My Companion is still in turmoil, but they continue to explain and go along with me.
"If you're going to avoid killing, you should know the other ways. Fundamentally, everything is made of mana; mana has the tendency to change and imbue itself with anything. When mana converts to another state, they self-duplicate an infinitesimal amount, and when enough gathers, they tend to cluster, forming matter. When beings achieve consciousness, a soul is born. Sapient beings produce abundant mana using these souls; when souls are stimulated, some part of their soul mana changes, increasing the mana's self-duplication more than anything else, producing far much more mana than what was used; these mana are categorized as emotion mana. Unfortunately, it comes with a price. When sapient beings use mana, they are intertwined with a microscopic amount of soul mana, becoming static and unusable. That's where dungeons come in; dungeons are capable of absorbing and purifying this type of mana. This is then used to create monsters, which in turn will be killed by delvers showering them with purified mana bursting from the slain monster, strengthening them in the process. Dungeons use traps, monsters, and treasures to stimulate emotions for their mana, but the most efficient way is when they die. Death triggers the explosion of emotions, the eruption of will to live, the life force blazing everything it has. It cannot simply compare to the others. It is an ecosystem, a cycle that benefits everyone, making the world bigger with its ever-increasing mana, Aiden."
"And one dungeon gone wrong won't stop the cycle." 'So strong emotions create mana.' At that understanding, my mind thinks of ideas and plans for my dungeon without killing: 'This, this could work.'
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Slime has been selected as your starting monster race Fungi has been selected as your starting monster race Ability Summon Monster has been unlocked
According to my Companion, slimes, plants, and fungi were the most lucrative, besides mimics. Plants and Fungi were popular as they were used for medicines and alchemy and for procuring wood and rarely would create elixirs. The slimes were the most common monsters but the most ubiquitously used, used for leatherworking, adhesives, lacquer, alchemy, binding agents, and more.
Task
-Summon Monster unlocked
Tutorial Step 5
Ask the Companion to open Affinity Status
Task
-Select Affinity
Choose Affinity to Unlock (3 selections left)
Fire Affinity
-Unlocks fire affinity
-Gives a moderate boost to fire affinity
Water Affinity
-Unlocks water affinity
-Gives a moderate boost to water affinity
Air Affinity
-Unlocks air affinity
-Gives a moderate boost to air affinity
Earth Affinity
-Unlocks earth affinity
-Gives a moderate boost to earth affinity
Arcane Affinity -Gives a medium boost to arcane affinity Kinetic Affinity
-Unlocks kinetic affinity
-Gives a moderate boost to kinetic affinity
Life Affinity
-Unlocks life affinity
-Gives a moderate boost to life affinity
.... .....
"Normally, you could only choose between fire, water, air, earth, and the affinity originally possessed."
My Companion mentions as he absentmindedly stares at what I assume is the shared screen.
"Is this the only time I get to choose affinities?"
"No, dungeon cores are given one perk every two levels, one affinity every five levels, and one trait for every ten levels. For affinities unlocking related higher tiered ones or bigger boost to unlocked affinities as levels grow."
"Are there any other ways to acquire them except for leveling?"
"For perks, no, as they are given directly by The System. For traits, technically, yes. Traits are talents and aptitudes you are born with, as you can tell by your traits. Gaining traits after birth happens to beings made of matter often; however, as dungeon cores are more just mana in the form of matter, the possibility is negligible; then again, you are a singularity among them, so I cannot say for certain. For affinities technically, everything has an affinity to everything. Only some affinities will be inefficient, and some will cause harm or death. As said before, Dungeon cores are beings of mana and can use every affinity without adverse effects. The System only locks them as trying multiple affinities at once without experience mostly explodes and destroys the dungeon core. More so, as it is more efficient to specialize in only one or two affinities. When you use the locked affinity with enough proficiency, it will automatically unlock. This has happened, but only for unlocking higher tired affinity in advance."
