《The Dual Cores - A Dungeon Core Story》


 Chapter One/Two - The Beginning

    <h1>Chapter One</h1>


    James and Jessie. Brother and sister. Identical twins, but opposite personalities. James, the boy, prefers the colour green, while his sister prefers the colour red. Jessie, the girl, likes fantasy books and movies whereas her brother prefers books and movies from the science fiction genre. James the builder, the pacifist, Jessie the leader, the fighter. But for once they found something they could both enjoy. A new VRMMORPG had been released. It was a fully open universe with equal levels of magic and technology. They were on the way to the store when disaster struck. While crossing at a crosswalk, a car came speeding through the red light killing them. They were hit so hard, that when the first responders arrived their bodies were so mangled together they seemed like one person.


    They were in a blank white space ¡°Hmm. This is a first¡­ You reincarnated as one soul, but are two separate souls. What to do with you then¡­ I can''t really make you into two separate beings again, it''s too late to interfere with that part. But, I could¡­ Yes, that would work. How would you two feel if I could prevent your souls from permanently becoming a single one?¡± asked a feminine voice. ¡°I personally would like to be my own person¡± replied Jessie. Her brother nodded in agreement. And suddenly the space disappeared-


    <h1>Chapter Two</h1>


    -And a small grey room appeared. The walls look to be made of stone, and in the center of the room is a green gem marbled with a red gem. In front of Jessie and James'' eyes are Stat screens, and a pop-up. Like from an RPG.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Name:


    </td>


    <td>


    Jessie


    </td>


    <td>


    Level:


    </td>


    <td>


    1 (0/100xp)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Type:


    </td>


    <td>


    Dual Ruby


    </td>


    <td>


    Core Partner


    </td>


    <td>


    James


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Integrity:


    </td>


    <td>


    100%


    </td>


    <td>


    Mana:


    </td>


    <td>


    150/150 (5MP/hour)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Intelligence:


    </td>


    <td>


    25


    </td>


    <td>


    WisdomThis tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    </td>


    <td>


    10


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Perception:


    </td>


    <td>


    10


    </td>


    <td>


    Charisma:


    </td>


    <td>


    15


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Strength:


    </td>


    <td>


    LOCKED


    </td>


    <td>


    Agility:


    </td>


    <td>


    LOCKED


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Name:


    </td>


    <td>


    James


    </td>


    <td>


    Level:


    </td>


    <td>


    1 (0/100xp)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Type:


    </td>


    <td>


    Dual Green Garnet


    </td>


    <td>


    Core Partner


    </td>


    <td>


    Jessie


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Integrity:


    </td>


    <td>


    100%


    </td>


    <td>


    Mana:


    </td>


    <td>


    175/175 (3MP/hour)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Intelligence:


    </td>


    <td>


    15


    </td>


    <td>


    Wisdom:


    </td>


    <td>


    15


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Perception


    </td>


    <td>


    20


    </td>


    <td>


    Charisma:


    </td>


    <td>


    10


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Strength:


    </td>


    <td>


    LOCKED


    </td>


    <td>


    Agility:


    </td>


    <td>


    LOCKED


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Hey, Jess. You seeing a status screen?¡± James calls out. ¡°Yeah, what''s up with that?¡± Jessie replies. ¡°I don''t know,¡± James says. James tries to shrug but finds he can''t. ¡°I can''t move!¡± he cries out. ¡°Me neither,¡± says Jessie nonchalantly. Jessie could see where this was going, she had read stories that seemed similar to this situation before. ¡°It seems as if we are dungeon cores. Or a dungeon core. Means we got no body. It also means we should have some form of companion, who gives us a tutorial. Where is it tho¡­¡± she ends with a murmur, mentally searching the room. ¡°You don''t get a companion¡± the voice from earlier says, ¡°You are relying on Jessie''s knowledge of this subject. However, I may choose to help every so often.¡± ¡°Not cool magic lady, not cool,¡± Jessie says, trying to recall what they should do first, ¡°Hey magic lady! Can you give us some quests at the very least?¡± The voice sighs, ¡°I guess¡± and a pop-up appears for both of the siblings.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    New Quest!


