TtOW! - Chapter 47: Terminate the Hostile Dungeon! (Patreon)

There’s only two things more dangerous than a dungeon.

First is a Rift.  A Rift occurs when a hole tears in the fabric of reality itself, opening a door straight to a Realm of Mana.  Mana will flood the area, causing mana surges and unpredictable magical phenomena all around.  Likewise, monsters and other beings from the given Realm will pour out.  Even some of the more benign Realms can cause serious damage if a Rift opens to them.  The less benign Realms?  Well, you better hope you never see one of those.  A dungeon, in the end, seems to be an intelligent predator.  It can make choices, it can hold back, it can save some prey for the future.  Under most circumstances, it does not act indiscriminately.  A Rift, on the other hand, is a natural disaster.  There is no intellect or thought behind it.  Monsters and mana pour out and devastate everything in their path until the Rift is closed.

The second is a corrupted dungeon, which is the most dangerous of all.  A corrupted dungeon combines the worst aspects of a dungeon and Rift.  A normal dungeon is dangerous, but they appear to be relatively controlled environments.  They grow at a relatively steady rate, and one can make certain assumptions about the amount of monsters and traps a given dungeon has available considering its size and the number of visitors it gets.

Not so with a corrupted dungeon.

A corrupted pulls more mana from the Realms of Mana than it can handle, spilling the excess into the environment around it in a manner much like a Rift.  And of course, it still being a dungeon means it’s still summoning monsters at the same time, or maybe binding the monsters that try to come over from the Realm?  No one knows for sure, but the point is that a corrupted dungeon acts more like a Rift than a dungeon…except that its monsters are still under the command of an intelligent dungeon master.  So the monsters that result don’t act mindlessly and independently like in the case of a Rift.  They cooperate, and act with purpose.  One can imagine why that might be bad.

It is theorized that the First Demon Lord of legend may have been controlling a corrupted dungeon.  While the historicity of the First Hero’s Tale is frankly more than questionable, the behavior of the First Demon Lord and his monster army in the tale are a close match from the few corrupted dungeons we have on record, just on a far greater scale.  It is likely, therefore, that a battle with a corrupted dungeon was the inspiration for the tale.

-Legion Historian Paullus Cincius Lucceius, while lecturing the latest officer cadets on dungeons.

***

Cassius summoned a huge group of Flame Serpentes.  They were small, but they could spit fire from a surprising range, beyond that of the average bow.  He figured if the Hot Devils couldn’t close the distance with the knight, he would overwhelm her at range…

***

NSLICE-00P swept the Equalizer across the field as she filled the air with Mana Barriers, blocking the barrage of fiery projectiles soaring towards her.

[The Spell Mana Barrier (Minor) is now level 9!]

01R led the other monsters as they rushed under the cover of the Mana Barriers.  Lilussees led the other spiders in tying down the snakes with webs while the rat monsters engaged them in melee, to Rattingtale’s horror.

Meanwhile missiles soared overhead, landing on the snakes in the back and wiping out entire groups at once.

[Level up!  Personal level is now 29 and Dungeon level is now 37!]

***

Cassius grit his teeth. He spent some of his points to upgrade his monster summoning capabilities one more time.

It was time to bring out the big guns.

He summoned a pair of Inferno Ursanus and sent them down the dungeon hallway.

He giggled to himself.

“You’re capable…very capable, Miss Knight!  But even you can’t do anything about this!  A bunch of Ursanus down a narrow hallway with no room to maneuver…it’s simply your strength versus theirs!  No tricks or spells or strange weapons will save you now!  Muahahahahahaha!”

***

“Warning: Heavy mana signatures detected.  All friendly units please evacuate to the monster hangar.”

The monsters ran back and climbed inside.  A few moments later, a pair of Ursanus monsters rounded the corner…only these ones had red eyes and smoke leaking out from their shells.  The moment they saw NSLICE-00P, they let out a roar and charged down the hallway.

And NSLICE-00P was currently in a tight hallway and couldn’t take to the air.  She would have to take the Ursanus head on.

But that wasn’t a problem for her.

NSLICE-00P formed an Aurora Barrage magic circle behind her.  She couldn’t make it as big as normal, so she instead made three of them layered behind one another.  She Supercharged each one, and then activated the circle in the back.

The magic circle fired all of its beams straight forward, right into the corresponding Light Beam circles on the next circle.  That circle then fired the now fused beams into the final circle, which then fired the beams at an angle such that they all converged on a single point.

And then as per her current anti-Ursanus protocols, she fired the Equalizer at the head of one of the bears.

The triple-fused, Supercharged Aurora Barrage Light Beam opened fire, vaporizing the defenseless head of the Ursanus and piercing straight through its body.

[The skill Multicasting is now level 9!]

