"Hey System, why do creatures come to the dungeon?"

The dungeon Core is filled with Lifeforce. By absorbing the Life force from a dungeon core all beings will gain experience points. Experience points are used to level up and become stronger. Experience is also gained when you kill something and part of their Lifeforce is absorbed by the body. This process isn’t visible for normal beings.

As a mana based Core, you can see this process when the dungeon kills something inside it. Remember that first goblin that entered the dungeon and made it to the core?

Core didn’t like it when that happened. The creature walked through the corridors unhindered since he hadn’t placed his traps yet. It eyed his shiny Core with lustful eyes. He got up on the pedestal Core was bound to and placed its dirty hands on him. The instant the filthy creature placed its dirty hands he felt his mana being drained.

Core got angry and pulsed out some of his mana in a ring around him. The creature got startled and released his grip on Core. With its footing unstable it fell off the pedestal hitting its tiny head on one of the stones around the pedestal base, hard.

It lay unmoving on the ground, heavily bleeding from the big gash in its head. And then the box showed up and the goblin faded into rainbow-colored flakes.

Goblin Level 1 has been killed by > Experience gained: 10. Current experience 10 / 50.

Dungeon Points gained: 1. Current Dungeon Points: 1. Progress gained: Understanding of archetype +20%.

Current % progress: 20 / 100.

"Hey System, what would happen if they take all my Lifeforce?"

Lifeforce is represented as your health points when drained of all the health points a Core will die. Invaders can only drain one level worth of experience per twenty-four hours. If a Core dies the dungeon’s creatures and traps stop working. The magical construct that keeps the dungeon in place is likely to collapse.

Dying was bad. Core had to make certain that it didn’t happen!

"Hey System, how do they find my dungeon?"

Core mana is mixed with the air inside the dungeon, as the air leaves the dungeon part of that mana travels outside the dungeon. This mana rich air the travels around. Creatures pick up the scent of mana and move towards the dungeon to drain the Core and grow stronger.

As the Core grows in power the heavier the scent of mana becomes. That makes it travel further attraction more creature.

When the dungeon has reached a certain level of infusion sentient creatures will also start to pick up the scent of mana and investigate for the same reason creatures do, to gain power.

"Hey System, this new feature that I gained to create defenders, how does that work?"

Like with your traps, you use dungeon mana to spawn a defender creature. That defender will then fight dungeon intruders to protect you, the Core. Intruders killed by dungeon defenders give you experience the same as your traps. Spawned defenders will not trigger dungeon traps.

Defenders also gain experience on the archetype, when enough experience is gained they can be evolved into a stronger version

.

"Can you give me an example?"

The Undead archetype you have just unlocked gave you the Skeletal over type. When any of your Skeleton over type defenders kills an intruder experience is gained for Undead archetype.

Once they have gained enough experience you can upgrade the Undead archetype. This will unlock a stronger over type variant. To unlock the new over type you'll have to spend Dungeon Points, this feature is currently locked.

"So as long as they gain experience I can keep upgrading them to a really strong over type?"

No, each archetype only has a certain number of upgrades. It's also impossible to upgrade a species outside its archetype. Your spider will always remain a spider species it can not evolve into a goblin species.

"Ah, I understand it now. So if I want to have really strong defenders in my dungeon I'll first have to kill them in my dungeon before I can create them myself. And after that, I could make them even more powerful. Thanks for helping me out System."

The System is here to assist the Core, no thanks are needed.

Core was really glad he had System. She told him about his trap menu, so he could defend himself. His traps were already doing a good job but if they got past the trap nothing would stand in their way to drain him dry. Now Core had a new mechanic to help him defend himself.

When Core was "born" he was sitting in the middle of the dungeon. A straight tunnel between him and the entrance. He didn't know about the world and what he was supposed to do. And that's when that goblin just walked up to him. After that System became active and told him how he could defend himself with his trap menu.

"Trap menu"

Name Cost Size Pitfall 15 Mana 1 x1

By opening his dungeon layout screen Core could select a tile and add the trap to it. His first trap he placed inside the only tunnel he had close to his Core. The entrance of the tunnel was as System called it a "safe zone". This meant he couldn't place his trap there. System said it was to give intruders the choice to either press on and accept the risks or back out and save their own skins. Core didn't really like it, but he had to accept it. So he placed it near his core instead, effectively extending the "safe zone".

The next issue at hand was the fact that his radiant Core was practically visible from the entrance. He wanted to just close off his Core from the tunnel, but he got a big red warning on his dungeon layout screen when he tried to do that.

Error: There must always be a path from the entrance to the Core.

So Core instead made a second tunnel. It started halfway the existing tunnel and went up for 6 spaces. He then places his second pitfall trap on the first space of this new tunnel. He opened up another space going right again and then got stuck on the next square. And again the annoying red error popped up on his screen.

Error: Insufficient mana to perform this action.

"Hey System, what's mana?"

Mana is a resource generated by the Core to modify the dungeon when mana is depleted no actions can be done. Mana regenerates gradually over time.

"How much mana do I regenerate?"

To view information on mana regeneration use command: Core Status.

"Core Status"

Core Status:

Heath

200 / 200

Health regeneration

5 per hour

Mana

0 / 75

Mana regeneration

6 per hour

Experience

10 / 50

Dungeon Points

1

So Core did one of the things that he was very good at, he waited. And each time his mana regenerated enough he opened up one more square of his new tunnel. He went eight spaces to the right and then four spaces down. His new tunnel now connected to his Core room. Now he could finally close of the old tunnel and feel more secure with his radiant Core not being visible from the entrance anymore. It was also during this time he killed two spiders and a lizard that walked into his dungeon. The lizard died on his old trap and the two spiders to the new one. They didn't even come closer to his Core room, perhaps they just wanted a dark hole to call their own.

A few hours after he gained his new-found safety he closed off the rest of the tunnel. His old trap was moved just around the corner in the new tunnel where it went from up to right. Luckily he only had to pay five mana since he was moving a trap and not creating a new one. And then four hours after he completed his new tunnel did that second goblin enter his dungeon. 

Spoiler: Dungeon map