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Description:


    Let''s get started. Build the dungeon basics


    Objectives:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Build a path to the surface (Incomplete)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Gain two or more different types of creatures to defend your dungeon (0/2)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Build two or more rooms (0/2)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Build a trap (0/1)</li>


    </ul>


    Rewards:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">100xp</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">What you make/get</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Knowledge</li>


    </ul>


    Bonuses are Possible.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Good I guess,¡± says Jessie. ¡°C¡¯mon James, Let''s go!¡±

 Chapter 3/4

    <h1>Chapter Three</h1>


    <h2>Jessie¡¯s POV</h2>


    ¡°So. How much mana would it take to build a new room? Or a corridor to the surface?¡± I ask James. ¡°How would I know?¡± he replied, obviously frustrated with the situation. ¡°I don''t know¡­ Maybe you should be trying to build us a home at the very least? You are the builder out of us aren''t you?¡± I reply trying to cheer him up. ¡°I guess¡­¡± he says, ¡°To dig a new room directly adjacent to this one, it will cost one hundred mana per ten square meters. Corridors have the same cost ratio.¡± ¡°That''s the spirit!¡± I say, ¡°Let''s get digging. You make the rooms over here by the core, and I''ll make the traps and a corridor out to the surface.¡± I point my consciousness towards a direction. South. And start digging. After 5 meters I stop. I have half my mana left, fifty points. I go check on what James is doing. He has dug out a room behind our original room and moved our core into it. The core is on a small decorative pillar, with a mirror of the pillar coming down from the roof. It looks cool. I comment on that and look back out to my corridor. I place a hole, a ¡®pit trap.¡¯ ¡°Hmm. gonna need to build something better than just this¡± I think out loud. I add little stalagmite-like spikes at the bottom and start designing a breakable floor. I make a thin sheet of stone, and make sure not to reinforce it with magic. I put the sheet carefully on top, just as I run out of mana. A message appears in my view.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2">


    Would you like to Save Schematic ¡°Basic Pitfall Spike Trap¡±?


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Yes


    </td>


    <td>


    No


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah! I say, and it says¡°Schematic Saved¡± I smile inwardly, as I wait for my mana to regenerate.


    <h2>James¡¯ POV</h2>


    I start by building a room opposite Jessie''s new corridor. I make it exactly ten meters squared, and because of my increased mana pool, I still had mana left over. I used the leftover mana to carve intricate pillars supporting the core in the center of the room. Once that was done, I made it so the core was embedded into the pillars, so if the core was moved the pillars would move with it. And at that point, I was out of mana. I open my stat screen to see what it looked like.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Name:


    </td>


    <td>


    James


    </td>


    <td>


    Level:


    </td>


    <td>


    1 (50/100xp)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Type:


    </td>


    <td>


    Dual Green Garnet


    </td>


    <td>


    Core Partner:


    </td>


    <td>


    Jessie


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Integrity:


    </td>


    <td>


    100%


    </td>


    <td>


    Mana:


    </td>


    <td>


    0/175 (3MP/hour)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Intelligence:


    </td>


    <td>


    15


    </td>


    <td>


    Wisdom:


    </td>


    <td>


    15Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Perception


    </td>


    <td>


    20


    </td>


    <td>


    Charisma:


    </td>


    <td>


    10


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Strength:


    </td>


    <td>


    LOCKED


    </td>


    <td>


    Agility:


    </td>


    <td>


    LOCKED


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Looks like all my work paid off. Time to rest for now then, I guess.


    <h1>Chapter Four</h1>


    ~30 Hours Later


    <h2>Jessie¡¯s POV</h2>


    My mana pool has finally filled up. Really got boring waiting. Looking at my experience it seems I am three-quarters of the way to level two. I mine out the next ten meters, and suddenly I get a message;


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Level Up


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You reached level two. Congratulations


    Rewards:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Rope (Trap component version)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">5 Stat points</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">100MP</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Woohoo!¡± I shout out. I immediately start making a new trap. I start by making a set of holes in the roof. In the holes, I place spikes and hold them up with ropes. I put a blade that will slide across cutting all those ropes, attached via ropes to a weight. The weight is held up by a platform, which falls if a pressure plate in the floor is hit. Pretty ingenious if I do say so myself. The system puts up a pop-up similar to when I made the ¡®Basic Pitfall Spike Trap¡¯ I confirm and go to look at my stat screen. I decide to put all five of my new points into Intelligence so that my mana would regen faster. When I''m done my stat screen looks like this;


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Name:


    </td>


    <td>


    Jessie


    </td>


    <td>


    Level:


    </td>


    <td>


    2 (25/200xp)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Type:


    </td>


    <td>


    Dual Ruby


    </td>


    <td>


    Core Partner:


    </td>


    <td>


    James


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Integrity:


    </td>


    <td>


    100%


    </td>


    <td>


    Mana:


    </td>


    <td>


    50/150 (6MP/hour)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Intelligence:


    </td>


    <td>


    30


    </td>


    <td>


    Wisdom:


    </td>


    <td>


    10


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Perception:


    </td>


    <td>


    10


    </td>


    <td>


    Charisma:


    </td>


    <td>


    15


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Strength:


    </td>


    <td>


    LOCKED


    </td>


    <td>


    Agility:


    </td>


    <td>


    LOCKED


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    With my remaining fifty mana, I dig out another five meters, before starting to rest again. I really wish my mana could go up faster, but that is something for another time.


