Back at it.. (2/2)

I kept looking at my options feeling frustrated with my restrictions. A whole month after our little.. undead fiasco, I thought that our power and my Dungeon would have progressed much further, considering that we had gone unharassed for so long. Despite the "relative" peace and a.. bold expenditure of resources.. I had managed to achieve little to no tangible progress.

After defeating our hated ghoulish invader, Ranking up to the Third rank of Superior Core was my first move. This earned me freedom to strengthen monsters I already had as well as room to make more. I could now create 3 extra rooms and even have a single monster reach Rank 4! However I pursued none of the above.. The ability to select two more Dungeon Traits shattered my concentration completely! Specifically, a new trait that I decided to select derailed any logical plan I had brewing. That trait was "Vanguard". Vanguard allows a Dungeon Core to create a force of monsters that are meant to patrol the outside of the Dungeon without requiring expensive Dungeon Cores. I took the trait and even upgraded it twice, for all the wrong reasons however.

After discovering a local race of small bat-like humanoids, the Nihtu, I tried taking over one of their small villages. By using Vanguard as a small army I tried to subdue the tribalistic people in a fit of arrogance and overconfidence. I barely managed to control the small village while my force held it and in the end failed to repel the Nihtu tribal Chieftain that came to liberate it. After my failure I left Eve in charge of a new Vanguard force and gave her the freedom to retaliate in any way she saw fit. Another mistake on my part but thankfully my young creation really came through. With the help of Sumiré and her brother Adam, she managed to push back the Nihtu to their homebase after destroying each of their small outposts. Or at least, that's what my reports say. I really closed up after our defeat, deciding to train, meditate and expend resources in order to really strengthen myself and my allies. I managed to reach level 14, although I decided to hold onto my Free Stat Points until I decided where to spend them, especially after realising that after reaching the 15 mark, each Stat required an investment of 2 points in order to be raised by 1!

Learning that having an average score in my mental statistic was hindering my ability to obtain Skills and leveling them, was also a slap in the face. I didn't feel all that smarter but I could notice a heightened sense of how things should be done by repeating them enough and suddenly Skills seemed now within reach. I had Adam to thank for that revelation.The next thing was money.. yes, all the gold coins I had been collecting by defeating monsters. After bringing home all the gold from the ancient city below, I realized that they looked nothing like the plain looking coins I obtained magically. By accessing my Core directly I managed to piece together that coins generated from slaying foes was a gift from Trishda and were only meant to be used in his magical "dungeon shop"! They had no value outside my domain! And I had been using them to pay my two underlings with.. Thankfully my patron God was flexible and had included an exchange mechanism in my shop. I could literally trade normal gold for Magical coins and vice versa. One real gold coin was worth ten of its magical counterpart and, after hauling an impressive 2040 gold coins in coffers up to our dungeon I decided I had to finally invest in my magical shop.

I did save 1000 pieces of real gold, not only for my own potential ventures in Sulteros, but mainly in order to be able to pay Sumiré, Fatna and any other future employee. Then with 10.960 credits in my Core's magical store, the search began with my first purchase being the boldest. With a whopping 5000 gold I purchased an Enhancement crystal which, after absorbed by my Core, would allow me to choose two more Dungeon Traits for my current Rank-up! It was expensive but I was convinced it would be worth it. My following purchases consisted of small equipment upgrades for my followers and I, such as weapons, armor, clothes and even simple amenities or decorations for the Dungeon. And finally, I zeroed-out my credits by investing in some Skill Scrolls for myself. Skill Scrolls, magical items that can bestow upon the user access to a new skill permanently, after which the scrolled is depleted of its magic and simply crumbles to dust.

After wanting it for so much, my first scroll purchased was "Apprentice Swordsman". After that, I picked a Spell Scroll since I had already began dabbling into the art of spellcrafting. The Scroll contained a rather interesting albeit complex spell called "Elemental Armor". The caster can create an armor of Mana that expresses itself in the form of a magical element. This not only protects the user from said element but also from other incoming harm as well as damaging any opponent that comes in contact with it. However the spell is costly to cast and I can only create an armor of fire as it is the one Mana Manipulation I know how to perform. I can still generate other kind of elements for my shield but only if I have direct access to the elemental source and, in the end, it just isn't as strong. My last scroll was a utility skill. I had a hard time choosing just one but I finally settled on a Skill called "Crafting". In contrast with similarly ranked skills, Crafting wasn't tied to a specific art but rather granted its user just a small amount of knowledge on a broad selection of trades. I suddenly knew very basic carpentry, leather working, smithing, building and general tinkering. Any skill specifically devoted to any of these trades, would give me significantly more insight into how the art is applied but this way a had a small spectrum of abilities to help us grow.

After all that, what remained was to choose the rest of my Traits. My "Kindred Sight" and "Caves of the Strong" had increased our fighting and scouting capabilities through the roof so it was important for me to make similar, game changing choices. Vanguard had proven problematic but I had three more choices to make up for it. My first was "Caves of the Wise". Its counterpart had made our monsters stronger both physically and level-wise from their time of birth, so I guessed increasing their intellect and understanding of magic, would only help them become even greater protectors. My next choice I felt quite happy about, a Trait called "Gladiator Monsters". This ability would allow my monsters to gain experience without necessarily slaying other creatures. They would now be able to earn experience through mock battles or by simply surviving an encounter. The xp points gained in this manner would certainly be lesser than those obtained in a clear victory but in this manner my monsters could train by themselves and the Trait would only increase in potency as I evolved it with extra Ether investments.