[The skill Supercharge is now level 8!]

[The strategic spell Aurora Barrage is now level 4!]

[The spell Fusion Light Beam is now level 14!]

[The skill Light Magic is now level 11!]

[Mana control is now 165!]

[You have slain Ursanus Inferno (Level 30)!]

[Gained 13 Personal XP and 3 Dungeon XP!]

She then repeated the process.

[You have slain Ursanus Inferno (Level 30)!]

[Gained 13 Personal XP and 3 Dungeon XP!]

***

Cassius just stared blankly.

By the Aesdes above and the Domides below, what was that?!

Ursanus Alphas are some of the toughest and most resilient creatures around.  The Ursanus Inferno monster type exists because an Ursanus managed to endure and adapt to the flames of Inferno itself.  The flames that represented the very concept of destruction by fire.

The strange knight…killed said type of Ursanus…in one hit…by multicasting several extremely complicated-looking magic circles and then fusing them together?

And then immediately repeated the feat, demonstrating that such a feat did NOT require all her available mana to pull off.  Or was NOT some sort of ultimate contingency weapon?

And then she did not stop to catch her breath.  She did not consume a mana potion to restore her reserves.  She did not recharge any artifacts with spare mana cores.

No, she just kept marching forward, displaying no sign of fatigue whatsoever.

And then Cassius froze.

He looked at where she was compared to the overall room.

Again, she was nearly at the exit.

Despite his best efforts to make as confusing a maze as possible, with no distinguishing features, a twisting, curving path that looped back several times, and any number of intersections leading to dead ends, she had managed to go straight along the shortest possible route.  Again.  Had not even hesitated at a single intersection, yet had not made a single wrong turn.

He felt a chill down his spine.

He hadn’t invested anything into traps but still had some basics available.  So he went and placed as many pit traps as he could along her path.  And then he went and purchased another room.  This time, just a huge open area, as large as he could make it.  And as his mana recovered, he summoned as many monsters as he could, of all possible types he could afford.

He would simply try to overwhelm her and run her down.  She couldn’t kill all of them at once…right?

The pit traps would buy some time so he could summon even a few more monsters…

He then turned to see her progress…

He froze again.

The strange knight was flying.

She was floating in the air, right above the pit traps.  They didn’t slow her down in the slightest.

Cassius grabbed his hair and screamed.

***

NSLICE-00P came to the end of the labyrinth and stepped through the door.

She was immediately greeted by a wall of incoming fire.

She immediately shot into the air as she fired the Equalizer and formed as many Mana Barriers as she could.  Much of the flame either vanished or hit her barriers, but some of it managed to get through, so she began casting Heal on herself as well.  As the fire exploded on the barriers and blocked her view of the room, her sensors determined the situation.

She was in a large, open room, filled to the brim with monsters.

“Activating mass termination protocols.”

NSLICE-00P went all out.  Her hands turned into assault rifles and opened fire along with the shoulder-mounted auto-pistols.  Panels opened on every inch of her body, launching of all sorts in every direction.  She even activated her stun ray and flamethrowers.  As predicted, the flamethrowers didn’t do much against these monsters, but they did offset some of the fire attacks coming her way.

And as she did this, she formed a massive Aurora Barrage magic circle in the sky above, stuffing as much mana as she could to activate both Supercharge and Spell Penetration.

Beams of light began to rain from the roof.  She wasn’t even sure what sort of monsters she was targeting, just aiming the beams and bullets at whichever mana-signature they could target.

[The skill Spell Penetration is now level 3!]

[The skill Geomancy is now level 2!]

And one by one, the mana-signatures began to disappear.  Since she didn’t know what she was targeting she didn’t fuse the beams, trying to avoid overkill.  As a result, multiple beams were striking the same targets repeatedly to take them down, triggering the Geomancy skill she had purchased.

And soon…it was done.

The smoke and the flames died down…revealing an empty room with a floor covered in loot and magic cores.

[The skill Continuous Casting has leveled up twice is now level 3!]

[The spell Mana Barrier (minor) is now level 10!  Upgrade available!]

[The skill Arcane Magic is now level 10! Upgrade available!]

[The spell Heal (minor) is now level 6!]

[The skill Recovery Magic is now level 4!]

[Gained 336 Personal XP and 324 Dungeon XP total!]

[You have leveled up three times!  Personal level is now 32 and Dungeon level is now 40!]

NSLICE-00P scanned the room but there were no further signatures.  She lowered herself to the floor and made her way to the door at the far side…

***

Once NSLICE-00P passed through the door, her sensors started blaring.

She was in a wide, circular room, with walls and floor made of stone brick with a pedestal at the center.  The standard layout for a dungeon core room, from her experience.

But this one was different in other ways.

