Chapter 62: The wonder of Dungeons
His knives made, Alex couldn't bear the fact that he would still miss a long-range weapon if he does nothing. He would need to buy a new bow or commission it where he was any other adventurer. Not only there wasn't any shop to sell them here, but Alex would also need to enter Orario for one. That would mean several days of travel just for a bow, and he was unwilling to waste so much time for this.
The other solution was to craft one. With the knowledge he had from the time he made Susan one, Alex had little difficulty. With a section of the removed part of the door' planks, Alex crafts the top and lower limb. The grip was of steel, covered with hobgoblin leather.
Bolting the limbs, Alex added the string. Using modern archery structure make crafting bow ridiculously easy. He didn't need to worry about several essential parts, nor pass days to carve it.
With an additional night, he shifts all the arrowheads with steel ones.
~~~
On the morning of the eleventh day after the raid, Alex returns at the clears Dungeon. He may have told Eina that he would keep an eye for the group of adventurers, but 'killing' the Dungeon was a much more pressing matter.
-I was starting to think you have forgotten about it.- Said CS, as he entered back inside, finally manifesting itself after four days of absence.
'It would be a foolish thing to do. I may have cleared it, but the core is still active, and the Dungeon feed with the Monster gems. I wouldn't be surprised to see some already back.' Alex said, happy at CS return.
His joy, however, was cut short the instant he accessed to the first room. The small anti-chamber was gone, along with all the other one. In it place stood a large room combining all the previous space, including the walls.
He could still see the previous room's shape, but all walls between it and the room after had vanished along with all four other. The space left behind had now a Y shape, with Alex being at the lower bar's start. The area itself was unequal. The right side had the room containing the ore and coals veins, while the left was the previously empty space. The place where the core had been having vanished, as it now stands just above the pit.
Alex and CS were alarmed that such configuration happens in only four days, without any external signs. Such quantities of stones removed should have produced small earthquakes or strong vibrations underground, but nothing had been felt.
'Remain me never to leave a core in a cleared Dungeon, no matter what.' Seriously asked Alex to CS.
-I would now get used rid of this thing, before 'it' came knocking.- Curtly responded Cs, acknowledging the demand.
~~~
Alex walked around the pit, throwing gaze at the liquid below, before standing on the side of the core. Putting a hand on the glowing point on the stone, he sends tendril of craft magic. Ensnarling the core, he pulls, keeping it trapped in his clutches. Before the link with the underground broke, Alex felt the connexion to something in the pit.
'How much goblins did I killed to clear it?' Asked Alex suddenly, his focus on the link between him and the core, while keeping an eye on the different core he felt.
-186 goblins and 46 variant, and a hobgoblin. To them there a further 35 babe goblins, 17 variant, and three hobgoblins.-
'That means the Dungeon had absorbate this equivalent in corpses. I don't know how much a babe is worth from a mature equivalent, but I feel 2 Monster gems completely formed, another one seems half done, along with a freely moving mass of energy around them.'
-Then, that would mean that the gems need a hundred of specimens to form.- Nodded CS, registering the information for Alex later.
The shell surrounding the core shatter the instant it was cut from the wall, revealing five Dungeon cores, rather than one. The light in the wall dwindled to near extinction, giving little light, before Alex saw the yellowish liquid seep in the ground, vanishing, leaving behind a simple pit.
Alex's shoulders relaxed when nothing more happens after he cut the connexion. Even knowing that it should be natural, he didn't dare to trust the adventurer and had been ready to bold away the second, he heard any suspicious sound. Jumping inside the pit, Alex put a hand where he felt the gems.
He was surprised when he felt the simple resistance of rock when his treads of magic invade the surface.
-Now we know that when the Dungeon dies, it leaves its structure as it is, returning it to a normal constitution.- Commented CS, keeping filling its mental note about the Dungeon structure, for Alex.
Nodding simply at CS words, Alex extracted the three gems. The two first were easy and without surprise, but not the third. When he was about to remove it altogether, Alex feels a rush of magic accumulates inside. The pool of magic was the leftover lingering in the stone around them, previously.
Both looked astonished as the gem colour loss in deepness, turning the same shade as the two first. Any remaining magic in the pool leak and dissipate in the air of the cavern.
-Now we also know that a higher-tier gem could degrade to a lower rank if lacking the magic to condense correctly.-
'That or, only fifty variants need to form a complete 'goblin' Monster gem.'
-True, but it seems that it needs a catalyst to form, most likely a higher form of energy, like hobgoblin extract.- Added CS to Alex observation.
'Wich would mean that as long we don't have a hundred of hobgoblins, or the extract of a stronger monster than hobgoblins, we won't be able to obtain a Monster gem of this level?'
-Seems legit for me. The only place such a thing would need you to enter Orario. As long as you don't, your storage will not be upgraded, nor Monster gems obtain. Even then, you have already 31 Monster gems of goblin, and 5 of variant, along 6 Dungeon cores. When you can craft some magic steel, you will re-start crafting enchanted items.- Say CS to Alex, making him realise that he was right.
