[Shanteya’s point of view]

Dankyun’s sword pierced my guts and went out through the other side. I felt the cold blade as it cut deep into me, hurting me, making me bleed, making me tremble. Fear grasped my heart in its deadly claws, reminding me of my weakness and uselessness. This time, it was different though. This weakness in front of Dankyun was a proof of my inability to protect my Master, my lack of strength and skill, my lack of determination to obtain the power I needed and desired in order to repay my Master for all the kindness he offered me ever since that fated night.

Still, despite these feelings and emotions, there was another type of fear swirling deep inside my heart and making me shiver like a helpless little child. In all of my life, I had never experienced the embrace of a lover or even allowed myself to feel the touch of one. I was the Broken Doll no one would desire to be with, to protect and help, no one except for the Dungeon Lord who freed me, who healed me of my injuries and curses, who embraced and kissed me without fear or disgust of who I was and what other men had done with me.

Because of this fear of losing the one I loved, my last words towards my Master were: “I-I’m sorry… Illsy. I failed you…”

Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes as blood spilled around my lips and out of my open wound. I was dying together with him. Instead of being able to save him, I allowed him to be killed by this draconian, and it hurt, it hurt so badly to know that I wasn’t able to keep the one I loved from being harmed by his enemy. That pain was far greater than the physical one caused by the sword impaled in my abdomen.

“You stupid shikak!” cursed Dankyun as he pulled back his blade.

“Ugh…” I groaned and fell on my knees.

My body was weak and trembling from both pain and fear, but even so, I still glared at him. I didn’t want to offer this monster the joy of having defeated us, of having struck us down with such a great ease. Those like him usually relished the moments when their enemies begged for their lives or screamed out in pain. I knew his kind all too well, and the one thing they all hated was to see their victims still glaring back at them when hope had long since vanished from their battle.

“What a persistent little woman.” he spat and grabbed me by the neck.

With great ease, he lifted me off the ground and showed me his victorious grin. I tried to struggle in his grasp, to free myself of his hold, but the wound in my gut sapped away my strength, reducing it to nearly nothing.

“Maybe I should torture you as well before I kill you? Rape you until you can’t think anymore?” he threatened me.

“Sorry, but I prefer men in bed, not virgin ladies…” I grinned.

He snapped and tossed me to the side. I landed on the ground, breaking my left arm and rolling a few times until I came to a stop not far from where Nanya was leaning with her back on a piece of crumbled wall. I spat blood and coughed. I couldn’t move, and it hurt everywhere.

Is this it? I asked myself before my vision faded, and I lost consciousness…

[Nanya’s point of view]

Things weren’t looking too good for us. Illsy just got stabbed by Dankyun and probably died as a result. Shanteya was cut down and tossed off like a useless rag. Ayuseya was unconscious and loosing blood fast. Did she even have another minute left? I doubted it. As for the monster who brought us to our knees like this, the monster draconian who played around with us like we were nothing but a useless existence to him, he was standing right there, laughing and enjoying the sight of this destruction around us.

As for me, my body was numb, in pain, and I didn’t have much blood left in my veins to keep the cold away. It spread already to my lower limbs and tail. My jaw and eyelids felt like they were being pulled down by mountains. I couldn’t keep them up. I could barely think anymore, and it was so hard to focus. Honestly, I didn’t even notice when Shanteya ended up at my feet.

This is it… Well, I could use that [Teleportation] crystal, but what use is it? Without a healer’s help, I’m going to die anyway. Dankyun finally did it… he killed us all and won the battle. I thought as I looked over at him.

One last strike was all he needed to kill us. A single punch in the right place or a direct stab to the heart. Decapitation was an option too since none of us had the strength to oppose him anymore. Still, I had the feeling he wasn’t going to do any of that. Dankyun was going to let us bleed out while bragging about his might as a Supreme.

Just thinking about the fact that I was finished off by this pathetic excuse for a living being sickened me. If only I was stronger…

As for Illsy, this poor Dungeon Lord had only been alive for just a few weeks. To die like this, especially when he showed such a huge difference between himself and the other dungeons was such a shame.

I guess I will never get to know if he really did love us or not… I thought and deep inside, I found myself regretting it a bit.

“Ah! Such a wonderful day!” laughed Dankyun, but then something strange happened.

A wave of force pushed the dust away from Illsy’s body, while sparks of energy flowed around it.

“What’s happening?” questioned Dankyun as he took a step back and looked at the strange things that happened to the green crystal core.

BADUMP!

A loud heart beat was heard coming from it, sending a shock wave around it.

BADUMP!

Another one was heard.

Looking at the way the dirt and dust were pushed away from him, how shock waves of pressure were released with each heartbeat, I felt like I was about to witness the awakening of a monster. A shiver came running down my back as crackles of lightning from his body intensified, striking the stones and ground around it. The pressure was intense.

Dankyun also watched this moment, but he didn’t feel like waiting until the end of whatever was happening to Illsy. Clenching the hilt of his sword, he raised it up and dashed towards him with a clear intent of destroying him.

“N-No…” I managed to say with a rough and out of breath voice.

I could hardly make a noise anymore.

I could only watch helplessly as the draconian used the sword my father built to protect me struck down the one I wished to protect. Strangling tendrils of worry and fear tightened their grip around my heart and breath as I watched the black blade fall down upon the crystal body. There was no way to protect him or even move myself in front of the sword as Shanteya did. I could barely breath and keep my eyes open, let alone walk or dash all the way over there.

Illsy… I said in my mind as I waited to hear the shattering noises of his body, but they were late to arrive.

Because Dankyun was with his back at me, I couldn’t see what happened to the crystal core.

Did Illsy do something? I wondered.

BADUMP! another loud heartbeat was heard.

“GAH!” the draconian was sent flying back, crashing into the rubble of the school building that once stood here.

He was pushed back by the shock wave coming from the dungeon’s body. Somehow, Illsy defended himself against the Supreme’s strike, but was it him that did it or was something bad happening to his body? I couldn’t tell, and I felt like I was about to faint as well.

“You rotten Dungeon Lord!” screamed Dankyun as he got out of the rubble.

