Aaaan that should be it.

After a long period of indecision, which was then followed by a long time spent actually working on it, I’ve finally finished constructing my new Level-Up Ability.

The whole process ended up being much more complicated that I had expected.

My awesome Level-Up enhancement ticket did much more than last time. Likely because I hadn’t split up its power like last time, or maybe because this was a permanent one. Either way, it caused the whole Ability creation thing to go from 2D to 3D.

In addition to all that, I also had not only way too many charges, but also options to spend those charges on. Dungeon, End, Paradox, System, Eldritch… it’s just too much!

In the end, I ended up with a sort of ball. Of course, it wasn’t just a simple orb. It was woven out of Dungeon and Eldritch charges, as well as a bit of System and Paradox. I did not manage to figure out how to incorporate the End, but oh well.

Overall happy with the result, I have the System the go ahead and soon fell asleep once more.

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Only to wake up in the very next moment back inside my big old Dungeon moon. Oh, how I’ve missed you buddy.

Before checking out what the Level-Up actually got me, I gave a quick scan to my Dungeon. Everything seemed to be in order. Sipalians were running through the class trials. A few Sipaloons joined them too. Only strange thing was the large group of Sipaloons in one building, but I can go back to that later.

After a bit more observing I gave content sigh and returned to my new Ability.

Well then, System, let’s see it.

Mystic Realm (Dungeon/Eldritch/System/Paradox)

There comes a point in every Dungeon’s life where they can’t grow any more. Where they’ve claimed all the territory they could and there’s simply no more territory to expand into. At that point they must expand both inward and outward. That is to say, carve out a portion of spacetime and became, as it is called, larger on the inside.

Mmm, I think we can drop the Aspects an Ability belongs to in these messages System. It’s getting way too long.

But otherwise… jackpot! Pretty much exactly what I was aiming for!

Sure, I’m not exactly limited in how far I can expand through space. Except that I am. At some point I’ll become the size of a planet and at that point it’ll be really hard travel to a new solar system and do the same shit I did in this one.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Then again, I could become a whole Dungeon moon (eventually a Dungeon star) and steal planets from solar system. That way I wouldn’t have to abandon all the work I’d put into introducing mana to a planet when I left, as well as have access to many different population of sapients. Food for thought.

Anyway, I have this Ability now so I won’t have to worry about all that for a while.

Another thing I spot is my Core. It has changed shape. No longer is it irregular but in a vaguely spherical shape. It has transformed into a tetrahedron. A perfect tetrahedron, each facet completely smooth.

Weird. But hopefully not bad.

We’ll figure it out eventually. Anyway, back to more actionable things.

Well then, I’m sure out resident Dungeon design expert would like to weigh in before I start making my Mystic Realm, so…

“Oh Faelleeeeen!” I shout into out Bond.

For a little while I don’t hear anything back. So I start scanning my Dungeon again. Which is when I realize I’d glossed over something during my earlier scan. Or rather, the absence of something.

“Hey you! You’re finally awake,” I finally hear Faellen’s voice. “Sorry, we’re a bit busy right now.”

“What do you mean? And where are you!?”

“Right, right. Forgot you haven’t been here in a while.” A pause. “I took one of your portals to Lapis to continued training our favourite trio of adventurers. But wouldn’t you know it, we somehow ran into a rather unexpected guest! Apparently I wasn’t the only one itching for a visit.”

At this worrying news I give my Dungeon a third, and hopefully last, thorough scan. And this time I notice the lack of yet another being.

“Your Boss, TUP or whatever you called it, is currently wreaking a bit of havoc down here. I think we’d appreciate a bit of help.”

How in the living hells did Thisteskin manage to travel down to Lapis?! Oh, this is bad. That’s a proper big bad Boss, nobody down bellow can deal with it yet. Even Ram, Ditti and Prshky only won that one time because I restricted its mana flow.

A quick look at the planet below shows me exactly where the problem is.

A relatively large patch of forest is absolutely annihilated. In its centre, a big old gnarly tree stands, acting as if it was innocent.

A bit further away I can also spot three Sipalians, accompanied by a little Fairy, retreating from the clearing. All of them look somewhat beat up, though most of the damage is on Ram. Faellen is least damaged, but looks most exhausted. I suppose it must have used a lot of mana.

Before the situation can devolve any more and the Boss can cause more damage, I tell it go back home. To enter the nearby mini-Dungeon and portal back to the moon.

And I wait. And I wait. And I continue waiting while the monster doesn’t move. Like, at all.

“Um, slight issue,” I tell Faellen. “Looks like I can’t command my monsters outside of my Dungeon.”