The Architect narrowed his eyes.
This wasn't just a random event, it was tied to something deeper.
The gods' game was never that simple.
Taking a deep breath, he followed the Shade, his every step echoing through the silent halls of the dungeon.
His heart pounded in his chest as he approached the outer chamber, where the disturbance had originated.
The air grew thick, charged with raw energy.
And then he saw it, an anomaly, hovering in the middle of the room like a tear in reality itself.
Light flickered around it, casting distorted shadows on the walls.
The Elite Shade hissed, circling the anomaly as if ready to strike.
The Architect raised a hand, signaling for it to wait.
"I need to understand this," he muttered, stepping closer.
[System Notification: Anomaly Detected: Unknown Source.]
Just as the Architect reached out to inspect the rift, a sudden surge of power erupted from it, slamming into his chest.
He staggered back, gasping for breath as his vision blurred.
[Warning: Dungeon Core in jeopardy.]
Pain shot through his body as the energy coursed through him, searing his mind with fragmented visions.
Flashes of other worlds, forgotten gods, and ancient wars flooded his consciousness, overwhelming his senses.
He gritted his teeth, trying to resist the onslaught of information.
But deep within the chaos, a single thought stood out, clear and undeniable.
"The gods never intended for me to survive."
The Architect stood before the core, his mind reeling from the encounter with the anomaly.
The visions had faded, but the lingering sense of unease persisted.
Something ancient was stirring, something beyond the gods' game.
But for now, his focus remained on defending the dungeon and securing the newfound power that the D-rank upgrade had bestowed.
[Notification: Dungeon Rank: D]
The core has stabilized.
Defenses enhanced.
He glanced at the upgrade menu once more.
His resources were still limited, but now, with the Elite Shade as the dungeon's guardian and the core's power growing, he had a stronger foothold in the game.
He felt the dungeon resonate with him more deeply as if the upgrade had connected him further to its essence.
His focus shifted back to the rift in the outer chamber.
The anomaly had vanished, but the damage was done, it had opened a window into something far beyond his current understanding.
He needed answers, but they wouldn't come easily.
[Objective Update: Investigate the source of the anomaly and Prevent further intrusions.]
The Elite Shade returned to his side, its form flickering in and out of the shadows.
Its presence was unsettling, even for him.
But he knew that this creature, born of the dungeon's depths, was loyal to him, bound by the dungeon's core.
"Guard the outer chambers," he ordered, his voice steady.
"If anything tries to enter again, I want it destroyed."
The Shade melted into the shadows, its form blending seamlessly with the dark corners of the dungeon.
The Architect watched it go, his mind racing.
He couldn't afford to be complacent. The anomaly had shown him just how fragile his position was.
Despite the upgrade, he knew there were forces far beyond his control still at play.
As he made his way back to the core, he summoned the dungeon's status panel to review his current standing.
[Dungeon Status:]
[Rank: D]
[Core Integrity: 78%]
[Mana Reserve: 350/500 MP]
[Guardian: Elite Shade (Active)]
[Creatures Available: None (No additional creatures summoned)]
[Traps: Spiked Pit (Inactive), Poison Gas Chamber (Locked)]
[Expansion Potential: One Room (Locked until Mana Reserve exceeds 400 MP)]
He scowled at the locked options.
Even with the dungeon's growth, he still needed more mana to fully expand his defenses and explore the rift's secrets.
But for now, he had to be patient.
The adventurers would return, and when they did, he needed to be ready.
[Notification: Adventurers Detected. Estimated Arrival: 12 hours.]
The Architect's eyes narrowed.
They were already regrouping.
But this time, they wouldn't be so lucky.
He would ensure that anyone who entered his domain would not leave alive.
He turned his attention back to the core.
The fragile essence still glowed faintly, but it was stabilizing.
His hands hovered over it, feeling the raw power pulsating from within.
He had felt the temptation to imbue it with more of his energy, but something had stopped him, a whisper in the back of his mind, telling him it wasn't ready.
Yet.
For now, he would focus on strengthening the dungeon.
He opened the upgrade menu again and reviewed his options.
[Upgrade Options:]
[Upgrade Room Defenses: 150 MP]
[Summon New Creature: 200 MP]
[Unlock Advanced Trap: 100 MP]
His mana reserves were low, but he needed a stronger defense.
With the adventurers closing in, he had to be smart about his choices.
He selected the "Room Defenses" upgrade, watching as his mana reserves drained.
The dungeon's walls shimmered, reinforcing themselves with a layer of obsidian stone.
His chambers grew darker, the shadows more pronounced. It was a subtle change, but one that would give him the edge he needed.
Suddenly, the core pulsed with a faint light.
[Notification: Dungeon Core Warning.]
[Anomalous Activity Detected.]
The Architect's heart skipped a beat.
Another anomaly? He rushed to the core, but this time, it wasn't the same as before.
The rift didn't appear, but the core itself flickered, like a candle flame on the verge of being snuffed out.
Before he could react, the core emitted a sharp, blinding light.
[System Alert: Dungeon Evolution Triggered.]
The Architect gasped as a wave of energy flowed through him, connecting him to the dungeon more deeply than ever before. His vision blurred for a moment, and when it cleared, the core had changed.
It was no longer fragile, it was stronger, its glow steadier, and its connection to him undeniable.
The dungeon had evolved once more, and so had he.
The Architect leaned against the dungeon wall, the flickering light of the core casting long shadows across the chamber.
His senses were still heightened from the dungeon's recent evolution, and his connection to the core felt stronger than ever.