The air was burning hot, and small flames broke out randomly across the floors and the walls.  The core itself was not steadily glowing, but was pulsing red with small cracks of light ripplying across it.  Above the core was some sort of circle of fire surrounding a vortex of red light.  Jets of flame shot from the portal randomly.

In front of the portal, Cassius cackled madly.

“What even are you, Miss Knight?!  I have no idea, but I know you’re too late!  Do you understand what you’re seeing?  I pulled as much mana into my core as possible, and now I’ve opened a direct portal to the Inferno Realm itself!  And now…now I can kill you!”

The core glowed and a bright light covered the floor in front of Cassius.  There was a flash of light and the temperature in the room grew even hotter.  NSLICE-00P logged a massive mana signature appear in the center of the room.

As the light faded, she caught side of a raging inferno in front of her, only in a vaguely humanoid form.

“An inferno elemental!  A being composed purely of the mana of the Inferno Realm!  And with an open portal, it can draw infinite power directly from its origin!  It will never die, and never stop growing as long as the portal is open!  Even you, with all your impossible tricks and abilities, cannot stop this!”

“Status Update: Hostile capabilities determined.  Engaging target.”

NSLICE-00P raised her palms.  A huge beam of rainbow light shot forward and into the Inferno Elemental.  The mana density was unlike anything NSLICE-00P had encountered…but she managed to open a small hole in the being.

The Inferno Elemental screeched at her…but the damage was purely cosmetic.  Flames shot from the portal into the elemental, causing it to grow in size with each passing moment.

But that was fine.

Because NSLICE-00P wasn’t aiming at the elemental.

She fired a Mana Beam from her other hand through the hole the Equalizer had made.

And straight at the dungeon core on the other side.

The core shattered.

Cassius’s eyes widened.

“No, you idiot!”

Contrary to other dungeons, the dungeon did not immediately fade away.  Instead, the dungeon walls began to shake and tremble.

And the portal in the air began to grow.

“That core was the only thing keeping the portal contained and stable!  Without a dungeon core, it will continue to grow!”

“Acknowledged.”

NSLICE-00P activated her repulsors and shot around the Inferno Elemental.  The creature had gone berserk, no longer bound by a dungeon.  But NSLICE-00P ignored it, wrapping herself in multi-layered, Supercharged Mana Barriers while using the Equalizer to ward off any attacks.

The Inferno Elemental backed away from her as she swept the Equalizer beam through the air once more.  There were few things that could cause an Elemental pain…which subsequently meant the being didn’t know how to deal with something that could.

So NSLICE-00P arrived in front of the portal, and opened up her armor chestpiece.

Exposing her shining core for the world to see.

Cassius’s eyes widened.

And the mana from the portal began to surge into NSLICE-00P.

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 41!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 42!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 43!]

All of NSLICE-00P’s circuits and capacitors started blaring critical warnings as she was filled to the brim with mana.  Likewise, jets of flame from the portal assault her barriers, burning straight through them.  But she couldn’t move anymore, her core now linked in place by the sheer amount of mana swirling into it.

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 44!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 45!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 46!]

She split her focus, her cybernetic side focusing on managing the flow of power through her implants and tasking her organic half with finding a solution to the situation.  She gasped as her organic half suddenly began feeling all the pain her Intelligence-Leashing controls had blocked.  Every inch of her body felt as if it was on fire, swelling up as if about to explode.  The very air burned her skin, which intensified as jets of flames licked about her.

But she grit her teeth and pushed through the menus, grunting and groaning all the while.  She immediately moved to expand her mana capacity.

[You have unlocked an additional Implant Slot!  Max HP and Mana increased!]

[You have unlocked an additional Implant Slot!  Max HP and Mana increased!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 47!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 48!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 49!]

She installed more Mana Capacitor implants into the new slots, but that wasn’t enough.  Her HP started to tick down as the mana surged out of control.  The mana quickly filled the expanded capacity.

[Mana Capacitor +1 is now available!]

[Mana Capacitor +2 is now available!]

[Energy Channels +1 is now available!]

[Energy Channels +2 is now available!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 50!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 51!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 52!]

She upgraded her capacitors, boosting all of their capacity all at once.  Then she upgraded her energy channels, allowing more power to flow through her body.  But that was not enough.  Her core could send the mana back into the Source but not at the rate she was absorbing it.  Simply boosting the amount of mana she could deal with wasn’t enough if it had nowhere to go.

She casted an Aurora Barrage spell, stuffing as much mana into it as her organic half could unassisted.  The spell misfired and shattered several times before she got it.  Her cybernetic half realized what she was doing and activated its energy channels, firing Mana Beams with as much power as it could.

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 53!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 54!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 55!]

[You have unlocked an additional Implant Slot!  Max HP and Mana increased!]

