Corruption of the dungeon: 98%

I was sitting cross-legged in the space of the dungeon.

Instead of pain now, all I felt was an emptiness.

‘Hahaha, why don’t you give up? Can’t even move can you? Hahaha you and your rodents.’

This fucking bastard.

It was completely brilliant. I’ll give him that. Every step was planned meticulously. Obviously this wasn’t the first time he had done this.

Corruption of the dungeon: 99%

I was barely hanging on. I didn’t know how to fight this, it felt like it was invading my soul. But I couldn’t give up, I would fight for what is mine!

Corruption of the dungeon: 98%

‘You’re still struggling? Just give me your dungeon crystal. Hell I won’t even kill you, just give in to it.’

Corruption of the dungeon: 99%

I grit my teeth, ‘I won’t give in to you! And I won’t give up on Rox!’

Corruption of the dungeon: 98%

‘Alex!’

‘Rox! Get Back outside! It isn’t safe in here!’

‘What’s going on?!’

‘The shadowmancer! He didn’t leave! He invaded the dungeon crystal! He… he’s also a dungeon master!’

‘Hahaha, is this your dungeon fairy?’

A voice was laughing from the corrupted corners of my dungeon space.

Corruption of the dungeon: 99%

‘Alex!’

‘Rox I can barely hang on… I don’t know how to fight him. He knows a lot more about dungeons and their abilities than I do.’

It was true, he used some strange dungeon skill to enter my dungeon crystal. Except he couldn’t enter the uncorrupted parts of the crystal… not that there was much left.

‘Alex listen to me. He’s trying to take over your crystal. But you are only allowed to do that during a dungeon duel… so he’s trying to weaken you before he initiates the duel so that he can win without any effort.’

‘Oh listen to the little fairy. So smart. So wise.’

A figure emerged slowly from the darkness around me. In this space there is no equipment, yet this person was shrouded by a cloak of darkness around him. In his hand he held up a small crystal and a cage. The crystal was giving off a sickly glow… as if it was diseased. I looked closely… within the cage could be seen… a dungeon fairy… but…

The dungeon fairy was staring with dead eyes out at nothing… the wings on his back had been ripped out and only scars remained there now.

Fucking monster! Who could do that to another?! Especially your dungeon fairy! I won’t let him get his grimy claws touch a single hair on Rox’s body!

Corruption of the dungeon: 98%

‘Boy, you sure do struggle. I think it’s time to end this don’t you?’

The shadowmancer looked at me with a significant look.

Shadowmancer and Dungeon Master Tarkis has initiated a dungeon master’s duel

All available forces will be summoned

The Rank 22 Dungeon: Dungeon of Shadowfell is attacking your dungeon.

Failure to fight off the invasion will result in death of yourself and all the dungeon inhabitants

The dungeon attacking you is more than 10 Ranks above you.

You will be given a bonus of -50% cost of summoning

The dungeon attacking you is using a Rank 30 skill before reaching the required Rank

You will be given a bonus of -25% cost of summoning

Due to the corruption in your dungeon, no additional monsters may be unlocked from the [Create animal], [Create monster] and [Create undead] during the duel.

Due to the corruption in your dungeon, dungeon senses are not available during the course of the duel

Due to the corruption in your dungeon, an additional cost of 25% must be paid for any creatures summoned

The Duel will commence in 1 hour, make your final preperations.

This fucker… it was a brilliant plan. This was the target the entire time, to take over my dungeon. Not only that, all his actions, all his plans. The orb to erode my abilities, imagine a young dungeon facing him while only being able to summon basic creatures?

‘Alex!’

Max had been summoned.

‘Sir? What’s going on?’

Levine.

‘Ma’am why are we inside the dungeon crystal?’

Eva.

‘Sir!’

Tolk.

‘Masher!’

… uh… Masher, Sightless and Shade were summoned from the Boss Room. Even the Demon Wolf was here.

One by one, the denizens of the dungeon were arriving. There were 1500 dungeon folk, including all the bees, squirrels, hares and goblins.

