99%
As the mana surge continued to hum in the background, Seth returned to the core.
There was work to do, and the next wave of adventurers wouldn't wait for him to figure out the mysteries of his dungeon.
[Dungeon Status:]
[Rank: C]
[Core Integrity: 99%]
[Mana Reserve: 35/500 MP, Regeneration: +50 MP/hour]
[Guardian: Greater Shade (Available)]
[Creatures: Shade Stalker (Active), Summons Enhanced]
[Traps: Spiked Pit (Inactive), Poison Gas Chamber (Inactive)]
[Expansion Potential: Locked (Insufficient Mana)]
The surge would have to wait.
For now, he would let the dungeon heal and prepare for whatever came next.
Seth stood at the edge of the core chamber, watching as his mana reserves climbed back up.
The recent upgrade had left him with much to contemplate.
The power surge he'd felt when the dungeon's core integrity hit 99% had been overwhelming, and the subsequent upgrade to rank C left the entire structure humming with newfound energy.
But it wasn't the full transformation yet.
He knew the final step, reaching 100% would bring even greater changes.
He ran a hand over the shimmering core, feeling its steady pulse.
The mana surge from before still lingered in the back of his mind, and the strange anomaly in the southern room had yet to be fully unraveled.
With the dungeon now at C rank, the environment felt more alive.
The Elite Shade patrolled the deeper corridors, its form shifting in and out of shadows, while the Shade Stalker clung to the walls, eyes ever-watchful for any threats.
Both creatures had grown stronger, adapting to the dungeon's increasing power.
Seth glanced over the status screen that appeared before him:
---
[Dungeon Status]
Rank: C
Core Integrity: 99%
Mana Reserve: 80/500 MP
Guardian: Elite Shade (Active)
Creatures: Shade Stalker (Active), Lesser Slime (Inactive)
Traps: Spiked Pit (Active), Poison Gas Chamber (Inactive)
Expansion Potential: Locked (Insufficient Mana)
---
As he studied the stats, a new notification flashed:
---
[Notification: Core Integrity at 99%] - Upgrades available upon reaching 100% Core Integrity. - Perks: Mana Regeneration, Advanced Traps, and Creature Upgrades. - Warning: Final battle conditions may trigger the core's critical evolution.
---
Seth smiled grimly. That final battle condition was bound to come sooner rather than later.
Already, the adventurers were increasing in number and skill, testing his dungeon's defenses.
The next wave would likely push the dungeon, and him to the brink.
But for now, there was still the matter of the mana surge in the southern room.
He hadn't uncovered the full reason behind it, but each passing day brought more clues.
He could feel something beneath the surface, a connection he hadn't yet made.
But with the new powers granted by the rank C upgrade, he hoped to resolve it soon.
"First, I need to stabilize everything," he muttered to himself"
"No sense in charging ahead without knowing what I'm dealing with."
He sent a mental command to the dungeon, focusing on minor improvements.
The traps and creatures were his primary defense, but now the dungeon itself had started to take on a life of its own, responding to his thoughts.
[Command: Begin Minor Reinforcements of Existing Defenses]
[15 MP Used]
His mana dropped to 70, but the walls of the dungeon subtly shifted, reinforcing the existing traps with sturdier materials and fortifying the corridors.
The Elite Shade seemed to notice the change, pausing briefly as the dungeon's structure strengthened around it.
Seth paced the core room, his mind racing.
The adventurers would soon come again, more determined than ever.
The question wasn't if, but when.
With the core so close to 100%, he couldn't afford to take unnecessary risks.
"Time to set the stage," he muttered.
Another notification appeared.
[Notification: Adventurers Detected. Estimated Arrival: 8 hours.]
He had time—barely enough to prepare for the next wave.
But there was still the matter of the southern room, the lingering mana surge that he hadn't fully understood.
Turning on his heel, Seth marched down the southern corridor, determined to figure out the source once and for all.
The dungeon pulsed faintly as he moved, reacting to his will, but the whispers of power in the southern room still called to him.
Seth made his way down the southern corridor, his mind fixated on the strange anomaly that had been troubling him for days.
Each step took him deeper into the heart of the dungeon, the air growing heavier with every passing second.
The mana surge he had felt before was growing stronger, the closer he got to the source.
The corridor widened as he approached the southern room, its walls glowing faintly with the ambient mana that permeated the dungeon.
Despite having reinforced the structure, the sheer volume of mana in this section made it feel unstable as if the energy was threatening to burst through the walls at any moment.
As he reached the edge of the room, Seth stopped and scanned his surroundings.
The vortex of blue mana still hovered in the center, swirling in an erratic, almost hypnotic pattern.
It was different from the rest of the dungeon's energy: wilder and harder to control.
He hadn't been able to piece it together yet, but the anomaly connected to something much larger.
As he stared into the vortex, the dungeon offered up several potential explanations, but none of them felt quite right.
---
[Notification: Mana Surge Anomaly Detected]
[Potential Causes: Unknown - Theories: Tear in dimensional fabric, ambient mana leak, ancient artifact resonance.]
---
Seth frowned. The dungeon was offering possibilities, but they were incomplete.
This wasn't something he could solve with a quick command; it would require deeper investigation.
He'd need more knowledge and more resources to truly understand what was happening here.
"Let's see what we can do with what we have," Seth muttered, focusing on the vortex in the center.
For a moment, he considered channeling some mana into it to see what would happen, but he quickly dismissed the idea.
He didn't have enough mana to spare for experiments right now, especially with adventurers on their way.
Instead, he turned his attention to the environment around the vortex.