Chapter 6: The Boss of the First Floor
Filled with agonizing anxiety from not being able to create a [Boss] nor another floor yet, Chase Marcus began his hunt. Time was of great importance since he doesn’t know when an adventurer would suddenly pop up and devour him. Just the mere thought sent shivers down his non-existent spine.
[Hunt stronger animals.]
That was the sole order he had given to his [Canines of the Night]. Wanting to see the outside world yet again, he made his consciousness go along with one of his [Lurkers], almost fully immersing himself with it.
[This feeling is so nostalgic~]
Chase gazed towards Rei Mountain. The fresh chilly breeze that brushed against his fur-ridden body bent down the overgrown weeds. The taste of the rabid saliva of his [Canine] body brought him indescribable feelings—it was surprisingly familiar.
[Let’s go.]
He ushered for his pack of [Canine] to follow him. Somehow, the world outside seemed brighter than before. The rising sun, refracted by the misty dews, was ethereal. He never knew that the world he had been living in could be so beautiful.
With bliss overflowing, he kept his unsteady gait as he tried to get used to his new body. He had never walked on four feet before. Along with eleven others, he traversed the forest.
~Trip
Chase tripped from the roots of an overgrown tree. With towering height of fifty meters, the ancient trees that perpetually surrounded him have thick roots that blanketed the fertile forest ground. The other [Canines] stopped in their tracks as they waited for their master to come back to his feet.
With a subtle yelp, he threw a quick glance towards the [Canines] on his side and dashed forward. It was not about hunting anymore—the feeling of life was overflowing. After a few more minutes and a few more stumbling, he found his prey.
Testament to the word gigantic, a bear slept soundly beside an oaken tree. Hunched and with its head hanging low, subtle ~wheeze sounds were heard from it. The scurrying steps that approached brought one of its eyes to a slight open—vigilantly eyeing the source of the movements.
After realizing that it has company, both eyes jolted open, and it threw an amusingly long yawn. With an absurd body that encompassed eight meters, it did not feel at all threatened by the pack that surrounded it.
It glared. Chase shivered, yet, the excitement of the prospect of an upcoming battle filled him with vigor. With a loud yelp, he ordered for his pack to attack. As of the moment, the limited time was their greatest threat. After all, with such an average level and body, the miasma stored was mediocre.
The [Canines] started attacking, so did Chase. Still unsteady on his gait, he dashed towards the colossal creature. The scar-ridden face of the furry beast made his heart beat in excitement.
~ROOOARRR!!
The bear’s roar echoed through the entire forest. Its drool created a silver thread as it opened its weapon-filled jaw. Brandishing its large brown paws, it clawed at an approaching [Canine] at its left. The [Canine] was pierced at its torso. With its insides ornamenting the root-blanketed forest ground, it loudly yelped as it tried to again stand on its feet.
[Stupid mutt! Not bothering to dodge. Seriously, these monsters need better training.]
Chase sighed. Still dashing towards the now surrounded beast, he then leaped towards its flank, jaws wide open—his set of teeth menacingly screamed of the words very sharp.
Chase’s jaw landed at the bear’s left furry leg. Biting down with his all, the smell of blood was strewn in the air as he felt the iron-like taste of the pained creature. Surprisingly, he found the taste of blood delicious. It filled him with euphoria—it filled him with the vigor called life.
~Yelp
Another [Canine] was hurled away by the gigantic paws of the beast. Feeling excruciating pain from its lower limb, the bear gave a menacing roar towards Chase. With a frightening speed, it aimed its sharp claw towards the master of the dungeon. Chase unhesitatingly let go of the leg and leaped backwards. With a mischievous grin on his [Canine] face that would have been mistaken for a leer, he provokingly snarled at the blood-filled beast. Numerous bite and claw marks were now present on its towering body.
[Come on teddy bear~]
~ROOAR!
The bear roared in rage. The ancient ground shook as it dashed towards Chase, completely ignoring the seven [Canines] that was left. With its jaw ever open, showing its absurdly large fangs, it swiped towards Chase in a surprisingly agile speed.
Chase dodged but was a tad bit too late. The bear’s claw chunked away a small portion of his torso’s flesh. With his blue-red blood dripping on the ground, Chase shivered in excitement. The [Canine]’s body was a far cry from his former shell, still, that was what made such fight more exciting.