[You have unlocked an additional Implant Slot!  Max HP and Mana increased!]

She added another two implants and mana capacitors, and then both halves reintegrated.  She didn’t need to consider options any more, and needed the focus.  She blocked out the pain once again, and Supercharged the Aurora Barrage spell as much as she could, with a bit spared for Heal to repair the damage being dealt to her.

[The skill HP Regen is now level 6!]

[The spell Heal (minor) is now level 7!]

[The skill Supercharge is now level 9!]

[Mana Control is now 170!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 56!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 57!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 58!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 59!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 60!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 61!]

It seemed an eternity as NSLICE-00P ran her calculations, determining if she could continue to maintain her HP and drain the mana.  But after a while, the flows began to stabilize.

The portal was starting to shrink.  The amount of mana surging into her core was slowing down.

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 62!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 63!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 64!]

The flames started dying down.  The mana in her body wasn’t causing her damage any longer.

And then…

Finally…

The portal closed.

The flames died down.

The Inferno Elemental rushed back through the portal, to the source of its power.

NSLICE-00P took a deep breath.  Her entire body was glowing from the sheer amount of mana left inside it, her core slowly sending it back to the source.

[Level up!  Your Dungeon level is now 65!]

And then finally…her Dungeon XP stopped ticking up.

She turned to the side.  Cassius was staring with wide eyes and a dropped jaw.

“Just…what…”

A massive mana beam vaporized him entirely.

[You have slain Human (level 13!)]

[Gained 3 Personal XP and 3 Dungeon XP!]

NSLICE-00P lowered her smoking palm.  Her robotic eye shifted from red back to yellow.

“Status Update: Environmental hazards removed.  Target terminated.  Mission complete.”

And then…she received a stream of notifications from the foreign system.

[You have purified a corrupted core (Inferno!)]

[Gained 10 status perk points, 10 dungeon perk points]

[Whoa, you took out a corrupted core.  Nice, good job!  Now I don’t have to deal with it!  So they really don’t want me to let the Inferno Realm any closer, so I can’t let you have that affinity, but you can have this stuff instead.]

[You have accomplished the dungeon feat: Purifier Dungeon!]

[Gained Dungeon Affinity: Fire (Minor)!]

[...ugh.  Uuuuugggghhhhh.  I’m worried about this.  I’m SUPER worried about this.  This should NOT be in the hands of anyone dungeon-related, much less a walking dungeon core.  But…I guess I can’t NOT give it to you after this, huh?  I mean, you purified a corrupted dungeon and closed a Rift with just yourself and your contracted subordinates, so you definitely earned it.  And…I guess you haven’t done anything bad yet.  I’m…not comfortable with that whole wulver massacre incident but they did pick the fight with you first so…UGH.  Just…just please don’t do anything bad with this, ok?!  Promise me, ok?!]

[You have purified a corrupted dungeon and closed a rift!]

[You have accomplished the feat: Dungeon Purifier!]

[You have accomplished the feat: World Defender!]

[You have accomplished the feat: Hero!  Gained the unique hero skill: Hero Dungeon!]

[Gained Dungeon Affinity: Holy (Minor)!]

[...wait what?  You’re making a new dungeon affinity with this?  A brand new one with Holy mana of all things?  That’s…that’s like…so much work though for me though!  How would that even work?!  What are you doing?!  Heroes are supposed to be your job, not mine!]

[Shut up!  Do you think I’m happy about this?!  You know how it works, I don’t control the unique hero skills!  It just extrapolates what they already are and already achieved to make something that fits them best!  So WHY do you think the hero skill is looking at the FACT THAT SHE’S A LIVING DUNGEON in the first place?!  This is all your fault, you know!]

[Ugh, can you keep it down?  You don’t have to shout.]

[YOU!!!]

***

NSLICE-00P’S DUNGEON STATUS:

[Dungeon Management]

[Overview]

• [Name: The Human-Dungeon Hybrid]
• [Level: 65]
• [XP: 43/100]
• [Available Perk Points: 65]
• [Mana: 261/261 (290/290)]
• [Exterior: Human/Automata hybrid (LOCKED)]

[Affinities]

• [Cyborg: Primary]
• [Rodent: Minimum]
• [Earth: Minimum]
• [Arachnid: Minimum]
• [Slime: Minimum]
• [Light: Minimum]
• [Nature: Minimum]
• [Fire: Minor]
• [Holy: Minor]

[Implants]

