Having transitioned from a strategy that prioritized both spawns and guardians under the precept of the sacred ratio to one that emphasized only guardians, Dungeon Master 02, like the others, successfully acquired an even stronger spawn than his initial one.
Furthermore, the Reclamation Protocol when activated bestowed quite the boon to his guardian who from the get-go began with already very impressive stats.
Dungeon Master 02’s domain Guardian, a Stormforged Colossus, was yet another natural-born title wielder that stood as an awe-inspiring behemoth, its massive form towering over the dungeon's inner sanctum and the invader it stood across. Its frame seems constructed from enchanted alloys, resembling darkened steel, with veins of crackling energy coursing through its metallic surface. The golem's eyes flicker with an inner lightning, revealing an otherworldly sapience. He donned on both arms, imposing Thunderstrike Gauntlets crackle with latent power, ready to unleash devastating bolts upon anyone or anything.
On the opposite side of the room, the adventuring party, while clearly confused by what just happened to them, nonetheless stood united as a diverse and formidable group. Adriant, the towering War Master-titled HighBreed, exuded strength with his battle-scarred visage and polished silver armor. Seraphina, the Healer, emanated a certain air of holiness, most likely because of her pristine white robes and flowing silver hair. The obviously twins, Jaime and Jaimy, Highbreed Monks, shared a worried but battle-ready stance and expression.
Elowen, the VerdenKind Archmage, with her silver hair and violet eyes, clad in robes adorned with arcane symbols, immediately withdrew to the background behind the twin monks, her staff beginning to shine with a magical blue light. Lastly, Kevin Karstark, the Paladin, stood on the forefront as a beacon of light, donned in gleaming armor adorned with strange symbols. His golden hair and noble silver eyes radiated an otherworldly virtue that screamed annoyingly to all of us: "I am a hero," and that he, along with his little party which we had to admit formed a harmonious balance of strength, healing, and magical power, despite their initial confusion, was ready to take on Dungeon Master 02's domain guardian.
"From composition alone, they make a decent party. Offense and defense-wise, they're not too far behind your guardian. Are you sure you've got this?" I asked out of genuine concern.
"Don't worry. I got this," Dungeon Master 02 replied confidently.
In spite of knowing that he was aware, I still went on to remind him. "You do know that you won’t have a second chance and certainly won’t be allowed to use that one protocol right?"
It was an agreement we all ratified together. Despite the tactical advantage it provided, we were strictly forbidden from using the Equilibrium Protocol for the simple reason that, based on our understanding, if our Domain Guardian was defeated under this protocol, our “deaths” or at the least defeat were guaranteed.
Ironically, the same could be said for the Reclamation Protocol, but at least with that one, defeat was farther away. Instead of balancing the fight for fairness, it granted bonus stats, meaning survival was much more feasible.
If you think about it, it’s obvious that this strategy benefits ordinary invaders, not Authority wielders. Based on the patterns we’ve observed so far, the Reclamation Protocol’s balancing could actually work in our favor, just as it did with Tusko Vagar since the balancing process uses G.P. to adjust things fairly.
So why not use it now you ask?
The answer was simple, this wasn’t the same case as Tusko Vagar or Christian. This Authority wielder hadn’t come alone; he brought allies. That’s why I believed it was wiser to treat this as a standard invasion, as the balancing might not work in our favor as much as we might hope it to.
As a Dungeon Core, the concept of death was something I had been slowly forgetting. One can't really blame me for that; I had no body, no heart or brain, and thus no fatal weakness to speak of. To me, death was just a very unlikely prospect. However, since encountering invaders wielding the title "champion," a title acquired through defeating a Dungeon Guardian empowered by one of the two available protocols. I felt like I had discovered what was the equivalent of death for Dungeon Cores like myself: losing all the G.P I had so dedicatedly harvested. There was no way I was allowing that to happen, and the Dungeon Masters agreed with me in that regard.
"I know, I don’t need to take stupid risks to win this. Watch me," Dungeon Master 02 proudly declared as his Guardian opened up the hostilities.
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[ Real-time Feedback ]
Guardian, Enhanced, Level 42, used ability: Summon Thunder Minions
Lightning Golem, Level 25, joined the battle
Lightning Golem, Level 25, joined the battle
Lightning Golem, Level 25, joined the battle
Lightning Golem, Level 25, joined the battle
Lightning Golem, Level 25, joined the battle
Lightning Golem, Level 25, joined the battle
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“Don’t worry we’re watching.We’re watching.”
“And judging.”
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[Real-time Feedback]
HighBreed, Monk, Level 48, used skill: Iron Body
HighBreed, Monk, Level 48, used skill: Iron Body
HighBreed, Warrior, Level 61, used ability: Unbreakable Formation
Verdenkind, Level 50, used skill: Elemental Skin
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HighBreed, Level 63, used ability: Celestial Blessing
Verdenkind, Level 50, used skill: Mana Overload
Verdenkind, Level 50, used skill: Arcane Empowerment
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Recognizing the danger posed by the newly summoned Lightning Golems, the party quickly moved to reinforce their defenses. Jaime and Jaimy channeled Iron Body, rendering themselves impervious to physical harm. Adriant led the party in Unbreakable Formation, enhancing their collective resilience and translating it into a significant boost in defense. Elowen invoked a series of enhancements, further fortifying her status. Kevin Karstark, the authority wielder, called upon the ability Celestial Blessing, granting holy enhancement to his comrades.
The room crackled with magical and defensive energies as the two forces prepared for the impending clash. And on a move of the summoned Golems, it officially began.
