Chapter 4: Rise to the Top
After the series of arduous planning and implementing, Chase had finally gained his first ever decent [Dungeon Lurker]. His newly acquired [Canine of the Night] seemed promising. If his theory had proved to be correct, then, the higher the level of the [Lurkers] meant longer duration when they went outside of the dungeon.
It was the sole hope that he threaded on. If he successfully creates a [Lurker] that has a long duration time outside, his travel towards the Sky Library would be no longer a dream. Though, he would need to take care of his immediate concerns first. The disturbing dwindling amount of miasma was the problem that needed immediate action.
Since miasma was synonymous to mana, he needed to acquire some animals from outside the dungeon first. After all, all of those with life have mana within them. That was a knowledge known even by the general public.
Though the [Canine of the Night] was a creature with a higher level of 3, he was still not sure of how much was the duration it could last outside the dungeon. In such a situation, he could not afford to lose the only decent protector his Dungeon Core currently had.
Though in quite a predicament, Chase did not rush. Just like before, he placed some [Dungeon Lurkers] inside the cracks near the cave's entrance. He was going to repeat the process from before. Waiting with steeled patience, his prey appeared after a couple of hours. It was a rabbit.
With constrained vigor, he willed his [Lurkers] to assault the prey. This time, it took quite faster than the hunt from before. After all, the [Canine of the Night] took part in the hunt. After dismantling the wall he previously created, he took the body inside the dungeon.
Chase viewed the status panel of the now dead creature.
Name:Dead Cuddly RabbitA clueless rabbit that was killed by the [Dungeon Lurkers] of [Marcus Dungeon]. Due to the miasma that was ever present inside [Marcus Dungeon], it is possible to extract the body of its mana, converting it into miasma.Potential Miasma:5
The rabbit was around three times larger than the rats that he had hunted before. Like before, he chose not to convert the dead body into miasma. Instead, he placed it at the end of his dungeon.
If he had a body, he would have rubbed together his palms and licked and lower lips by now. With a perpetual greedy gaze at the entrance, he awaited the prey that might soon come inside. After an hour, he was stunned at the creatures that entered. It was the same wild dogs as before, but this time, there were five of them.
[Damn it! I never expected that there would be so many!]
Chase had included in his calculations the possibility of having two or three wild dogs entering his abode. Still, he was stunned when five of them appeared at the same time. He deliberated whether he should attack them.
[I can’t back out now. If I can’t handle animals, how much more would it be when adventurers come knocking on my door. Shit.]
Chase inwardly took a deep breath. Though without a body, the tension he was feeling made his mind shook in nervousness. The present predicament may lead to his bane.
Reconstruct has been activated!
Thirty miasma was used for the skill.
Chase activated his skill and again created a partition. The wild dogs that were devouring the rabbit was startled when a silver-black wall suddenly appeared at the entrance, blocking their path.
[There is no need to attack yet. As long as they don’t target my core…]
Chase hid his [Dungeon Lurkers] away. The inside of his abode was around twenty five by nine meters, while the entrance spanned five meters. He waited, hoping that the miasma would soon corrode the minds of the beasts.
The wild dogs tried to leap over the two meters high wall but failed. Snarling at their entrapment, they glanced and sniffed around the abode.
~Sniff
After some time, they saw the [Dungeon Lurkers] that Chase desperately tried to hide away. The wild dogs knew that the monsters were weaker than them, especially since there are five of them. With their primal instincts kicking in, they charged towards the [Lurkers]
[Damn! No choice then.]
Chase willed his minions to retaliate. After he acquired the [Canine of the Night], a few insects also came inside his dungeon. Right now, his biological numbered 32, including the [Canine].
[Attack!]
~Suck
~Suck
The mosquitoes that hovered above immediately flew towards the wild dogs and sucked at their bodies. With their skill [Weak Paralysis], they released barrage of weak paralyzing poisons one after another. The ants took the role of the vanguard and activated their [Ant Strength]. The surge in strength was transient, but it was enough to hinder the wild dogs for a few seconds. The centipedes gnawed at the legs of the wild dogs, at the same time fully activating [Light Carapace].
A Voracious Mosquito has died!
A Needle Ant has died!
Multiple notices popped up inside his head. After a grueling half an hour, his [Lurkers] had dwindled down to nine. He still had not deployed the [Canine]. It was too precious to lose as of the moment.
The wild dogs, injured with multiple cuts and bruises, heavily panted. The miasma inside the cave coupled with the persevering barrage of attacks made them exhausted. After deeming that the exhausted prey was not enough of a threat, Chase willed his trump card to finally join the fray.
