What are you doing!?? Erin roared.

In front of his dungeon, three men gathered around his most recent creation; an architectural piece meant to sooth over the locals and invite some new blood into his dungeon.

The new blood was supposed to be squirrely! Erin protested.

Instead, some half-wit moron bagged his entire supply of enhanced acorns! And the two mature men next to him, who were supposed to lead by example, allowed him!

Who just trusts dungeon food?? Erin couldn’t understand.

It was made with the understanding that only non-intelligent beasts would be dumb enough to fall for the lure. Erin had intentionally boosted the acorn’s attractive scent for that very purpose.

Unfortunately, Erin’s understanding of the highs and lows of human stupidity was lacking. As it turned out, greed triumphed over common sense any day of the week!

Meanwhile, Erin, like the three men, was surprised to discover that the inside of the acorn’s shell was liquid.

It wasn’t meant to be liquid. Erin overheard when the generic man told the two others.

Erin’s plan had simply been to attract the local squirrels, the ones that presumably occupied the oak forest beyond the shoreline, but upon overhearing the three men’s conversation; Erin’s dreams were succinctly and thoroughly crushed.

No squirrels in the West… The words echoed between Erin’s ears.

If that were true, then what the hell was Erin supposed to fill his first floor with? Squirrels had — quite literally — been the only piece of inspiration Erin had clung to while formulating its design!

It’s the Acorn Halls for crying out loud!

Erin digressed.

His attention was split between squirrels, mana crafting, acorns, and the three men in front of his home; and Erin’s brain could only keep track of so much.

First, he had to figure out a way to prevent hooligans from stealing every acorn from under the sun; since that would likely be a problem from now on.

Then, Erin had to not only figure out how to lure another beast into his dungeon, but it had to be one that relatively matched the theme of his first floor!

Why?

Because Erin said so! That’s why!

It should still be a small mammal… Erin was already lost in thought.

At the same time, the three men entered the dungeon and, immediately, Erin felt something gross within him.

Erin didn’t know if it was their aura, their mana, or if they authentically smelled bad because, either way, Erin retracted at the presence of humans.

His control over mana deteriorated near them.

His acute senses, the ones that allowed him to tell a speck of dust from another, grew muted.

Like manipulating mana in the outside world, where the mana was ‘dirty,’ Erin found it was equally difficult to move the mana around the men too.

And again, it wasn’t that Erin couldn’t control the mana around them; it was just that the process was exponentially harder.

The further Erin was from people, the smoother grasp he had over mana. Similarly, the closer Erin was to people, the more chaotic the mana felt.

It was especially so when Erin came into direct contact with the people.

Although Erin felt inexplicable fear at the mere prospect of grazing his mana tendrils across the men, he forced himself to attempt it in the name of science.

So, in the name of science, Erin brushed his mana against the generic man’s chest. Within no time at all, Erin’s mana exploded backwards!

It violently ricoteched back and scattered along the dungeon’s halls. Erin reeled within his mind, for some reason, he felt pain.

Unimaginable pain, like a bolt of thunder; Erin’s senses shook wildly then froze, electrified then paralyzed.

His grip on the mana within his surroundings weakened and as it did so, so too did Erin’s vision of his surroundings.

I can’t touch them?! Erin realized.

Then why had it worked before?!

When Erin struck the previous man who had entered his dungeon, what had he done?

He molded a piece of the dungeon’s ceiling, a stalactite, into a finer point and then accelerated it as fast as his mana would allow him.

But the release!

By the time Erin had launched the iron spear, his grasp over its mana — and by extension its matter — was undone.

Erin wasn’t manipulating the stalactite once it had been fired, but was it really such an easy fix?

Erin focused. The three men had just finished their walk through the cave’s final natural touches; an extended strip of cavern left untouched by Erin so that the outside world could not peer directly into his dungeon.

In a few more steps, the men would turn left down an open corridor. The stone floor would immediately shift, going from natural stone to a meticulous spiral pattern embedded with oak leaves and acorns.

The cave’s ceiling would suddenly triple, three story’s worth of height all held afloat by wide, massive columns that lined the corridor and greater dungeon beyond.

In other words, Erin’s dungeon would go from simple to overbearing at the drop of a hat.

