Isekai Dungeon Architect

Right as the two critical blows were dealt to the creature and I was about to use my creation skill, I received a green quest window that could change everything for us.

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[Guest Task (2) Assigned]

Task: Stabilise the Anomaly by assisting the White Scale Naga.

Details: Rechannel the corrupt power, deal with the dungeon intruders, assist the Naga achieve its objective, and conclude what the Anomaly has assisted the dungeon with.

Attempts Remaining: 1.

Reward: CU (+150), EP (+90), Coins (+15,000).

Additional reward: Authority over the Naga eggs.

Failure: Guest Privilege lockout for (60 days).

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My vision blurred and I left my physical state, instantly entering the spectral state against my will.

This time, the assistance system wasn't behind this phenomenon either. I was forced to enter this stage by the dungeon.

'What the hell is this…?'

Once I had entered the guest spectral form, I was shocked to find the state the dungeon was in right now.

[ "The analysis of the total dungeon structure is ongoing. It is determined that the dungeon is supplying heavy resources to the Anomaly: White Scale Naga on the first floor." ]

[ "From the looks of it, the dungeon is also forcefully supplying the creature on the lower floor with the accumulated Corrupt energy." ]

[ "Due to the corrupt energy, the creature is losing its will further. Shortly, the true soul of the creature will be corrupted and it will go through a transformation." ]

[ "Due to the conflicting nature of the innate and forced powers, the creature should have died in normal circumstances, however, the dungeon rules on the lower floors are preventing that." ]

The entire dungeon structure was a mess right now.

Energy channels that once maintained the dungeon's stability were being diverted to the creature in a way that would make it just stable enough for the rest of the dungeon to function.

While the dungeon was resupplying the creature with corrupt energy, it was also increasing the 'pure' energy inside the dungeon's upper floors.

In normal terms, the dungeon was renovating the dungeon's structure through this one anomaly, using it efficiently so that the creature destined to die could be recycled in a way that helps the dungeon going forward.

It was using the creature like a tool. The goal was not only to deal with the anomaly but to get the most out of it while doing so. But the way it was doing it…

'Disgusting.'

The creature, the Naga mother, had already lost her will. She wasn't going to live for long either.

Her time had come… and yet the dungeon wanted me to kill my people on top of seeing her help.

'And this piece of shit dungeon was threatening me with the eggs on top of it?'

What does it take me for? A fuckin pushover?!

'I'm not doing it.'

[ "Are you rejecting the dungeon task?" ]

Her voice had a certain concern in it. It was evident that she did not want me to do this.

'Is it not possible?' I had to ask the question.

[ "You can reject it if you are certain about the failure penalty. It is just that, the dungeon might present you with another task right away the moment you reject it with harsher penalty and better rewards." ]

[ "The dungeon will continue it until it sees no reason to offer any more resources. It will deem you unworthy for the guest privileges and might also take away the guest privileges forever." ]

[ "In the long run, it might prove to be disadvantageous to you. Additionally, you might benefit more from negotiating with the dungeon instead of rejecting the offer outright." ]

In short, she wanted me to work something up with the dungeon.

'Do you think it will work though, Rose?'

I didn't mind negotiating with the dungeon but… why should I do that when I have the best option right in front of me?

'From what I understand, the dungeon's authority over the eggs ends the moment the eggs are no longer inside the dungeon, right?'

[ "As it is with all elements related to the dungeons." ]

We can think of the eggs as materials since they aren't yet living entities. They aren't actual creatures related to the dungeon so they can be taken out of the dungeon. The dungeon cannot do anything about them once they are outside.

Which means the only thing it can do to block them is to directly block me from getting out of the dungeon.

'I can deal with that much.'

Even the dungeon was made to follow certain rules. It cannot overwrite the very rules it was made up of.

[ "Are you certain you can handle the repercussions, master?" ]

For the first time, I heard her hesitant voice. I could feel she did not want to go against the obviously advantageous results but, at the same time, she did not want to do something that I did not want.

Her primary task was to support me, but she was not going to do that in a way that would harm my will in any way. And this aspect of her made her more of a person than this damned dungeon.

'I have you to help me, don't I? Should I be worried about the repercussions?'