The shadowmancer looked at me, ‘Well don’t you have some skills? You have more creatures than any dungeon I’ve ever fought before… hahaha not that it will help you.’

Just like my side, his side had creatures appearing as well… only in much greater numbers.

‘Observe.’

Name:

Lesser Troll (Shadowspawn)

Race

Lesser Troll

Rank

D

Description

Trolls are known for their incredibly regenerative abilities and powerful destructive bodies

The blood of a troll is known to be both a great poison but if distill by a master alchemist, it can become a powerful elixir

This troll has had its soul captured by shadow magic, decreasing its body’s abilities

Name:

Wraith

Race

Shadow Wraith

Rank

E

Description

Spawned from the fusion between the shadow of a creature and its soul

Immune to physical attacks

Speed is doubled when moving through shadows

Monster after monster appeared. I don’t know what the dungeon’s specialty was… but…

More than 10 000 creatures were waiting in the distance.

‘Observe.’

Name:

Tarkis

Race

Shadow Serpent - Lizardman

Rank

C

Description

Shadowmancer and dungeon master

The description for him was sparse. He probably had something that blocked anything else about him being found out.

‘Rox… we don’t have enough… that entire army is Rank E and D monsters.’

1500 against 10 000. No matter how you look at it, this was not a good situation. Worse when you consider that the ranks of these monsters…

I glanced at the troop around me. Only determination could be seen in their eyes… not a single one trembled or had a look of fear on their face. Even Levine, his hands gripped tightly on a sword even though his manaburning had made it difficult for him.

Then I saw someone I didn’t expect.

‘Starla? Fuck I didn’t think I’d be dragging you into this too.’

The water witch was with the goblin troop. Small motes of mana light shone around her and condensed into tiny blue birds that fluttered around her.

She looked at me and smiled, ‘Sir, you are the dungeon master! We all got a message saying the dungeon master needs our help. You saved us, why should we hesitate when we can help save you?’

Corruption of the dungeon: 97%

She was right. It wasn’t just my own battle, 1500 creatures from my dungeon. They were standing together with me.

Corruption of the dungeon: 96%

I had forgotten what it meant to defend something important to you.

Corruption of the dungeon: 95%

The loyalty they showed to me. Beyond that of the contract between a dungeon and its creatures.

I had lived with these people, trained with them. And when I needed them, they answered without hesitation.

Corruption of the dungeon: 93%

I will find a way to win.

‘Rox, what can we do to increase mana, as much as possible. Nothing else matters in this situation.’

‘You can absorb everything in the dungeon… we got a lot of mana from the adventurers and shadowmancers that died…’

She looked hesitant.

‘Rox we only have half an hour left before the duel begins. What is it?’

‘You can absorb… everything…’

‘Everything?’

‘Yes, the trees we grew, even though we won’t get much mana from them since they’re dungeon plants. We can absorb the mana stones we summoned out, we can absorb the rooms, we can absorb even both the second floors… it’s just… no dungeon would do that…’

Give up everything we’ve built so far?

I need to win this fight. I survived so far, was this going to be the end of me?!

Corruption of the dungeon: 92%

The Title ‘Last Human Survivor’ has been activated.

Last Human Survivor (Rank S – Unique, cost of summoning decreased)

The last remaining human on earth, you hold the hope of all humanity within your soul and all of earth fights alongside you

Cost of summoning humans from earth decreased by 50%

Cost of summoning humans whose ancestry was from earth decreased by 30%

Cost of summoning creatures from earth decreased 25%

Cost of summoning creatures whose ancestry was from earth decreased by 10%

You will always be able to sense someone who was from earth or whose ancestry was from earth.

‘We’ll do it. Absorb everything!’

And it happened… within the blink of an eye. The twin second floors were absorbed, the plantlife, the mana stones, the boss rooms, all the secret rooms.

We were left with just two rooms, the entrance room and the dungeon crystal room. If anyone outside the dungeon attack now? Well we were finished.

I checked the mana… 103 456/10 000. The number was decreasing before my eyes, that much mana wasn’t stable.

‘Alex, what are you going to summon…? We can’t unlock anything strong enough to beat those lesser trolls, and there’s got to be 100 of them there.’

