_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
Name: ???
Entity: Dungeon Core
Designation: Dungeon Master
Status: Invaded
[ Ressource ]
- Raw Manacyte (R.M): 3▲ / 3▲
- Mana Available (M.A): 1003▲ / 1067.7▲
- Godhood Potential (G.P) Earned: 86.9
_____________________________
“Huh? Invaded?”
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
System Notification:
[ ??? Dungeon Domain invaded by Verdenkind, Barbarian, Level 3 ]
[ Ralgare’s Interface ]
Name:Level:Race:Class:Title:
[Status]
- H.P:- M.P:- S.P:- Fatigue:- Defense:- Offense:
[Skills]
- Heightened Physique: Level 2
- Berserker Rage: Level 1
[Abilities]
- Bloodlust: Unlocked
- Lesser Pain Mitigation: Unlocked
[ ??? Dungeon Domain invaded by Verdenkind, Knight, Level 2 ]
Name:Level:Race:Class: Title:
[Status]- H.P: - M.P:- S.P:- Fatigue:- Defense:- Offense:
[Skills]- Axe Proficiency: Level 2
- Shield Mastery: Level 1
[Abilities]
- Valiant Charge: Unlocked
『Expand』
_____________________________
The sudden notification instantly grabbed my full attention. "Verdenkind… that's the equivalent of humans in this world, right?"
In fact, from the descriptions I read, Verdenkind were more like superhumans than regular humans. But it falls under the umbrella term of what’s referred to in this world as humanity.
"Two Verdenkind are invading me...They are invading my domain," I mumbled, falling into a sort of daze.
It was strange. I wasn't particularly surprised, as if I had been subconsciously expecting it. All the interfaces about spawns and their functions had given me the sense that something like this was bound to happen. The moment I saw the notification, it not only grabbed my full attention but also stirred a strange and primal urge within me—one that I had never felt, not even in my bloodiest days as Hassan the Butcher. It was a sense of urgency and feral excitement that surged within me, something I could barely repress.
Holding onto these feelings and the idea of acting upon this intrusion, I wondered, "Is this what Mighty K.R.U.L talked about? Is this what I'm expected to act upon?"
I knew I had to take action, but the question was, what should I do now that intruders had entered my Dungeon Domain?
I was just asking myself that question when once again another notification rang out, answering my not-so-complicated dilemma.
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
System Notification
Intrusion Report:
Two entities have invaded your dungeon domain. G.P safety compromised.
Suggestion:
Secure G.P, put an end to the invasion.
Intercept and Slay the invaders
Estimated Reward:
3.5 G.P
_____________________________
“Slay the invaders, huh? I guess you couldn’t be clearer than that.”
The instant I read about my G.P's safety being in jeopardy, I understood. It was clear to me what was expected of me, especially when the interface made me the promise of even a reward, every trace of doubt vanished from my mind.
Ready to dirty my hands as I used to, I set out to intercept and confront my invaders but in the midst of the thought and newly acquired unscrupulous resolution I realized something, I couldn't do anything.
I scrolled through the system many interface only to met with the same notification,
_____________________________
[???'s Interface]
This interface is unavailable during invasions.
_____________________________
Just like that, no interface was available to me except a few, one of which was [Dungeon Visualization], which gave me no option but to just observe the invasion unfolding, with the two dots venturing deeper and deeper into the dungeon.
“I literally can’t do anything; how am I supposed to do anything?” I had just finished complaining about that when I saw the answer to my question unfolding inside the screen.
As the two red dots, representing the invaders, advanced deeper into my dungeon, they soon reached the corner of the dungeon where they encountered two blue dots, representing my patrolling Spectral Reavers.
To my relief, the spectral reavers immediately sprang into action, moving with purpose seemingly to intercept the intruders. I watched with anticipation as the blue and red dots converged on the screen, suggesting an impending confrontation.
The blue and red dots inched closer together, the tension palpable even in such a minimal display. The interface offered no visual representation of the battle, leaving me to imagine the fierce engagement unfolding through a not-so-interactive map. I had hoped the Dungeon Visualization interface—capable of rendering my domain in a three-dimensional hologram—would grant me the visuals I craved. But even through that, the invaders appeared only as dots. So, I had to make do with what there was.
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[???'s Interface]
System Notification:
Spawn: Spectral Reaver Level 1
Health: 59%
Status: In Combat
『Expand』
_____________________________
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[???'s Interface]
System Notification:
Spawn: Spectral Reaver Level 1
Health: 62%
Status: In Combat
『Expand』
_____________________________
"Eh, this can’t possibly be good."
