Chapter 95: Back on the Road

Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Back on the Road

The road to the east of the Elf Lands was surprisingly normal. After everything that happened, Arin almost forgot what a normal road was. Arin walked with his hands on the back of his head.

"This is suspicious," Arin said. Adnan looked at him. "What is?" "The silence," Arin replied. Saira looked around. "You complain that there isn’t anything trying to kill us?"

"I didn’t complain. I’m just stating facts," Arin said. "You’ve been stating facts for nearly an hour," Saira replied. "Because there hasn’t been anything trying to kill us for nearly an hour," Arin said. Ayan walked behind the group, his ever-present lazy look on his face.

"Perhaps you’ve become addicted to danger?" Ayan asked. Arin turned to face him. "Coming from the dragon who willingly followed a Dungeon Master around the world, I find that hard to believe," Arin said. Ayan shrugged.

Mira laughed lightly as she walked alongside Saira. The group had set out that morning on the road west that Eldran suggested before they left the elven village. The road would lead to various other settlements outside the Elf Lands.

Arin wasn’t sure which direction he wanted to go. He was enjoying the feel of traveling, of just getting out there. Until Adnan opened the map again. "We may want to figure out where we’re going," Adnan said.

Arin looked at him. "We’re on a road," Arin said. "That’s not a destination," Adnan replied. "It’s been working so far," Arin said. Adnan ignored him and opened the map.

"There are three cities we could get to from here. Two are smaller trade centers, but this one..." Adnan pointed to a mark farther west on the map. "Ravengard," he said. Arin leaned closer.

The name had been scrawled next to a much larger symbol than the other markings representing cities. "Big city?" Arin asked. "Very," Adnan nodded. "One of the adventurer cities in the area, actually. It has a decent guild, magic shops, mercenaries, trainers..."

Saira arched a brow. "You sound excited," she said. "I have heard of it before," Adnan said. Adnan tapped the map again, this time indicating another mark near Ravengard. "And there’s a dungeon nearby," he said.

Arin stopped dead in his tracks. The rest of the group hadn’t noticed and took several more steps before they realized Arin was no longer with them. Saira turned to him. "Arin?" Arin stared at Adnan.

"What did you say?" Arin asked. Adnan gave him a small, almost mischievous smile. "There’s a dungeon near Ravengard," he said. Arin turned to face him. "What kind of dungeon? Natural? Artificial? Owned? Unclaimed?" Arin asked. "I said I’ve heard of the city. I don’t have the city’s entire history memorized," he said. In spite of his words, Arin took the map from him.

A dungeon. His mood lightened considerably. Ayan was the only one who noticed. "I believe we have found our destination," Ayan said. "Absolutely," Arin replied.

Mira sighed. "You’re awfully quick about finding destinations," she said. "Cities are nice," Arin said, "but cities with dungeons are better." Saira crossed her arms. "You really are becoming a Dungeon Master."

"Was there ever any doubt?" Arin asked. "None at all," Saira said. They resumed walking, Arin studying the map for several minutes before returning it to Adnan. A dungeon near a major adventurer city could be useful in more ways than one, and not just for leveling up.

Arin needed experience, his Authority needed to improve, Dungeon Sovereign wasn’t complete, and his latest ability, Monster Creation and Control, had only partially enabled Monster Management. And then there was the last ability he was barely ever able to think about since the whole Zarl and fake dungeon fiasco.

"Wait," he said. Arene responded somewhere inside his mind. "I dislike that word when you say it with that tone."

"What tone?" Arin asked. "The tone you use before you remember something important several days late," Arene said. Arin ignored the jab. "The Pocket Dungeon," he said.

Arene went silent. Arin’s eyes widened slightly. "I completely forgot about it," he said. "I am aware," Arene replied. "You could have reminded me!" "You were busy fighting former Dungeon Masters, waging wars against Chimeras, investigating Caelan, meeting servants of a True Hero and surviving under a forest. Your mind was occupied."

"Nevertheless," Arin remembered it now. The fake dungeon. The exchange of Authority. The crystal that appeared in his palm as the ownership of the dungeon transferred to him. The Pocket Dimension.

His dungeon. Technically. He had access to the link, but everything that happened afterward pretty much left him without much time to actually think about what he could do with it. "Arene," he said. "Yes?"

"When can I actually use it?" Arin asked. "You already have access to it," Arene replied. "I mean, fully use it," he said. Arin turned away slightly as the others talked animatedly ahead of him.

"I want to build inside it. Change things up. Make new rooms. Put monsters in there. Alter the environment. Use it as a real dungeon," Arin said. Arene was silent for a long moment. Then a System window popped up before his eyes.

[Dungeon Master Authority]

[Current Level: 1]

[Requirement for Advanced Dungeon Functions: Level 2]

Arin stared. "Level two?" "Correct," Arene said. He slowed down again.

"So when my Dungeon Master Authority hits level two..." Arin said. "You will have enough Authority to properly awaken the Pocket Dungeon as an active personal dungeon," Arene replied. Arin’s face changed. "Wait."

Arene continued. "As it stands, you have ownership and access to the dungeon, but your current Dungeon Master Authority isn’t high enough to freely alter it or its deeper functions," she said. Another window appeared.

[Pocket Dungeon]

[Ownership: Arin Rahman]

[State: Dormant]

[Access: Limited]

[Full Activation Requirement: Dungeon Master Authority Level 2]

Arin stopped again. Saira turned to face him.

