Fenrir

Monsters Description Mana Cost Tiger A non-magical, quadrupedal feline spanning on average 2.5 meters in length who generally lives either alone or with their families. 0.75 mps (mana per spawn) Shark A non-magical, predatorial fish spanning on average 4.5 meters in length that lives in the ocean. They are covered in light scales and have on average 350 teeth. 1 mps Kobold A potentially magical two-legged creature said to have possibly been descended from dragons. A Kobold is covered in light scales, with sharp claws and fangs. (The dungeon monster version does not have any intellect to start out with unlike the natural kind found outside of dungeons) 1.5 mps Wolf A non-magical, quadrupedal canine that hunts in packs. They span on average 1.2 meters in length and 0.8 meters in height. 0.25 mps Goblins A green-skinned, bipedal creature with claws and semi-sharp fangs. They average to be around 1.2 meters in height. They also tend to have strength in numbers as they over-breed and end up with overtly large villages as a result. If even two goblins are nearby, you can expect a tribe to form from them. (The dungeon monster version does not have any intellect to start out with unlike the natural kind found outside of dungeons) 0.5 mps ...

A seemingly endless screen pops up in front of me showing various different kinds of possible starting monsters.

"That's a lot of options..." I mutter, feeling a little bit overwhelmed.

Dawn laughs before saying, "Yeah, there are too many options to go through them all. Just pick whichever monster feels natural to you. Also, remember that just because you pick this monster, it does not mean that it will be the only monster that you can ever have. You can still make anything that you have the pattern of."

What monster feels natural?

My focus automatically hovers over the wolf option. Not only does it feel natural, but it also feels like I would be honoring Fenrir that way.

Not to mention that it is cheaper, and I already have some general knowledge of it from seeing Fenrir.

I also like the idea of using a pack hunter in my dungeon.

I choose the wolf as my starting monster!

Dungeon Notification:

You have selected 'Wolf' as your starting monster.

Now you must select your starting trap.

Trap Name Description Pitfall This trap will make a large hole appear in the ground when triggered. Spike This trap will cause sharp spikes to raise out of an object when triggered. Dart This trap will make razor sharp darts shoot out of a set location when triggered. Acid This trap will spray out a small amount of acid at a set area when triggered. Arrow This trap will shoot out three arrows in a set direction when triggered. ...

Wow, I had thought that there would be a lot of trap options considering how many monster options there were, but this is just crazy!

I stare at the screen mulling over my choices for a while as Dawn silently watches from the side before she finally decides to speak, "I wouldn't worry about being locked into the trap you choose. It's the same as how choosing a monster was."

Well, that makes me feel better about choosing one now that I know that I won't be locked into that trap forever.

The problem with the pitfall is that the wolves won't be able to get into or out of the pitfall if the intruder manages to survive the fall, so that options out. Meanwhile the acid could hurt the wolves on accident.

I spend a while searching through the trap options, but I eventually end up deciding on spike traps.

Not only could they not hurt the wolves by accident, but they would impale the intruder and lock them into place for a little bit while the wolves go to town on them.

More notifications appear the instant I make my decision.

Dungeon Notification:

You have selected 'Spikes' as your starting trap.

Dungeon Notification:

You have selected your starting monster and trap.

Now your dungeon shall initialize.

As soon as I finish reading the second notification, a part of me feels as if it is expanding to consist of the entire cave, allowing me to feel everything within the cave as if it were a part of me.

Is this what it feels like to have a dungeon?

Dawn notices the change and gets excited as she says, "Your dungeon just initialized! Which monster and trap did you pick?"

"I picked the wolf as my starting monster, and spike traps as my starting trap," I say in amusement at her excitement.

Another notification pops up right as I finish telling her what I chose, followed by a wave of pain radiating throughout my mind.

Dungeon Notification:

Now inputting the knowledge of your chosen starting monster and trap into your mind.

Along with the pain comes a flood of knowledge extending from the creation of wolves all the way to how to create a spike trap.

Even the knowledge of how to infuse my mana into a trap or monster flows into my mind.

Dawn, noticing my long silence, seems to realize what is happening and decides to wait until it is over before she says anything else.

The pain eventually fades after several minutes, leaving me utterly amazed at the new knowledge I now possess seemingly out of nowhere.

"That was intense," I say after taking a minute to recover.

"I think I am going to spawn a wolf now," I tell Dawn before focusing on the knowledge I had obtained on how to create a wolf.

A wolf slowly begins to form in front of me as I focus on its pattern before speeding up and making a pop sound as it finally comes into being.

The wolf looks curious as it walks around for a little bit until it notices me and comes over to rub its snout on my crystal before sitting down again, as if waiting for a command. It has dark grey fur with pitch black patterns over its sides, paws, and head.

'Go watch the entrance,' I think towards the wolf.

It proceeds to get up and takes watch at the entrance of the cave.

Dawn, having just sat there watching the interaction with curiosity, suddenly begins speaking again. "You should start expanding your dungeon deeper into the mountain before you go making any traps."

"Right, good idea," I say before asking Dawn, "How do I do that?"

Dawn floats over to the opposite end of the cave from the entrance and stops at the wall before saying, "Focus on this wall and imagine it expanding outward. It should only take a little bit of your mana to do that."

I do as she says, and the wall begins expanding in the indicated direction a little bit as my mana level goes down every three or so cubic meters. After expanding by about ten meters, with the ceiling of the tunnel being about three meters high, I stop to make the room. This room will be a perfect square, about seven meters by seven meters, with the edge being where I had stopped digging the tunnel.

As I am about midway through making the room, a wave of dizziness assails me, forcing me to stop and check my status to figure out what is wrong.

Name: Fenrir

Race: Dungeon Core

Element: Void

EXP Level: 0

EXP: 0/10

Cultivation Level: 0

Cultivation to next Level: 46%

Mana: 0.25/10

Secondary Tabs: Dungeon Status, Skills List, Talents List, Achievements List

That explains it. I am almost out of mana.

Which reminds me.

"What happens if I run out of mana?" I ask Dawn.

Dawn had been slowly floating around watching me work but stops right as I ask that as the flames that she is made of suddenly burst outwards.

I think this means that she is upset or surprised, from what I could tell from the last time it had happened to her at least.

"Do not run out of mana! If you run out of mana, you will fall unconscious for days! With the dungeon as it is now, that could be extremely dangerous!" Dawn anxiously explains to me, almost as if in a rush to get the words out.

"Why would it be dangerous? I thought you had said that the only way for other beings to get stronger is to fight dungeon monsters. Why would it be dangerous if other beings are too greedy to attack me?" I ask, confused.

"While no sapient being would hurt you, there are beings who do not possess intelligence that will instinctively destroy your core just for the small amount of EXP it can offer them. While I don't sense many monsters strong enough to destroy your core nearby, it is better to be overly cautious than to be dead," Dawn says in a serious tone of voice.

Wow, I am glad that I had stopped in time then. Although it almost felt as if my instincts were yelling at me to stop, so at least I have a warning before I get too close. It seems to warn me when I am at around 2.5% of my max mana.

Wait, shouldn't I have around 0.5 mana left from digging?

I ask Dawn about that, and she responds with, "Remember that you spawned in a wolf as well, which is 0.25 mana."

Ah, that makes sense then.

"What should we do now that I am out of mana?" I ask Dawn.

"Well, it will take a day for your mana to recover. In the meantime, I can answer more questions for you," Dawn replies.