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

to leave the monster melding room when it started its work. It was unlikely, but there was always the chance that a core who hung around in the room might end up getting melded into the boss monster itself. Back when I was in the academy, there was a rumor that one core had ended up with the body of a rat, and had spent the rest of his days scuttling around his dungeon searching for cheese.

So instead, I floated back and forth in the hallway outside the room, anxious to see what it created. Finally, a message in my inner core told me that it was done.

Anxious, I entered the melding room.

I could barely comprehend the creature standing before me.

There is always an element of chance in using the melding room. You couldn’t control what it would produce, only the creatures you fed to it. By using the bone guy, bear, an ox, I had hoped for a creature with a bone guy’s tough defense, a bear’s ferocious power, combined with the stamina of an ox. As for appearances…well, the more horrible it looked, the better.

What the melding room had given me was a huge ox made from bone, with normal back legs that ended in hoofs, just as an ox’s legs usually would. But its front legs had great big paws with claws that looked like they could shred steel.

It wasn’t quite what I had hoped for, but I couldn’t say I was completely unhappy with the results.

There was only one last thing to do. I floated in front of the creature.

“Welcome to your new home. I am, Beno, the Dark Lord of this dungeon. It has become something of a tradition for my dungeon creatures to choose their own names. Would you like to tell me what I should call you?”

The beast snorted. Dungeon flies gathered around its rear end, only to be swatted away by its bony tail.

“Vile,” it said.

“Vile? As in, extremely unpleasant?” I said.

The bone ox’s black, dead eyes blinked. Its tail swished happily.

“My name is vile. It is a – snort - pleasure to meet you, Dark Lord.”

“Vile is a wonderful name! It inspires fear. Dread. You know, I once had a monster named Gary. That kind of moniker doesn’t quite instill terror.”

“Thank you. Would you be kind enough to direct me to the nearest bale of hay?”

“We don’t have any hay, I’m afraid, but I will send a kobold down to Heaven’s Peak to buy some after the fight.”

“Fight?” said Vile.

“Yes. I suppose we should have a chat.”

Chapter 26

My quarter-final battle was to be fought in an arena just below the Saucer of the Gods. It was the largest arena I had been in so far, which would give both Aethos and me some tactical flexibility. Especially in our use of traps. I just wished I had time for more of my essence to replenish.

A jovial crowd watched us from the seats surrounding the arena. There had already been one quarter-final before ours. As such, the crowd was already drunk and excited. Almost half of them lifted blank placards aloft, which made me feel much better. From the sidelines, gathered in front of the port door that led to my dungeon, were my clanmates.

Gill gave me a solemn nod when I looked his way. Bolton stood with his hands tucked inside his robe sleeves. Gulliver was nowhere to be seen, no doubt sitting with the crowd, where he would try and get as many quotes from as many people for use in the book he was writing to chronicle the events.

Across the arena, my opponent, Aethos, stared straight at me as the announcer ran through his usual tournament business.

This stare was a tactic that many cores employed, designed to psych the opponent out. I wasn’t interested in stupid games.

“And now,” said the announcer, “Ladies and gentlemen. Goblins and imps. Orcs and lizards. It is time for the second fight of the day! Please cheer for the Dungeon Core Academy.”

Various sections of the audience rose to their feet and clapped and hollered, holding placards with the Dungeon Core Academy emblem drawn on the front. Overseer Tarnbuckle, sitting at the edge of the arena behind Aethos, waved to the crowd.

“And let’s hear your appreciation for Beno and Jahn’s Dungeon Core Academy,” said the announcer, with much less enthusiasm.

Fewer spectators got to their feet, and the cheers were quieter than those the Dungeon Core Academy had received. Even so, it was much louder than the scant cheers I’d gotten in my first fight.

The announcer held his hands aloft.

“Core Aethos and Beno…you may now fight!”

He fled from the arena as if we were about to unleash our monsters on him. I tuned out everything. The smug smile of Overseer Tarnbuckle. The jeers of the crowd. I focused on my opponent, and I got to work.

 Aethos began the first round with a surprise. Luckily, it was a surprise that played into my plan.

He created a lizard-pegasus and a yeti priestess. The pegasus flew into the air, circling above the arena. Every waft of its giant wings blew air into the faces of the amazed spectators.

It was a strange combination to use, a yeti-priestess, and a pegasus. I quickly guessed Aethos’ plan. The priestess’s job was to channel her mana and give the pegasus all kinds of boosts. Mana-fuelled defenses, magically-charged attacks, and that kind of thing. Meanwhile, the pegasus would swoop from the sky and attack my monsters.

On my side of the arena was Vile. The crowd stared at this monstrosity. I doubted they’d ever seen an ox made from bone, who had the paws of a bear. Flanking Vile were my undead spirit archers, their bows held tight and their arrows pointing to the sun.

Aethos made his first move.

The