Chapter 10: Opening Preparations

  As the dungeon’s opening day drew closer, Brent, Emil, and Ferron worked tirelessly to ensure everything was in perfect condition for their debut. Every room in the dungeon was fitted with carefully placed traps designed to challenge and delay adventurers, preventing them from simply sprinting through unchecked. Ferron, in particular, seemed to take great pride in the process, meticulously testing each trap to ensure it functioned exactly as intended. The sound of grinding gears, hissing steam, and clanking metal filled the dungeon as the final preparations came together.

  With a satisfied nod, Emil inspected the last trap. “Looks like we’ve got all the traps in place. Now, it’s time to turn our attention to the bosses and minions for the dungeon.”

  Brent swallowed, feeling the growing weight of responsibility. "Right," he said, his voice betraying a hint of nervousness. The prospect of adventurers flooding into the dungeon soon was beginning to feel very real, and the pressure was mounting. “Let’s see what we have available.”

  Emil, ever the patient guide, resumed his usual instructional tone. “Here’s how it works, Brent. Mini-bosses are similar to regular minions—you’ll be given a list to choose from, and we’ll go through that first. Bosses, however, operate differently. You’ll need to spend points to acquire one, and the System will randomly select a boss that fits the style of your dungeon. It’s kind of like drawing a card from a deck, but the result will always be tailored to what you’ve built.”

  Brent nodded slowly, digesting the information. “So, mini-boss first, then the regular minions, and we finish with the boss. Got it.”

  He opened the interface and navigated to the Mini-Boss page. As the menu loaded, a smaller list of available creatures appeared before him, far shorter than the sprawling minion list he had looked through earlier. Each entry was accompanied by a detailed description, far more intricate than what he had seen for the regular minions.

  Brent took a deep breath, scrolling through the choices, his mind racing with possibilities. “Okay, let’s take a closer look at these mini-bosses. This is important—one wrong decision and we could be in trouble.”

  “Don’t worry too much,” Emil reassured him, his small mechanical form standing beside Brent’s glowing core. “Each option is designed to be effective, so it’s less about choosing the ‘best’ and more about finding the right fit for the challenges you want to present.”

  Ferron, ever diligent, stood by silently, his arms crossed in front of his broad iron chest. “We’ll ensure whichever mini-boss you choose is prepared for battle, Brent. Leave nothing to chance, and we’ll be ready when the adventurers arrive.”

  Brent’s eyes flickered as he scrolled through the descriptions. He had a lot of decisions to make, but with Ferron and Emil by his side, he knew he wasn’t facing them alone.

  “These all look like awesome options. I wish I could use all of them,” Brent said, excitement evident in his voice as he read through the information on each mini-boss.

  “Only one for now,” Emil reminded him. “But yes, mini-bosses are more powerful than your standard minions, so they can seem like the perfect solution. I’d advise going with something that adds more speed this time. Some of your other minions lean toward the slower side.”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Brent nodded thoughtfully, eyes lingering on the Razorclaw Sentinel’s profile. “Hmm. I was leaning toward the Razorclaw Sentinel anyway, so let’s go with that.”

  With a flicker of nervous excitement, Brent selected the Razorclaw Sentinel and confirmed his choice. He waited, half-expecting the familiar swirling lights that had accompanied Ferron’s appearance, but the room remained still.

  “Uh... did it not work?” Brent asked, glancing toward Emil.

  “What do you mean?” Emil replied, arching a metallic brow.

  “I was expecting the whole light show, like before. You know, the swirling lights?”

  “Did you use your Dungeon Aura to sense for new creatures?” Emil asked, his tone gentle but slightly amused.

  Brent blinked. “Oh... no. Hang on.”

  Closing his core's metaphorical eyes, Brent sent out a pulse through the dungeon. He felt nothing at first, but then a spark of life registered in the mini-boss room.

  “Aha!” he shouted triumphantly.

  Switching to Dungeon Vision, Brent raced through the corridors, navigating his way toward the mini-boss room. As he arrived, he saw it—his newest creation, standing motionless as if waiting for further instructions. The Razorclaw Sentinel was a sleek figure, its body encased in blackened metal plating. It looked like a mechanical ninja, with a steampunk twist—gears and pistons subtly whirred as it moved. Twin, double-edged blades extended from its forearms, gleaming wickedly in the dim light.

  “Cooooool!” Brent drew out the word, thoroughly impressed. His eyes locked onto the Sentinel’s face, where bright, glowing eyes peered out from beneath a piece of metal covering where its mouth should be.

  Sensing Brent’s presence, the Razorclaw Sentinel immediately knelt. “My master. I am at your command,” it said in a raspy, robotic tone that hissed slightly, like the voice of someone who had been a smoker for years.

  “Uh-uh, none of that ‘master’ stuff,” Brent said quickly, feeling awkward at the formal greeting. “Just call me Brent.”

  The Razorclaw Sentinel remained still, awaiting further instructions, and Brent smiled, an idea forming. “We gave Ferron a name,” he mused aloud. “You need one too.”

  He thought back to his knowledge of ninjas, a grin spreading across his core. “I’ve got it! How about Kagejin? I remember from my Japanese class in high school—‘Kage’ means shadow, and ‘Jin’ can mean person. It’s perfect for you! I don’t want you to just be some mindless automaton.”

  With Brent's confirmation of the name, just like with Ferron, a transformation began. The Sentinel’s body lifted into the air, surrounded by a swirling aura of darkness. Unlike Ferron’s glowing light, Kagejin radiated a deep, inky blackness, pulsing with energy. The dark aura expanded, filling the room before condensing into a blinding flash. With a soft tink, Kagejin dropped back onto the floor, his feet barely making a sound as they touched down.

