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

who were busy trying to escort the dragon from the arena, threw their hands up in frustration and stomped away.

I eyed my new dragon. Right now, it was injured from the beating Razensen and Kainhelm had given it. Not to worry, I could fix it up. When I did, I would use it much cleverly than the Academy of the Eastern Spire.

Yes, this went some way towards balancing things out between me and the other academies. I might not have had the resources or the prestige that they enjoyed… but I had a dragon!

Creature added to dungeon: 

Durik 

Race: Dragon

Level: 12

The announcer prattled on about various tournament bureaucracy and housekeeping. I tuned him out until he reached the end of his speech, and then I made sure to pay attention.

What happened next would be important.

After the last fight, the announcer told me that rules were created and changed after rounds to make the later rounds seem more exciting. I wondered what would happen this time.

“Henceforth in the Battle of the Five Stars,” he said. “cores will be able to use traps.”

Interesting. Very interesting. Traps were one of my strengths, and this would change the way I fought. I would need to give this a lot of consideration.

“As well as that, a core’s monsters can no longer heal between rounds.”

What??

The audience whispered to each other. To them, changes like this only added to the entertainment. They raised the stakes, made the core’s jobs harder. To me, it brought difficulties. It meant I would have to be very careful who I sent into battle. Or more specifically, when I sent them into battle.

Creatures like Razensen and Kainhelm were the strongest in my dungeon. But if I used them in the next fight, and they got injured badly, it would more than likely mean I couldn’t use them again in the competition.

But the harshest thing about it was the timing. I had just added a dragon to my dungeon, for demons’ sake. And now, I had learned that I wouldn’t be able to heal him for the rest of the tournament.

In effect, that meant I had a dragon that I couldn’t use in the Battle of the Five Stars. I didn’t want to sound ungrateful. Anyone who earns possession of a dragon is very fortunate indeed. But I had wanted to play with my new toy straight away.

Was there a way around it, at all? It was something to think about, but right now I had other things to do. After all, I had won round three. It was time to get my rewards.

First, I checked my core for the usual list of level-ups. I had leveled up to 31, which was a level I hadn’t even dreamed of reaching back in the academy. Many cores were defeated by heroes and smashed into core dust before they even reached level 10. That in itself was something to be proud of.

As with each fight, I was given a choice of Revered Trinkets. The magical items were becoming more valuable each round, and this time I was presented with three exceptional choices.

But unlike before, I knew what I needed the instant I saw it.

Core Belt of Core Quality

A metal belt that can be clasped around a dungeon core. Will slowly convert essence into core quality. However, essence will take longer to replenish when the belt is worn.

I looked around for Overseer Gill to ask him about this, but he was nowhere to be seen. I wasn’t surprised. He had a habit of disappearing after fights, often appearing in one of the many taverns dotted all around God’s Fist. So instead, I floated over to Overseer Bolton, who looked extremely regal in his overseer robes. I even saw a hint of a smile playing on his face as he looked around the arena and saw all the spectators supporting our academy.

“Well done, Beno,” he said.

“The glory belongs to Razensen and Kainhelm. The dragon was no match for them.”

“But it is you who had the notion to ask them to come here. Nobody else had the idea, and nor would Razensen have responded to anyone else’s summons. It is rare that a core bonds with a bogan, such as they are. It was your decision to get them to fight, and it proved to be the right one. There was a reason I took such an interest in you in the academy, Beno. It doesn’t matter what any new test says. A core’s quality is only one measure of his skills. Insight and wit also count.”

I was strangely taken aback by that. “Thank you, Bolton. I wanted to ask you something about the test, actually. Is it possible for a core’s core quality to change, or is it fixed?”

“Is it etched in stone, you mean?”

“I suppose so,” I said.

“Beno, little in this world is permanent. What is etched in stone can be worn away with time. With the current of a river brushing against it. With thousands of years’ worth of storms raging upon its surface. Even the very mountains themselves aren’t here for time immeasurable. Do you think God’s Fist always looked like this? If such things are vulnerable to change, then why should a thing as small as a person’s core be any different?”

“Then even if my core is the lowest it can be right now, that doesn’t stop me from improving it.”

“The thing that a person wants to improve is never what stops them from actually doing it. It is only their own determination that prevents them from reaching new heights. The boy who trains his muscles for nine weeks and sees little improvement and gives up. Even though week 10 or 11 might be his breakthrough. The girl who practices with the sword and doesn’t reach competency, and so stops when competency is just