    <h2>James¡¯ POV</h2>


    Thirty hours. Thirty hours and I have just over half my mana. I really need to up my mana recharge rate I mentally sigh as I start Digging out another room. I hear Jessie cheer, and I go look down her hall. There is a new trap that utilizes rope. We didn''t have rope before. She probably finished some form of a personalized quest or levelled up. Thinking of the quest, I bring up the ¡®screen¡¯ for it


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    New Quest!


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Description:


    Let''s get started. Build the dungeon basics


    Objectives:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Build a path to the surface (Incomplete)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Gain two or more different types of creatures to defend your dungeon (0/2)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Build two or more rooms (2/2)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Build a trap (2/1)</li>


    </ul>


    Rewards:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">100xp each</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">What you make/get</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Knowledge</li>


    </ul>


    Bonuses are Possible.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I smile inwardly, glad that at the very least we are making progress.

 Chapter 5

    <h1>Chapter Five</h1>


    ~30 Hours Later


    <h2>Jessie''s POV</h2>


    My mana pool is finally full again. I dig out another ten meters, and place another ¡®Basic Pitfall Spike Trap¡¯. That leaves me with twenty mana which I use to dig out another two meters. Mana seems to be my real hold back right now. Another thing I noticed, is that once something is saved as a schematic it costs less than when I build it from scratch. I go over to the rooms to watch what James was up to. He has three rooms now, and the core is looking slightly larger. That probably has something due to levelling up. Although, he might not have gained a level yet. Well, I guess it''s time to bug him.


    <h1></h1>


    <h2>James'' POV</h2>


    Back to ninety mana. Still almost nothing. Almost at the next level. I finish off the room I started, and start another room. I move the core, which is looking bigger, into the new room. The new room is gonna be the central room, so I made it a bit larger, with the final size planned to have a fifteen-meter diameter. It''ll still be a square, but if you want exact measurements it will be fifteen meters from the entrance to the opposite side and fifteen meters between the left side and the right. It''s gonna be taller than the normal rooms which are two meters tall. It''s odd how the area I dig out for each ten mana isn''t one meter cubed. It''s one square meter, with a two-meter high roof. The whole of the dungeon dug out like that. The system was probably making it adventurer friendly, while still giving it the size I choose. I wonder how carving out a higher roof in this new room will work.


    <h1></h1>


    ¡°Hey bro, what you doing?¡± Jessie says to me. ¡°I''m building the central room for this floor now. I plan to make it bigger than the other rooms, and it''ll look so awesome!¡± I tell her excitedly. ¡°Awesome!¡± she replies, ¡°I can''t wait to see it. And maybe you could make a side room for our little creatures to stay when we get some. That would be great.¡± ¡°Nice idea sis,¡± I tell her, before looking at a new message that''s appeared in front of me.


    <h1>


    </h1>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Level Up


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You reached level two. Congratulations


    Rewards:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Decorative Materials</li>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Marble</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Jade</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Basalt</li>


    </ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">5 Stat points</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">100MP</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <h1></h1>


    ¡°Nice¡± I exclaim. ¡°Wassup?¡± Jessie asks me interested. ¡°I just got some new materials. And I also levelled up. I can''t wait to put this all to use.¡± ¡°I agree that is nice,¡± Jessie says, ¡°I''d put your points in intelligence. To clarify, I''m not calling you dumb, but you probably need the mana regen¡± ¡°Good idea. Thanks sis.¡± I reply, immediately assigning the stat points. Afterwards, my stat screen looks like this;If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    <h1></h1>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Name:


    </td>


    <td>


    James


    </td>


    <td>


    Level:


    </td>


    <td>


    2 (0/200xp)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Type:


    </td>


    <td>


    Dual Green Garnet


    </td>


    <td>


    Core Partner:


    </td>


    <td>


    Jessie


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Integrity:


    </td>


    <td>


    100%


    </td>


    <td>


    Mana:


    </td>


    <td>


    100/175 (4MP/hour)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Intelligence:


    </td>


    <td>


    20


    </td>


    <td>


    Wisdom:


    </td>


    <td>


    15


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Perception


    </td>


    <td>


    20


    </td>


    <td>


    Charisma:


