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

train cores in the first place. Overseers could just forge a core, eat it, and then wield its essence themselves.”

“Then how have they managed it? Correct me if I’m wrong, but they don’t look dead to me.”

“I’d guess their practice is similar to how a poisoner ingests small doses of his poisons each day so that he can build an immunity to them. As well as that, they no doubt have a few techniques that they have never shared. They are full of surprises. After all, it was thought they had been wiped out completely in their war against the empire. But I suppose not.”

Overseer Bolton pointed across the arena. “Look at those cowards,” he said.

Tarnbuckle and the other Dungeon Core Academy overseers were escorting Aethos out of the arena and towards their portdoor. They were fleeing, even as the Shielded Republic soldiers spread through the arena, climbing into the spectator sections to corral the crowd.

I watched, barely containing my disgust within my core. Aethos was a Mid-Foundation core. Four rankings above me in core quality, which supposedly made him a much better core than me. One who was much worthier of representing the academy. And yet, here he was. Following his overseers out of the arena.

“Perhaps we should leave, too,” said Gulliver, joining the overseers and me.

“No,” I said.

“There must be fifty soldiers, and more still to come. Your portdoor is just there, Beno.”

“I might not be able to do much about my core quality. But I can choose how to respond to this. Yes, I could flee into my portdoor. I could float back to the dungeon, and then sever the link between the portdoor and my lair.”

“Then let’s do that,” said Gulliver. “I’d rather be a living coward than a dead hero.”

“What about all the spectators?” I said.

Looking at them, I saw the Shielded Republic soldiers beating some of them down with the hilts of their swords, then kicking them while they were on the floor.

“What do they want?” said Gulliver. “Why are they here?”

“There have always been rumors about the Shielded Republic,” said Bolton. “We discussed them, did we not? Now that we know the rumors were true, we can safely say whispers of their motivations are true, too. The Shielded Republic has always held a grudge against cores. It was the involvement of cores that tipped the war in the empire’s favor. Is it a surprise that they would choose to strike during the Battle of the Five Stars, when some of the most powerful cores are gathered in one place?”

“The tournament has been held every 10 years. The battle between the empire and the Shielded Republic was centuries ago,” I said. “Why haven’t they attacked a tournament before now?”

“A sensible opponent doesn’t strike in anger. They strike when they are ready.”

“Well, we aren’t going to run away like the Dungeon Core Academy.”

“Beno, you have little essence to spare, and your dungeon monsters aren’t in the best of health. There is a time when self-preservation is a noble act,” said Overseer Gill.

“Nonsense,” said Bolton. “Fleeing will always be the mark of a coward. No matter the reasons.”

I saw the pain on Gill’s face now. It probably hurt him to hear this from Bolton, given that Gill had once fled his academy after the empire purged it. It couldn’t have been nice to have the fears of his cowardice confirmed by a fellow overseer.

I didn’t see Gill as a coward. The truth was, after hearing Gill's story, I didn’t blame him for fleeing from his academy so that he could save a part of it.

But this was different. If I fled into my dungeon, I would be no better than the Dungeon Core Academy. This was my chance to show them that it didn’t matter that I was a Base core.

“We’ll stay and fight,” I said.

“You’d be signing your death warrant,” said Gulliver.

“Word will be getting round to the other cores in the tournament, and not all of them will be as cowardly. And when the city realizes what’s going on, they’ll send soldiers. We just need to keep the Shielded Republic busy until then.”

  With my mind decided, I used my core voice to send a command to all my dungeon creatures.

“Leave the dungeon and come to the arena. Bring whatever weapons and portable traps you can,” I said.

Soon the portdoor opened. In flooded an army of jellies, bone guys, fire beetles.

Razensen strode out, his icy feet pounding the ground. Kainhelm prowled behind his friend, his skin cape flapping up and down.

Following them was a dragon. Twenty feet tall, scales bloodied and worn, yet still glistening under the sunlight. Some of his wounds had a strange shine to them. That must have come from some kind of alchemical lotion made by Maginhart.

Finally came Rusty, Shadow, Maginhart, Tomlin, and Wylie. Shadow’s giant dogs brought up the flanks, snarling so that their teeth showed. I felt better seeing that. I knew that the dogs would defend my kobolds with their lives.

One Shielded Republic soldier, standing behind a towering shield made from essence, pointed at my monsters.

“Look! They’ve got a bloody narkleer!”

A ripple of fear spread through them, as befitted the sight of a creature as gloriously hideous as Kainhelm.

“A pox on you all! A curse on your lineage!” shouted Kainhelm.

And with that, Kainhelm began using his psychic disembowelment power.

Stomachs wrenched open. Guts spilled onto the ground. The Shielded Republic soldiers screamed, terrified at seeing a monster who defied their shields of essence.

Kainhelm prowled through the ranks of the Shielded Republic soldiers, his skin cape growing as he fed upon the murder and mutilation.

Razensen stomped forward, swinging a giant axe made from mana-fixed ice. It clanged against one shield, shattered another.

Four soldiers crowded around him and stabbed at his calves,