Impenetrable Dungeon - Chapter 6

Soon 2 years have passed and Marcus’ dungeon has turned from a barren dungeon to one thriving with life. Gaia had invested lots of time worked arduously to turn the dungeon into what Marcus dreamed of it to be. Only floors above the 50th floor were empty now. This was mostly because Marcus wanted to leave some space in case they found something interesting which they would want to use for future expansion. Or maybe they would find a new species that was really good at combat. Who knew what the future had in store for them. However, what they did know was their weak team of twelve had turned into a powerful army of millions.

The once weak animals on the first floor had mutated into creatures worthy of the name monsters after being nurtured by the mana of the dungeon. There were still some native species left but even then the native species had become more aggressive and beast like. They were unable to keep their once calmer and relaxed attitude after they absorbed mana produced in the dungeon. The mana in dungeons was usually made to be chaotic in nature by their Dungeon Cores so that the beings inside the dungeon would grow to be more warlike. However, Marcus ordered Gaia to only release the chaotic natured mana on the 1st Floor to nurture the weak animals so that they may be of some use. This was because along with the aggressive instincts came lower intelligence. It was a case of exchanging power for something else. Due to this most dungeons fell to the brilliant strategies of legendary strategic advisors and talented generals who led their troops to battle. Marcus didn’t want this, what he wanted was an army and not a mob of creatures. His goal was not just to keep his dungeon safe but a greater aspiration. One that lies in the hearts of many rulers and common people alike.

The 2nd Floor was a great example. Due to them being given normal natured mana, the goblins were able to retain their acute sense for treasure and were a great help to Marcus and Gaia in scouring the Void Realm for any treasures. So far they haven’t found anything worthy of being called a treasure but they had found lots of rare materials which had made Granmir jump with joy. He had already started working on weapons and armour for the Honour Guards and Marcus. Some parts were already done but he still had a lot of things to work on. He had grown into a Grandmaster Blacksmith despite being only eight years old. This went to show how powerful the talent of dwarves in forging was. The others had grown as well.

Drathalsiel’s and Mimphalgos’ sword skills were top-notch now. Marcus ended up teaching them himself as he did with his other Honour Guards. Their magic had also gotten stronger. Drathalsiel could now cast some minor healing magic such as [Light Heal] or [Detoxify] but it was powerful enough to save a life yet. Mimphralgos had access to magic such as [Blind] or [Shadow Spike]. They were mostly attack based magic but he also had some defence based magic like [Shadow Carapace]. Marcus had taught some defensive sword moves but he still couldn’t draw out his full combat potential. It was only when he worked with Drathalsiel that he was able to fight at his peak. They would attack together and defend together like a well-oiled machine. Their magic complemented and boosted one another. This made Marcus wonder what would happen if the Gods and Devils worked together.

It was the same for Pharos and Xato. However, their case was more because their magic was based on the same type of magic, fire magic. Any changes wouldn’t change the core of the magic and as such, they could boost each other’s power. This was a repeating trend among Marcus’ Honour Guards. Azzid and Asura worked great together as assassins, Delsair and Crowncrest worked together to make great artillery and Granmir and Kerrigan worked together to arm and create a powerful army. This gave Marcus inspiration and he had Gaia start experimenting with different types of races and their compatibility with one another.

The first ones Gaia found were Orcs and Goblins but that obvious since they were commonly seen working together. The Orc Chieftain and the Goblin Chief were great friends too. This brought the two races closer together. The Orcs settled down on the 3rd Floor.

The next were imps and harpies were very annoying harassers. Their agility in the air was almost unmatched and together they had massive numbers. Whenever they gathered a large black cloud would suddenly appear in the sky and a loud buzzing that sounded like thousands of bees could be heard from miles away. Unfortunately, they couldn’t decide on a leader for both of the races yet so Marcus can’t use them for war yet. Instead, he ordered them to harass any adventurers who could come that far. The two races were on the 4th Floor.

Then came the many different human races that Gaia had found. Being the same in substance, they naturally worked well together. They populated the 5th all the way to the 25th Floor. There were hundreds of thousands of them and their numbers were growing rapidly. Gaia had found them on auction held by the Will of the Aether. There was about a hundred of them, to begin with, but in a short two years, their numbers had exploded. This was due to constant nourishment of mana and the humans’ terrifying adaptability.

There were also a bunch of Wood Elves and Cave Dwarves which have populated the 26th to the 31st Floor. They also complemented each other well and Marcus could finally dwarves with battleaxes in action albeit a very weak version. He one day wanted to have Mithril Dwarves in his army but that was a far off dream. Gaia was unable to find any other compatible races after this but it was still researching and trying new things out. Different kinds of beasts filled the 32nd to the 40th Floors. However, these were different from the beasts on the 1st Floor. These were Desolate and Choas Beasts with some Chaos Beasts. Meanwhile, the ones on the 1st Floor were Normal and Mutated Beasts. From the 41st to the 50th floor was the territory of the Bug Race. Kerrigan had created some weaker members of the Bug Race as an experiment and she sent all those that she considered failures to the 41st to 50th floors. Those she considered a success was left behind to serve her.

Marcus monitored his dungeon through the Dungeon Interface in front of him. Then he looked out past the dungeon walls and at the 71 other dungeons. He smiled and said, “The game of chess shall begin soon. I wonder what you will do, my fellow Dungeon Masters. Your faces were blurred out during the auction but now…now we shall see each other’s faces.” He turned to Gaia, “Brother I wonder, will they submit to me or fall to my army?”

Gaia replied, “Some will submit while some shall cease to exist.”