"Got it, thanks." Hmm, as I learn about mana I'm definitely sure I could use my past life knowledge to unlock some affinities, for the world of Aetheria matter is mana taken form but to Earth, matter is much more complex and well-studied.
"It's my job."
Space Affinity has been selected Life Affinity has been selected Soul Affinity has been selected
As the message finished, I could feel things I had never felt before. The space we are in is more transparent in my mind than ever. I could feel the soul fluctuations and waves coming from my companion. I could feel my soul radiating in my core. It was so clear that I wondered just how I couldn't feel this before. Then my Companion spoke, pulling me out of my reverie of feeling my new senses of the world.
"Hope you know what you are doing."
"I hope so, too." 'It'll will work out, they have to work as I intended, otherwise I could only... No! I'll try, and if it comes to worst, I will find a compromise."
Tutorial Step 6
Ask the Companion to open the Traits status
Task
-Select Traits
Choose Traits to Unlock (3 selections left)
Minor Mana Spring
A spring of mana has formed inside you, increasing your self-mana generation
-Doubles self mana generation
Solid Core
Your core is harder to destroy than others
-Gives a moderate boost to core defense
-Gives a minor boost to damage reduction on the core
Regenerative Core
Your core regenerates faster from damage
-Gives a medium boost to the core's natural regeneration
Water Attuned
You are naturally attuned to water and its mana, giving you an advantage over it and affecting your dungeon monsters as well
-Gives a generous boost to increasing water affinity
-Your dungeon monsters gain a moderate boost to water affinity
-Delvers get a minor boost to increasing water affinity
Trapper
You have a fondness and interest in traps
-Gives a moderate boost to traps you create
Charming Core
You have a natural charm about you that makes you irresistible, affecting your core and dungeon monsters
-Gives a major boost to the attraction of the dungeon to delvers
-Gives a generous decrease in desire to harm your core to whoever notices you
-Gives a large increase in desire for possession to whoever notices you
-Gives a moderate increase to dungeon monsters' natural charm
Smart
You are brighter than others
-Gives a moderate boost to intelligence
.... .....
As I perused through what seemed to be an endless list, I felt surprise from my companion. As I drift my attention to them, they speak before I ask.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
"I was surprised about two things. These are all the options one could get, meaning all low-mid-high level traits are here. Another thing is I don't recognize half of these traits. Aiden, The System imparted records of every dungeon that existed and is in Aetheria, with some limited system knowledge on Aetheria. These options are most likely from other dimensions governed by The System. I'll remove all the low and mid-level ones; I'll try to explain as best I can, even with my lack of knowledge on most of these traits or how they were put into practice. ....Sorry."
I try to think of what to say but, in the end, don't. I know that feeling, the feeling of uselessness, the feeling of being not enough, the feeling of helplessness. This isn't about how I feel. It's about how my Companion thinks of themself. So, I simply send my feelings to them, hoping it will help.
"Thank you," I say, making sure they know I meant it.
'Now, let's see.' I busy myself by perusing the much shorter list now.
Trap Savant
You have a knack for all sorts of traps as the traps you make become deadlier, more complex, more challenging to notice, cunning, and difficult to disarm. Your mind is filled to the brim with trap ideas, and you seem to gain inspiration from the simplest of things.
-Gives an immense boost to all traps you personally create
-Gives a major boost in designing traps and modifying traps
-Gives a large boost to inspiration and creativity for traps
-Your monsters gain a major boost using and creating traps
Immortal Core
You have achieved immortality, however restricted it is, a considerable achievement nonetheless
-Will lose invulnerability when all dungeon boss monsters are in respawn
Sadistic Bloodthirsty Heart
You are sadistic and cruel. Screams of agony and wails of despair are the most exquisite music for you. Every moment, you imagine ways to torture and agonize your prey more efficiently, more tastefully, more agonizingly. Wicked machinations you create with such finesse, a talent gone wayward.
