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

“That explains his clothes.”

Gary smiled. It was a sad smile, and that upset me. I was used to Gary’s eight eyes twinkling with cheer.

“I’ll never be able to earn enough gold to redeem what I did, Beno. But I think I’ll do more good this way, than in a cell. If I didn’t think so, I would tell Chief Galatee everything and face my punishment. But I can’t carry on as I did. I can’t stay in the dungeon, and I certainly can’t be near town. There was a time when I thought they could accept me. All of us. But there’s no place for me with them.”

“You’ll always be welcome back in the dungeon. The new dungeon, that is. I’ll even buy that ginger tea you love so much.”

“Thank you, Core Beno. For everything.”

Gary pulled me into a hug.

I wasn’t happy with everyone watching. It didn’t do much for my reputation.

After hugging me, he said goodbye to all the dungeon creatures in turn. With that, Gary gave a last wave of his leech legs and headed away with the old bard.

It was time for the rest of us to go, too. To leave Yondersun and start life in our new dungeon.

I was weirdly excited about it.

The End of Book 6

Dungeon Core Academy: Book 7

Chapter 1

I was out looking for a monster to add to my dungeon, just like any other day.

As a dungeon core, I could create my own creatures using a mystical energy known as essence. That day, I needed something with a little more bite. And I meant that literally.

I had been feeling underpowered for a while. When I got in that kind of mood, only one thing cheered me up – recruiting a beast capable of tearing dozens of heroes apart.

My search took me to the Hogsfeate bounty board. Dozens of mercenaries were gathered there. Barbarian men and women wearing furs and leathers. Most of them were eating chicken. Then there were ex-empire soldiers, bearing scars won in service of the emperor.

Nobody paid me much attention as I floated amongst the crowd. Pinned to the mercenary board were twenty scraps of paper written in different handwriting. Most were run-of-the-mill mercenary jobs and advertisements that didn’t concern me. Things like:

‘Want to get healthier? Here’s the one trick that healers don’t want you to know!’

‘Wizard seeks volunteers to trial revolutionary new spells.’

‘Wizard seeks solicitor for accident-in-the-workplace insurance.’

These were all standard mercenary jobs. Easy jobs for easy gold. They weren’t why I had come here today. Only one scrap of paper interested me.

Sand dragon spotted in the south-eastern wasteland. Reward for its head: 1000 gold.

This was interesting. I didn’t want to kill a dragon and chop off its head, even if I was capable. Sure, if I had enough planning time and if I brought the correct monsters, I could take down a dragon.

But I had a better use for such an impressive creature.

I found its lair a dozen miles south-east of Hogsfeate, close to the wasteland boundaries. There was a huge mound of rock with an opening carved into it. Much of the stone was scorched black. That was my first clue that a dragon lived here.

Another clue was the sand dragon chained up outside it.

Twenty feet tall, a mass of wings and scales and a forked tail. Its whole body was made from orange, clay-like stone. Its eyes were like rocks, and its teeth resembled jagged pieces of granite that could chomp through iron.

A truly fearsome beast that would have been an incredible addition to my dungeon. If I could take a monster like that back to my lair and have it serve me, nobody could doubt my strength.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t the first to arrive. A group of men and women wearing leather armor surrounded the beast and had slung a chain net over it. All around them were corpses pulverized into bone and blood, probably the work of the sand dragon.

“That’s it, that’s it!” shouted one man. “Sling the net this way.”

“Anchor it!” said another.

Damn it to the seven hells.

These chumps had captured the dragon, which meant they had claimed it. Since I was alone, there was no way that I could take it from them by force. I doubted that asking nicely would work. This trip had been a washout.

Just before I left, I noticed something strange. Not the dragon, nor the people who had captured it.

It was the dungeon core floating nearby.

A big block of obsidian hovering in the air. Shaped like an arrowhead, with a core that seemed to capture the light. An aura of dungeon essence shined from it.

A core? Out here? Apart from myself, the only cores I knew about in the wasteland were my friend Jahn and a core named Namantep I allowed to live in my dungeon.

So, who the hell was this guy?

My curiosity overrode my caution, and I floated closer to them. Just ten feet away, I could feel the aura of power pulsing from him. This core was older than me. He was undoubtably more powerful. It meant I had to be wary, and also that the core would expect deference.

Unfortunately, I have never been well-mannered.

“Can you explain what you are doing with my dragon?” I asked.

Still holding the net, the men and women turn to look at me. The dungeon core didn’t move, but all the same, I sensed its attention on me.

“Declare your name,” the core said.

“I have many names. Dark Magnificence. The Prince of Pain. The Ruler of the Wasteland Barrens, Summoner of Demons, feared for miles around. You could also call me Beno.”

The core laughed. A dungeon core’s laugh