'True, but I lack the proper means to do that.' Sigh Alex, thinking back at the failed experiment of the previous day.
-You shouldn't be sure of that.-
'What do you mean?' Perk Alex, at CS mysterious comment.
-Look behind the place of the core.- Only said, CS.
~~~
Their link was difficult to definite; sometimes, CS was able to peak beyond Alex scoop, share his sense and vision, but also turn completely blind. It was a strange and unnerving situation for it until Alex commented that he was similar to the one shared by Biju and Jinchuriki from Naruto.
Most of the time, now, CS would sense Alex surrounding, when he focuses on a particular task. This division of the work allowed them to broaden their horizon while still keeping a focused mind. This state was what saved Alex live with the hobgoblin incident. The only problem was it was a work in progress, still incomplete.
~~~
Following CS advice, Alex dug behind the layer of rock where the core was. What he discovered was a large sphere made of iron. The ball was the size of a gym ball.
'This thing is huge!' Shouted Alex, as he takes into account the circumference of the ball.
-Seems to be similar to a 75 cm gym ball, that's around 220.8 L of space, 0,22-metre square; or 1.729,2 kilogram of iron.- Scientifically calculate CS. -Even then, it not exactly correct. I could feel spikes connected to it. Those seem like roots, extending in the rock to gather the surrounding iron. What truly fascinating is the fact that the iron is already processed.- Marvel CS, using his sensory probs to have a feel of the internal composition.
'It the magic. The Dungeon core seems to have drained the magic from the ore, triggering an extraction process. I don't think it a conscious action, at least not entirely. From the feel of it, magic travels better in pure iron, rather than iron ore.'
-So this is the result of the core siphoning the magic out of the magic ore? The iron ore turns into processed iron, allowing a smoother transition of magic?- Asked CS to Alex, leaving him the explanation, as he had stronger ties with metal.
'Seems like it. I wonder if...' Responded Alex, mindlessly, his focus already on the myriad of possibility this could have on the metal.
-What?-
Rather than respond, Alex injected magic in the large ball, not craft magic, but real, raw magic. When he feel it sink inside, he immediatly tracks it down through his craft. Excitement rapidly rose in him as Alex feels the magic mix with the core of the iron mass. Pumping more inside, he took some cores from his other hand.
As his both hand were on the mass, he continues to feed magic, while similarly merge the cores inside like his magic, the magical energy contained inside the cores transferred to the mass, turning the cores to dust.
~~~
Keeping going, Alex poured his entire reserve of magic, along with every core he had on him inside the mass of iron. The ball was a bottomless pit, continually pumping in the magic. While the exterior keep unchanged, Alex knows that the core was an entirely different matter.
After using all the cores obtains from the two raids on the goblins, and his own reserve, Alex was left drained. With the last of his strength, he sends another prob.
"I converted around 80% of the mass from iron back to magic iron."
-That few kilograms short of 1.4 ton of iron, possibly as much of magic steel!- Said CS, giddily at the amount of metal they would be able to obtain from this.
"I doubt that I would retrieve as much as magic steel. Magical metals have their own laws; for an initial quantity. I would make less magic steel than the entire amount of magic iron. It had to do with the concentration of magic inside the metal. At a higher form, it takes more raw material to form. On the plus side, this also gives a stronger magical metal."
-So less metal, but with stronger magic potential?- Asked CS, his excitement slightly dampened at first, but still satisfied with the result, knowing it was the natural order.
'That resume it, yes.' Nodded Alex, taking a break. 'With the coals around, I would have no problem to made magic steel here. I think we could even make a place here. I would be close to any resources I need, we have a stream just outside and what to eat inside it.'
-Yes, it the perfect place. With the Dungeon now dead, only you know of the entrance or could access it. This is a true goldmine for you.-
'Hum, I will be able to upgrade all my weapon, store a large quantity of metal, and even craft some much-needed items.'
-What do you have in mind?-
'First, a smithy. In using the similar setup of the dwarves furnace. Rather than heavily enchant a core, I will enchant a Dungeon core with an 'incendio' The heat and fire released would feed on magic iron ore, to process magic iron in magic steel.'
-That will be like three bird in one stone. You turn iron ore into magic iron, smelt magic iron into magic steel, and kept the process magical.-
'Thus avoiding the need for open-air and betray this position, yes.' Grinned Alex at the though.
By staying underground, no one would have a single idea that he would say amass a large number of materials.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Linrim
Linrim Hello everyone! I hate proof-reading, due to recent change, I had accumulated few chaps in a short time, the result? Lot and lot of error that needs to be correct.
Due to this, there won't be the fie chap in one go, but three days of double release, bringing us with still a bonus chap. Hope you won't mind and see you tomorrow for the second double release!^^
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