Ushering his minions to keep assaulting their prey, he unhesitatingly charged forward. They have only a few minutes left at most. Time was of the essence. Time was their greatest threat.
~Claw
~Bite
Chase and his pack kept attacking the bear without regards for their life. Slowly but progressively, the bear was pushed back. It was heavily panting as it tried to retaliate against the pack that surrounded it. Including Chase, only six [Canines] were left. Surprisingly, the bear seemed experienced in battles.
The blood-filled battle went on. After a few more moments, Chase felt his body melt away. Glancing towards the colossal beast, the blurry figure dashed towards him.
[So time’s up huh?]
~ROOAR!
With the sound of a wind, his vision dimmed, as he was again filled with nothing but perpetuating abyss.
****
Darkness. That was what greeted Chase as he was once again back in the solace of his abode. Though he had lost, the feeling of the outside world filled him with jubilance. The feeling of battle—it was like being young again.
[Those younger days of mine…haha~I wonder how those guys in the orphanage are doing right now? They must have all grown up.]
A dead body has been acquired!
A dead body has been acquired!
A dead body has been acquired!
Multiple notifications welcomed him after his consciousness came back as a dungeon. Glancing towards the bodies that were presented to him by the other [Canines], he willed their status plates to pop up.
Dead Grey WolfPotential Miasma:36Number of Species:5A wolf that belongs to a pack. They roam the foot of Rei Mountain in search of a prey. The pelt is of high quality and can be sold for quite a decent price.
Dead ViperPotential Miasma:75Number of Species:1A viper that spans 10 meters in length. With its venomous fangs that are capable of killing its prey in seconds, it was one of the feared creatures in Rei Mountains. The skin is of high quality and can be used to create high quality boots.
Wild Azure HorsePotential Miasma:50Number of Species:8A horse that roams the foot of Rei Mountain freely. The divine mount’s mane is a popular alchemy ingredient. It has a high pride and won’t let anyone below B rank to mount it.
[Oho~ 50 miasma each? It seems that it’s not an alchemy ingredient for nothing~]
Chase was pleased. As of now, his [Canines] numbered 43. With their current level, it was now possible to hunt larger preys. Chase had been to Rei Mountain before. He knew that the amount of wild horses was quite larger than the other areas.
[Hunt. It doesn’t matter if their population dwindles in number!]
Merging his mind into one of the [Canines], he again took over a body. With a loud snarl, he ushered for seven [Canines] to come with him. They will track down the bear from before.
[That bear is probably on death’s door by now. Heh~ as if I’m gonna let you get away!]
Chase dashed towards the same path from before. With a new pack beside him, he traversed the root-blanketed ground. Upon arriving at the scene of carnage from before, he followed the trickles of blood that led deeper into the forest.
~Sniff
He smelled the familiar scent from before. It was without a doubt blood. Judging by the amount that was splattered on the ground they traversed to, the bear was critically wounded. After a couple of minutes, they found it.
[Hello~]
Chase, with his [Canine] body, grinned. With his eyes formed into slit-like mockery, he licked his upper canines.
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[Go.]
He ordered his pack. The bear just stood there, its eyes glimmered dimmed resignation. With the thick canopy of leaves brushing against each other, creating subtle ~sheee sound, it awaited the soothing embrace of death. After a few more rabid bites from the [Canines], the bear finally died.
[Take it back to the dungeon.]
The [Canines] bit the bear’s tattered body, forcefully dragging the massive dead body of the creature back to their abode. It was an arduous task, but thankfully, their numbers proved to be enough to perform the feat.
After getting back to the dungeon, Chase removed his will from his [Canine] host. Now back to his abyss, he eyed the recently hunted prey. The dead bodies of Azure Horses were becoming numerous by each passing hunts.
[Excellent~]
Chase viewed the status panel of the eight meters colossal beast.
Dead ScarfacePotential Miasma:350Number of Species:1One of the boss animals in Rei Mountain. Scarface was the name given to it after it killed five travelers three years ago. Rumors say that it has the same strength as a D++ ranked adventurer. Hunters tried to capture it but failed numerous times.
[So that’s why. Makes sense.]