‘Rox, the Shadowmancer has made one grave, dare I say fatal miscalculation in his so very well thought out plan.

Before I became a dungeon master… I was first a Contract Summoner.’

‘Special Summon.’

Special Summons

Certain individuals, leave a mark on history, or in the souls of those around them. This permanent mark leaves their essence and their soul drifting in the world. Those with special summoning ability such as dungeon masters can tap into and summon those they have great affinity towards, for a price. Special summons are vastly more powerful than most normal summons and thus have a much greater price. If special conditions are fulfilled related to the souls in question, they can be summoned for a cheaper price or perhaps without any price paid by the dungeon master.

Select rank

Rank Ex

None

Rank SSS

None

Rank SS

24 Available

Rank S

100+ Available

Rank A

100+ Available

Rank B

100+ Available

Rank C

100+ Available

Rank D

100+ Available

Rank E

100+ Available

Rank F

100+ Available

Rank G

100+ Available

The shadowmancer brought a horde of Rank D monsters did he? Well, two can play at that game.

‘Rank C.’

…

No too expensive, I won’t be able to control the battlefield.

‘Rank D.’

What Special Rank E would you like to summon?

Summons available

Mana Cost is currently -75% during the duel

(-50%), (-25%), (-25%), (+25%)

Maximum mana cost reduction will be capped at -90% if the reduction exceeds this

Fire Wolf ‘Ceres’

500 Mana and 25 Souls to summon

Imp Noble ‘Tome’

450 Mana and 30 Souls to summon

Wrathful Ogre ‘Gatan’

525 Mana and 25 Souls to summon

Green Dryad ‘Serby’

6000 Mana and 20 Souls to summon

Undead Sorcerer ‘Golp’

5000 Mana and 20 Souls to summon

Torrent Saimen ‘Garp’

600 Mana and 20 Souls to summon

Lizardfolk Warrior ‘Jamis’

650 Mana and 20 Souls to summon

Lesser Fire Elemental ‘Firis’

750 Mana and 25 Souls to summon

Lesser Cyclops ‘Pandorus’

700 Mana and 20 Souls to summon

Lesser Giant ‘Palop’

900 Mana and 30 Souls to summon

Please purchase current available to unlock more

‘Summon…’

‘Summon…’

I was overflowing with mana, enough to level up perhaps 3 levels… but I had to use it now to summon a proper defense.

That said, I only summoned 100 from Rank D. That left me with just 50 000 mana, enough to summon perhaps 100 more but…

‘Summon everyone from Rank E.’

More than 2500 creatures were summoned in front of me.

In the distance the shadowmancer was making his own preperations. Another of those golems from when he was tackling the boss room had been summoned and a dark fog had enshrouded all of his creatures… probably something to make them stronger.

‘Summon everyone from Rank F.’

Another 5000 creatures were summoned in front of me.

And then I was out of mana… not a single bit more mana could be squeezed out from absorbing the dungeon.

A year’s worth of mana collection, spent in an instant. Even with our absurd mana collection mission, with hundreds of troop arriving with material to be absorbed for mana…

My army of 9100 was looking at the shadowmancer’s army of 10 000. That even up the odds a little bit now didn’t it?

The shadowmancer had an ugly expression on his face.

‘What are you?! How can you summon so many different creatures?! You can’t have unlocked them!’

I looked at his eyes. He was angry, and nervous. This was obviously not included in his plans. Of course, no new dungeon can summon so many creatures… but a dungeon with a Contract Summoner as dungeon master? Well…

A weakness! Weakness number 1: he prepares well, but can’t adapt to things outside his expectations.

I smirked at him. He had calmed down, no doubt he analyzed some of the creatures and realized they were on average lower in rank than his own…

Weakness number 2: underestimates his enemy.

His analyze skill didn’t show him that all the new creatures I summoned were all Named Creatures, vastly outstripping their brethren of the same rank.

Weakness number 3: Relies on the system.

I gazed at that dead looking dungeon fairy.

