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

about the way you work, Wylie. Don’t think that this means you have to start banging heads against walls. I want you to work exactly as you currently do, but with the dungeon as a whole instead of just your little team.”

Wylie’s smile beamed so wide I could see his tonsils. He stuttered, tried to speak a few words but ended up just making a series of unintelligible grunts.

Shadow patted him on the shoulder. “Well deserved,” she told him. “I’m glad you’re getting recognition, Wiles.”

Tomlin hugged his kobold friend, slapping him on the back with his cultivator gloves. “Tomlin congratulates you, Wylie!”

“Recognition…promotion…thanks…discipline…” babbled Wylie, before falling into a series of grunts.

“We’ll discuss your new authorities and rewards later,” I said. “You can go tell the good news to whoever you please.”

Wylie scampered off, his feet padding on the ground and quickly becoming faint echoes as he made his way out of the chamber and down the tunnel.

This left Shadow, her dogs, Tomlin, Gulliver, and me.

“Shadow,” I said.

“Dark Lord,” she said, nonchalantly.

“Tomlin.”

“Dark Lord,” said Tomlin, trying to be even more nonchalant than Shadow.

“I need everyone in the dungeon to be multi-skilled. Tomlin, I’d like you to help Shadow improve her archery. Our ploy with the last heroes shows how valuable projectiles can be.”

“I don’t need a gardener’s help in improving my-” began Shadow.

I cut her off. “Shadow, I’d like you to teach Tomlin the basics of stealth. You kobolds are built for sneaking, both in physique and nature. A little cross-training won’t hurt.”

“Tomlin doesn’t want-”

“That’s enough,” I said. “You have your orders.”

When Tomlin, Shadow, and her dogs left the chamber, Gulliver grinned at me. “Forcing them to spend time together, eh, Beno?”

“As much as the idea of kobold romance makes me want to vomit my gemstone innards, I can’t abide any more of their games. As far as I’m concerned, both will be happier if they put their differences aside, and this will improve morale and perhaps shut Shadow up for a bit. Meanwhile, they both learn new skills that will come in handy for the dungeon.”

“Wylie certainly seemed happy with his promotion. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a kobold smile so much, I thought you’d broken his brain.”

“He’s earned it. The promotion, I mean, not a broken brain. I have to admit, he’s the kobold who has surprised me the most. I took a chance in making him supervisor of the miners in the first place, but it’s like watching a beautiful weed grow large enough that it smothers the roots of all the pretty flowers around it. That’s what Tomlin is - a lovely, thorny, weed among roses. Now, I have one last thing to do.”

For this, I projected my core voice all the way to the level below us. “Razensen?” I said.

Using my core vision, I saw Razensen sitting beside his pool in his vast chamber. He was looking all around him as if he’d seen a spirit. “Beno? Was that you?”

“Yes, Razensen. It’s me.”

“Where the icing hell are you?”

“You’ll have to get used to this,” I said. “But it’s not important. I’m going to move down Kainhelm to your level, if that’s alright with you.”

“Alright with me? Why wouldn’t it be?”

“When it comes to Kainhelm, you’d be surprised at what people think.”

“I wouldn’t be so surprised, stone. Let the poor bugger move to my chamber, by all means.”

“Good. Thank you.”

Now, I projected my voice to another part of the dungeon. “Kainhelm?”

“Yes? For poxes sake, what do you want, Beno?”

“I’d like you to move to the lower level, please. I think it would be best if you patrolled down there.”

“Taking pity on me, is it?”

“Not at all. This is strategic.”

“Strategic, eh? Then I would be glad to follow your directives, Core. If only because Razensen is the only one who talks any sense around here.”

I turned my attention back to Gulliver. “There. Done.”

“Everyone’s happy,” said the scribe.

“I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s a start.”

That evening found me in the meeting chamber, floating above the oval oak table. Chief Reginal was sitting at the head of it, and Chief Galatee was at the other end, about as far away as she could get from him without breaking decorum.

“Both chiefs coming to visit me at once,” I said. “I’m honored. Or should I be wary?”

Reginal banged his fist on the table. “I don’t want to hear your quips, you damned gravel nugget! You’ve landed us in a pit of cow turds, Beno.”

Galatee lifted an eyebrow. “Such a temper, Reginal. Why not try and discuss this in a more civilized manner?”

“Don’t give me that, co-chief. Your mask doesn’t trick me, woman! Trust the anger you can see, my father always said, and keep an eye out for the anger well-hidden.”

“Your father was a genius, obviously,” said Galatee.

“As much as I’m glad you came here to bicker, what do you want?” I said.

Reginal pounded the table again. “Tell me something, you miserable pebble. How does Yondersun grow its food?”

“Core Jahn has begun terraforming the earth. I believe your crops are harvesting nicely.”

“Terraforming? Pah! I’d barely call it that. Whatever you want to name it, as of now, we still need to buy fertilizer from Hogsfeate. High strength alchemical fertilizer, the only compound that will get anything to grow in this pit of hell.”

“And the mana oil for our forges,” said Galatee, cutting in. “Where do you suppose we get that? And the hay and food for our livestock?”

“Hogsfeate, by any chance?”

“Correct,” said Galatee, calmly clasping her fingers together and leaning on the table. “Do you understand now, why Chief Reginal and I would be so troubled to have a messenger come to us from Hogsfeate and deliver this?”

She took