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

felt like someone had tightened a vice around it, and the essence inside me seemed sluggish. I forced myself to complete another pulse, when a message appeared in my core.

Ability Gained: Essence Pulse

By pulsing essence in and out of their core, a dungeon core can increase the potency of their essence and the things they create from it.

Core Abilities List Updated:

- Core Control

- Float 

- Core Voice Projection

- Core Vision Intensification

- Bogan Mind Settle

- Mind Split

**Essence Pulse**

I was amazed at the results. Firstly, my total essence had increased from 5600 to 5800. That wasn’t much of a jump, true. But until now I had believed that the only way to increase my total essence was to level up. And the only way to level up was by killing things.

But now I had another way to increase my total essence, which meant that if I practiced pulsing enough, I would be able to create some of the higher value monsters that had previously been out of reach.

A dragon, for instance, cost 20,000 essence to create. If I was increasing my essence by leveling up, it would have taken me years of fighting heroes to achieve that kind of total essence. But by using the Glade of Rest and the new pulsing technique, I could cut that time down considerably.

Soon, my second fight was upon me. I was to battle in an arena named Tysus, which floated on the west side of God’s Fist. My opponent was a core sponsored by the League of Necromancers.

Ordinarily, the League of Necromancers was an establishment to be feared. Not surprising, since they possessed the rare power to raise the dead. And not just in the way that the core academy forgers had, where they placed a dead person’s core into a new gemstone body. The LoN could raise the dead in their original bodies. It meant that they were a very influential group.

However, they weren’t a dungeon core academy. Like me, they had only recently registered themselves as an academy. Also like me, they had no intention of functioning as one.

The LoN had always enjoyed a rather black reputation. Supposedly, their new leader, Necromancer Dalzuk, wanted to have people look upon them better. He wanted to take the LoN away from being a shadowy organization who the rich paid to bring back to life, and make them more of a public service instead.

What this meant was that he wanted to secure an empire contract to resurrect fallen armies, which would be lucrative. There was little chance of that while the empire still viewed them with suspicion. Hence them competing in one of the most prestigious tournaments in Xynnar. They needed to raise their profile, and where better to do it?

As powerful as the LoN were, there were unpracticed in all things dungeon core. What’s more, the core they sponsored for the tournament was one they had bought from an auction. She didn’t have the benefit of an academy education.

The crowd in the Tysus arena didn’t seem to recognize this. All they heard was the announcer telling them that I was facing the League of Necromancers.

Immediately, a hush fell upon them. I could tell they were looking at me with sympathy. No doubt wondering how quickly the necromancers would deal with me, and how brutal my defeat would be.

As it happened, I defeated their core in the first two rounds. It was child’s play. She’d never been to an Academy, and she’d never fought any heroes. She, predictably, summoned undead-based monsters in each round and didn’t even alter her tactics when I soundly dealt with them. My victory was swift and total.

The League of Necromancers didn’t seem to mind. They had come into the tournament and boosted their profile, and that was all they wanted.

After winning the opening two rounds, I granted their core an honor round in round three. Wanting to take advantage of the round being meaningless, I withdrew my toughest monsters and sent a fire beetle out to fight.

Meanwhile, I ordered the monsters I’d used in rounds one and two to visit the Glade of Rest.

The League of Necromancers’ core defeated my fire beetle in the third round, and the fight ended 2-1.

Chapter 20

After defeating the League of Necromancers, I noticed even more blank placards being held up by the spectators. Still not many, perhaps thirty or so. But it was an improvement.

While the necromancers filed away from the arena, I approached the center, where yet again three Revered Trinkets were displayed. The tournament officials uncovered them, and I floated alongside each, evaluating which to take.

Ring of Anti-temptation.

The wearer will become immune to the temptation of anything they class as a vice.

Ball of Everfrost.

A freezing ball that cannot be defrosted, and will freeze a small portion of any surface it is placed on.

Bracelet of Stored Agony

When worn, the Bracelet of Stored Agony will absorb the pain that the wearer might otherwise have felt. When the bracelet is removed, the pain will flow back into the wearer. The bracelet will not stop any wounds or damages that would have accompanied said pain.

I floated back and forth in front of the items, already picturing uses for all of them. The Ring of Anti-temptation, for example, might help overseer Gill stay off the booze. Then again, I knew enough about Revered Trinkets to realize that their descriptions were chosen very carefully.

The description of the Ring of Anti-temptation was that it would make someone immune to anything they classed as a vice. Gill didn’t class his alcohol consumption as a vice. Until he did, the ring would be useless.

The Ball of Everfrost could be a potent weapon, given its ability to freeze any surface. But I decided against it. It would only freeze a small section of the surface, and