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

I guessed that would include the hands of any monster who I asked to carry it. As such, I couldn’t see any practical use for it in battle, unless I could get hold of some antifreeze gloves.

Note to self: business idea. Antifreeze mittens. Target audience: snow-yetis and arcane snowmen.

This left me with the Bracelet of Stored Agony. A beautiful looking trinket, and important in the power it granted. Certainly, in a tournament like this, it might help my monsters push through the pain barrier in an especially tough fight.

The bracelet would absorb their pain, and they could safely take it off in the dungeon, after the fight, when experiencing the pain wouldn’t hamper their combat abilities.

Revered Trinket received: 

Bracelet of Stored Agony

Revered Trinkets Updated: 

Glade of Rest

**Bracelet of Stored Agony**

With my choice made, I was about to leave the arena, when a tournament announcer approached me. He was half-human half-troll, and had painted the stony cracks of his face in bright yellows and reds.

“Core Beno? Are you forgetting something?”

“Don’t think so.”

“After every round in the tournament, a rule is either added or altered. If you recall, after round one, it was decreed that the winner of any fight can choose a monster to keep from the dungeon of the core he defeats.”

“I can choose one of the League of Necromancers’ monsters?”

The announcer nodded. “Quite so.”

The League of Necromancers had left the arena almost a second after their defeat. It was custom for both cores to hang around for a while and show honor to both each other and to the crowd. For an institution looking to bolster their reputation, I had wondered why they flouted honor. Now, though, I understood why.

“Can I visit their dungeon to see what monsters they have?”

The announcer shook his head. “The portdoors are sacrosanct. No core may use another core’s door.”

“Then how will I choose which monster to take?”

“You should thank me for even reminding you of this. I can only tell you the rules, I can’t hold your hand and tell you how to use them. Just make your choice before you leave the arena. If you leave the arena, you give up your chance.”

This was tricky. I didn’t know what monsters they had, besides the ones the cores had used in battle. And I wasn’t overly impressed with them. How could I decide which to take?

I decided to try something. “I will take the League of Necromancers’ dungeon core.”

“Nice try. That is against the rules.”

“Fine. If you put me on the spot, I suppose I will take their undead tiger.”

“A fine choice.”

New monster added to dungeon:

Blunt Fang

Undead Tiger

Level 8

A tiger appeared in front of me, confused about its sudden change of surroundings. I had already seen it in round two of our fight, and I had noticed then how hideous it was. Dull orange in color, with most of its body corrupted and rotting. One of its eyes was sewn shut, one of its fangs was broken. Seeing me, it let out a smelly yawn.

“You are my new master?”

“Looks like it.”

“I’m hungry. What do you have to eat?”

I sighed.

“It’s going to take a lot more than a worm larder to fill you up, isn’t it? I’ll show you to your new dungeon. You might like to meet Shadow’s dogs. They are roughly your size. And if you behave, I may even let you eat Tomlin.”

Chapter 21

We gathered in my core chamber. Overseer Bolton had changed out of his overseer robes, but Overseer Gill was still wearing his. I took that as a good sign. My respect was growing for the overseer, and I sensed he had much more to teach me.

Also present were Cynthia, and Shadow. Gulliver was visiting another arena, interviewing people in the crowd for a book he planned to write about the tournament. Anna hadn’t been around much, preferring to spend her time in Heaven’s Peak, visiting the shops and exploring the city.

“Our next opponent for round three,” I said, “is the Academy of the Eastern Spire. I’m told that they have a ridiculously powerful monster in their dungeon. One that they haven’t used so far in the tournament.”

“It might simply be a rumor designed to make their opponents nervous. The warrior who goes to battle with fear in his heart is already half beaten,” said Bolton.

“And yet, fear is a shield for some,” said Gill. “It can make a reckless warrior develop a shield of caution.”

“Rumor or not,” I said, “I need to plan as if it is true, and the Eastern Spire really does have an incredibly dangerous beast ready to use. That means I need to come up with something special myself. Something that I can keep to one side for when things get really bad. This is round three, and from here, things will only get harder.”

“I might be able to help,” said Gill. “When I first retired as an overseer, I had savings to fall back on. I traveled the world, sampling some of the finest sights – and beers - in the land. You can probably guess that my savings diminished pretty sharpish. As such, I had to take work as a substitute overseer in various academies. One of those was the Academy of the Eastern Spire.”

If Gulliver had been with us then, I would have shaken his hand. I had originally tolerated Gill because we needed an overseer so that we could get a license. The more I learned about him, the more useful he was becoming.

“What can you tell us about the Eastern Spire?”

“The Eastern Spire,” said Gill, “Trace their roots back to a sect of monks who dedicated their lives to building the tallest monastery in the land. They wanted to make a mark on Xynnar