~ROOOAAR!
The [Canine] roared with all its might. With its mouth drooling on the sides, it opened its jaws wide, revealing a sharp set of teeth. The front teeth seemed larger than normal. With its skill [Swift Strike], it dashed towards the almost limp dogs in a fast speed.
~Bite
After coming into close proximity, it activated its skill [Rabid Bite]. It was quite similar to [Weak Paralysis] of the [Voracious Mosquitoes], though instead of paralyzing poison, it was more of a tranquilizer.
With exhausted bodies, the wild dogs were left unable to properly fight back. The [Canine] coupled with the other [Lurkers] had finally killed the creatures. It seemed that even dead bodies could be converted into [Lurkers] after Chase had learned his skill.
After winning the grueling battle, Chase immediately converted the five preys into his very own minions. He then viewed their status panel.
Name:Canine of the NightLevel:3Number of Species:6An animal that was formerly a member of the wild dogs of the forest. After searching for food, it was successfully restrained and converted by [Marcus Dungeon]. Belongs to the upper tier of the dog family. Due to its agile nature, an additional effect has been added.Effects:Rabid Bite
Swift Strike
Chase inwardly grinned after he saw the numerical value of the creatures. He now had six canines. Not wasting any time, he willed one of the creatures to go outside. He gave it only one order—Hunt.
Chase’s consciousness partly went with the canine. He had wanted to see what outside his dungeon looked like. After all, the mosquito that he had previously sent lasted only a few seconds.
Just like before, Rei Mountain greeted him upon his exit from the dungeon. Surrounded by overgrown weeds, he then entered the forest. The [Canine] was moving on its own, it was just that Chase made sure that he would also be able to see what his [Lurker] was seeing.
After dashing through the forest filled with thick trees, he was still unable to find a prey. He was satisfied though. After all, the feeling of seeing the outside world once again filled him with unexplainable bliss. After fifteen minutes, his vision was suddenly cut off—along with it was a message.
A Canine of the Night has died!
Chase was quite satisfied by the outcome. Though he lost a precious hunter, he was able to determine the time it took till the body was destroyed after going outside the dungeon. With the variable called time in mind, he willed his remaining five [Canine] to hunt.
Chase patiently waited. He knew that hunting was no easy task. Still, he felt a sense of reassurance since he instilled within the mutts' mind to come back every ten minutes if they still have not found a prey. He could not afford to lose even a single one of them.
After a few minutes, one of the [Canine] went back. A prey was in tow in its rabid mouth.
You have acquired a dead body!
A forest rat was what the [Canine] had captured. After a few more moments, the rest of the hunters had also come back. Luckily, every one of them had captured a prey.
You have acquired a dead body!
You have acquired a dead body!
Numerous windows popped up inside his head. Inwardly grinning, Chase gazed at the bodies presented before him. Two rabbits and five rats. He had decided to transform one rabbit and one rat into [Lurkers]. As for the rest, he transformed them into miasma.
Satisfied with the outcome, he willed the status panel of the rabbit to pop up.
Name:Nightmare RabbitLevel:2Number of Species:1A former cuddly creature. After being transformed into a [Dungeon Lurker] by [Marcus Dungeon], its hair was shaven off, retaining only those in the head. It resembled more of a mole than a rabbit.Effects:High Jump
The level of the rabbit was quite decent. Unlike the mindless insects, its level was two. Chase then glanced towards the status panel of the rat.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Name:Fortune RatLevel:2Number of Species:1A rat that was transformed by [Marcus Dungeon] into a monster. With the effects of miasma, its tail has turned into gold. This may attract adventurers in the future.Effects:Glowing Tail
Chase was surprised at the transformation of the rat. Though the potential adverse effect of the golden tail was great, it was at the same time possibly beneficial. If he could compile quite an amount of gold, he may be able to attract adventurers. After all, the mana residing within humans was without a doubt greater, so was the transformed miasma.
It was now midnight. Though dark, he still continued with his hunt. The canines' stamina seemed to be higher than normal—almost inexhaustible. After five days, the status in his dungeon overview was a far cry from before. It was now definitely much better.
He willed for the plate to pop up.
Dungeon OverviewName:Marcus DungeonLevel:1Number of Floors:1Miasma:2603Pulse:77%Biologicals:218Non-Biologicals:0SkillsWill of the DungeonPassiveAllows [Chase Marcus], master of the dungeon, to manipulate miasma. Enables the master to control all of the dungeon at will.Floor CreationMiasma: 1750Creates another dungeon floor.
