I raised my running speed.
There was still a long way to go but I needed to give my body a little rest.
I pushed my body to the limit, sprinting through the winding paths of the training room. Each junction, each chamber brought its own trials, and I was determined to conquer them all.
Five junctions had already been cleared, and while fatigue threatened to sap my strength, I knew I couldn't stop now.
Rest could wait; my goal was within reach.
"Crafting... again." I muttered, glancing at the latest task displayed in the message window.
[-Create 10 weapons (0/10)]
The training room had been relentless.
The first five rooms had tested my skills in smithing, alchemy, enchanting, engineering, and cooking. They were grueling, monotonous tasks that felt more suited to a craftsman than a warrior.
Each task had been a test of patience and versatility, forcing me into the role of producer, the very thing I had not wanted. But there was no time for complaints; this was how I would become stronger. I had learned to adapt, and now, with only a handful of challenges left, I pressed on.
They are really making me into a producer.
'Just one more round until I take a break.'
---
Time was limited. I don't know if 8 months is good enough.
However, it wasn't good to abuse my body. Doing that could possibly destroy it. There was no need to be unreasonable.
I had reached a junction that offered an unexpected form of respite: meditation.
The room was vast, with a rectangular platform at its center, its surface marked by runes that seemed to hum with energy. A message appeared as I stepped inside:
[-Sit in meditation at the specified place. If you don't focus, then the time will be reset.]
I sat down, my muscles screaming in protest as I tried to force myself to relax. The challenge was not physical but mental.
The room's energy seeped into me, testing my focus, pushing me to silence the storm of thoughts racing through my mind.
The first few minutes were torturous, the silence broken only by the sound of my own breathing. Time stretched, seconds turning to minutes, then to hours.
The system monitored my mental state, ready to reset the counter at the slightest distraction. I forced myself to clear my mind, to resist the urge to move, to let go of the memories that crept in.
I clenched my jaw, fighting the exhaustion that tugged at my limbs. It had been a test of endurance and willpower, one that I now understood better than ever.
I looked at the rectangular shape in the centre of the room.The message indicated that I couldn't move my feet for 3 days. Anyway, I was glad that I could rest for 3 days.
I don't know why I was asked to meditate but it required mental concentration. I lightly sat on the ground. And I regretted it.
Eighteen days later, I was finally released from the trial, every second of it grating on my patience and resolve. The message flashed before me:
[-Meditation complete. The time of rest has ended. You have grown stronger in mind and body.]
18 days!
That was the time I spent in the meditation room. I spent 18 days on just meditation.
Paduduk!
I grinded my teeth together.
The slightest movement would release my spirit and reset time. The system that could recognize my mental state was like a scary ghost.
I didn't know I had so many idle thoughts. Concentration was completely different. Not even concentration could empty my mind. The phrase in the message window was a trap.
Therefore, I took 18 days. If my luck was bad then I might have spent 8 months meditating.
'I heard about the training room 10 years later so I didn't hear about everything.'
That…any Dungeon Master could enter the training room. But the news only reached my ears after 10 years. By then, it was much more complicated.
'I can't lower my guard. I need to be a little more nervous.'
I thought it would be easy. It was necessary to be more tense. Beat my neck a few times. Prepare my mind so I could cope with anything that would emerge.
* * *
The path ahead was lined with challenges that tested my physical prowess to the limit. Each room pushed me harder, demanding feats of strength, agility, and endurance.
At the 80th junction, the system seemed to mock me with a mission:
[-Wield the sword 100,000 times.]
It was absurd. But I did it, gritting my teeth through every swing, every strike.
My muscles burned, my hands blistered, but I refused to stop. The next challenge was just as grueling:
[-Do a headstand and move 50 laps around the room.]
[-Catch 10 of the 'Madness Rabbit.]
['-Endure the 'cursed' state.]
Perhaps I don't have any luck?
I had that thought after receiving the mission at the 80th junction. Once I reached over 90 and was approaching 100, I thought that this was karma.
I laughed bitterly as I continued to explore the maze. There was still time left.
110, 120…149!
The blood rushed to my head, my vision blurred, but I pressed on. I had to. The final trial awaited.
If I hadn't set a goal then I would've abandoned it. I didn't give up after passing through room 149 but was forced to swallow my saliva the moment I entered room 150. The room only had one path.
The end?
I reached the 150th junction, the room bathed in a crimson glow, the air heavy with the scent of iron and magic.
There, standing like a guardian of the end, was
[-Boss, fight against the guardian Arkal!]
