Dungeon Core Academy: Books 1-7 (A LitRPG Series) by Alex Oakchest (book suggestions txt) 📕

Heroes slain: 2

Leveled up to 14!

- Total essence increased to 1309

- Existing crafting categories expanded

- Dungeon capacity increased: 23 rooms, 29 monsters, 28 traps, 15 puzzles, 2 boss monsters

I took a second to appreciate the feeling of increased strength that this brought me. The numbers themselves were meaningless; why did I care if my core rank was level 14 or 500? The increase in essence was the key.

Essence was what I used to create monsters, traps, and puzzles in my dungeon. Every time I used up all my essence I would have to wait for it to replenish. This was where Tomlin, my essence cultivator, was important. He took care of the essence vines in another part of my dungeon. The more vines I had, the healthier they were, the quicker my essence replenished.

But it was my total essence capacity that decided what I could create. If a monster cost 5000 essence to make but my capacity was 3000, then I needed to level up until I had enough.

So, any increase in essence was welcome. Even more welcome, though, was something else that leveling up had brought me.

Ability unlocked: Float

[No longer bound to pedestal points, you can now travel through your dungeon, and other places, by floating in the air.]

A cheer coming from beyond the core room broke my thoughts. It seemed to emanate from the loot room and sounded suspiciously like all my dungeon creatures celebrating something. But what would they have to cheer about?

Never mind. I didn’t have time for that.

Instead, I focused back on my post-battle notifications.

So, I had earned the float ability? Well, that was a pick-me-up after a horrible few weeks.

The last time I had unlocked an ability through killing heroes and leveling up my core self, I had gained the power of core control. Core control let me assume control of my dungeon monsters for a limited time. It was incredibly useful and meant that in times of crisis, I could wield my monsters like a hero wielded a blade.

There was no arguing that in terms of dungeon effectiveness, core control was more powerful than float. So, why was I a lot more excited to earn the float power?

Until now, there were only two ways I could travel somewhere. One was by using pedestal points, which would allow me to leave one room and materialize on a pedestal in another. This limited me to traveling to rooms that already had pedestals in them, which ruled out most of Xynnar.

My second way of travel was simpler but less dignified - by being carried. What sort of diabolical evil-doer likes being carried around like a cat? No, that wasn’t for me, and as such, it meant that I was confined to my dungeon and select parts of Yondersun.

But now…

“What are you so happy about?” said a voice.

A man strode into the core room. He wore a ridiculously frilly shirt, a velvet jacket with a golden brooch clasped to the hem, silk trousers the color of sunlight, and a pair of winkle pickers that must once have belonged to a jester. As he strutted toward me, I briefly activated my core senses and was rewarded with a smell of pungent perfume. I closed my core senses just as quickly.

“Gulliver!” I said. “A nice surprise. So that was why I heard cheering in the core room.”

For some reason, my dungeon creatures loved Gulliver. I couldn’t explain it. It wasn’t that I disliked him; as humans go, he was one of my best friends. For some reason, though, my creatures acted as if a visit from Gulliver was like having a king come to town.

“The one and only,” Gulliver said. “Yes, it’s yours truly. The greatest scribe in the whole of Xynnar, the greatest lover in the land, and a rather nice guy to boot.” He flashed me a smile. “It’s good to see you, Beno! What’s got you looking so cheery?”

“You can tell that I’m in a good mood?”

“You might be made of minerals, but I know when you’re pleased. Like the times when you disembowel a poor sap in your loot room, or when you see one of your monsters tear a hero to pieces. You get excited in an innocent, rather childlike way.”

“Watch this,” I said.

I floated off my pedestal and hovered in the air three feet away from it. It was a strange feeling, being suspended like that. Having no limits on where I could move. I felt as if someone had just cut through chains holding me back.

“See? How fantastic is that?”

Gulliver said nothing and betrayed not a hint of excitement. “Well?” he said. “What am I waiting for?”

“I’m floating, Gull! I’m moving around, and I’m not on a pedestal!”

“Haven’t you always been able to float?”

“Obviously not.”

“I don’t know…I’m certain you have.”

“Well, you spent so long in my dungeon that you wrote a bloody book about it! Why not check your writings and see if there’s mentioning of me being able to float around?”

“I might just do that, Beno. While we’re on the subject of books and favors that you owe me, I need to speak to you.”

“Favors that I owe you?”

“Why, yes. For the book.”

“The book that restored your career and earned you a fat wedge of gold? The one you barely needed to write, and instead got your inspiration directly from my dungeon exploits?”

“Let’s not pretend it didn’t earn you any coins either, Beno. I was true to my word, and I paid you fair royalties.”

“Fine, you stuck to your word and didn’t try to stiff me. But today isn’t the best day to discuss that. I’m a little busy.”

“Yes, I had a chat with Wylie before I came to see you. He