.

Before him, under a light guard, stood a familiar figure. The red-eyed and red-haired noble was currently clenching his teeth and fists, listening intently to the droning hawk-man. Once again I could see small, nearly invisible wisps of flame dancing around his body.

Now that was interesting...

I stopped scouting and instead focused on simply listening to the speech.

And just in time.

“...is thus guilty of allowing the property of the Geinard Kingdom to fall in the foreign hands. He is also guilty of damaging the relationship between our allies in these trying times.” The large man breathed out and in, his countenance telling me he was as bored as the people who were forced to listen.

After a while, he continued. “There are however bright points in Charles Blueflame's administration of the Outpost currently called Silver Oasis. These consist of surviving the Fallen Tribes invasion without any aid, as well as helping the Royal Princess Agnes Geinard in her expedition. To that, I can also add keeping the military and defensive presence in the hands of our Kingdom, despite foreign influences.”

The speaker straightened his back. “Thus the verdict is as follows.” He bellowed and the rest of the human mob murmured in anticipation. No matter the times, the masses always craved entertainment. And seeing the powerful fall from the grace certainly counted as such.

“Charles Blueflame is to be stripped of his noble status, of his hereditary Blueflame bloodline, and the leadership of the Order of the Fates Untold.” The former noble clenched his fists even harder, his eyes never leaving the ground before him. “However he is allowed to retain control over the Silver Oasis Outpost and the soldier contingent left to keep order and retain control over the former dungeon.”

Only now I noticed familiar faces behind the outspoken man. The princess Agnes Geinard, tall, sad-looking Lone Mountain, and earth mage Peter. They seemed to accompany Lord Hawk on some official business.

The silence followed as Charles raised his eyes to gaze at the one judging him. The atmosphere could be cut with a knife.

“Do you accept my verdict, Charles of the Silver Oasis?”

The former noble opened his mouth not once but twice before swallowing hard and speaking out in a deep, hurt voice.

“I did only what I thought was necessary for the glory and survival of the Kingdom.” He continued with a raised tone. “I used whatever could be used, according to our tenets!”

“As we do all.” The official immediately dismissed his claim. “Yet you were judged and found lacking. Do you accept?” He repeated his question.

“I accept, Lord Hawk.” Charles shouted back loudly while whispering the rest of his words. “May the Gods have mercy on your souls. Because I won’t.” The anger, the fiery fireflies seemed to disappear and only a tired, disillusioned young man was left behind.

“Good. Guards, please return the outpost commander to his quarters. I still have a few questions to ask him. After the delve, of course.”

The soldiers saluted and Charles was escorted out of the clearing. Then the man called Lord Hawk turned back to the audience.

“The members of the Order of the Fates Untold are ordered to return to the capital and await a new commander’s orders.” He flashed a smile. “Of course, those who want to follow your former leader may do so.” The Order soldiers mostly bowed slightly. I had a feeling that not many of them would remain. A shame. They probably had some of the more interesting skills and magical abilities I would love to experiment with…

“While I can’t order the Guild to leave let it be known that according to our past experiences, the destroyed dungeon will only produce a minuscule amount of monsters and items. Your presence would be welcomed at the other Geinard’s Kingdom locations. Yet I understand if you can’t make an informed decision with the disappearance of your Guild master.” Lord Hawk stared down the adventurers present and but a few were able to withstand his gaze. “I will scout the dungeon and rescue any survivors in your stead.” Murmurs followed. “That was not a question.” He added.

“Most of the soldiers are ordered to return too.” This announcement was met with a small ovation. It was clear that the troops stationed here disliked the post. “Baring a small contingent of guards needed for an outpost of this size. You can draw lots.”

“I don’t have any control over merchants or mages which made this place home yet I would strongly recommend you to move into more secure and important locations.” He stopped, gauging the reactions of Outeles the merchant, and Master Vincent. Both of them seemed to ignore the contents of his speech. “The dungeon has been destroyed.”

“And that is all.” The man finished his speech not mentioning anything to the frightened civilians. None of them, even bald Tom, dared to speak out despite outnumbering the black-clothed guards and simple soldiers by a dozen each.

