“Here we are.”

After explaining many things that forced me to think and rethink my understanding of the world, Calypso stopped in front of a cave.

“Where is here?” I asked, trying to make use of the Mimic job to appear as an innocent girl.

I couldn’t lie very well, but that didn’t stop certain skills from kicking in that helped me better disguise myself. At least, I was hoping this was working. How much could Calypso truly see? Had I said anything since I had been in the dungeon to tip her off? Did she know more than she was letting on and just screwing with me? It left me worried.

“This is the exit to the second floor.” Calypso explained, “While I keep the miasma off of this floor, for the most part, I don’t do that for the other floors. They are my training grounds for new troops.”

“New?” I blinked.

“Of course. My dungeon needs food. Any prisoner, captive, or hostage is sent down into my dungeon. They are given the opportunity to survive. That hope is enough to drive some of them. Of course, they all ultimately die and become just more mana to grow it.”

“How does that give you troops? Are the bandits based on how much miasma the dungeon has?”

“Yes, and also no.” Calypso chuckled at my confused expression. “Dungeons are complicated existences, and the relationship between a dungeon and its Master has limitations. If I could trade a hundred lives and just make a powerful dragon to sweep across Aberis, I would. Unfortunately, dungeons don’t work that way. Normal dungeons grow based on their curse. The lore ultimately forms the dungeon. The dungeon creates the Master, and the Master and the dungeon are united as one.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

“In some unique situations, such as when a master conquers a dungeon, they are slightly at odds with the dungeon and its ultimate goal. I can influence the growth of the dungeon, but I am bound by its rules. Once a plant has already grown, you might be able to cut its branches and shape its growth, but you’ll never be able to change what it is.”

“What about if you build a dungeon from scratch?” I asked.

She raised an eyebrow. “Not possible. A dungeon occurs spontaneously. Creating a dungeon… I’ve never heard of such a thing. Presumably, if you could build a dungeon from scratch, then the way you develop it can seemingly be endless.”

“I see…”

The more she talked, the more she gave me to think about. I had never met someone as knowledgeable about dungeons as her. It was perhaps for this reason that I hadn’t made a major attempt to leave. Despite all that, she didn’t seem to know everything. I had built my dungeon from scratch, and I had the job Dungeon Builder. Meanwhile, she had the job Dungeon Master. I hadn’t confirmed this, but she had spoken about Dungeon Master in ways that made me think it was more than a title.

At first, I thought Dungeon Master was the top level of Dungeon craft. First, you became a Dungeon Diver, knowledgeable, and capable of surviving dungeons. Then you become a True DungeonDiver, understanding a piece of their fundamental nature. After that, you become able to make dungeons and finally become a Master.

Except, it seemed like she was a Master who could control dungeons, but she couldn’t create them. Didn’t that mean that between the two jobs, Dungeon Builder was the higher tier? Like with many of my other jobs gained from completing curse lores, it seemed like I had jumped a step once again.