Rai Dharani
"Since the Imps have been delivered, I think it's time for us to return to Falar," Blackrock informed.
"When will you return to collect the resources from our trade agreement?" I ask.
"I believe once a week is sufficient since we purchased 10 Hover Chests from you. We should be able to transport them all in one trip," Blackrock reasoned.
"Next week, we'll meet outside the abandoned Gemstone Mine. It will give you enough time to build a tunnel to it and bring down the mountain over the entrance. If you can't do either, the Falar Army will find you and the deal is off." Whiterock warned.
"Why so harsh? I thought we were friends now?" I ask.
"We trust you, Rai. But you have to make us believe it wasn't all plans. Suppose you do it without alerting the Falar Kingdom to your presence. In that case, we can do our business with you without worrying about our relationship getting exposed," Redrock pointed out.
"Got it! But you must deliver on the Mana Crystals for the Mana Wood." I remind.
"We will bring it! Don't worry. The Black Market Agents never break their promises." Blackrock said as he turned back to the Black carriage. His brothers nodded their heads toward me and left. They got back in their vehicle and drove out of the exit. After they left, I suddenly remembered something important.
[You can remind them next week]
Rached suggested, and I shook my head in disappointment.
Harkin, the new Warrior Golem forged from a Dwarf Warrior Soul, emerged from the gate at the opposite end of the Grasslands. It took him several minutes to reach the level to reach me. During that time, I ordered the Imps to spread out to enjoy the Grasslands and eat what they needed to refresh themselves. Valgrind and the other Human Imps chose to remain by my side. Eventually, Harkin stopped a few feet from me and Timun, standing beside me.
"I could hear and see everything happening around me while I was in the form of that Soul Figurine. I am grateful to Timun for purchasing me from the Soulmancer store. I was fearful of the stares from those Necromancers. Dungeon Lord, I appreciate you summoning me first! I overheard your plans and am willing to do whatever you ask of me as long as you keep your promise to allow us to help Timun reclaim our homeland once we reach Gold Rank." Harkin declared and then tried to kneel with one limb, but it seemed he was still unused to his Golem body, so he fell over.
"Take it easy! The Ancestor Golems told us it would take time to adjust to being a Golem." Timun said as he helped Harkin up.
"I will keep my promise. Have you retained all your memories of your past life?" I ask.
"I do believe I have! I even regained the skill called 'Battle Master's Knowledge.' If you give me any weapon, I can wield it like a Master. That's why they called me Battlemaster." Harkin explained.
"Oh? Even the weapons needed for a Knight?" I ask.
"Of course! Do you wish for me to become a Golem Knight?" Harkin asks.
Huh? That would certainly be an interesting Golem to have.
"No, I require an instructor for my Human Imps to become Knights." I point to Valgrind and his friends. They bow to Harkin, and he chuckles after studying them.
"Will do! But I will need each one to have a sword and shield to unlock the Warrior class first," Harkin requested.
"Can we lend them our Stone Swords and Shields?" I ask.
"They won't be able to lift them." Harkin pointed out.
"Right, then we will have to wait till the Smith Caste Imps can make them. I will order the Miners to_" I try to plan, but Harkin interrupts me.
"No need to make a fuss about it. Young Dwarves used wooden Swords and Shields to unlock the class. Please give me some wood and a Builder Golem." Harkin suggested.
"I have some right here," Builder announced and summoned several tree trunks from his Hover Chest.
"This will do!" Harkin said as he used his Stone sword to slice the wood into manageable blocks and debarked them. After that, he hands his sword to the Builder to cut them into thick planks.
"Boss, I learned the Carpentry Skill!" Builder announced as his Hammer transformed into a long Saw.
The Builder used Harkin's sword and shield as an outline to cut them out. Then he turned the Saw back into a Hammer and used it with the chisel to carve a wooden sword and shield.
"I got the skill 'Wooden Weapons and Tools'!" the Builder said, repeating the process to make more wooden Swords and shields. But the end product was far better this time than the first attempt. Harkin inspected them and nodded in approval.
While my Builder worked on the rest of the equipment, Timun approached me to speak.