• [Bionic Prosthetics +3: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Overwrites STR and SPD, Values: 130 STR, 65 SPD]
• [Armor Plating +2: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Overwrites DEF and RES, Values: 120 DEF, 60 RES]
• [Bonded AI: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Enables direct contact with the System.  Overwrites Dexterity stat, Value: 1000 DEX]
• [Techno-Organic Interface: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Enables conscious control over organic and emotional functions, resists mind-influencing effects.]
• [Advanced Sensors +2: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Vastly expands scope and effectiveness of senses.]
• [Internal Weapon Bays: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Enables use of dungeon traps as weapons]
• [Internal Capacitors: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Stores additional power to supercharge abilities and weapons]
• [Repulsors +1: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Enables flight and tactical boosts]
• [Energy Channels +2: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Enables user to channel internal energy into external attacks]
• [Dungeon Field Generator +1: (Mana Upkeep: 5) Surrounding area counts as dungeon territory.  Enables mana absorption within area of effect.]
• [Monster Hanger (small): (Mana Upkeep: 1) Provides living space for 5 small monsters.  Unlocks subordinate summoning.]
• [Item Foundry: Unlocks Item Creation]
• [Mana Capacitor +2 (x5): (Mana Upkeep: 0) Boosts maximum mana by 30 each.]

[Rooms (locked)]

[Inventory]

• [Total Items: 2/100]
• [Items]
  • [Worn Chest: A worn chest containing some looted Imperial gear.]
  • [Idrint: (Quantity: 2300) Basic solidified mana, now a standard medium of exchange.]

[Item Creation]

[Subordinates]

• [Total Subordinates: 12/12]
  • [Name: Rattingtale, Species: Monster Rat, Level: 10 *Evolution Available, Upkeep: 1, (Check Status)]
  • [Name: Lilussees, Species: Monster Spider, Level: 11 *Evolution Available, Upkeep: 1, (Check Status)]
  • [(TEMPORARY) Name: Ateia Niraemia, Species: Human, Level: 9, Upkeep: --, (Status locked)]
  • [(TEMPORARY) Name: Taog Sutharlan, Species: Human/Wulver, Level: 8, Upkeep: --, (Status locked)]
  • [Name: 01R, Species: Monster Rat, Level: 9, Upkeep: 1, (Check Status)]
  • [Name: 02R, Species: Monster Rat, Level: 5, Upkeep: 1, (Check Status)]
  • [Name: 03R, Species: Monster Rat, Level: 8, Upkeep: 1, (Check Status)]
  • [Name: 04R, Species: Monster Rat, Level: 7, Upkeep: 1, (Check Status)]
  • [Name: 05R, Species: Monster Rat, Level: 6, Upkeep: 1, (Check Status)]
  • [Name: 01S, Species: Monster Spider, Level: 7, Upkeep: 1, (Check Status)]
  • [Name: 02S, Species: Monster Spider, Level: 5, Upkeep: 1, (Check Status)]
  • [Name: 03S, Species: Monster Spider, Level: 6, Upkeep: 1, (Check Status)]
  • 
    

[Traps]

• [Assault Rifle +3 (Amount: 1/2): (Mana upkeep: 2) Rapid-fire projectile weapon with high penetration]
• [Autopistol (Amount: 2/2): (Mana upkeep: 2) Rapid-fire projectile weapon with medium penetration]
• [Anti-Armor Missile Launcher +2 (Amount: 1/2): (Mana upkeep: 2) Homing explosive designed to penetrate armor. Very high penetration.]
• [Anti-Personnel Missile Launcher +2 (Amount: 6/6): (Mana upkeep: 6) Homing explosive designed for area damage, medium penetration]
• [Stun Ray (Amount: 1/1): (Mana upkeep: 1) Rapid-fire projectile weapon with high penetration]
• [Wrist Blade +2 (Amount: 1/2): (Mana upkeep: 0) Wrist-mounted blades that can be deployed at high-speed]
• [Proximity Mine Layer (Amount 1/1): (Mana upkeep: 1) Distributes proximity mines]
• [Flamethrower (Amount: 1/2): (Mana upkeep: 2) Deals fire damage and applies burn status in a large cone]
• [The Equalizer +1 (Amount: 1/1): (Mana upkeep: 0) Huh?  What the heck is this?  Some kind of weird metal that doesn’t even exist here?  Um…well…best I can tell it’s some sort of anti-magic field generator?  Eh…well it’s yours, not mine, so you don’t need me to tell you right?  Like, you already upgraded this thing yourself, so you’re good, right?]

[Dungeon Skills]

• [Analyze: Check the status of a target. More detail for targets within the dungeon.]
• [Contract: Bind a consenting target to the dungeon, per terms agreed upon by both parties]
• [Transfer: Move yourself, a subordinate, or a consenting target within your dungeon]

[Perks]

• [Human-Dungeon Hybrid: Enables Implants Tab, Enables unique dungeon-combat skills. Enables direct manipulation of dungeon mana.  Grants +100 HP. Rooms tab locked. Exterior locked.]

