Dungeon Core
The beasts' world is simple. The strong devour the weak. A rigid class society divided strictly into predators and prey. Among them, Kedrun, born as an unnamed troll whelp, was different from the others.
Monsters that lived solely by instinct. Born with cleverness and sharp wits, Kedrun quickly asserted his dominance over them.
Ravage your enemies. Stuff yourself with prey until your belly bursts.
Kedrun became the leader of the pack. A strange world where goblins, ghouls, and trolls lived together in harmony. Races that seemed incompatible actually meshed surprisingly well. Perhaps because their interests diverged. In any case, the group operated without issue.
It felt like an idyllic paradise where they could live in harmony forever. But disaster struck suddenly.
"You're the boss around here, I take it."
One day, an unknown wizard came looking for Kedrun.
"Kying! Kying!"
'Get out of here right now!'
As the pack leader, Kedrun eyed the man warily. Ignoring his instincts screaming to flee, he put on a show worthy of a boss. A true leader was the last to run, buying time for the pack to escape!
But Kedrun's sense of responsibility led to a grim end.
"Impressive."
The wizard was pleased by Kedrun's steadfast defense. After a barrage of spells that left him in tatters, the wizard dragged him to a newly constructed dynastic tomb.
"From now on, you are the guardian of this place."
The nameless wizard commanded.
"Kiiing."
Kedrun didn't understand. He simply rolled onto his back and submitted. As always, the weak offered everything to the strong. This time, he was the weak one, or so Kedrun thought.
But he had no idea how many lonely years lay ahead.
My takeaway from reviewing the guardian's life? Just one: What the hell is this?
Summarizing the guardian's existence before being appointed dungeon boss: it was just an ordinary troll's life. The bit about uniting other races midway was mildly interesting, but otherwise, nothing special. Pathetic, even.
Especially that last part, submitting to the wizard by flipping onto his belly? Made me cringe.
Man up! Have some pride. Even so, belly up? I grumbled at the long-gone dynastic guardian and stood.
Inheritance complete. Time to check the changes.
'Status window!'
First up, status window. I was already fretting over how many levels I'd lost this time.
But...
I sighed in relief at the text floating before me.
What? It's the same? No—higher than before inheritance.
When I first inherited the skeleton knight's soul, it reset to level 1. Not this time.
Was that just a beginner thing? No clue on the criteria.
Didn't dwell on it. As long as levels didn't drop, great for me.
Next: skills. What changes this time?
• Soul's Eye lv. 2
• Craving lv. 2
• Slash lv. 100
• re:bone lv. 3
• Dodge lv. 1
• Scream lv. 1
• Slaughter Charge lv. 2
• Spinning Slash lv. 1
• Bone Throw lv. 1
The skill window was packed now. Seemed like yesterday it had just four pathetic ones.
Pride swelled—until I spotted the change.
'Skills vanished...?'
Hatred Charge and Despair's Cry gone. Replaced by unfamiliar ones.
I checked one quickly.
Scream lv. 1
Infuse endless screams into your cry. The horrific shriek instills terror in all living things.
New skill replacing Despair's Cry. Easy to spot: almost identical description.
Difference? Stun swapped for fear. Similar vibe overall. Basically an upgrade.
Just to check, the rest too.
Slaughter Charge lv. 2
Charge at full speed toward your target. Damage increases with your weight.
Sharp winds swirl around you during the charge.
Bingo! As expected. Like Hatred Charge, but with a new trait: swirling winds mid-charge?
AoE now! Maybe not massive, but way more versatile than before.
Great for disrupting foes on first clash.
Smirking in satisfaction, I sorted my intel.
Inheritance vs. fusion. Fusion conditions unknown. But inheritance overlays the old; fusion upgrades, adding enhancements and new stuff.
Not bad. Feels like solidifying the ground to climb higher.
Should guide future choices.
Skills split two ways: inheritance skills from soul stones (change per soul), and fixed general skills like re:bone (unchanged by inheritance/fusion).
Path clear: prioritize general skills. re:bone-led growth. Level it up, swap more bones.
Glancing over my body—no visible changes. Troll face traits? Probed my skull: same.
Biggest change elsewhere.
"Speech!"
Clack clack!
Just a short word, but speech. Stirred more emotion than expected.
"Joy!"
Clack clack!
"Laughter!"
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Shape's off, but hey. Can I ditch the clacking? Annoying racket.
Even with speech, the clacks grated. Wish there was a skeleton ortho—would sell everything for it.
Alas, no such luck.
Clattering noisily, I prowled. First test: can I leave boss room?
Edged to door, extended arm out—no resistance. Arm slipped free.
No location limits, then... Why stick here?
Recalled recent message.
Protect the Dungeon Core from intruders.
Protect Dungeon Core from intruders. What's a Dungeon Core? If destroyed, do I die too?
Obvious scenario: core breaks, I go down with it. Near certainty.
First, find the core.
"Core!"
Clack clack!
One prime suspect: chair behind where dynastic guardian sat. Hidden from view, most likely spot.
Scanned—no obvious core.
Clattered over leisurely, peeked around chair.
Bingo!
Just as guessed: fist-sized orb, ominously glowing purple. Hovering mysteriously.
Simpler than thought? Precarious, like it'd drop if poked.
Weird idea: Can I yoink it?
Thought means action. No hesitation, hand on core. Lifted—
The Dungeon Core has been removed.
It came right out. Huh? Works.
Core in hand, still spewing purple light.
Wait—can I move it elsewhere?
Not socketed or anything. Install anywhere?
Goal: protect core. Hide it tight, no shatter worries. Know perfect spot.
'Skeleton knight's room on floor 1!'
Secret passage only—hard to find without intel. No idiot searches every nook from floor 1.
Hide core there! Undiscoverable.
"Genius!"
Clack clack!
I'm so smart!