When the group of nine people entered the Dungeon, Leonhardt really got worried because to contrary to his common military sense that everyone would be together, the group split on two. Making a woman go to the front and putting his distracting plan at great risk.

It wasn’t like he didn’t know that there was a chance to someone go at the front to scout, but to him, that would be a choice so foolish that he no even considered someone would be stupid enough to send a lone person in a unknown territory with a great chance of death.

These tactics have their merit in certain and specific situations. And this was regrettably one of them. Thanks to PP, the chances of dying from surprise attacks got so low that the people decided to give a good amount of PP to only one person and make this person go scout the dangers at their front.

This was a line of thought outside of Leonhardt’s knowledge and he decided to crave it on his brain to him utilize it on the future should he survive today with his ambush having so much chance of failing.

Thankfully the woman found the squirrel cute and that was the spark to the demise of the nine people group, the only other worrying moment was when the Elf in plate armor used Qi. Outside of those two points that could have made his ambush fail, his Monsters easily dispatched the Intruders.

Leon didn’t like that much of seeing heads exploding, and the faces of the newbies that pissed themselves or of that male mage when the female sorceress died.

But they entered here to kill him and that simple reason is enough to Leonhardt not harbor guilt in his heart thanks to the ‘training’ his mother forced into him when he discovered her rather disgusting hobbies.

Despite analyzing all the invasion through all the angles possibles, Leonhardt couldn’t still understand how he is holding a Dungeon Core right now.

“S-Save me… please.” And the tiny voice coming from the Core also didn’t help much him as he is still clueless about this situation where two Dungeon Cores are inside of only one Dungeon.

At least he already knows to where turn when he doesn’t understand what is happening. “Gift, care to explain?”

“Please, save me.”

[In your hands you have a semi-active Uncommon Dungeon Core that lost its Dungeon Master and Dungeon. It is now using all its strength to just talk with you. If it finds another Dungeon Master, it will be able to create another Dungeon. But that’s practically impossible, as the souls of Dungeon Cores and Dungeon Masters must be extremely compatible.]

“I will do anything… please… save me.” The tiny voice couldn’t stop of irritating Leonhardt.

“Could you please shut the fuck up for a little? You are disturbing me, I won’t be able to save you if you continue talking when I am concentrated. Do you get it?” Leonhardt said, making the voice go silent with its thoughts of being saved brewing inside of it like a poison named hope.

“Finally,” Leon said. “Gift, if possible I want to save this comrade of mine. We are all Dungeons being targeted by the people. What would I have to do for to ‘save it’?”

[There only two means to save the soul of this Dungeon Core that lost is Dungeon before it dissipates. Give up being a Core-Master and sacrifice yourself to create a medium to a pseudo-Dungeon Master’s soul compatible with this Dungeon Core be formed or... ]

“What’s wrong? This is the first time you hesitated to answer me.” Leon said, already forsaking the first option as he never met this Dungeon Core before to do something like that.

[Or… you can contract the Dungeon Core to your Dungeon using the Taming Skill. But I don’t recommend this. The Taming Skill isn’t simple as you think, forming a Link with another Dungeon is… simply unprecedented. There isn’t any risk to your health if you do it, however, as nobody ever did that, the Gift’s database doesn’t have the data to explain to you what would happen exactly. Nothing of strange could happen while at the same the strangest thing in the world could happen. The Gift doesn’t have the answer to something that never happened.]

“So there isn’t any apparent risk, but the results are unknown….” Leonhardt paused to think, he really wanted to save someone that is also a Dungeon, it is the same situation of when he had the opportunity of doing good or evil to people with his money. He chose to do good because of that strange emotion that still lives inside of him, what was the name of that emotion?

… Yes, it was empathy. “Gift, can I even tame a Dungeon Core if I want? It isn’t an animal or Monster.”

