Dungeon Master of Gods

Chapter 4: Hunter

.

.

.

Farming was on. I had to win against time.

My ED kept increasing, but too slowly. Every minute the adventurers spent fighting my monsters and searching for a way out brought them closer to finding a solution. If the mage managed to complete his escape spell, all my effort would become useless. I couldn't afford complacency.

I surveyed the battlefield from my core. My shadow goblins harassed relentlessly, their obsidian blades ripping through the adventurers' skin at every opportunity. The archer and swordsman could barely move without being flanked. The Shadow Golem blocked the only visible exit, its body regenerating from each attack with overwhelming patience.

But it wasn't enough.

I needed something more lethal, something that could tip the balance before the adventurers found a breach.

Then I saw it.

—Spectral Assassin.

Its description was clear: a living, humanoid shadow, armed with daggers imbued with dark energy. A stealthy assassin, invisible until the last second. It cost almost all of my ED, but if I managed to eliminate the mage before he finished his spell, it would be worth it.

I confirmed the summoning.

A crimson flash illuminated the dungeon. The creature emerged from nowhere: a translucent figure, with glowing red eyes like glowing embers. Its form fluctuated between tangible and incorporeal, an illusion of lurking death.

And then it was gone.

Not a whisper was heard.

—We have to get out of here!—the archer shouted, launching another arrow imbued with light.

The Shadow Golem staggered, but its structure regenerated instantly.

The swordsman, breathing heavily, looked around.

"Something's not right…" he muttered. "He's leading us into a trap."

Too late.

The air distorted behind the wizard. A flash of steel. A dagger plunging into raw flesh.

The wizard let out a gasp. His eyes widened as his blood soaked the stone floor.

"No!" the archer shrieked, spinning around quickly.

Her arrow flew toward the assassin, but the creature vanished before it was hit. It reappeared elsewhere in the room, a mocking shadow.

The swordsman lunged at the wizard, holding him desperately.

"Hold on!" he pleaded.

But the wizard's skin was pale. His breath was a fitful trickle. The wound was still bleeding. Too fast. Too deep.

My ED shot up.

ED: 90/100

I smiled.

"Just a little more…"

The archer trembled. Her next arrow was charged with so much holy magic that it lit up the room. She fired three times in succession. Two missed. The third pierced the Spectral Assassin's chest.

A spectral shriek filled the room. The shadow dissipated into black smoke.

But it had already done its job.

As the Spectral Assassin plunged his dagger into the mage, my mind was already on the next move. If I could get to 100 ED before the archer escaped, I could summon something even deadlier.

My heart was beating fast. It was time to finish them off.

I opened the summons menu and selected the ultimate option.

"Summon Devouring Shadow."

The ground vibrated. The dungeon's torches sputtered before dying out. The air turned chilly. A dark rift opened in the center of the room, exuding a blackness that absorbed the light itself.

From the shadows emerged a shapeless creature. Obsidian tentacles writhed like hungry snakes. Rows of sharp teeth stretched into the void. Its eyes, two pools of primal malice, fixed on the adventurers.

The swordsman gritted his teeth and stepped in front of the archer.

"Run," he told her.

But she didn't move.

The creature roared, and the swordsman charged.

His sword glowed with holy light. Each slash tore at the shadow, but it reassembled itself immediately. Strike after strike, to no avail.

A dark limb caught him by the waist and lifted him into the air. The archer screamed his name.

The swordsman felt the air grow thick around him. A chill ran down his spine as the shadow stretched as if it had a will of its own. He tried to move, but something held him. Something cold. Something formless.

"NOOO!"

An inhuman whisper filled his ears before the pressure on his chest crushed him against the wall. He felt no pain. Only emptiness.

The archer gasped. She knew she couldn't win, but she could still do damage.

She pulled the string tight until her arm ached.

She aimed not at the monster, but at its dark core.

If she hit there, maybe… maybe…

Her last arrow missed.

It was no use.

The shadow enveloped her with monstrous speed. A muffled scream, and then… silence.

The ED increased brutally.