Miasma consumed increases per level.
Variety of floors that can be created increases per level.ReconstructMiasma: 3/meterAllows [Chase Marcus] to reconstruct the dungeon at will.Dungeon Lurker EvolutionMiasma: variableAllows [Chase Marcus] to transform those inside the dungeon into [Dungeon Lurkers]. Consumed miasma varies per monster.Nest CreationMiasma: VariableAllows [Chase Marcus] to create a nest for his [Dungeon Lurkers]. Consumed miasma varies per nest.
His miasma had increased to a whopping 2603 while his biological had increased to 218. More than half of his biological consisted of [Needle Ants], [Voracious Mosquito], and [Crunchy Centipede]. His [Fortune Rat] numbered 29, while [Nightmare Rabbit] numbered 18. His [Canine of the Night] had increased to 15.
By now, he felt some sort of relief. Though he knew that an average adventurer was enough to actually conquer his dungeon as of the moment, the feeling of actually having something to defend him gave him a sense of security.
His pulse had increased to 77%. It seemed that in each passing level, the amount of miasma that lingered in the air increases. In short, corrupting the mind of those inside becomes easier. This was one of the reasons why those dungeons that had reached level 90 and above had remained unconquered. The amount of miasma present was excruciatingly denser than the other dungeons.
Chase pondered for a moment whether he should create another floor for his dungeon. After some more thoughts, he decided against it. He deemed that it would be better to add more rooms into the uppermost floor first.
Reconstruct has been used!
Reconstruct has been used!
Reconstruct has been used!
Reconstruct has been used!
Series of notifications popped up inside his head as he constructed his dungeon. For every meter, he was forced to spend 3 miasma. Using his skill, he extended the 25 meters large dungeon into a 300 meters one. He then created five rooms that were interconnected to the next one. This way, the one that entered the dungeon was forced to traverse the first room in order to get to the other one.
The first room spanned fifty meters. The last consecutives rooms after that spanned thirty meters each. Each of the rooms was then bridged by a five meter length path. The last room was of course the room where the Dungeon’s Core was at.
After expanding his abode, he then, for the first time, created nests.
Nest Creation has been activated!
Need Ant NestNumber of Species Available:55Level1A [Nest] created by [Marcus Dungeon]. It serves as a spawn point of [Needle Ants]. 3 miasma is consumed per creation. Amount of mana consumed varies per level of creation. Level of creation varies per level.
He then created another one.
Nest Creation has been activated!
Voracious Mosquito NestNumber of Species Available:83Level1A [Nest] created by [Marcus Dungeon]. It serves as a spawn point of [Voracious Mosquitoes]. 2 miasma is consumed per creation. Amount of mana consumed varies per level of creation. Level of creation varies per level.
He was satisfied with the [Nest] so far. Still, he created the nest of the other [Lurkers]
Nest Creation has been activated!
[
Crunchy Centipede NestNumber of Species Available:18Level1A [Nest] created by [Marcus Dungeon]. It serves as a spawn point of [Crunchy Centipede]. 5 miasma is consumed per creation. Amount of mana consumed varies per level of creation. Level of creation varies per level.
Lastly, he created the nest of his current trump card.
Nest Creation has been activated!
Canine of the Night NestNumber of Species Available:55Level1A [Nest] created by [Marcus Dungeon]. It serves as a spawn point of [Canine of the Night]. 15 miasma is consumed per creation. Amount of mana consumed varies per level of creation. Level of creation varies per level.
He placed all of the [Nest] inside the last room. After all, if an adventurer manages to destroy one, he would have lost his only spawn points.
[I would need to move my core to another site once I have created my next floor. But that would have to wait for now. My priority should be to strengthen my defenses.]
Marcus checked on the available floors that could be created. By his experience in dungeon diving, each floors varied.
Floor CreationBasic DungeonMiasma:1750???????Miasma:?????????????Miasma:?????????????Miasma:?????????????Miasma:?????????????Miasma:?????????????Miasma:?????????????Miasma:??????Dungeon Floor Types are unlocked with each level
Marcus was dejected. Though he had expected that the only option as of now was the basic floor type, still, he had wanted to see his available options. After all, the instilled knowledge into him by Fate was only the basics.
[I guess I should keep hunting for now huh? This is probably for the best.]
That day, Chase Marcus kept grinding like a maniac.
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Author's note: Lets see if i should keep going. I'll try to keep updating till wednesday. No promises though.