As the sun rose, its rays casting light on the world above, Lucas decided it was finally time to move.

  He summoned three automatons from the chamber to gather resources—two to collect sticks and fruits, and one to scout the area for both.

  At first, the automatons gathered small sticks, grass, and leaves. It quickly became clear that the orders were too vague, so Lucas refined them.

  “Gather sticks that are at least one meter long, with a diameter of two inches or more, but not exceeding five inches.” He paused, then added, “Forget the plants for now. Sticks and wood are biological materials, so that should be enough.”

  The process took several hours, but in the end, they managed to gather 737 kilograms of wood.

  “Let’s split the haul,” Lucas said. “Absorb half, and we’ll use the other half for crafting.”

  The automatons separated the pile into two parts. One side was absorbed by the dungeon core, converting the material into mana.

  [Absorbing Material.]

  [Converting material to mana.]

  [Conversion complete. Current mana: 184.]

  "Half the weight equals the mana gained, or is it dependent on the material?" Lucas mused. "I need to experiment more, but first—let’s see what we can make with what we’ve got."

  He summoned another automaton into the chamber, bringing the total back to full strength.

  "Now, let's figure out what to craft," he said, surveying the room. He stared at the pile of wood, frustration creeping in. "What the hell can I do with just sticks? Maybe sharpen them into spears by grinding them on the floor?"

  Lucas raked a hand through his hair, feeling the weight of the situation. “I don’t know what I’m doing... But I need to do something. If I don’t, my life’s at stake.”

  Before he could think further, the situation took a sudden turn.

  [One of your summons has been destroyed.]

  “What the hell?” Lucas gasped. "Someone attacked us! Get to work—grind out nine spears and arm everyone!"

  The automatons moved quickly, grinding the wood into crude spears. Within moments, they were armed, though Lucas wasn’t sure how much good those sharpened sticks would do against whatever was coming.

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  For a while, the chamber was eerily quiet. Then, faint noises began to drift through the air.

  “Gigigiigigiigi.”

  “What…?” Lucas’s brow furrowed as the sounds grew louder. The low, guttural voices stirred a cold knot in his stomach. Something was coming—and it wasn’t friendly.

  The metallic clash of weapons echoed in the distance, sending a chill down his spine. Lucas had never experienced real violence before, and the thought of it terrified him. But now, there was no choice. He had to face what was coming, or die trying.

  Moments later, a flicker of light appeared at the edge of the chamber. A figure emerged—orange light from a torch illuminated a silhouette of a creature.

  “Get ready!” Lucas ordered, his voice steady but taut. "Spears at the ready!"

  A goblin stepped into the room, holding a torch in one hand and a short sword in the other. At first, it wasn’t too frightening, but then another goblin appeared. Then another. And another.

  Before long, fifteen goblins had filled the chamber. All of them stared at the glowing stone—the dungeon core—eyes wide with hunger. Lucas felt his blood run cold. This was bad. They weren’t here for friendly reasons.

  Without hesitation, he shouted, “Charge!”

  The automatons moved, slamming into the goblins with a force that caught them off guard. Several goblins fell, their crude weapons barely able to defend against the automatons’ onslaught. The remaining goblins retreated toward the doorway, but only a few could escape at a time.

  Lucas, seeing an opportunity, ordered some of his automatons to collect weapons from the fallen goblins. Four of them were quickly equipped with swords and shields.

  Notifications of experience gained flashed across Lucas’s HUD, but he ignored them, his mind too focused on survival. Panic had taken over.

  "Kill them all!" Lucas yelled. "Don’t let anyone escape!"

  Morality was a distant thought now. The goblins had dared to invade his home, and that alone justified his rage. He wanted them all dead.

  The automatons chased the retreating goblins, but it was a trap. The goblins had anticipated this. They knew that when a dungeon core was newly born, it would be vulnerable—its creator still adjusting to the system. And so, the goblins waited.

  The moment the automatons exited the chamber, dozens of goblins lined the passageway. The first two automatons were struck by arrows to the chest, their cores shattered, rendering them useless.

  "Fall back!" Lucas barked, his heart pounding. "Get inside, now!"

  It was too late for the two automatons who had fallen, but the rest of the group retreated quickly, holding the doorway. Out of the ten automatons Lucas had at the start of the day, only seven remained.

  He ordered them to stand their ground. “If anyone tries to enter, kill them.”

  The goblins outside weren’t leaving anytime soon. Lucas tried to calm himself, taking deep breaths.

  After a few minutes, he began to assess the situation. The goblins weren’t going anywhere. There were about thirty-four of them, including the ones who had managed to escape, with only three dead so far. They had no immediate need to rush. The food outside would keep them occupied for a while.

  His thoughts were interrupted by a notification.

  [Experience gained: 700]

  [Leveled up to 4.]

  [You can now summon up to 18 automatons.]

  “Nice…” Lucas mumbled, though he had little time to celebrate. His mana was low, only 84 remaining after the summoning earlier.

  "Absorb the goblins," Lucas commanded.

  [Absorbing Biomatter.]

  [Gained 1,400 mana.]

  “That’s a lot,” he whispered, eyes wide. “I can max out my summons now.”

  He took a deep breath and said, “Summon eleven automatons.”

  [Summoning 11 Automatons.]

  ...