[Yes, theoretically you can. The condition for the Taming Skill to work is that the target isn’t a ‘people’ and that you have its trust and knowledge about it. Being a Dungeon Core yourself, the knowledge part is already complete. You are only lacking the ‘trust’ part.]

“Humm… Dungeon Core, I want to ask you one thing first before I decide to save you or not. Is it okay?” Leon said.

“Yes, ask me anything.” The tiny voice replied.

“If the circumstances were inverted, would you save me? If I was a Dungeon Core that lost its Dungeon and ended up in your hands, what would you do? Answer me honestly, I will decide to save you based on your answer.”

“...” The Uncommon Dungeon Core flinched, the correct decision its mind is telling to it do is to lie to the Core-Master, as this is a test he is making. But then it remembered the words of its Dungeon Master before dying and looked deep into itself, bothering a Dungeon comrade and living thanks to a lie, would that be a worthy life to be lived like its Dungeon Master talked about to it live? “I-I wouldn’t save you. Another Dungeon Core in a Dungeon would make a variable too unknown to trust.” It told the truth as if seeing its female plant Dungeon Master smiling at it for doing what it is right.

Leonhardt chuckled and caressed the cube. “I really like honest children because I in your situation would lie to survive. I think it is amazing to not lie in these circumstances, you remember me a little girl I met in the past. She told the truth despite having a sword close to her neck, threatening her to lie.” Leon narrowed his eyes. “I will save you, but you aren’t expecting to be a parasite here, are you? Tell me what you can do that I will bring benefit to me.”

“I don’t know what can be good for you. Please tell me what problems you are having and I will see if I have the solution for them.”

“The only problem I am having is the rocks that fell down when Kleber attacked and how fragile the walls around the Dungeon are-”

“THAT’S IT!” The cube used all its strength to shout. “My Dungeon Master was a plant type of Monster and because of it I received Skills related to control of plant’s roots and manipulation of earth outside of the Dungeon.”

“What do you mean?” Leon said, bewildered by hearing the cube shouting so loud suddenly.

“I can fortify the entire mountain to prevent any collapse to happen once again.”

Leonhardt first reaction was to be enthusiastic, but wasn’t everything a little too much of coincidence?

He found a Dungeon Core in a woman he killed and the Core could end with the only problem he is having after removing the intruders.

Coincidences are things that can happen, however, when so much happen in a short time frame made Leon wonder if there isn’t a ‘higher force’ beyond him controlling everything to this happen.

“To save you I will need to use a Skill of mine called [Taming]. To it work you need to trust me or let me possess you. Which do you want?”

“I trust you, please tame me.” It said without hesitation.

“Then… [Taming]!”

[Error…]

[Searching solution to the anomaly known as ‘a Core-Master forming a Link with a Dungeon Core’...]

[Solution found.]

[To complete the taming process you need to Name the Dungeon Core as if it was a Monster and change its Race by using Pink Evolution.]

[Races that will work: Flower, Tree, Poison Dragon(Locked by Rank), Alraune, Dryad (Locked by Rank).]

With this Leonhardt was sure someone was manipulating everything to him tame the Core, if not how could he explain that he will have to use the [Named Monster] slot he just gained? And moreover his [Pink Evolution]?

Leon didn’t like the feeling of being controlled against his wishes… well, he kind of had it coming for him considering how much his [Taming] Skill was like a mind-controlling Skill.

There was a thing called Karma for what is happening to him.

Leon sighed and accepted, considering he deserved it and how the ‘thing’ doesn’t want to kill him yet if ‘it’ gave him the way to stop the cave’s collapses. “I will have to change your Race, the first two options are kind of useless to me and I don’t know what an Alraune is. Do you mind if I change you to an Alraune since by the name it is probably a Monster capable of fighting?” The Patron’s power will hate to do it.

“Yes, I will love to be one. My Dungeon Master was one too, it is a shame I will have to become a female though. Alraunes are only female.”

“Then, do you want to become a normal flower or tree?”