BADUMP!

Another heartbeat was heard, and another pulse was sent from it.

In the following moment, something strange happened. Illsy’s Dungeon Territory felt like it was suddenly pulled away from right under my feet, retreating into his crystal body. The sensation didn’t seem to have been noticed by Dankyun at all, so maybe only those of us, who were bound to the Dungeon Lord in one way or another, were able to feel this.

After that happened, all the light around the big green crystal was focused inside it, and the lightning stopped forming. The pulse and shock waves stopped, but it didn’t appear as though Illsy was dead. The way I saw him was as if he was ready to burst with an incredible amount of energy, like a powerful [Fireball] ready to explode.

I gulped and waited for what was going to happen next.

Another moment passed without the crystal body showing any change.

Is it over? I asked myself.

Dankyun wasn’t letting his guard down.

“Ugh.” I groaned and looked down.

Hardened blood stained my armor and limbs, but I couldn’t feel its metallic scent. My legs and arms were numb as well. Even if I tried to make a fist or move a finger, I couldn’t anymore. The order for it to move didn’t go through, or rather the muscles didn’t answer to my commands.

I won’t be alive for much longer… I thought as I tried to stop any sort of fear and horror from speeding up the rhythm of my heart.

If I didn’t do that, I would have lost even more blood, but if one were to look at myself from an outside point of view, I would say I looked like some emotionless monster who didn’t care what was going to happen next. The truth was that I was very scared and didn’t want to die yet, but all of my experience and knowledge told me to stand still and calm. That was my only chance left. I was hanging on a thin thread above the hungry jaws of death.

Suddenly, Illsy’s crystal cracked like someone struck it with a huge hammer.

I gulped.

A staggering presence was emanated from the cracked crystal body. It came out like a shock wave, pushing back anyone too close to it. The ground around the crystal began to tremble, rocks and dust to be lifted up in the air as lightning zapped the nearest ones. An incredible quantity of Magic Energy could be felt around it.

BADUMP!

The heartbeat was heard again.

BADUMP! BADUMP! BADUMP!

The pulse intensified as more lightning crackled in the air.

The light emanating from the body began to shine brightly as more Magic Energy was focused inside of it. Then, suddenly, a pulse of strong light was released together with the strongest shock wave of them all. I closed my eyes, but I could hear the ground rumbling like an enraged monster. Dust, dirt, and small rocks were pushed away, some even hitting me, but then everything stopped.

I struggled to open my eyes again, although, the pleasurable thought of giving in and letting my last breath go tempted me. The desire to know what happened to Illsy was stronger though, so I pushed and forced those tiny muscles to pull my eyelids up, so I could see him.

There was a perfectly round crater where his green crystal body once stood, and in the middle of it was a man. The Dungeon Core had completely vanished, and what took its place was a humanoid being standing at around 194 cm tall, with pale white skin and a big green crystal in the middle of its chest. Judging by the parts below the belt, that entity was a male. He had short cut jade-green hair, deep emerald-green eyes, a handsome face, and a fit body to show a bit of muscle. Besides the big crystal in the middle of his chest, there were five smaller ones on each arm and leg. All of them looked identical in size and shape, glowing with a soft green tone. From my point of view, he was rather attractive.

In my entire life, I had never seen or heard of a being like him, but what I knew for certain was that he was none other than Illsyore, my husband. Somehow, someway, he gained a humanoid body, but was it going to be powerful enough to defeat Dankyun?

Illsy… I thought and prayed for him to win.

[Illsyore’s point of view]

271 years were spent in that darkness, working constantly on my body with little to no time for anything else. Other dungeons besides the Primordial revealed themselves to me as time went by. It was a hard work to build my body while constantly listening to them always poking at my memories and making fun of me. The Primordial tried time and time again to explain why humanoid organics shouldn’t be trusted and how dungeons were superior to them in any way or manner.

Those voices sang choirs for the deaf and painted skies for the blind because all I cared and thought about was how to make my body as strong as possible in order to save Nanya, Shanteya, and Ayuseya.

There were many things I needed to change, many things I needed to add. I failed time and time again. I honestly lost track of how many failures I had piled up.

To start off, my first body was finished after only 6 years of designing and careful planning. It was a record-breaking success, but since it wouldn’t last, the Primordial declined its existence, painfully explaining to me how it would be defeated by Dankyun. He was right. That thing… was no different than a normal human body. It even lacked the ability to store Magic Energy.

After failing for another 20 years or so, the Primordial finally explained to me a little bit about how Magic Energy worked. In idea, it was a macroscopic effect generated by the interactions of elementary particles I already knew of like Bosons and Fermions with another type of particles called MT Particles or Magic Type Particles in short. They interacted with matter and dark matter through waves and fields capable of literally changing the laws of interaction between Bosons and Fermions, and as a result, microscopic and macroscopic structures. Of course, I wasn’t given the full explanation and all the details about it since the Primordial forgot them as well, but I was offered enough to begin to understand it and slowly begin to feel the flow of magic. Actually, I had no idea how Bosons and Fermions even worked together, but I understood that thanks to Magic Energy, I had a somewhat control over the laws of physics and matter itself.

Honestly speaking, it was a big headache, and it was hard to pull the info from the Primordial, especially since there were moments when he… forgot what we were talking about months or years ago.

As for using the new knowledge I gained, it turned out to be even harder than I expected. If was a particle physicist or at least a doctor in my previous life, maybe I would have had a bit of help in understanding what in the world I was doing. There were months or even years when I felt like going mad because I could figure out something. Indeed, I lacked a lot of information in regard to how a biological lifeform was supposed to work. That was why the Primordial rejected the several other bodies I made afterwards. They were literally patched up and copied versions of the bodies of the other dungeons.

Trial after trial, failure after failure, the body I was working on progressed and advanced. It was no easy feat to achieve what I wanted: something powerful enough to destroy Dankyun.

The hardest part was figuring out how to transform points of strength, agility, and intelligence into actual interactions at an elementary level. They never did tell me how it worked exactly. The darkness wanted me to give up on finding out by myself and use it instead. It wanted me to create a bond of dependence, but I wanted to have none of that.