There was only one problem.

I don’t have any monsters… Erin realized.

***

Party of three, Kuzo’s Addendum.

“Hey!” The generic man screamed.

“Something just touched my chest!”

He stumbled onto the cavern wall beside him and wildly flared his shirt as if a spider were encroaching upon him.

“Nothing touched you.” Kuzo said.

“No, man! I’m serious! Something brushed against me!”

From behind the generic man’s head, Kuzo saw Hyzen’s gleaming face.

Before he could comment, however, the cavern abruptly ended and Kuzo’s Addendum was forced to take a sharp left.

They turned the corner and it was as though they had entered a portal.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Immediately, rows of bronze sconces fashioned to resemble acorn caps lit up with yellow, flickering light. The lanterns hung from the corridor’s walls and illuminated the path forward, but the path forward was inexplicable; hyper-realistic leaves were imprinted in the stone everywhere they looked: the ground, the columns, the walls.

Apart from the leaves, golden acorns fully engrossed their vision; they sat in the heart of the lanterns, in the heart of the patterned floor, even in the heart of the bricks that fashioned the walls.

Based on the entrance alone, Kuzo and his team maximized their vigilance. Their walk slowed down as they passed through the corridor, wary of what may be lurking beyond.

“Well I think I figured out what the acorns were about.” The generic man said.

Beside him, Hyzen scribbled in his notebook like a madman.

“Hyzen?” Kuzo called. “What’s your opinion on all of this?”

“My opinion?!!” Hyzen spoke in bated breaths. “This is unprecedented!”

“What does that mean, Hyzen!?”

“I mean just look at the architecture!” Hyzen ran his finger across the wall.

“This detail is excruciatingly precise! I’ve only ever seen something like this past the fiftieth floors, and even then, the seamlessness of this architecture — it’s breathtaking.” Hyzen said.

“Hyzen! What’s the rank?” Kuzo asked.

“There’s no way to tell!” Hyzen threw up his hands.

“One step in and all I can tell you is that this dungeon is unique. None of the predisposed patterns are expected to work here.”

“Unique?” The generic man asked. “What does that mean?”

“It means the dungeon — for one reason or another — diverged from its typical evolution; you can also consider it a type of mutation.”

“Like the dungeons formed underwater?” The man asked.

“Not quite. The underwater dungeons still follow a pattern; rather, it’s their own pattern. Unique dungeons seem to follow no pattern at all. For example, if we consider this mere corridor a representation of the dungeon beyond, then we could probably conclude that this dungeon is meticulous with its mana usage. This level of detailing simply requires that level of precision, but now let’s return to the entrance; the manacorns.”

“Manacorns?”

“What?” Hyzen countered. “It’s the perfect name!”

“But it’s not corn.” The man said.

“Hyzen!” Kuzo snapped.

“Okay! The manacorns at the entrance. Not only were they used as a lure — an arguable waste of mana in of itself — but the egregious amount of mana stored within them? That behavior completely contradicts the precision we see laid out before us now.”

“Which means what? This is an S-rank dungeon?!!” The man asked, nearly exacerbated.

“Oh no! Nothing like that!” Hyzen patted him on the back.

“Unique dungeons appear in every rank. They’re just so rare that-”

“Wars are fought over them.” Kuzo interrupted.

“Now can we please continue?”

Hyzen gestured forwards.

“After you.” He said.

Kuzo’s Addendum walked further down the corridor and arrived at another turn. As they passed the corner, the corridor immediately opened up into a grand hall.

The ceiling was domed and across its surface a magnificent mosaic connected the space. The mosaic was of an oak tree, mighty and vast, its branches sprawled across the ceiling and touched every corner of the room.

The room, meanwhile, was square and erected within its center stood a fountain that spat water into the air. From the grand hall, three hallways branched off: one to the right, one to the left, and one proceeded forward.

The three men first explored the two adjacent rooms before gathering around the fountain. There, Hyzen bottled some of the water for testing whilst Kuzo eyed their surroundings.

“What’s wrong?” The generic man asked.

“It’s too quiet here.” Kuzo replied.

“Maybe the monsters are further in.”

