How did Gves manage to navigate inside someone’s body safely? Mana was the answer. Inside the body there were currents of mana. Which he being the owner of a dungeon core was able to monitor very finely allowing him to manoeuvre without causing Jack any harm whatsoever. It was just tediously slow.

Jack had had ample time now to skim through the user manual, most of it was currently gibberish to him but exciting all the same as it was full of arcane script. Arcane script that Jack was sure was just grandiose programming script. Which naturally being a coding buff excited him to an abnormal degree. The thought of coding to create things in a magical world was off the charts!

The most useful thing however was not the administrative username and password that he found a few pages in. That in the light of what came next would be handy. It was though the instructions for accessing the system that finally gave him some initial stats to work with that was his best find so far:

System information:

Dungeon Core 13205 v2.0

Level 1 MP 12/64

Domain: 0.02

And hey presto! Now he had some basic figures to gauge his or should he say the core’s progress by.

Domain he knew was all important as it determined what region of space he could work his dungeon magic within.

There was other information listed:

1. Core Construction: - Tier 1: Basic Core (unlocked by default)

2. Minion Production: - Tier 1: Basic Minions (unlocked by default)

3. Trap Creation: - Tier 1: Basic Traps (unlocked by default)

4. Resource Management: - Tier 1: Basic Resources (unlocked by default)

5. Defensive Upgrades: - Tier 1: Basic Defenses (unlocked by default)

6. Offensive Abilities: - Tier 1: Basic Attacks (unlocked by default)

7. Core Expansion: - Tier 1: Inner Chambers (additional room for minion production)

But he as he planned on using the much more interesting looking MODS he wasn’t sure he’d be using any of this stuff. Maybe though who knows.

Then checking through the user manual he found reference to the v2.0 update:

V2.0 has been introduced to create a virtual safeguard against misuse

All V2.0 cores now come with a soul intermediary who will oversea all requests to the core.

As an extra safety measure this second layer of security will be installed with GVES proprietary souls only.

---

A lot of it was clearly sales pitch but it did explain Gves existence in the core. And thinking about it, it made sense in the evolution of domains to dungeons to towers. This stage of v2.0 dungeons had evidentially not been sufficient to safe guard humans from dungeon cores as towers had come into existence. Maybe not so fool proof a security measure after all then. And thinking about Gves he could see why. No offense to Gves but ‘proprietary souls only’ was clearly stretching things. He was just a poor soul snatched from another world, not unlike himself.

All this was very handy but further drew his mind to the inconsistencies of time.

How was it that earth was connected to this world? And how was it that Gves seemed to be from 1920s London? Some hundred years ago and yet had been here according to his own account over six hundred years.

Well that was straight forward enough he supposed. A relative time dilation with a factor of six must exist. Six years in this world was one year in his old world, fair enough.

But then that contradicted the other thing he’d found. Namely, technology from almost a hundred years later: the folder structure, files and mods. Things that seemed so familiar to him but that should not exist at the same point in time in this world? Baffling and bizarre.

It made Jack feel that maybe he had got it all wrong and maybe he was just dreaming in a coma after all. He sighed inwardly.

Well at least it was a fun dream and not one where you were at a public gathering stark naked or something. Although he supposed it was possible that could be the next thing on the menu as it were. He shuddered at the thought.

Right time to die, or kill at least one of his hulking captors, trying thought Jack.

Looking around he saw that the clan’s people, who did indeed move about like large boulders in the gloom of the cave, had stopped for a breather on entering a cave. Hopefully they were now about to get more of a rest than they planned for if his plan worked.

First Jack had to spit the core out onto his own chest, easy enough as long as it didn’t roll off into the cave somewhere. Once that was done, what next ensued was a lot of hollering back and forth between himself and Gves as he tried to direct Gves and subsequently the core, outside his body.

So it was rather fortuitous that they could use telepathy otherwise he would be dead as a dodo if the shouting to and throw weren’t purely mental.

This took some time as there was a lot of trial and error before their teamwork was honed into a somewhat smooth operation. As slowly and laboriously, one by one, Gves managed to cut all the ropes holding Jack by absorbing them using the core. It was weird to watch the strands fall away as if by magic. A trick thankfully no clan member had seen as yet.

And he thanked the clansmen for taking their time. As he had lost the core when it fell into the sludge that was the cave floor several times. And had for a moment almost gone bat shit crazy trying to find it in the proverbial.

The nicely obliging clan’s people had by now in fact got out some rations and started snacking.

Praise the lord and pass the gin! Thought Jack.

Now if we can just kill them off one by one? I will direct you to the nearest one.

Am I to understand that Sir wishes for me to kill the clansman? Said Gves with a strange inflexion that puzzled Jack as much as the question itself.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Yes Said Jack simply hoping the inflexion was merely a strange aberration of Gves native tongue.

I am sorry to say that I am not permitted to commit such as I think Sir is alluding to. If Sir had as I had suggested listened to my exposition on dungeon rules from the user manual v2.0, as I had recommended this would all be a lot clearer to Sir I think.

Shit thought Jack

Ok break it to me gently Gves what can and can’t I do?

I will try and explain it as simply as possible as I know time is of the essences Sir. Firstly, as you know a dungeon can only employ skills within its domain. Secondly those skills should only be used on life forms who have a killing intent towards the core within this domain…

Before Gves could continue Jack could not help but butt in.

Hang on! Didn’t you kill John? And rather swiftly as far as I can recollect from his memories. Who as far as I am aware had no killing intent towards the core whatsoever!

Ah yes, that was a most regrettable oversight on my part. I merely wanted to sample the mana from his blood. As it seemed to potentially hold properties that would be very advantageous to the evolution of the core. As such I did not wish him harm but just intended to take a sample. Unfortunately the human proved to be particularly weak and died from asphyxiation. Having choked on his own blood.