Thus, I struggled and struggled, guessing and trying as years went by.

What helped me learn faster were the remnants of the bodies of all the Dungeon Lords who achieved humanoid form or semi-humanoid form. Needless to say that the form of the body I worked on was going to be far different than my human one. It had to be powerful, resilient, fast, and handsome.

One thing was making a beautiful woman, I knew the parameters, but making a man was… well, challenging to say the least. On the bright side of things, the way I worked was similar to molding clay. This ability took me about 67 years to develop and learn, but it was a long way from perfecting. It was the same with building items, I just had to understand how to control the flow of magic in order to make it change the properties and shape of a substance.

At one point, I got a little bit sidetracked with the modifications and ended up with a body that looked a little bit alien when compared to the beings on that planet, especially the tail and claws. The main parts I focused on were the four arms and six legs. I really wanted the body to have implants of some kind, so I chose Spell Crystals and lasers. The hands, all the way up to the elbow, were implanted with power crystals connected through biological tissues and offered the same purpose as the AGLMC laser. The others were going to be Magic Energy storage crystals similar to the ones Dankyun used.

I had to say, I looked quite different. My body was six meters tall, with four jaws, razor-sharp teeth and claws, extendable back spikes, acid spit, four arms, six legs, and all sort of other cool attachments. It was a full-size monster no matter how you looked at it.

When I was done with this one, the Primordial complimented my ingenuity, but it still wasn’t enough. He took the liberty of explaining how each and every part of my body was going to be a pain in the behind to control and use because of the way our minds worked. We didn’t have the time to learn how to control the extra limbs and organs I saw as “cool”.

Then he explained the main aspects he wanted me to focus on…

Like seriously… After more than 150 blasted years, he finally thought it would be a good idea to tell what he NEEDED for the body to work! He annoyed me so much that day that I started a fight with him. Of course, I lost… and a few Easy Dungeons memories were destroyed in the process. In the end, I understood that no matter who would pilot the body I made, they would need decades to learn how to do it efficiently.

The last body I worked on was supposed to be the final one. Apparently, understanding how the body worked and building it myself allowed me to control it’s healing capabilities much easier. Not even decapitation or a stab to the heart would have been enough to kill me now. This was one of the aspects the stupid Primordial forgot to mention. As expected though, three years later, he completely forgot about our battle, although, I was still grumbling like a hungry raccoon.

Indeed, it was the same as speaking to nothing but shadows of their former pasts. Time and time again, it was made quite clear that in this darkness, I was the only living and active mind with 100% functionality, everyone else was like a ghost with half a brain or less. It felt a bit lonely at times.

There were very few moments when I wished to take a break, but when I did, I thought about the world I was in, the people, what I learned, and what I wanted to do after Dankyun was scrapped, packed, and posted back to Teslov on the ‘boot in the behind’ express.

This world was different from mine, too different. I even learned that there were more than those three continents. Apparently, there was even something like a Dungeon Continent, but none of the shadows here knew where it was or what it was about. They remembered only that it existed. As for the Primordial, he didn’t know either. Apparently, there were big holes in his memory as well. He couldn’t even remember where he was born, and when was the last time he was alive. The weaker dungeons had it even worse though, they worked only on a handful of memories, which they relived constantly. Some were good, while others were bad.

I decided that I wanted to learn more of this world after I defeated Dankyun. There were many more continents to discover, a lot of people to meet, and I had yet to see any cat people. According to some of their memories, they existed. One of the dungeons kept remembering being fed nekatars slaves in order to be used as a training ground for human knights. Another remembered having one as a husband. And yes, there were males and female dungeons around here.

Therefore, my to-do list had a very important item added to it: find a nekatar girl and see if a pointing laser worked on her.

The other objectives were rather simple: taste the food; take a swim in the ocean; learn to fly if I can; simple stuff I never did enjoy or cherished in my previous world. Building a computer had to wait, since I had no idea how to make electronics or even program them.

There was one thing I wasn’t too certain about: my primary goal in life, my purpose, what did I really, really wanted to do? I postponed this inner debate for after I was done with Dankyun, just in case I accidentally triggered a death flag with it. Although, postponing it wasn’t a death flag, right?

That’s how my time was basically spent in this darkness, and when it was finally time to reveal my body, all I had to say was that I designed a new species, an entity that simply didn’t exist until then. My abilities were vast, but more importantly, my body was going to be strong enough to destroy Dankyun.

It’s time. said the Primordial with a smirk.

Yes. I told him as I looked at my future humanoid body with emerald-green eyes and jade-green hair.

In a moment, the Primordial released this state of slowed down time in which we were in, and my crystal body began to change. As explained to me before, there were some conditions I had to accept before the change began.

First of all, my level was reset to 1. Practically speaking, it was a new body, so my experience in it was 0 according to the inner workings of the dungeon system, which even now I couldn’t figure out how the blasted thing worked. In general, any big change that occurred to the dungeon entity as a result of evolution was followed by a full level reset. The level reset would basically release all the stored up Magic Energy inside the body in the form of a level. Somehow, the bonds between particles was strengthened by this Magic Energy, similar to how an old dungeon was naturally far sturdier than a newly made one. As a result of this release, I received a high amount of Magic Energy needed to use in the construction of the next body.

Secondly, I had to consume the bodies of all the monsters inside me as well as those of the dead soldiers on my territory, since each one of them was basically a Magic Energy storage. Doing this to Dankyun didn’t work because he was alive, meaning he could subconsciously or consciously control his own Magic Energy flow. Theoretically, I could absorb it, but I would need a huge amount of Magic Energy just to counter and convert his, leaving me without a body and the girls dead for sure.

Third of all, my entire Dungeon Territory was to be reduced to a mere 10cm around my body, since I needed all the Magic Energy stored in it. As I came to understand. A Dungeon expanded its territory as a means of extending its senses as well as a way to store Magic Energy for when they would need it most. The side effects were that all buildings released from the territory would end up as neutral. The same went for the summoned monsters. Apparently, there was another side effect, but the Primordial refused to tell me anything about it.