    </td>


    <td>


    10


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Strength:


    </td>


    <td>


    LOCKED


    </td>


    <td>


    Agility:


    </td>


    <td>


    LOCKED


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <h1></h1>


    I decide to check out what we have in the menu. The menu seems to have only just popped up, but thinking about it I realize that it''s been there the whole time I open it up, and it gives me a list of choices. ''Traps'' which thinking about it was originally greyed out, meaning it holds only the traps Jess made. There is creatures which is greyed, out Items also greyed out, and materials. I open the materials menu. I have slate and limestone, which are probably what I started with. I also have the new materials, marble, jade, and basalt. In a separate category, labeled traps there is also some rope. Interesting selection of materials. I look back at the pillar the core is in, and turn it to marble. I add some basalt details. I choose to save the jade for later. Upgrading the pillar cost a hefty fifty mana. I use the remaining fifty to dig out another five square meters of the new room. At this point I don''t have much to do, so I relax, and start to rest.

 Chapter 6/7

    <h1>Chapter Six</h1>


    Another Thirty Hours later.


    <h2>Jessie¡¯s POV</h2>


    Another thirty hours, and another full mana pool. This process is getting kinda boring. I start to dig another ten meters, only to come out on the surface after five meters. It''s wet. A puddle forms in the entrance. I''m not liking wherever this is. The water starts to disappear, and a message comes up saying that I''ve absorbed water, and can now use it for building, or in traps. Sounds interesting, But I don''t really have anywhere to actually put a new trap. For now, I''ll go surprise James and place a little spring or fountain in the second room. Heading over there I notice that the center of the new room has finally been cleared out. I put a fountain in the center of the second room and smiled as the water came out, pooling in a little bowl at the bottom. I''d leave the decorating to James. I open up my stat screen to see when my next level would be.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Name:


    </td>


    <td>


    Jessie


    </td>


    <td>


    Level:


    </td>


    <td>


    2 (125/200xp)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Type:


    </td>


    <td>


    Dual Ruby


    </td>


    <td>


    Core Partner:


    </td>


    <td>


    James


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Integrity:


    </td>


    <td>


    100%


    </td>


    <td>


    Mana:


    </td>


    <td>


    50/150 (6MP/hour)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Intelligence:


    </td>


    <td>


    30


    </td>


    <td>


    Wisdom:


    </td>


    <td>


    10


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Perception:


    </td>


    <td>


    10


    </td>


    <td>


    Charisma:


    </td>


    <td>


    15


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Strength:


    </td>


    <td>


    LOCKEDUnauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    </td>


    <td>


    Agility:


    </td>


    <td>


    LOCKED


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Seventy-five more experience points then I level up. I guess, for now, I should watch the entrance.


    <h2>James¡¯ POV</h2>


    I''ve dug out the room some more. It''s not much, but at least it''s progress. Suddenly I feel a chill I look out over to where Jessie was working. She opened a tunnel to the outside world. Looking through I see trees. And a puddle is forming in the doorway. I sigh. I hate the rain. I move my view back to where I was building, only to notice a fountain in the second room. I feel the need to decorate it, but I''m fully out of mana. Having a limited mana pool sucks. I really wish I had higher regen. Maybe that''s one of the bonuses for the quest. Thinking of the quest, we only need to get some creatures now, and then we will be done. I honestly cannot wait.


    Chapter Seven


    About Ten Hours Later


    <h2>Jessie¡¯s POV</h2>


    Something has come into the dungeon. It''s a little critter. No larger than a human head. It looks like a large spider. I immediately dislike it. On top of that, it''s way too tiny to trigger my traps too. Maybe I can make it go into the fountain. Drown it. Unlikely that would work. Maybe I could place a new trap. I try opening a hole in the wall. Only to find that I can''t place anything in that corridor. Ok¡­ what to do, what to do. I open a hole in the entrance of the first room and fill it halfway with water. I smooth the walls of the hole to the best of my abilities as the spider finally reaches the room, blocking my access from modifying it. I tell James, and we both look at the hole to see what the spider would do with this new obstacle. It tries to jump but falls a little bit short. I sigh with relief, as I watch the spider struggle. After ten minutes it stops moving and sinks into the water, And within five minutes of that, I get a burst of mana, and a message appears in front of me.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Congratulations


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You defeated a Tarantula You gain;


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">10XP</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">5MP</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The ability to spawn Tarantula</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I fill in the hole. The system asks if I want to save ''Drowning Pit''. I tell it no, preparing a new trap to deal with some little creatures. I have about thirty mana now. I start by digging a hole in the side of the corridor. That takes ten mana, and clears one and a half meters below the floor, with a half a meter opening to get in. I smooth the edges of this hole, taking two mana. I open a half a meter tall hole, that is one meter wide, and goes back half a meter. It takes only three mana for that part. I dig a three-centimetre deep channel across the center of the floor, put a water source in the smaller opening. I put a thing to absorb water if it goes over a third of the hole on the opposite side, and in the end, I have used a total of twenty mana, leaving me with ten mana. I swear to never put down a single tarantula in our dungeon, and look at my experience. I now have one-hundred-seventy-five experience points out of a required two hundred. At least that is going well for me.


