Chapter 4

  Ethan watched as the small golem trudged through the tunnels, its stiff movements slightly less awkward than before. It was functional, but barely. There was still too much wasted motion, too much unnecessary energy spent just keeping it moving. He needed to refine it.

  His gaze shifted to the scanner embedded in its chest. It was a small, boxy device, something Chip had mysteriously acquired on a "trip" earlier. The floating guide had disappeared for hours without a word, only to return with the scanner like it was no big deal. Ethan hadn’t questioned it too much at the time—he’d been more focused on whether he could replicate it.

  To his surprise, he —almost effortlessly. The ability to copy and integrate things had been part of the system’s compensation package, but until now, he hadn’t fully tested its limits.

  A notification popped up as he observed the golem at work.

  [New Blueprint Created: Basic Scavenger Golem]

  Ethan blinked. So, the system had acknowledged his design again. His first blueprint, the Basic Miniature Golem, had been more of a proof of concept. This one was a refinement—specialized for collecting and identifying valuable materials.

  It made sense. The scavenger golem was leagues ahead of his first attempt, even if it was still rough. Its movements were a little smoother, its form slightly more balanced, and with the scanner installed, it could actually useful resources rather than just picking up random debris.

  Still, there was room for improvement.

  While the golem scouted the tunnels, Ethan turned his focus back to his dungeon itself. Right now, it was nothing more than a crude cavern with a few tunnels branching off—barely a step above a natural cave. That needed to change.

  The most glaring issue was his core’s vulnerability. Right now, he was exposed, sitting out in the open like an idiot waiting to be shattered. If anything remotely hostile wandered in, he’d be done for. That was unacceptable.

  He needed a proper core chamber, something reinforced and harder to reach. Ideally, it would be deep inside the dungeon, surrounded by solid rock and designed in a way that would force intruders into a disadvantage. Maybe a winding path, something that slowed them down while giving him time to respond. Dead ends, misleading tunnels—things that made navigation a nightmare for anything that didn’t belong.

  Then there was the matter of monsters. Chip had been nagging him nonstop about combat units, and he knew he couldn’t put it off forever. But if he was going to make something, it needed to be efficient. Dumping mana into unstable, weak creatures would just drain him in the long run.

  Most dungeons spawned things instinctively, shaping beasts from their affinity. But Ethan wasn’t most dungeons. He wasn’t going to rely on instinct—he was going to engineer his creatures properly. Golems could be a good starting point, but the current model wasn’t anywhere near combat-ready. If he wanted something to defend him, it needed to be built with purpose. Reinforced limbs, actual attack functions—maybe even interchangeable parts if he could figure that out.

  And finally, the dungeon layout itself. If he was going to expand, it couldn’t be random. He needed a structured approach. Instead of just carving more tunnels blindly, he’d plan ahead—designing sections with specific purposes in mind. A core chamber, a production area for his constructs, and eventually, defensive layers.

  It wouldn’t happen all at once, but if he did this right, he wouldn’t just be another dungeon waiting to be raided. He’d be something more.

  Ethan’s core pulsed with determination.

  First, secure the core. Then, start refining his creations. And after that? Build a dungeon that didn’t just survive—but thrived.

  And with that, he got to work.

  ___________________________________________________________________

  Ethan began by shaping his new core chamber. He pushed his mana into the surrounding rock, guiding it with intent rather than blind instinct. The process was slow, painfully so—his mana reserves weren’t deep enough to carve out massive sections all at once—but he was patient.

  Rather than simply hollowing out a deeper room, he crafted the chamber with a layered defense in mind. The entrance led into a twisting passage rather than a direct path, forcing anything trying to reach his core to navigate a tight, winding route. He made sure to include false tunnels and dead ends, places that could be later turned into ambush spots or hidden compartments.

  Once the basic layout was in place, he focused on reinforcement. Rather than leaving the walls as raw stone, he experimented with mana compression, pouring energy into the surfaces to harden them beyond their natural state. It worked—somewhat. The stone became tougher, more resistant to casual strikes, but the mana drain was brutal.

  Too inefficient for now. He’d have to come back to that later.

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  With the core secured, he turned his attention to the next priority—refining his golems.

  The scavenger golem had done its job well enough, but its design still had flaws. The clunky legs wasted too much movement, the frame was too fragile, and the scanner, while useful, needed better integration. He spent time tweaking the design, making small but meaningful improvements—streamlining its limbs, reinforcing its joints, and adjusting its balance for smoother movement.

  The biggest change, however, came in the form of modularity. He designed a detachable compartment for collected materials, allowing the golem to swap out its storage mid-run rather than returning to the core chamber every time it filled up. It wasn’t a massive improvement, but efficiency mattered.

  As he finalized the adjustments, a familiar system notification flickered.

  [Blueprint Updated: Basic Scavenger Golem → Improved Scavenger Golem]

  Ethan focused on the newly updated design, eager to see what had changed. As he poured mana into the blueprint, the golem’s physical form shifted subtly, refining itself in ways he hadn’t even considered.