Fourth of all, the skills I gained as a Dungeon Core were going to become partially useless for me because different bodies meant different Magic Energy flows as well as a different understanding of how to cast my spells. Well, all the skills except for the Dungeon Building skills and [Bond of Trust] because of their inherent conditions: dungeon territory for the first and reciprocated trust for the second. The Godlike attributes and skills I gained as a passive racial trait remained untouched. Nonetheless, with time and a deeper understanding of how to control my body, those skills would become available to me again.

Without further ado, the Primordial started the process in creating my body. He first reset my level to 1, thus granting me an incredible amount of Magic Energy, then he sucked dried of Magic Energy all the bodies inside my Inner Mind and on my Dungeon Territory. As a result, they either turned into mummies or dust. Then, he absorbed the Dungeon Territory itself, gaining another bonus of Magic Energy.

Good! We have 276844 Magic Energy ready to be used. I have to say, you were lucky you were already past level 100. If you weren’t, it would have been a bit harder. the Primordial told me as he used the Magic Energy and then applied it to crystal body.

The changes would start and end in a matter of seconds.

That’s why I was told that I needed at least 100 levels to become a Dungeon Lord? I asked.

That’s a strict minimum required for a body of any kind. Anyway, time to go now! he said with a smirk when the creation process of my new body was completed.

We both left the Inner Mind at the same time. He assumed control over my physical form, and I remained as a background presence around my head. Although we practically saw and felt the same things, I wasn’t the one steering the ship.

“This is new.” said the Primordial as he opened his eyes and looked at his hands.

Breath, you moron. I reminded him.

“Oh yes! I forgot about it for a second, but no need to be rude.” he told me.

Looking around, he saw Dankyun starring at us with a bit of a puzzled look on his face. He certainly wasn’t expecting me to return in this new form, however, thanks to our enhanced vision, I noticed Nanya and Shanteya immediately. It was good to see them again, but I hated the fact that it had to be when Death was knocking at their doors.

Leave introductions for later, go and absorb Shanteya, Ayuseya, and Nanya. I urged him.

“That was my plan.” he smiled and rubbed his palms together.

“What is this?” asked Dankyun surprised.

The Primordial ignored him and simply moved towards Shanteya. The distance of several meters was crossed in the blink of an eye. It was as though he teleported there.

“Absorb.” he said pointing his hand at them, and the dying el’doraw’s body vanished in a bright white light.

Inside the Inner Mind, her bleeding should stop. Next Nanya. I told him.

The woman I once knew as a lively teenage-looking teacher was in tatters. I couldn’t even imagine the pain and fear she was going through with that gaping wound in the middle of her chest could. She looked pale and weak, like the flame of a match about to be extinguished, like a flower wilted away by the cold winter. It pained my heart to look at her, and I wanted to do everything I could to help her, to save her. Losing Nanya wasn’t an option.

“Illsy… I…” she looked up at me.

Her lips were trembling, but there were tears of happiness in her eyes.

“I’m alive, Nanya, my sweet. Don’t worry.” the Primordial spoke.

Hey! I glared at him.

Relax, it’s not like she can tell the difference. said the annoying dungeon.

“Don’t you ignore me!” shouted Dankyun as he dashed at us.

The Primordial saw him from the corners of his eyes, and with one fast move and his bare hand, he caught the dangerous black sword. It didn’t go through this body’s Magic Armor, let alone cut its skin.

“What a cute toy. Go and play over there, dirt for brains.” said the Primordial as he simply tossed the draconian Supreme aside like a pathetic little rag.

What the? Status! I said quickly after seeing the incredible feat.

[Name]: Illsyore (Nickname: Illsy)

[Species]: Dungeon Lord

[Race]: Godlike

[Level]: 1

[Strength]: 475+1500

[Agility]: 378+1500

[Intelligence]: 650+1500

[Magic Energy]: 15750

[Magic Energy Regeneration]: 150 Magic Energy Points per Second

[Allegiance]: Holy God of Big Boobs!

[Spouses]: Ayuseya Drekar Pleyades, Mad Destroyer Nanya Demonarkiar the 2nd

[Slaves]: Shanteya Dowesyl

[Pets]: None

[Minions]: None

Those were the important stats, and they had incredible values when compared to those in my Crystal Body, but I had the feeling they were a bit smaller than what I designed the body for. I was expecting at least 2000 points in every stat. I couldn’t figure out if it was like that because I made a mistake somewhere or if it was a side effect of my body’s transformation from Crystal to Humanoid. Either way, they far surpassed Dankyun’s base stats.

From what I saw, gaining a humanoid body automatically changed the bonus from the Godlike racial trait, but that was also only due to the many tweaks I added to it. Normally, if I went along with a much simpler and classical body, I would have gained only the basic 1000 extra, however, this way, I gained 1500 in each stat, 5000 in Magic Energy pool capacity, and 100 points in Magic Energy Regeneration.

I can only imagine what a 12000 Magic Energy [Infernal Glacier] would do. I said with a sigh.

It would be the equivalent of what humans see as a Supreme class skill. the Primordial replied as he approached Nanya.

Should we use it? I asked him.

And kill off Dankyun that fast? Are you mad? he retorted.

Very well, but let me talk with her. I told him.

Sure. I don’t mind. he said, and with that, he allowed me control only over his mouth.

“Why you…” the draconian dashed at us, but the Primordial made a quick spin and kicked him in the chest.

The draconian’s Magic Armor was shattered to pieces, and he was sent flying through the air more than 50 meters away from us.

I will so enjoy destroying this fellow. said the Primordial.

Looking back at Nanya, we knelt down in front of her, and I looked in her eyes.

“Illsy… is that you?” she asked more as to confirm what she was seeing.

The woman was so changed, I barely recognized her. It was surprising that she was even alive. Just how much pain and suffering did she had to endure to end up like this? Shanteya and Ayuseya too, they were barely hanging on to life by a thin thread. They were taking their last breaths, their last moments of life.

“I’m sorry…” I told her, and from the corners of my eyes, two tears gathered and flowed down my cheeks.

Her lips curve into a small smile. Was she forgiving me for my weakness?

“I’m going to absorb you now, my love…” I told her, and she shook her head. “What?” I blinked surprised. “Why?”

