Chapter 3: Completing the first floor!
After the imp’s big reaction to me being a sentient corruption dungeon I had hoped to get more information out of him. Unfortunately, though he was restricted by the system itself from revealing too much to me until the integration phase of the planet was over. This was to keep individuals from learning to much about our new universe ahead of others and gain an unfair advantage over other members of a newly integrated planet. Apparently, that had happened during the early system integrations causing entire planets to become dominated by select individuals who became overpowered extremely quickly. This angered the system and its administrators and so they put safeguards in place for future integrations to allow everyone the opportunity to advance.
“So, when does the integration for my planet end?” I asked, figuring that was something that the imp could easily reveal to me.
“Who knows,” he said as he flapped over to hover in front of my core. “It goes by sort of a planet-by-planet situation. Some planets finish integration after just a week or sometimes it could take years. There was one integration that took a full century to complete because the inhabitants could barely be called sentient.”
Mentally I shrugged as I tried to figure what else I could ask him. With the system restrictions in place most of the big questions I had probably would be restricted. That and the fact that I had a deadline of two days to complete and then open my dungeon meant I didn’t really have much time to chit chat. Due to the system restrictions on him and what I assumed would be in place with my other dungeon creatures I figured any questions I came up with I could ask later. I was about to finally begin creating the first floor when one question popped into my head that I figured I could ask.
“By the way imp I have been wondering why you don’t have a name when I analyze you?”
“That is because master that as one of the lowest ranking demons I must either earn or be given my name. Demons automatically gain more power when we are given a name but only those who have summoned us or higher ranked demons can do it. The greater the demons rank or evolution the more mana is required to imbue our souls with a name.”
Hmm too basically I could evolve my new minion here if I decided to give him a name. It would make it easier for me to direct the other imps if I had one that I could designate as the leader. Though considering he was one of the lowest ranking demons it probably meant that the cost would be low if he wanted me to name him.
“If you want, I could give you a name imp.”
At this the imps head shot up, his eyes full of eagerness and suppressed excitement. “M-m-master you would be willing to g-give me a name?” The imp inched closer until his face was nearly pressed against my core. Honestly with how eager and excited he was acting he kind of reminded me of a dog I used to have when I was a kid.
“Sure, if you don’t mind me giving one to you unless you would prefer to earn it somehow.”
“NO! I mean no master I would be very grateful if you would do me the honor of choosing a name for me to have.” The imp shouted eagerly as he flapped up and down in excitement. The more he reacted like this the more I was reminded of my old dog. Every time I came home from school he would also start to react just as excitedly. I wonder if asking the imp to do a few tricks would be rude?
“Very well then as your master I will grant you a name from this day forward I shall name thee LARRY!”
The second I said his new name black smoke enveloped the Imp. Did I feel a little bad about naming the Imp such a common name as Larry? Maybe a little bit since it wasn’t very original. However, I did think it a little funny that one of the many demons that would one day haunt my dungeon halls one of them would have such a generic name. Plus, with how excited the Imp was acting at getting his new name I just didn’t have the heart to tell him that I named him after my old dog.
“YES, YES, all mortals bow down before me! I will be the demon that causes all to tremble at the mention of his name, the great demon LARRY!”
The smoke soon dissipated around Larry allowing me to get a clear view of him. He had doubled in size to about two feet in height. He no longer wasn’t as ugly as before with horns that started to curl like a ram. His wings, which had previously looked like an insect now had a clear batlike look to them. I decided to analyze him again and was surprised to see some of the changes that had occurred from being given a name.
Larry
Male Greater Imp
Level: 5
Profession: Tormentor
Titles: The First, Dungeon Champion
What the hell happened! All I did was give him a name and not only did he evolve into a greater Imp he had also gotten five levels out of it. Plus, a profession and titles from getting a name didn’t make any sense. Curious, I decided to analyze the profession and titles that my new demon had gained. What I saw both excited and infuriated me at the same time.
Tormentor’s
Tormentors are masters of breaking the will, bodies and minds of their victims. Through their main weapons of whips and knives they work the bodies either to learn information or to break the minds to be molded into something that serves them. Tormentors gain an understanding of mind magic which in more advanced professions can allow them to completely rewrite an individual’s memories or personality.