Comparing the rate of HP depletion between my spawns and the invaders, it became painfully clear—at this pace, my two Spectral Reavers were going to be defeated.
Foreseeing this grim outcome, I quickly skimmed through the interface, hoping to summon the other spawns I had acquired. However, they were assigned to guarding and spawning behaviors, meaning they would not leave their designated positions—unlike the Spectral Reavers, whose patrolling behavior had led them to intercept the invaders the moment they were detected.
I tried to override the restriction, but my attempt was met with the same message:
_____________________________
[???'s Interface]
This interface is unavailable during invasions.
_____________________________
I get it already!
"Crap, I can't do anything. I messed up, I should've assigned more spawns to patrolling behavior instead of just two. I was stupid."
As I continued to fiddle with the menu, I stumbled upon something unexpected when I mentally clicked on the blue dot representing one of my Spectral Reavers.
“Oh?”
_____________________________
[???'s Interface]
System Notification:
Spawn: Spectral Reaver Level 1
Health: 38%
Status: In Combat
_____________________________
With a click on the option to change the Spectral Reaver agro target, I was shown the respect stats of both invaders, along with quite the interesting choice option.
_____________________________
[???'s Interface]
Change Agro target
_____________________________
At the rate this battle was going, my Spectral Reavers were doomed to fall. The one facing the Barbarian would likely be the first to go, soon followed by the one fighting the Knight.
In that moment, I was faced with a choice. I could accept that there was nothing I could do and simply watch—or I could take the only real action available to me: ordering both spawns to focus their attacks on a single invader in a desperate attempt to take at least one of them down.
The answer was self-evident.
Even if had changed, I was still
I chose the latter. With a single click, I designated the Verdenkind Barbarian as the primary target. Instantly, my Spectral Reavers shifted their assault, and the battle took a different turn.
Their health was still plummeting, especially the one that had initially engaged the Knight, but now the Barbarian's HP was dropping just as fast—if not even faster.
I watched as my Spectral Reaver’s HP drained, mirroring the Barbarian’s. It was a race to the finish. The outcome remained uncertain—until it no longer was.
A dot vanished from my interface.
A system notification followed.
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
System Notification:
Spawn: Spectral Reaver Level 1
Health: 0%
Status: Defeated
_____________________________
_____________________________
[Spectral Reaver (Patrolling Spawn), Level 1, slain by Verdenkind, Knight, Level 2]
_____________________________
It was with sadness and bitterness that I read the notification showing how my brave Specter Reaver was defeated by the invader invaders. Naturally, I was angry. After all that death was the equivalent of a 0.35 G.P down the drain. But as I watched another dot disappearing from the map, promptly followed by a second notification, a smile appeared on my inexistent face.
_____________________________
[Spectral Reaver (Patrolling Spawn), Level 1, has slain Verdenkind Intruder, Barbarian, Level 2]
_____________________________
"Eat that! Hahaha." Sure, I had lost another Specter Reaver, but in its death, it had also dragged one of the invaders along. It was worth it. So I took a moment to rejoice over it. But not for long, for there was still another invader left for me to defeat.
I might have lost my first line of defense, but that’s alright. After all, it was just my first line, deeper just a little deeper into the domain, much stronger spawns waiting to spawn on him.
I awaited with great expectation, but what happened next wasn't the knight deciding to continue deeper into my domain, not quite the opposite in fact. I watched helplessly as the red dot representing the invader was distancing itself from the blue dot representing my spawn lurking deeper into the domain. "This dude... he's running away. Come on!!! You can’t do that to me! Come back here! You owe me a spawn. You owe me a life!"
Deaf to my whining, the knight cowardly as he retreated from where he came from, only to completely vanish from the map, prompting a notification to roll out in front of me.
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
System Notification Intrusion Report:
Invasion successfully repelled, G.P and domain secured, all interfaces are now available.
_____________________________
***
Floating in front of me was yet another screen, within which was displayed a holographic projection of what clearly looked like a man, or perhaps the right word was "caveman." He was tall with no hair on his head, giving him an overall appearance that pissed on his otherwise youthful features.
Floating alongside the hologram of the youthful yet barbaric-looking man was a club that appeared to be made of wood. Beside the club, just like beside the man, were the options [harvest]. The "harvest" option displayed the following values:
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
_____________________________
I looked at the hologram projection of the barbarian. "2.43 GP, huh? That's actually not so bad considering what was promised to me in that earlier notification. Tch, shame I couldn't take down that other bastard. No doubt the other spawn would have floored him."