“No.” Kuzo shook his head. “The two rooms we just cleared were empty. Dungeon’s are beings of instinct. They would not make two extra rooms just for the hell of it.”

“So what? You’re saying the monsters should have been in there?” The man said.

“Probably.” Hyzen replied instead. “And Kuzo’s not too happy about it because it likely means that somebody else cleared this floor not too long ago; and if somebody else was here before us-”

“Then they saw the ships!” The man’s eyes widened as realization dawned upon him.

“Keep it down!” Kuzo said. “They could be in the deeper floors for all we know. Let’s continue.”

From the grand hall, Kuzo’s Addendum continued onward. They passed the cupule-tipped fountain and entered another hallway.

At the end, a wall disrupted their path while an entrance appeared on both sides. Around the corner, the room opened up once more; although, this second grand hall was round. Another dome adorned its ceiling, beautifully constructed with a flare for natural design.

Grand columns lined the oval space, each adorned with their own unique spiraling of vines and flora. The room’s floor was a design of intricate tile formed in the shape of leaves; connected to one another, the leaves spiraled around the room before ultimately connecting in the center where a brilliantly lit acorn glowed gold.

The golden glow hummed throughout the wide-open space as each acorn embedded within the walls and along the ceiling joined in its soft, warm light.

At the opposite end of the arena, an iron gate barred the stairs that led further below. To the right of the iron gates, an empty socket in the shape of an acorn lay.

Kuzo’s Addendum entered the final chamber and spread out.

From the dome-ceiling high above, a massive, cracked acorn protruded from its center. Wrapped around the acorn, Smoky clung to it like it were a chandelier.

Strips of his fur melded into shadow and conjoined with the dark spots littered around. Smoky’s nails gleamed off the torchlight and his three tails cascaded down the chamber and hung just above the center of the room.

*BOOM*

Smoky dropped from the ceiling. His massive paws slammed into the ground, cracking the elegant tile and displacing its leaves of stone.

The massive squirrel faced away from Kuzo’s Addendum; his back arched forward, three golden stripes illuminated, as Smoky dragged his nails across the stone, etching his markings on its surface, before standing on his hind legs where he towered above the humans.

Smoky stood as tall as the columns; about as wide too. He reached skyward and wrapped his paws around the golden-acorn-chandelier. Then, Smoky plucked the ornament from the ceiling.

The acorn shattered.

And the light was cracked.

In the dimly lit chamber, Smoky’s golden irises glistened, cutting through the dark and penetrating Kuzo’s Addendum.

“What the fu-”

“SCREEEEE!!!!” Smoky’s screech shook the walls.

Dust rained from above and the tiles underneath shuttered from the vibration of Smoky’s roar.

Smoky raised the giant acorn above his head, spit and steam bellowed from his throat, and the raven-painted beast jumped.

Smoky leaped into the air and crossed the chamber’s width in an instant.

Then, Smoky plummeted to the earth and slammed his giant acorn into the stone.

*BOOM*

Debris exploded out.

Parcels of stone, sharp and unruly, ricocheted off the chamber’s walls in a violent explosion.

Before the impact, Kuzo and Hyzen leapt to opposite sides of the arena.

Kuzo drew his blade from its hilt; the silver broadsword gleamed underneath the shadows.

Meanwhile, Hyzen tip-toed around the arena with his notebook open and his pencil active; he was sketching Smoky!

The dust settled and Smoky lifted the acorn from the ground. As it lifted, it released a wet, sticky sound.

The generic man’s organs, his intestines especially, clung to the underbelly of the golden acorn.

*snap!*

His flesh tore apart. His intestines snapped back like rubber.

Smoky looked first at Hyzen, then at Kuzo.

He decided it would be Kuzo.

Smoky gripped the stem of the giant acorn and flung it towards Kuzo. The acorn barreled across the air like a freight train and Kuzo was in the middle of its course.

Kuzo’s eye widened. He dropped his body to the ground and lay flat on the floor.

*WOOSH!*

The giant acorn soared above him.

*BOOM!!*

And slammed into one of the massive columns surrounding the room. The acorn stuck in the stone, lodged in the column itself.

Kuzo picked himself up, but Smoky was already upon him.