    James¡¯ POV


    A spider. Jessie freaked out because of a spider. She made a hole in the floor to drown the spider because she was scared of it, and her other traps wouldn''t work. Now, after the fact she''s built an ugly little water thing across the path to wipe out the smaller creatures. I sigh and decide to use my mana to pretty it up. I start by putting a nice floor in that corridor. I make the floor into tiled basalt, tiling it only for the purpose of better hiding her pressure plates. Which I also turned into basalt tiles. That takes a whole twenty of my forty-five mana. Twenty-five mana would probably get me one of the walls, or the roof. Which wouldn''t work at all. So I choose to make the starts of a doorway at the front. I put in a lovely arch, and spots to attach hinges into. That might convince Jess to remove her water trap some point in the future. The door frame, an arch, takes a whole twenty mana, even before I could detail it. I put a little-carved message above that reads ¡®Dungeon¡¯, and with that, I''m completely out of mana yet again.

 Chapter 8

    <h1>Chapter Eight</h1>


    About Twenty Hours Later


    <h2>Jessie¡¯s POV</h2>


    Within the last twenty hours, ten more spiders have tried getting in. at least I know that my new trap works. James prettied up my corridor to the surface once I had finished my new trap, so I have that going for me. Seeing as my mana pool is full again I head over to the center room, no longer needing to watch the entrance, and wow, James has done well. The room has been dug out quite a bit more. At this point, he has done most of the room, with only about forty square meters of space left to go. I head over to the right side of the room and dig out a two-meter-long corridor, taking twenty mana. To make the room I want to make, I¡¯m going to need seven-hundred and fifty mana for the room itself. That¡¯s gonna take a while. I might as well get started. I only manage to clear one square meter before realizing, I should have a level up. Looking at my stat screen, I am level three. Did I miss the message?


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Level Up


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You reached level Three. Congratulations


    Rewards:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">5 Stat points</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">100MP</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Oh¡­ nope, there it is I guess it was delayed. I pop all five points into intelligence, bringing my mana regen up to seven per hour now. No new materials or anything this time. Kinda sad but it makes sense. I technically have access to get them myself, but I also don''t due to lacking any form of creature. Hmm¡­ That brings up a question. What types of creatures could I get to collect things and would they be able to leave. I guess I¡¯ll find out some other time. I go back and dig my room back four more meters, and out to the sides by another meter. Of course, due to lack of mana, one side isn''t as dug out as the other. Oh well.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    A spider showed up, but this time it was running from something. It gets into the dungeon, and as it falls into the little water trap, a fox walks cautiously into the dungeon. IT''S SO CUTE!! I watch it as it slowly wanders through the entrance way. It reaches the water trap and looks at the drowning hole as if it could tell that the tarantula just died in there. It continues forward. I really hope it can trigger the pitfall at the very least. Not because I want it dead, but because I want to keep it away from the core. It slowly wanders onto the swinging blade trap¡­ And triggers it! ¡°Yes!¡± I exclaim as it jumps back in shock from the blade suddenly slicing right by its neck. Of course, jumping causes it to get nicked by the blade. It shakes away it¡¯s shock and continues down the corridor. It comes across the first of the two pitfall traps, walks onto it, and subsequently falls to its death at the spikes I mentally gag as the message comes up for defeating my first fox.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Congratulations


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You defeated a Rainy Fox You gain;


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">50xp</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">25MP</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The ability to spawn Rainy Fox</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Woot!¡± I exclaim as I go to spawn one. Only to find out that my fox friend is going to cost two times the mana than I got for defeating this one. That really ruins the mood. I mentally pout as I start waiting for more mana. To get the little guy, I would need to wait another couple of hours. Doesn''t sound fun.