Chase inwardly muttered. Nodding his non-existent head thrice, he greedily gazed at the now dead body of the creature. No matter how he thought about it, an ordinary bear would have long perished against his pack of level 5 [Canines].
[So it’s a boss of a sort huh?~]
Chase willed for the bear, the viper, a horse, and all of the wolves to be converted into [Dungeon Lurkers]. As for the rest, he converted them into miasma. The same azure hue glimmer illuminated the core room. Soon after, a greenish hue embraced the dead bodies of the beasts—converting them into [Lurkers].
Wanting to satiate his curiosity, he viewed the status panel of his newly acquired [Lurkers].
Name:Reaper WolfLevel:5Number of Species:5A Grey Wolf that was transformed into a [Lurker] by [Marcus Dungeon]. Due to its agile nature, an additional effect has been added.Effects:Tearing Bite
Thunder Dash
The two skills of the level 4 [Lurkers] was astounding. It was definitely better than the [Canines]. [Tearing Bite] enabled the [Reaper Wolf] to pierce through the flesh of its enemies like paper. On the other hand, [Thunder Dash] enabled it to close the distance from its prey in a quick instance. Without a doubt, the [Reaper Wolf] was a one-hit-strike killer.
Chase shuddered at the potential fighting prowess of the newly acquired minion. He knew that if he could raise the levels of such monsters, he would have a decent protector for his core.
[Interesting! Now let’s see the other creatures shall we?]
Chase viewed the other creature’s panel as well.
Name:Viper of DemiseLevel:6Number of Species:1A viper that was transformed by [Marcus Dungeon] into a 15 meters colossal [Lurker]. Its poison has been amplified after the transformation.Effects:Poison [C rank]
The effect obtained by the viper was quite decent. Rank C poison was usually enough to kill an average sized animal in a couple of seconds.
[Not bad. Next.]
Name:Lusty SteedLevel:4Number of Species:1An Azure Horse that was transformed into a [Lurker] by [Marcus Dungeon]. Its divine characteristics were replaced by a lustful demeanor. It will assault any female prey with malicious intent.Effects:Double Kick
[What the hell?! Lusty...anyways.]
[Double Kick] enabled the [Lusty Steed] to release two kicks in a single instance. It may have seemed to be a mediocre skill, but taking the absurd leg strength of a mount, each blow could splatter the insides of the target.
With constrained excitement, he viewed the status panel of the bear.
Name:Demonic TeddyLevel:11Number of Species:1Scarface, one of the boss animals of Rei Mountains was transformed into a [Lurker] by [Marcus Dungeon]. Due to its great prowess in its previous life, an additional effect has been added. Two additional levels has been added.Effects:Fierce Barrage
Demonic Strength [Low]
[Finally! Haha! As expected of a previous boss~]
Chase was more than satisfied by the status panel. [Fierce Barrage] enabled the [Demonic Teddy] to release five consecutive strikes in a single instance. It was a feat that even a B rank adventurer would have a hard time mimicking. [Demonic Strength] was currently on the low side. Still, the effect acquired upon activation of the skill enabled it to have a surge in strength.
He then viewed the dungeon’s status panel.
Dungeon OverviewName:Marcus DungeonLevel:2Number of Floors:1Miasma:1634Pulse:15%Biologicals:502Non-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.Dungeon Floor Boss CreationMiasma: VariableAllows [Chase Marcus] to create a [Boss] type [Lurker] inside the [Dungeon]. Each boss is fixed to the floor it is from. Consumed miasma varies per [Boss] created.Miasma Concentration:1.5%
His non-existent eyes widened upon seeing the numerical values of his miasma. It meant only one thing.
[I could finally create a guardian for my core! I can finally create a boss monster!]
Chase activated the skill.
Dungeon Floor Boss Creation has been activated! This will consume 1500 miasma. Do you want to continue?
[YES.]
Dungeon Floor Boss Creation is now in progress. Choose two [Lurker] types to combine. Strength and stats acquired will vary depending on the combination of [Lurkers].
[Hmmm…let’s see.]
It took chase Chase an hour deciding which [Lurkers] he was going to use. Based on what was written in the panel, the proper combination of [Lurkers] would yield better results. After some more careful consideration, he spoke.
[I have decided…]