As I glanced at the item beside the barbarian’s hologram, I fell silent for a moment and pondered why there was a GP value assigned to this shabby-looking club. It appeared like the most random, basic wooden club one could find in the woods, yet here it was bearing G.P value of 0.098, it’s almost the cost of a whole peon.
Kind of disturbing if you think about it, but anyway, seeing that there wasn't much that could be done with this interface, I did the only thing I was given the option to do: harvest.
A notification promptly followed.
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
System Notification:
Harvest Successful.
+2.43 G.P earned.
_____________________________
I watched as the holographic image of the barbaric-looking man disappeared, leaving me with just the wooden club.
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
System Notification:
Harvest Successful.
+2.43 G.P earned.
Status
Name: ???
Entity: Dungeon Core
Designation: Dungeon Master
Status: Idle
Ressource
- Raw Manacyte (R.M): 3▲ / 3▲
- Mana Available (M.A): 1002▲/ 1967.1▲
- Godhood Potential (G.P) Earned: 110▲ GP
_____________________________
"Well, well, well. If this isn't something?" I murmured to myself, a smile metaphorically forming on my metaphoric face. I acquired half of the initially promised reward, but it more than covered the loss I suffered upon losing two of my precious Specter Reavers.
"Not bad at all, truly not bad at all for a first time actively acquiring GP." It almost made me wish they would come to attack again. But then, as I had that thought, I was reminded of something. "What am I thinking? Of course they'll come back. There’s no doubt about that. No time to waste. I must prepare myself for the next invasion."
With a renewed sense of purpose, I decided to delve back into the interface. Naturally, I headed straight for the spawnable entities section of the interface to better layer up the placement of my spawns or perhaps even acquire some more to replace the one I lost, but as I was about to, I realized that I still had a club to either store or harvest.
Firmly believing that another invasion was imminent, I set to work preparing my defenses. I acquired new spawns, carefully assigning them more strategic behaviors to make sure they were ready for whatever threat might come their way.
I also strategically positioned them within the dungeon, ensuring they were in the best possible locations to intercept and fend off intruders.
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
Spawnable Entities
Spawns
Spectral Reaver Level 02 [Patrolling: Change Behavior
Spectral Reaver Level 02 [Patrolling: Change Behavior
Spectral Reaver Level 02 [En Guarde: Change Behavior
Spectral Reaver Level 02 [En Guarde: Change Behavior
Spectral Reaver Level 03 [Patrolling: Change Behavior
Spectral Reaver Level 03 [Patrolling: Change Behavior
Spectral Reaver Level 03 [Patrolling: Change Behavior
Spectral Reaver Level 03 [Patrolling: Change Behavior
Spectral Reaver Level 03 [Patrolling: Change Behavior
Spectral Reaver Level 03 [Patrolling: Change Behavior
Spectral Reaver Level 05 [Patrolling: Change Behavior
Spectral Reaver Level 05 [Patrolling: Change Behavior
_____________________________
Naturally one thing I also did was leveling my gang of Spectral Reavers up, I knew that I needed to make my Spectral Reavers stronger if I wanted to stand a chance against any future invasions.
The previous invasion had shown me that I can’t afford being too stingy. Sure the two of them would not be enough to wipe out all my spawns but I can easily imagine that happening if they were like let’s say six levels higher. So, without hesitation, I invested a significant portion of my previous GP into leveling up my Spectral Reavers, pushing the average level to level 3, and some even to level 5. It was a substantial commitment, but I believed it was necessary.
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
Name: ???
Entity: Dungeon Core
Designation: Dungeon Master
Status: Idle
[ Ressource ]
- Raw Manacyte (R.M): 3▲ / 3▲
- Mana Available (M.A): 207▲/ 1978▲
- Godhood Potential (G.P) Earned: 54.7 GP
____________________________
Watching how low my precious GP has gotten after all these investments, I couldn't help but think about my life back in that world. I'd always known I should invest in something, start a business, and stop the life I was leading. But I guess I'd grown complacent, content with what I was paid for with that life, and perhaps also because I’d grown somewhat addicted to the adrenaline that usually comes along.
Now it's too late to change that. But while I couldn't—didn’t do that back then, in this new world, I had the opportunity to make smarter choices.
Leveling up my spawns felt like a good beginning. Especially when I, upon the defeat of my Specter Reavers, discovered that defeat didn't actually mean that the G.P. I'd invested actually went to waste; it was still there.
As I went to check the "spawn" of the system, I was met with a pleasant surprise: the sight of my spectral reaver popping up on the map after a brief clock down. Seeing this I no longer hesitated, I simply had no reason to.