  Brent marveled at the changes. Kagejin’s eyes now glowed a brilliant orange, and the runes that adorned his body had shifted into intricate, almost arcane patterns. Brent felt a slight drain of energy, as if the act of naming Kagejin had taken something out of him, but his excitement far outweighed any exhaustion.

  "So... how do you feel?" Brent asked, his voice curious as he studied Kagejin.

  "I... I don't know," Kagejin replied, flexing his limbs as though feeling them for the first time. "This is... an odd sensation. I’m having thoughts, not just awaiting input to respond."

  "That’s pretty cool," Brent said, his excitement bubbling over. "Hopefully, that means you can think for yourself. I’d hate to have to give you constant orders just to get anything done. That would be... pretty lame."

  "Lame?" Kagejin asked, tilting his head slightly, testing the unfamiliar word.

  "Oh, yeah," Brent laughed, realizing how odd slang might sound to someone like Kagejin. "It means it would be a bummer. A bad thing."

  Kagejin repeated the word slowly, as if rolling it around in his mind. "Lame... yes, it would appear that having to await every command would indeed be... lame."

  "Exactly!" Brent grinned. "Alright, I need to get back to the Core Room and make more minions. You gonna be okay here?"

  Kagejin straightened, the orange glow of his eyes pulsing slightly. "Yes, mas... I mean, Brent. I will guard this area with my very life."

  "Excellent! I’ll check in with you later. Welcome to the family, Kagejin." Brent’s core glowed brighter for a moment before he withdrew, heading back to the Core Room to speak with Emil.

  As Kagejin stood alone, watching Brent leave, a single thought passed through his mind. "Family?" He pondered the word deeply, unsure of how to process this unfamiliar concept.

  Back in the Core Room, Brent’s energy was palpable. "Kagejin seems to be doing great. I think he’s the perfect fit for the dungeon," Brent said excitedly. "Now, let’s talk about the other minions."

  "Wait... you named him?" Emil asked, his tone incredulous.

  "Yeah, of course," Brent said with a casual shrug. "He’s part of the family too. Why wouldn’t I name him?"

  Emil shook his head, still adjusting to Brent’s unusual approach. "It’s just... odd. Dungeon Cores don’t usually name their minions. It’s not exactly... necessary."

  "Well, I guess you’ll have to get used to it," Brent replied with a grin. "Now, about the minions."

  Brent pulled up the minion window and began scrolling through the available options. "It says at level nine, I can have..." he began, before Emil interrupted.

  "One boss, one mini-boss, and thirteen standard minions, not counting Ferron," Emil said matter-of-factly.

  "Right. So let’s see who we’re working with."

  Brent spent a few moments thoughtfully reviewing the options. "You know," Emil said, watching Brent carefully, "you treat these minions as if they’re people. You really are an odd one."

  Brent smiled, but didn’t respond, instead focusing on his selections. After some deliberation, he chose to create a single Ironclad Beetle, one Arcane Spark, two Trapvine Creepers, one Mechanical Mimic, two Rustwing Gargoyles, two Clockwork Sentinels, two Chain Golems, one Iron Golem, and one Magma Elemental. It was a diverse mix of minions, each suited for different tasks and traps within the dungeon.

  Brent, Ferron, and Emil worked together to place the minions throughout the dungeon, positioning them to interact with the traps and challenge any adventurers who dared enter. As they finished, Brent let out a tired sigh. "I’ll name them later," he muttered to himself. "I don’t know why, but naming them seems to drain me. I’ve still got the boss to worry about."

  Once the minions were settled into their designated spots, the trio gathered around to initiate the boss selection.

  "Alright, this is it," Brent said, his excitement evident.

  "Just don’t get your hopes too high," Emil warned gently. "The boss selection is random, so it might not turn out exactly how you envision it. I just don’t want you to be disappointed."

  Brent frowned slightly. "Why? Is it going to be bad?"

  "Not necessarily," Emil explained. "But it’s important to remember that you don’t have control over this one. The System selects the boss based on the dungeon’s current state. I’m just trying to temper your expectations."

  Brent grinned mischievously, undeterred. "Nah, we’ll be fine. Come on, baby, give me something good! Papa needs a new pair of sneakers!" He paused, realizing his mistake. "Well... sneakers might not be a good fit anymore, given the whole no-feet thing."

  Navigating to the Boss tab, Brent spotted the single button in the middle of the screen labeled "Generate Boss Minion." With a deep breath, he clicked it. The moment he did, a surge of power rippled through the dungeon, coalescing in the Boss Room.

  Using his Dungeon Vision, Brent sped toward the room. As he arrived, he saw a swirling red mist billowing out from a large, glowing magic circle on the floor. The room crackled with energy as something massive began to rise from the depths, its presence making the very ground tremble.

  Cracks formed around the magic circle as a hulking figure began to take shape. Brent watched in awe as a behemoth of metal, gears, and molten magma emerged from the portal. The creature had massive fists attached to powerful, mechanical arms, with fiery runes etched across its joints and torso. Its head was a large, blocky structure, with blazing yellow eyes that illuminated the room. Though its legs were short, they radiated power, easily keeping the colossal creature upright.

  As the mist and magic circle faded away, Brent could only stare, speechless, at the awe-inspiring creation before him. A prompt appeared in his vision, informing him that the boss minion had been successfully generated.

  "Whoa..." Brent whispered, still processing the magnitude of what had just transpired.