Looking down, she moved her hand, or at least tried to, it twitched a little.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The pocket on her leg. the Primordial told me and reached out for it.

Inside was a pure white crystal, pulsing with magic, but I didn’t recognize the spell.

“Flee…” she told me.

The crystal was to be used for us to flee from Dankyun, or so she asked.

“Not yet, I’m stronger than him, so please Nanya, let me absorb you, so I can heal you.” I told her.” but she still looked reluctant, her gaze falling on her clawed hands.

A sense of deja vu struck me.

Where did I see this scene before? I asked myself as I searched through my past memories.

Nothing came up, but there was a feeling, a sensation lost in the whirlpool of knowledge from my previous life. Was it from a movie where I had attained it, or maybe a book? It was hard to pinpoint, but I decided to act upon it because it felt like the right thing to do.

Give me a bit of control over the body. I told the Primordial, and he complied.

Taking her clawed hand, I kissed the top of it and then showed her a smile.

“I’m not afraid of you. In my eyes, you are still the same, and I love you.”

When I said these honest words, her lips curved in a smile, while tears flowed down her cheeks. She was happy to hear my words. Without a doubt, I said what I was supposed to, and with this, Nanya, my wife, finally gave her approval to let me absorb her.

“I’ll see you soon.” I told her.

I closed off the stupid message.

Seriously annoying. I told the Primordial as I relinquished control to him again.

“So Nanya is the child of a dungeon. Interesting.” he said.

Why interesting and what was with that message? I asked him while he was heading towards Ayuseya.

“HA!” Dankyun screamed and launched a huge [Fireball] at us.

The Primordial lifted his hand up and released an even bigger [Fireball], creating a powerful explosion between us and the Supreme draconian. Using this moment, he moved to Ayuseya and absorbed her as well.

Well, it’s interesting because I wasn’t expecting to met one here. he told me.

There’s Ayuseya’s arm! Get it and beat Dankyun already! I told him.

Anyway, I do hope she won’t try to take over this body. We will crush her if she does. he warned me.

I doubt it and make sure no part of the darkness touches even a single hair on her body! Or Ayuseya’s! Or Shanteya’s! I warned him as well.

“Sure.” he sighed and absorbed the cut off limb.

With my knowledge gained from creating this body, I knew how to fix them. The Inner Mind was also a place that preserved them in any state they arrived inside. The workings of that place was also a bit confusing to me for the moment, but its preservation ability was guaranteed.

“How dare you ignore me!” growled Dankyun as he approached us.

“Oh looky! The inferior organic can speak! Isn’t evolution great?” the Primordial snorted and showed him a smirk.

“I’ll kill you!” he shouted and then dashed towards us.

Is that all he can say? I wondered.

I was expecting him to vanish as he did before, but instead, I saw him move at a very slowed down pace. My body moved, dodging the tip of the black sword and then slapped the draconian into the ground. The earth cracked upon impact, and a small crater formed there. His Magic Armor shattered, and he groaned from the pain.

“Full Magic Energy Restoration. Repair. Rejuvenation.” he groaned and pushed himself up as three more crystals were depleted.

“Pathetic.” said the Primordial as he stomped on his body, reducing his Magic Armor by half in one blow.

“H-How?” he asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he told him before kicking him in the jaw.

This strike shattered Dankyun’s armor again and sent him flying through the charred remains of the Academy. Rocks and dirt were lifted up in the air whenever he crashed into the ground. After a few tumbles, he finally came to a stop.

He coughed and turned around. Using the sword, he pulled himself up only to see the Primordial’s fist as it slammed into his face, sending him flying 100 meters through the air.

Before landing, he used another of those crystals, otherwise, he would have died upon impact. It was another one of his lucky saves, but how many more were there left? It mattered not, the Primordial was intent on finishing off, but slowly.

“Either he is VERY weak or this body you built is a cheat!” he said.

Are you complaining? I asked him with a raised eyebrow.

“No… Just wondering.” he then casually walked up to where Dankyun was.

Ah! He restored himself again. I pointed out when I saw the blue flash of light.

“Yes. I know.” he smirked.

About one hundred fireballs rose up to the sky and headed towards us. Each of them was at least one meter in diameter.

“Let’s test out the durability of this body, shall we?” he said with a smirk as he stood still, with his hands behind his back.

Are you serious? Dude, don’t break my body! I complained.

“Relax and have faith. You need to see how a humanoid dungeon fights.” he told me.

I think you are confusing your definitions again! Being a sandbag has nothing to do with doing well in a fight! I complained.

“I wonder about that.”

The ideas and principles of a Dungeon about how one should behave were completely wrong from many points of view, in my opinion. I simply didn’t resonate with any of them. Although, strange enough, I remember there were times when I also felt the need and desire to act like them. Considering my latest findings, I was starting to believe those were actually emotions and thoughts pushed onto me by the darkness.

The first fireball struck us and exploded. The fire spread around, but we didn’t budge. Then came the next one. Like a cascade of fire, they rained down upon us and tried to sink us into the ground, blasting away the dirt and rocks. A crater formed around us, but we still didn’t budge, and the Magic Armor barely dropped.

“Like I said. Pathetic.” said the Primordial, but just then Dankyun jumped out from the smoke and pushed the sword towards his heart.

The sharp blade was stopped by his strong grip.

“You really thought this toy was going to harm me?” he asked and then giggled.

“Impossible!” he growled at us.

“Indeed. For you to actually accept the reality of your pathetic weakness is impossible. You are just an inferior draconian after all.” said the Primordial, taunting him.

“I will kill you, Dungeon Lord if it’s the last thing I do!” he growled and then took out another crystal, this time it was an aquamarine one. “[Boost]!” he shouted, and an aura the same color as the crystal enveloped him.

Suddenly, he was able to push us back with great force and speed. He was digging a ditch with my body’s feet, while the Primordial tried hard to push him back. The tip of his black sword was getting closer and closer to his heart, slipping from his grip. It was incredible to see this Dungeon actually struggling against him and judging by how fast our Magic Energy was dropping, I could sort of guess what insane amount of power the draconian was exerting against us.