[Feats]

• [Dungeon Victor: To the victor go the spoils.  Unlocked by destroying or subordinating another dungeon.  Unlocks Dungeon Warfare category perks, +1 perk point]
• [Dungeon Overlord: A master of masters.  Unlocked by subordinating another dungeon master.  Unlocks Subordinate Core category perks, +2 perk points]
• [Raid Boss: Fine, I’ll do it myself.  Unlocked by destroying or subordinating another dungeon with no assistance.  Unlocks Raid Boss category perks, grants +50 HP, grants +1 level in HP Regen skill, grants +1 level in MP Regen skill, +2 perk points]
• [System Upgrade: Unlocked by manually performing a system upgrade.  Which is not supposed to be possible.  Ugh, this is going to get complicated, isn’t it?  Um, I don’t know, just have +20 dungeon perk points or something?  Whatever, you’re figuring this out yourself anyways so close enough.]
• [Purifier Dungeon: Dungeons are supposed to protect the world, you took that duty more literally. Unlocks Purifier category perks, +20 perk points.]

[Dungeon Master Status (locked, use Personal Status instead)]

NSLICE-00P’S PERSONAL STATUS:

[Personal Status]

[General Information]

• [Name: NSLICE-00P]
• [Species: Human/Dungeon Core/Automata Hybrid]
• [Level: 32]
• [XP: 78/100]
• [Available Perk Points: 100]
• [HP: 225/225]
• [MP: 274/274]

[Physical Attributes]

• [STR: 130*]
• [DEX: 1000*]
• [SPD: 65*]
• [DEF: 120*]
• [RES: 60*]

* Overwritten by Implants

[Magical Attributes]

• [Mana Density: 102]
• [Mana Control: 170]

[Active Skills]

• [Infused Mana Beam (Level 15): Focus mana into a channeled energy attack. Infused: May infuse Mana Beam with attributed mana.]
• [Sneak (Level 1): Move quietly to avoid notice, makes it harder for others to notice the user.  Effectiveness highly dependent on environment.]
• [Multicasting (Level 9): Can cast several spells at once.  Number of simultaneous spells increases with level.]
• [Anti-Mana Beam (Level 3): My best guess is that this projects a kind of inverse-mana that reacts destructively with normal mana, including HP.  While it can fully deplete HP, it does not harm matter itself.  Requires The Equalizer.]
• [Claw Strike (Level 1): Infuse mana into a claw strike.  Power and range increase with level.]
• [Farcasting (Level 4): Allows the user to manipulate mana and create magic circles at far distances.]
• [Strategic Magic (Level 5): Governs the use of Strategic Magic spells]
• [Supercharge (Level 9): Fill a spell with additional mana to boost its effects. May cause the spell to misfire. Effect boost depends on the amount and density of mana added. Misfire chance depends on mana control and amount of mana added.]
• [Continuous Casting (Level 3): May use additional mana to retain a spell form, allowing the spell to be instantly recast.]
• [Spell Fusion (Level 5): Allows the user to combine compatible spells.]
• [Purifier Flame (Level 1): Imbue a weapon or flame-attribute attack with purifiying Holy-attribute fire, dealing extra damage to corruption, non-natural monsters, and beings from the Realms of Mana.]

[Passive Skills]

• [Dungeon Combat (Level 1): Dungeon traps and skills count as personal weapons and skills]
• [HP Regen (Level 6): Automatically recover HP pool, increased regeneration speed for damaged body parts.]
• [MP Regen (Level 6): Automatically recover MP pool]
• [Presence Detection (Level 5): Detect living entities around the user.  Range and scope of detection increases with level.]
• [Trap Detection (Level 5): Detect traps.  Range and scope of detection increases with level.]
• [Challenger: Damage dealt x1.5 against targets of higher level.  Damage received x0.75 against attacks from targets of higher level.]
• [Hero Dungeon: PLEASE don't do anything bad with this! Removes Dungeon vulnerability to Holy attribute. Grants Dungeon Affinity: Holy (Minor).]
• [Spell Penetration (Level 3): Enable spells to bypass a portion of RES. May spend more mana to boost the effect.]
• [Geomancy (Level 2): Elemental spells reduce the target's resistance to that particular element. May spend more mana to boost the effect.]
• [Enchanting (Level 1): The art of infusing objects and beings with mana.]
• [Poison Resistance (Level 2): Resist and recovery from poison status, resist poison-attributed damage]
• [Schools of Magic]
  • [Arcane Magic (Level 10) *Spell Choice Available: The school of magic governing the manipulation of unattributed mana.  A solid foundation for students of the mystic arts, though somewhat less mana-efficient than the more specialized schools.]
  • [Earth Magic (Level 7): The school of magic governing the manipulation of Earth-attribute mana.  One of the basic elemental magics, strong at defensive spells and spells that deal physical damage]
  • [Fire Magic (Level 8) *Spell Choice Available: The school of magic governing the manipulation of Fire-attribute mana.  One of the basic elemental magics, strong at offensive spells and spells that inflict the burn status]
  • [Light Magic (Level 11): The school of magic governing the manipulation of Light-attribute mana.  One of the basic elemental magics, quick and precise spells that are excellent against dark-aligned foes.]
  • [Nature Magic (Level 3): The school of magic governing Nature-attribute magic. Focuses on growth and plants.]
  • [Poison Magic (Level 4): The school of magic governing magical poisons.  Excels at spreading poison status and dealing damage over time.]
  • [Recovery Magic (Level 4): The school of magic governing healing through magic]
  • [Holy Magic (Level 1): The school of magic governing Holy mana, the attribute of the Aesdes that protect the world.]