For each level gained: +2 Strength, +2Intelligence, +2Willpower & +3 Status Points
So, it sounded like the class he gained helped him break people, but it also sounded like it also allowed him to manipulate them into loyal thralls. Personally, I wouldn’t have called a class like that a tormentor, maybe a cultist, but that was just me. Though why was he getting stats for each level. My profession never mentioned getting stats as I leveled, was this because I didn’t have a physical body? I looked at Larry’s titles next sure there would be more surprises.
The First
This creature was the first of the dungeon creatures to be acknowledged by the dungeon and given a name recognized by the system. Dungeon creature gains a 10% stat increase when facing raiders in the dungeon. Dungeon creature gains new ability reinforcement. This ability allows this dungeon creature to summon nearby allies to come to its aid.
Dungeon Champion
Dungeon creature has been named by the dungeon or dungeon master. This gives them the right to be a dungeon champion or mini boss that can roam the dungeon floor they are a boss of. Dungeon Champions are immediately granted a random profession associated with their race as well as an increase of five levels when granted. Limited number of creatures can be selected as a champion per dungeon floor. Dungeon Champions have the potential to become floor bosses.
Holy crap did Larry get the jack pot when I decided to name him! If all of these benefits were given to just a mini boss, then how strong would a floor boss or the dungeon master be when I finally finished the systems quest. Plus, there was that still that mention of stats that was still bothering me a little bit. Was that what that special notice from administrator 54 was talking about when I gained my titles? Since I was the dungeon, I had access to each of my monsters status sheets so I decided to take a peek at Larry’s so if I ever gained the right to status I would know what I was in for.
Name: Larry
Race: Greater Imp
Class: N/A
Profession: Tormentor
Level: 5
Tier 1
Experience: 0/1500
Mana: 110
Health: 100
Health Regen: 10/Health per Minute
Mana Regen: 11/Mana per Minute
Karma Alignment: Evil
Titles:
Dungeon Champion, The First
Abilities:
Moderate Hell Flame, Invisibility, Limitless Growth Potential, Reinforcement
Skills:
N/A
Individual Stats
Strength: 11
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Endurance: 10
Dexterity: 4
Perception: 4
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 11
Charm: 1
Luck: 5
His status sheet had more information on it than my own! Not only did his sheet show his stats it also showed health, health regen, mana regen, and something called Karama Alignment. Was this all because he had a physical body, was that the only reason our two status sheets were so different? I really was starting to miss the fact that I was missing out since I still lacked a mobile physical form. Before I could really start to get depressed though I noticed that Larry was attempting to get my attention.
“Yes Larry, what is it?”
“Sorry to disturb your musing master,” the imp apologized before continuing. “You only have two days left to open your dungeon to the world. There isn’t much time left if me and you want to plan out your first floor.”
“Larry while you are my first dungeon creature I have named that does not mean you will be privy to the plans I have. I have already come up with the strategy that I will use for my first floor. But since you are the one who will be leading the Imps that are summoned, I will tell you the plan.”
“My apologies if I acted to presumptuous great one. If you would be willing to give me my orders I and those you place under me will carry them out as you command!”
“The first floor will be a labyrinth of caves and caverns. The focus will be to entice adventurers through their greed to fight our dungeon creatures or to commit sacrifice or treachery against one another to be rewarded. However, there will be a path that is always shifting that will allow them to avoid fights, but they will get no rewards even if they beat the floor boss.”
“Interesting,” Larry mused out loud his face scrunched up thoughtfully. “So, you plan on using the adventurer’s greed to force them to fight your monsters. But master isn’t your goal supposed to be to corrupt the souls of these adventurers. From what you have said it sounds like you are acting like a typical dungeon.”
“Precisely.”
“What do you mean if you don’t mind me asking master?”
“Corruption dungeons are the most hunted dungeons in the system do you know why?”
“No master I am only an Imp, so I was never aware of much outside of my area in the infernal realms.”
“Well neither am I so I need to be careful and covertly corrupt the individuals who will brave my dungeon. That is why only a few things that could be considered a corrupting influence will be in each of my floors.” I then had the cursed bronze pieces appear in front of the demon. “These cursed coins will be part of the corruption for the first floor.”