"I will go down to the third level and pick a spot for the Dwarf settlement," Timun informed.
"Only when you give me a Golem recipe can you start settling in." I remind.
"Of course! But I can't sit around doing nothing. So, I might as well check out my future property." Timun reasoned.
After he left, I received a message from Rachel.
[The Dungeon Resources have been reset, signaling the start of Day 03]
So it resets at midnight?
[I have a simple breakdown of the resources we've accumulated and expended on Day 01 and Day 02]
Three notification windows appear in front of my Warrior Golem's head.
----------------------------
[Day 01 - Resources Acquired
Stone: 10000 (1st Level Stone Deposit) + 5000 (9th Level Vault)
Mana Crystals: 20 (1st level Stone Deposit) + 3 (9th Level Vault)
Wood: 500 (2nd Level Oak and Pine Forest)]
[Day 01 - Resources Spent
Stone: 1000 (For Hover Chest)
Mana Crystals: 1 (For Hover Chest) + 2 (For 6 Imps from Triplets)
Wood: None]
----------------------------
[Day 02 - Resources Acquired
Stone: 10000 (1st Level Stone Deposit)
Mana Crystals: 20 (1st level Stone Deposit) + 10 (4th Level Granite Deposit) + 10 (4th Level Marble Deposit)
Wood: 40 (2nd Level Oak and Pine Forest)
Granite: 1000 Blocks (4th Level Granite Deposit)
Marble: 1000 Blocks (4th Level Marble Deposit)
Gemstones: 20 Raw Spahire stones + 20 Raw Emerald stones (Granite & Marble Deposit in the 4th Level)]
[Day 02 - Resources Spent
Stone: 10000 (10 to build Hover Chest) + 500 (Summon 1 Warrior Golem)
Mana Crystals: 10 (10 to build Hover Chest) + 16 (Bought 2 Hidden Skill Bugs + 6 Metal Bug Monster Eggs from Timun) + 10 (Summon 1 Warrior Golem)
Wood: None
Granite: None
Marble: None
Gemstone: None]
----------------------------
[Total Resources stored in the Vault and Core
Stone: 13500
Mana Crystals: 24
Wood: 540
Granite: 1000
Marble: 1000
Gemstones: 40 (20 Emerald + 20 Sapphire)]
----------------------------
[The two Warrior Imps, being living creatures, needed a lot of food and rest compared to a Golem. The crude stone axes made by Builder only had 10 ATK Power and kept breaking apart after a few dozen swings. While your Golem Warrior's Short Stone Sword had 100 ATK power and did not deteriorate in quality]
I had a feeling that would be an issue.
[Miner was able to speed up his production to complete the Marble and Granite Nodes before the reset despite encountering the same problems]
To ensure that we don't miss out on daily resources, I believe it is necessary to transform the Miner Caste Imps into Golems. However, I only have 24 Mana Crystals now, so I can only summon two Miner Golems. Fortunately, two more can be summoned to collect the rest of the Mana Crystals from other deposits, along with the Precious Metal Ores to make Ingots. The challenge is to convince the Imps that it is necessary and extract their souls with minimum pain.
[They admire him from what I can tell. Maybe that will be for the best, but someone will have to end their lives]
I felt uncomfortable with that thought. Nazrat killed an Imp to rank up, so maybe he will be willing to do it to convert them into Golems.
No! I should do it myself!
When I finally decided on my action plan, my Builder Golem had already finished creating twenty wooden swords and shields for the Human Imps. Harkin lined them up in military formation and showed them how to hold their weapons properly. He then demonstrated how to swing the swords and use the shields to block incoming attacks. After a while, Harkin had them pair up and practice attacking and blocking against each other. He occasionally commented on their flaws, movements and slow reflexes.
Builder watched them for a while before he went over to Miner, who was watching the Imps chase the animals in the lush grasslands.
"Wonder how the Boss is gonna feed them all," Builder said to Miner as I slowly approached them from behind.
"I am sure our Lord has a plan," Miner replied, and I confirmed it.