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[Real-time Feedback]
Lightning Golem (3), Level 25, used abilities: Chain Lightning
Lightning Golem (1), Level 25, used abilities: Chain Lightning
Lightning Golem (6), Level 25, used abilities: Chain Lightning
Lightning Golem (4), Level 25, used abilities: Chain Lightning
Lightning Golem (2), Level 25, used abilities: Chain Lightning
Lightning Golem (5), Level 25, used abilities: Chain Lightning
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The Thunder Minions unleashed a synchronized Chain Lightning attack. The party, in a great display of synchronization, backed off allowing Elowen to step forward.
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[Real-time Feedback]
Verdenkind, Mage, Level 50, used skill: Earth Magic
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Raising her arm and staff high, slamming it into the ground as if to split an ocean, the Verdenkind mage summoned a large earth wall between herself and the Lightning Golems.
Even before the Lightning Golem's attack was finished, the Authority wielder, the twin monks, and the warrior semi-circled around the Verdenkind mage's earth barrier. With coordinated precision, they charged straight for the still-attacking Lightning Golems.
"What do you think you're doing," Dungeon Master 02 with a voice full of malice as he had his guardian make a move.
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[ Real-time Feedback ]
Guardian, Enhanced, Level 42, used ability: Lightning Surge
HighBreed, Paladin, Level 63, used ability: Guardian Angel
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Almost instantly after Dungeon Master 02’s Guardian unleashed his Lightning assault, Kevin Karstark steps forward, invoking his skill Guardian Angel. A radiant barrier enveloped him, absorbing the incoming lightning strikes.
With the Paladin sacrificing himself as a lightning conductor, the twin monks, Jaime and Jaimy, and the warrior, Adriant, seized the opportunity. Swiftly and without hesitation, they charged through the dissipating smoke towards the still-vulnerable Lightning Golems.
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[Real-time Feedback]
Highbreed, Monk, Level 48, used skill: Astral Strike
Highbreed, Monk, Level 48, used skill: Spirit Walk
HighBreed, Warrior, Level 61, used skill: Counter-Attack
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The twin monks and the knight unleash a coordinated assault on the Lightning Golems. Jaime used his Astral Strike which allowed him to attack with increased precision, Jaimy's Spirit Walk enhanced to enhance his overall mobility, and Adriant his Counter-Attack allowed him to momentarily return the Golems' passive lightning attacks against them.
As they engaged the Lightning Golems, their coordinated assault began to lower the golems' health. However, with only three invaders focused on the golems, half of them remained untouched. Shifting their attention from the Verdenkind mage, the unharmed golems prepared to strike the trio.
Just as the Lightning Golems were about to unleash their attack, the Authority wielder intervened. Emerging from the dissipating smoke, he redirected the electrical onslaught away from his comrades and onto himself, standing strong and eager for battle.
Alone, he not only held off three Lightning Golems but also began rapidly chipping away at their health. Meanwhile, with the golems' attention diverted by her allies, the Verdenkind mage seized the opportunity to join the assault, further shifting the momentum in the invaders’ favor.
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[Real-time Feedback]
Lightning Golem (2), Level 25, used abilities: Chain Lightning
Lightning Golem (5), Level 25, used abilities: Chain Lightning
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“Tsk.”
At that moment, we all felt like putting a comment on how this battle was going, but having an idea of what kind of mindset Dungeon Master 02 was most likely in, we decided to spare ourselves from the multi-generations-spanning curse that would be unleashed upon us the moment we opened our mouths.
Perhaps sensing that both I and the other Dungeon Masters wanted to make snarky comments but refrain ourselves from doing so, Dungeon Master 02 had his Guardian act, an act that I was tempted to qualify as impulsive.
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[Real-time Feedback]
Guardian, Enhanced, Level 42, used ability: Resonant Shockwave
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Understanding the potential threat posed by the Verdenkind Mage and Highbreed Healer, the enhanced Guardian unleashed Resonant Shockwave in their direction, seeking to eliminate them early in the battle. As the shockwave barreled toward the backline, intent on reaching its targets, it unexpectedly, or rather, not-so-unexpectedly, encountered a determined obstacle.
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[Real-time Feedback]
Highbreed, Knight, used ability: Shield Block
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With a praise-worthy swiftness, the Highbreed Knight, who didn't join the quartet in their charge and instead remained by the mage and healer's side, raised his shield, intercepting the Resonant Shockwave with a masterful Shield Block. The shockwave, now halted by the knight's unwavering defense, created a protective wedge, sparing the Verdenkind Mage and Highbreed Healer from the impact that would’ve been their end.
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Name: Pascal
Level: 49
Race: HighBreed
Class: Knight
Health: 63%
Status: In Combat
『Expand』
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Despite the grinding force of the Resonant Shockwave, the knight, despite the damage sustained, stood resolute, his armor showing signs of wear but proving that he was very much alive and operational.
"Is that the best you've got?" We could imagine the Highbreed Knight defiantly exclaiming in whatever strange tongue the people of this world speak, making Dungeon Master 02's annoyance flare up.
Having faced not only one but two Authority wielders, with the last one wielding not only one authority but two, I have come to associate authority wielders as the most dangerous kind of invaders. When it comes to invaders of all kinds, so far, each Authority wielder had been operating on their own, leading us to usually refer to them as lone invaders, be it Lone invader 01 or 02. So, naturally, when we saw this invader, while we were uniquely surprised to see that he wasn't alone, we were expecting him and him alone to be as competent as the one that came before him. What Dungeon Master 02, and I must admit, I and the other Dungeon Masters as well, weren't ready for was to not only see the authority wielder to be competent, but his comrades as well. I guess this lesson will serve us well; we grew too conceited to see everything that isn't an authority-wielder invading our domain as being of lesser intellect.
Time I guess to rewatch our approach.
