Viktor opened his eyes.
In an instant, the scene of the battle within the dungeon had faded away, as if everything that had happened there were nothing more than a dream. He found himself back outside, his back resting against the tree by the edge of the water.
The desperate begging for mercy was still vivid in his ears, followed by the sound of steel tearing through bone and flesh. But now, all that had been replaced by the rumble of the nearby waterfall.
He rose to his feet and walked back toward the cave, the cold water splashing against his ankles with each step. Making his way into the hidden entrance that lay behind the falls, once again, he was greeted by the musty scent inside the tunnel. He moved swiftly through the passage, heading straight for the maze, his hands pressed against the chilling surface of the cave’s walls to guide his way.
The entry to the maze was brightly illuminated by the ceiling’s glow, fueled by the mana flowing through the very stones of the dungeon. This design was no accident. If the dungeon was shrouded in total darkness, potential prey might be scared away. By making the starting point more welcoming, more comfortable, it would become much easier to lure the adventurers inside.
Of course, there was no reason to make it too convenient for the intruders. Once they went deeper, they would find the light gradually diminished. And by the time they encountered the pitch-black area where his minions lurked, preparing for an ambush, it would already be too late.
Obviously, such simple tricks wouldn’t work against more experienced adventurers. Nevertheless, since he was raising a fledgling Dungeon Core, every tiny advantage mattered.
Viktor heard a shuffling noise. Something heavy was being dragged across the floor, accompanied by the labored breathing of the goblins.
As he reached the end of the corridor and rounded the corner, he saw his minions hauling the three limp bodies, leaving smeared trails of blood on the stones behind them. To the disposal pit, he guessed. There was one in the dungeon where they could dump the corpses. Once the Dungeon Core had leveled up to acquire the skill, he would be able to raise the dead as zombies. While he was not exactly fond of the walking corpses, having more options to choose from was never a bad thing.
The goblins had stripped the fallen adventurers of all their possessions: clothes, weapons, trinkets, supplies, everything. He didn’t recall the trio having any noteworthy equipment, so he just let them keep all the loot.
He gestured for the minions to resume their tasks, then continued on his way to the staircase. As he stepped into the Core Room on the second floor, he was greeted by the familiar monotonous voice from the floating crystal.
[Welcome back, Master.]
Just like last time, Viktor returned the greeting with a nod. “Give me the battle report, Celeste.”
[Understood, Master.]
“What do you think about these results?”
[I am satisfied with the outcome. Everything happened as you predicted and we have won with minimal loss. The damage to the dungeon is minor, so we can just order the goblins to fix it instead of spending mana.]
It was Viktor who devised the battle plans and tactics. He had developed a strategy to deal with the first adventurer party who entered the dungeon, ensuring that no one would get out alive while minimizing losses to his forces.
Yet, at the end of the day, strategy was just strategy. It was often said that no plan survives the first contact. There were so many variables that could affect the final outcome. After all, he was nearly forced to dirty his hands to deal with Petra. Also, it was fortunate the party wasn’t at full strength. If Jeanne had still been with them, things could have gotten ugly.
And most important of all was the execution. Without the Dungeon Core’s perfect control of the goblins, the battle might not have unfolded as he envisioned.
“It’s you who realized my plans, Celeste,” Viktor said. “You are the deciding factor for our victory.”
[You are as important, Master. Each of us has our own role, and we do what we do best. That’s why we need each other.]
We need each other, huh? Viktor pondered as he recalled the day they first met.
It was the fourth day since his reincarnation. Every afternoon, he returned to the ruins of his old castle, searching for anything that could still be of use. But no matter how hard he tried, there was nothing left. The looters who had come before him had ransacked the place thoroughly. And just as he was about to give up, he heard a strange voice.
[Viktor! Viktor!]
He was startled by the call. He was now in Quinn’s body, so there was no way someone could tell who he really was. He followed the sound, and soon found a Dungeon Core under a pile of rubble.
“Dungeon Cores can talk?”
Viktor was astonished. The idea had always been more myth than reality to him. Even though he had heard theories about these glowing crystals containing human souls, they were just that—theories. He had never met one that could communicate before.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
On the other hand, this was not the first talking inanimate object he had ever seen, so while the notion was strange, it wasn’t entirely foreign. Come to think of it, I wonder where Brandt is now.
[Yes, we Dungeon Cores can talk with you humans. We just choose not to because it is unnecessary.]
“How do you know I am Viktor?” he asked.
[I can sense it in your soul.]
What does that even mean? Viktor frowned. Maybe a soul can recognize a soul or something. Since he didn’t know much about the subject, he decided to just take its words at face value.
“Why do you think that communicating with humans is unnecessary?”
[When a human has a Dungeon Core, he will use it to make a new dungeon. Even when a human takes a Dungeon Core from a dungeon, it is to create a new dungeon elsewhere. You always do what we want, so what is there to talk about?]
Viktor shrugged. “There are also people who want to destroy Dungeon Cores instead.”
[In such a case, do you think they would stop if we begged?]
“No.”
[So why bother?]
Fair point, Viktor thought. Humans, however, would definitely beg for their lives even when they knew that it was futile.
“Then why didn’t you say anything when I kept you all as decoration in my throne room?” he asked. “Didn’t you want me to use you to create a dungeon?”
