Healing potion

Thorne gritted his teeth, fury in his eyes.

"You'll pay for this!"

As the beast lunged again, the Architect's heart raced.

This was a pivotal moment, one that could define the future of his dungeon and it did.

seconds later, Thorne the Beastmaster lay dead on the cold floor, and his beast showed signs of going berserk, but without much delay, a swift stab through the skull sent it to rest.

Everything was done, and the beast fell on its side with its massive, beat-like body.

Surprisingly to Seth, though, in the silence of the dungeon, a yelp sounded from one of the corners of the saddle on the beast's side.

Seth's surprise showed on his face as he immediately ordered the Guardian to check what that was.

It swiftly sliced the saddle off its back and easily picked both sides up.

In one of the saddles, an arm poked out slightly and with blood.

And that was the part of the saddle that made a sound.

The guardian cautiously emptied the saddle, and many things that were not in Seth's mind fell out, including some bottles containing liquid mana, some weapons, and, mostly, other weird things he had no idea of.

But importantly, in it was a kid, probably around eight years old, with dark skin and blue eyes with tattered hair.

The kid looked beaten up and bloodied.

At first, Seth thought how could a kid be this bloodied and alive?

But he later saw that the blood belonged to the beast... Most of it at least.

The Guardian stood still without any command and the kid also slowly retreated with limping steps backwards.

In his eyes were fire that showed resentment especially after he saw the dead man in which his saddle he was in and the beast on the floor.

Seth was also caught in a tough corner; it hadn't been long since he spawned here, and he was already in a moral crisis situation.

The kid struggled and fell on the ground repeatedly, like his morale was breaking down; tears rolled down his eyes, knowing that a sure death was behind him.

But he refused to give up

The dungeon guardian looked at the kid nevertheless without acting.

To it, Seth's command was absolute and it would kill in a thought.

The kid, who started from limping to kneeling and crawling, was now moving his hands or rather hands only to push himself forward.

Seth's heart ached at this development and he made a decision which was to help the kid for now.

The outcome later on would determine his actions followed.

He checked his mana reserves and wondered if it would be possible to help the kid.

Then he remembered that there was liquid mana in the bottles that fell off the adventurer's bag.

If he was correct in his assumption, there would be something in there that assist his need.

He tried identifying the items on the ground visually, but surprisingly, he found no first aid kit.

Before he glanced away his eyes lingered on the liquid mana bottle, that was when the system popped up and made a display.

[Healing potion (65% purity)]

He didn't know why, but joy blossomed on his face, and through the connection with the dungeon, he could tell the kid didn't have much longer.

He gave the thought, and the Guardian picked up the kid, opened his mouth, and broke the bottle to let the liquid flow into his mouth.

From the dungeon's view, he could tell the boy's injury stopped, and he was away from danger, but what next?

Seth had no clue what to do next.

Kick him out? Or save him.

If he was the man's son, then he would have saved him for nothing, so instead, he ordered the guardian to go keep him in one of the free rooms.

Following that the dungeon did the routine of cleaning itself of waste

As the dungeon settled into its newfound power, the Architect stood before the core, now glowing with a faint azure light.

The air felt different, charged with the anticipation of what was to come. His mind spun with possibilities, new traps, stronger creatures, and the dungeon's mysterious upgrades were now within reach.

But there was no time to linger.

He felt the pull of a new presence. A ripple of energy passed through the walls of his dungeon. Someone or something had arrived.

[Notification: Intrusion Detected.]

The Architect frowned, navigating the system menu.

He hadn't expected adventurers so soon, but the gods weren't known for giving their pawns any rest.

As he focused on the dungeon's map, he noticed an unfamiliar cluster of energy forming in one of the outer chambers.

"Not adventurers..." he muttered, squinting at the screen.

The source of the energy was erratic, unlike the steady signatures of invaders.

It pulsed as if alive, a growing threat within his territory.

Before he could act, the system's voice echoed in his mind.

[Warning: The core's integrity has attracted an ancient force.]

[Prepare to defend your domain.]

Without another thought, the Architect opened the upgrade menu.

His gaze darted over the newly unlocked traps and creatures, trying to calculate the best defense.

[Upgrade Options:]

[Summon Trap: Spiked Pits ](100 MP)

[Summon Guardian: Elite Shade ](150 MP)

[Summon Trap: Poison Gas Chambers] (120 MP)

Each option had its merits, but he needed something swift and deadly.

"Elite Shade," he decided, his voice filled with a cold resolve.

He wouldn't risk the core falling now, not after gaining this new power.

He felt the pull on his mana as the shadowy creature materialized within the dungeon, a wraith-like being with claws sharp enough to rend stone.

As the Elite Shade moved toward the disturbance, the Architect turned his focus inward, drawing upon the knowledge the dungeon had imparted to him.

Something was still off about the core, but he couldn't pinpoint what.

The system's voice broke through his thoughts once again.

[Objective Update: Investigate the energy anomaly in the outer chambers.]

[Secure the core's integrity.]