Chapter 3 (Part 1 of 2)

(Dungeon POV)

I laughed when I saw how stunned they were by the mossy boar. What would they think if they found out I already had a second type of plant construct in the making? The only thing holding me back from using it was the high mana cost and that I couldn’t let my dungeon be too strong in the beginning or no one would come. Most of my mana and life energy would be harvested from the newbie adventurers. Those stupid sons of farmers and cobblers who thought all you needed was a dull sword or a woodcutter's axe to be a hero.

Even as a young boy I never remembered dreaming of a hero. I was the villain of the village not the tiny rat faced kid who smiled as he tortured squirrels and mice or the big ogre faced brute of a boy who broke more than his share of bones. Even as a child I learned that everyone was primarily judged not by their actions or words but by who they are be it noble, craftsmen, or peasant. I was a half breed no more had to be said that was all everyone thought I would ever be. However, I proved them wrong as an alchemist people looked up to me, sure no parent wanted their child to be me apprentice but they were in awe from my feats of alchemy. I was going to be the first half elf master alchemist in over a millennia.

Now I was a dungeon though and everything else is the past. I need to set that all aside and just take the useful pieces of my past, the hate and memories of humiliation wouldn’t help me. Looking around I found my spatial rings they held what I needed to progress.

I had two spatial rings one was a world ring capable of sustaining life, it cost me a fortune but it contained my 5 personal plant creations. I had spent years perfecting them ending up with four spirit rank plants and one spiritual rank grass. They would be some of the higher ranking rewards for the dungeon but it was my other ring that I needed now, these were way too valuable for the first few floors of a dungeon.

The second ring was a spatial ring and it contained most of my former possessions, the most important of which were the high level mana stones. With the stones I could significantly expand my dungeon. It should be enough for at least another two or three floors. I can’t wait for them to come back the second time they would be knocked off their feet. If I progressed enough I might even be able to hinder or stop their journey to my core. I doubt I can stop a party of mid C ranks but there’s no harm in trying.

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(Michael)

The guild master was shocked to say the least when we reported our findings and in the end Edgar was riding out to Mapleton. The guild and alchemist association wanted to personally analyze all of the materials so we could identify the useful loot of the dungeon; they were especially interested in the boar construct. Still it would be nice to know the true value of all these things. Among two dungeons of similar strength the one with the better loot is almost always the more popular one.

“So do we go back in the dungeon?” I asked filled with eagerness this dungeon was a true treasure and I couldn’t wait to plumb the depths of it once more.

“You heard what the Guild Master said Michael. We’re to scout the surroundings and prepare for the construction of the dungeon outpost. It will need an inn, tavern, armorer, and alchemist shop at the very least. Not to mention he specifically designated you the job of scouting out high level beasts in the area. You’re a beast master so you need to kill, tame, or dominate the stronger beasts in the area. We can’t have a beast horde descending on the town.” Violet glared at me her eyebrows scrunching together as she gave him a death glare. With Edgar gone she had taken over the job of keeping the rest of us in line which was probably for the best, though I’d never tell her that.

Grumbling I set out into the woods after summoning Dinah, she was a crowned jaguar. A true was a monster of a cat and also one of my bond beasts. Roaring she ran around off into the woods before heading back over to me and butting my leg with her torso sized head and nearly knocking me over. Growling she expressed her displeasure over our bond.

“I know girl but did you really think we needed you for a newbie dungeon. You could solo it on your own.” That helped smooth her ego like I’d known it would. No female could turn down flattery no matter their appearance, be they beauty, beast, or crone. Rubbing her head I tuned out her purring focusing on the surroundings as I sent out pulses of earth mana letting me expand the range of my senses by an order of magnitude.

Turning toward the North a grin split my face. There was a Night Bear in that direction which had set up control of the area, it though it was king of the Northern Forest. Well it wouldn’t be a king much longer. Night Bears were black bears infused with dark mana; night bears tended to be more aggressive and vicious than normal bears. They also happened to make one of the finest Bear Steaks I’d ever tasted and Violet was an excellent cook. She wasn’t one of those hippy elfs who’s afraid of meat, she followed the way of the wilds where everyone depended on nature's bounty for sustenance, a trait everyone in the party was grateful for once they tasted her cooking.