[Spells]

• [Arcane Magic]
  • [Dense Magic Missile (Level 18): Form and launch mana into a small projectile. One of the most basic offensive applications of magic. Dense: Increased mana density, increased damage.]
  • [Mana Barrier (minor) (Level 10) *Upgrade Available: Form mana into a barrier to block attacks.  One of the most basic defensive applications of magic.]
  • [Mana Blast (minor) (Level 2): A cone shaped blast of mana.  Deals damage and knockback to the area.]
  • [Mana Infusion (minor) (Level 10): Infuse mana into a target.  The most basic enchantment.]
  • [Defensive Infusion (Level 5): Infuse mana into a target to increase its defense and durability. The most basic defensive enchantment.]
• [Earth Magic]
  • [Rock Throw (Level 6): Use mana to form and then launch a small rock.  Mana cost increases dramatically if cast without a nearby source of Earth.  Deals physical damage.  One of the most basic offensive applications of Earth magic.]
  • [Earth Wall (Level 4): Use mana to temporarily form a wall of Earth.  Mana cost increases dramatically if cast without a nearby source of Earth.  One of the most basic defensive applications of Earth magic.]
  • [Pitfall (Level 4): Dig a large hole in a target area, may be concealed. Mana cost may increase depending on suitability of terrain.]
• [Fire Magic]
  • [Fire Bolt (Level 1): Use mana to form and then launch a small bolt of fire.  Mana cost decreases dramatically if cast with a nearby source of Fire.  May inflict burn status.  One of the most basic offensive applications of Fire magic.]
  • [Fire Blast (Level 7): A cone shaped blast of fire mana.  Deals damage and inflicts burn to the area.  Mana cost decreases dramatically if cast with a nearby source of Fire.  May be continuously channeled.]
  • [Fireball (Level 5): A condensed ball of fire mana that explodes on impact, dealing damage and inflicting burn in an area around the point of impact. A favorite of fire mages. Mana cost decreases dramatically if cast with a nearby source of Fire.]
• [Light Magic]
  • [Light Bolt (Level 1): Use mana to form and then launch a small bolt of light.  Mana cost increases dramatically if cast without a nearby source of Light.  One of the most basic offensive applications of Light magic.]
  • [Fusion Light Beam (Level 14): Form mana into a beam of light to attack.  May pierce through its target.  May be continuously channeled.  Fusion: Light Beams may combine with themselves or other compatible attacks to boost power.]
  • [Invisibility (Level 2): Bend light to render target invisible. Certain actions may break the effect, being attacked may break the effect.]
• [Nature Magic]
  • [Vine Grasp (Level 4): Grows or manipulates a vine to wrap around a target. Mana cost may increase or decrease significantly depending on surrounding plant life or environmental suitability for plant growth. The most basic plant manipulation spell.]
  • [Barkskin (Level 1): Harden target's skin like bark, boosts DEF.]
• [Poison Magic]
  • [Poison Bolt (Level 6): Use mana to form and then launch a small bolt of poison.  Mana cost decreases dramatically if cast with a nearby source of Poison.  May inflict poison status.  One of the most basic offensive applications of Poison magic.]
  • [Poison Blast (Level 1): A cone shaped blast of poison mana.  Deals damage and inflicts poison to the area.  Mana cost decreases dramatically if cast with a nearby source of Poison.  May be continuously channeled.]
• [Recovery Magic]
  • [Heal (Level 7): Use mana to heal minor wounds and damage.  Effect increases with user’s knowledge of the body.]
  • [Cure (Level 2): Cures abnormal status conditions. Type and strength of conditions that can be cured increases with level.]
• [Holy Magic]
  • [Holy Bolt (Level 1): Use mana to form and then launch a small bolt of Holy mana. One of the most basic offensive applications of Holy magic. Extra damage to corrupted beings, non-natural monsters, and beings from the Realms of Mana.]
• [Strategic Spells]
  • [Aurora Barrage (Level 4, Light Magic): Continuously rains Light Beams on the target area. If Fusion Light Beam is available, beams may be combined at will.]
  • [Rain of Fire (Level 2, Fire Magic): Bombards an area with large Fireballs.]

