_____________________________
[Spectral Reaver (Patrolling Spawn), Level 05, has slain Verdenkind Intruder, Barbarian, Level 6]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Spectral Reaver (Patrolling Spawn), Level 05, has slain Verdenkind Intruder, Barbarian, Level 5]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Spectral Reaver (Patrolling Spawn), Level 07, has slain Verdenkind Intruder, Knight, Level 6]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Spectral Reaver (Patrolling Spawn), Level 05, slain by Verdenkind, Rogue, Level 7]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Spectral Reaver (Patrolling Spawn), Level 07, has slain Verdenkind Intruder, Rogue, Level 7]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
System Notification Intrusion Report:
Invasion successfully repelled, G.P and domain secured, all interfaces are now available.
_____________________________
***
Though I couldn’t say exactly how much time had passed, the steady rise in my M.A left no doubt, it had been a while. Not the most precise estimation, sure, but hey, we work with what we’ve got. Anyway, that time brought more invasions, and the enemies weren’t just increasing in number, they were getting stronger, forcing me to adapt to the ever-increasing challenges.
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
System Notification
Intrusion Report:
Fourteen entities have invaded your dungeon domain. G.P safety compromised.
Suggestion:
Secure G.P, put an end to the invasion.
Intercept and Slay the invaders
Estimated Reward:
457.7 G.P
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Death Paladin (Patrolling Spawn, Enhanced), Level 17, has slain Verdenkind Intruder, Knight, Level 15]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Death Paladin (Patrolling Spawn, Enhanced), Level 17, has slain Verdenkind Intruder, Knight, Level 15]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Spectral Reaver (Patrolling Spawn, Enhanced), Level 17, has slain Verdenkind Intruder, Knight, Level 13]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Spectral Reaver (Patrolling Spawn, Enhanced), Level 17, has slain Verdenkind Intruder, Knight, Level 13]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Spawning Spawn, Enhanced), Level 17, has slain Verdenkind Intruder, Barbarian, Level 12]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Shadow Specter (Spawning Spawn, Enhanced), Level 17, has slain Verdenkind Intruder, Barbarian, Level 14]
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Spectral Reaver (Patrolling Spawn, Enhanced), Level 17, has slain Verdenkind Intruder, Knight, Level 15]
_____________________________
***
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
System Notification Intrusion Report:
Invasion successfully repelled, G.P and domain secured, all interfaces are now available.
_____________________________
As much as I waited patiently for his return, like a damsel in distress awaiting her prince charming, all while tirelessly improving my spawns and fortifying my dungeon to give him a proper welcome, Ralgar, the elusive knight who had escaped me twice, never came back.
It was a disappointing development. I had been preparing for that confrontation, eagerly anticipating the moment I would finally harvest him. But it never came.
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Seventeen invasions.
That’s how long it had been since his last visit. At this point, I was starting to think I’d never get my chance. A tragedy, truly. I had been looking forward to that day.
The invaders kept coming, which, honestly, was good for business. While invasions became a common occurrence, my spawns steadily grew stronger and more varied, and I expanded and reshaped the dungeon as much as my resources allowed. I even went so far as to finally acquire a spawn fit to be my Dungeon Guardian. The cost was steep, but it was well worth it, given the stat boost it provided to my other spawns.
Because yes, apparently, that’s how it works. By designating a spawn, ideally the strongest available as Dungeon Guardian, it enhances the rest of my spawns, granting them increased MP, SP, and HP, along with stronger defenses and offense. This effect is especially potent on spawns that share similar characteristics, in my case, the undead type.
Though it’s probably not a good idea to bring emotions into this, I have to admit, I’ve grown quite fond of undead-type spawns. Mostly because their cost-to-resource ratio is far more efficient than other types. So, naturally, the majority of my spawns fell into that category, and they all benefited from the enhancements granted by my newly appointed Dungeon Guardian.
***
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
System Notification Intrusion Report:
Invasion successfully repelled, G.P and domain secured, all interfaces are now available.
_____________________________
Since assigning a guardian to my dungeon, my domain has been invaded dozens of times, yet I’ve never had the chance to actually use my guardian for anything beyond its stat-boosting properties.
The requirement for choosing a Dungeon Guardian is simple, it must be the strongest spawn available. Or, more precisely, the one with the highest GP cost, which roughly translates to being the strongest.
But unlike my regular spawns, a guardian isn’t something I can just deploy at will. It has no patrolling behavior, and instead, it can only be assigned to one of two fixed behaviors: Spawning Behavior and Guarding Behavior
The moment a spawn is promoted to guardian status, it gets locked inside something called a Sanctum, a mini-domain within my domain. This space is inherently separate from the rest of my dungeon, meaning the guardian cannot leave, and my other spawns cannot enter.
Two entirely separate spaces.
I chose to station my guardian in the deepest part of my domain.