Weakness number 4: he is alone, no smart subordinates

He was obviously intending to wade through hundreds of thousands of slimes and goblins with his army. That’s probably why he went through the dungeon first, to make sure there were no monsters or creatures too powerful for him.

Too bad he ran into me.

10 seconds left before commencement of the Dungeon Master’s Duel

I looked at my army.

‘Rox, Max, take charge of the army. I can’t move properly with this corruption eating at me so I’m going to fight it off.’

‘Yessir!’

‘Alright troop! Today our dungeon has been attacked! Our home destroyed! And the one who is responsible for all this is standing before us! No mercy!’

‘Brothers! On my signal, unleash hell! For Kin and Glory!’

Begin the Dungeon Master’s Duel

As the countdown struck zero, both armies started to move. I had divided the troop into 6 squads with 4 of the squads having 2000 each and the last one with 1000 to guard Alex as he fights that poisonous corruption.

I was quite shocked at all the ones he had summoned… there were even some humans in there! Summoning an intelligent species? Do you know how much that’s supposed to cost?!

And not only did he summon them out, he also used his contract power on all of them, draining mana stones that he had saved just for this purpose. Just to give them an edge.

One of the new summons was a Rank D priest who was blessing Alex with holy light, it seemed to help judging by how the darkness around the dungeon crystal was so agitated and in some parts fading.

Team 1 was the strength users, they were led by Tolk. They would be responsible for smashing into the enemy. In the front were three incredible rank D creatures. A lesser Giant, a lesser cyclops and a minotaur. They were charging out as the left wing.

Team 2 was the speed users, led by Levine. They were to flank the enemy. Levine was sitting astride a fiery feline creature, already leading the charge out to as the right wing.

The centre was team 3, led by Max. The Stamina users, strong and resilient, they would hold the shadow army and hold them in place.

Team 3 was the magic users with Eva leading and Starla had joined her. They were behind max, already loading up their skills for the big clash.

The 4th team was kept back to provide reinforcements where ever they were needed.

The 5th team was led by myself, responsible for defending Alex.

The last team… they were all the Rank D summons. They were had a special mission. They were to attack the group of trolls as well as that massive golem. The golem seemed to be the shadowmancer’s strongest power… A Rank C power. We would take it down with numbers.

The wraiths were the first of the shadowmancer’s army to rush towards us. Foolish! Max directed his team to plant themselves down and fortify. Eva then brought the magic users into the protected area and started casting the spells they had prepared beforehand.

The fire squirrels only had one specialty for spells so far, fireballs. So from their section, a group of 100 fireballs lit up as they tore towards the wraiths.

The holy hares in this group blessed Max’s group making a shining aura envelope them. And when the wraiths clashed into Max’s group, the holy light flashed and a dozen of them exploded into balls of darkness.

We weren’t without casualties though, some of the wraiths managed to fight off the holy aura and attacked the group. When a wraith entered, one of the squirrels dropped his weapons and started screaming. A few more collapsed without even a sound.

I frowned, it was some sort of mind or soul attack like what Alex was fighting off. I also realized Alex had summoned out some incredible creatures. In fact the squirrels were probably the weakest, and not even by a small margin.

‘Max, send your squirrels closer to the mages as a last line of defense.’

I transmitted to Max’s mind directly.

The trolls were lumbering closer as well, while the stronger Rank D creatures moved to intercept them. The rest of the shadowmancer’s army was wraiths and shadowspawn.

After the wraiths attacked, there was a clash as the shadowspawn hit the centre where Max was leader his troop. Max had remained with the front group, as he was much stronger than the rest of the squirrels, he could hold his own there.

Levine’s team had moved to the flank and were tearing off slices of creatures and killing them, using their superior mobility to keep the foes from attacking them.

Tolk was holding back for a charge while Eva had her team start raining down spells as fast as they could. With the huge variety of named creatures that Alex had summoned, many different spells flittered across the sky as they crashed down on the opposing army.

‘Curse you! How can a new dungeon have so much power?! What are these creatures?!’

The shadowmancer was shocked at the power of the army Alex had summoned.

