Seth stood by the core, the tension in the air palpable.
The adventurers were closing in, only two hours away.
The core's integrity hovered at 99%, on the brink of reaching its full potential, and with it, Seth could feel the promise of power unlike anything before.
But the southern room's mana surge still loomed, unresolved and threatening to disrupt everything.
His mana reserves had climbed to 355 MP, giving him a bit more flexibility, but there was no room for mistakes.
The surge from the dormant mana vein beneath the dungeon was a wild card.
If he couldn't stabilize it, any upgrades would be dangerous, possibly catastrophic.
Seth clenched his fists, eyes scanning the notifications from the dungeon.
The core was ready for its final leap, but he had to trigger it properly.
[Dungeon Status]
[Rank: C]
[Core Integrity: 99% (Awaiting Critical Trigger)]
[Mana Reserves: 355/500 MP]
[Guardian: Elite Shade (Active)]
[Creatures: Shade Stalker (Active)]
[Traps: Spiked Pit (Active), Poison Gas Chamber (Inactive)]
[Anomaly: Unstable Mana Surge in Southern Room]
[Expansion Potential: Locked]
Seth paced near the core, going over every possibility. He had to tackle the mana surge and prepare for the battle ahead.
He called up the options again, hoping to find a way to stabilize the anomaly.
The core had detected the surge's primary and secondary sources, but using them to his advantage would take careful planning.
[Command: Attempt to Stabilize Dormant Mana Vein]
[Cost: 100 MP]
Seth hesitated.
He could stabilize the vein and potentially harness its energy, but that would take a huge chunk of his remaining mana.
He'd be left with just enough to maintain basic defenses. But if he could control the surge, the power it would unlock could be game-changing.
He activated the command.
[100 MP Used. Mana Reserves: 255/500]
[Stabilization Attempt Initiated...]
The core hummed with energy as it worked to stabilize the mana vein.
Seth could feel the power surging beneath the dungeon, no longer chaotic, but still volatile.
He watched as the vortex of blue mana in the southern room began to calm, its swirling motions slowing as the core absorbed some of the excess energy.
The dungeon's integrity ticked up.
[Success]
[Core Integrity: 99.5%]
The progress was small but significant.
With the vein now partially stabilized, Seth had bought himself some time.
The southern room wasn't going to explode, at least not yet.
[Core Integrity: 99.5%]
[Rank: C+]
[Upgrade Triggered.]
The air in the dungeon shifted.
Seth felt it before he saw it, the entire dungeon trembled, its core vibrating with newfound strength.
Mana flowed through the walls, reinvigorating every trap, every creature, and every corner of the dungeon.
Notifications flooded Seth's vision.
[Core Upgrade Complete. Dungeon Integrity at 100%.]
[System Upgrade: Dungeon Synchronization Achieved.]
[All Summons, Guardians, and Structures Enhanced.]
[Summon Tier Increase: Shade Stalker (Elite), Slime (Tier 3).]
[Guardian Upgrade Available: Elite Shade -> Greater Shade (Active)]
[New Command: Mana Vein Tap Unlocked]
[Mana Regeneration Rate Increased to 100 MP per hour.]
Seth staggered as the upgrade hit.
His mana reserves instantly refilled, climbing from 255 to a full 500.
[Mana Reserves: 500/500]
The Elite Shade at the entrance began to shimmer, its form growing larger and darker as it absorbed the upgrade.
The Shade Stalker, too, became more solid, its movements quicker, sharper, and more lethal.
Even the traps hummed with renewed energy.
The changes weren't just physical, he could feel the dungeon's awareness, its sentience, more clearly now.
It was like a sleeping giant, finally stirring awake.
Its thoughts brushed against his mind, still childlike but more focused, more purposeful.
Seth smiled grimly.
The dungeon was ready for whatever came next.
[New Option Available: Tap into Mana Vein for Future Upgrades (Warning: High Cost)]
He tucked that away for later. Right now, the adventurers were priority ones for now.
[Adventurers Detected: Estimated Arrival – 30 minutes.]
[Mana Reserves: 500/500]
Seth had a full reserve of mana and a fully upgraded dungeon.
But he wasn't going to get cocky, these adventurers were smart, and they'd be prepared after their last encounter.
"Time to go all out," Seth muttered, focusing on his defenses.
The Greater Shade stood at the ready, a dark and imposing figure near the entrance.
The newly upgraded Shade Stalker clung to the ceiling, waiting for the moment to strike.
With his mana reserves at full, he activated the poison gas chamber, sealing off one of the dungeon's choke points.
Any adventurer who tried to move through it would find themselves in a world of hurt.
[50 MP Used. Poison Gas Chamber Activated.]
[Mana Reserves: 450/500]
He reinforced the spiked pit, adding a second layer of sharp, poisoned spikes, just to ensure no one got out unscathed.
[20 MP Used. Spiked Pit Reinforced.]
[Mana Reserves: 430/500]
With the traps set and the guardians in position, Seth turned his attention back to the anomaly in the southern room.
The stabilization had held, but only just.
There was still more to uncover about the mana vein beneath the dungeon, but for now, it was stable enough to hold off any catastrophic consequences.
Seth straightened, feeling the weight of the dungeon's new power settle around him.
The battle ahead would be tough, but for the first time since this ordeal began, he felt confident.
The dungeon's full potential was finally within reach, and soon, the mystery of the mana surge would be completely unraveled.
But first, he had adventurers to crush.
Seth's pulse thrummed in time with the dungeon's heartbeat.
His body felt charged as he could tear through the adventurers himself.
The power of the freshly stabilized mana vein surged beneath the surface, its energy threading through every wall and trap, giving the dungeon a sense of invincibility.
Yet, deep down, Seth knew he couldn't let his guard down.
The mana surge in the southern room, though partially controlled, remained a wild card.
The adventurers were coming, and this group would be different.
He glanced at the notifications again.
[Mana Reserves: 430/500]
[Adventurers Detected: Estimated Arrival – 15 minutes.]
[Traps: Poison Gas Chamber (Active), Reinforced Spiked Pit (Active), Stone Grinder (Inactive)]