“No, I can at least protect myself and the Dungeon if I become an Alraune. I don’t want to be a parasite to you.”

“Can you at least give me a general information about Alraunes?”

“Isn’t better to directly ask the Gift about it?” The cube soon-to-be Alraune pointed.

“Oh… yeah. I tend to forget about it sometimes. Gift, explain about Alraunes.”

[Alraunes are the evolution of mandrakes coming from a translation of a distant planet. They are basically rooted flowers with a green-skinned humanoid female form coming from the flower. They are also poisonous and have mind-altering powers.]

Leonhardt hearing the word ‘rooted’ went to the last room of the Dungeon and began the process of taming the Dungeon Core.

[Please put the Core inside of the flower the Alraune will be born.]

Leonhardt felt less than one point of Mana being drained from him as he thought about yellow acacias flowers that looked more like a shrub with all how close each little points of it grouped together similar to a dandelion.

Putting the Core on the acacias in the ground, Leonhardt had to initiate the naming process together with the [Pink Evolution] which made everything a little more tricky to do.

Leonhardt was too concentrated on the [Pink Evolution] to think in a good name, so he just said. “Your name from now on is Acacia.” And focused more on the aspect of the green-skinned woman coming from the flower than on its poison and mind-altering powers to the Patron’s power not complain too much at him as he doesn’t have real knowledge how they work in an Alraune.

As the process of naming and evolving happened at the same time, Acacia struggled to maintain her conscience as she was being torn off and reconstructed by two different powers.

The flowers acacias grew enough to occupy one meter of the room’s area and its height reached Leonhardt’s knees, and from it began to emerge the humanoid form of Acacia.

She stood tall with one meter and seventy centimeters, fifteen centimeters more than Leonhardt. Her bewitching golden eyes and silky jade green long hair seemed to beam despite the room not having any illumination whatsoever. Thankfully Leonhardt and his Monsters can see in the dark thanks to [Dungeon Core’s Basics].

The Patron’s power complained to Leonhardt and he fixed his mistakes by giving a good proportion to Acacia benefitting her stature, almost a little too big or fat in certain areas of her body as he failed a little in the control since he doesn’t have a ‘doctorate’ about women. Which made him remember to cover her private parts and the Core sticking out in the middle of her chest with yellow leaves coming from the acacias. Making as if she had golden gloves, shoes and a dress made of flowers. A perverted ant is enough as the population of prurient individuals in this Dungeon.

[Name]: Acacia [Race]: Alraune

[Age]: 0 [Sex]: Female

[Welfare]: Healthy [Rank]: D

[Title]: Earth’s Chosen One, Soul Reincarnated

[Master]: Leonhardt Udalth VI

[Class]: Novice Poison-Earth Druid Lvl 1 0%

[Qi]: 0/10 (+0/year)

[Mana]: 200/200 (+2/min)

Unfortunately, Leonhardt wasn’t capable of making Acacia become a variant thanks to his lack of knowledge and creativity because of the high stress of naming and evolving at the same time but she at least had titles, a class, and even more Mana than him.

Leonhardt looked at his notifications when he finished with Acacia.

[Level Up! Taming is now Level 19, naturally bypassing the first Wall because of a Dungeon Core’s taming. You can now instantly tame any Alraune or Dungeon Core weaker than Acacia.]

[Requirements for a new Sub-Class completed. Please check it later.]

[Level Up! You are now an Initiate Dungeon Master Level 20 5%. Please complete more hidden requirements for a Rank Up.]

“My Master, Leonhardt Udalth, I thank you for saving me. I promise to do whatever I can to protect your, no, our Dungeon.” Acacia held her dress and formally bowed to Leon while smiling demurely.

“Can you now stop the cave from collapsing anymore?” Leon said, wondering why all his tamed Monsters seems so intelligent and formal, with exception of Dhasharan.

“Yes, in a moment.” She said closing her eyes only to open them seconds later. “It is done.”

“What? So quick?!”

