Dungeon Maker

He had used the Power of Evolution many times before. But this time, it was different than before. The time spent and the amount of mana required to fully trigger the evolution exceeded his expectations.

It didn't require a lot of mana when initially evolving a level zero ability to level one. Yong-Ho had asked the Spirit of the Dungeon to transfer the remaining mana to him in case of an emergency.

However, nearly all his mana had been consumed in an instant.

Not only had exhausted nearly all of his initial remaining mana but he even used up all the additional mana received from the Spirit of the Dungeon.

However, the evolution was still not complete.

Yong-Ho clenched his teeth and squeezed out any remaining mana he had left. If he hadn't early absorbed the spirit from the leader of the Orcs, he probably would have failed to finish Catalina's evolution.

How long has it been?

Catalina's evolution into the hybrid route was now complete. Yong-Ho and Catalina both simultaneously collapsed to the floor. They leaned against each other and tried to catch their breath.

Catalina's body felt as hot as a burning fire. Yong-Ho tried his best to move despite his overwhelming exhaustion. The Spirit of the Dungeon started to speak, but he couldn't understand what she was saying.

He tried to move his upper body to stand up, but it was useless. Catalina had already lost consciousness as her body had fallen against his and given his exhaustion he had no strength to endure her weight, causing him to collapse as well.

Catalina still felt hot to the touch. Yong-Ho could no longer maintain his state of consciousness. He used up too much of his mana and stamina.

[El...gor… com...!]

The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke again. Yong-Ho could only sparsely hear every other word and instead of answering, he fully concentrated his mind and examined Catalina.

Right before his eyes, he noticed that Catalina's horns were a little larger and magnificent than before.

Regardless, it turned out well.

Yong-Ho came to a conclusion. He closed his eyes and fainted.

***

All demons were formed through mana.

Their bones, skin, and blood all contained the essence of mana.

Because of that, a demon could leave a part of themselves within remnants of their mana. They could leave a fragment of their consciousness or soul, they could even leave memories or a part of their power.

It was true darkness. A complete and absolute darkness, devoid of light.

Yong-Ho was walking through it. He didn't possess any thoughts or feelings. He just kept on walking onwards. Moments later, he lifted his head.

"I shall not fall."

It wasn't his voice. It rang in his head. Within this dark world, a dim light appeared. The light formed a figure of a small and somewhat savage young girl.

The light expanded. New images appeared within the darkness.

It was a woman with grey hair. She had beautiful, but vicious eyes, which said that she wasn't going to submit to reality. She swallowed any and all humiliation aimed at her and continued to struggle, gradually achieving more and more accomplishments.

Inactive rooms within the dungeon were activated one by one. She didn't stop trying to improve both the dungeon and herself.

She thought of herself as a mighty sword piercing forwards. After experiencing humiliation, insults, and all sorts of ordeals, she knelt down. However, instead of weeping, she fought her way forwards.

The House of Mammon should have collapsed. That was well within reason. But, she distorted that reason. Instead of collapsing, she led it to its resurrection.

Then she found the gold mine.

For the first time, she smiled brightly in front of her spirits.

A house was full of ashes.

Kaiwan, the Demon of Distortion.

He stopped walking. The dim light that illuminated the darkness disappeared.

Yong-Ho couldn't clearly see the image, but he was able to understand its intent.

Only she knew the arena's location.

From there she was unable to return, and the House of Mammon which had revived against all odds once again seemed that it was about to collapse.

The light disappeared. Darkness once again filled the area.

Yong-Ho closed his eyes.

***

He had a throbbing headache. It honestly felt like he had a night full of booze and was now in the midst of experiencing the resulting hangover.

"Aah."

Emotionlesssly, Yong-Ho voiced out his pain and blinked his eyes. He felt thirsty. He was currently in the 'cozy' bedroom that Eligor had hurriedly made before. The ceiling was no different from the other rooms but the straw bed gave off a familiar scent.

Yong-Ho closed his eyes again. It wasn't to sleep.

He tried to remember, but it wasn't easy. The only thing he could remember was the gray hair and vicious eyes.

'The owner from three generations ago.'

Yong-Ho sat up. He inspected Kaiwan's ring on his left hand.

There was nothing else he could remember.

"Water."

Fortunately, there was a water jug beside his bed. After taking a few sips, Yong-Ho stood up.

"How long have I been asleep?"

[You've been asleep for 10 hours.]

The Spirit of the Dungeon promptly answered. Instead of asking again, Yong-Ho waved his finger and displayed the current map of the dungeon in the air. Eligor was working with the Goblins and Catalina was in her bedroom, just like Yong-Ho. It seemed like she had still not woken up.

