Eve waited patiently as her targets exited their buildings, preparing for a new day. Alpha Strikes were designed to decapitate the enemy forces before they had a chance to understand or respond. To that end, she had targeted multiple people for early elimination. Their sacrifice would ensure that her plan of sparing the largest amount possible without leaving a solid trace of her presence turned into a viable outcome. In a world where higher levels meant more responsibility, the loss of such higher-level individuals would act the same as removing an officer in the middle of a war zone via sniping.

In short, absolute and utter chaos.

Thirty-seven quarter ton KP Diamond rounds exited her Domain of Paper I at hypersonic speeds negating the normal vectors such as wind, gravity, and planetary spin with sheer brutal power. The snap-crack of multiple sonic booms sounded at the same time twelve high-level delvers, fourteen major town governmental individuals, and eleven of the top merchant leader’s heads vanished in a bloody vapor. There was a terrifying pause as if the world was holding its breath after the sonic booms before the first anguished screams rent the air.

Royals were level one hundred. To place it in perspective, there were usually less than a handful of them per kingdom. Her strike had decapitated the leadership and robbed effective response. It was distasteful, yet a required component of ensuring any pursuit from the nobles would end here.

A noble corpse, a slave collar on it, a high-level enemy with a sword in their hand stained with the noble kid’s blood. Eve had carefully listed her plan to the Pack, checking for viability. When she had learned that the boy’s grandfather would be able to teleport to his location, not instantly, but at least for a small amount of time, her plan took full shape. Certain types of people will pursue forever unless I provide another logical target to remove myself from the equation. So, I will do so. I will ensure there is a perfect target for them, one that isn’t me.

Those who had witnessed the deaths were running amuck below her, most of them attempting to flee in random directions with no clear plan. She watched as two of the delver’s bodies attempted to regenerate the missing heads. However, the Isa Rune attached to her KP Diamond rounds stopped that cold. Something touched by the rune couldn’t regenerate effectively before the body’s own mana reserves expired. It wasn’t like a headless body could give commands to stop pumping lifeblood out while attempting to regenerate the head as well. When both of the two regenerators finally expired, Eve gave a deep sigh of relief.

The dead should stay dead, not be regenerated after their brains turned into spatter marks on the ground by KP Diamond rounds.

Eve proceeded with the secondary strikes after confirming all Alpha Strikes were successful. Multiple quarter-ton paper sheets rained down on the Link Tower, and the Runic Circles cutting them into slivers. Eve watched as the mana pulsing through both target points was sliced into unrecognizable patterns that made certain they were no longer functional. As soon as Eve's targets crumbled, she lowered herself down towards the building that served as city hall, bringing any chance of detecting her to zero. Setting down in the center of the roof, she let multiple Paper Spy Eyes float out to the pre-determined location where the surviving power structure would meet according to emergency measures. Like a spider in a web, she waited several hours as those second in command finally gathered in the building. Each individual had a small number of guards, but she wasn’t worried. The mana levels of every one were barely one-third of her own.

Once runners and discussions completely gathered, the remaining leaders of the dungeon town had started, Eve spun her diamond-glass shield-form, causing a whine that caused a few of the para-humans to glance up as she struck down onto the roof, drilling directly down into the meeting room. As soon as she arrived, cardboard paper pieces flew out, sealing the room in a thick mana barrier to prevent communication and isolating sound. The hole created by her entrance was plugged with a thick cork of cardboard, stopping any hope of exiting through her entrance.

Eve shifted her disguise to mimic one of the female serpent women on the street she had spotted previously that matched her build. When she flipped her cloak off, there was a gasp as the gathered individuals could clearly see her face if not identify who she was through magic. Pumping mana into the paper disguise she was wearing effectively shattered any chance of identifying her beyond normal sight. It was likely overkill, but Eve was unwilling to risk one of the councilors around her having an item that could cause complications.

Eve opened her mouth to speak, but before she could even get a word out, one of the most heavily built and richly dressed individuals said, “Whatever your demands, you must understand your dead now. Our people will not rest until you are brought to justice!”

Eve turned to face the man, her eyes glinting with manic glee. A soft humming rippled through the air as her Samurai unfolded from their place within her hair, slipping through the diamond-glass shield-form to spin in a slow dance above her.

“No witness, no crime,” Eve said as she started to harvest the lives of those around her. She took care to leave one survivor in a seeming accident while acting as she was in a hurry. Letting the sole survivor conceal himself under another corpse in the slaughter, Eve finished the rest of the councilors off.

Acting effortlessly, Eve removed her disguise, letting her face shift into a pretty human female that had absolutely no resemblance to her. Raising her head, she spoke to thin air, “Mission complete. Leadership removed as ordered. Proceeding to locate the House Heir.” Eve let her mana pulse as if she was communicating with another individual at a great distance, just if the survivor had some method of seeing it. Turning all the paper to dust, she let her soul weapons return to being hair ornaments. Rising, she exited the path she had entered from, quickly heading to the town's small slave market for debtor criminals. Grabbing a collar without being seen was effortless, and finding an appropriate target took only a moment.

One dead sword-wielding delver and one noble corpse with a slave collar cut in half later Eve had set the stage. Moving with haste, since she was now on the clock, she headed directly to the Dungeon entrance nearby, taking care to land in a side street. Activating her chameleon ability, she sprinted as fast as she could pass the confused crowd leaping into the entrance right as she felt heat descend upon the surroundings. The last thing she heard was a wordless scream of rage that echoed in her ears.