 Chapter 9

    <h1>Chapter Nine</h1>


    About Fifteen Hours Later


    <h2>Jessie''s POV</h2>


    My mana finally has refilled. Time to make myself a little fox buddy. It says fifty mana in the menu. I have one-fifty. That would leave me with ten mana for other things. Probably just to carve out the room I''m making out some more. Well, back to business. I decide I want to make my fox special, so I start by putting the fox down. Before it finishes I pause the process, and a little menu appears;


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="3">


    Creature Customization


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Modification


    </td>


    <td>


    Price


    </td>


    <td>


    Enabled/Disabled


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Base Fox


    </td>


    <td>


    25mp


    </td>


    <td>


    Always On


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Sleek (+1 Agility, Sleeker Fur)


    </td>


    <td>


    5mp


    </td>


    <td>


    On


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Waterproof


    </td>


    <td>


    10mp


    </td>


    <td>


    On


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Colour Scheme - Rainy


    </td>


    <td>


    5mp


    </td>


    <td>


    On (Customisable)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Agility Boost (+5 Agility)If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    </td>


    <td>


    5mp


    </td>


    <td>


    On


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Agility Boost 2 (+5 Agility


    </td>


    <td>


    5mp


    </td>


    <td>


    Off


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Strength Boost (+5 Strength)


    </td>


    <td>


    10mp


    </td>


    <td>


    Off


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Health Boost (+10hp)


    </td>


    <td>


    15mp


    </td>


    <td>


    Off


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Sturdy (+10hp, +10 Strength)


    </td>


    <td>


    25mp


    </td>


    <td>


    Off


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Monster Core (Allows Respawn)


    </td>


    <td>


    25mp


    </td>


    <td>


    off


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Total


    </td>


    <td>


    50mp


    </td>


    <td>


    N/A


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Hmm¡­ Interesting options. It''s also interesting to know that I could have gotten a fox for only twenty-five mana if I disabled everything. Of course, that would mean that my fox would be a completely random colour, and it wouldn''t stand a chance against its wild counterparts. I decide to spend the extra mana to get it sturdy and a monster core. Means my little buddy is gonna be an expensive guy, at a whole hundred mana cost. While I''m at it I also make it''s colour scheme more grey, making it into an interesting orange-grey colour. I like it. I press resume on the spawning process, and my little buddy finishes spawning in. He is SOO CUTE!! I give him the order to just wander the room I put him in. speaking of that room, I spend my remaining fifty mana into digging out more of said room. This room was gonna be my little monster lab. In the future, I''ll probably add a connected room to experiment with traps in. I also plan to make the entrance a locked door with a little doggy flap for my animals. Don''t know how I''ll do that yet, but it''s nice to plan in advance. I smile as I watch my little fox explore what little of his room is complete. I''m probably going to need the little guy to collect me some materials for his new room, but I''ll save that for some other time and just watch him for now.


    <h2>James'' POV</h2>


    I have this down to a process now. Dig, wait, repeat. So boring. Almost done the room though, so that''s a plus. I''m still getting a little experience from all the rats dying, but that isn''t really much. Maybe I should try my chances at making a trap¡­ No. that would be against my principles. I¡¯m a builder, not a fighter. Though, building traps, crafting tools, and crafting weapons all fit into that category. What could I do without killing? I mean there is always decorations, but after a while, I bet it would stop giving me enough experience. I am only half the way to level three, and Jess is like half the way to four. I''m gonna fall way behind if I don''t find a solution to this. I mentally sigh and look around to see what Jess has done. Only to find she made a room coming off of my center room. Looking in it reveals a fox. Makes sense, she did build traps, and I did get a message for the dungeon having killed its first fox. I watch it wander around a bit, but after a while, I get bored and go back into my little hibernation mode I do while waiting for mana.

 Chapter 10

    <h1>Chapter Ten</h1>


    About Fifteen Hours Later


    <h2>Jessie''s POV</h2>


    Mr. Fox, I checked his gender using his stat screen, has fallen asleep at this point. I remove a pitfall trap from the entrance corridor since I have too many in there. I decide I should make a safety for the dungeon. I go into the first room and place a stone wall at the way forward. I get a warning, but it won''t be there long. I create a hole above the wall, with just enough room for it. I attach the wall to ropes and lift it up. It''s going to be loud, but I have an interesting idea. I put the rope through a pulley, and then along a path leading to my little room. If I release the rope using either manipulation, a creature, or some form of trap trigger, the dungeon gets closed. And I really mean closed. The stone will slam down sealing everything out. Of course according to that warning from earlier If I block the access from the core, then I can''t modify anything past there. Not really effective, but if I''m using this mechanism then the dungeon isn''t usable past that point anyway. Using a similar technique I create a small side room with a pedestal in the middle. The pedestal will eventually have treasure, but for now, it is empty. I use the pedestal as a sort of specific pressure plate, kind of like in Indiana Jones. If there is too much, or too little weight than spikes I¡¯ve put in the roof will fall, killing anyone in the room. Right now, it''s just stone spikes like the pitfall and the swinging blades. But of course in the future, all three will be reinforced with metal, if not completely replaced with metal. That whole room and trap actually will take two-hundred mana once I rope up the spikes, but I neither have the remaining fifty mana, or the treasure item to put into the trap. So, for now, the trap has the spikes held up into the roof, with barely any ropework up there. I¡¯ve let my fox out now. Being a dungeon creature, he knows where the pressure plate is, and to stick to the edges as not to fall int the pitfall. He jumps over the drowning trap, and heads out to go do¡­ Something. After he leaves through the archway, I lose all perception of him, so I''m left hoping he''ll return.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    <h2>James'' POV</h2>


