Discovered 2/2

The archer hero was left helpless on the ground, squirming in agony. Small pieces of flesh were torn off of his less armored body parts while the spell's overall impact, had left his ribcage severely damaged. "I don't know why you attacked me but we can stop this right here, right now!" I offered the mage as he watched me stand over his broken ally. "Run! Tell the others and kill this thing!" the archer shouted in a surprising act of selflessness, although I knew his motivation was mainly to get back at me. The mage hesitated for a second before starting to chant a different spell, running away as he did!

I gave chase and directed Fiona to keep the archer pinned down! To my surprise, a powerful gust lifted the mage off his feet and he began slowly flying upwards and away from me. Taking advantage of Fiona's buff, while it still lasted, I dashed ahead of him and parkoured up the rock formations. At my level of Fire Magic manipulation I could fire about two shots of my Finger Gun every second. It was my fastest ranged attack so I let him have it. A near invisible shield of mana sprang into existence all around the hero, soaking up the projectiles and protecting him from my spell! At first I was discouraged but I didn't stop. With the Dungeon's Aether Cultivation ability I could tell his shield was eating away at his mana reserves on every hit it blocked and his flying spell wasn't cheap either. So I kept up the pressure as we both raced Northward, turning out chase into a game of attrition.

When the Mage's shield began glowing a flickering red, I grew bolder and used Bound to attack him head on! That proved to be a mistake. Proving once more that his weird spellcasting was much more complex than mine, the wizard hero turned his irritated shield into a counterattack! Sending it forth like a wave of concussive force. It blasted me away from him while damaging my body severely!

[ You have received a Critical strike. You have been dealt 157 points of Kinetic damage. Current HP 137/380 ]

Holy Moly! I had never received so much damage before! At least not at once! If I hadn't invested so heavily in my toughness and regeneration, this guy would have just made me go "Poof"! Although, it was my fault for falling for his "counter-shield" trick in the first place. I crashed into the rocky terrain below us and injured myself even further as I was too stunned to use my Aerial Maneuverability. His gambit against me had payed off but not without cost. He began flying away only to discover his movement speed had grown sluggish and soon began to even lose altitude. It would appear that inspite his obviously superior knowledge of spellcraft, he could match the mana reserves of a Dungeon Core's Avatar. "Ok Gandalf the Brown, block this!" I whispered under my breath as I took the archer pose, Overchanneling my Flame Arrow. This was my last spell.. after this I would be left with zero mana. I let loose my arrow and it exploded forth with the momentum of an arcane rocket.

My aim was true, thanks partially to the mage simply floating away slowly and trying desperately to focus on casting a spell while maintaining concentration on his flying. Where my arrow met his shoulder, it burned through the man's clothing and arcane defenses. I was half expecting it to tear off his arm, but the spell merely burned his upper back! I had seen that arrow burn through stone and yet it couldn't eat through this old man's skin? What were these "heroes" made of?! In the end though, by eating away his remaining mana reserves, the attack did cause him to plummet helplessly from 40 meters height. I wanted to catch the man initially, I truly did. Even if he did not deserve my mercy, I at least deserved answers. However, as my mana bottomed out, I fell to one knee from the exhaustion. When the man crashed into the hard earth below, I heard something inside him break with a sickening crack. The notification of his death came to me just a few moments before his comrade's did as well. The archer had apparently died from blood loss. I sighed as Fiona approached me, checking me for injuries and whimpering at my damaged body. "I know girl.. I know.. Let's just loot these guys and go home quickly. I'm afraid something bad is coming. They weren't alone and for some reason.. knew exactly what we are!".

[ Defeated Male, Arcanist Lv.12! Congratulations! You have defeated your first Hero Core bearer! Achievement unlocked: Hero Slayer Initiate. 500xp awarded! 2 Skill points awarded! For defeating the Male Arcanist Lv.12, you receive 320xp, 120 Aether and 120 Gold.

You have Defeated Male, Ranger Lv.9! You receive 230xp, 90 Aether and 90 Gold. Defeated enemies have dropped 1) 2x Hero Core shards, 2) 1x Lesser Mastery Crystal, 3) 1x Lesser Mana Crystal. ]

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As we entered the Great Elgolar Dungeon, I clutched my side with my right hand. My Minor Regeneration was working overtime to heal me but the sting of my wounds remained. My left hand held the strap of my backpack tightly, making sure I wouldn't lose our precious cargo. The day had turned out a bit more drama-filled than anticipated but on the up side, I had at least gained an early victory over these new enemies and procured some valuable spoils from our battle. My Dungeon minions received me and Fiona while voicing their concern telepathically to me. I had to ensure everyone that we were fine as we proceeded to my Alter room. Fisher was especially difficult to handle as the overprotective summon even tried to carry me to my chambers. I managed to get him to stay put but.. Some minions ratted me out to Sumiré and Fatna. I would have a talk with those treacherous subjects about their misplaced loyalty at another time. "Ouch my insides.. I need to meditate.. oof..".

Sumiré came to me in seconds and of course berated me extensively about my recklessness and lack of a guard while out of my domain. She was right but I didn't need to hear it a second time. Gods knew I had been telling myself the same things since engaging the two Hero Core bearers in combat. "They were most likely adventurers looking for your Dungeon my Lady. Drawn here no doubt from the whispers of those who survived this place's challenge. As time has passed they will be seeking to harvest its treasures. Once they see they are none to be had however, they might become a serious danger for you.." Fatna said with a serious look in her eyes. "Deviant Core they called you.." Sumiré added and upon seeing my confusion she continued, "A Core that doesn't adhere to the normal co-dependence that others of its kind display. Cores offer a challenge to the world, a chance for power and wealth. In return, man protects these precious sources of gold, items and experience, allowing the Dungeon to thrive and grow. A Deviant Core can't be reasoned with and is therefore a danger. Something that is to be snuffed out while still in its infancy.". Her words caused me to gulp as I felt a metaphorical grip, tightening around my neck.