Jack couldn’t believe how coldly Gves had recounted his actions. Now Jack was starting to get an inkling of what Gves role in system V2.0 was and why he actually seemed to be well suited.

Things began to click and come together in Jack’s analytical mind.

So you should not have harmed or even killed me whilst exiting from my body as I have no killing intent towards the core. Currently thought Jack coldly.

Sir is almost right. As a contractee of the core I am obliged to take all precautions possible not to damage Sir.

On account of my blood. Finished Jack. Spill the beans Gves. What is so special about my blood?

Very well Sir. The blood in question is of particularly unique composition. Holding what is known as prismatic affinities. That is all affinities. Which is not to my knowledge something that should be common to elves. But I digress. Absorbing such blood and synthesising it can allow for the core to operate at a far heightened level. Allowing it to absorb any affinity of mana from within its domain. This may not seem very useful to Sir but as to a dungeon core it is almost a priceless artefact.

So you’re rather fortunate that the host came back to life aren’t you?

Fortunate is not the word Sir. It was a miraculous occurrence. Leading me to think some divine hand may have been at work and it is more than providence that has brought us together.

So how do we level up?

I think Sir has hit upon some of the teething problems that version 2.0 of the system has. Short of bludgeoning any intruders with the core with its initial diminutive size. It may prove difficult.

Also for the life form to be an intruder they would have to wish to harm it or actually attempt damage to it. Without prior knowledge of the core this seems an unlikely occurrence. Hence leading, I think to a further magnitude of complexity to the problem.

And how did you level before?

It was many centuries ago now but I remember it fondly when the first levelling occurred. The previous owner had tasked me with making a trap, a hidden hole with spikes arranged neatly at the bottom for our first customer…I mean intruder.

The entrance to the dungeon was sealed off until all preparations had been finished. Ordinarily attacking a minion of the dungeon would trigger killing intent, identifying life forms as intruders to the dungeon. But as we had as yet no minions the previous owner decided upon instead putting a particularly inflammatory message outside the dungeon. And this certainly seemed effective as within two days of putting up the notice we had visitors.

And how long did it take to make the trap?

I think it was several weeks before sufficient earth and rock were removed, Sir. Replied Gves cheerily.

So really it’s going to be up to me to escape these goons. Said Jack resignedly having hoped to be OP from the start. He did have people to rescue after all.

Sir has it in a nutshell

Jack carefully moved his new but very sore and bruised carcass off the sledge of broken ropes and away towards the tunnel entrance He rubbed his limbs trying to get the circulation going again before edging as slowly as he could away.

The guards of course spotted his far from stealthy form and the chase was on.

Jack ran limping slightly still a few paces before he came up against the tunnel and had to jump into and then crawl through the muck, core in hand. The clansmen of course jumped up and were soon on his heels quite literally. As the closest one caught hold of one of his ankles and tried to drag him back. It seemed they had quite the reach and were unfortunately not as slow as their size would imply.

A well placed kick to the face that caught the rock guy in the eye had him release Jack and he was off again, moving like his life depended on it. Which of course, it did.

The new plan such as it was. Was simple. Get into any tunnel or space leading off from this main one. As John’s memories held something that could actually be used – knowledge of the layout of all the interconnecting caves, spaces and tunnels on this side of the mountain. He just needed to get away and then lose them in this labyrinth of interconnecting tunnels.

Jack had been able to verify his location not by sight as all these caves looked the same to him. If he’d had some proper light then maybe he’d have been able to tell which one it was. So he had to rely instead on his knowledge of the features of these individual caves. With this cave this was pretty easy as it wasn’t that far from the main entrance and as a result was very familiar to him. It was a area where mana rich plants could often be found if you were lucky. And with the help of his elven smellage he had spotted some, confirming this location.

Finding a hole to the left of the tunnel that he knew from John’s memories was there but would otherwise have certainly missed. He dove into the space and wriggled, kicking off his boots as the clansman following him grabbed onto them. Luckily he had planned for it otherwise he could imagine the brute snapping his ankles like twigs. It was a squeeze through the space but he made it unlike the clansman judging by the flurry of expletives that followed.

Jack then lay panting his face planted against the cold wet stone of the space.

Would Sir, like me to suggest the best route of escape?

Jack was not going to risk trusting this entity. As he could see now that all outcomes were a WIN-WIN to it. If he lived there would be more blood in the long term for this creature but if he died here and now there would still be a bountiful harvest no doubt.

Dragging himself further before the clansman decided to use their fire spells to toast him like a marshmallow. He crept through the torturous space until it broke through to an adjoining passageway and then limped his way along holding the side wall for balance.

He could still hear the clansman’s shouts echoing around the tunnel and it would not be long before they found a way through to this area. Taking a break at the end of the tunnel, that entered a new cave, he couldn’t help but notice the rushing sound of bats going about their business. What did they feed on in here? He wondered to himself distractedly.

Then remembered he knew. The memories came flooding to him. John’s memories of time spent in this very cave. Of playing games to past the time with other children in the cave. Also memories of Sal. He felt emotions that were not his own wash over him. Guilt at not protecting her. Though he knew they were not his own it did not make their presences any less disturbing to his fatigued mind. Though he gained solace in the fact that maybe it had not all worked out as bad as it could have for at least Sal had been kept out of reach of Gves.

Now focus. Need to focus. Your problem is here and now, not in some distant past.

Gves had explained to him subsequently that bats and other random inhabitant of the dungeon domain could never be considered as intruders. As even though some could be hostile they had no killing intent towards the core itself.

But what if they did?

What if he let them listen to Gves for long enough? Or just bashed them on the head with the core until they got mad enough?

Now there was an idea.