What happened? I asked surprised.

The bastard used a boost to enhance his strength and agility! said the Primordial.

With a strong push to the side, we managed to send his sword away from our chest, and Dankyun flew past us. He stopped about 4 meters away, where he touched the ground and then jumped towards us while using a martial-arts move of consecutive strikes. All of a sudden, we were seeing five more swords than they actually were.

Are you kidding me? I said.

The attack landed, but it wasn’t able to get passed the Primordial’s Magic Armor. Still, it was a close call.

While he was still in range, we jumped forward and tried to punch him, but our fist hit only air. He vanished from our front and appeared at our left. We tried to strike him again, but Dankyun dodged. He was faster than us, and seeing how we had over 1800 Agility, that was saying something. This level was already 1000 points above the minimum requirements for a Supreme. If he could boost himself again, then this battle would end up getting really dangerous for us.

Worst-case scenario, we have that crystal as well… I thought.

We’re not going to lose. said the Primordial, although, it was obvious he was struggling to catch and land a strike on Dankyun.

A power jab to our left ribs sent us flying through the air. Before we fell back to the ground, Dankyun was already next to us and punched us in the face, sending us at dangerous speeds towards the forest located at more than half a kilometer away.

We landed in the trees, breaking several of them before we came to a halt, but then Dankyun was right there again. He attacked us with another set of fast strikes, chipping away at our Magic Armor, which was going down fast.

The fight was ridiculous, no different than what I used to see in anime and superhero movies. One punch sent us flying a couple of meters into a nearby tree, the other sent us into the ground, forming a crater where we landed. The forces behind these strikes were insane, and only now I realized what the Primordial said by controlling the body. I could barely keep up with Dankyun’s moves, let alone focus on recharging my Magic Armor and formulating a counter attack plan at the same time. A control of this level required real-life experience not Inner Mind simulations.

Can’t we slow down time for us? I asked.

No. Doing so may lead to a fast consumption of Magic Energy and fluctuations in our Magic Armor. he told me as he blocked another hit, but the force was too much and sent us flying into another tree.

“DIE ALREADY!” shouted Dankyun, rather annoyed that he couldn’t defeat us.

Speaking of which, our Magic Energy was going down with values between 5 and 50 points per second, depending if we received a strike or not. In other words, the Primordial was able to calculate the exact amount needed to restore our Magic Armor after each hit, something I was certainly unable to do at the moment.

In the years I spent inside the darkness, working on my body, I never learned this sort of control. Apparently, I would gain it with time and practice just as Nanya said.

“Aren’t you bored of this already?” asked the Primordial with a smirk on his lips when he caught his sword between his palms.

“Dungeon Lord, I swear in front of all the known gods that I will kill you and rip you apart!” he threatened me.

“I’m sorry, did you say something? I wasn’t paying attention.” he told him.

Dungeons were natural trolls apparently.

“I will kill you!” he growled at us, pushing hard on the hilt.

“Ugh.”

With a groan and a bit of effort, he pushed the sword away, avoiding the cut, but at the rate things were going, we weren’t going to win.

“Poor Dankyun, he actually thinks he’s going to win this fight!” said the Primordial before laughing at him.

“What do you mean? I’m stronger, faster, and better than you! I will kill you!” he threatened us as he pointed the sharp black sword at us.

“Yet, I’m still standing.” he pointed at himself “You know, kid, lying is bad, especially when an inferior draconian no stronger than a human beggar does it.” he smirked.

Ouch. I thought as I knew that had to hit a nerve. The Supreme was well known to possess an over-inflated ego bigger than the sun itself.

With fury in his eyes and face red from anger, he dashed towards us again with his sword raised up high and ready to strike us down.

“Hm. Pathetic.” said the Primordial before he used a Buff Skill as well.

I had no idea what he did or how, but the status window showed some ridiculous values.

[Strength]: 475+1500+2000

[Agility]: 378+1500+2000

[Intelligence]: 650+1500

[Magic Energy]: 11920

In that moment, the world slowed down for us, and the Primordial was able to grab the black sword with great ease. He then pushed it to the side, but still held onto it and then punched Dankyun hard in the face.

The result was the draconian flying back through several trees until he stopped in the charred field again. The sword was out of his hand now, and with it, he lost his best weapon against us, but now we had to get rid of his crystals as well.

“Absorb.” said the Primordial while holding it by the blade.

“Interesting. To think that someone actually figured out how to make something like this! I better destroy it.”

Stop! Don’t! I shouted.

“Why?” he asked confused.

That’s Nanya’s sword! I don’t know what sort of past it has, but we should let her decide what to do with it. I told him.

“I don’t like it, but very well…” he said and then flipped it around to hold it by the hilt.

Thank you. Still, I don’t understand why Dankyun hasn’t fainted already after using so many of those crystals…

“That’s a rather simple question to which I’m surprised you haven’t figured out the answer to yet!” he laughed.

Humor me… I grumbled.

“Well, Dankyun either has an enchantment on his armor or makes use of a certain Skill of the Buff category.” he shrugged.

A Skill? Something like that actually exists? I asked surprised.

“But of course! Although, it does have some nasty side effects if you suddenly lose the enchanted item or cancel the Skill.” he tapped his chin and then started to walk in the direction he sent the draconian flying.

What sort of side effects?

“Internal bleeding, intense pain, nausea, failure to focus the flow of your Magic Energy, and all sorts of other nasty things. The more restorative Spell Crystals you use, the more dangerous it becomes. In other words, it’s a double-edged sword. Still, with some serious training, anyone can handle the use of 5 up to 10 restorative Spell Crystals. With that specific Skill, maybe 40 or even 100, depending on the species and various other factors.” he shrugged and then dashed through the forest.

At the very least, now I knew that Dankyun couldn’t use an infinite amount of Spell Crystals, but 100 was still a rather impressive amount. If this turned out to be a battle of attrition, the Primordial was going to win without a doubt, but something told me that without Nanya’s sword, the Supreme was pretty much done for.

