Meanwhile ...
The Rival dungeon now lay in ruin.
Shattered stone, broken traps, and the mangled bodies of Seth's Summons littered the battlefield.
The Goblin had a gaping hole in its chest and no head attached to its lifeless body.
It was gone, taking with it the core of Seth's First Rival dungeon core as well as the lives of his summons and, more importantly, the faint hope of victory.
The abomination had devoured everything in its path, leaving nothing but silence in its wake.
Seth sat motionless at the center of his dungeon, his breathing ragged, his mana nearly depleted.
His mind raced as panic clawed at him, threatening to pull him under.
The weight of his defeat pressed down, almost suffocating.
He could barely keep himself upright as the raw power of its overwhelming presence echoed in his thoughts.
His dungeon, once alive with subtle hums of activity and purpose, now felt silent.
Lifeless, A gaping void seemed to settle in his chest, as if a part of him had been ripped away along with the damage done to his psyche
"You're not strong enough."
The words played on a loop in his head.
It had not spoken them, and by it, Seth meant the Dungeon Guardian, but its actions had made the truth unmistakable.
Seth had barely survived, and only because the abomination had no interest in finishing him off.
This in a sense was partly true and false unbeknownst to Seth, even if it wanted to, it couldn't as it was in a fragile state of assimilation.
The worst part wasn't even the physical devastation, it was the crushing realization that he had never stood a chance to begin with.
At this point he felt a cold breeze wash over him in this enclosed space, Seth sank into his mind, his palms pressing against each other, his feet suspended in the air as a makeshift couch replaced his seat. The light from the dungeon core, dim and flickering, reflected in his hollow eyes.
"I... I failed," he whispered, his voice barely audible.
Failure wasnt something everyone took easily especially the first one and that was what Seth felt right now.
The silence stretched, and then, like shards of glass piercing his mind, came the memories.
Flashes of faces he didn't recognize, but should have.
A woman smiling as she handed him something, a drawing book? A brother, perhaps? Or a friend.
He didn't know.
They were there, and then they weren't.
A field bathed in sunlight.
Laughter.
Something warm.
Safe.
But these memories… they felt broken, disjointed.
There was no coherence, just images, scenes that vanished as quickly as they came, leaving only confusion.
His mind raced, struggling to latch onto them, to make sense of the fragments.
Who were these people? Why couldn't he remember?
A deep ache settled in his chest.
Something had been taken from him.
Or erased.
Better word yet was Altered.
The realization hit him with a jolt, and with it came a surge of anger.
His memories had been tampered with, ripped apart and rearranged. But by whom? Why? And what had he lost?
His fingers clenched into fists, and the dungeon reacted.
The floor beneath him trembled, and a faint pulse of energy rippled through the Gloomy walls.
The dungeon was still alive, wounded, but alive.
Seth felt it then, a strange sensation creeping through his mind.
It was as if the dungeon was reaching out to him, not just as a tool or a weapon, but as something more.
He closed his eyes and focused, pushing past the chaos of his emotions.
The connection to the dungeon deepened, threads of mana weaving tighter, pulling them closer together.
It wasn't just sentient; it was aware, feeling his despair, his rage, his need to rise above this crushing defeat.
And then, faintly, like a whisper in his mind, he heard it.
"Together."
It wasn't words exactly, more of a sensation, an understanding.
The dungeon wasn't just an extension of his power anymore.
It was becoming more Alive in a way that mirrored his own emotions, reflecting his will, his fears, his desires.
A notification blinked in his vision:
[Dungeon Evolution Detected]
The bond between the Dungeon Core and Dungeon Master has strengthened.
[New Ability Unlocked: Echo Chamber]
Project emotions, thoughts, and intent directly into the dungeon's structure.
The dungeon will adapt based on the Dungeon Lord's mindset and mental state.
Seth let out a slow breath, the pain in his chest easing just a little.
The dungeon was changing, evolving with him. He wasn't alone in this fight. Not anymore. He never was anyway.
Slowly, Seth stood.
The couch suddenly moved backwards to give him space.
His legs still trembling from the effort, but the weight in his chest had shifted.
It wasn't gone, but it was different.
His failure still Present in him like a score sheet, but something had shifted in him.
This defeat wouldn't define him.
"No," he whispered.
"This is just the beginning."
His thoughts turned to the Rival Dungeon Guardian.
The abomination was out there, stronger than ever, and it would grow even more powerful, devouring anything in its path.
Seth knew he wasn't ready for a rematch, not yet.
But he would be.
He had to be.
For the sake of his dungeon, for the sake of his own survival, and for the pieces of his past that had been stolen from him.
Not a good enough reason, then for the sake of Power, Absolute Power that doesn't put him on the scale.
"If that's how they wanted to play the game, then I'll learn with their help"
And for the first time since the battle ended, Seth felt a glimmer of hope.
If It could grow by devouring power, then Seth would grow by doing the same also, No shortcuts. No divine intervention. Just his will.
He reached out to the shattered remains of his dungeon, channeling the remnants of his mana into the core.
"We rebuild," he said aloud, his voice gaining strength with each word.