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

Bolton was right about Tarnbuckle. Knowing that I intended to set up my own Academy, he’d used Dungeon Core Academy resources to create five sister academies, just to spite me. Not only that, but the owl lady who was evidently in charge of tournament administration seem to have antipathy towards me. Sometimes, it felt like the universe was trying to tell me something.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t a very good listener. So, I spent that night in the publicly accessible Hall of Records in Heaven’s Peak. This was an empire bureaucratic office that anyone could go into and study the laws and bylaws of the city and its surrounding areas.

I was in there for hour upon hour, reading book after book. Luckily, I don’t need to sleep. Bolton and Gulliver didn’t have the same luxury, and they took a room in a city tavern. No doubt, they would also sample some of the ales and maybe even the women of the city, if I knew Gulliver well.

The next morning, I was excited. I headed into the city. I had never seen such a busy place in my life. Heaven’s Peak was a large city by any standards, but with the tournament approaching, it came to life.

The streets were crammed with vendors and tourists and people who had traveled from all over the world just to try and get tickets. Even though many of them wouldn’t be able to, they would have just as good a time staying in the city, partying and drinking and sampling the atmosphere.

I found the tavern where Bolton and Gulliver were staying. It was a place called the Two-Headed Swan. I made a note of the mental image it gave me, rather liking the idea of having a two-headed swan in my dungeon.

According to the tavern owner, Gulliver and Bolton had taken a room on the first floor. Outside it, I saw that their window was open. So, being the considerate core that I am, I decided to give them a nice, loud wake-up.

I flew into the room and bellowed, “Fire! Fire! The city is on fire!”

Bolton and Gulliver almost leaped out of their beds. Both men looked worse for wear, and it made me feel pleased that as a core, I didn’t drink beer.

“Beno… we can head back to the dungeon this afternoon, can’t we?” said Gulliver. “Let me rest a little longer.”

“We’re not going back to the dungeon.”

“You heard the owl. The tournament is full.”

“Oh no, it isn’t.”

When we headed back into the star lodge, I was half expecting to find a different bureaucrat behind the desk. Instead, it was the owl lady.

“Don’t you ever sleep? I thought you were supposed to be nocturnal?”

“I’m the opposite, unfortunately. While the rest of the owls are sleeping, I’m wide awake. A very troublesome sleep schedule that plays havoc on my social life.”

“So that’s why you’re so bloody grumpy.”

“That, and the fact that a dungeon core will not leave me alone. What is it you want?”

I told the owl about a tournament bylaw I had found in Heaven’s Peak’s Hall of Records.

“Section 2.1 B: Sister academies are not recognized as fully-fledged dungeon core academies. As such, they may assist their main academy, but may not register as an academy in their own right.”

The old lady said nothing for a while, instead, sitting with her wings folded, tapping her claws against the table edge. Her beak clacked softly open and shut.

“Interesting. Very interesting. You seem to have done your research.”

“That’s what Beno is good at,” said Gulliver. “That, and waking people up.”

The owl opened one of the desk drawers. “Not good enough, apparently.”

She slid a book across the desk. The cover looked new, and there seemed to be between 50 and 100 pages in it. Bolton opened it.

“Skip to section 7,” said the owl.

Bolton did so and then sat back, groaning. Whether that was because of what he read or because of his hangover, I didn’t know. But when I read the page myself, I felt as if I was hungover, too.

“This can’t be right. I was in the Hall of Records all night and didn’t see this book! When was it written?”

“Just a few days ago, actually,” said the owl. “Upon receiving advice, we decided that our laws concerning sister academies were antiquated and had to be updated. Sister academies can now enter the tournament.”

Chapter 13

We spent the next two hours in the Gulliver and Bolton’s room in the Two-Headed Swan. They had been told by the tavern owner that they had to check out before the cock crowed 10. To a normal person, that was 10 o’clock. Apparently, in Heaven’s Peak, cocks crowed every hour, except between 12 o’clock and 2 o’clock, out of respect for sleeping residents. Strange place.

I didn’t like to watch Bolton and Gulliver packing up their things and shoving them in their leather canvas bags. Not because I felt lazy and felt like I should help. More because packing up their things meant they were giving up. I wasn’t ready to give up. But then, would I ever be?

“There’s a law that says that… “

Gulliver angrily shoved a shirt into his bag. That wasn’t like him. He loved to fold his clothes, and hated creases. “Give it up, Beno! The tournament was a good dream while it lasted. A nice diversion, certainly, and I think you sold us all on the rewards. But it’s time to come back to reality. The Dungeon Core Academy seems to have a stick up their arse about you, as do many people. Only with them, they have the resources to shove the stick further up.”

Bolton rubbed his belly and groaned. “Can you two young lads stop talking about sticks and arses, already?”

“As I said, there’s a law that… “

Bolton