"Timun's Dwarfs are expected to arrive by noon or 12 hours from now. They will need some time to settle in and a day to farm Meat Mushrooms, which need the dung of these animals to grow and acquire their taste. I will exchange construction material for those Mushrooms to provide the Imps with a steady food source." I explain.
"Boss, most of the Imps look hungry already. The five Imps you left with us had to eat two full-grown Elks to keep up their strength to work for a day. So, three hundred will need to eat a lot to keep them happy till those Mushrooms are ready. I doubt the animals here will survive till then," Builder pointed out.
"Right, it would be better if they had another source until the Mushrooms are farmed. Nazrat, the big White Imp with the Unicorn Helmet, can summon a Dark Fae Bear with a highly sensitive nose that can lead him to prey." I said as I pointed to Nazrat.
"Boss, you told me to find a way to bring down the mountain over the entrance. I couldn't do it from the inside, so I went outside to study it and mapped the area around the Dungeon before sunset. I even climbed halfway up the mountain to look for weak points. But I came across large herds of wild deer, goats, and boars up there. I even found a large pond filled with fish. There is more than enough if you can hunt and fish them." Builder explained.
"I see. Did you encounter any predators?" I ask.
"There were a lot of Wolves and Bears, but I returned to boulder mode, and they didn't bother me since they were hunting for meat," Builder explained. He retracted his Mana Tendrill limbs to become a boulder before popping out his limbs again.
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"That's great! I will tell Nazrat to use his Bear to hunt down the predators. You find a Hunter Caste Imp called 'Lock-On' and tell him to lead the rest of his caste to hunt the animals and fish in the locations you found. They are skilled in tracking, hunting, fishing and sneaking, so they're perfect for this task. Oh! Make four hover chests to store the food and tell them to return before dawn. It's important that no Imp is out of the Dungeon during daylight," I instruct Builder.
"Understood, Boss!" Builder says, slowly walking toward the Hunter Caste Imps, who are by the river fishing and playing.
"My Lord, do you wish to know what I mined so far?" Miner asks.
"No need. I learned it from Rachel, who tracked it through the surveillance system. I noticed we are missing out on Mana Crystals and Ores. I will prioritize converting the Miner Imps into Miner Golems to address that. I have Six from Rodwin's Market. But I don't know if there are more from the Ruins." I reply.
"My Lord, I did not find any among the ones who came before your group." Miner pointed out.
"Really? Then, I will get Nazrat's help to convince two converts to Golems since I only have 20 Mana Crystals left. But I'm not looking forward to it," I informed him. Miner shook his head and waved his hand.
"The three Miner Caste Imps who worked with me for a day were jealous of my speed. I explained how golems are made, but they didn't seem bothered and expressed their desire to become golems like me. I will return to the second level and give them the happy news." Miner declared and then walked to the gate that connected to the second level.
I guess I was worrying over nothing.
[Affirmative!]
Now, to find Nazrat. I saw him showing off his new body and helmet to the Imps that came with us from the warehouse.
"High Chief?" Nazrat asked as I approached him. I explained the food situation and the order I gave for the Hunter Caste Imps to get food from the outside before dawn.
"Wolves and Bears are out there! I need you and your Bear to deal with them so the Hunters can work in peace," I instruct.
"Thy will be done, High Chief!" Nazrat thumps his left chest with his right hand and then chants the wicken language to summon his Dark Fae Bear. The summon had also ranked up to Stone. Its body is the size of a cave bear, and the chessboard pattern of Pangolin scales on its body has intricate patterns of the opposite color. But Nazrat was too big to ride it, so he ran on all fours with the Bear to the exit. They were joined by Lock-On, who led 49 Hunter Caste Imps. Nine came from the warehouse, while forty others came from the Ruins. I noticed the thorny tails of the Spider Monkeys were dragging four Hover Chests.
While I was watching them exit the Dungeon. I noticed Toru was waiting for a chance to speak to me. I waved him over.
"You want to ask something, Toru?" I ask.
"The prophecy mentioned that you would reward the faithful with immortal bodies. Does that mean we all will become Golems?" He then looked at my Golem body and imagined himself as one.
"Yes, does that bother you?" I ask.