Being shooed away the rest of the freshly named outpost’s population dispersed, returning to their duties - guarding, harvesting my first floor or rebuilding. Using this time a small delegation of the half-elves approached Lord Hawk, their faces full of discontent.

“What do you want?” The man asked grumpily, his weary tone a clear difference between a commanding tune he was singing earlier.

“We want to raise a protest against your verdict, Lord Hawk!” Their representative spoke out, his scarred face and a missing eye a clear sign of being a part of the earlier purge. “The man in question murdered dozens of our brethren! Stripping him of the nobility is but a trifle! We demand death for death!”

“I think you’re misunderstanding something, knife-ear.” The masked man growled in anger, while the elves took a step back, stunned by a sheer killing intent.

“Wha--?”

“I was not punishing Charles for decimating your forces.” A brutal smile appeared on his face. “Your people were happily strolling on our land, filth! They knew the consequences!” He sneered. “I punished him for allowing your princess to steal our Dungeon core.”

“Bu--!”

“And before you start mewling, know that according to your death-for-death ruling, I should stroll right into your Leafhill village and tear their Dungeon core out!” He said while putting a hand on the elf’s shoulder and squeezing hard. “Do. We. Understand. Each. Other?”

“Yes.” Another squeeze came as the elven representative hissed in pain. “Yes, I understand, human!”

“Good.” Lord Hawk slowly released his grip. “Now get your cronies out of here, while I’m still in a passable mood.”

“The Lunar King will hear of this.”

“Oh, I hope he does. In the meantime, I will be waiting for an apology.” Lord Hawk smiled crookedly. Yet as soon as the elven delegation left his vision it disappeared immediately, replaced by a calm, composed demeanor. “Are they gone?” He asked seemingly in the air while keeping an aloof tone.

“A small group of them left immediately, probably to report back to their superiors. The rest still wait for something.” A black-robed man emerged from the nearby shadows. “The princess is still alive it seems.”

“Agreed.”

“Was that necessary, teacher?”

“What specifically? The noble or the knife-ears?”

“Both.”

Lord Hawk sighed audibly. “That is why you still have much to learn, Shadow. Heh.”

“I would ask you to not snicker at my pseudonym.”

“Give me some wine, then.”

“Fine.” The self-proclaimed Shadow produced a wine sack out of nowhere. He threw it through the air and his companion caught it deftly. “Now talk. What was that all about?”

“Let me ask you the question, then. Would any of your trainees be able to survive the Fallen Tribes invasion, beat back the elves, conquer most of the dungeon, and keep the half-elven princess at bay with only some mages and soldiers under their command?” Lord Hawk popped out the cork and noisily drank a few large gulps of liquid. Faced with the problem his companion kept quiet for a few minutes before hesitantly answering.

“Maybe? If I had my level and some of our resources…”

“And if you didn’t?”

“Still, a maybe.”

“Oh, don’t bullshit me. I trained you. I know what you and your subordinates are capable of.” The larger man pointed his finger at Shadow. “You are killers. Warriors. One of our Kingdom’s hidden daggers. But you are no generals. Tactical know-how - yes, but leading armies? Not one of you knows how to do it. And that’s why I gave him a choice.”

“I don’t understand. Our Kingdom has generals...”

“Yes, Geinard Kingdom has strategists. Generals. Would you follow their orders though?”

Shadow’s silence was enough of an answer.

“He will be left here, alone, for about… what? Half a year? Maybe, even more, that depends on how the situation develops.” Lord Hawk shrugged. “For a noble used to power, to being in the center of attention, luxuries... staying out here would be akin to torture. After some time passes a certain organization will extend an invitation to him and a proposition to return what was unjustly taken from him.” He narrated.

“You want to bend him to our will?”

Lord Hawk waved his hands. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic! Nothing so drastic. It’s not like I can just kill off Agnes’ lover, right? But a bit of poking should be okay.” He chuckled coldly. “This will be mutually beneficial cooperation, after all.” His expression changed for a moment. A tremble, albeit mostly unnoticeably to bystanders. “Besides it’s not like I can do anything to one of Hekkan’s bloodline. Exiled or not.”