With his paws curled into fists and his arms held high, Smoky slammed his paws down in an attempt to crush Kuzo.

Before that, however, Kuzo ran two fingers along the shaft of his broadsword; suddenly, symbols ignited within the metal — eight to be exact.

“First Form: Quick Slash!” Kuzo shouted.

His sword blurred.

In an instant, Kuzo’s arm’s swung diagonally; his sword then thinned and extended.

*BOOM!*

Smoky’s paws hit the ground. No!

Correction!

One of Smoky’s paws hit the ground; his other, meanwhile, his left paw, was severed at the wrist.

No blood splattered into the air, though.

The cut was so clean, so precise, that Smoky’s paw slid off his wrist itself moments before the impact; thus saving Kuzo’s life.

“RRAAAAAAAAAA!!” Smoky’s wails filled the dungeon.

His vocal cords cut through the air, curdling in agony.

Kuzo’s ears bled. Hyzen’s too, but they persevered.

Kuzo leapt back. His sword was still longer than it had been; thin like paper yet sharp like razors.

Smoky ground his hind legs into the tile and exploded into the air. He crashed into the column with his acorn and tore it from the stone.

Then, Smoky charged Kuzo.

In a frenzy, Smoky repeatedly slammed the cracked acorn into the ground over and over; whenever Kuzo’s figure would appear, Smoky would use all of his strength to bludgeon him like a mere ant.

But Kuzo proved too fast.

He weaved around the bombardment with ease and, with each step, he drew closer and closer to Smoky’s center.

*BOOM!*

Smoky’s acorn hit the ground.

Kuzo slipped around it and arrived underneath Smoky.

He ran two fingers along his blade; the symbols reignited.

“Second Form: Whirlwind!”

Kuzo’s sword transformed once more; it broke into about ten pieces, then the pieces spun incessantly.

Kuzo sprinted into Smoky and slid underneath his legs.

Behind him, the pieces of his blade got to work.

They flew towards Smoky and eviscerated his fur. The pieces of metal spun around Smoky and engulfed him in a blade vortex.

Meanwhile, Kuzo leapt to his feet and began sprinting towards Hyzen, but suddenly, he froze stiff as a board.

Kuzo looked behind him.

Smoky revealed his bloodied teeth.

The two made eye contact.

And Kuzo could have sworn he saw Smoky grin.

He looked down and Kuzo found his shadow restrained by Smoky.

From his tendrils of smoke, Smoky’s form intertwined with the darkness beneath him. His own shadow shot forward in a line, piercing Kuzo’s shadow and immobilizing him in the process.

By now Smoky was covered in blood; his raven-esque fur blurred crimson and scarlet, meanwhile, a river of blood flowed down his claws and pooled amongst his own enriched shadow.

Kuzo was stuck; he could not move.

And for some reason, it seemed as though Smoky could not move either; although not as restricted as Kuzo.

Kuzo could barely force himself to move his neck.

Smoky, on the other hand, could move his limbs readily.

His three tails slowly inched forward. Smoky raised them into the air.

Then, they fired.

Thick spines of black erupted from Smoky’s tails and tore across the arena!

The needles slammed into the tile, punctured the columns, and ravaged the mural amongst the ceiling.

Even Kuzo could not get away unscathed.

A thick, onyx needle ran through his abdomen; it tore through his stomach and slammed into the stone behind him, mercilessly pinning him to the floor against his will.

Blood dripped from the corner of Kuzo’s mouth.

He grabbed the black spine that struck through his stomach.

*snap*

And ripped it clean in half.

“Goddamnit, Hyzen! How long does it take?!!” Kuzo sneered.

“I’m done! I’m done!” Hyzen snapped his notebook shut.

“Fuckin’ finally!” A wicked grin spread across Kuzo’s face.

With the bladeless hilt of his sword in his hands, Kuzo declared with burning animosity, “Silver’s Fall: Execution!”

The pieces of Kuzo’s sword simultaneously lifted off of the ground and coalesced in the air; they formed back together in the shape of a rectangle, an executioner’s blade.

Then, the blade flashed across the chamber.

White light exploded out.

A flash then-

*thud*

Smoky’s head hit the ground.

A few seconds later.

*BOOM*

Smoky’s body followed suit.