[ "..." ]

She paused for a moment as if to analyse all the possible outcomes to my actions.

[ "It will be difficult. Are you certain you want to reject the dungeon's task?" ]

The confidence in her voice had come back. There was no reason for me to hesitate anymore.

"Ptsssssss…!"

"Hold on just a little longer!"

"All units, continue your attacks!"

"The creature is almost done for! Just a little longer!"

My teammates, Reddy, Captain Lux, all the others who had given their all for this raid… and the mother that was wrapping against 'eggs' so tightly that they had cracks around them.

The pain she was in might not have been so great had she not been fighting against the corrupt energy flowing through her.

She was critically injured, and yet she was fighting on two fronts. The dungeon was tormenting her, and we were killing her.

'Let's do this, Rose.'

I looked at the state the Naga was in, then at the faraway dungeon core a floor below us.

Closing my eyes, I returned to my physical body while resisting the dungeon's force as it forced me to maintain the spectral form.

"Let's put an end to this."

I raised my hand, channeled my energy, brought out the blueprint for the [Spike trap], used my Creativity, expanded the traps fifteen times its original size, and lastly, addressed to my fellow adventurers.

{ "Everyone, get away from the creature." }

The voice was transmitted through the atmospheric Mana so it reached every single person present throughout the dungeon.

"Hmm?"

They knew who this voice belonged to, and in addition to that, they could see a strange red light pulsating right below the creature.

"Everyone! Get away!"

There were different raid captains right around the creature and many of them recognised a unique threat instinctively.

They backed off alongside their team, and those who could not get away from the scene were pulled away by the support teams who were using special items and skills.

-Oooooooooooooooooong!

The Naga also sensed the threat so it moved, even tried using the corrupt power that it had been resisting all this time to fuel a defensive barrier, however, the red light that was pulsating below the creature, moved right above it in an instant.

"You have suffered a lot, Miss."

I closed my palm into a fist, my eyes almost teary.

-Swish!

A giant wooden spike that seemed like the descent of a heavenly tree shook the entire dungeon as it descended from above.

The tip of the spike was so sharp that it pierced right through the Naga's giant head, and its base was long enough to pierce through the very body of the Naga.

"PTSSSSSS…"

The Naga screamed in its final moments, the pain from having its body pierced by the strong wood worse than anything it had felt until now.

Furthermore, the wood that was light in color started getting darker and darker as it absorbed the negative energy that the dungeon had pumped into the creature.

[Ding!]

A pink status window popped before me at that moment, but my eyes were focused on the Naga instead.

-THUD!

The giant body fell to the ground along with the wood piercing its body, shaking the entire area as it fell.

The restraints that were present all around it, all those red chains binding the creature till the end, broke away and disappeared. The red light covering the three silver eyes of the Naga mother also returned to normal.

"Ptsssssss…"

In her final moments, she looked at me far beyond the group of adventurers who fell to the ground exhausted after the battle, our eyes and feelings meeting at the crossroad of appreciation and a shared promise.

I needed to protect her children.

"Don't worry." I needed to do that at any cost.

Right as I steeled my resolve, my eyes went back to the pink status window that had appeared a moment ago.

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[Quest: The Dungeon's judgement.]

– Going against the dungeon's will, you have eliminated the Anomaly that the dungeon was cultivating into a source of enlightenment.

– You have failed the dungeon task and as such, your dungeon architect guest privileges will be revoked immediately.

– As a penalty, the dungeon has flagged you as an [Anarchist].

– You must pass the dungeon's punishment trial to leave the dungeon.

– As someone flagged as an Anarchist, you will not be able to utilise any of the dungeon's elements from this moment forth.

Objective: Pass the dungeon's judgement and present justification behind your auctions.

Additional objective: Successfully bring the Eggs of White Scale Naga out of the dungeon.

Additional objective (2): Make it so that the casualty rate for your dungeon assault forces are below 60%.

Rewards: Architect EXP (+500), Coins (+20000), Creation Units (+120), Essence Points (+90).

Additional Reward: Soul of the defeated White Scale Naga.

Additional reward (2): Random dungeon related item.

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This was a quest from Rose and not the dungeon.

And from the looks of it, this one would be just as difficult as the task that this damned dungeon had given me a moment ago…