[Catalina is in good condition. You don't have to worry.]

As if she read his mind, the Spirit of the Dungeon suddenly spoke to him. He thanked her for worrying about him and then ceased all communication. His body was now filled with mana, so he felt that it was certainly worth sleeping for ten hours.

'It increased.'

His mana had become stronger. It wasn't just because he obtained the Orc leader's spirit.

Catalina had become stronger. Which had affected Yong-Ho as well.

If the owner grows stronger, the dungeon grows stronger

As the dungeon grows, the owner grows...

The spirits that served the owner belonged to the dungeon. Their body, mind, and soul were subservient to both the dungeon and the owner.

They were, in a sense, a part of the dungeon's very being.

If the owner became stronger, the spirits of the dungeon became stronger.

If the dungeon spirits became stronger, the owner became stronger.

Although the impact wasn't as great as the connection between the dungeon and its owner, it wasn't small either.

Yong-Ho swallowed dry saliva. He hadn't yet checked the result of Catalina's evolution.

How much stronger had she become?

What kind of route was available?

Yong-Ho didn't want to wait any longer. He immediately left his room. He walked through the throne room and headed towards Catalina's bedroom.

"Catalina, I'm coming in."

Of course, she didn't answer. Yong-Ho hesitated for a moment and opened the bedroom door. Similar to his room, Catalina's bedroom was also quite small, and as soon as he opened the door, he saw Catalina wrapped up in her cloak on top of the straw bed.

Instead of entering her room, he observed Catalina and activated the Power of Evolution.

[Name: Catalina (F)]

[Race: Hybrid (Succubus + Dark Elf)]

[Class: Spirit (Mid-Rank)]

[Attributes: Wind Level 1 / Darkness Level 1]

[Main Stats : Charm / Mana / Agility / Courage]

[Evolution Rate : 0/100]

[Charm - Level 1 | ★★★☆ (3.5)]

[Agility - Level 3 | ★★★★ (4)]

[Mana - Level 1 | ★★★☆ (3.5)]

[Courage - Level 2 | ★★★☆ (3.5)]

[Attribute Enhancement - Level 0 | ★★★☆ (3.5)]

[Possible Evolutionary Routes]

[Shadow Elf] / [Dark Succubus] / [Shadow Runner]

Many things had changed.

A number of the words that indicated that Catalina was a mixed-race between a Succubus and a Dark Elf had disappeared.

Her attributes had become more concise and now indicated levels. While the word hybrid had disappeared from any of the possible evolutionary routes.

'A hybrid demon.'

Catalina still had the opportunity to choose an evolutionary route between the Elf and Succubus.

However, the current Catalina wasn't an Elf or Succubus but a third race. The new route, Shadow Runner, appeared to be a completely different path.

Yong-Ho quickly approached Catalina and unwrapped her cloak. She was still wearing the gear from before and there wasn't any noticeable difference in her physique.

'Does… her body look better?'

Yong-Ho unknowingly briefly looked at a specific part of her body and quickly covered her up with the cloak again. He looked at her head. Her horns had definitely grown. They were slightly longer and thicker in size.

'The Succubus related stats have increased as well, even though they haven't been specifically developed. It's too early to come to a complete conclusion, but… it seems like a good result.'

Yong-Ho released a sigh of relief and collapsed to the floor.

He looked at the peacefully sleeping Catalina and then carefully reached out his hand and patted her head. He stood up again and walked out of her room.

"I've been waiting for you to wake up, Master."

As soon as he walked out the room, Eligor suddenly spoke up causing Yong-Ho to almost scream out in surprise. However, he quickly regained composure and closed the bedroom door behind him. The Spirit of the Dungeon had probably notified Eligor that he was awake.

His concern regarding Catalina's evolution had now been resolved. It was time to solve other issues.

"Eligor, gather the spirits. I must speak to them."

He had to figure out a plan to prevent an attack by Foras, who was almost certainly going to attack them in a few days.

Eligor thought that Yong-Ho would talk about strengthening the traps.

But, Yong-Ho didn't. He brought up something that Eligor didn't expect.

"Let's recapture the gold mine as soon as possible."

They couldn't afford to defend the dungeon with their current assets.

If that was the case, he had to make a gamble. Only through obtaining the wealth of the gold mine, could he find a way to defend the dungeon.

Eligor looked at Yong-Ho with a blank expression. Yong-Ho ignored his gaze.

"Understood, Master. I'll gather the spirits."

Eligor answered in a dignified manner and headed towards the throne room. Yong-Ho was alone once again and gazed upon Kaiwan's ring.

'I don't give up easily.'

Yong-Ho sat on the throne. A seat that proved his position as the owner of the dungeon. He waited for the spirits to arrive.