Dungeon Master of Gods

Chapter 7: Attack

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The echo of battle still resonated in the halls of my dungeon. The air was filled with the stench of blood and dark magic that still throbbed in the stones. The survivors of the siege had barely managed to escape with their lives, but their fight was not over.

Not for me. Not for them.

But peace was short-lived in this world.

A flash of crimson illuminated my vision.

A message floated in the center of my interface.

[Surface Scan: Another group of intruders has been detected.]

My eyes snapped open.

Chill ran down my spine.

I activated the entrance view and felt my blood run cold.

Figures descended through the opening in the mountain, moving with precision, without hesitation. They did not scan, they did not hesitate. They were heading straight for the dungeon as if they already knew something had happened.

Reinforcements.

If this new group managed to join those already inside, I would be in trouble. The Shadowstalker and the Shadow Goblins had worn down the first invaders, but if they added more fighters, the advantage I had would disappear.

"Fi, tell me I have options," I said, trying to remain calm.

Fi, the entity tied to the dungeon, let out a mocking laugh.

"Oh, kid, of course you have options. You can run like a cornered rat… or you can prove that this dungeon is a grave for anyone who dares step foot in it."

I ignored his mocking tone. I had no time to argue.

I needed to act.

Fast.

I needed a plan.

My resources were still limited. I couldn't summon high-level monsters, but I still had one advantage: the dungeon itself.

My traps were still active. My knowledge of the terrain was absolute. And most importantly: I could revive at low cost.

The Shadow Stalker still lurked in the gloom. But I'd already used surprise once.

They would come prepared.

One mistake and the dungeon would be wiped out.

No. I wouldn't allow it.

My mind worked fast.

If I managed to use the corpses I'd collected well, I could turn them into a second wave of defense.

I closed my eyes and expanded my consciousness. I felt the limp bodies of the fallen, the still-warm blood soaking into the stones.

Their souls were gone... but their flesh, their bones, their skills could still serve.

I reached out.

The darkness responded.

I activated the reanimation function.

As I activated the summoning, an invisible pressure enveloped me. Something dark, primal, seeped into the foundations of the dungeon. I wasn't summoning allies... I was awakening predators.

One by one, they stood up.

Their eyes glowed with a crimson glow.

They were no longer human.

They were now Shadowwraiths, cursed warriors trapped between death and eternal agony.

I felt a pang in my chest. Something inside me stirred, like an echo of the life I once had.

They were beings who retained their abilities in life but with only one purpose: to obey me.

How far was I willing to go?

That no longer interested me....

I had new soldiers now.

Meanwhile, the second group of adventurers advanced quickly through the halls.

There were four of them.

A nimble swordsman, a silver-clad priestess, a dark-robed mage, and a great-axe warrior.

A well-balanced assault team.

They advanced in tactical formation, watching for traps. But I wouldn't give them the luxury of caution.

But I wouldn't give them the luxury of caution.

"Goblins, forward!"

The Shadow Goblins emerged from the shadows, their blades reflecting the dim light. They moved like a wave, sliding between the walls and the floor, deadly in their frenzy.

The swordsman reacted first, darting forward quickly. His sword rose, shining with an energy honed by years of training.

"They're coming from the darkness!"

He swung his blade in a perfect arc, slicing through one of the goblins in a single blow.

But that was what he wanted.

As the creature's blood hit the ground, a new trap was activated.

The entire hallway shook.

From the walls, a wave of arrows shot out in all directions.

—Get back!

The group scattered in different directions, but the priestess wasn't fast enough. An arrow stuck in her thigh.

—Ahh!

She fell to her knees, pain on her face.

The warrior tried to help her, but at that moment, the lights in the room flickered.

The temperature dropped.

A figure emerged from the gloom.

Armor shattered. Eyes shining with an unnatural glow.

One of the fallen adventurers, now a Shadow Wraith, materialized before them.

It was the warrior who had been dragged away by the Stalker.

His armor was cracked, his eyes glowing with a cursed glare.

The group tensed.

The wizard's voice cracked.

"That thing... is... Ronan!" the wizard exclaimed, disbelief in his voice.

The swordsman gritted his teeth.

—No... Ronan died. That thing is no longer him.

The Shadowwraith gave them no time to react.

With inhuman speed, he lunged at the warrior with the axe.

The impact echoed through the room as his ghostly blade collided with the metal of his opponent.

But the Wraith was faster.

He slid behind him and pierced his abdomen with a shadow dagger.

A muffled gurgle came from the warrior's throat as his life snuffed out.

Three adventurers remaining.

The priestess raised her staff, her lips murmuring a desperate prayer.

She tried to cast a purification spell.

—Holy light, expel the darkness—!

I didn't let her finish.

A flash on the ground.

Activation.

A magic circle flashed, and in an instant, her legs were trapped in a prison of dark energy.

The priestess froze in place.

"I can't move!"

The swordsman screamed her name, but the Spectre was already upon her.

His dagger came down.

A single clean cut across the throat.

The priestess collapsed with a final gasp.

Two more to go.

The wizard took a step back, terror on his face.

"We must… we must flee…"

But the swordsman didn't hear him.

With fury in his eyes, he lunged straight at the Spectre.

"DAMN YOU!"

His blade came down with full force.

The edge of the enchanted sword glowed with pure energy as it struck the Spectre's body.

The cursed being twisted, an inhuman scream escaping its mouth as its form faded into nothingness.

The swordsman's chest rose and fell violently, each breath imbued with rage and helplessness.

But he was alone now.

The mage, unable to bear it any longer, had already fled.

One less to worry about.

The swordsman, surrounded by shadows and corpses, turned toward the exit.

He clenched his fists.

"I'll be back for you..."

The swordsman turned one last time, but this time his gaze was not of fury... but of something worse. A slight smile. He had not lost the battle. He was only preparing for the next one.

"We will return."

It was a certainty.

He did not threaten revenge.

He did not need to.

He simply turned on his heels and disappeared into the darkness.

But his absence remained like a shadow in my mind.

He would return.

And this time...

I wouldn't underestimate him.

I felt a chill.

I collapsed into the core of the dungeon, as the Spectres, no longer needing to pursue, let the adventurers escape.

Because it was no longer necessary.

I hadn't won.

I had delayed the inevitable.

I took a deep breath.

Feeling the surge of ED flowing into my system. The dungeon pulsed with power, but my domain was on edge.

The adventurers would return, stronger and more prepared.

I needed to expand, to improve, to be ready for the enemy that would come.

I needed to improve.

Because sooner or later...

An enemy would come that I couldn't defeat.

And by that day, I needed to be ready.