Now here I am, one Trait left to select and hundreds to choose from. Although I already knew what I wanted I was struggling with the idea of choosing such a self centered upgrade. "Superior Dungeon Avatar". Ever since becoming a Dungeon Core, my avatar was by far the aspect I had enjoyed the most and couldn't wait to see the heights it could reach. All that shattered the moment I read the details of this one Trait.

[ Superior Dungeon Avatar: This trait allows a Dungeon Core to evolve its Avatar into a superior state of being. All the Core's statistics will now be able to reach Heroic rank. After every level up the Avatar will earn 2 free stats instead of 1. The Avatar will be able to obtain a Simple Class.

This Trait cannot be Leveled ]

So.. Not only could I not have obtained a class it seems but also my Stats were capped at Peak Condition with the exception of Magic, due to me being a Core and Physical because of Trishda's Divine Body blessing. Despite my disappointment I understood the logic behind my limitations. It would be absurd if it were so simple as for a Dungeon to have all this power within its domain but also possess a body that could match the strength of a Hero Core.. At least not without sacrifice. After "Superior Dungeon Avatar" I saw two more Traits that were linked to it but unavailable for my perusal. "Supreme Dungeon Avatar" and "Ultimate Dungeon Avatar". It was easy to guess that these two were the next steps in evolving my avatar and obtaining each of them would require having first selected its lesser form. I had sworn not to engage in selfish solo fights anymore but the allure was too great. Besides.. Being strong enough to stand up to all the new dangers coming are away would be vital. Without this new trait I would have soon hit my limit in all but physical strength and raw Mana capacity.

I begrudgingly finalized the selection hoping I was making the right move. After that it was time to level my chosen traits with all the Aether I had been collecting these past few days. I concentrated and a vail of azure energy swept around me like a visible wind, swirling lively to the direction my inner mind directed.

[ 800 Aether points have been invested into.. Caves of the Wi..

800 Aether points have been invested into..

Kindred Sight Trait ha..

500 Aether points have been invested into.. Caves of the..

500 Aether points have been invested into.. Mists of Fri..

800 Aether points have been invested into..

Chimera..

800 Aether points have been invested into..

Gladiator Mon...

Congratulations all the above Traits have been upgraded. Here is a rundown of your new Status! ]

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Race: Superior Dungeon Core Lv.14

Avatar: Arsàni, Fire-Breather (Hermaphrodite)

Age: 29

HP: 350/350

MP: 175/175

LvL.15: 87%

Aether: 31

Gold: 05

Free Stat Points: 2

Physical - 15 (Near Heroic)

Mental - 6 (Above Average)

Social - 6 (Above Average)

Magic - 12 (Beyond Peak Condition)

Skills

1) Bound (Rank 3)

2) Progeny (Rank 1)

Passive Skills

1) Fire Resistance (Rank 3)

2) Natural Allure (Rank 3)

3) Minor Regeneration (Rank 4)

4) Fire Manipulation Magic (Rank 6)

5) Apprentice Swordsman (Rank 1)

6) Crafting (Rank 1)

Spells

1) Finger Gun (2 Mana/13 Dmg, Average)

2) Flame Arrow (13 Mana/50 Dmg, Average)

3) Fire-Breath (6 Mana/15 Dmg, Average, 20ft Fan)

4) Elemental Armor (30 Mana/5 Dmg, Duration 1 Minute)

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Superior Dungeon Core Rank 2

Maximum Chambers: 5/8

Maximum Summons: 35/45

Maximum Summon Rank: Rank 3 (3/5)

Rank 4 (0/1)

Totem Pieces Assimilated: 1

Cores Assimilated: 3

Dungeon Skills

1) Monster Summoning* (Rank 5)

2) Dungeon Manipulation* (Rank 3)

3) Aether Cultivation* (Rank 5)

Dungeon Feats

1) Caves of the Strong (Rank 3)

2) Kindred Sight (Rank 3)

3) Mists of Fright (Rank 3)

4) Chimera (Rank 2)

5) Ore Mongers (Rank 1)

6) Abundant Earth (Max)

7) Vanguard (Rank 3)

8) Caves of the Wise (Rank 3)

9) Gladiator Monsters (Rank 3)

10) Superior Dungeon Avatar (Max)

Active Effects from Feats

All Summons -> +4 Levels, +3 to Physical, +3 to Mental, +3 Magic, +2 Mining, Passive Training.

Dungeon -> Enemies inside the Mists of Fright will suffer a -8% movement speed, -10% physical damage output and -4% drain in their remaining Stamina for every minute they spend within your domain

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After looking over my new Status I was eager to finally see the fruits of my labor to say the least. So much in fact that I almost didn't notice the three dimensional text comprised of magical fire hovering in front of my Core! I rushed over inspecting the magical message, recognising it as the effect of a magical parchment we had purchased a week ago. Basically you could scribe a short message on it and then, when burned, the text would magically appear before the person you had designated as a recipient. The message was clearly from Sumiré.. My allies were in danger! The Nihtu Chieftain was at the siege! Of course he was, where else would he be!? I should have known but instead allowed for Eva to take our friends in their base camp without me being there. I had been too distracted but now was not the time to wallow in my mistake. I had to get there, even if that meant burning through supplies meant for a later time. I grabbed my gear, wore a modest padded leather armor and strapped a harness on my back with a sizeable blade hooked to it. It was time to test out our progress.. I guess despite our small vacation we were now truly back at it!