"It would have been before I learned it was a blessing from the Dungeon Lord," Toru explained.
Well, that's a relief.
"When will you turn me into a Golem?" Toru asks.
I better explain the process and who goes first.
"Since most of my plans require many resources. I am prioritizing the conversion of Imps who can increase resource production speed. I already ordered my Miner Golem to convert two Miner Caste Imps into Miner Golems. But the rest of the Imps will be converted if they die in the defence of the Dungeon," I explain.
"You mean they have to die inside the Dungeon?" Toru asked.
"Yes!" I reply.
"I can understand why you need to prioritize the Miners. But what about the Imps who die for you outside the Dungeon?" Toru asked.
Ah! That doesn't sound good.
"It's not that I won't. It's because I can't! The Dungeon can capture the souls that die in it." I explain.
"Then you just need a Soulmancer to capture the Imp Souls who die outside the Dungeon and bring them back here to summon them as Golems, right?" Toru reasons.
"Well, that is only possible if I obtain a Soulmancy Spelltome or get a Soulmancer to become my minion." I point out.
"Does that mean you are looking for a Soulmancy Spelltome?" Toru asked.
"Yes, but I will buy one when I have the funds to spare," I reply.
"Buy? No need, I have one," Toru revealed, taking out a Soulmancy Spelltome from a storage Ring attached to his Imp tail. I haven't noticed he has a ring there till now. None of the other Imps had storage rings on them.
"How do you alone have a storage ring?" I ask first.
"Under Impdom Law, only the Leader Caste Imps are allowed storage rings to store equipment and Spelltomes," Toru explained.
"So the leader Caste Imps look like the Warrior Caste before they eat a Human?" I ask since Toru had the body of a Teenage Male Gorilla.
"I matured from a baby Imp a few days ago. Brother Torak taught me that I couldn't officially become part of the Leader Caste until I ate a Human and became a Human Imp. Until then, I will look like the other Warrior Caste Imps." Toru replied.
"Are there more like you?" I ask as I look at the other Warrior Caste Imps, but I don't find anyone similar to him.
"You want more Leader Caste Imps? Don't you have twenty already?" Toru asked as he pointed to Valgrind and his friends.
"They aren't Leader Caste Imps in the truest sense," I reply, and Toru seemed surprised by that.
"All of them became Human?" Toru asks.
"A Human Mage mind was the reason, I am told," I point out.
"I see. There were others like me, but they ran back to their High Chief when Nazrat won. But why do you need more?" Toru asked.
"To use their shapeshifting ability to gather intelligence from the Human Kingdoms," I explain.
"Those Human Imps won't do it?" Toru asks.
"Their bodies had a dual-elemental affinity. So, I made them Mage Knights to avoid wasting their potential. So, I am looking for more Leader Caste Imps like you to serve as my spies. Will you be willing to be one?" I asked, and Toru started laughing.
"Hahaha! Why do you have to ask? It's my dream to eat Humans and serve the Dungeon Lord!" Toru pointed out.
"But aren't you afraid that the Human soul will take over your mind after you consume their brains?" I ask.
"Torak told me the secret to a successful assimilation. Willpower and Desire! If mine is stronger than theirs, then I will win." Toru explained.
I already figured out the Willpower part from Valgrind's explanation, but having a greater desire is new. I don't have a human to feed him right now, so I must focus on the immediate issues.
"Can you show me the Soulmancy Spelltome?" I ask, and he hands it over for me to read.
Since the pages are only revealed according to rank, I briefly reviewed the first spell accessible to a Clay Rank. It enables the Spellcaster to extract a Soul from the body of a recently deceased human or non-human and transform it into a Soul Figurine. However, the MP cost increases as per the Rank of the Soul. For instance, to extract a Clay Rank Soul, the cost is 500 MP, and 500 MP is added to each Rank till Mithril, which needs 5000 MP. If the corpse is consumed or destroyed, the Soul will haunt where it died for a few years before moving on to the reincarnation cycle. Since the MP requirement is 500, only Lock-On or another Imp among the 255 with over 500 MP can use it.
