บท 17: One More Battle
If he couldn't solve the source of the surge immediately, maybe he could at least control it, or harness it.
[Option: Attempt Mana Containment (Requires 50 MP)]
His mana reserves sat at 70. Cutting it too close
"Damn," Seth cursed under his breath.
He couldn't act on it just yet, but there had to be a way to stabilize the situation, at least temporarily.
Maybe if he could funnel the excess mana back into the core, it would buy him some time.
[Command: Attempt to Redirect Residual Mana to Core]
[Insufficient Mana Reserves]
Seth's frustration mounted.
The dungeon was offering him options, but his current limitations were holding him back.
He would have to rely on strategy.
He turned his focus back to the status of the dungeon:
[Dungeon Status]
[Rank: C]
[Core Integrity: 99%]
[Mana Reserve: 70/500 MP]
[Guardian: Elite Shade (Active)]
[Creatures: Shade Stalker (Active)]
[Traps: Spiked Pit (Active), Poison Gas Chamber (Inactive)]
[Expansion Potential: Locked (Insufficient Mana)]
[Anomaly: Unstable Mana Surge in Southern Room]
---
He stared at the core integrity at 99%.
That final 1% was crucial, and he needed to be prepared for the changes it would bring.
The last few battles had pushed the core closer to its full potential, but the cost had been high.
His reserves were nearly depleted, and the upcoming wave of adventurers would only make things more difficult.
But he wasn't done yet.
He sent a mental command to the dungeon, setting up his defenses for the next wave.
The Elite Shade was in position, its dark form blending seamlessly into the shadows near the entrance.
The Shade Stalker clung to the ceiling, awaiting its prey.
Together, they would be a formidable defense, but Seth wasn't taking any chances.
He reinforced the spiked pit, sharpening the spikes and ensuring that any adventurer who fell in would not be getting out alive.
[15 MP Used]
His mana reserves dropped to 55.
There wasn't much more he could do for now, but he trusted that his preparations would be enough.
The adventurers were strong, but so was his dungeon.
Seth stood in silence for a moment, considering his next steps.
The mana surge still called to him from the southern room, a puzzle waiting to be solved.
He had theories, but none of them were conclusive.
The dungeon's suggestions were vague and incomplete, reflecting the fact that this surge was something beyond its immediate understanding.
But Seth was determined to get to the bottom of it.
The truth was there, somewhere within the depths of his dungeon. It would take time, but he would figure it out.
[Notification: Adventurers Detected. Estimated Arrival: 4 hours.]
The clock was ticking.
Soon, the adventurers would arrive, and his dungeon would be tested once again.
But this time, he would be ready.
The dungeon remained quiet in the hours following the adventurers' retreat.
Seth paced near the core, deep in thought.
He had spent much of the past few hours replaying the battle in his mind, analyzing every detail, every moment when his defenses could have been tighter and when his creatures could have struck more decisively.
His mana reserves had steadily recovered over those hours, ticking up bit by bit.
Seth checked his mana reserves:
[Mana Reserve: 255/500]
He felt more prepared now, though the mysterious mana surge continued to tug at his mind.
He hadn't had a chance to properly investigate the anomaly from the southern room yet.
The surge had nearly overwhelmed him before, and though he'd fortified the dungeon in other ways, he couldn't ignore it any longer.
This time, he needed a solution.
Seth approached the southern room once more, the swirling vortex of blue mana still hovering ominously.
Whatever this source was, it held immense power, but he had to understand its nature before harnessing it.
[Core Integrity: 99%]
[Total Mana Reserves: 500 MP]
He sensed the core was close to another breakthrough, which would likely lead to a significant upgrade, but first, the surge had to be addressed.
With a mental command, Seth began to scan the anomaly more closely.
Threads of mana wove through the air, rippling toward the core.
Seth took a deep breath, watching the flow of energy closely.
This time, instead of pushing against the surge, he allowed his senses to meld with it, hoping to understand its source.
His vision blurred for a moment, but then something shifted in the back of his mind.
A notification blinked into view:
[Mana Surge Detected: Multiple potential sources identified.]
[Primary Source: Southern Room Anomaly]
[Secondary Source: Dormant Dungeon Vein]
The revelation hit him like a hammer.
There was a dormant vein of mana running beneath the dungeon, still untapped but now starting to awaken.
The southern room had acted as a catalyst, amplifying the energy flow, but it wasn't the sole source.
He now had two problems to solve.
A part of him considered trying to draw on the vein's energy directly, but another warning flashed in his mind:
[Warning: Direct contact with dormant mana vein without full dungeon synchronization risks catastrophic backlash.]
Seth grimaced.
That wasn't a risk he could take lightly.
Still, knowing the source helped narrow his options.
He'd need more control over the dungeon's functions to safely manage the surge.
He glanced at the core, sensing the impending upgrade.
That might provide the breakthrough he needed.
Just then, another notification appeared.
[Notification: Adventurers Detected. Estimated Arrival: 2 hours.]
[Mana Reserve: 355/500]
He sighed. 2 hours wasn't much time, but it was enough to strategize and strengthen his defenses.
Seth knew that if his dungeon hit 100% integrity, everything, his summons, guardians, and dungeon defenses, would reach new levels of power.
He had to make sure he was ready to fully embrace that upgrade when the time came.
Before setting his next plan in motion, Seth glanced back at the core.
The upgrade process had already begun.
[Core Integrity: 99%... Approaching 100%. Awaiting critical trigger.]
"One more battle," he murmured to himself. "Just one more, and then everything will change."
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