By the time we reached him, he had already restored his Magic Energy and pulled out another sword from his Storage Crystal. This time, it was going to be a sword battle, or so I thought, but the Primordial was in the draconian’s face in the blink of an eye. With one slash, the sword he was holding was cut in half. Before he realized what happened, the black sword went straight through the draconian’s stomach and came out on the other side.

“ARGH!” he groaned as he felt cold steel inside him.

“Oh, don’t worry, ’tis but a scratch!” said the Primordial before pulling out the blade and punching him in the face.

“GAH!” the draconian went flying, but he chased after him.

Grabbing his left leg in midair, we came to a halt and then slammed him into the ground. Blood spurted out of his gaping wound. Letting go, he pulled back and then stomped on his right leg. Dankyun’s bones went snap and the physical armor plate was shattered.

“AAA!” he screamed in pain.

“How pathetic.” said the Primordial as he began rip apart his armor with his bare hand.

“No! Stop!” cried out Dankyun, but who would care to listen?

The draconian was stripped of everything until he was left only in his loincloth. It was a poor sight to behold, but somehow, it made me happy and satisfied to know that he ended up as nothing but a naked man in the middle of a field of destruction, and we didn’t even need to use any fancy magic attacks.

“Don’t think this is over yet…” he managed to mutter right before the Primordial slapped him so hard, he actually dislocated his jaw.

“Yup, not over.” and with that being said, he stomped on his left leg, crushing his bones and muscles.

“Dankyun and Misery, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” he said and grabbed his face with one hand “I could crush you so easily now.” the Primordial smirked.

“I’m a SUPREME! A mere dungeon like you to… GAH!” the draconian wasn’t able to finish his words because was sent face first into the ground, breaking his nose.

“Ugh… youh… bashtard.” he glared at us before he received another punch to the ribs.

I clearly heard the bones cracking, but the draconian wasn’t screaming yet.

“Oh my, you are so easy to kill right now! HAHAHA! And I didn’t even use any of my powerful attacks!” the Primordial laughed and then holding his forehead decided to try out the inbuilt laser in my hand.

One single strike was all he needed to kill Dankyun. One pull of a trigger and the monster I saw before me would vanish from existence.

But did he deserve to die? Yes.

Could I kill him? Yes.

But why did I feel like something was wrong? Like this death we were offering Dankyun would be more like a blessing or gift to him?

Don’t do it. I told him before he pulled the trigger.

The Primordial dropped Dankyun.

“What? Are you mad?” the dungeon asked.

Maybe, but I have something I want to say to this piece of garbage. Give me control over my body. I told him.

“Tch! Fine!” he complied, surprisingly.

For a minute there, I thought I had to wrestle my control back from him.

With my body finally under my control, I grabbed the draconian by the neck and looked into his eyes. Anger was flaring in mine, and the black fog of killing intent surrounded us both.

“Ugh…” he groaned and looked at me, knowing very well that his life was in my hands now.

“Dankyun, you pathetic little piece of garbage. Rejoice, I’m not going to kill you right now. Oh, no no no.” I shook my head. “What I’m going to do is something far worse than you can even imagine. I’m going to let you go, and I’m going to hunt you down like the piece of garbage you are! You saw it yourself, I merely toyed with now! I can kill you any time and anywhere I desire! You are nothing but a weakling when compared to me. A weakling!” I squinted my eyes. “That’s why I’m going to let you go. But don’t you are free. I’m going to hunt you down like a pathetic little vermin that you are just because I can and know that there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop me or hide from me. So know, little draconian, that from this day forwards, wherever you will look, wherever you will turn your head, I will be there, watching you! A peasant walking by you, or the very noble you will speak with, I will be him or her, disguised or hiding right there in plain sight or in the cover of the shadows behind shadows! Sometimes, I will let you see me, sense me and know that I am still there watching you, following you, and hunting you! There’s no escape from me now, Dankyun, you just had to piss me off! Now here’s the best part. I’m not going to be the one to kill you. No. No. No.” I said shaking my head slowly “I’m going to offer that pleasure to Nanya, Ayuseya, and Shanteya. Next time you will see them, they will be the ones to kill you. Now don’t even think that I’m pulling your leg here, you pathetic little draconian! I’m a Godlike Dungeon. I’m more powerful now than you can ever imagine! With one snap of my fingers, I can kill YOU and your ENTIRE family! You saw it too, right? I didn’t even use a spell other than a lousy fireball because I didn’t feel like punching through your pathetic attack. I didn’t even flinch when you cast all those fireballs at me. NONE of your attacks was even able to shatter my Magic Armor ONCE let alone scratch me! That’s why I’m going to use ALL of this godlike power to hunt you down, to watch you from the shadow, and strike you down the moment you let your guard down. When you will hear someone laughing, that’s going to be me! When you will think that you saw a shadow moving, that’s going to be me! When hear the wind rustling, that’s going to be me reminding you again and again that I’m there, enjoying my hunt and preparing to kill you!”

As I told him these things, for the first time since I saw him, Dankyun was trembling in fear. Actually, it was worse than that. The grown draconian Supreme urinated on himself like a little kid. He was that scared and frightened of me now, but I couldn’t blame him. Anyone would, especially after seeing the difference in strength between himself and the Primordial.

“Do I make myself clear?” I asked him.

He nodded in reply since his jaw was broken and bleeding.

“Good. Now buzz off! The hunt starts now!” I told him and then threw him in the air as hard as I could without caring if he was going to survive the landing or not.

I wasn’t aiming for any specific location, but all that buffed up strength went only into tossing Dankyun away. Even I was surprised by how far I could have possibly thrown him. By my estimates alone, I guessed he would land somewhere a few kilometers away from here. I was honestly doubting that he would survive in his state: gravely injured, without any of his crystals, without armor, and without his sword.

Very good! I like it, but are you sure that was a smart thing to do? asked the Primordial.

“Yes. Death would have been too sweet for him. This way, no matter where he goes or what he does, he will see me in every shadow and every stranger passing by him. He will grow paranoid and live surrounded by fear and imaginary monsters.” I told him and then let out a sigh.

What if he didn’t believe you and will come looking for you?