“There is more.” Murmured Shadow.

Lord Hawk raised his arms in a gesture of surrender. “Of course. There is always more! Layers under layers.” He grunted. “Did you feel the energy he was emanating?”

“That was him? At his level… certainly unnatural.”

“Yes, I suppose he got some rare class during the delve. And you know how much we need any edge we can get.”

“That I can understand. Strength is power. Power is justice. And the elves?”

“These were my true feelings. Hate the fuckers. They enter our land, destroy our Dungeon core, and still want reparations. Like they somehow had given us a boon, or something.” Lord Hawk huffed in indignation.

“And the true motive?” His subordinate ignored the outburst, drinking a mouthful of the liquor instead.

“Since not all of them left in a hurry this means that the princess still lives.” The larger man’s demeanor changed in an instant, the facade of hatred thrown out like every single mask before. “And since Minnalea is their precious little experiment I would guess that one of their monsters guards her still.”

“We haven’t found any traces though…”

Lord Hawk shook his head in disappointment, sighing once again.

“Yes, yes I know… It’s just hard to imagine skills of such power to exist.”

“You don’t need to. They do.”

“I see.” With a bow, Shadow disappeared in the darkness.

“I knew that the Geinard Kingdom was the right choice.” Lord Hawk mumbled to himself before draining the remaining liquor.

As they finished their conversation I focused on the other part of the outpost. Something out there caught my attention. Still - the Silver Oasis, eh? I guess that was because of the trees? Would that mean I was a Silver Dungeon? Kinda tacky… not that it was important to know how the sentient races called me. I shook off the random thoughts and turned my attention towards the place where Charles was being imprisoned.

The mana there behaved strangely, not to mention that a small rock was thrown from the ground and produced a noise. After a few more tries a familiar figure appeared on the balcony. Truly a Romeo and Juliet situation, except in reverse - it was Agnes standing on the ground and Charles looking down at her from his tower.

“I did what I could.” She spoke sheepishly.

“I am not blaming you, princess.” The former noble answered in a wooden, cold tone.

“You!” A timid note was instantly gone from her voice. “Call me by my name!”

“Pri--”

“You promised! Charles!”

“I---” A red halo appeared around the man quickly and immediately vanished as he controlled his emotions. He glanced at the surroundings, then, after a second of thought, jumped down near the princess. “I’m sorry, Agnes. I’m just tired.”

“I know that you are.”

They walked a few meters in silence, the proud princess following just behind the man. In the end, he leaned against a freshly grown tree, the silver of its bark contrasting with his crimson hair and eyes. They seemed more vibrant than before.

Charles stood in silence for a few long moments before slowly confiding in Agnes.

“You know I always wanted the best for my family.” A resigned sigh escaped his mouth. “Blueflames.” He spoke with a wistful tone. “What a heavy name.”

“I persevered. I tried my best, despite always being the weak one. The one who was not worthy. The one who was left to be forgotten. In the dust.” The red fireflies returned, slowly circling the angered man. “And when I do what was best for our Kingdom - when I bleed for it, defending our people, our land...” He breathed in, before shouting his true emotions. “This is how they repay me?!”

“Charles, you know it’s not that simple…” Agnes said helplessly. “The politics demand sacrifices. The people are shortsighted.” She grabbed his tensed shoulder.

The man turned, his eyes shining with an otherwordly light. “No.” He whispered, his fury suddenly turned into a cold, gleaming emotion. “It’s always the same. What I lack is power. Enough power to not be trampled like those civilians.” The former noble stared into the princess’s eyes. “This is also what you currently lack.”

“Yet wasn’t that what you always pursued?” She admonished him calmly.

“Yes, but there was always hesitation in my steps.” He gazed at the bustling outpost. Silver Oasis. “No longer.”

“You are a fool.”

“Isn’t that why you like me?” The somber atmosphere dissipated with his frivolous words.

“Fool.” She repeated while pecking him with the lightest of kisses. He returned the attack and soon they were rolling on the ground, losing pieces of armor and clothing.