ED: 150/100(TEMPORAL EXCESS)

The Devouring Shadow slowly faded away, returning to its dark dimension after having fulfilled its purpose.They would be absorbed into the dungeon.

I took a deep breath.

I had succeeded.

The invaders had been eliminated.

For the first time, I felt like I had real control over my dungeon, over my destiny. The goddess, with her honeyed, mocking voice, whispered in my mind again.

"Efficient work. Cruel, but effective. You are becoming a true Dungeon Master."

I ignored her satisfied tone. I still had much to learn.

But this was my first victory.

And it would not be my last.

I had won.

I exhaled slowly. My dungeon was safe. I had learned how to take advantage of each invader to make myself stronger.

But this was just the beginning.

As their bodies fell to the ground, I felt no guilt. I saw only wasted resources. But deep down, something in me recognized the difference. Before, I saw the adventurers as invaders. Now, I saw them as prey.

The swordsman and archer lay motionless on the black stone floor. Their lifeless bodies were witnesses to their ironclad resistance, their desperate fight against an entity that surpassed their limits. But in the end, the dungeon had prevailed. I had prevailed.

The Shadow Dungeon, I take them to be the monsters of my own summoning, dissolved into thin air as if they had never existed, leaving behind a trail of darkness that seeped into the dungeon walls. With their disappearance, the accumulated ED reached an all-time high.

ED: 150/100.

I smiled to myself. This meant that not only could I improve the dungeon, but I could optimize my playstyle.

I opened the expansion menu, and a new option glowed brightly:

[Unlock Dungeon Level 2]

With 150 ED banked, the prospect of expansion was tempting.

But a voice in my mind told me that maybe… just maybe… I should save some for the unexpected.

Then I laughed. In this world, the unexpected was just a missed opportunity.

Without hesitation, I invested 100 ED into the upgrade. A tremor ran through the depths of my domain as new rooms began to form. Rough stone walls emerged from nowhere, corridors lengthened and branched, and an air of danger thickened in the air. I had expanded my territory.

I looked at the new layout of the dungeon through the floating tiles. It now boasted two full levels, with more sophisticated traps and potentially more dangerous enemies. However, I knew that just having a larger structure wasn't enough. I needed to optimize my strategy.

I opened the creature menu and looked at my options. With the remaining ED, I could summon a new creature to defend the dungeon. My choices were limited, but there was one that immediately caught my attention.

Shadow Stalker (Cost: 40 ED)

A beast specialized in ambushes, able to slip through the darkness undetected. With deadly speed and claws capable of piercing armor, it would be the perfect guardian for my second level. I approved the summoning, and from the shadows emerged a slender figure, with flashing eyes and skin as dark as the void.

The Stalker knelt before the dungeon core, its form trembling as if awaiting my orders.

"Take level two. Let no one pass."

Without a sound, the creature vanished into the gloom.

It was a step in the right direction, but I knew it still wasn't enough. Adventurers would keep coming. Word of an emerging dungeon would spread fast, and eventually, stronger opponents would arrive. I had to be proactive. I couldn't just defend.

I had to hunt.

I slid my fingers over the floating tiles until I found the [Surface Exploration] option. I hadn't used this feature yet, but if I wanted to expand my control, I had to know the outside environment.

The screen showed a panoramic view of the world outside the dungeon. It was located deep within a withered forest, where trees stood like skeletons and fog shrouded the ground like a spectral curtain. There were no immediate signs of human presence, but I could sense it: civilization wasn't far away.

I decided to send one of my creatures to gather information. A Shadow Wraith emerged from one of the rooms, floating in the air like a living mist.

"Search." Find houses, camps, anything of interest.

The specter fluttered before disappearing at the dungeon exit.

Now I just had to wait.

With the assurance that my dungeon was better prepared and with a creature exploring the outside, I finally allowed myself to relax. I had become a true Dungeon Master. I had successfully defended my territory, learned how to use the ED efficiently, and begun to expand my domain.

But this was just the beginning.

Soon, I wouldn't just be a Dungeon Master defending his home.

I would be a hunter.

And the world would know it...