    The center room is mostly carved out now. Just a little bit left. I start to go rest when I get a warning. It says that If I seal an area off from access to the core, I can no longer modify that area. I move my consciousness towards the entry to find out what that was all about. Only to see that Jessie has added in a ¡®Door¡¯. It isn''t really much of a door though. Just a stone wall that walls down if you break a rope. I continue to watch as Jess makes a room that has spikes hidden in the ceiling. I don''t really know the purpose, but with the loose pillar in the center of the room, I can assume it''s probably some Indiana Jones Type stuff. That gives me an idea. I don''t really like this plan, but It is going to become necessary for me to continue levelling up. I add a side room to the second room and put a little stone chest in the center. I add a sealing door mechanism to the entrance of the room as I run out of mana. This is going to be a very mean idea, and I am already regretting it. But I have to go through with my plans. I mentally sigh, and stare at the room, wondering how I¡¯ll work the next component to it out. I don''t even know the skills required to do it, but I can probably make a much more obvious version using what we have and know right now.

 Chapter 11

    <h1>Chapter Eleven</h1>


    About Fifteen Hours Later


    <h2>Jessie''s POV</h2>


    Mr. Fox came back after an hour. He was carrying a dead spider. I should be congratulating him for helping lower the population of those things, but he brought the body back. Usually, when an animal brings the corpse of it¡¯s kill back to its master, It is bringing it as a gift. I don''t know how I feel about that. I had him put the body in the water trap, and sent him out to go gather something else. He hasn''t yet returned.


    With my mana pool full again, I continue work on my little kennel type room. I finish digging out the last of it, and because I don''t have any materials to use, I start digging little tunnels throughout the dungeon for my little guys to go down to access other rooms easier. I start by making a doggy door type thing into the center room, and then make a passage to the first room. I copy the little lockdown thing onto the passage, but of course at a smaller size due to how small the passage itself is. This leaves me with a third of my mana. I really don''t know what to do with it though. I add to the passage to the first room, making a little turn off into the second room. I add some more roping to my trap room, but I still can''t finish it until I get some loot to place. Now I¡¯m out of mana, but a message comes up;


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Level Up


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You reached level Three. Congratulations


    Rewards:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Fabric Material</li>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Fox Pelt (Bringing up the fact you have it)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Cotton</li>


    </ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">10 Stat points</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">150MP</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    My mana bar has been completely refilled, and I got some stat points. I don''t like the fact that I have fox pelts, but I bring the matter up to James so that he can have something to do. The cotton will be nice to make a little bed for my fox. Speaking of the fox, He''s back. He''s carrying a bundle of moss covered sticks. I don''t know whether I am proud of him, or confused because he was able to understand my orders so well. I decide the former, and when he puts down the sticks, I make him a little stick and cotton bed and then give him praise. He seems to be reacting to it, but I''m probably just imagining things. I take my attention off him to see what the moss is, and he wanders through my little passages to go sleep in his nice new bed. The moss seems to be just usable as a decorative, so I place some in the entrance to simulate it spreading into the dungeon. I head over to my kennel room and place little stick and rope walls between the different areas where I plan to put beds and stuff. I think it looks cute. I look at my start screen. I can either raise my mana regen by two more points, or I can start raising my maximum mana. I decide that getting my mana regeneration up is still the priority. Once I¡¯ve put my points in, I look at my stat screen.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Name:


    </td>


    <td>


    Jessie


    </td>


    <td>


    Level:


    </td>


    <td>


    4 (25/400xp)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Type:


    </td>


    <td>


    Dual Ruby


    </td>


    <td>


    Core Partner:


    </td>


    <td>


    James


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Core Integrity:


    </td>


    <td>


    100%


    </td>


    <td>


    Mana:


    </td>


    <td>


    0/150 (8MP/hour)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Intelligence:


    </td>


    <td>


    40


    </td>


    <td>


    Wisdom:


    </td>


    <td>


    10


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Perception:


    </td>


    <td>


    10


    </td>


    <td>


    Charisma:


    </td>


    <td>


    15


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Strength:


    </td>


    <td>


    LOCKED


    </td>


    <td>


    Agility:


    </td>


    <td>


    LOCKED


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I smile happy with what I¡¯ve done today.


