Apinsig
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Chapter 284 Dungeon Core: “The Eternal Training Ground”
🕑 Added 2025-01-30 17:37:21 +0000 UTC----
No chapters tomorrow, need to do stuff.
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Pov Dungeon Core
We were now officially done with the first defensive layer of the outer defenses. This also meant that I could now power it, and I was glad to do so. It took quite a lot of mana, and the way all of this worked meant that I barely had to do anything to use that mana.
If I made crystals or other high-cost materials, I needed to actually make them. Here, I just needed to pass mana streams through the correct locations that would then gather the mana and power all the enchantments.
Up to this point, we had only powered up some sections to test things out, but now everything was coming to life. Power ran through the enchantment lines as I fixed in place mana streams that all ran through me and then eventually made their way to the correct locations. It was fun to make all of this. It was like city lights coming on, but for an entire megacity.
It seemed like the enchantments had a yellowish glow. Once the enchantments were properly powered up, that glow diminished quite a lot. Normally, you wouldn’t see it at all, but there were so many enchantments that if you viewed it from far away, my entire surface glowed yellow. I kinda liked the color. It also didn’t extend too far away, which was good news, as I didn’t really want to become a beacon.
I let everyone revel in the success for a week. While most of the work was done by my monsters, there were still millions and millions of creatures who helped finish all of this. When the week was up, it was time to get back to work. We still had so many layers to build that would probably take centuries to finish because all the previous layers would also be strengthened.
We needed to do it this way, even though it would take a lot longer, simply because if we wanted to build the first layer the way we wanted it to be, it would have taken decades, and we simply didn’t have that much time to go without proper protection.
We tested three melters at the same time, aimed at the same spot, and not only did they do nothing—I actually didn’t feel anything, with my core suffering zero damage.
This was an unexpected benefit. Some of the enchantments were meant to keep out negative influences, and I guess whatever was causing me damage was also blocked by those.
That made me feel a lot better, and it also meant a part of my weakness was gone. I wasn’t foolish enough to think that with enough attacks, I wouldn’t still feel it and that my core wouldn’t get cracks, but I was certainly a lot more resistant to this type of damage now.
The image of the Pixie leader’s beam still scared me, but even in that premonition, it still took time to reach anywhere near my core, and it could be interrupted. That’s why our defenses had the capability of launching our own attacks, and in certain buildings, those attacks would be amplified. In fact, I think it was time for a mock battle.
It had now been two weeks since the party ended. Everyone was back to work, and while most were focused on the next layer, many were also practicing and standing guard inside the fortifications, ready to defend.
With my current allocation of my mind, I’ve only been able to man the portion of the exposed defenses. I would still need to begin with the lower half to secure that entrance as well, but I could push that back to simulate an attacking army without informing the defenders. Let’s see how they would handle an attack.
I still couldn’t make diamond ranks, but there were some monstrous platinums that could do real damage. Also, I was going to make a lot of adventurer species, give them the best talents and skills I could, and make them as powerful as possible. Many of the templates I already had, as a lot of them were currently manning the defenses.
I didn’t want to put too much of myself into this, so it took me a whole week to get ready to attack. Then I made them appear at the edge of my territory and commanded them to attack. These were not your regular monsters—their reasoning capabilities were a lot higher, and all of them knew what they needed to do.
I was glad that it only took about 20 seconds to raise the alarm, and mostly that was because all of our sentries were confused, as the army that seemed to be attacking didn’t feel hostile. That was because they were my monsters, but as one of the sentries said, perhaps it was a purposeful misdirection by the enemy.
Pov Ant Sentry
It was amazing to feel the power underneath my six feet. Ever since the first layer was activated, we ants could feel much farther with our vibration sense. It was a bit disorienting at first, but it would allow us to do our job better. While we had good detection and no one should get through, even if someone did, we should be able to feel their footsteps.
I had a long shift ahead of me, then there would be a little bit of torpor, and then it was back to building, after which came another sentry shift. A lot of the adventurers felt that this was too much work, but those adventurers were weird creatures. A lot of their work seemed to be in the pursuit of entertainment, which is just strange. But I’ve been around long enough to understand that other beings are strange.
Alarms started to ring out. It took me a moment to realize that they signaled an attack. Was this a drill? But I didn’t remember anything being scheduled. There had been quite a few in the past weeks. Fortunately, I was already in position, but I could feel a lot of movement as many stopped working on the second layer and rushed into defensive positions.
There seemed to be a lot of confusion, and I could even feel some running into each other in their rush to get to their places. Yeah, that needed to be fixed. I could see one of the adventurers who was with me in this section wince, as he probably sensed some of the same things I did, only in a different way. Then we heard our commander’s voice.
