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

I had originally planned to use the 2nd room I created as the entrance, but I had then dug out a further two tunnels and rooms so that heroes had longer to walk.

I hopped to the new entrance room at the far north side of the dungeon. Floating on my pedestal point, I considered what I should place in here, if anything.

It was all about messing with hero psychology. Did I hammer them with monsters and traps as soon as they got in my dungeon, thus signaling they had a challenge on their hands, or did I lull them into thinking this would be a breeze?

I decided on something in-between.

When I was ready, I would have Tomlin and Wylie dig out a slope from the northern wall of my northernmost room. This would serve as a way into the dungeon.

In the room, right where I planned for the slope to end, I placed a pitfall. Under it, I had Tomlin dig a twenty-five-foot drop. Enough to hurt, but probably not kill.

Then, just two steps away from this, I placed another bear trap, and I had Tomlin hide this under some mud.

Finally, two paces beyond that…I set a pressure switch on the floor.

What did it do?

Nothing!

But I had to imagine this from a hero’s point of view. Let’s say I was a somewhat new hero going into a dungeon. I would expect it to be a pretty easy dungeon.

Wham! One of my party falls into a pit on his first step into the dungeon.

Argh! Someone gets their foot chewed by a bear trap.

Now I’m on edge, I’m looking around, suspicious of everything, and that’s when I step on a pressure switch.

I don’t dare move. My heart is pounding as I wait for a trap to spring…but nothing happens. This makes me even more paranoid, more suspicious. My mental state is completely shot.

Would that work? Hmm. Maybe. As a core, part of my job is to put myself in the hero’s shoes and try and work out what would make me feel like crap.

It was worth a try, anyway. I could always change things if it was a dud, but it would mean I need to open my dungeon up soon before the overseers called an end to evaluations.

See, if heroes made it through my dungeon, it meant they might break some of my traps, kill my monsters. Then, I’d have to create more.

Since it was likely I’d have to take a loss in my first hero run so I could tweak things, I really needed to get this place open as soon as possible. I needed as much time for alterations as I could get.

After setting my traps, a message appeared to me.

Dungeon requirement satisfied!

Requirement: 1 monster, 1 trap

Requirements satisfied: 2/4

Reward: +20 total essence points [Total: 120]

Halfway there! Not only that, but I got a reward for completing my second requirement.

I love days where I just feel like I’m on fire. Not literally. I just mean when I’ve been really productive.

“Why Dark Lord so happy?” said a voice.

My kobold friends had joined me now, and I was pleased to share my progress with them. I took them on a tour of the dungeon, pointing out every switch, every trap.

“Is ready for open?” asked Wylie.

“Wylie, I have been through this with Tomlin already. You don’t need to act less intelligent than you are, just because you were taught that is how kobolds are supposed to be.”

Tomlin leaned closer to me and whispered. “Wylie really is like that. Nice kobold, good friend, but stupid.”

“Sorry, Wylie. Forget what I said. To answer your question, no. We aren’t quite ready.”

“Loot?”

“Good, you know one of the dungeon requirements! But no, we’ll come to that soon. First, I need to make a puzzle. Come on, chums.”

I hopped to room 2, which was now the middle of my dungeon rather than the most northern part, after my extensions.

Here, I checked my puzzle list.

Now, I’m not overly fond of puzzles. I know why they are used, but still…to me, a puzzle is like a trap except nobody dies. Where’s the fun in that?

I’m a graduate core and I paid attention in class, and I know why puzzles are placed in a dungeon. See, monsters and traps will hurt a hero, batter him, and make him physically tired.

Puzzles are there to fatigue his mind. To wear out those whirring cogs in a pathetic hero’s head, and add mental tiredness onto physical pain.

I checked the puzzle list now.

Puzzles

Doors [Cost 110]

Levers [Cost 125]

Tile Patterns [Cost 250]

Transmutation Station [Cost 500]

Ah, damn it. I had been hoping to make a variation of the classic floor tile puzzle, but I couldn’t afford it. Neither could I afford a set of trick levers, or a transmutation station. Though, this interested me greatly, because I had never heard of it. Not in class, not in books, nowhere. Hmm.

For now, I should only focus on the things I could afford. It was lucky that I’d earned the essence boost from satisfying another dungeon requirement, because I wouldn’t have been able to make any riddle doors, otherwise.

So, right now I had a door in room two that led to a tunnel which in turn led to the loot room.

“Tomlin,” I said, “Time for some digging.”

“Dark Lord will owe Tomlin study time.”

“Agreed.”

“Wylie,” said Tomlin. “Time for some digging.”

“Hey! I’m not giving you study credit if Wylie does the work.”

“Tomlin is supervisor. So, work carried out by kobold under his supervision, counts as his work.”

“You devious little swine. Fine. I need you to widen the room two tunnel. Make it big enough so I can put an extra door in front of it.”

Wylie,