-Gives an immense boost to negative emotions while inside your dungeon
-Gives an immense decrease in positive emotions while inside your dungeon
-Gives a major boost to sensitivity to pain while inside your dungeon
-Gives a major decrease in willpower while inside your dungeon
-Gives a major boost to torture devices and gruesome traps
-Your dungeon monsters gain a generous boost to insanity and a generous boost to sadistic nature
Treasure Hoarder
You are infatuated with valuables of all kinds and have become a connoisseur of them in the process. You dream of drowning in your collection of treasures and will forever desire more valuable and precious treasures. Your other passion is your abhorrence of thieves who aim for your treasures.
-Gives an immense boost to all valuables you create
-Gives an immense boost to appraisal
-Gives a major boost to all resources in your dungeon
-Gives a major boost to the chance of rare valuables appearing in your dungeon
-Gives a major boost to dungeon monsters when guarding treasure or fighting thieves
Serene Mind
You have learned to be untroubled, untouched even amid a storm. You are tranquil and at peace, and nothing will disturb your mind.
-Gives an immense boost to the calmness of the mind
-Gives an immense boost to defense against attacks to your mind
-Your dungeon monsters gain a major boost to intelligence
-Your dungeon monsters gain a major boost to mind defense
-Your delvers gain a large boost to mind tranquility
Air Lord
(Requires Air Affinity)
You became a being of air; air is you, and you are air. Your core changed, and so too will your dungeon follow. For air is the only true thing you understand.
-Change Dungeon Core race to True Air Dungeon Core race
-Your dungeon will be filled with air mana, and the mana you purify will become air mana
-Gives a colossal increase to air affinity and affinities associated with it
-Restricts using and gaining affinities not related to air affinity
-Your dungeon monsters gain an immense boost to air affinity and those associated with it
-Your dungeon monsters are unable to evolve except for evolutions related to air affinity
-Your resources and traps are imbued with air mana and gain a major boost to air-affiliated mana density
-You are unable to gain resources and traps that are not of air affinity and those associated with it
A Million Curses
(Requires Curse Affinity)
You have been cursed, baring countless curses yet somehow managing not to shatter under its weight. No, you have exceeded it, and you now wield it like your own. You became the curses, and the curses became you.
-Change Dungeon Core race to True Curse Dungeon Core race
-Gives a monumental boost to curse affinity
-Gives a monumental boost in creating and using curses
-Your dungeon will be filled with curse mana, and the mana you purify will become curse mana
-Restricts using and gaining affinities except for curse affinity
-Your dungeon monsters gain a colossal boost to curse affinity
-Your dungeon monsters are unable to evolve except for evolutions related to curse affinity
-Your resources and traps are imbued with curse mana and gain an immense boost to curse mana density
-You are unable to gain resources and traps that are not of curse affinity
.... .....
Finally, a few hours later, I decided on my choices.
Mana Conductor
To you, mana is a friend, a companion, your life. You can use mana like no other; you do not need to think or act but do, and mana follows. You are a brilliant conductor of mana.
-Gives an immense boost to mana sensitivity
-Gives a major boost to proficiency gained for mana-related abilities
-Increases Mana Manipulation proficiency by two tiers
-Increases all mana-related abilities proficiency by one tier
I chose this one as it will help me unlock affinities. Even without that, since mana is the be-all and end-all, essentially the atoms of this world, having higher control over it will be very useful. Also, having the Pure Mana Crystal Origin trait, it seemed best to improve that advantage further. I also understood how my two traits were overpowered; these high-level traits become available once you reach level 100, and even then, the maximum boost is immense without penalties, yet I have two traits with monumental boost without penalties.
Mad Scientist of Amalgamation
You are a genius, a mad one, but a genius, nonetheless. Capable of theoretically endless evolution, monsters are highly susceptible to change. You saw something in this: why wait for evolution when you can abuse this property? So, you did; you mixed and converged, united and merged, creating something new.