"Why do you keep stopping?" Saira asked. "Give me a second," Arin said. She looked at him. "You’ve said that three times today," she said. "This one is important," Arin replied.

Arin focused on the window. "What will it do when it’s fully activated?" Arene was quick to respond. "Depending on your level and the state of the dungeon, your access and functions will change, but you should have considerably more access than you do now," she said. "Such as?"

"Structural modification," Arene said. Arin smiled. "Monster placement," she added. A bigger smile. "Environmental control," she said. Even bigger. "Core management," she finished.

Arin’s eyes literally sparkled. "And as your level increases, more advanced functions should become available," Arene said. Arin turned toward the road ahead. Then he began to laugh. Adnan turned to him.

"Should we be worried?" Adnan asked. "Definitely," Mira said. Saira walked up beside Arin. "What did Arene tell you?" "My dungeon," Arin said. "What about it?" "I’ll be able to use it properly when my level increases to two."

Saira stared at him for a long moment. Then she realized why he was happy. "No," she said. Arin turned to her. "What do you mean, no?" "I know that look," she said. "What look?"

"The look you make when you get a horrible idea and you think it’s a good one," Saira said. "It’s not a horrible idea," Arin said. "You haven’t told me what it is," she replied. "Exactly," Arin said. "That makes it worse," she said.

Arin ignored her. His mind was already racing. A personal dungeon. Not one that he found, not one that someone else made. Himself. He could design it. Alter it. Fill it with whatever he wanted.

Make it however he wanted. Not just one big dungeon, either. Make it change on different floors. Add new things and take others out. Put in new monsters. New traps. New bosses.

New rooms to explore. New secrets to uncover. He paused. New treasure. Secret treasure rooms. That would be cool. Definitely some puzzles.

Not those stupid puzzles where you have to stand on three specific pressure plates to unlock a door. But ones that actually made you think. He could do different things on different floors. A forest floor. An underground city.

A frozen tundra. Something silly just because he felt like it. "Arene," Arin said. "No," Arene replied. "I haven’t asked anything yet," he said. "I can tell where you’re going with this," she said.

"Can I make a floor with different gravity?" Arin asked. "Eventually, perhaps," Arene replied. Arin couldn’t contain his smile. "Moving rooms?" "Potentially," she said. "Monsters for each floor?"

"Monster Creation and Control will likely interact with your Dungeon functions once your Authority is strong enough," Arene said. Almost made him stop walking. "So I can make my own monsters and put them in my dungeon?" "Eventually," she said.

Arin clenched his fist. "Perfect," he said. Ayan turned towards him. "You seem overly pleased with yourself," Ayan said. Arin pointed at him. "Once my dungeon activates, you’re helping me test it," he said.

Ayan blinked once. "I decline," he said. "You haven’t even seen it," Arin said. "My dear friend, your facial expression has given away more than you bargained for," Ayan replied. Adnan chuckled. "What are you planning?"

"Everything," Arin said. "That’s not an answer," Adnan said. "It is the best answer," Arin replied. Arin spread his arms as they continued walking. "If I’m going to have my own dungeon, I’m not going to be making a boring cave where adventurers plow through twenty monsters and a boss at the end."

Saira was already smiling. "Then what are you going to do?" she asked. "A dungeon people remember," Arin said. The answer didn’t come as a surprise. Arin looked towards the distant horizon.

"If adventurers are going to enter it, I want them to be excited before they reach the second floor," Arin said. Adnan raised an eyebrow. "Excited?" "Yes," Arin said. "Most Dungeon Masters probably want adventurers to be horrified," Adnan noted.

"Why can’t they be both?" Arin asked. No one answered. Arin continued. "There should be rewards worth fighting for. Secret rooms for the observant. Different monsters. Floors that aren’t all the same." "You’ve thought this through incredibly quickly," Mira noted.

"I used to love this kind of thing," Arin said. Arin opened his mouth to continue, then stopped himself. Memories of video games and dungeons from his old world flooded in. Dungeons that made you think, that had unique bosses, that had secrets hidden in corners and down halls that no one thought to look. "Fun for everyone," Arin said.

Saira looked at him like he was crazy. "Fun for who?" "For everyone," Arin said. "The monsters too?" "Okay, maybe not everyone," Arin replied. Adnan shook his head. "This city might wish it didn’t have a dungeon once you’re done with it."

He opened his Status menu.

[Dungeon Master Authority: Level 1]

The number seemed to mock him. "How close am I to two?" Arin asked. "Closer than you were before arriving in the Elf Lands," Arene replied.

"That wasn’t my question," Arin said. "Authority doesn’t work like a simple experience stat," Arene said. Arin frowned. "I’m aware of that," he said. "Your Dungeon Master Authority develops as your understanding and control of it increases. Your experiences thus far have greatly increased that understanding, particularly your encounters with the former Dungeon Masters." "So I’m close?" "Soon," Arene said.

Arin smiled. That was good enough. He didn’t need a number, just the reassurance that he would get there. After everything he had gone through to survive, it really shouldn’t have been much of a surprise that he was close to leveling up again. He turned to face Adnan.

"How long until Ravengard?" Arin asked. Adnan consulted the map. "At our current pace, several days," Adnan said.. Arin stretched his arms.

Level two couldn’t come fast enough.