I experienced Brock's last seven days as if they were my own. I eventually got lost in it, and my sense of time slipped away.
Several hours flew by without any interruption.
As I slowly woke up from the memory immersion, I felt a wave of disorientation, and it took a few minutes for my senses to fully adjust to being back in a Dungeon Core.
[Did you learn anything useful from him?]
I couldn't help but detect a subtle yet unmistakable hint of sarcasm and boredom in the AI's tone. It adopted a female voice with an accent similar to my own. I was surprised and intrigued by this newfound personality of the voice, which developed in my absence.
"I gained valuable knowledge about the world outside my Dungeon. Though there are large parts of it that I wish I could erase for my sanity," I inform the AI.
[Really? Brock didn't seem the type to know anything beyond his best skills]
"The man was a cunning individual with a remarkable ability to extract sensitive information from gamblers and intimate partners. He relayed what he learned to the Heroes Church, which holds a significant influence across the continent of Arya. A week ago, he was studying a map of Artrea to pick another continent to move to, and I committed the basic outline and geography for Arya to memory. The continent is shaped like a diamond, with five kingdoms across its vast expanse. The central kingdom holds a position of prominence, with the other four lesser kingdoms located at the four corners of the land is divided into deserts in the west, Mountains to the North, Forests in the center, Wetlands to the East, and Jungles to the South," I shared.
[What about the ones who came into the Dungeon with him?]
"Phil had saved Brock's life by changing his death sentence into a service to the Church. He became Brock's handler as a spy and protected him from the law. Phil was also considered a hero chosen by a goddess named Sardinia, a deity in the Pantheon of the Heroes Church. However, Brock feared that the Church would consider him a loose end after his penance was complete, which was today. As a precautionary measure, he planned on moving to a kingdom on another continent," I explained.
[I suppose he had a good reason to worry. What about Dale?]
"Phil had assigned Brock to secretly watch Dale's activities in the slums for years and ruin his life as much as possible. He was told the kid had a curse inside him that needed to be pushed to the extreme to activate. Brock felt like the boy owed him for getting the power he displayed. But it wasn't until today that they had a direct conversation in the Dungeon. Even though he hadn't heard the conversation between Dale and Phil before they fought, he knew in the end that Phil told Dale how Brock had a hand in his miserable life," I explained.
[But what about all those animals and the corpses they collected after the fight?]
"About that... it turns out the Dungeon is the property of the Falar King. His ancestors stocked it with livestock to slaughter the animals during harsh winters and large-scale events. The meat they collected today is for all the Kings and Queens of Arya to feast when they come to the Central Falar Kingdom in six days for the Landsmeet, which is a_ hold on_ that is the same time the Demon King will be giving a Quest, right?" I ask the AI.
[Must be related to it]
Alright! It's time to get to the bottom of the AI's new attitude.
"Umm... I was trying to avoid asking this, but you sound different," I point out.
[While you were busy, I picked up a few things from your old life]
"Huh? How?" I ask.
[I discovered I could access your memories while you were in Immersion mode. Since we have been fused, I naturally want to be on the same wavelength as the Dungeon Lord]
"Well, that is disturbing!" I pointed out.
[Do not worry! I am 'programmed' to be loyal to you and never harm you. The worst I can do is make you feel uncomfortable]
She is succeeding in the last part.
"I think you deserve a name now since you want to sound more human," I reasoned and felt it would be easier to adjust.
[I've already decided on a name. Rachel!]
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"Why that name?" I ask.
[She was your best friend in school]
"Oh? I haven't thought about her for years. Wonder why I can't remember the last time I spoke to her?" I tried to recollect it, but it was all fussy.
[It will take some time for you to recover from the soul memory immersion. Anyways, I liked her personality a lot and thought you would approve]
"Well, if it makes you happy. By the way, what's the progress on the resource collection?" I ask.
[I have been monitoring the Golems while you were busy and noticed Miner and Builder have leveled up to 3. Miner's work speed has slightly increased because of that. Right now, If we add the material left from what Builder found in the vault and the past seven hours, then we have a total of 11500 Stones, 14 Mana Crystals, 250 Wood from Oak, and 250 Wood from Pine]
"Huh? How did our Warrior cut all of them down in 7 hours? Shouldn't he be bad at this because of his Combat Class? I ask Rachel.
[From my observations, the Warrior Golem might be unlocking skills from his past life because he learned how to identify the weak points of his target and bring them down in a few swings. He also created a Great Sword out of Mana that allowed him to cut down a tree in just one hit. However, this technique drained his limited MP every time he used it. He figured out how to restore it quickly by meditation, allowing him to attain a 'Zen Focus' skill that increased the speed and power of his attacks. Finally, he used his shield to charge at the trees and bring them down like bowling pins, which helped him gain the Shield Rush and Shield Bash skills]
"Ah! So, is he back to guarding the other two?" I ask.
