The Fourth Secret: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Divine Apostasy Book 4) by A. Kay (best short books to read .TXT) 📕

everyone else, they like to see new things, drink and eat different foods, and meet others.”

“How does this affect Fractal?”

“It makes it easier for you and Fractal to keep morale up. Being able to leave the dungeon for dinner and some drinks is a huge bonus. Having someplace other than the dungeon to spend the money you earn will make it easier to recruit creatures to your dungeon.”

“We have to recruit?”

“Yes. Until Fractal can make his own decisions, you need to take care of everything. Eventually, you’ll just need to bring him new adventurers.”

Ruwen rubbed his eyes as he realized how much responsibility he’d taken on, all without realizing it. But another thing dawned on him. The creatures in dungeons suffered discrimination far worse than the Class discrimination Ruwen had seen. They were only viewed as things to kill, not as opponents to overcome. But he had seen how wrong that view was.

Ruwen looked at Blapy. “When will Fractal be able to revive his inhabitants with their memories?”

Blapy smiled. “Excellent question. We are working on that now. It will be a critical step in his ability to recruit high-level creatures. For now, I’m handling it.”

“What problems will I face if I give the dungeon inhabitants space here?”

“Uru’s people are quite tolerant. But humans are tribal at heart, and you can expect a lot of conflicts. For sure, it will cost you extra city guard.”

Ruwen looked around the area again. They were probably two miles from the city walls, and the lake sat at least a mile to the east. Two thousand feet to the west, a mountain started, its base climbing steeply upward.

“We could put the portal here,” Ruwen said. “For now, Fractal can take the area five hundred feet on each side of the portal, and the entire way back to the mountain.”

“What about the mountain itself?” Blapy asked.

“Like inside it? Sure.”

Blapy nodded. “It’s a start.”

Ruwen felt pressure against his Core, and his ears popped. The pine trees fifty feet around them had changed. Now, large thick columns of quartz stood, all angled different directions. Smaller pieces of clear gems littered the ground, absorbing the moonlight, amplifying it, and giving the area a twilight feel eerily reminiscent of the Spirit Realm.

Fractal finds you. Happy it makes. Fractal said.

Ruwen didn’t know if it was the additional levels of Hey You that made Fractal more understandable, or if Blapy’s influence and mentorship had leveled the Dungeon Keeper enough to make him more intelligible.

Smiling, Ruwen responded. I feel the same, Fractal. It’s good to hear your voice.

Hi, Fractal! Rami said.

Greetings, little dragon. Fractal shatters in joy.

Rami laughed, and Ruwen smiled. Fractal was definitely more excited about Rami being back.

Blapy reached out and touched the nearest quartz column, and it turned black. “Let’s go see the work I’ve done while you two were playing in other realms. You need to help Fractal pick his ‘Dungeon Focus’ so we can continue his expansion.”

“Dungeon Focus?” Ruwen asked.

But Blapy had already disappeared into the dark crystal. Ruwen sighed and stepped through as well.

Chapter 2

Ruwen stepped into a cavern twenty feet to a side. Quartz crystals, like the one he’d just walked through, filled the room at crazy angles. A six-sided prism stood ten feet tall in the center of the room and glowed brightly.

“Fractal, it’s time to decide your focus,” Blapy said.

The prism darkened, and the crystals in the room pulsed with light. The strobing stopped, and a four-foot crystal next to Ruwen grew brighter. A moment later, Fractal appeared on top of it.

The last time Ruwen had seen Fractal, the Dungeon Keeper had been the size of Ruwen’s index finger. Fractal still looked like a mass of crystals smashed together into a humanoid form, but the creature had doubled in size, and now stood as high as Ruwen’s hand.

Fractal bowed to Blapy and then held out a crystal fist toward Ruwen. Ruwen formed a fist and lightly tapped Fractal’s.

“Welcome home,” Fractal said out loud. His voice seemed unnaturally loud here, as if the crystals amplified the sound.

Ruwen grinned. “It’s good to be back.”

“How are the new levels coming?” Blapy asked.

“Excellent,” Fractal said.

Blapy looked up at Ruwen. “You’re lucky Fractal is such a hard worker.”

Light swirled inside Fractal, the room filling with fractured light like a storm of rainbows. “Fractal, lucky.”

Blapy got on her tiptoes to look directly at Fractal. “Remember what we talked about. The Dungeon Master works for you. It’s his job to make sure your needs are met.”

Fractal bowed again. “Remember I do. Bring you he did.”

Blapy’s mouth twisted, and her brow furrowed. “That’s true. I guess he did do something right.”

Ruwen felt like he did more than one thing right, but let the comment slide. “What was this focus you mentioned?”

Blapy rested on a chair of crystal that had appeared as she sat. “Yes. There are hundreds of varieties, but in general, there are three. A dungeon can focus on loot, experience, or resources. Obviously, it will have all three, but a focus on one will bring a certain type of adventurer.”

“By resources, do you mean things like gems and plants?” Ruwen asked.

Blapy nodded. “Plus metals, elements, essences, rare creatures, basically anything a crafter, merchant, or alchemist would need.”

Ruwen thought about the mobile alchemy lab in his Inventory. The idea of an entire dungeon filled with rare ingredients excited him. “So if Fractal focuses on resources, then we’ll get a lot of Collectors and Gatherers.” That made Ruwen think of Bliz.

“Exactly. The early levels will have creatures a single person can manage. But as a Collector goes deeper into the dungeon, they’ll need a group to protect them. This is good for the dungeon, as a typical group of five will only have four experienced adventurers, since Collectors rarely fight. This increases the death rate and benefits Fractal.”

“That seems good,” Ruwen said.

Blapy nodded. “It will also affect the area around your portal. You will have more merchants and alchemy shops and fewer bars and inns. Tax revenue will suffer at