Darkness was no longer absence.
It was information. Data. A whisper of ancient decay and mana veins beneath his awareness. Kaelen floated—no, existed—at the heart of it, a nucleus of glowing purpose. He could sense the stone around him like nerves feeling through walls, and with each passing moment, his presence grew more... rooted.
[Initializing Subsystems…]
[Core Control: ONLINE][Dungeon Territory Claimed: 25m Radius][Available Summons: Goblin (Lv. 1), Skeleton (Lv. 1), Slime (Lv. 1)]
[Mana Regeneration Rate: 1.2/sec]
So it is a system after all. A dungeon management framework—dynamic, adaptive... beautiful.
But primitive.
Still, even primitivity could be sculpted. He could feel them, the ancient bones, decayed muscle echoes, and trace spiritual residue around him. A dead battlefield... or a forgotten crypt.
Kaelen reached out with intent.
[Summon: Skeleton – 5 MP]
The air hummed. Bones scraped together. Mana surged like an electric current snapping into place.
From the ground before his core, a skeletal figure clawed its way free. Hollow sockets, cracked ribs, rusted blade.
It stood. Wobbled. Awaited.
[Skeleton (Lv. 1) – Awaiting Command]
Not intelligent. Not autonomous. Just reactive.
I can work with this.
He pulled more mana into focus.
[Summon: Goblin – 6 MP][Summon: Slime – 4 MP]
A shrill cry echoed as a green-skinned goblin snapped into existence, twitching, sniffing, already crouched low with primal tension. Beside it, a quivering blue slime emerged, translucent and small, but thrumming with raw potential.
Goblin. Skeleton. Slime.The world's most pathetic trio of monsters.
And yet… he saw the code, the logic, the synergies. Each one, a base module. Each one capable of evolving if fed the right path—resources, experience, direction.
He didn't need a hundred minions. He needed five he could teach to kill gods.
[SYSTEM ALERT – QUEST TRIGGERED]
Kaelen froze—if such a word could apply to a consciousness embedded in crystal.
[Emergency Quest – Survival Protocol: Breach Detected]Time Limit: 15 Minutes
A wandering scout has entered the outer perimeter. Risk: Discovery.
Objective: Prevent detection of Dungeon Core location.
Optional: Terminate intruder or redirect.
Failure Result: Dungeon Mark Exposed. Hostile Adventurer Response Imminent.
Reward: Evolution Seed x1 (unit-bound), Core Expansion +5m
[BEGIN.]
Kaelen's thought process accelerated.
Unfavorable.His dungeon was barely functional. He had three minions, no traps, no advanced pathways. The scout had wandered close by accident—he could feel the faint life pulse moving cautiously along the outer corridor.
Female. Light footfalls. One blade, one potion, light armor. Low-mid tier adventurer? Not ideal.
"Skeleton—wait near the west tunnel fork. Slime, hide in the pit's moisture layer. Goblin…"
He paused. The goblin grinned stupidly.
"…You're bait."
Dungeon Instincts: Activated
As his commands deployed, Kaelen felt the terrain responding. His awareness slipped along mossy walls, dusty tiles, and cracks in the ancient brick. Roots of mana pulsed with his presence.
He triggered a makeshift collapse near the tunnel's midpoint—just a low-stamina trap to startle. It might not kill, but it could redirect.
He could feel the heartbeat approaching faster now.
She heard it.
She slowed. Her breath calmed. Then she moved, adjusting her approach—
Smart. She didn't panic. An experienced one.
Kaelen let the skeleton clatter into view, then withdraw around a corner. The goblin screamed and ran the opposite way, dragging her down a false tunnel, deeper into the dungeon's northern route.
It worked.
She didn't find the Core Room. She didn't sense him. Not this time.
[Quest Completed.]
Core Remains Undetected.
Reward Granted: Evolution Seed (Slime – Bound), +5m Territory.
The moment her presence left his detection range, Kaelen sighed internally.No… he evaluated.
It was too close. He couldn't rely on scare tactics alone.
He would need defenses. Ambush tactics. Environmental denial. Most importantly—
Stronger minions.
He opened the new Evolution Seed and injected it into the slime.
[SLIME Evolution Path Fragment Unlocked]Options Preview:— Acid Slime— Split Slime— Camouflaged Slime
Unlock full evolution tree with further combat experience.
So even this world has class trees, tier branching... How delightfully familiar.
Kaelen pulsed with satisfaction.He had survived.
His enemies thought they erased him.
But now, in the dark, beneath earth and ash, Kaelen Yurei had been reborn as a god of small monsters.
And soon, this world would come to fear goblins, skeletons, and slimes.