The atmosphere turned far too pink for my tastes and my attention drifted away. I had more interesting things to observe than humans trying to reproduce.

For example, the one they called Lord Hawk was preparing to delve into my defunct dungeon. Getting some rations and washing down the earlier wine took him only a moment and soon he walked down the halls like he owned the place. My traps and acidic plants were avoided with ease like the man was led by some invisible force. After a few minutes of such anger-inducing travel, he stopped just before the first-floor Trial room.

I thought that he’d try to compete in it, instead, he just sniffed the air while commenting aloud. “A solo melee trial? Pretty rare. Still, inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.” With a small nod, he continued speaking to nobody in particular. “According to the report, there was also a smithing golem, the curious undead, and unique plants. And of course the rats.” His mouth under the hawk’s helmet visor twisted in disgust. “So… incoherent. No matter. Let’s check what’s on the second floor then.”

With a spring in his step, he turned back and jogged towards the second-floor stairway.

Just like before the sparse traps and monsters were completely inconsequential before his graceful step. This time however he stopped after killing an Exploding Lebir, leaning over its decapitated body. He sniffed loudly and continued the commentary.

“Yes… the smell of the elves is unmistakable. Even if they’re mostly half-bloods.” His mouth twisted once again as he poked and prodded my dead creation. “Now this thing is quite interesting. And undead clad in metal is common enough, but the way it reacted was curious. Not to mention I never saw this kind of metal. Hmm... I wonder. The report mentioned something about the monsters exploding. Let’s get back some pieces of it - just in case.”

Without any visible effort, he used his dagger to carve out pieces of the energized metal, while stowing them in one of the many sacks dangling from his waist.

“I really want to explore this floor, but duty comes before leisure.” He nodded sternly and sniffed the air once again. “At least their princess is of pure blood. Easy to track.”

Within the next fifteen minutes, the singular invader managed to follow the elven tracks down to the hole made by the earlier invaders’ magic. Seeing the wanton destruction he only shook his head with a disappointed expression.

“Stupid.” Was a simple comment given.

After jumping down he glanced towards the twisting tunnel but his head turned back as if drawn by some invisible force.

“What is this? Oh? Ooooh? Is that another Trial?” Lord Hawk seemed torn between following the trail and the direction where my Trial of Greed was located. “Just for a minute. Maybe five. Nothing’s going to happen in the meantime.” Despite said words, his legs still led him towards the elves, even while he glanced back every minute or so.

“It should be enough that I inform Agnes about it. Leave her to be its conqueror. Or even for that disgraced lover of hers.” His smile blossomed under the helmet as he sniffed the air once again. “It’s still good enough to know that it’s here.” The smile turned into a sneer. “Especially because the elves don’t have that information.”

After deciding on the course of action he started to run, devouring the distance at a worrying pace. I pinged Berserker and asked him to hurry, thus making sure that his enraged form started to wail on the barrier that separated him from his prey. The half-elves grew frantic in response, their lives suddenly in jeopardy.

Despite his efforts, the silent knight, Jake, coughed out some blood but kept the barrier intact. Seeing this Minnalea scrambled to his side, desperately trying to keep him alive. The earlier light magic was gone, replaced by her babbling and the occasional ray of what I assumed was a healing spell.

The princess seemed completely different from the high and mighty noble lady that invaded my dungeon a week prior. No longer did she wear clean and high-class robes, neither her hair was immaculately done, but instead, she sat on the dirty ground. Her eyes were red, arms trembled under the stress and pure exhaustion. Formerly delicate skin was now full of scratches and bruises, as all healing was used to keep her defender alive.

She was but a shell of her former self.

This seemed to reflect the state of every single elven survivor I was observing. A week of imprisonment reduced these proud soldiers to ragged beggars.

Two of the leaders, Ian and Agric were standing in the corner, conversing in hushed voices. I, of course, started eavesdropping.

“Is it worth it?”

“Of course. Don’t be a fool.” Ian’s answer rang hollow. “We’re expendable, remember?” He wistfully whispered.

