Chapter 3: A Pulse Of Growth
The dungeon hummed beneath his feet, a low, rhythmic vibration coursing through the stone walls.
For the first time, the Architect could feel its pulse, weak but steady, as though awakening from a long slumber.
He stood before the core, its dull, cracked surface glimmering faintly with renewed life.
[Dungeon Core Integrity: 45%]
A far cry from full strength, but enough to sustain the dungeon for now.
He hadn't expected much after absorbing the adventurers' essence.
Still, the meager progress gnawed at him.
"It's not enough."He clenched his fists.
Their loot had provided only a brief surge of power, barely enough to patch the core.
But the dungeon's rank had shifted. He could feel it.
With a flick of his wrist, the dungeon's status appeared before him.
<Dungeon Status:>
<Name: Unnamed>
<Rank: E>
<Dungeon Core Integrity: 45%>
<Mana: 150/200>
[Commands Unlocked:]
<Summon Monster (Tier 2 Slime)>25 mana
<Create Trap (Poison Gas)> 30 mana
<Reinforce Dungeon Walls> 50 mana
The Architect swiped through the new options.
Tier 2 Slimes could slow down stronger foes, and the Poison Gas Trap would be perfect for tight corridors.
But it was still not enough.
[Dungeon Core Objective: 55% integrity remaining.]
The deeper dungeons were leagues above what he had now, strong, intricate fortresses, capable of summoning armies and unleashing devastating traps.
His dungeon was still a fledgling. He had to evolve it further.
For that, he needed more… more adventurers, more relics, more everything.
A flicker in the air behind him broke his concentration.
Turning sharply, he found a faint blue glow materializing in the center of the chamber.
An adventurer's bag.The spoils of war.
He approached, his fingers brushing over the surface of the spectral pouch before opening it.
Inside were various trinkets, worn and rusted from use, a dagger, a leather-bound journal, and a vial of glowing blue liquid.
[New Resource Detected: Mana Vial (20 Mana Units)]
He smirked, uncorking the vial and letting the liquid flow into the palm of his hand.
The substance pulsed, then dissolved into shimmering particles, seeping into the dungeon walls.
Immediately, the core let out a soft hum of approval.
[Mana: 170/200]
A small boost, but it would buy him time.
The journal, however, intrigued him more.
Flipping it open, he scanned the pages. It was a travel log—a diary of the adventurers who had dared to invade his domain.
Their records were brief, filled with rushed scrawls about dungeons they had visited, creatures they'd fought, and a final note:
"The core we've heard rumors about... it holds incredible power. But we need to be cautious. Other parties have been wiped out trying to claim it."
The Architect paused. So, word had already spread. More adventurers were bound to come, drawn to the whispers of power hidden within his dungeon.
They'd bring loot, weapons, and, most importantly, mana.
Good. Let them come.
He closed the journal and placed it aside, eyes narrowing as he activated a new command.
[Command Activated: Reinforce Dungeon Walls] -50 mana
The stone around him groaned in response, thickening, and hardening, forming tighter passageways.
Every corridor and every room became a little more menacing.
He would need those reinforcements soon.
Suddenly, a shudder ran through the dungeon, as though it had inhaled sharply. A low rumbling echoed from the farthest chamber.
The Architect raised an eyebrow. Had someone else entered?
He moved to the central viewing crystal, where the dungeon's layout unfolded before him, each room and trap glowing in ghostly blue light.
His eyes settled on the new intruders—two adventurers this time, one clad in heavy plate armor and the other in a flowing robe, undoubtedly a mage.
They advanced cautiously, oblivious to the deadly traps waiting to be triggered.
The Architect grinned, his fingers twitching over the control panel.
The adventurers had just stepped into the poison gas corridor.
With a silent command, he activated it.
[Trap Activated: Poison Gas] -30 mana
The adventurers froze, realizing too late that they had been ensnared.
A hiss filled the air as a thick, green cloud billowed up from the floor.
The knight banged his shield against the ground, trying to dispel the gas, but it was already seeping into the cracks of his armor.
The mage attempted a barrier spell, only for the cloud to overwhelm her magic.
Within moments, they collapsed to the floor, gasping and writhing.
The dungeon's core pulsed again.
The Architect could feel the mana flowing into him, replenishing his reserves, bolstering his power.
But there was something else. Something new. A faint glimmer of blue light appeared once more in the chamber.
This time, however, it was no mere loot. The adventurers' lingering souls, brimming with magic, converged toward the core.
The Architect watched in awe as the core absorbed the essences, distilling them and refining them into pure energy.
A prompt appeared before his eyes:
[Dungeon Core Upgrade Unlocked: Soul Infusion]
[Allows the Architect to imbue creatures or traps with the souls of fallen adventurers, granting them enhanced abilities.]
The Architect smiled darkly, Things were about to get a lot more interesting.
The newly acquired Soul Infusion danced on the Architect's control panel, a promise of power waiting to be unleashed.
But he hesitated.
There was something more to this magic, something that required caution.
He stared at the faintly glowing core, still hovering at 45% integrity, though it now pulsed with a stronger, more erratic energy.
Feeding on souls had given it a surge, but it wasn't stable.
Not yet.
His gaze flickered to the dungeon's status once more:
<Dungeon Status:>
<Name: Unnamed>
<Level: 1>
<Rank: E>
<Dungeon Core Integrity: 45%>
<Mana: 190/200>
[Commands Unlocked:]
<Summon Monster (Tier 2 Slime)> 25 mana
<Create Trap (Poison Gas)> 30 mana
<Reinforce Dungeon Walls> 50 mana
<Soul Infusion (Inactive)> 40 mana
The power to imbue creatures with adventurers' souls was potent, but the core was too fragile to handle multiple infusions just yet.
The risk of overloading it loomed.
He needed to stabilize it first.
The Architect moved through the core chamber, his steps slow and deliberate.
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