The Larry swooped down to the ground and picked up one of the coins. He looked mildly impressed as he continued to examine each of them. “My Lord what do you intend to use these coins for?”
“They are a test for those who will challenge the floor. I will have them scattered around the dungeon mixed in with regular coins. Should they gather all of the cursed coins then the final boss fight for the floor will include all of the new demons who were summoned by their own mana. But because of their willingness to embrace their greed and risk death the reward they will receive is doubled. Of course, some of the coins will need to be earned so they will be guarded.”
“I see you will still entice some of the adventurers to gather some of the coins that aren’t guarded but you will also get adventurers who are looking for a challenge as well. Either way you win because they will be increasing your forces and if they decide not to fight then they will receive no material rewards from you. Its all so brilliant and diabolical!”
“Yes, but I will also offer a much darker option in one part of the dungeon. There will be a cave that if the adventurers kill one of their party members they will be immensely rewarded. They will be able to take the safe path through the dungeon after the sacrifice and fight the boss, but they will be rewarded as though they had gathered all the cursed coins. This way if some less scrupulous types of adventurers want easy money all they need to do is one simple act of betrayal.”
“Delicious,” Larry grinned as he shot up from the ground to float next to my orb. “When can we get started my lord?”
“Right now,” I said, and, in that moment, the entire room began to shake and expand. The once smooth walls began to crack and shift, becoming rockier and more natural. The front half of the room began to stretch away from my core and like water split up with two different tunnels beginning to form from the split. I could feel my mana rapidly draining as I focused on the expansion. Luckily, either because this was me a dungeon or due to the system there was no rock fall to endanger Larry, after all I only just got him, so I’d rather not have him get killed by something as common as a falling rock.
I was able to keep up my dungeon floor creation for about an hour before I had to rest and let my mana recharge. I guess since all of this was simply my body, I had been able alter a pretty large area with a minimum amount of mana. Though my recharging rate meant that I wouldn’t be able to continue for at least two hours. I decided to summon the rest of the imps during that time so that Larry could get them organized. I also summoned one of the Infernal knights since I was curious on what a creation that only had a portion of a demonic soul was like.
The answer was dull if you were looking for a conversation partner, but they were great for intimidation. Imagine a suit of ebony armor that had been built for someone who was around eight feet tall and built like a body builder. Then add on small spikes all over the armor piece while having black smoke coming out of it with red glowing eyes showing in the vizor. If that doesn’t already make you nervous give that knight a claymore with a serrated edge that it could easily wield one handed. While the knight couldn’t speak, the amount of rage and murderous intent coming off from the knight made even me nervous, and I had complete control over the thing!
After my second round of creating the cave system labyrinth I then decided to summon the Mammodian that I just assumed was supposed to be my first-floor boss since there was only one of him. The Mammodian had an appearance that vaguely resembled what would happen if a human was hybridized with a lizard and then starved nearly to death. With long elongated arms that nearly touched the ground these of course came attached with fingers with long cruel talons at the end. The weirdest part was the tail at the end that was the only part that appeared to have any fat and muscle while the rest of the body was skin and bones. Frankly I found her appearance to be rather shocking.
Luckily for me her conversation skills were much better than the infernal knights and she agreed to be the official floor boss for my first floor. I then got to work planning how my dungeon monsters would operate on the first floor. The imps I would have used their invisibility to wander the dungeon floor conducting guerrilla attakcs while at least ten of them would be used to guard the piles of bronze coins I would scatter around the dungeon while hiding the cursed coins in the pile. The imps would warn whoever showed that the coins were cursed and if adventurers still took them then no one could say they weren’t warned.
The Infernal Knights I decided to have one wandering the dungeon much like the imps. Two of them would remain with the Mammodian to help with the boss’s fight. The final two though would be placed in the sacrificial chamber that I hid with in the cave system. To activate it an adventurer’s part would first need to attack one of their members before throwing them into the chamber. The doors of the chamber would then close, and the two knights would then attack the sacrifice while the party would be rewarded for their betrayal with a greater reward when they beat the floor boss.