"These defilers shall be eradicated the moment they come!" Eve proclaimed proudly. "Heroes aren't just bandits we can scare away. We all appreciate Lady Minoa's strength but.. Those who hold Hero Cores can become, quite extraordinary beings. I've seen them survive things that would kill mortal men, three times over!" Fatna said and I had to hold myself back from going "No shit..". Despite my stats, evolution and all the progress I had made, these two nobodies nearly killed us out there. If they had gotten the drop on us, we wouldn't have won. "They were so unnaturally durable and had amazing abilities.." I let out involuntarily and the girls nodded along much to Eve's annoyance.

"It might me prudent to prepare my Lady. We should be able to present the Dungeon as a non hostile entity. Although it might hurt our pride, it would at least allow us to continue growing in a symbiotic relationship with the humans of Jasrah." Adam suggested quite wisely and I felt Eve had to hold herself back from attacking him. "This isn't just a Dungeon-shaped farm for them to exploit! This is our home! If they can't understand that then we'll have to make them understand! I'm not going to just bend over for the humans. We are preparing for war.." I said as I stood. Adam huffed but didn't voice his objections. Eve was gleaming with excitement while Sumiré and Fatna were sceptical to say the least. "We are with you my Lady.." Sumiré assured me once she noticed that I hesitated upon seeing their reactions.

I was allowed time to rest after that. With a few hours of mediation my wounds quickly healed and I concentrated on collecting as much Mana and Aether as possible. I even created a retractable, stone door for my Dungeon's entrance. By enhancing it with Dungeon Core mana its strength doubled, meaning someone would have to work really hard to simply enter my domain if I didn't want them to. I then revisited my defenses and enhanced some of my traps. The Snake-Fang pit was made harder to spot, wider and the venom deadlier. The trap was made to recognise all my denizens so it wouldn't trigger if they stepped upon its false surface.

Two Wall Spike traps were added in two different hallways as well as a few viper dens, camouflaged in random areas. The Rank 0 snakes didn't count against my minion count, so I used them as a makeshift trap. They were made to be fast and irritable, striking at an Invader's ankle the moment they stepped too close. This time playing around and improving my domain was soon awarded and my Dungeon Editing skill reached Rank 4. A few more options were made available then in the form of amenities mostly, rather than more advanced traps. I had my minions to fall back on though. Since Ranking up as a Core, I could create 10 additional minions higher than Rank 1, two of which could be Rank 3 and one could be Rank 4. I still had no idea of which monster to even promote to the next highest Rank but I did have some thoughts on where to summon new monsters.

[ You have cultivated for 5 hours. 440 Mana collected. 150 Aether collected. ]

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Race: Superior Dungeon Core

Avatar: Arsàni, Fire-Breather Lv.15

Age: 29

HP: 137/380

MP: 453/180

LvL.16: 87%

Aether: 789

Gold: 713

Free Stat Points: 0

Physical - 16 (Heroic)

Mental - 7 (Well Above Average)

Social - 7 (Well Above Average)

Magic - 12 (Beyond Peak Condition)

Skills

1) Bound (Rank 4)

2) Progeny (Rank 1)

3) Aerial Maneuverability (Rank 1)

Passive Skills

1) Fire Resistance (Rank 5)

2) Natural Allure (Rank 4)

3) Minor Regeneration (Rank 4)

4) Fire Manipulation Magic (Rank 7)

5) Apprentice Swordsman (Rank 2)

6) Crafting (Rank 1)

Spells

1) Finger Gun (2 Mana/13 Dmg, Average)

2) Flame Arrow (13 Mana/50 Dmg, Average)

3) Fire-Breath (6 Mana/15 Dmg, Average, 20ft Fan)

4) Elemental Armor (30 Mana/5 Dmg, Duration 1 Minute)

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Superior Dungeon Core Rank 3

Maximum Chambers: 7/8

Maximum Summons: 35/45

Maximum Summon Rank: Rank 3 (3/6)

Rank 4 (0/1)

Totem Pieces Assimilated: 1

Cores Assimilated: 3

Dungeon Skills

1) Monster Summoning* (Rank 5)

2) Dungeon Manipulation* (Rank 4)

3) Aether Cultivation* (Rank 6)

Dungeon Feats

1) Caves of the Strong (Rank 3)

2) Kindred Sight (Rank 3)

3) Mists of Fright (Rank 3)

4) Chimera (Rank 2)

5) Ore Mongers (Rank 1)

6) Abundant Earth (Max)

7) Vanguard (Rank 3)

8) Caves of the Wise (Rank 3)

9) Gladiator Monsters (Rank 3)

10) Superior Dungeon Avatar (Max)

Active Effects from Feats

All Summons -> +4 Levels, +3 to Physical, +3 to Mental, +3 Magic, +2 Mining, Passive Training.

Dungeon -> Enemies inside the Mists of Fright will suffer a -8% movement speed and a -10% physical damage output. Additionally they will experience a -4% drain in their remaining Stamina for every 10 minutes they spend within your domain

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