"Wait! How big is your Mana Pool?" I ask.
"Barely 20 MP, according to my details," Toru replied. My minions can view their stats now, making it easier to find the info I need.
"Then why do you carry around a Spelltome like this? Hold on! Do you have more Spelltomes?" I ask.
"I have more, but Torak gave them to me because his ring was full. It was meant to be temporary until he completed a deal for the High Chief." Toru revealed.
"What deal?" I ask.
"The Human Imps who served Human traders from Rodwin offered an exchange for High-Rank Imps captured from other tribes if we provided them rare Spell Tomes. The new Imps would have Mana Slave Tattoos that would force them to provide intelligence about rival tribes and increase our combat power. The deal was supposed to happen at midnight, so right around now," Toru explained, removing the ring from his tail and giving it to me.
[Ownership of the ring and its contents has been transferred to you]
[Contents of the Ring
Bonemancy
Woodmancy
Crystalmancy
Torak's Barbarian Armor
Torak's Barbarian Blades]
From Blackrock's info, Bonemancy and Woodmancy are Uncommon spell tomes, Crystallomancy is Rare, and Soulmancy is Super-rare.
"What was the exchange ratio?" I ask.
"Traders valued the Bonemancy and Woodmancy Spelltomes at 10 Bronze Ranks, while the Crystalmancy Spell Tomes were worth 10 Silver Ranks. The Soulmancy Spelltome was worth 10 Gold Ranks. Since the High Chief didn't want to be weaker than the new Imps, he decided to go to the Underworld to Rank Up." Toru explained.
I think his old High chief was getting scammed. Or the higher-ranked Imps are worth that price. I know that after Imps pass Steel Rank, their bodies will change according to their evolution path.
I removed the Spelltomes and stored them in my storage pendant before handing Toru the ring containing his brother's equipment.
"Well, you saved me the trouble of buying them with Mana Crystals, so you deserve a reward!" I declare.
"I ask that you include me in your inner circle, like the Sin Imps, whom you value more than the rest, according to the Dungeon Minion contract." Toru pointed out.
Damn! I did make the contract sound like I only favor them.
"Once you can completely transform into a Human, I will depend on you to spy on the Heroes Church, the Falar Army and their King. So you will be very important to me," I reassure.
"Then all I need is two Humans to start my work." Toru pointed out.
Right! The Leader Cast Imps must eat one Human to change into a Human Imp and eat another to gain the shape-shifter ability. But I don't want to risk killing Humans right now unless they come after me. But having someone in Falar during the Landsmeet is a priority. I could have Nazrat use his Bear to hunt down highway bandits or rogues hiding out in the forests from the Kingsmen. Brock had visited some of those hideouts during the week's worth of memories I experienced. There were always three or four in them, and none of them were innocent by any means.
"I will get Nazrat to capture two for you. For now, he is sorting out the food situation. But you can help me with another matter. What is the caste breakdown of your tribe?" I asked.
"Out of the 255, I am the only Leader Caste Imp waiting. There are 4 Priests, 40 Hunters, 180 Warriors, 30 Riders." Toru explained.
"30 Riders? Do you mean Tamers? Where are their mounts?" I ask.
"Ah! Yes, they are Tamers, but once they get one mount, they always ride it. So we call them Riders. The 30 Tamers who joined us had recently matured and hadn't tamed any Clay Rank Elemental Beasts or Monsters. They were tempted to tame the Wolves that were eating the corpses of the Imps in the nearby Ruins. However, Nazrat didn't want to waste time and risk alerting the army from the Heroes Church." Toru explained.
Then, I don't need to hire Timun or Redrock to help me tame the Bats and Geckos in the Gemstone Mine.
"Are there Imps with special abilities among your tribe?" I ask.
"Priest Lomar has awakened the Blood Elemental Affinity. He possesses a unique skill in inking blood tattoos that can double the speed and stamina of Imps with the same tattoo. But they need to be of the same class, rank, and within a range of ten meters from each other for synergy to activate." Toru explained.
I looked around for Lomar and saw several Warrior Imps with glowing Blood Red tattoos near him. The design resembled Demon Horns and Fangs. But I couldn't find any other Warrior Imp among Toru's tribe who had it.
