Bab 22: Stabilizing Mana core
Soon after she continued on her journey...
Meanwhile Seth sat in the dungeon core chamber.
Platting, anticipating, expecting, running scenarios.
This was his daily habit in his past life, at least he was prepared for almost anything back then.
But this world keeps proving otherwise and taking him unawares.
And the dungeon, speaking of this his new partner, it'll either get him killed or get his hailed.
Derailing from unproductive thoughts brought him back to his present.
Every chamber, every trap, and every creature was a step toward creating something impenetrable, but that required time.
Time he might not have.
As he walked, he mentally reviewed the state of his dungeon, pulling up its status screen to assess what needed attention next.
[Dungeon Status]
Rank: C+
Core Integrity: 100% (Stable)
Mana Reserves: 230/500 MP
Mana Regeneration: 100 MP per hour
Creatures: Greater Shade, Elite Shade Stalker, Tier 3 Slime
Traps: Spiked Pit (Reinforced), Poison Gas Chamber (Active), Stone Grinder
Mana Vein: Stabilized
Boundaries: Reinforced
The synchronization with the core was complete, giving him greater control over the dungeon's layout, creatures, and mana usage.
But with the surge problem now handled, Seth's mind was already turning to what lay ahead.
"Tap into the vein…" he muttered.
The new option was enticing.
Using the mana vein's latent energy would allow him to expand the dungeon even further or even summon stronger creatures.
But the cost would be steep, and his mana reserves were still too low to risk it yet.
For now, it was best to focus on reinforcing what he had.
And with the dungeon's semi-sentience evolving, Seth had more control than ever.
Suddenly, a pulse of awareness rippled through the dungeon's consciousness, alerting him to something outside the normal ebb and flow of energy.
Seth paused mid-step.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the sensation.
Something was out there, approaching the dungeon's perimeter.
Not adventurers, not yet, but something else.
Something larger.
He expanded his awareness beyond the dungeon's walls, stretching out to feel the energy in the surrounding lands.
There.
A flicker, faint but unmistakable.
Something powerful stirred in the distance, just beyond the dungeon's reach.
"What is that?" Seth whispered.
It wasn't adventurers; their energy was more chaotic, more grounded. This was something different, more primal.
A surge of power that pulsed in sync with the world itself.
Almost like… another dungeon.
Seth's eyes snapped open.
"Another dungeon master."
The realization hit him like a wave.
He wasn't the only one out here, and with the mana surge stabilized, the dungeon's growing presence might have caught the attention of others.
Rival dungeons were a known threat, territorial, aggressive, and always looking for a way to expand their influence.
If another dungeon master was nearby, it could mean trouble.
Seth's mind raced.
He needed to assess the threat, but more importantly, he needed to fortify his dungeon in case a confrontation was inevitable.
He pulled up the dungeon's interface, his eyes scanning through the options.
[New Commands Available]
1. Enhance Dungeon Boundaries (Cost: 200 MP)
2. Summon Tier 4 Creature (Cost: 150 MP)
3. Activate Defensive Mode (Cost: 50 MP/hour)
4. Tap into Mana Vein (Cost: 200 MP)
The options were tempting, but with limited mana reserves, he couldn't afford to be reckless.
If the rival dungeon was indeed nearby, expanding his boundaries could help, but summoning a stronger creature would give him immediate strength.
Then again, tapping into the mana vein might open up even greater possibilities.
Seth closed the interface, his thoughts swirling.
He needed to prepare, but he couldn't move too hastily.
The dungeon pulsed beneath his feet again, sensing his indecision.
"I know," he muttered, almost as if speaking to the dungeon itself.
"We need to be ready."
He then mentally sent a command to absorb the resources belonging to the adventures as well as the adventurers themselves.
[Command Initiated: Absorbing Mana from adventurers ]
[+ 300 Mana]
In a single move, the adventures, as well as their resources, weapon bags, and armor, turned to nothingness in the dungeon and became Mana.
[Mana Reserve: 530/500 ]
For the first time, Seth saw his mana reserve overflow; he didn't expect this much.
A thought then came to him and he immediately acted on it.
[ Command Initiated: Expand Mana Reserves]
[Increase of Mana Reserves can safely be done up to a 100% increase at the cost of 50% of present reserves.]
[If less than the required amount is available, a 50% increase will cost 25% of present reserves.]
[Warning: Anything beyond a 100% increase is not advised.]
[This is only possible because of Rank upgrade as it can not be done again before future rank upgrades]
Seth nodded at the message received and understood the concept.
"Do it?" He said
A bright glow emerged from the core in front of him and shrouded his sight but following that was a series of messages.
[Attempting 50% Mana Reserve expansion ]
[-250 Mana]
[Expansion initiated Successfully]
[280/500... 280/600... 280/700... 280/800... 280/900... 280/1000]
[Mana Reserve successfully expanded]
[Stabilizing Mana Core...]
The light dimmed down to its normal mode, and surprisingly, the core was still the same size, right from when it was E-rank up until now, with no increase in size.
He expected it to increase, but logic said if it did then it probably won't be nice.
Instead, it was now potent.
"Well the good news is I have higher Mana Reserves, and the bad news is I'm low on Mana"
Having been done with that Seth pulled up the status screen to finally check what to do against the dungeon next to him.
It was obvious that one had to go; hell, even his dungeon communicated that fact.
The options were;
1. Enhance Dungeon Boundaries (Cost: 200 MP)
2. Summon Tier 4 Creature (Cost: 150 MP)
3. Activate Defensive Mode (Cost: 50 MP/hour)
4. Tap into Mana Vein (Cost: 200 MP)
"Since I do not know the situation of the other dungeon, in case of a sudden attack, reinforcing the dungeon would be best
Moving on, To summon a Tier 4 creature sounds tempting; Elite shade should be about Tier 4 also; I summoned him at Tier 2 and after two upgrades; if I'm not mistaken, then that's the fact.
Hadiah
-- Hadiah diterima Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone