Harris helps Shadowkiss change the bandages. The dark elf, as in previous times, remains silent and still during the whole process, her expression is null, making impossible to know what she is thinking. In comparison, Shadowkiss finds easy to read Harris, perceiving in the boy's lowered head a disguised frustration.

  "What's wrong?" Shadowkiss asks.

  "Uh...?" Harris snaps out of his thoughts. Shadowkiss repeats the question, causing the young soldier to avert his gaze. "It's nothing..."

  "Oh, come on," the elf rolls her eyes and crosses the arms. "Spit out what bothers you. I'm in no condition to tell anyone your secrets either, and besides, I'm bored"

  Harris sighs. Part of him doesn't want to talk about it, but another part is eager to let out his discomfort. The soldier makes eye contact with the elf and decides that, after everything they've been through, he can trust her a little.

  "Remember the secret training in the castle underground...? They chose our squadron for a special test"

  Harris didn't want to participate, the risks promised to be much higher and he was afraid to die. But when Marcus volunteered, the guy couldn't back down. Harris relates the anecdote without going into detail about how the training works, and Shadowkiss can only intuit that there is some kind of wizard organizing everything.

  Shadowkiss has a theory that the wizard was the same one who changed the walls at the last minute, defeating the invasion. But she prefers not to share her ideas with Harris and let the boy continue telling what happened in the training.

  "I was paralyzed by fear," he confesses, clenching his eyes and fists. "Marcus... He's a great leader. I try my best, but... I doubt I can be half as brave as he is"

  Harris stands still and quiet, his hands shaking. Shadowkiss finishes bandaging her leg alone, while casting sporadic glances at Harris. The girl recognizes in the soldier shame and respect for Marcus, but also a deep envy and a pinch of hatred.

  "Why don't you just kill him?"

  Harris is startled by Shadowkiss' advice and looks at her with wide-eyed horror.

  "What? No! He's my partner. He always has my back, I can't betray him"

  Shadowkiss is disgusted by Harris's soft reaction, but resists her retching and continues speaking.

  "It's obvious you detest him more than you like him. Where I come from when something bothers you, you destroy it. I bet deep down that's what you want"

  A dangerous gleam crosses Harris' eyes, the guy stands up and Shadowkiss is diminished by the sudden hostility. Harris points a finger at the girl.

  "Don't you ever repeat that again, did you hear me well?!"

  Shadowkiss backs toward the bed and slips a hand under the sheets. Harris, seeing the panic in the elf, immediately regrets it and calms down. The soldier, embarrassed, turns around and hurries out of the house. As he passes under the doorway, he whispers an apology that Shadowkiss manages to hear.

  ...

  When the ether bar fills, a light wave crosses the dungeon core. Jimbo feels an electric current run through him and fills him. The chain that binds Jimbo to the crystal feels more slack. He moves down through the dirt, gravel, and rock, unable to see anything. More importantly, he moves above the ceiling height. It rises over the trials and the cells, reaching the first floor of the castle.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  ?I think... I think I shouldn't be here?

  He sees the maids walking through the corridors, chatting among themselves, attacking the dust. Jimbo tried moving a door to experiment, and the door opened like any other object in his domain.

  A maid is startled by the sudden movement and turns her head, looks into the room leading to the staircase, and without thinking much about the event closes the door.

  Even knowing it's impossible to get seen, Jimbo feels a stab of dread at the possibility of being discovered. Hurry he returns to the core room, where he seeks the system's wisdom.

  Note: Congratulations! You are now level 2. The domain radius grows, increasing one floor up and one floor down.

  ---Jimbo the Dungeon Core LV 2

  -Ether: 0/200

  --Active links:

  --Dowmy the imp LV 7

  --Hilda the fourth captain LV 31

  Jimbo assumed his development would only be downward how all dungeons are supposed to work. But it is true that when Arrax and the mages filled him with ether, he was able to rise so high that touched the clouds.

  Note: Maintaining a low profile during the early stages of dungeon development is advisable. Building above ground level may attract too powerful enemies.

  Jimbo isn't worried about that either. His plan was to act discreetly while he gathers power and information and thus avoids dying again. True, he has a big ego, but that doesn't mean he suffers from an uncontrollable urge to tell the world: Hey, come and fight with your faces uncovered!

  ?Dowmy won't care to know that I can come up. But I don't know if I should tell Hilda, I had a hard time getting her trust me, or at least that she wouldn't want to strangle me?

  He lets out a long sigh. Decides not to tell Hilda, at least for now.

  Note: Congratulations! Two potential Great Person were marked for dungeon domain.

  A new system prompt attracts Jimbo's attention.

  Note: The appearance of a Great Person may bring milestones that evolve the dungeon's Age.

  Jimbo nods, remembering that the system mentioned the Age issue earlier.

  Note: For the Great Person to remain marked by the dungeon's domain, it's important to be involved in its strengthening and development. If the Great Person wanders too far away or remains too long without dungeon stimulation, he/she will be unmarked.

  Jimbo asks for details about the benefits the Great Person can provide.

  Note: In addition to the milestones, if a Great Person dies outside the dungeon radius, half of the ether it contains will be transmitted to the core, including part of the Essence.

  Note 2: Minions, special items, and special abilities can be created with the Essence. For example, the Essence of a dragon hunter can create a sword that deals special damage to dragons.

  ?The Essence is kinda like the soul, right??

  Note: That's one way of looking at it.

  Note 2: High-level Dungeon Core gain enough awareness to produce Essence on their own.

  A buzzer suddenly sounds.

  Skill unlocked!

  -Skill: Evoke Essence.

  Requirement: Consciousness.

  Cost: 200 Ether. Consciousness.

  Description: Sacrifices a portion of consciousness to produce essence. Essence can be imbued into summons, objects, and atmospheres, for very powerful special effects.

  Jimbo arches an eyebrow. That the ability was unlocked even at a low level is easy to understand. He assumes that the Dungeon Core lack personality when they are born, but he was human, he has a well-formed consciousness inhabiting the crystal. Still, there is something that gives him a bad taste in mouth, a subconscious unease that prevents him from celebrating unlocking new options.

  ?System, tell me, what do you mean by sacrificing...are you talking about losing pieces of my soul??

  Note: That's one way of looking at it.

  The answer is vague. Perhaps it is because the knowledge engraved in his subconscious is also diffuse regarding this subject. Jimbo swallows saliva and shakes his ethereal head. He has the same feeling like when unlocking the atomic weapons branch in Kard10k.

  ?Sure, obliterating the enemy with nukes is fun. But then come toxic earth, mutants, nuclear winter, and before you know it your game of hundreds hours ends abruptly with no winner?

  There are costs too high that Jimbo prefers to avoid unless absolutely necessary. Wanting to forget about the possibility of selling pieces of his soul in exchange for power, Jimbo skims the Great Person information again.

  Two names appear.

  Marcus and Harris.