  The most obvious improvement was efficiency—where the previous model had lumbered forward in stiff, jerky movements, this one moved with a surprising smoothness. The legs had been adjusted, no longer wasting motion on unnecessary corrections. The frame was still small and utilitarian, but now reinforced with a denser metal weave, increasing durability without adding much weight.

  The scanner—previously just strapped awkwardly onto the first model—was now fully integrated, positioned in a recessed slot within the golem’s head. A small, protective plate slid over it when inactive, preventing unnecessary wear.

  Another change was in the storage compartment. Rather than a simple container, the updated golem had a more refined collection system, allowing it to sort materials on the fly. Not complex sorting, but at least separating raw ore from basic stone.

  Ethan’s core pulsed in satisfaction. This was a real improvement.

  He crafted a single Improved Scavenger Golem and watched as it activated, its new systems kicking into gear. The little machine’s optics flickered to life, and it performed a quick self-diagnostic scan before trundling off into the tunnels.

  He observed it closely, analyzing every movement, every process. It was faster. More efficient. More stable.

  This was what progress felt like.

  Then, without warning, his senses flared with an alert—an external presence had entered the dungeon.

  Something alive.

  Something hungry.

  Ethan’s awareness snapped to the disturbance. The intruder had entered from one of the outer tunnels, moving with cautious but deliberate steps. It wasn’t just wandering in by accident—it was searching for something.

  The scavenger golem, still running its collection routine, hesitated. It lacked combat capabilities, but its scanner had picked up the movement as well. Ethan watched through its vision as the creature stepped into view.

  It was a wolf. Low to the ground, with a sleek but muscular frame. Its fur was a mottled gray, blending well with the rocky terrain, and its eyes gleamed with an eerie yellow glow. A predator.

  Chip flickered beside him. "Okay, so good news—it’s not a human."

  "And the bad news?" Ethan asked.

  "It’s probably going to eat your golem."

  The scavenger, as if realizing the same thing, emitted a warning beep and began backing away, its small metal feet clicking against the stone. The wolf’s ears flicked toward the sound, and in an instant, it lunged.

  Ethan reacted instinctively. "Retreat!"

  The golem pivoted, wheels spinning up as it tried to accelerate backward—but it was too slow. The wolf pounced, claws scraping against the golem’s reinforced plating. Sparks flew as metal screeched against hardened bone, but the impact sent the machine skidding across the cavern floor.

  System Notification:

  [Alert: Hostile entity detected. Defensive measures required.]

  Chip flickered rapidly. "You might want to make a combat unit. Like, now."

  Ethan gritted his teeth—or whatever the core equivalent was. He knew this was coming eventually. He just hadn’t expected it so soon.

  The scavenger golem tried to right itself, its servos whining under the strain. The wolf, sensing weakness, circled it with slow, predatory movements, tail flicking side to side.

  Ethan had seconds to decide.

  Run? No—the wolf would just chase it down.

  Fight? With what? He had no combat models yet.

  His dungeon was still in the early stages, barely anything more than tunnels and plans. But if he didn’t act now, his first real creation would be destroyed before it even had the chance to prove itself.

  His core pulsed with energy. He couldn’t afford to hesitate.

  It was time to build a defender.

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  He pulled up his status, mana reserves still hovering near half-full after his last project. Not great, but enough to work with. He needed something fast—something that could fight. He had no pre-made blueprints for a combat unit, but that didn’t matter. He’d make one.

  Frantically, he began shaping the metal in his dungeon, drawing from the scattered veins of ore his scavengers had exposed. The process was rough, inefficient, but he didn't have time for perfection. A frame took shape—four legs for stability, a central core of reinforced metal plating, and a rudimentary jaw lined with jagged edges. It wasn’t pretty, but it was solid. He forced the mana threads through it, binding the pieces together, and with a final push of effort—

  The golem lurched to life.

  It wasn’t large, maybe the size of the wolf itself, but it was heavy, dense, and designed for one thing: stopping an attack. Ethan barely had time to register its activation before the wolf struck.

  With a snarl, the beast lunged at the scavenger golem. Metal scraped as fangs met reinforced plating, the scavenger twisting awkwardly to escape. The combat golem reacted immediately, slamming its weight into the wolf’s side with the force of solid metal.

  The impact sent the animal sprawling, but it recovered fast. Snarling, it turned its attention to the new threat, pacing in a slow circle. Blood dripped from its muzzle, but its eyes burned with desperate hunger.

  Ethan fed more mana into the combat golem, urging it forward. The wolf feinted left, then darted right, aiming for a weak spot—

  A mistake.

  The golem intercepted the movement, pivoting sharply as its jaws clamped down on the wolf’s exposed flank. There was a sickening crunch of bone and a strangled yelp as the weight of the construct bore the wolf to the ground. It thrashed, kicking wildly, but the metal jaws held firm.

  The struggle lasted seconds. Then, with one final shudder, the wolf went still.

  Ethan let out a slow, relieved pulse. His first battle. Messy, inefficient, but a success. He’d won. But as the golem released its grip, the realization settled in—this wouldn’t be the last.

  If wolves could find him, so could other things.

  And some of them would be much, much worse.