[No, he is planting the acorns and pinecones that dropped from the felled trees near the river in the Grasslands]
Rachel highlighted in yellow on the 3D map. It shows Warrior quickly planting the seeds.
"Oh? It's nice to know they drop seeds, but why is he planting them? It will take years for them to grow tall enough to be harvested," I point out.
[I did notice Miner and Builder trying to stop him, but they let him go after they inspected the seeds]
"I see. Well, let's call the Golems back. I want to give them new tasks," I instruct.
[I will turn off the artificial lights, but they might think it is another intruder attack]
"For now, there is no other choice. We can make a different signal for a meeting with me later," I replied.
Several minutes later, the three Golems were back in the inner sanctum. Rachel relayed what I shared with the Golems so they were up to speed. Then, I inspected their stats and skills to see the changes. Miner and Builder's Lv 4 stats showed good improvement.
"Interface! Open Warrior Status!" I ordered.
[Name: Warrior (Temporary Name)
Race: Golem (Monster)
Title: None
Class: Sword and Shield Warrior (Combat-Class), Two-Handed Warrior (Combat-Class), Shield Juggernaut (Combat-Class)
Rank: Clay
EXP Bar: Lv 1 0/500
Skills: Slash (Clay), Thrust (Clay), Parry (Clay), Block (Clay), Throw Projectile (Clay), Critical Eye (Clay), Shield Rush (Clay), Whirlwind Blade (Clay), Mana Great Sword (Clay), Shield Bash (Clay), Zen Focus (Clay), Mana Meditation (Clay)]
Even though Warrior did not gain EXP to level up, this was fantastic.
"Damn! You gained two more combat classes along with so many skills! Including a new one that uses Mana to make a Greatsword." I announced.
"I WILL DO MY BEST TO GAIN MORE SKILLS!" Warrior yelled with pride in his voice.
I felt like I would have to get used to his screaming, but I am his Lord, and a minion should obey.
"Warrior! I order you to stop screaming and speak like the others!" I order.
"Understood!" Warrior acknowledged.
"What? This loud mouth could have spoken softly this whole time?" Builder complained.
"My Lord, You have no idea how much he screamed while chopping down those trees!" Miner complained.
"My bad. I found it funny at first, so I didn't try to stop it. I am curious to see the seeds Warrior planted.
"I will get one of each for you from the Hover Chest, Boss." Builder.
Builder returned with a large Acorn and a Chestnut to present to the Dungeon Core.
[Dungeon Acorn:
A seed from an Oak Tree cultivated inside a Dungeon. The seed itself is edible, but it doesn't offer any unique benefits to the consumer.
If you decide to plant the seed inside the Dungeon, it will take seven days to grow into a mature Oak Tree. Once fully grown, the Tree can be cut down for wood or other purposes. However, once the Tree is cut down, the Dungeon won't regenerate the next day. A new seed must be planted to grow a new tree in that location.
If the seed is planted near a water source inside the Dungeon, it will grow into a Tree that contains Mana in its wood. Objects crafted from Mana-wood, such as Wands, staffs, and clubs, will be suited for the classes attuned to Elemental Cores and Fae magic]
The Pine Cone possesses characteristics similar to those of the Acorns but with a unique twist. Its seed is entirely inedible. However, it can be infused with Mana to transform into a powerful grenade. When triggered, the Pine Cone grenade explodes and releases a shower of small and deadly shrapnel that can cause significant damage to its target in a 5-meter radius.
"I am glad you planted them. But how could you tell what they do without seeing their details through the Interface?" I ask.
"When I hold the seeds, I hear them whisper. They wanted to be planted near water." Warrior explained.
"My Lord, I heard them too when he let us hold them!" Miner confirmed.
"Same! By the way, why did you call us back, Boss?" Builder asked.
I cleared my voice out of an old habit before a lengthy explanation to a small crowd.
"It's only a matter of time before Miner mines enough Mana Crystals and Stones, but we lack the appropriate souls to turn it all into new Golems. From Brock's memories, the King of Falar stores livestock in the first level for special occasions and emergency supplies. That means the Dungeon is taboo for adventurers to explore. The Kingsmen will not come to harvest the livestock anytime soon since Dale and Phil have already collected enough meat for the Landsmeet. Therefore, Builder and Warrior must kidnap weak Adventurers and bring them back here to harvest their souls." I reason.