No matter how powerful the kid’s grandfather is, there is no way he can stay longer than a few short minutes without the Forest taking notice. Eve thought as she moved away from the swirling entrance portal that had dropped her into the Dungeon. Punching through the ambient mana to arrive so fast could only be done with a long-cooldown Skill or Spell. The boy’s grandfather will have time enough to see the scene but not to question it. If that scream were any indication, he’d be less about asking witnesses and more about taking as much bloody revenge as he can as fast as possible before retrieving the body.

Rage clouded even the most calculating minds, and Eve had taken that into account. While the noble kid’s grandfather would have time to do some damage, it wouldn’t be enough to wipe the town. Combined with the survivor she had left alive in the councilor’s chambers, a simple and easy theory would be pushed forward.

The decapitation of effective leadership, the removal of the Runic Circle and Link Tower. A missing human House Heir, a furious high-level human attacking the town, a plundered Dungeon. Eve thought as she moved deeper. What else could the missing Core be except revenge by the humans for losing one of their own precious Heirs? What a tragedy that any pursuers might run into the military reinforcements makes me shed a tear at what might happen.

Eve grinned as she started to speed up, sending Paper Spy Eyes down every path to find the fastest path to the next level down quickly. When she found the Boss Room, she quickly moved to enter, staring at a hulking troll along with a few smaller minions.

“Perfect,” Eve said, her eyes glinting cold silver. The Forest Troll Dungeon’s fate had been sealed the moment she realized what type of monster it specialized in. “A nightmare for normal delvers, a paradise for me.”

KP Diamond rounds melted the Boss along with his minions in moments. Not even taking a glance at the treasure chest that appeared, Eve moved down to the next level with haste. Spreading more eyes out, she moved through the dungeon as if she had a precise map of the shifting landscape. Each level of the dungeon was crushed by overwhelming force as she moved ever forward, not letting the Core delay her by a moment. Eve floated over pit traps created by the dungeon's Core, paper sheets deflected falling spikes, poisoned arrows glanced away from the diamond-form shielding, and KP Diamond rounds shredded monsters to pieces.

Finally, after reaching the end of the twenty-seventh floor, Eve beheld her target. A sparkling azure crystal floated in the center of a large room, spinning slowly. Moving inside, Eve spared a single glance for the Core Boss that moved to stand in front of the crystal.

Unlike the other Trolls she had fought, this one was armed with a massive sword and shield, as well as a complete set of armor glowing with carved runes. Before she was able to attack, the Troll spoke calmly, “Leave, and the Master is willing to provide rich rewards.”

Eve’s brow furrowed as she said, “Master? Who?”

The large Troll jerked a shoulder back towards the floating azure crystal.

Eve grinned as her diamond-glass shield-form began to spin with a soft sonic whine before she said, “The only prize I desire from here is the gorgeous gem behind you. Move or die.”

No longer wasting words, the Troll charged forward, clearly using a movement Skill pushing his shield out to bash her. Eve let the blow strike watching as he winced at the horrific screech that occurred as a solid line was carved with her shielding into his shield from her spinning diamond form.

“My turn,” Eve said, pulling on her Domain with furious speed. Shifting, so the floating crystal was out of the fire line, she unleashed a barrage of KP Diamond rounds. The strikes seemed not to affect first, but she kept the barrage up, and slowly the runes lining the Troll’s armor started to fade. Eve calculated her expenditure and accepted that she would need to create more KP Diamonds after the fight. In exchange, though, she stepped up her attacks dumping all the ammunition she had into the Troll forcing the runes to dim before shattering.

For a long moment, each of them looked at each other before Eve raised a single hand imperiously to point at the Troll. In response to her unspoken command, the Samurai unfurled themselves from her hair once more, turning into blurs of celestial iron. It appeared the Troll would match her trump cards for a few moments, but as time went on, the soul weapons started to score hits.

A cut here, a slice there, each one refusing to regenerate. Eve witnessed the moment the Troll realized it wasn’t going to be regenerating. The look of fearlessness on its countenance faded into one of panic, and she saw the Troll look wordlessly at the crystal to the side as if begging for help.

Eve pulled more paper from her inventory, letting it hover around the floating azure crystal before she said, “I am willing to spare your servant if you communicate with me.”

You are violating the Compact with your actions. A voice echoed into her mind, heavy with confusion.

“I’m not part of the Delver’s Guild. I’m here to make you an offer backed by a contract from the System.” Eve said, watching as the Troll froze as celestial iron encircled his neck from two of the Samurai.

Explain. The Core said.

“I need something that can grant me unlimited enemies to combat, to grow my power quietly out of the reach of others. A private dungeon if you will, one exclusively for my own use.” Eve said, pushing the image of her plans at the Core using Celestial Mind.

There was a long pause and a faint feeling of surprise along the link the Core had to her mind.

Will the Voice allow this? The Core asked.

“I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t gotten confirmation on it,” Eve said, grinning.

There was another long pause before the Core spoke into her mind. Agreed.

“Wilson, can you do the honors?” Eve asked.

Eve Smith agrees to enter into a contract with the Core known as Felix. The Dungeon Core, Felix, will gain a portion of all users' mana regeneration within Eve’s House. In exchange, Felix will provide an ever-evolving supply of enemies created from the ambient mana in the surrounding area for all those within Eve’s House to combat. Details will be clarified once a year, on the anniversary of this date. The agreement will mimic that of the entity known as Kudzu with regards to harm.

Agreed. Felix said.

“Agreed,” Eve said, watching as the Troll was absorbed into the azure crystal before it floated over to land in her outstretched hand.

“I love it when a plan comes together,” Eve said as she turned to depart.

Now I need to skip town and get back to my house before heading to the Endless Forest's next layer. Eve thought as she flew back along the path she had taken.