Chereads / The MetaCraft Dungeon System / Chapter 3 - Dungeon Nexus

Chapter 3 - Dungeon Nexus

The Nexus. The center of every dungeon has one. It allows the user to capture, claim and command a dungeon! Near impossible for a human alone to tame, Kingdoms alone have depended on the circulation of wealth spread by Adventurers and their Noble minions who enter them for sport!

Our favorite Villainess charged with taking the lives of daring adventurers however, already controls one... the Forest Ravine Dungeon. As it is known, She is no longer human after her rebirth, but a Moe Dragon!

What is a Moe Dragon you ask!? It's an adorable Monster Girl that continuously evolves by leveling up and gaining new skills and abilities!

Munching mindlessly on a salmon steak, after stuffing her first horde of 'treasures' from the recently fallen Adventurers, drool was running down the side of her chin. "Mmm..."

Resting her head backward as she walked, she pushed the rest of the stake into her mouth, with two fingers whilst flexing her jaw. After a few good chews, she swallowed the thing whole.

A satisfying plop sound emitted from her throat.

"Ah... Hahaha..." She gave a halved laugh, watching as the copy and paste walls continued to scroll alongside her person. "This place is huge..."

[ PING! Be careful! You might get lost. . . Again. ]

"... Don't make me kill you."

[ PING! Don't make promises you can't keep! ]

"Huh, it's almost as if you want to court death... How many times have you been rejected?"

[ ! ! ! ERROR ! ! ! Information not found. ]

"Uh... What was that?"

[ PING! An error has occurred in my data base. Please be advised. ]

"Er...Why do you sound like an emergency weather report? Did I break you?"

[ PING! I am several times more accurate than any petty weatherman! ]

"Sure... Sure... More Steak please?"

[ PING! Kill more adventurers, please? ]

Sucking on the back of her teeth, she clicked her tongue, "Stingy. What do I call you anyway? Meta? Craft?" Her head lulled to the side, "Stingy System?"

[ PING! Who are you calling stingy, you spoiled brat!? ]

"Ooooh?" She stared off at the corner as she continued to march down the slate corridors like a nut cracker toy soldier, taking out a sealed vial of brownish gold liquid.

[ PING! *Ahem* You may call me Meta-sama! ]

"You're Japanese?" The girl pursed her lips as her eyes flickered on over to the movement of a torches flame. "Or was... Did you get reincarnated as well?"

[ ! ! ! ERROR ! ! ! Response aborted. ]

"Meta...Meta-sama?" She pursed her lips slightly as she batted an eye in annoyance accompanied by a tinge of curiosity. "You okay?"

[ PING! Yes. Yes I am. ]

Every step she took, the deeper she got. The Dungeon felt endless, but the air never staled. If one truly paid attention, they'd see purplish dust trailing along the little creases in the slate bricks walls. Wiggling and slithering about like snakes.

In front of her was her menu, listing various new skills and classes.

...

[[ Classes ]]

Dragon Sorceress Lv. 1

This Bloodline dependent Class unlocks initially beginner Dragon-related spells and buffs, it also grants the hostess access to their retractable wings and increases the amount of scales on the their body. Further increasing this Class's Level will render reversible Dragonoid features. 1 SP

Dragon Druid Lv. 1

This Class connects the hostess to various forms of energy related to Nature, allowing them to commune with the Balance, whilst manipulating animals and the natural world itself through nature spells. 2 SP

Wingless Mage Lv. 1

This Class ultimately trades the host's ability to develop wings, for true effortless flight, without wings. Utilizing this class, one has the ability to use various flight based spells and passive levitation skills. 2 SP

Dragon Monk Lv. 1

This Class, unlocked after Level 2, grants the knowledge of Dragon-related Martial Arts for close quarter combat and the use of weapons, or even appendages such as a prehensile tail. 3 SP

Warrior Lv. 1

This Umbrella Class Unlocks further Warrior-based Classes. 1 SP

Rogue Lv. 1

This Umbrella Class Unlocks further Thief-based classes. 1 SP

Archer Lv. 1

This Umbrella Class Unlocks further Ranged-based Classes. 1 SP

[[ Skills ]]

Core Magics Bundle Lv. 1

The Core Magics, spells and skill used by the most novice of mages such as but not limited to: Word of Lesser Healing, Heavenly Light, Ice Arrow and Fire Bolt. 1 SP

Regeneration Lv. 2

This is a passive skill which allows the user to heal at an accelerated rate when out of danger. 3 SP.

Cuteness Lv. 1

This is a passive skill that effects how others perceive the user, allowing them to subtly manipulate them. The higher the level of this skill, the greater and more blatant the user can manipulate others with their cuteness alone. 1 SP.