“Then I will be ready and kill him. But I didn’t lie about one thing though… next time he comes after me, I will have the girls kill him. Actually, I’m hoping for it. If I, a Godlike Dungeon Lord kills him, it can even be seen as an honor by some, but if Shanteya, Nanya, or Ayuseya kill him, then it’s something else.” I told him as I picked up Dankyun’s storage crystal.

I absorbed it and then took out the crystal Nanya gave me. It had the capacity to store a lot of Magic Energy inside it.

Are you going to use that? he asked me.

“Yes.” I replied and began to infuse the crystal with my Magic Energy.

I can’t help but wonder if the years spent building this body didn’t make you… soft?

“Strangely though, after all that time, I don’t see Dankyun as such a threat anymore. I actually feel quite fulfilled with what I did to him today, but in a way, I offered him something far crueler than death itself because no matter how hard he will train or try, he will never defeat Nanya, Ayuseya, or Shanteya when they have [Bond of Trust] and I have these stats at level one. Not to mention the fact that I had yet to show my entire bag of tricks to him.” I said and then pointed my right hand towards a big black boulder about 14 meters away from me.

As I controlled the way the Magic Energy flowed through my body, I charged the Power Crystals between the muscles and bones, set the amplifier to 20% and then pulled the trigger. A powerful red beam shot out of my palm and struck the rock, melting straight through it and hitting the ground on the other side. This single AGLMC Laser was far more powerful than anything I had installed in my previous dungeon.

I wouldn’t have been surprised if this weapon alone was capable of destroying Dankyun’s armor in one go. Alas, the opportunity to test it on his hide never showed itself. Brute strength and speed alone were all that we needed to defeat him. There was also the chance that if I did attack him with this, I would have offered him a way too quick of a death.

No, Dankyun deserved to be haunted by my ghosts! He deserved to see monsters wherever he turned his head and hold nothing but fear towards those he once considered as below him and humiliated in whatever ways he saw to be more fun! Killing him wouldn’t appease the souls of the dead either…

If I was right, then he was going to suffer greatly after this. He was going to lose everything and turn former allies into enemies. He was going to slowly slip into insanity and have his mind destroyed by paranoia.

Indeed, there was the chance that he would come after me, turn from the one hunted into a hunter, but if and when that was going to happen, I would be ready for him, and death would come instantly to him. That was my promise towards him and myself.

Anyway, just as we agreed before when you were having one of your little fits, since this battle is over, I’m going to let you have control. the Primordial said.

“And?” I raised an eyebrow and looked up at a passing cloud.

And from now on, you are the only one who will have control. None of the dungeons or I will bother you in your Inner Mind again, but do know that this thing of yours isn’t going to last. You will eventually come back to me. You will beg for my power. You will beg for OUR power, but then… then you will become one of us!

The last thing I heard from the Primordial was his loud laughter. He was so certain that I would fail and return to him, begging for his help and power that it simply sickened me and turned my stomach upside down.

I was determined to prove him wrong. Even if I found myself again in a Life-or-Death situation, I was going to find another way to persevere and maybe… in time, I would find a way to remove that pesky darkness from inside my mind, those remnants of long dead dungeons. I doubted they weren’t going to act once they saw me succeeding, but for now, however, I considered somewhat safe from their influence.

“I guess I should focus on charging this.” I told myself as I added another 5000 Magic Energy Points into the Spell Crystal Nanya gave me.

I repeated this process a couple of times until I was certain it contained all the Magic Energy it could hold. The amount gathered in that little thing was staggering and beyond belief. If I were to have infused it all in a single spell, it would have certainly had devastating effects.

“There! Let’s do this now!” I said with a smirk and then activated it.

A powerful, blinding white light was released from the crystal, forcing me to close my eyes. I held tight to Nanya’s sword and tried to understand as well as feel what was happening around me. The way Magic Energy flowed from the crystal was strange and almost chaotic in some places. It twisted and turned, wrapping me up in some sort of a cocoon. After a moment, I suddenly felt the ground vanishing from under my feet and the air moving fast around me, but it wasn’t from the sides, it was right from under me.

“What the?” I said and then opened my eyes.

What I saw was something completely different. The were no more mountains, forests, or the charred area Dankyun created with his Supreme Skill. They had all been replaced by a seemingly endless desert. The gold sand spread far and wide, forming dunes upon dunes like waves on top of the sea. In a way, it was beautiful. Unfortunately, I couldn’t enjoy the scenery, seeing as how I was falling from a great height in the sky.

“You have got to be kidding me!” I grumbled as I looked down below.

My body was designed to survive such a fall, so I didn’t worry about it. The problem was where to land. Looking around, I didn’t see any signs of a city or settlement of any kind. There didn’t seem to be one in the first place. Using my palm and Nanya’s sword as aerodynamic contact surfaces, I guided my flight path forward and tried to reach what appeared to be a big rock formation.

“Aaand I hope I don’t break my legs…” I said as I saw the ground coming dangerously close to me.

Quickly changing my position in midair, I landed on my feet. The impact was powerful, but it didn’t even cause a dent in my Magic Armor. Upon a closer inspection, I noticed nothing wrong with my body, not even a scratch.

“Good. Now to find a good spot to rest and start healing the girls…” I told myself as I began walking towards the only landmark for who knew how many kilometers around, the big rock formation.

It was about 20 to 30 meters tall, with sharp edges and many cracks around the tips. At the bottom was what appeared to be a small cave of some sort. I hoped to find some shelter there, but when I reached it, I saw that it was too small and also filled with snakes.

Letting out a sigh, I switched to option B. After expanding my Dungeon Territory around my body, I used the [Create a Room] skill and made a small room next to the rock formation. I covered it with sand to camouflage it a bit and used a big rock as an makeshift entrance. Once done, I went inside. After placing Nanya’s sword against the back wall and covering it with a fake one, just in case I had an unexpected visitor who spotted the shiny, I sat down crossed legged in the center of the room.

It was no 5 star hotel, but it was better than nothing. I was ready, so I closed my eyes and entered my Inner Mind.

____

Note from the author: Thank you for reading! This culminates the third arc of this story! The next two posts will be the two side stories that will tell us what happened to Tuberculus and Dankyun. :)