I could have placed it at the entrance, where invaders first spawn, but that didn’t seem like a smart idea. A Dungeon Guardian is far too valuable to risk right away. Instead, I use my regular spawns as fodder, thinning out the invaders before they ever reach the guardian.
Under that setup, something unexpected happened. No invaders ever made it to my guardian.
On one hand, that was a good thing. It meant my defenses were working. But on the other hand?
I had been looking forward to testing my Dungeon Guardian in battle. And so far? No such luck. A shame, truly a shame.
***
“Aaaaaaannnnnnd, that’s an invasion taken care of.”
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
System Notification Intrusion Report:
Invasion successfully repelled, G.P and domain secured, all interfaces are now available.
_____________________________
“Good work everybody even though that’s ju—” I began, interrupting myself at the sight of quite an unexpected but not so foreign notification.
_____________________________
[ Dungeon Core Interface ]
System Notification:
Congratulations, 「???」. Another cycle has run its course.
Harvest Successful.
+122 G.P earned.
_____________________________
“Hehehe, now that I think of it, it’s been a while since the last cycle, or not. Anyway, that is some GP I’d be more than happy to invest.”
***
At this point, I couldn’t help but start questioning things; mainly, why do these Verdenkinds keep invading my dungeon?
Don’t get me wrong, I'm more than happy to watch my G.P steadily increase, but at some point, I reached a stage where I started questioning the intelligence of these invaders.
They just keep coming.
Wave after wave, they charge in… and die.
Sure, each wave grows stronger, bringing tougher enemies into the fray, but by now, I’m fairly certain I’ve wiped out hundreds of them.
That begs the question why?
Could it be that the people in this world aren’t as intelligent as those from my old world?
Yes, they’re living a primitive lifestyle still fighting with swords, shields, and clubs but even that doesn’t excuse their repeated stupidity.
There’s no way any sane person would keep throwing bodies at a problem that has already cost hundreds of lives.
Right?
Right?!
"Arrgh… thinking about this is giving me a headache. I feel like I just shot myself in the foot with these questions."
Yeah, best not to dwell on this.
"It is what it is." That mindset has worked well for me so far, no need to change it now.
Shoving those thoughts aside, I turned my focus back to harvesting the fallen, and, of course, claiming their equipment.
***
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
_____________________________
Having repelled countless invasions, I had amassed quite the collection of equipment left behind by the fallen. Much like their lifeless bodies, these items could be harvested and converted into G.P, which was incredibly convenient.
Most of the loot consisted of swords, daggers, and shields, nothing of particular use to me or my spawns. However, I did notice something peculiar. The weapons in this world seemed to possess enhancements, particularly ones designed for slaying the undead.
I had no way of accurately gauging just how effective these enhancements were, but one thing was certain, these weapons which bore these traits consistently held a high G.P value. That alone made it satisfying to strip them from the invaders' corpses.
At first, I harvested every single one without a second thought. But, perhaps out of curiosity, or a vague hope that I might find another use for them, I started keeping at least one from each batch.
Before I knew it, I had a ridiculous stockpile.
Theoretically, I could equip my spawns or even my Guardian with these weapons… but that turned out to be pointless. At least for the spawns I’m using. No boosts, no enhancements, no added benefits whatsoever. Just a growing pile of weaponry, waiting for a purpose beyond being converted into G.P.
"Now that I think about it, I should probably just harvest most of these. They're really piling up."
I opened the inventory list and took a long look at the endless rows of weapons stacked within it.
"Hm… you know what? Nah, it’s nice to behold the way it is. Let’s leave it like this for now."
With no immediate threats, I went back to my usual pastime between invasions.
Sometimes, I’d spend hours sifting through the endless list of potential spawns, deciding which ones to acquire next. Other times, I’d strategize ways to increase my dungeon’s spawn levels, trying to anticipate the strength of the next invading wave.
Because they would come back.
They always did.
And when I wasn’t planning, I was refining my dungeon’s layout, tweaking its design to make it even more lethal, ensuring that any would-be invader would regret ever stepping foot in my domain.
Just as I was about to dive back into my routine, a notification abruptly flashed before me.
Another invasion.
"Already? The last invasion was just two M.A units ago!" I exclaimed.
That was fast, too fast. I hadn’t even finished respawning the three spawns I had lost in the previous battle.
However, my confusion only deepened as I looked at the interface before me.
This time, there was only one invader, the fewest I’d seen since the very first duo.
And the reward for defeating this lone enemy?
Now that… left me utterly perplexed.
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
System Notification
Intrusion Report:
One entity has invaded your dungeon domain. G.P safety compromised.
Suggestion:
Secure G.P, put an end to the invasion.
Intercept and Slay the invaders
Estimated Reward:
- 1229 G.P
- Authority: Otherworldly Synergy
_____________________________
“Huh?”
