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

I knew this because Tomlin had asked me several times to go shut her up. It seemed that after what she’d done to Shadow, sympathy for Anna was hard to come by. I couldn’t say I blamed my dungeon mates for thinking that way.

She seemed to be struggling with what to say. Not in finding words, but maybe forcing herself to say the right ones.

“Beno,” she said, finally.

That was all she said, and then she walked past me.

“I always thought her lovable charm was her best feature,” I said.

“You ought to have more patience, Beno. The boy was like a brother to her.”

“What is Shadow to everyone else? What was Redjack? When a monster dies fighting a hero, it’s sad. When a dungeon creature is forced to murder one of their own…”

“Death has many flavors. Sometimes, one has to learn that a chef can-”

“I don’t want you hanging around spouting metaphors and analogies like a wise old sage, Bolton. Quite frankly, I’m sick of hearing the quotes you pull out of your arse.”

“It seems you and Anna share that lovable charm. Whatever you feel about her, you need her. Jahn certainly does. With the powers she has now, and the ones she is capable of, she is vital.”

“That’s why I took the acid trap out of this chamber before I agreed to let her sleep in it.”

“Generosity has always been one of your strong points.”

“What did you want to talk about?” I said.

“I got word from the Dungeon Core Academy yesterday, Beno,” he said. “They have made you an offer.”

“Go on.”

“Still bitter about failing? I told you the reason.”

“Well, the constant lies are also a part of it. But I’m nothing if not practical. What are they offering me, and what do they want?”

“The academy has tasked me, for the past year, in starting the search for the ancient cores. They know that you and Jahn are now going to do so.”

“Okay. What are they asking?”

“That any cores we find and subdue are handed over to the academy.”

Handing ancient cores over to the academy.

It left a bitter taste. The academy had manipulated Jahn. Hidden his heritage from him so they could make him loyal to the academy. No doubt that they’d do the same to any ancient cores that we found.

It was hard to know what that’d mean without meeting the ancient cores. What powers would it give the academy? Jahn’s talent was in creating things. But what if there were ancient cores who could control the weather? Others who could change people into monsters, as Ray had done?

It was a hell of a lot of power to hand to a bunch of duplicitous overseers.

I’d fixed it in my mind that we’d be destroying any cores we found. After meeting Ray, it seemed the only sensible thing.

I was about to tell him so when Bolton spoke.

“They’ll offer you another resurrection,” said Bolton.

“What?”

“Resurrection as a man. Or a woman. Or a goblin, orc, gnome…whatever you want. The point is, they believe so strongly in this that they’ll offer you the greatest prize of all.”

“And all I have to do is help Jahn find them.”

“I don’t need to tell you that finding the cores is the least of it.”

I thought about the wraiths. The insects. It made me wonder what else the ancient ones were capable of.

Destroying them was one thing. It was a net good for Xynnar. It had to be.

But handing them over to the academy didn’t mean the cores lost their powers. It just meant new hands would wield them.

Then again, not all the ancient ones were bad. I saw that in Ray’s vision. More than that, I saw it every day in Jahn. One of the purest souls around.

But they were offering me resurrection as a man again.

A chance of a normal life.

“Well?” said Bolton.

Just then, I heard a kobold scampering down the corridor.

Then two kobolds.

Then I heard beetles scuttling, and dogs sprinting.

Tomlin and Wylie appeared in the archway, followed by Death, Kill, and Shadow’s hounds. The beetles and dogs had become inseparable lately, so that shouldn’t have surprised me much. It was just good to see them bonding so well. Fight and Kill weren’t back to their usual self, but they were finding comfort in the company of each other and the hounds.

“Gary is back!” said Wylie.

“Now? I didn’t expect him so soon.”

After we’d killed Riston, we spent a few days away from Yondersun while the spells he’d used on the townsfolk wore off. When we got back, we found that people in town didn’t remember much. It was like the time they spent under his magic was simply gouged out of their heads.

That meant it didn’t take much to convince Galatee that, while he lay pulverized and dying in the street, Riston had confessed to killing the people in the bakery and blaming Gary.

And now my friend was back.

We were in our core chamber. Me, Gary, and Gulliver. It could only be Gulliver, because he was the person I trusted the most. Whatever happened in the next few minutes had to be kept secret.

“How are you?” I said.

It wasn’t what I wanted to say, or what I should have said. But I’m not the best with words.

Gary looked morose. Nothing like his cheery self. Not that I’d expected smiles and jokes.

“Oh, you know…” he said, waving one of his leech legs dismissively.

“I’m sorry this didn’t happen sooner.”

“You didn’t visit me, Beno.”

My instinct was to say that the townsfolk wouldn’t let me. But back when we found Gary in the bakery and they took him away, not everyone was under Riston’s sway. I could have used my influence with Galatee so I could