“It sounds weird coming from your mouth though.” Agric spoke sorrowfully, his gaze remaining on the lamenting princess. “Don’t you feel any pity?”

His companion shook his head. “What do you want from me?” He gritted his teeth. “To admit that I’m a hypocrite?”

“No, I---!”

“I know damn well that I like her…” He motioned towards Minnalea. “Even if I’m just a stallion in their fucking breeding farm.” His voice turned low, barely a whisper. “But I’ll very well compromise to avoid my fate.”

“I understand. But I don’t approve.”

“Do you? Then why were you designated for this mission?”

The larger man shook his hands. “Doesn’t matter.”

Ian chuckled darkly. “Let me guess. Somebody wants you dead?” A small, nearly imperceptible twitch was enough for the mage to continue. “I don’t care who you fucked, who you shamed, or who you angered. It doesn’t matter. We all are expendable. So don’t preach to me, friend.” These last words were meant to be prickly but sounded... fatigued. Desperate. “We’re all just trying to survive in this fucked up world.”

“Anyway.” Ian continued in a brighter tone. “Something happened.”

“You mean this sudden attack?”

“Yes.”

“You think it’s the reinforcements?”

The mage’s gaze wandered to Minnalea. “No. Too soon.”

“A third party then? Who? Fallen Tribes? Humans? Or our misguided elven compatriots?”

“Whoever this is I would prefer they didn’t arrive here only to be splattered on the walls before our very eyes.” Ian answered tiredly, rubbing his reddened eyes... which a moment later widened in shock when he noticed a man standing by the barrier.

“Hello there, friend.” Lord Hawk waved happily, ignoring the raging Berserker. “How are you doing? It’s nice that you survived.” The last lines were a bit monotone, but the survivors ignored that detail.

“A rescue?!” Minnalea shouted excitedly. “Good sir, please help us! Defeat the beast!”

“Yes, yes.” The black-armored man chuckled. His words once again turned formal. “I am Hawk of the Geinard Kingdom and, according to the tenants of the Northern Kingdoms Alliance, I am obliged to help you.”

“Look out!” One of the elves shouted, as my mutated minion grew tired of the conversation and instead swung his large fist at the human… yet the attack missed, as Lord Hawk dodged the hit with ease, his attention turning towards the dungeon boss.

“Curious.” He spoke, staring at the towering Ratman. “Higher strength and intelligence pumped into a rat?”

A roar of rage and another few swings were the only answer. The human lowered his stance, easily running between the beast’s legs and touching the muscles on its back.

“Quite strong but otherwise unremarkable.” He sighed. “A waste of resources. Why do dungeons do these things? How foolish.”

I wasn’t quite sure if Berserker understood the spoken language or if was it the opponent's constant evasion that tugged at his patience but soon the area was full of dust, gravel, and roaring beast.

This lasted about ten long minutes, Lord Hawk was constantly jumping back, avoiding the attack by a breadth of a hair, while his mouth was twisted in a curious expression.

“But the endurance… not completely trash.” The invader unfastened his daggers, taking a familiar stance. “Now, how’s the resistance to damage?” With a ferocious grin, the human advanced faster than an eye could see.

A second later Berserker was roaring in a different tone - pain slowly dominated the fury. This lasted only a moment though, as the wound regenerated, and quite humorous whack-a-mole ensued.

Or it would be so if the victim of such a game wasn’t my most powerful creation.

“Regeneration! Excellent!” Lord Hawk shouted in ecstasy between the furious stomps of Berserker.

A few minutes later he was still untouched and the battle still raged. Something I deemed unbelievable. These were some completely inhuman amounts of endurance. How high was his level? Did the abilities given to humans by the system add this kind of advantage over monsters? I cursed my inability to gauge them, as I could do with my creations.

Soon the human invader grew bored and used some kind of skill to attack Berserker. Or rather to try to kill him. He aimed at the head and in the middle of the chest, barely missing the heart and pinning the third-floor boss to the wall.

After that, a long sigh escaped his mouth.

