Kael Veritas had not expected the surface to be this… alive.
From the moment the first tendrils of his mana broke through the stone and touched open air, he felt a rush of energy—a chaotic, untamed pulse that vibrated with the wild magic of this strange world. His obsidian heartstone core thrummed with new feedback, resonating as though the entire system were awakening alongside him. The surface was no clean slate; it was raw and primal, layered in magic older than memory.
At first, Kael stayed cautious. This was no sterile laboratory. The terrain beyond his tunnel mouth was a thick, forested expanse where towering trees loomed like ancient sentinels. Their bark was cracked and dark, the leaves an iridescent green that shimmered even in the faint light that broke through the clouds. The soil was dense and wet, filled with latent mana. But the silence unnerved him—it was the kind of silence that blanketed ambushes.
Kael expanded his awareness, reaching outward with probing tendrils of mana. The magic here was different: organic, temperamental. He had tapped into something vast and incomprehensible. The system pulsed within him, stabilizing to accommodate this newfound freedom.
System Notification:
[System Access Expanded: Full Dungeon Management Unlocked]
[Surface Connection Achieved – All Core Functions Online]
With full access restored, Kael reviewed a torrent of menus, charts, and subsystem interfaces. There were tabs for materials processing, creature spawning, environment terraforming, even rudimentary trap design within theme constraints. His dungeon core practically radiated possibility.
But the celebration was short-lived.
Quest Unlocked: Defend the Core
[Objective: Survive the Initial Assault]
A new presence brushed against his mana. It wasn’t wildlife. It was structured, disciplined—metal scraping against leather, voices muttering in a dialect Kael was just beginning to parse.
Through the eyes of his Hollowframe, stationed in his lone entrance chamber, Kael watched as a group crested the ridge. Five figures in mismatched armor approached: scouts from a minor local order, judging by their heraldry—likely a patrol or opportunistic salvage party sent to investigate the magical readings Kael’s emergence had no doubt triggered.
They moved cautiously, spears drawn, eyes wary.
Kael’s one trap—a simple Weighted Spike Plate—remained primed. His Hollowframe stood at the ready, its heavy iron body poised in silence.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
He needed more defenses.
System Prompt:
[Quest Updated: Expand Your Defenses]
[Objective: Construct Two Additional Rooms]
[Reward: Access to First Tier Monster Generation and Advanced Trap Schemata]
Immediately, Kael diverted mana to construction. The stone responded like putty in his hands, reshaping and fusing under his will. First, he created a long kill corridor—narrow, with slightly angled walls designed to funnel enemies forward. Next, he began construction on a wider combat chamber that gave his Hollowframe greater maneuverability and options for future defensive installations.
In the kill corridor, Kael crafted a dart trap—simple in principle, effective in execution. It began with him shaping a long, narrow chamber of Nullsteel ore harvested from the deeper layers of the earth. Using his system-assisted mana shaping abilities, Kael hollowed out the ore to form compressed pressure chambers linked to a central trigger mechanism hidden beneath the stone.
The darts themselves were forged from fragments of sharpened Nullsteel, coated in a paralytic resin he synthesized from the local mana-infused mold scraped from the walls. Once pressurized and loaded, the trap would fire a rapid volley at any intruder crossing the activation threshold.
To power these constructions, Kael funneled his will downward, excavating deeper into the earth for resources.
System Message:
[Excavation Complete – Materials Acquired]
[Materials Gained: 5,000 lbs Nullsteel Ore | 3,200 lbs Hardened Limestone | 1,200 lbs Arcane-Infused Quartz]
With resources secured, Kael completed the rooms in record time. His mana reserves dipped sharply, but he maintained control.
As the patrol entered the dungeon’s mouth, the Weighted Spike Plate activated with a metallic clang. A scream followed—one of the intruders impaled through the thigh. The others fell into chaos.
Kael’s Hollowframe surged forward, swinging its heavy fists. The lead scout dodged nimbly, slashing at the construct’s shoulder joint. Sparks flew, but the Hollowframe didn’t stop. It struck the scout’s shield arm and sent him crashing into a wall.
The intruders retreated into the kill corridor—just as Kael had planned.
System Message:
[Trap Triggered: Dart Volley]
[Status Effects: 2 Scouts Wounded | 1 Immobilized]
The darts whistled through the air, striking with vicious precision. One scout dropped. The rest scrambled for cover, only to meet the Hollowframe head-on as it advanced into the second chamber.
Kael observed the battle like a tactician, evaluating every move. He had fought wars with machines before—but this, this was different. It was personal. It was survival.
The Hollowframe felled another intruder with a brutal head strike, denting a steel helmet inward. Blood sprayed across the chamber wall. The final two scouts turned and fled. One was limping, injured by the spike trap; the other had dropped his weapon in panic.
Kael let them run.
System Notification:
[Quest Complete: Survive the Initial Assault]
[Reward Claimed: Advanced Schematic Access – Tier 1 Summoning Unlocked]
A new window opened before him. Creatures, more traps, new layers of dungeon dynamics—it was overwhelming, and Kael reveled in it.
This was his realm now.
System Message:
[Materials Gained During Excavation Toward Surface:]
-
4,200 lbs Obsidian-Rich Stone
-
3,100 lbs Mana-Infused Clay
-
1,900 lbs Ironwood Roots
-
2,300 lbs Surface Soil (Fertile Grade)
-
800 lbs Glowmoss Spores
To Be Continued...
Should I write about his past life? If so how?