"Why aren't all the Imps in your tribe having his Blood Tattoos?" I ask.
"The problem is that Lomar has only to use his blood to Ink another, so he kept running out of disposable blood after inking two before suffering from Blood Loss," Toru explained.
"But if Lomar can use Blood skills, doesn't he have the ability to extract blood from another to refill his own?" I ask.
"Toruk tried to make Lomar consume animal blood, but it took a day to merge with his own, and only then could it be inked onto another Imp," Toru explained.
"Ah! So Lomar's blood needs to assimilate another first. Well, it is an interesting ability worthy of note. Thank you, Toru." I reply.
"I am willing to be beside you to offer more assistance." Toru offered.
I don't mind having an assistant, but I must get this Golem to work.
"Ah! This Golem body is just my Avatar. I will be returning control to him so that he can cut down trees on the Second Level." I explain.
"What do you need the trees for?" Toru asked.
I explain the Blueprints I acquired from the Dungeon Vault and the Wood needed to build them. I pointed out how the Warrior Golem was able to cut down 500 trees in a few hours while the two Warrior Imps took a day to cut down forty trees.
"I see. But you have over 200 Warrior Caste Imps who are just playing and relaxing. Why not let them cut down the trees inside the Dungeon?" Toru pointed out.
"Right, that makes sense. I will have to round up all the Warrior Imps and get them to work," I ask.
"Even though I am a leader Caste in waiting, they will still respect the Hierarchy. I can manage them for you. Is there any other resource you wish to harvest?" Toru asked.
"I am planning to construct the Monster Breeder Farm, and for that, I require 10000 units of wood, 10000 units of Stone, and 100 Mana Crystals. Unfortunately, I have already exhausted my entire stock of Mana Crystals while building four hover chests and summoning one Warrior Golem and two Miner Golems. I barely have enough Stone, but my Wood stock is 540, so I will need to harvest wood from outside the Dungeon," I inform.
"If you need Mana Crystals, why don't you take them from the Ruin?" Toru pointed out.
"Huh? There are Mana Crystals there?" I ask.
"I am not sure how it works, but the Imp Lair underneath our Obelisk had Mana Crystals growing out of the walls. Torak told me we could keep harvesting them, and they would grow back daily." Toru revealed.
[Maybe the Obelisk absorbs Mana from the environment, like the Golem Cores, to power itself, and the Mana Crystals are just leeching off it]
A sensible theory!
"Toru, how many Mana Crystals does your tribe harvest daily?" I inquire.
"Around 200. But I don't know if it will be the same number in this Ruin." Toru replied.
If I could gulp, I would make one right now. I must take over that Ruin!
"Toru, go ahead and get the Wood for me," I instruct.
"My pleasure!" Toru bows and then runs off.
[To avoid the Falar Army, it's crucial to prioritize building a tunnel to the Gemstone Mine and bringing down the mountain. Even with the addition of four new Builder Caste Imps, I don't think Builder can handle any more tasks]
Rachel reminded me, and I reluctantly agreed to turn the Builder Caste Imps into Builder Golems to speed up the tunnel Construction and demotion plan. All I need is 40 Mana Crystals.
As I was thinking, I received several notifications, one after the other.
[Your Miner Golem has killed a Miner Caste Imp]
[Your Miner Golem has killed a Miner Caste Imp]
[No EXP and Skills awarded for killing fellow minions]
[A new Miner Golem has been Summoned!]
[A new Miner Golem has been Summoned!]
The notifications popped up as small windows. At the same time, I felt the Scorpion and Beetle Bugs crawl out of the folds of my Shadow Cloak. Even though they were silent, I sensed their emotions. They had lost their metal carapaces and wanted to eat Metal Ingots to get them back. Then I remembered that these two could grow big by absorbing Mana and were meant to transport my Golems.
A plan started to form in my mind. What did I need the most right now? Lots of Mana Crystals! Do I need to make a tunnel to the Ruins to occupy it? No! I must go there, take what I need, and return without alerting the Hero Church Camp nearby.