[Feats]

• [Against the Odds: Unlocked by winning a fight when outnumbered by equal or higher levels opponents.  Grants +1 perk points]
• [Solo Conquest! Unlocked by conquering a dungeon alone.  Grants +1 level in HP Regen skill, grants +1 level in MP Regen skill, grants +1 level in Presence Detection skill, grants +1 level in Trap Detection skill]
• [Arcane Prodigy: Unlocked by learning a high-tier magic skill under level 20 without spending perk points.  Unlocks more advanced magic perks.  Grants +3 perk points.]
• [Enchanter: The first step on the path of the magic craftsman.  Unlocked by manually accomplishing a mana infusion.  Grants +1 level in the Enchanting Skill.]
• [Skill Creator: Unlocked by creating a brand new skill.  To be honest, this normally happens when you're a MUCH higher level so I’m a bit worried about passing you this much this early, but, um, ok, +20 personal perk points.]
• [Healer: Anyone can deal in death.  It takes an expert to deal in life.  Unlocked by using mana to heal a wound.  Grants grants +1 level in skill Recovery Magic.]
• [Challenger: Levels and odds are just numbers.  Unlocked by defeating an opponent over twice your level alone.  Grants +3 perk points, grants the skill Challenger.]
• [Strategic Mage: A strategic mage is king of the battlefield. Unlocked by affecting a hundred or more equal sized opponents (or equivalent) at the same time with magic.  Grants +1 level in the Strategic Magic skill. Unlocks Strategic Spells.]
• [World Defender: You have protected the world itself, at great risk to yourself. Grants +20 perk points, grants +1 Level in Holy Magic skill.]
• [Hero: You faced terrible odds for the sake of the world, and proved victorious. You are truly a champion of the world. Please, please, please keep it that way! Grants +20 perk points, grants Unique Hero Skill: The Hero Dungeon.]
• [Dungeon Conqueror]
  • [Dungeon Conqueror (Rat Cave): Unlocked by conquering the Rat Cave Dungeon.  Grants +1 perk point, grants +1 level in the Sneak skill]
  • [Dungeon Conqueror (Earth Tunnels): Unlocked by Conquering the Earth Tunnels Dungeon.  Grants +1 perk point, grants +1 level in the Earth Magic skill]
  • [Dungeon Conqueror (Spider Tree): Unlocked by conquering the Spider Tree Dungeon.  Grants +1 perk points, grants +1 level in the Poison Resistance skill]
  • [Dungeon Conqueror (Slimy Pit): Unlocked by conquering the Slimy Pit Dungeon.  Grants +1 perk point, grants +1 level in the  Poison Bolt spell]
  • [Dungeon Conqueror (Glimmering Grove): Unlocked by conquering the Glimmering Grove Dungeon.  Grants +1 perk point, grants +1 level in the  Light Magic skill]
  • [Dungeon Conqueror (Nature’s Wrath): Unlocked by conquering the Nature’s Wrath Dungeon.  Grants +1 perk point, grants +1 level in the  Nature Magic skill]
  • [Dungeon Conqueror (Beast Lair): Unlocked by conquering the Beast Lair Dungeon.  Grants +1 perk point, grants +1 level in the  Claw Strike skill]
• [Dungeon Purifier]
  • [Dungeon Purifier (Inferno): A dungeon is dangerous. A corrupted dungeon is beyond dangerous. And you conquered it all the same. Unlocked by purifiying the Corrupted Dungeon (Inferno Realm)! Grants +5 perk points, grants +1 level in the Purifier Flame skill.]

Author’s Note:

You want to know the funny thing about all this?  If Cassius just hadn’t acted hostile towards 00P, she probably wouldn’t have cared.  The fact that he’s an intelligent being and a citizen of the Empire would have made the whole building a dungeon thing Imperial business, which 00P would have considered herself a third party to and so avoided involvement in unless she was directly threatened.  He could have at least rampaged through Castra Turannia if he had just ignored her to start with.

So good job screwing it up, Cassius!

In other news, ugh, the status tables strike again!  Why did I give 00P two statuses again?  Oh right, that's, like, the premise, or something.

…

Any chance you could terminate the tables, 00P?  Well, let’s talk about that, ok?  Maybe I’ll work something out with the Dungeon Status manager…

Anyways!

What happens now that there’s a Hero Dungeon walking around?  Will 00P do anything bad with her new powers?  Tune in next time, to find out!