***
After harvesting what I believed needed harvesting and investing what I believed needed harvesting and assigning them to the right corner of my domain, I decided to explore the other options available to me.
One, it turned out that I could store items, like the club I chose not to harvest, within my Dungeon Master Core Function interface. As of now the club was neatly stored in the Resource Management section, ready to be harvested, spawned inside the dungeon, or even stored within my spawns.
_____________________________
[ Dungeon Master Core Function ]
Resource Management
???
『Expand』
_____________________________
The logic behind storing a club inside one of my spectral reavers was beyond me, but I had learned that this world operated by its own rules and that questioning its “intricacies” was a fruitless endeavor.
“It is what it is.” Those were the best way to describe the circumstance I was in. And also the best way to navigate the world as it is.
***
With my preparations complete, I settled in, ready for the inevitable invasion. Time was a strange thing here—neither dragging nor racing and certainly not constant—so I wasn’t bored, nor was I impatient. Especially since, while waiting, I was skimming through the endless monster catalog, keeping myself occupied with potential additions to my forces.
As I waited, I periodically checked my main interface. One such time, I received yet another notification informing me that I had completed another cycle. I still didn’t know exactly what this "cycle" referred to, but I wasn’t about to complain—not when it meant more GP to invest into my domain and spawns. With each passing moment, my eagerness for the invasion grew, yet there was still no sign of it. For now, I had to content myself with the passive upgrades I received: the aforementioned completed cycles granting me GP, and my ever-increasing Mana Available (M.A), which always seemed to rise whenever I wasn’t looking.
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
Name: ???
Entity: Dungeon Core
Designation: Dungeon Master
Status: Idle
[ Ressource ]
- Raw Manacyte (R.M): 5▲ / 5▲
- Mana Available (M.A): 1951 / 3722▲
- Godhood Potential (G.P) Earned: 72.7 GP
_____________________________
With my Raw Manacyte Cluster (R.M.C) reaching a value of five, a total of four cluster icons now appeared on my map. That made me think—perhaps it was time to start considering dungeon expansion in the near future.
***
So once again, I waited. I waited patiently. Then, one day, it finally happened. A greatly expected and at the same time impromptu notification appeared in front of me.
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
Name: ???
Entity: Dungeon Core
Designation: Dungeon Master
Status: Invaded
_____________________________
“Hahaha, finally!”
_____________________________
[ ???'s Interface ]
System Notification:
[ ??? Dungeon Domain invaded by Verdenkind, Knight, Level 5 ]
Name:Level: Race:Class:Title:
[Status]
- H.P:
- M.P:
- S.P:
- Fatigue:
- Defense:
- Offense:
[Skills]
- Swordsmanship:
- Shield Mastery:
- Physical Fortitude:
- Lesser Rampart:
[Abilities]
- Valiant Charge
- Feral Strike
_____________________________
_____________________________
[ ??? Dungeon Domain invaded by Verdenkind, Knight, Level 4 ]
- Name:- Level: - Race:- Class:- Title:
[Status]
- H.P:
- M.P:
- S.P:
- Fatigue:
- Defense:
- Offense:
[Skills]
- Swordsmanship: Level 2
- Shield Mastery: Level 1
- Wind Cleave: Level 2
- Enhance Sword: Level 3
[Abilities]
- Enhanced Weaponry: Unlocked
『Expand』
_____________________________
_____________________________
[ ??? Dungeon Domain invaded by Verdenkind, Knight, Level 4 ]
- Name:- Level: - Race:- Class:- Title:
[Status]
- H.P:
- M.P:
- S.P:
- Fatigue:
- Defense:
- Offense:
[Skills]
- Swordsmanship: Level 2
- Shield Mastery: Level 2
[Abilities]
- Valiant Charge
『Expand』
_____________________________
_____________________________
[ ??? Dungeon Domain invaded by Verdenkind, Knight, Level 2 ]
- Name: - Level:- Race:- Class:- Title:
[Status]
- H.P:
- M.P
- S.P
- Fatigue
- Defense:
- Offense:
[Skills]
- Swordsmanship: Level 3
- Hemorrogist Dance: Level 2
[Abilities]
- Hemorrogist Edge
『Expand』
_____________________________
_____________________________
[ ??? Dungeon Domain invaded by Verdenkind, Barbarian, Level 2 ]
Name:Level:Race:Class:Title:
[Status]- H.P:- M.P:- S.P:- Fatigue:- Defense:- Offense:
[Skills]
- Heavy Weaponry: Level 1
- Berserker Rage: Level 1
[Abilities]
- Bloodlust
『Expand』
_____________________________
“Eh?”