[Again, even if we had asked, would you have granted our wishes?]
“If you could give me something in return,” Viktor replied.
[Yes, we knew. And we had thought about it. Then we came to the conclusion that there was nothing you wanted that we could offer. So we didn’t say anything.]
“But now you’re talking to me,” Viktor said with a smirk. “Which means you think you now have something I want?”
[Yes.]
This Dungeon Core wanted him to create a dungeon. But what was in it for him? Obviously, a new dungeon emerging would boost the region’s economy, and as the one who discovered it, he would receive a hefty reward from the Guild. But that was it. It wouldn’t help him get back his stolen power.
“What do you offer, then?”
[Everything. I give myself in my entirety to you. You will have full control of me, my dungeon, and everything within. Use me as a tool in any way you wish. Use me to kill your enemies.]
Viktor chuckled. “That’s a lot,” he asked. “Then what’s in it for you? Why do you want to enslave yourself?”
[Because everything a Dungeon Core like me cares about is growth. And I believe that with you in control, I will become greater than any other Dungeon Core that has ever existed.]
“You seem quite confident in my abilities. Why?”
[You are the man who rose from a nameless adventurer to emperor. If you can’t, then who?]
Not just any nameless adventurer though, but one with a special power that nobody else possessed. But that power was now gone, stolen by his enemies. Viktor wondered if the Dungeon Core was aware of that.
“Fair enough,” he said. “One last question. Do you resent me after all the years I’ve neglected you?”
[…No. Not at all.]
The response was slightly delayed compared to the others. Well, whatever. He would use every tool at his disposal to climb back to the top. This was not the first time he had to deal with a subordinate who had an agenda anyway.
“Fine. Let’s conclude our partnership, then.”
[Give me a name, Viktor. With that, our pact will be complete.]
“Is that really necessary?” he asked, furrowing his brow.
[Yes.]
Viktor snorted. He was never good at naming. “How about Celeste?”
The Dungeon Core made a noise that sounded like a chuckle.
What the hell?
He could accept that a Dungeon Core could talk, but laugh? That damn thing had done nothing but present cold, emotionless logic throughout their entire conversation, but now it laughed?
“What’s so funny?”
[I can’t believe that you named me after your wife. I never thought you were that kind of romantic.]
“That’s not it,” Viktor grumbled. It was just the first name that popped into his mind. No more, no less. “Do you want it or not?”
[Celeste will do. The contract has been concluded. From now on, you are my master.]
And that was how they ended up here.
Celeste wanted to grow, and Viktor wanted it to grow. Their goals were intertwined, one reliant on the other for success. He would design the dungeon and make battle plans, while the Dungeon Core would follow all of his instructions. Together, they were going to build the greatest dungeon this world had ever witnessed.
He cast a glance at the block of crystal, the monolith of arcane geometry that towered over him. Strange to think that not long ago, it had been small enough to fit in his pocket, and light enough to carry around without breaking a sweat. But now, fully deployed, it stood at least twice his height. Technically, it could move, if drifting at a glacial speed could be considered movement. Funny, wasn’t it? The Core could teleport him and the minions but not itself, so when it came to getting its own ass anywhere, it had to do things the old-fashioned way. Might need a bunch of goblins pushing just to get it going any faster than a dying slug.
“You have reached LV3, right?” Viktor asked. “Show me your stats.”
[Yes, Master.]
“Looks good enough,” Viktor said with satisfaction.
He wanted the dungeon to grow while keeping its existence a secret. Of course, it was impossible to hide it forever, but he would delay the discovery as much as he could. If the public knew about the dungeon while Celeste was still weak, there was a chance the intruders would rush in and take control. From that point on, the growth rate would be dictated by them, not by him.
“Let me see the skill Summon Lesser Minion,” Viktor said.
Spiders, huh? These arachnid minions would be useful. “How about Summon Guardian?”
Viktor frowned. “So we have no control over who’ll be summoned when using the skill?” he asked. “And if we don’t like the one we get, we’ll have to spend another 1,000 mana to try again?”
[Yes, Master.]
This was problematic. This skill was very expensive to use, especially considering how little mana he had right now. If he was unlucky, he might end up wasting most of his resources without getting anything worthwhile.
On the other hand, Guardians were heavy hitters who would significantly boost the defense of the dungeon. He was going to need them, with the growing threats that were bound to come.
A high-risk, high-reward investment, huh?
He contemplated the options he had. He didn’t want to commit the resources just yet. It was wise to keep a reserve of mana to deal with emergencies.
“For now, just expand the second floor, and move the Core Room there,” Viktor instructed. At the moment, Celeste’s chamber was connected directly to the first floor, making it very vulnerable. “Mark an area roughly the same size as the maze on the first floor. I haven’t decided on the layout yet, so just keep it as a placeholder for now. Then build a room between it and the new Core Room. That’s where we’ll place our Guardian.”
[Understood, Master.]
That was it for now. Over the next few days, Viktor would look around the Guild to see whether there were any other easy targets, and then he would decide on the next move.
“I’m leaving,” he told the Dungeon Core.
The sun was likely going to set soon. He needed to get home before Claire and reheat the leftover stew for dinner.