“With my [Title] and Skills it was easy to spread my roots through all this mountain and then fortify the foundation where this mountain is. But I had to spend all my Mana to do it.” She said, exhausted.

“Rest, for now, later I will talk with you.”

“Thank you, Master.”

Leonhardt walked back to the place where he was looting the corpses to find the pair of his tamed Monsters he is beginning to hate the most.

*Isn’t his eyes’ color too boring? It is just like him, dull and stupid. Haha.* The orange squirrel said with his mouth full of acorns.

*Yes, it is. But not more than his ugly face. He no even tends his beard. Does he have a head problem? Like you said he is the epitome of stupidity.* Dhasharan said with the squirrel on its back. *It is good to finally found someone that can understand me and perceive how hateable that Dungeon is.*

*Friends are there for it, big friend.*

“...” Leonhardt went to the bodies ignoring his Monsters bad mouthing him since he brought and tamed the squirrel, Dhasharan hadn’t stopped of talking and making a friendship with it.

It is good to know Dhasharan has now a place to outlet his stress and hatred without destroying Leonhardt’s Dungeon Master's Body but… why are they so alike and content of hating me?

They are like a copy of each other, if Dhasharan had any reproductive ‘equipments’ and was of the correct size, Leon is certain they would already be breeding with how close they are despite knowing each other for only some hours.

Leonhardt separated on one side the weapons the bodies were carrying and also that enchanted sword and shield coming from the Elf that used Qi and gave them to Kleber distribute to the Antkins, explaining to him that he will teach them later how to use them.

Now Leon has to decide what he will absorb of the miscellaneous items the corpses were carrying. “Bandages, food, water, money, random magic apparatus and those badges coming from a strange place called Adventurer Guild are useless to me. So it only leaves these two scrolls to see if they are useful.”

He first opened the scroll coming from the male mage and it was written on it how to inscribe Mana on objects to give them enchantments or transform them on magic apparatus, he must be a noble have this scroll, Leon put the scroll on the Dungeon’s almost infinite interdimensional storage and then went to the scroll on the female sorceress.

Leonhardt groaned seeing the wasted scroll and reading its description.

[Scroll of Steal: By putting Mana on this scroll you can steal anything in the radius of five meters around you unless it weighs more than one ton. Leftover Charges: 0.]

[Obs: This scroll can’t be recharged.]

“It goes to the absorption group then.”

Leonhardt grouped everything useless to him and absorbed them in only one time to fill his Mana’s reserve and receive DP.

[You earn 601.5 DP.]

Now Leonhardt created some more Antkins workers to protect the Dungeon and began to teach them how to use the swords, shields, spears and even an ax that his intruders had while going through his new Dungeon Upgrades and Dungeon Traits.

[Upgrades] Current DP: 891.8

[Free Decorations to all rooms: 8 DP]

[A new base Monster Race: 100 DP]

[Permission to create any tool or object: 400 DP]

[Free Advanced Decorations to all rooms: 500 DP]

[Named Monster Slot: 1500 DP]

[Permission to use traps: 3000 DP]

[Intermediary Monster Race’s list: 10000 DP]

[...]

Leonhardt doesn't have a use for decoration or for a new Monster Race when he no even used all the available to him so he just bought the permission to create objects to him finally have some better weapons or even useful doors to his Dungeon.

[Common Dungeon Traits] Please select only one.

[Monster Spawners.]

[Auto Harvest.]

[Treasure Chests.]

Leonhardt read through their descriptions and immediately selected [Monster Spawners], with this I can lock up one room and use [Blue Evolution] to evolve a Race and make it continuously breed, and I will in the end only tame the strongest ones.

Leon smiled, everything from now on will change for better to him. He can’t feel he will lose to the intruders after teaching his Monsters how to use Qi and selecting a new Sub-Class for him.

He just has to grow steady without any more risks and Lord Seventh will have great power when he borns.

It is time to hole up and no ever leave the Dungeon!