Despite the golems being composed of cheap materials that require little mana on their own, summoning a single one in its complete form turned out to be a strenuous task. Each dummy brought into existence sucked Cyrus's mana pool dry, forcing him to enact his mana regeneration dance. Topping off on mana, he dived back into the action. Summon. Dance. Summon. This process was repeated forty-eight times.
Fifty dummies lined a quarter of the cavern in five rows, with gaps between each. Nodding in satisfaction, he spread his will through their ranks, activating the runes. The cavern glowed blue.
[1/5 requirements met! Remaining: [0/1 Parade Ground] [0/1 Obstacle Course] [0/100 Tents/Accommodation [1/2 Commanding Officers]]
In sync, the heads snapped towards Cyrus's location. The Roman grinned in relief, "No rogue training dummies on his watch!" Clearing his throat, "Stand still! Maintain neutrality and regenerative state!" The heads snapped 90 degrees, facing forwards. An eerie stillness befell the ranks of statues, leaving no indication that they had ever moved at all.
Time to make the tents and then summon the troops.
At a wave of his will, a stack of linen undershirts appeared on the ground next to him. The ultimate building material. Cutting all the shirts in half, Cyrus positioned them to form a large rectangle before melting the clothes into one continuous sheet. It is a far cry from the standard issue - resilient leather but since there are no weather conditions to ward off underground, it will do. The Dungeon core then crafted 5 long, bronze tent poles, 12 bronze pegs and 12 strips of rolled-up linen shirts as improvised rope.
[Would you like to add [Makeshift Tent Kit] to your catalogue?]
Y/N
Confirming his choice, the Decanus multiplied the amount by a hundred and placed the tents in a section next to the dummies. The process took a couple of hours due to constantly switching between mana regen and conjuring.
[2/5 requirements met! Remaining: [0/1 Parade Ground] [0/1 Obstacle Course] [1/2 Commanding Officers]]
Cyrus moved on to the next phase, filling the empty ranks with new recruits. Imagining a standard human template, he pushed his will and mana into forming the image in front of him. A notification appeared.
[Template match found, would you like to summon [ Legionary] x 1?]
[For info on [Legionary] Class, check mob stat sheets.]
Yes/No
[Two [human] mobs identified, would you like to change their composition to [Legionary]?]
Yes/No
Cyrus paused, considering the matter. Basing his conclusions on his own shabby armour, the Roman commander doubted the quality of the "legionaries'" equipment will not exceed his own. The system answered.
[Legionary Equipment: The equipment of [Legionary] will be the same as the commander's in both quality and equipment type. If the commander's rank increases, the armour will automatically change to match.]
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[Current Armory: Decanus]
Satisfied with the explanation, the Roman commander rose the numerical value to [x5] and confirmed the order. New legionaries began popping up in front of him, materialising outside of thin air. Placing a closed fist over their heart like their predecessors, they greeted their new leader, "We greet the imperator!" Cyrus returned the salute and gestured for the men to form a line behind him. Another five soldiers appeared, repeated the custom and joined their brothers in arms.
After summoning 68 men, intermixed with breaks, Cyrus had enough to fill a Centuria (100 men).
After addressing his small army with the same speech given to the very first troops he had conjured, he split the group in half. Cyrus designated the first as Alpha and the latter as Beta. One would rest while the other trained in a set schedule.
"I'll move onto formation drills later," he thought.
As the men parted ways towards their appointed zones, the Roman returned to the main dungeon to consult his books. He distinctly remembered a section stating that mana can be generated through dungeon laws.
"I'll be quick," Cyrus assured himself.
His search wasn't quick. Hours ticked by. Pieces of literature dotted the floor, scattered in all directions without any semblance of order. The search wasn't entirely fruitless as the book had been discovered. However, it wasn't without cost, precious time. The most treasured possession of humanity. A variable that determines the course of history.
Opening the book, he found the paragraph without much difficulty and preceded to conduct the ritual. Imbuing his voice with mana, he stated "SYSTEM! I declare dungeon law: All troop activity will generate mana at the same rate as [Empoul Mana Regenerative Dance]!" The words held indescribable energy, causing the walls to sway with each syllable.
Suffocating power enveloped the room, coating the walls, the books and everything in sight. All that came in contact trembled with energy. Cyrus staggered, limbs trembling with perspiration. He felt as if a mountain was strapped to his shoulders, one that could crush him at the slightest hint of weakness. This punishing pressure lingered for several minutes before slowly dissipating.
[Subject has passed: Trial of Will! Personal Dungeon Core Law: Troop Activity = Regen Rate: [Empoul Mana Regenerative Dance] is in place.]
He briefly felt a weight press down on his soul but it was gone in a blink of an eye. Shrugging it off as system protocol, Cyrus returned to the training grounds to finish off his quest.
The obstacle course was a simple matter. The Decanus didn't put much thought into it for legions usually used their base surroundings as temporary courses. He simply carved out ditches, grew stone boulders, mud pits and trenches in a winding path that gradually looped back to the starting position.
There was no need for rest as Cyrus's mana was constantly topped off by his troop's hard work.
[Obstacle course has been identified! [3/5 requirements met! Remaining: [0/1 Parade Ground] [1/2 Commanding Officers]]
Grinning in satisfaction, the Roman moved onto the parade ground. He decided to construct a hybrid, having the capabilities to host announcements, inspect troops and practice formations.
The Roman coated the ground in a thin layer of mashed gravel. Following that, he elevated a rectangular patch of the land slightly above human height with two slopes connecting to the floor on either side. Cyrus's work was complete. While he was dissatisfied with the gravel flooring, much preferring the sturdy cement, he had to make do with what he had on hand. Expeditions into the outside world will have to wait.
[[Parade Ground has been identified! [4/5 requirements met! Remaining: [1/2 Commanding Officers]]
The Roman grinned in satisfaction, one last requirement and his training camp would be complete and fully operational. While the offered bonuses are unknown, Cyrus was certain that they will yield great benefits for his troops.
Unsure of how to acquire an officer, he queried the system.
[To summon an officer: Open your character sheet and tap [Officer] under [Available Creatures] or focus your intent on creating an officer while expelling mana in front of you.]
Swiping the notification aside, the Roman followed the instructions to a tee, focusing his will on an image of a [officer] while pushing mana outward, directed to the space in front of him.
[5/5 Requirements met! Calculating bonuses...]
Due to Cyrus being completely captivated by the screen, anticipating his reward, he failed to hear the drawing of steel. Nor did he notice a presence approaching him from behind.
He felt a cold object insert itself into his back and hot liquid gushing down his legs. Pain.