Chapter 44: Sharing and Upgrading
Riva had herself another new minion.
One reason why she made the effort to add Victor to her undead ranks was because there was a sliver of possibility that he'd retain his memories.
"Do you remember who you are?" Riva asked the still naked Victor who kept bowing to her.
"Yes, mistress I am your loyal servant."
Riva facepalmed. What was it with the cliches?
"First off, call me Riva and stop bowing and stuff like that. Second, I meant who you were before you became my… subordinate." Riva hesitated and finally called him that for lack of a better term.
"I am truly sorry mistress Riva, I have difficulties recalling my past," Victor answered as though he had gravely disappointed her.
Riva very nearly reprimanded him but she could feel Victor's confusion transmit through their connection. Knowing how the other felt was convenient but also very creepy.
She could tell that he was barely holding onto his sanity. His instincts were clashing with the restrictions imposed by the taming. There would be little meaning in questioning him at the moment.
Instead Riva quickly communicated with the system. She had noticed that her 'Taming' skill leveled up to 2 when she added Victor to her ranks. And the new upgrade was just what she needed. It enabled her to share one of her skills with one of her tames.
The choice was obvious. She promptly commanded the system to share 'Self Control' with him and then checked his status.
[
[Name] Victor
[Race] Zombie
[Title] Not Equipped
[Status] Tamed, Hungry
[Skills]
]
It was surprisingly similar to her own status.
She selected the Skills tab where she found that they shared the Racial skills 'Craving for Life' and 'Infectious(Zombie)'.
Beyond that, there were just two more skills, 'Magic Detection' and 'Loyalty(Tame)'.
<Hey System, shouldn't he have more skills? He was a talented magician before.>
[Only abilities recognized and assimilated by the system can be added to the list of skills. Furthermore, the target has to prove capable of using a skill while connected to the system in order to add it to their status]
<And where's the 'Self Control' skill? It's not showing either?>
[I repeat, the target has to prove capable of using a skill for it to be added to their status]
"Hey, Victor, I shared a skill with you. Can you use it?" Riva addressed the Zombie that had been silently awaiting her next command.
"Yes, mistress Riva, I should be able to use the new skill following sufficient practice."
It was uncanny, to see Victor behave way different compared to his living self from just a little while ago. His demeanor was stiff and robotic, similar to a puppet.
Did Riva feel bad for him? Maybe a tiny bit.
He might have been forced, but he was still connected to her death. It was an ironic and just punishment to force him to work for her now that he died.
Just that right now, he was a ticking bomb, and she could feel it.
Thus she sent him away, to learn 'Self Control' by himself. She also allowed him to hunt for food once done. He really needed to stabilize before he could be of any use but Riva didn't think too much about it.
He would be a problem for the future her. As things stood, Riva had plenty to consider without adding him to the mix.
There was the matter of relics and the fact that that they were connected to her death. Right now she was in possession of the so-called Master Die.
Riva had no idea how to use it, but the obvious choice was to roll it and see what happens. Just that something in her instincts prevented her from doing so. There was the nagging feeling that this simple action would trigger a catastrophe. Even the mere thought of contacting it through the connection as a tamed entity sent her warning bells ringing.
She only felt remotely safe as long as Fate was tucked away in her inventory. Any sane person would have probably gotten rid of the thing as soon as possible.
Didn't the fact that it interfered with the system speak volumes already? The system might have been trashy but it was still something completely capable of miracles.
Its workings were completely unreasonable and interfered with the common sense of this world. And then there was Fate, something that interfered with this already reality bugging system. Just what were relics?
And Fate wasn't her only clue regarding relics. According to Victor, the new dungeon was supposed to contain one. And back when the dungeon collapsed the system had informed Riva that she obtained a fragment of power. It wasn't unlikely that it was somehow connected.
Also, after absorbing the energy from the dungeon Riva had acquired an insane amount of energy. With her energy reserves now exceeding 2000 points, she could easily upgrade her own dungeon.
There was no need for hesitation. Riva commenced the upgrade by clicking on the button.
[Upgrading Dungeon. Use fragment of power?]
Riva had already expected the system's question. After all, the first item she obtained from a dungeon's core was also used in her evolution.
<Yes> She simply confirmed.
Contrary to her expectations she didn't fall unconscious this time and was still aware of the changes taking place in her mindscape. She could feel hers and the dungeon's connection deepen. Its roots were growing. Encroaching on reality.
All around Riva, space started to warp and fold. She was acting like the anchor, the point through which the dungeon in her mindscape invaded the physical dimension.
The purple runes on Riva's skin became visible even though she was in her human disguise. They wriggled as though alive. She could tell that they drained her energy and fueled the warping of the surrounding space.
Riva didn't even get the time to worry.
It took just a few seconds and…
Crack~
The very fabric of space shattered.
The fissure that opened up was framed by dancing purple runes.
[Dungeon Upgrade Successful]
The surrounding space already calmed back down, as though the turmoil had been but a lie and the scenery returned to how it was before with one addition. The door to a newly awakened dungeon.
It didn't look particularly imposing. Although its runes had something both wicked and mysterious.
Riva tried to read its mana signature. There was nothing! Though she could feel her connection with it. It was a part of her.
She stretched out a hand, the purple runes resurfaced on her skin, and made a swiping gesture.
The dungeon's entrance mimicked the movement.
Riva focused and willed it to enlarge.
The opening in space grew according to her will. It took the size of a building.
With its huge size, it was easier to tell, it wasn't that the dungeon had no mana signature, its signature was exactly that of Riva. And not just that. It completely mimicked her as though it was simply a part of her mana. This also included her disguise.
Observing it, it didn't feel like a dungeon one bit. If Riva didn't know any better even she would have simply thought of it as a special type of spacial spell that she cast.
Riva braced herself and stepped through the gate.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
mingapur
mingapur "The mission failed?"
"Yes, our agent died to the human's pawns. We couldn't have known they would go so as far as dispatching a whole battalion through teleportation."
"A shame about the agent. That one was surprisingly capable. What about the relics?"
"The guild should have obtained them. We've lost the reading on number 004."
"In that case, they must have found a way to seal it?"
"It's likely. We're waiting for confirmation from our spies."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone