Chapter 5 The First Servant
Vaelith’s POV
I slowly opened my eyes and immediately froze.
Crimson mana drifted through the underground chamber. Core floating at the center of the ruins.
Its heartbeat matched mine perfectly.
I pushed myself upright slowly, only to feel a strange sensation rush through my entire body. Power.
The crimson markings across my arms glowed faintly in the darkness, spreading farther than before.
Different. Everything felt different. My hearing. My breathing. Even the air smelled sharper somehow.
I could hear distant monsters moving through tunnels far above me. I could hear mana flowing through the dungeon walls.
I could even feel tiny vibrations beneath the stone floor.
“…What the hell happened to me?”
“You survived.”
I looked toward the undead knight standing silently near the chamber entrance.
I frowned immediately.
“How long was I unconscious?”
“Three days.”
My expression tightened slightly.
“Three…”
I stopped myself.
No wonder my body felt strange. I slowly stood to my feet. The moment I did, information exploded inside my head.
Every corridor. Every monster. Every room inside the dungeon. I staggered violently.
“…Damn it…”
The knight stepped forward slightly.
“You are connected to the dungeon now.”
“That’s not normal.”
“It is for a Dungeon Core.”
I looked around the chamber carefully.
Even without trying, I could sense everything nearby instinctively. The entire dungeon had become an extension of myself. Or maybe I had become part of it.
I clenched my fists slowly.
“What exactly am I now?”
The knight remained silent briefly before answering.
“The last Dungeon Core.”
“I know that already.”
“You are also the successor of the Abyss Monarch.”
Again with that title. My expression darkened immediately.
“I’m not some king.”
The undead creature stared at me silently.
“The abyss disagrees.”
I exhaled slowly through my nose.
Annoying. Everything about this situation was annoying.
The fact that I could literally hear monsters breathing several floors above me.
I walked toward the Dungeon Core slowly.
The massive crimson crystal floated quietly above the stone platform, radiating overwhelming mana throughout the chamber.
For some reason… looking at it felt strangely comforting.
“Tell me something honestly,” I said quietly.
The knight tilted its head slightly.
“Do I still look human to you?”
The chamber fell silent.
“Partially.”
That answer irritated me more than if it had simply said no. I looked down at my hands again. The crimson markings.
The system suddenly appeared before my eyes.
[Dungeon Status]
Core Stability: Stable
Mana Reserves: Low
Servants: 0
Territory Rank: F
Threat Level: Unknown
I stared at the glowing screen carefully.
“…Servants?”
The knight nodded once.
“A Dungeon Core requires subordinates.”
“I’m not building an army.”
“You already possess one.”
My eyes narrowed slightly.
“What does that mean?”
The undead knight raised one skeletal hand toward the upper tunnels.
“The monsters inside this dungeon now recognize you as their ruler.”
A cold feeling settled in my chest.
No. That’s wildy impossible.
“Monsters don’t obey people.”
“They obey strength.”
Before I could answer, a strange growling sound echoed through the chamber.
I froze instantly. The growl came again.
My expression darkened.
“…Was that me?”
The knight nodded calmly.
“You require mana.”
I blinked once.
“Excuse me?”
“The Dungeon Core consumes mana continuously. Without replenishment, both you and the dungeon will weaken.”
I crossed my arms immediately.
“And how exactly am I supposed to replenish it?”
The system answered instantly.
[Mana Sources Available]
Monster Absorption
Mana Crystals
Dungeon Expansion
Living Creatures
My eyes stopped at the final option.
“…Living creatures.”
The knight’s hollow voice echoed calmly.
“Humans provide the highest mana output.”
A sharp silence filled the chamber.
I looked away immediately.
“No.”
The knight tilted its head.
“No?”
“I’m not murdering random people just to survive.”
The undead creature stared at me for several seconds before speaking again.
“The dungeon’s instincts may eventually overpower your morality.”
“That won’t happen.”
“You sound uncertain.”
I clenched my jaw tightly. Because the truth was… I wasn’t completely certain.
That hunger inside me felt real.
I changed the subject immediately.
“How do I create servants?”
The system flickered again.
[Insufficient Dungeon Defenders]
[Recommendation: Summon Basic Units]
A strange symbol appeared before me alongside several creature options.
Goblin. Cave Wolf. Shadow Bat. All weak.
I frowned slightly.
“This is it?”
“You are newly evolved,” the knight explained. “Your authority remains limited.”
I sighed quietly before extending one hand.
“Fine. Let’s see this nonsense.”
The moment I focused, mana surged violently through my arm. Crimson light gathered before me, twisting into a swirling vortex. The chamber trembled faintly.
Then…
POOF!
Something small slammed face-first into the floor. The creature slowly raised its head. Large yellow eyes blinked at me nervously beneath messy green hair.
A goblin. A very tiny goblin.
The creature looked around in confusion before pointing at itself.
“…Grr?”
I stared blankly.
“That’s my servant?”
The knight nodded.
“A goblin scout.”
“It looks like it eats rocks.”
The goblin looked offended instantly.
“GRR!”
I almost laughed. The small creature quickly scrambled to its feet before suddenly kneeling toward me.
“M-Master!”
I froze slightly. The goblin lowered its head deeply.
“This one serve Master!”
That surprised me more than anything else. I studied the creature carefully.
Something uncomfortable twisted inside my chest. After Seredin’s betrayal… I didn’t know how to react to loyalty anymore.
The goblin peeked upward nervously.
“Master angry?”
“…No.”
The creature visibly relaxed. Then it puffed out its chest proudly.
“Master strongest!”
I snorted softly.
“You’ve clearly never met Seredin.”
The goblin tilted its head in confusion. I rubbed my forehead tiredly. This was absurd. Three days ago I was humanity’s greatest strategist.
Now I was underground talking to goblins.
The system suddenly appeared again.
[Servant Successfully Created]
[Name Your Servant]
The goblin looked at me expectantly.
“…You want me to name it?”
The knight nodded.
“Names strengthen servant loyalty.”
The goblin immediately pointed at itself excitedly.
“Name! Name!”
I stared at the annoying little creature for several seconds.
Then sighed.
“…Vark.”
The goblin gasped dramatically.
“Vark!”
It looked ready to cry from happiness.
“This one Vark now!”
I immediately regretted naming it. The creature suddenly ran circles around the chamber excitedly while yelling its own name repeatedly.
“VARK! VARK! VARK!”
“…Can I unsummon him?”
“No.”
Before I could complain further, the dungeon suddenly trembled faintly..My expression sharpened instantly.
I felt it immediately. Foreign presence.
Humans.
The same instinctive awareness flooded through my mind naturally now.
Vark stopped moving instantly.
The goblin sniffed the air nervously.
“Humans…”
The knight slowly turned toward the upper corridors.
“Scavengers.”
Distant voices echoed faintly through the ruins above.
“Spread out!”
“There has to be treasure somewhere down here!”
“Be careful! Monsters are everywhere!”
Treasure hunters.
I slowly looked upward toward the darkness above the chamber. And then I felt it again. The hunger.
The dungeon reacted excitedly to the humans entering its territory. My breathing slowed slightly.
I wan
ted to hunt them. The realization horrified me.
Vark suddenly looked toward me excitedly.
“Master kill intruders?”
Silence filled the chamber.
Then the system appeared once more.
[New Objective Available]
[Protect The Dungeon]
[Eliminate All Intruders]
My crimson eyes narrowed slowly toward the darkness above. And somewhere deep inside myself… something monstrous smiled.