“Seeing what this Forgotten Dungeon was capable of really pisses me off.” He grumbled. “Your Luna Kingdom owes us a lot right now. So much potential. Wasted.”

The elves only stood there silently, hesitantly staring at their would-be rescuer.

“What?” Lord Hawk bellowed angrily. “Disable that barrier and prepare to…---!!!”

During his words Jake did as ordered, losing consciousness soon after. The human, however, had other problems.

“BY THE GODS, WHAT IS THIS SMELL?!” He yelled angrily while trying to cover his nose with a piece of cloth. “Piss, shit, blood, sweat… ugh… you…”

The one to step forward was Ian, his face a mask of dirt and blood. He bowed deeply, before starting the conversation.

“We were imprisoned in this hellhole for about a week. Our supplies wouldn’t last, thus we were forced into some… hard decisions.”

“What have you done, knife-ears?!” Bellowed Lord Hawk.

“Do you know this adage, sir?” Ian ignored the insults and continued his slow, steady words. “If you have eighty people and supplies for two days… then if you have only forty people they would last for four days?”

“You---!”

“Besides our race knows the wastelands well. We don’t waste our… bodily fluids in critical situations.”

“Stop---!” Lord Hawk seemed like he wanted to puke.

“The same goes for not wasting the Dungeon core Guardian. After skinning it, we drained the blood and…”

“J-just… go.” The human gulped heavily. “You just added a description to every single smell I don’t want to identify.” After a few more moments of respite, he lifted his hand in the air. “Before you return to the surface, tell me. What was your plan if I didn’t arrive?”

Ian only stared blankly for a few seconds, before he started answering. “Our supplies should last us only about three more days.” He breathed in and out slowly. “If nothing changed by that time then a plan was to swarm the beast, while the princess and her entourage escape to the surface.”

“And you are the part of the said entourage?” Sneered Lord Hawk.

Once again it took the elf a few seconds to respond. “No.” Was his simple answer. “We - I - am expendable in this mission.”

“Wh--. No, I don’t want to know. Go up, kid. And leave the core and whatever was left from the Dungeon Guardian to the sentries up top. I’m not doing it for free, after all.”

“I’m probably older than you, human.”

“Doubt it, but whatever.”

With a shake of his head, Ian saluted tiredly before turning back to his surviving compatriots. “You heard the man! Get your things and move! On the double!” After giving the orders he turned back towards the human. “A word of warning, the beast will revive.”

“Yeah, of course, it will, it’s a dungeon still, even without a core.” Lord Hawk answered in a confused tone.

“No, you don’t understand.” Ian pointed at Berserker’s body. “It regenerates. Completely. Once we managed to blast its head off. We celebrated, thinking us free of the beast. Five minutes later it was back in the fight.” He shuddered. “It tore apart a few of our men before we managed to put the barrier back up. You don’t mess with the sweeper.” He mumbled the final words.

“Ah, sweeper an uncouth word for dungeon justice dispenser.” Lord Hawk sighed. “The more I hear, the more I want to kill you all for wasting such a promising Dungeon core.” He shook his head in disappointment, a cold killing intent radiating from his body for a mere second. It was quick, but enough to freeze everybody in the place.

“T-the A-alliance--” Agric was the one to step in, his muscular figure looking somewhat small before the powerful human.

“Yes, yes I know.” Lord Hawk waved his hands, the freezing feeling disappearing like a breeze. “Go up. Before I change my mind.”

This time the elves weren’t hesitating. In a span of a few minutes, they packed their things - including the cursed dagger, my destroyed sub-core, and remains of the Armored Rat Beast and evacuated.

After Lord Hawk’s clearing, there wasn’t much to stand in their way and I decided to quietly let them leave. The mention of some unknown force guarding the princess was getting on my nerves, and - to tell the truth - I had something else to do.

Unknowingly...

I gained another level.

All this death and destruction were worth something in the end.

This meant a new playground. A new underground complex - and I just knew how to utilize it. My plan was to build a laboratory specializing in body modifications - and another sub-core focused on the job.

Now… where to start digging down?

[Drones, I need your help.] I announced unnecessarily.

It was building time!