Dungeon Master of Gods

Chapter 8: Madness

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The echo of the last battle still vibrated in the halls of my dungeon. The stench of blood and lingering dark magic permeated every stone, a reminder of how recent and brutal it had been. The fallen bodies, now Shadowwraiths, had dissipated into pure energy that fed the core, while the damaged traps automatically reconfigured themselves thanks to the constant accumulation of ED.

I had endured.

However, I knew that victory was short-lived.

I knew that the surviving swordsman would return. And with him, would come a stronger, more prepared army.

I couldn't give them the same dungeon twice.

"Fi, how much ED did we get?"

The entity's voice sounded with a satisfied tone.

"Oh, dear child, I'd say a rather juicy amount." Between the fallen adventurers, the absorption of their life energy, and the sacrificial trap you activated, the dungeon has grown.

[Dungeon: Level 3 reached.]

A notification immediately followed:

Expansion options unlocked.

My eyes scanned the list. I now had access to new tools to fortify my domain: I could widen the hallways, install deadlier enemies, and refine existing traps. But what caught my eye was an even more intriguing option.

"Advanced Summons?" I blurted out, with a mix of anticipation and fear.

Fi let out a soft, almost motherly laugh:

"Correct. You can now bring forth monsters of a higher rank. Creatures that will make those adventurers think twice before setting foot in this place again."

Madness was beginning to creep into my mind. The line between cold strategy and obsession was blurring. As I adjusted the new options, my face, marked by the interface's blue light, reflected a mix of ambition and disturbance. How far was I willing to go to keep my domain intact? The possibility of summoning such powerful creatures seduced me, but it also ignited a spark of unease within me.

With slightly trembling fingers, I confirmed the activation of those summons. A dark flash crossed the room and, from the void, emerged beasts with ravenous jaws, medium-sized scaly wyverns and ethereal beings with eyes flashing with ancient fury. They seemed a distorted reflection of my own fears and obsessions, ready to annihilate any invader.

However, as I watched my new monsters rise, I felt a shadow of doubt settle in my mind. Would the price of victory be paid with my own sanity? Madness, that invisible force, began to infiltrate my soul. I vaguely remember moments of introspection, moments when I wondered if I was losing control or if, ironically, the dungeon was becoming an extension of my own disturbed psyche.

The atmosphere in the core grew even more tense. The DA's energy flowed with an almost unbearable force, while the advanced creatures emitted roars and hisses that echoed through the halls. Chaos and violence were palpable. And I, in my little sanctuary of power, watched every move with a mix of calculated coldness and growing anguish.

In the gloom, I remembered that swordsman who had promised to return. The thought of facing him again filled me with reckless determination, but also with a persistent uneasiness. Each new summoning, each improvement in traps, not only reinforced my dominance, but fed a spiral of obsession and paranoia. Would I be able to maintain the balance between power and sanity? Or would I lose myself in the madness that lurked behind every shadow?

With a bitter laugh, I realized that, although I had won a battle, the war within had only just begun. The dungeon had withstood the attack, but my mind teetered on the edge of the abyss. The adventurers would return, stronger, more prepared, and to face them I would have to immerse myself in a madness that could consume me.

I took a deep breath, letting the flow of ED run through me, feeling its pulse in every fiber of my being.

"Fi, do you see me as a psychopath?" I asked suddenly, in a whisper.

Time seemed to stop, and Fi's voice answered, slow and cruel:

"Don't you think you already are?"

Those words stuck in my mind like a poisoned dart. My consciousness was suspended for a moment, reflecting in silence.

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I needed to make sure I was ready, no matter what. I activated the revive function and took a look at the fresh corpses. With a mix of caution and excitement, I put on the clothes of the mage I had turned into a level 2 specter. I planned to pass myself off as just another adventurer on the outside, hoping to remain undetected.

The next step took me to an unexpected place: the half-dungeon mall, a space where merchants and adventurers crossed paths with curiosity and greed. I moved through the crowd, trying to act like I was just another one. My new mage outfit served to disguise me, although inside I felt a whirlwind of paranoia. Would they see me as a threat? Would another Dungeon Master discover me?

However, what truly terrified me was hearing a rumor circulating among a group of mercenaries and explorers:

The Guild of Light, led by a legendary swordswoman, was heading towards the "new dungeon" discovered in the northern forest.

My dungeon.

My blood ran cold. I was dead...

A tremor shook my hands. Panic took over my breathing. I struggled to maintain my composure as I backed away, my mind on the verge of exploding. If the Guild of Light showed up at my door, nothing I had summoned would be enough to stop them… or so I thought.

I returned to the dungeon in silence, not daring to give away my presence. My heart was pounding against my ribs. As I entered the core, a thick, charged air enveloped me. The monsters I had summoned writhed in the darkness, impatient.

The dungeon pulsed with a disturbing power, as if it fed on my fear. In that very moment, I knew that my true war was not only against the Guild of Light, but also against the madness that threatened to consume me. The obsession with protecting this place, the need to control every corner, mixed with the terror of facing an unstoppable force.

The real battle had only just begun.

And I, with my hands stained with ED and my mind on the edge of the abyss, realized that protecting my domain might demand a higher price than my sanity could pay.