Ethan pulsed with anticipation as he watched the Omni Strider Mark I take its first steps. The newly completed golem moved with a grace his earlier constructs had sorely lacked—each motion fluid, efficient, and precise. No clunky weight shifts, no awkward stumbles, just smooth, calculated movement.

  The scanner flickered to life, casting an invisible net of awareness around it. Almost immediately, the Omni Strider’s head turned slightly, orienting itself toward a collection of loose ore embedded in the cavern wall. Without waiting for a command, it moved forward, extending its reinforced claws. Sparks flew as it started extracting the material, carving into the stone with practiced ease.

  Chip pulsed approvingly. “Not bad. Looks like it actually knows what it’s doing.”

  Ethan hummed in agreement. Unlike the standard scavenger golems, the Omni Strider didn’t just blindly follow set routes—it actively assessed its surroundings, choosing the most efficient path to resources while staying alert for potential threats. And if something attacked? It wouldn’t just flee like a scavenger.

  He turned his attention to the rest of his team. Alongside the Omni Strider, an Improved Scavenger Golem stood ready, its larger storage compartment making it better suited for bulk collection. Beside them, the Combat Strider Golem prowled, its sharpened claws gleaming under the faint dungeon light.

  It was time for their first real test.

  “Alright,” Ethan pulsed, sending out a command. “First scavenging run. The Omni Strider and Scavenger will focus on gathering materials. Combat Strider, you’re on defense. Keep them safe.”

  The trio moved as one, heading deeper into the tunnels. The Omni Strider led the way, scanning ahead for resources and potential dangers. The Scavenger followed close behind, ready to haul whatever they collected. The Combat Strider took up the rear, its movements sharp and predatory, ready to intervene at the first sign of trouble.

  Ethan watched them disappear into the tunnels before turning his attention back to his core chamber.

  He had golems, a working scavenging system, and a solid foundation. But his dungeon? That was still little more than a glorified cave.

  That was about to change.

  With his constructs handling resource gathering, he could finally focus on doing what a dungeon was meant to do—building.

  _____

  Ethan turned his attention inward, focusing on the crude, winding tunnels that made up his so-called dungeon. It had worked for survival so far, but it lacked any real structure. No defined entrance, no proper rooms, and most importantly—no defenses beyond his golems. If he wanted this place to function as a real dungeon, he needed to fix that.

  His core pulsed as he studied the layout. His original tunnels had been dug in a panic, creating a mess of twisting pathways without any real thought to structure. But now, with his golems gathering resources, he could afford to be deliberate.

  Step one: A proper entrance.

  Right now, his dungeon entrance was just a rough hole in the cave wall, a gaping maw leading into the darkness. Any random creature could just wander in, which was exactly what had happened with the wolf. That was unacceptable.

  Ethan reshaped the entrance, smoothing the walls into something more structured. He narrowed it, ensuring that anything passing through would have to funnel into a specific chokepoint. Then, he reinforced the walls with a layer of compacted stone and metal, making them sturdier. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a vast improvement over ‘random hole in a wall.’

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  Chip flickered in approval. “Finally, you’re starting to act like a dungeon. I was starting to think you were just a glorified underground mechanic.”

  Ethan ignored him, already moving to the next step.

  Step two: The main chamber.

  Currently, his core chamber was the only real room in the dungeon, and that was a problem. If something managed to get inside, it would have a straight path to his core with almost no resistance. That needed to change.

  He expanded the area near the entrance, hollowing out a new chamber. This would act as a buffer—a space where intruders would have to pass through before reaching anything important. For now, it was just an empty room, but eventually, he could add more defenses or even set up false paths to mislead attackers.

  Step three: Basic traps.

  Ethan wasn’t delusional enough to think he could stop every threat with just golems, so traps were his next line of defense. Nothing too elaborate yet—just a few pitfalls covered with thin layers of stone, designed to collapse under weight. He also added a simple mechanism to the walls that would let him collapse portions of the tunnels if he needed an emergency escape. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

  Step four: Defensive units.

  Now came the part that actually made Ethan feel like a dungeon core. His mob limit was six, and three of his golems were currently out scavenging. That left him with three slots to fill.

  He immediately created two Combat Striders and placed them near the entrance, stationing them in the newly-formed buffer chamber. These weren’t just static guards; he designed them to patrol the entrance periodically, ensuring nothing got too close without a fight.

  For his final slot, he created another Omni Strider Mark I—not just for scouting, but because its scanner would allow it to detect intruders before they even reached his defenses. With it stationed near the entrance, he would get an early warning if anything approached.

  With that, his dungeon finally had structure. A reinforced entrance, a proper buffer chamber, basic traps, and a dedicated defense force. It wasn’t perfect, and it was far from being a true fortress, but for the first time since awakening, Ethan felt like he was actually building something lasting.

  Chip pulsed approvingly. “You know, I almost believe you know what you’re doing.”

  Ethan hummed, watching his golems settle into their new roles. “Almost?”

  “Well, you did almost blow yourself up with a mana battery.”

  Ethan sighed. “We don’t talk about that.”

  Chip flickered with amusement, but Ethan ignored him. He wasn’t done yet. Now that his dungeon was properly structured, there was one more thing to do—wait and see what the world threw at him next.

  ____________________________________________________________

  Ryn wiped the sweat from his brow, steadying his bow as he stalked through the dense undergrowth. The hunt had been a failure so far—not a single deer, boar, or even a hare in sight. At this rate, he’d have to return to town empty-handed, and he could already hear Old Man Varik’s grumbling about ‘young hunters these days’ in his head.

  With a frustrated sigh, he pressed on, deeper into the woods than he usually dared to go. It wasn’t that these parts were dangerous—at least, not compared to the deeper wilderness—but they were… odd. The air was heavier, the trees more gnarled, and the silence stretched just a little too long between the chirps of birds.

  He was about to turn back when he noticed something strange.

  At the base of a rocky outcrop, partially hidden by the undergrowth, was a hole. Not just some animal burrow, but a gaping, man-made opening in the earth. The stone around it was smooth, as if shaped rather than eroded, and the entrance was unnaturally even. It was no mere cave.

  Ryn’s grip on his bow tightened. This wasn’t here before. He had hunted in these woods for years, and he would’ve noticed something like this.

  A dungeon?

  His pulse quickened at the thought. Dungeons were dangerous but also valuable. Even a minor dungeon could mean magic-infused materials, lost relics, or at the very least, bounties for clearing it out. If he was the first to find it…

  Cautiously, he stepped closer, peering into the gloom. The air that wafted out was stale but carried no immediate signs of monsters. The entrance sloped downward into the earth, vanishing into the shadows.

  Ryn licked his lips, torn between curiosity and common sense. Alone, he’d be a fool to go in. But if he ran back to town, gathered some of the other hunters—maybe even a real adventurer or two—then this discovery could change everything.

  With one last glance into the unknown depths, he turned on his heel and sprinted back toward town.

  This was big.