"So you just let that crazy killer go? Tsk, why bring her here in the first place?"
BOOM!
The stone wall shatters before them, exposing the entrance to a large cavern that serves as the dungeon's first floor. Blue crystals float in parallel lines, brightening the room with a cold glow. The floor is made of clean black obsidian, polished enough to reflect the blue light and give the entire cavern a brighter tone. At the center of the room stands a massive stone tablet nearly ten feet tall, and beside it rests a small spherical crystal.
Kael blinks blankly at the hole she made. "You didn't have to make a hole, Lysandra..."
With a shrug, she walks in with a yawn. "It's a shortcut, and this place fixes itself, so it's not like it matters." Then, with a quick flashy turn, she frowns and points her flaming spear at his neck. "Don't change the subject, Kael. As much of an asshole as you are, you do realize I could sense when you were close to dying. How can you just let her go like that?"
'Was I close to dying...? Oh, it must've been when that witch got in my head.' With a flick of his finger, the flaming spear changes into dark red fire. "She's not as bad as she seems, and I didn't just set her free. She's part of our organization now, and your senior." Walking past her, Kael inspects the crystal. 'Nice, the central console is done. With this, we'll be able to set the rules for anyone who wants to enter the dungeon.'
"H-Hey! What do you mean, my senior!?" Lysandra grumbles, yanking his arm back. "I've been part of this group since the start. You can't put someone like that above me." She narrows her eyes and clicks her tongue. "And why is this boring place the first thing you visit after you come back?"
"Because, Lysandra," he says with a smirk, poking her forehead, "the dungeon will be completed while we return to the Elven Kingdom, so I need to apply the rules before we leave." Turning toward the crystal sphere, he bites his finger and lets his blood drip onto the orb. "This next part will determine how much value the world places on our dungeon."
'To think I was starting to miss this asshole. Well, I guess—'
Vwomp-oom...
A gust of wind blows through the cavern as pulses of mana vibrate through the air, and the giant cube suddenly teleports beside them.
"What the fuck!?" Lysandra's fire-infused fist slams into the cube on instinct, causing a large explosion. She grits her teeth and grabs her head as the sound vibrates through her skull, then glares at the cube with open fury. "You bastard son of a bitch! You can't just appear like that!" she shouts, stomping one of its sides.
[My apologies. With the unstable field applied around the dungeon, it is difficult to enter without some distortion.]
"Tsk, you always have some excuse." Crossing her arms, she turns around and sits on the floor. 'Whatever, just hurry up, Kael. I should've just stayed training my strike squad...'
With a wave of his hand, Kael sends out a burst of mana that clears the dust. "Wait, Lysandra, you can understand this guy?" He looks between the two of them in confusion. 'What is this? I go away for a couple of months, and she manages to learn a language linguists would take decades to understand?'
"Of course I do. Tsk, I'm a dragon, Kael." She rolls her eyes while munching on candy. "It's like you always forget what I'm capable of. It's annoying."
[Dragons are not like humans. After spending enough time around an intellectual species, they are able to naturally speak and understand their language. It is one of the heavenly laws the Dragon Goddess enforced.]
'I guess that makes sense. I know dragons have special authorities given their relationship with the heavens, but I thought that only applied in certain fields.' Shaking his head, Kael grabs Lysandra by the arm and yanks her closer. "Since dragons are closely tied to nature, you should offer some blood."
-
The giant purple cube glows around Kael as dozens of screens float around them.
[Using her blood? Although that is a good offering, is it worth it? I assumed you planned to make her a dungeon boss. With her blood as an offering, she cannot become a dungeon boss.]
"No." Kael shakes his head with a tired exhale, lowering his gaze to the floor where Lysandra is already snoring. After hours of planning rules, the boredom finally gets to her. "I value her too much to leave her here. She may be rude, have social issues, and be a demanding, endless hole of an appetite, but she tries." He rubs his forehead as he continues reviewing the structure.
[Page 1/12]
[All individuals who wish to challenge the dungeon 'Land of the Dead' are required to register and sign contracts as 'players.']
[After registering, 'players' may enter the 'lobby floor,' where all their 'mana,' 'aura,' and 'attribute' power will be restricted and limited by the law of the world.]
