Dungeon of Chance: Even Odds: A Dungeon Core Novel (Serious Probabilities Book 1) by Jonathan Brooks (interesting books to read TXT) 📕

For the first time in his short life, Clay actually felt sad for Heroes.  Here he was, thinking that they had an awesome life that was full of powerful skills and spells, where they could adventure through dungeons and kill monsters, tackling World Threats and be, well, Heroes – when they were forced into doing that because their family, their loved ones, didn’t want to be around them anymore.  Never did he think that would be the case, but all that he knew of them (which, even now, was still a tiny amount) seemed to coincide with that.  The few Heroes who had come from Renton rarely visited, and even when they did it was for a very short time. He had thought it was just because they were super busy saving the world.

Now he knew the real reason why.

“I was not made aware of this, Clay.  This isn’t something that is talked about while Heroes are inside of dungeons, after all,” the baby dragonling said softly, breaking the silence.  “I also have to apologize; I didn’t realize you had no idea about any of the resurrection properties of the Health Band.  That being said,” she continued, “I have to agree that the system in place is probably the best for everyone.”

Clay wanted to argue, but he could see the point in it even if he didn’t personally agree.  Thanks, Dwight.  I know it isn’t your fault that I didn’t know, but if you think I should have knowledge of something that seems obvious, please think about it for a moment and consider if a non-Hero would know it.

“I…will try.  I’m not sure if my help will work that way, but I will do my best.”

That’s all I can ask.

Meanwhile, this new knowledge had changed the way Clay was beginning to think about his new life as a Dungeon Core.  Previously, he was going through the motions of setting up the dungeon because he wasn’t sure what else to do, as he didn’t have the same devotion to “duty” that Heroes seemed to have.  Seeing the point of everything was difficult, as it was hard to comprehend why everything was done the way Dwight said it was, but with the introduction of Hero resurrection, it all suddenly made more sense.  And so did the duty of Heroes and, consequently, Dungeon Cores.

Heroes literally gave up their old lives to protect the world, and the one group of people who should be appreciative of the individual Heroes…didn’t want anything to do with them.  Even beyond death, if they became a Core, they still fulfilled that duty to protect the world, utilizing their skills and knowledge from countless fights to ensure the next generation of Heroes got stronger and became powerful enough to protect everyone.  It was, Clay realized, because they had left their old family behind – and found a new one among comrades with shared intention.  In short, all of the Heroes were like one giant, extended family, united with the sole purpose of safeguarding the world.

He had only begun to start getting to know these new Heroes here on the island, but that didn’t really matter; by his own deliberations, they were his family now.  Family was important, and since he couldn’t help his old one – he didn’t even know where they were, after all – he would do his best to help his new family.  Clay would do his duty, now that he knew what it was all about.

So…what now? he asked eagerly.  I’m guessing that I need to put those monsters back into my dungeons, as well as replace those things burnt by that explosion – which was crazy, by the way—

Dwight laughed at him, equally excited at his change in attitude.  “Take a look, Clay – it’s all back, already.”

He had been so distracted that he hadn’t even looked. When he did, he saw that everything was as she said.  The monsters were back in place inside both rooms, exactly where they had been before the Hero group had walked inside; all of the environmental objects he had placed previously – including all of the destroyed webs and ratty cloth hanging from the ceiling in the second room – were fully restored. As if nothing had happened.

What?  How?

“As soon as a Hero group leaves your dungeon, everything is restored automatically to the state it was in before they arrived.  You can change things any time there isn’t a group delving through, of course, or just leave it as it is now.”  She paused for a moment, as if considering something.  “Given what we’ve seen, I might suggest lowering the difficulty of the second room a little.  Typically, new Heroes already have some advantages because they have joined a Hero Guild; this usually grants them at least a Tier 1 Class and potentially a piece of Tier 1 armor or weapon, which are extremely common.  These Heroes, however, are all Tier 0 without a Class. Your 2-Star Explosive Shambler was way above their abilities to kill easily, if at all.”

Clay had to agree.

“But—” she continued— “I would wait to make any changes in there until tonight.”

Why?

“Because if this previous group is telling those other new Heroes out there what to expect, which is extremely common for Heroes to exchange knowledge, then you might confuse them if you make any changes,” she explained.  “Altering your dungeon is normal and imperative, of course, but there is usually a little time between changes; not only that, but there is usually an indication that the dungeon has changed, so that the Heroes will be ready for it.”

What kind of indications are you talking about?  Can I communicate with them?

The baby dragonling laughed, a small puff of smoke coming from her mouth.