Tough Scales Lv. 1

This is an active skill which when activated, covers 25% of the user's body in white shiny scales as additional armor. Its is highly resistant to bladed weapons. It has a ten minute cool down once deactivated. 1 SP.

Aether Elemental Breath Lv. 2

This is a raw unsaturated energy attack emitted from the mouth. As Aether is fundamentally the source of all mana, it is extensively hard to defend against, even at low levels. It has a 30 Second cool down once used, five second fire rate. Fire and Damage Rate gets higher when leveled. 3 SP

Quick MetaCraft Lv. 1

Don't feel like having to constantly make new items from scratch in your mind? This is a passive skill which allows the user to spend AP in order to craft things they've already made once before. 2 SP

...

"You would think there'd be more skills and passives that come with a class," Her head tilted to the side as she made a solemn face. "Wouldn't you say... Meta-sama?"

[ PING! Did you get to scroll? ]

Blinking a few times, her eyes narrowed on the little block on the side of the greenish colored screen in front of her. "Oh... Was that always there?" A smile formed over her lips, but it was clearly forced.

[ PING! Yee-Nnnnno? ]

"Great Save, Meta-sama..." Letting out a sigh as she dropped her expressions all together, she seemed to sulk her little head before glancing over her shoulder. "So if I keep going deeper into this place... I'll find treasure right?"

[ PING! Yes! ]

"What'll I do with it?"

[ PING! Horde it naturally! ]

Letting out another sigh, a soft hissing sound escaping from the back of her throat. "Do I have to?"

[ PING! What else would you do with it? ]

"Uh... Spend it? Duh." She wanted to look at this system that was talking to her, to give him her entitled far superior than thou face. Yet there was no one, no person, to look at. Only a disembodied voice and text in her face.

Her eyes moved over the visible classes in front of her still though, she had a wand, but if she had the newest class at the top, she'd no longer have to depend on it. Then she looked down at the Monk class and just stared at it.

Gifted silence by Meta-sama. She was imagining herself in a yellow and red set of robes, a shiny shaved head and binding wraps around her hands. "Eh..."

"Core Magics Bundle, Cuteness and Tough Scales... Or Dragon Sorceress, Core Magics Bundle and Cuteness... Or Tough Scales?" She felt like her head was overheating and her mind was drawing a blank. There were tons of choices here and she didn't know all the possible outcomes.

Dragon Sorceress sounded good, she'd love to be able to fly! She never taken a plane before, or used a hand glider, but she loved heights.

"Tony would've loved these kinda things..." She uttered quietly to herself, talking about her secret nerd friend from school. All he did was talk about RPGs and she'd pretend to be interested.

Truthfully, she preferred reading over games. Yet she was definitely interested in what had to say, even though she never responded to those kinds of conversations.

[ PING! You miss home I see. ]

For an instance, Naomi held her breath and stopped in her tracks in front of a sealed door after having been walking for hours now, which felt like half a day.

"No, just the people I'll no longer see. I don't miss what you call home." She placed a hand on the door, and immediately it lurched back slightly before opening in an automated fashion like a pocket door.

[ PING! Isn't Home where the Heart's at? ]

Naomi's body shuddered and she instinctually punched at the wall.

A loud PUCK sound reverberated through her hand, which ultimately turned red and swollen. "Ah... Ah... Ow..." She wrapped her hand under her arm and quickly padded into the room.

She hadn't even left a scratch on the wall!

The door was to close behind her as she narrowed her eyes on what looked to be a shallow pool of water with three levels of depths. For some reason she was expecting something different.

"What's that?"

[ PING! This is the Nexus! If you scan this 'device' you will gain the skill to use it. ]

"What's it do?" Naomi's face was turning just as red as her hand, and she was visibly trembling in pain, refusing to even let out a cry despite the tears welling up along the edges of her lids.

[ PING! The Dungeon Nexus allows you to control, manipulate and generate functions for the Dungeon itself! Like a Dungeon Master of that D&D sessions Tony invited you to... That you never attended. ]

"..." Naomi's face was redder than red, mixed with pain was now sadness and anger. "Stay out of my memories, jerk face."

[ PING! Your insult is invalid. I have no face. ]

"Bully!"

[ PING! There are no bulls here. ]

"Meanie! Butt munch! Spaghetti Monster!"

[ PING! I see. I have gone too far. I must apologize. ]

"What's with the automated voice... Meta-sama, are you having a hard time?" A pained, yet smug, expression formed over her little victorious face as she stood at the edge of the pull using .

[ PING! Milestone Reached: Hostess has gained a skill by scanning an Object! +3 SP ]

[ PING! Milestone Reached: Hostess as discovered the Dungeon Nexus! +3 SP ]

[ PING! Milestone Reached: Hostess is now Leadership of Dungeon! +3 Dungeon Points (DP) ]

[ PING! Notice: is now available in Host Commands. ]