    <h2>James'' POV</h2>


    I decided to scrap my trap. I left the room with the stone chest, but I destroyed all the trap components. Jessie showed me that I could make fox pelts. She said to keep whatever I make from it away from her ¡®Kennel¡¯ and her fox. I also got access to sticks, cotton, and some moss. Leaves me to wonder how much that mysterious ¡®Magic Lady¡¯ is helping her. I mean, there is the chance that her fox did bring some of that stuff in, but I really doubt it. Somehow, I have a full mana pool. Probably killed a lot of spiders. I dig out two more standard rooms past the center room and move the core. And suddenly I am completely out of mana. I mean I was only able to get the last room done because I levelled up. I pump the five points from level three into Intelligence, pumping my mana regen to five per hour. Still not much, but I''m finally on par with what Jess started with.


    Planning ahead, I could probably make some armour with the fox pelt if I make myself somewhere to set up all of the required stations to properly work it with. Maybe I should do a Jessie, and make my own room on the second floor. Of course, my room would be a crafting room and have a section the adventurers we eventually get can work in. We''ll see how it turns out when I get to that point.

 Chapter 12

    <h1>Chapter Twelve</h1>


    About Fifteen Hours Later


    <h2>Jessie''s POV</h2>


    I decided to name the fox. His name is Rocky now. He left a couple hours ago and has just walked back in. He''s carrying a butterfly and is running from something. He drops the butterfly into the water trap, and dashes through the corridor of traps, stopping at the entrance to the first room, then proceeding to sit facing the entryway. As he sits, a big spotted cat dashes through the entrance. The cat easily jumps over the water trap and continues running. Somehow by chance, the cat triggers the swinging blade trap. The blade swings down, and chops off the cat''s tail braking itself in the process. The cat screams out in pain, now slowing down to be cautious. As it slowly draws nearer to the pitfall trap it notices Rocky, who is just sitting there watching. It growls, starts to run, and subsequently falls into the pit trap. That could have easily gone worse if Rocky hadn''t been there. I wonder to myself if he knew that¡­ Nah, it''s just an animal, it can''t be that smart. I dismiss the notion and watch as Rocky wanders back to his little bed. I decide to look at the notifications I got for that fight.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Congratulations


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Your Dungeon Fox ¡®Rocky¡¯ defeated a Blue Morpho You gain;


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">5xp</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">1MP</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The ability to spawn Blue Morpho</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You defeated an Ocelot You gain;


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">100xp</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">50MP</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The ability to spawn Ocelot</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    It¡¯s odd how the Butterfly had a type specific message. I kinda expected it to say a butterfly died, and leave it at that. Hmm. I open up the creatures menu and pull up the page for the Blue MorphoDid you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Creature Info


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Blue Morpho:


    The Blue Morpho is a large blue butterfly. The only difference between Blue Morphos and normal butterflies is the unique alchemical usage of it. Blue Morphos are used in some types of mana potions produced in villages near rainforests or jungles.


    Mana Cost: 2mp Base, no possible modifications.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Wow. That¡¯s really valuable. The only problem is that dungeons don''t have mouths, and therefore can''t use mana potions. So, I guess it''s just loot¡­ Damn. I spawn a couple of the little buggers throughout the center room.


    <h2>James'' POV</h2>


    I''m starting to work on the center room. I start by digging out a little pond in the center of it. I put a little rock coming out of the center of the pond, and make a little water spring in it. At some point, I¡¯m going to have to figure out how the water sources work, but for now, that''s not my priority. I put arcing pillars coming up from the corners of the room, meeting at a center pillar I make the center pillar stand on top of the rock in the center of the pond. I¡¯m nearly out of mana now, so I take a step back (figuratively) and look at my work. Only to see butterflies popping up around the room. I go to look at my notifications, and right on top is my level four page. The fact I got it probably explains how I was able to build my pillars fully. After it is a message for ¡®Rocky¡¯ killing a Blue Morpho, whatever that is. Under that is a message for killing an Ocelot, which apparently gave me a full hundred experience. I guess that on top of all my building, levelled me up. Cool.