I had a grim smile. We had to sacrifice everything for this fight, it would take so long to gather all that mana again, build up all the homes for the squirrels and hares again. All the previous areas are gone. Even the bees would have to rebuild their hive, not to mention the squirrel treehouses, hare warrens and goblin village.

The 5th team had met the trolls… good, they could hold them. Unfortunately the trolls specialized in defense and regeneration so killing one would be close to impossible.

The big problem was that golem. It was slow, ponderous, but both its defense and attack power were immense. It lacked any intelligence or magic power… but with just its fists it would be threatening us. I had to find a way to somehow stop it.

It was thankful that this shadowmancer didn’t have more people to help him command.

His army had lost a few hundred now.

I gave the signal to Tolk. With a roar they charged into the side of the shadowspawn. There really were too many.

Although we were taking casualties, it wasn’t as bad as the enemy army. We had lost around 150 troops, equally among Max, Tolk and Levine’s troops. Eva’s troop were being protected. She was going the greatest among of damage, followed by Levine. The wraiths were particularly vulnerable to holy magic, so the hares in her team with offensive holy magic were proving devastating.

They had lost more than 400.

I looked at Alex, he had shared permission for me to see all his messages to see how he was doing. With the support of a few more holy aligned healers, the corruption had started to be cleared… but only if Alex was able to keep a clear mind. Alex was certain of this, the corruption was feeding off the dark thoughts in his mind… so he had to keep back and get rid of it.

I didn’t know what would happen if the corruption reached 100%. I had reservations when Alex had proposed a decoy second floor when designing the dungeon but that may now be the only thing that is saving us. Since the orb of corruption was used in the decoy half, some of the corruptive force dissipated into the surrounding dungeon.

Tolk’s charge led them to the centre of the shadow spawn. They were swiftly followed by Max who kept the wedge open, increasing the chaos and allowing a retreat for the charging fighters.

We lost more than 50 during that charge… but they killed more than 3 each, killing off 200 shadowspawn.

The creatures that had been turned into shadowspawn were not high level. Mostly kobolds, imps and a few goblins… the dungeon crystal in the shadowmancer’s hands was a traditional dungeon, not an anomaly like Alex. Which meant that it had normal distribution of creatures, even then, with it more than 10 ranks above us, it had a daunting number for us to face.

Now the only worry was the battle between our Rank D fighters and theirs.

This section is not needed to enjoy the story, only for those who, like me, are interested in the technicalities.

Spoiler: Spoiler

Why can a person be a one man army?

This is something you’ll see in a lot of the stories here on RRL, but there is a reason for this.

I’ll illustrate using an analogy.

Say a person, like a caveman who can only fight with his fists, he will be Rank G

Now another caveman thinks to use a rock to fight, he then defeats 10 Rank G cavemen because the rock makes him more powerful

Then someone comes along with a knife or a sword, he can easily kill dozens of rock wielding cavemen, maybe even a hundred.

Then another comes along, this time with a gun

Then another with a tank

Then another with an Apache Helicopter Gunship

Then another with a nuclear bomb

In the stories, the skills and stats are representations of power and are weapons distilled and overlaid on the characters bodies.

There is a logic to it, it takes time and effort to raise your stats, it takes time and effort to raise your skills. Thus to become more powerful is the result.

What about your rankings?

My rankings are divided on a few levels. There is first the difference between someone who is high ranked based only on stats, and those only on skills. Whichever is the highest is the one held.

For skills, your rank is 1 rank lower than the highest ranking skill you own. For stats there is a formula for it, ie if you go over 100 total stat points but also, all stats have to be above 20 each, then you are Rank D

The ranking for stats is stricter than for skills, thus the disparity in strength between the two.

But on average:

1 Rank F can beat 10 Rank G

1 Rank E can beat 10 Rank F

Rank D is special because the Path opens up, allowing classes, etc

Thus 1 rank D can beat 100 Rank E

1 Rank C can beat 10 Rank D

Rank B is also special but I won’t go into why

So 1 Rank B can defeat 100 Rank C

Etc

This is the system I’m using to rank the characters and creatures.