-Changes Summon Monster to Create Monster
-Gain more in-depth knowledge of the monsters you possess
-Gain a colossal boost to comprehension of monster anatomy
-Able to alter monster preset when using Create Monster
-Able to adjust the monster when it forms when using Create Monster
-Able to combine different elements when using Create Monster (Using incompatible and numerous components may lead to failure)
-Any alterations made will not count toward evolution
-Alteration limit correlates with monster knowledge, compatibility of components, degree of alteration, proficiency with Mana Manipulation and Mana Sense
I chose this one as it is affected by Mana Manipulation and Mana Sense. Also, according to my Companion, evolution is the main way for monsters to gain power; however, the difficulty of evolving increases exponentially for every evolution. For dungeons, this doesn't matter as they summon already-evolved monsters, but it does give a better foundation, but as my Companion says, 'a waste of a high-level trait'. For me, it can help immensely with my plan.
System Access: Quest
You have gained access to one of The System Powers: Quest. Able to give quests to delvers that enter your dungeon through The System; once a delver has completed the Quest, you will gain mana depending on the quest's difficulty. You can establish rules in an enclosed environment that must be followed by all beings within (Including the dungeon monsters).
-Able to give compulsory main quests and optional side quests
-Able to assign rewards for completion and penalty for failure
-Quests must comply with the dungeon rules
-Quest zones must be set and need to make quests capable of completion within the quest zone
-Able to set rules that must be followed (Limit of rules depends on the effect of rules; Limit will increase the higher the floor)
This prevents brute-force tactics and extremely powerful delvers from bulldozing their way to my core. But the fundamental reason I chose this is to guide and lure the delvers to my trap, not to kill them, of course.
The dungeon rules are rules dungeons must obliged by.
1. Delvers must be able to access the entrance and dungeon core, so there is no blocking the entrance, making them starve to death, or hiding my core.
2. Delvers must have a chance to survive. Simply put, you cannot create a rockslide or cave-in, smashing them all or locking them in a cage with no way out, but you can lock them in a cage with a hidden switch to escape.
3. The dungeon must provide appropriate rewards. Simply put, we cannot give a legendary sword for killing a mob rat or coal for killing the boss monster, and obtainable resources must have risks appropriate to their value.
4. Dungeons cannot intervene in areas where delvers are present, so I can't summon monsters right in front of them or make changes in their rooms. For quests, I cannot change the quest's information in the middle or meddle with quest objectives after it is given. However, I can prepare a teleport trap for the monsters, put devices when activated, changes the room, and set conditions for quests; when triggered, changes the quest information and/or goal.
You have acquired the trait Mana Conductor You have acquired the trait Mad Scientist of Amalgamation You have acquired the trait System Access: Quest
At that, I find new information and senses in my world. Mana, which was clear and present in my senses, now feels like a part of my body; it's like moving my arm. I don't think or command it to move; it just does, and I can now sense the little differences of each mana more than before. I could feel something new within me as I was more connected to The System, a tiny amount but connected, gaining access to one of The System's powers.
"You are more sure and confident than before."
My Companion says, I wonder about the meaning, then I realize that even though I have been resolute about not killing a part of myself was actually compromising and resigning, thinking, 'What can I do? Would I stay firm with my life on the line? Why not just accept and say It's just how it is.' But now, with these traits, my plan and idea just might be plausible.
"Yeah, I got a good feeling about this."
"Is that so."
I didn't feel anything from them concerning me, but I can't back down, especially now when I picked traits revolving around my plan.
".....You know the drill next is perks."
Tutorial Step 7
Ask the Companion to open the Perks status
Task
-Select Perks
Choose Perks to Unlock (5 selections left)
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Just a spoiler of a minor world-setting for normal dungeon cores.
A normal Dungeon Core will have one point for Affinity, one for Traits, and three for Perks when level one