[Additionally, all 'players' will have any elevated 'physical strength' and 'durability' restricted by the law of the world.]
[Each 'player' will attain a dungeon window where all information will be stored. 'Players' may view their 'stats,' 'health,' 'available mana,' 'available aura,' 'available skills,' 'debuffs,' and 'buffs.' 'Players' may share their information or keep it hidden under the law of the dungeon.]
[A 'leveling system' will be placed for balance. Each 'player' will start at 'level 0.' 'Players' will receive 'experience points' for clearing floors and killing dungeon monsters. 'Stat points' will be gained with each level and may be used to increase any available 'stat' derived from the world.]
[You value this dragon? How strange. You show no signs of such 'value.']
"Haha..." Kael looks away from the screens and exhales heavily as he glances down at Lysandra. "When I first met her, she nearly chopped my head off, and from then on she always tried to start a fight."
"For a while now, she has been trying her hardest to stay calm and behave. I'm not sure if it's a dragon trait or just her temperament, but it's difficult for her." Walking over to her, he reaches into his pouch, pulls out one of Biana's blankets he stole, and casually throws it over her. "It's embarrassing to say this, ugh... she's the closest thing I have to a friend I can trust."
[How amusing. I never considered you the sentimental type. What about that dwarf? Is she not a 'friend'?]
"Ugh..." Rolling his eyes, Kael turns back to the screens. "She is, but I rarely stay with her. Most of my time is spent around Lysandra while we work. Anyways, forget that. We have more important things to deal with than some cringy 'friend' talk."
-
Deep in the forest, Eira stands with a heavy exhale. "Tsk, what a hassle."
Before her stretches a massive work zone packed with dozens of buildings, all of them filled with zombies working their bones off making weapons. Their bodies crowd the streets, some carrying bins loaded with hundreds of guns while others haul in materials from the quarry. "I love free labor, but some of these idiots are just so incompetent." Eira rolls her eyes and shoves aside a zombie blocking her path.
"Hehe, being in charge is so much fun~" She lifts a rather strange gun made from what looks like bright white crystal, its edges lined with engravings while a faint light pulses through the spaces between them as she moves it around. "His ideas are always so weird... ugh, another failure." With an irritated glare, she casually tosses it aside. "What do you want, Zeke?"
"Hmhmhmhmhm." With a smirk, Zeke steps around the corner and gives a small wave. "You know, not many dwarves have such high detection skills, Eira." He tilts his head, his dark green eyes seeming to swallow the light around them as his curiosity deepens. "Hmhmhm... it was quite difficult tracing your past. A half-dwarf with power comparable to that of an advanced warrior." He circles her slowly, flipping his knife through his fingers, while her eyes never leave him.
"My past is none of your concern, you psychotic piece of shit." Her trembling hand grips the shotgun at her side as she steps forward. "Now tell me what you want before I order every zombie here to rip you to shreds and purify your cursed flesh in holy water blessed by the Holy Maiden herself."
"Hmhmhm, touchy subject? Very well." Walking beside her, his face grows cold and serious. "I would like to make an exchange. There is a ruin I need to enter. However, it is an ancient dwarven ruin, and the mechanisms required to enter it demand in-depth knowledge. As strong as I am, I am unable to force my way through ancient dwarven devices."
Eira stops and lets out a scoff. "Ha, even with all your little stalker slaves by your side, that would be impossible." She exhales, jumps up, and sits on a large box, bringing herself to eye level with him. With a wicked, overconfident look, she rolls her hazel-brown bangs back. "Now why the hell would I help a bastard like you?"
"Hmhmhmhm, oh, come on now, Eira." He leans back into a black chair that forms from his shadow. "We're allies, aren't we? Even if we want to rip each other's throats out, we both work with Kael." Reaching into his pocket, he flips up a dwarven coin. "In return, I'll help you deal with that third brother—"
BANG!
Gritting her teeth, Eira lowers the smoking shotgun. "You have no fucking clue what happened, so mind your fucking business!" Her angry face shifts slightly as she forces herself to take a deep breath. "In return for helping you, I keep everything else inside the ruin. I'm guessing you're only after some creepy voodoo black magic that got sealed away for a reason, right?"
Zeke's grin only widens. "Hmhmhm, oh, you have no clue how right you are."