“It’s confirmed that an army of nearly a million is approaching. All platinum. They have monstrosities that could cause damage to our defenses. Everyone assigned as long-range attackers, get to your positions, and when the command is given attack.”
I saw the adventurer close to me swallow in nervousness, and I kind of wished I could do that as well. Instead, I cleaned my antennas—a nervous tick almost all ants shared. How had we not heard anything about this army?
A moment later, I felt a voice in my head. "How did our scouts miss the army approaching?" the adventurer close to me asked, using the communication necklace all of us had.
I shook my antennas in a way that humans understood meant ‘I have no idea.’ I believe they called it a shrug. It was when they lifted both of their shoulders. It was funny that even with our communication necklaces, it was sometimes easier to just learn other creatures’ body language, as every creature had some form of it, and it was really easy to learn.
We were further back, and we would not see any combat, but we could feel some of what was happening outside. I could feel the mana moving as attacks started to land on the walls that protected the very dungeon itself. The attacks seemed to not be able to get through, and I didn’t think that they would, but I could feel the mana moving in different ways than before—more active.
Periodically, we got updates. Apparently, some attackers had been able to get inside, but none of the walls were actually breached. Everyone was still confused as to who was actually attacking us. The way the bodies disappeared, it must have been a dungeon that connected with Father’s territory. But then why were there adventurers with them? And how could another dungeon make adventurers? It was just so confusing.
It took four hours for the fighting to die down, and all of a sudden, all of our attackers disappeared at the same time. Then I heard the voice of Father.
"Do not worry, this was a test. It was my army that attacked. We now have an idea of what our defenses can do and what we need to improve. I thank you for your diligence—everyone did excellent."
It took me an embarrassingly long time to actually understand what that meant. It seems that the adventurer close to me also finally received word, as they couldn’t hear Father like I could. He looked quite pale.
"Did he just make one of the strongest armies in the world just a test for our defenses on a whim?"
The mental waves had a quiver to them, and I think I felt the same way as he did as I slowly nodded, confirming to him that I felt the same—a gesture both of our species shared.
Comments
Zarik0
That answer some question and clarify things thank
Apinsig
you have a bit of a wrong understanding on how the floors are placed, they do not have to be from up to down. he can place them wherever, they just need to be connected. he currently has multiple let's call them main towers first 12 going down going up then once again going down and so on the core itself is basically near the center of the sphere. I also added a picture to my discord that might help you visualise it. ps. he was already a sphere shape with just some extra stuff at the bottom so there would be no need to rearrange anything.
ReadingObsessed
Keep in mind spacial expansion. If he keeps leaning into that why can't he create a solar system inside that sphere?
Zarik0
Ok for this, but that don't answer the question about how is floors are structured, and logically his core or some deep floor can be more 'easily' accessed in some specific side of the sphere as they are in less distance to the exterior here As I don't remember that he have done a good whole rearrangement of his structure done in some past chapter, so nothing changed how he do thing vs the standard grow, meaning his early floor are in the top and deep floor are in the bottom of the sphere? Any additional new floor build is also a problem i guess Yeah that call for a good whole rework of him about this angle/subject and I guess a Skill will be needed? (Spacial shit and other thing together maybe) as i don't think the basic ability of dungeon and etc that he have now can do what he need to do here, as he need a complete rework about how a dungeon build its structure as it grow infinitely (grow in 3D and with the exterior/outside is everywhere around him (sphere) not just the top
Zac Jel
Great chapter
Apinsig
he calculated everything he could fit up to 200 floors into his current size, but eventually, he would expand himself if needed and yes it would be really hard.
Zarik0
Hmm now that he fixed himself into a sphere and ascended in altitude a bit with it, does it mean his form (and max size is fixed?) How he can continue to grow? and where to place the new floor and etc? Did he calculate what he needed to go diamond and so expanded his aura/territory to form this last sphere of his 'final' outside form with enough size for the last floors? Untill now new floor and etc was go down and claim more down territory but it don't work now Well now that he also a sphere, he need to remove and rearrange his floors no? or one side of the sphere is close to deeper floor and his core... So i guess some spacial shenanigan is needed and that he reseen/rework how he do these things, the question on how he build next/new floor too (best seem some spacial shit with his core in the center and each new floor builded is close to his core and 'push'/making rearranging the other floor who expand out a bit But can he do that? rework and rearrange how he grow and expand and how he is build (framework/structure how the floors are), or he need a new Skill for that? can only see a Spacial shit and maybe him building his floor in some 3D Spiral who expand out (and his first few floor are touching his exterior)
brennon Petersen
Tftc!