With all of my dungeon creature’s orders assigned I then continued to focus on expanding the dungeon further. I also decided to use more of the rituals and spells I got from the starter pack to make the cave system more confusing. The ritual I focused heavily on was one that confused the senses of direction causing those affected to often go around in circles before realizing it. Even better the ritual curse was a passive skill and since it didn’t cause damage to individuals it wouldn’t register as an attack. Me and Larry had a bet going on how long it would take before someone realized the curse was affecting them.
That ended up taking up the rest of my time right up until an hour before the deadline. I quickly looked over my work and had to admit I was pleased with what I had been able to create. If the cave systems were measured as one continuous tunnel, then it would be over ten miles long. With the curses I had put in place it would take days of exploring before someone would be able to figure out the entire cave system. As I was mentally congratulating myself a new system message popped up in front of me.
System Notice
Would you like to officially open up your dungeon to the world?
Yes/No
Well, this was it, there was no turning back from this. Soon my dungeon would open to the public and my fight for survival would finally begin. There could not be any room for doubts as to whether my floor would be good enough. Either I would succeed and begin my accension as the greatest dungeon on the face of the earth or I would fall, and my core shattered under the blades of the adventures. With those thoughts racing through my head, I mentally clicked yes on the system notice.
The change didn’t happen immediately so at first, I thought there might have been a glitch in the system. Those thoughts were immediately chased away as a searing pain seemed to surround me and emanated through the entirety of my dungeon. I felt as if I had been doused in gasoline and then lit on fire. I looked through my dungeon and noticed that one of my walls furthest from the core room had begun to tear open creating a tunnel out of the dungeon that I had no hand in creating. That must be the entrance to the outside world I thought just as suddenly sunlight burst through the opening and at the same moment another system notification appeared in front of me.
System Quest Completed
You have successfully opened up your dungeon within the seventy-two-hour time limit! A mana pulse will immediately go out alerting the nearest sentient creatures to your location as well as inform them of the opening of a new dungeon.
Rewards Received: Reward: 500 exp, unique skill dungeon sworn unlocked, & chance at a random dungeon boss
I was excited that the system was going to help me get people to know my location. I had been worried that I would have to wait a long time before someone discovered my location and got the adventures to me. With the mana pulse being sent out though that concern went out the window. Now I just had to sit back and relax and wait for my prey to come to me. I then decided to look at the unique skill that had been mentioned when I was picking my class that I had finally received.
Unique Skill Gained: Dungeon Sworn
Within the system very few beings gain immortality and even fewer can give it. You though have the ability to imprint the dungeon sworn onto the souls of either your willing subjects or those whose souls you’ve corrupted enough to force a dungeon sworn title onto. Those who are dungeon sworn are bound to you and your fate. They gain the ability of dungeon monsters to respawn in your dungeon and thus cheat death. However in exchange they are bound to follow all the orders of the dungeon.
Special Notice: Additional abilities of this skill are currently locked. These additional abilities will be unlocked when the requirements are met.
Hmm this skill would be incredibly useful later when I was more powerful than I currently am. Though until then I didn’t really see much chance of using it when I was just one measly floor unless a bunch of people decided they wanted to serve me right away. Once I did have enough strength though I could use this potential offer of semi-immortality to truly get people to start doing what I wanted. Though I did wonder what it meant about additional abilities that could be unlocked when I met the requirements. I decided to put the skill out of my mind and look at the other notification the system sent me.
System Notice
As a reward for completing system quest you have been given the option of getting a randomized creature for your dungeon boss. There are no guarantees with what creature will be randomly assigned to your dungeon. The creature could complement your dungeon or it could be the complete opposite of your dungeons theme. Would you like to proceed with the randomized dungeon boss selection process?
Yes/No
So, I had a chance of either getting an incredible dungeon boss or something that could really hurt my dungeon. Before my change into a dungeon, I had never really been a gambling man and had been quite averse to taking risks. With my change into a dungeon though everything was a risk for me now. If I wanted to have any shot of success, I had to be willing to risk everything and even the slim chance of an extremely powerful dungeon boss was a chance I needed to take to succeed! With my mind made up I then selected the yes on the system notice and readied myself to greet the newest member of my dungeon.
System Notice
The randomized selection of your new dungeon boss has been successful. Please stand by as they are now transported to your location immediately.