The end!
My eyes flashed.
Arkal was an armoured creature 2 metres large. I rushed with all my strength towards Arkal. My stats had become incomparably stronger after travelling through 149 rooms.
The room pulsed as I rushed forward, my sword slicing through the air.
The battle was fierce; Arkal was relentless, his strikes powerful and precise. But I was stronger, faster, and more experienced from the trials that had come before.
My stats had been honed, my body sharpened to perfection through weeks of torment. Finally, my sword managed to make Arkal collapse.
With one final, decisive blow, I brought Arkal to its knees. The beast's armored frame crumbled, and the room grew still. A message flashed before me, the reward for my perseverance:
[-The training room's last boss Arkal has been defeated! The first training room has been cleared.]
Suddenly I was standing in front of the Dungeon Core. At the same time, a few message windows emerged.
[The title 'Indomitable Warlord' has been given.
All branching points in the first training room has been surpassed. 500,000pt will be paid.]
The walls of the chamber shifted, and the stone path ahead was illuminated by the soft glow of the Dungeon Core. My victory was met with a rush of messages, each one more significant than the last.
I finally cleared it after it almost reached 8 months. I closed my mouth firmly as message windows surfaced in the air. It was natural to check my status window afterwards.
[-Warning!
The demonic and human's blood has started reacting. Randalph's 'bloodline' has started awakening!]
[-The bloodline awakening has created the skill 'Authority of Predation.']
[-Authority of Predation (U) has been learned.
Although the accomplishment is low, you've succeed in forming 1 demonic energy in your body. 'Demonic Energy' has been added to the status window.]
[-Ten Thousand Demon Dan has successfully been created. Part of your potential has awakened.]
I stared at the status window, my heart pounding with pride and exhaustion.
The gains were more than I could have hoped for:
[Name: Randalph Brigsiel]
[Occupation: Demon Baron (Dungeon Master)]
[Title: Indomitable Warlord (Epic, all stats +3)]
[Base Stats]
[Strength: 76 (+3)]
[Intelligence: 48 (+3)]
[Agility: 72 (+3)]
[Stamina: 80 (+3)]
[Magic Power: 62 (+3)]
[Potential Level: (338 +15/510)]
[Demonic Energy: 1]
[Uniqueness: A demon who awakened has bloodline abilities.]
[Bloodline Skill:]
[Authority of Predation (U)]
[Innate Skill:]
[Eternal Bond (N), Duplication (Ex.R), Ascension (Ex. R)]
[Production Skill:]
[Smithing (R), Basic Smelting (N), Alchemy (Ex. N), Basic Grinding (N), Enchanting (N), Read Runes (N), Engineering (N), Scrap Creation (N), Cooking (N), Chopping (N)]
[General Skill:]
[Skill Combination (R), Keen Insight (Ex U)]
[Before and After Comparison]
[Strength 64] [Intelligence 42] [Agility 59] [Stamina 72] [Magic 50]
[Potential Level(287+0/500)]
[Strength 79] [Intelligence 51] [Agility 75] Stamina 83] [Magic 65]
[Potential Level(338+15/510)]
Remarkable growth. The important thing was the title.
Indomitable Warlord. An epic title!
The *Indomitable Warlord* title was a rare and powerful reward, boosting all my stats and reinforcing my status as a formidable Dungeon Master. I felt the strength coursing through me, the power of the demonic blood awakening within my veins.
Title, skills and items also had ratings like normal, rare, unique, epic and legend. Among them, those with 'Epic' rating was slightly superior to Ex. U.
It reached the Epic rating and it was superior to Unique. An Epic rating is really hard to attain.
I had almost never heard of someone obtaining the Epic rating. Until the very end. However, Indomitable Warlord could be comparable to the title of a Grand Duke.
A title that increased all my stats. That in particular made it better. It was rare to find things that could enhance stats.
What's more I also increased the rating of my Keen Insight to the epic level.
I have a total of 353 stats. This was enough to make me confident about being at the forefront of the 72 demons.
'Is this the pleasure after all the suffering?' A proverb I often heard from humans. It was like they said.
The 500,000 pt was worth the 8 months of work.
"Now…"
My objective was achieved.
"This is it," I whispered, eyes narrowing as I prepared to leave the training room.
The Beginner's Protection Period was almost over, and with my newfound strength and skills, I was ready to face whatever challenges awaited me.
The points were also sufficient.
I lightly nodded.
'It is time to strengthen the dungeon.'