Book of the Dungeon Maker

by Nathan Valerio

  Rune magic consumption decreased by 3%.

  Longsword Mastery

  Level 4: Exp 574/2500

  You are master with the longsword.

  Increases damage with this weapon by 1%.

  Longsword Arts

  Level 2 Exp 940/1500

  Arts that only masters of the longsword can learn.

  Level 1: Wide Slash

  Level 2: Crushing Fang

  Status:

  Name:

  Unnamed

  Class:

  Common Wooden Puppet, Dungeon Minion

  Level:

  1

  Exp:

  0/100

  Health:

  250

  Mana:

  0

  Strength:

  25

  Intelligence:

  0

  Agility:

  25

  Wisdom:

  0

  Endurance:

  25

  Vitality:

  25

  Skills

  Natural Weapon Creation:

  Level 1 Exp 0/1000

  A being made of magical wood can control nature. Using a unique magic, the user of this skill can slowly raise trees he plants by spreading his roots and separating a branch to make a magical tree, he can shape it into his preferred shape and make a weapon.

  Current skill will cause weapon to take 3 days until it has fully grown.

  Planting Root:

  Level 1 Exp 0/1000

  By spreading one's roots into the ground, the user of this skill can absorb mana and other nutrients or energies to increase their normal rate of regeneration. This skill is restricted to beings of a plant-like nature.

  Current Regeneration Increase: 5%.

  “So, wooden puppets have two skills that the guardian has. That is useful, the weapon creation could also be interesting since the weapons are grown naturally. If I set up a dirt room just for growing weapons, I can make them nature weapon craftsmen. The longsword of the guardian, even now, is sharp enough that it compares to a copper sword. He needs a bit more training, but it could become possible to make weapons in bulk. If I train them differently like having some move around on all fours I could possibly make beast type minion mounts,” I muttered.

  I looked at the minion page and saw I had only one minion.

  I opened a new dungeon layout page and made just a small dungeon of only corridors and placed him there. In the settings, I instructed him to make weapons and grow them.

  I had my suspicions about how the book worked so after touching a spot and directing for him to plant roots and make the maximum number of weapons around him at different locations, I watched the dot. The order was to just plant and first then regularly move to a different location.

  When the blue dot appeared, I just watched it. Soon green dots appeared which were categorized as a minion weapon. It numbered two and then he moved.

  “I knew it, the dungeons aren’t just pictures but they are actually built and I can place minions to work inside them.”

  I touched the guardian’s icon and put him inside the new layout after changing it to be bigger. Then, I put lots of crops.

  I had both the puppets take care of all the vegetation while raising the weapons and training their natural weapon creation skill. All the weapons were made around the bundle of herbs and crops. At a few dead ends I summoned the guardian, and the wooden puppet showed him a diagram of how to make a field in the corridor then sent them back to make those in places that crops were to be planted.

  You have manually modified a dungeon corridor into a new type.

  Dirt corridor has been changed into field corridor and has taken up a new slot on your archive.

  Straight Field Corridor

  A simple field has been made within a straight dirt corridor section of the dungeon. Crop plants grow more vigorously and healthier without competing for nutrients and water.

  Looking at the field, I called the puppets and changed the form so that there was a small packed path in the middle so that the crops weren’t stomped on and ordered the two to pass only within those but to not plant weapons there but pass there and help the crops grow. I also set the dungeon to automatically gather mature crops and replant them again within the fields.

  I needed to make a large dirt room to make a garden that could be larger in size so I could do larger scale farming. Still, I needed a lot of puppets for that and the construction speed for them was really slow.

  I set six dead ends with straight corridors to be made into fields and. Three for crops, two for herbs, and just as a test I set one just for weapon growing. You can already guess, but herbs cost a lot so two fields with herbs would very quickly cash in a boatload of money. I still needed to locate the extremely rare mana herb. Mana regeneration herbs used different herbs to cause the body to absorb more, but true mana herb contained abundant mana which made the instant regeneration.

  “I am sure that it will be the slowest growing plant within the closed off dungeon where the puppets are currently farming. I can probably only set them in a dungeon that has already gathered substantial mana,” I muttered.

  After seeing to the details and checking the quantity of crops and herbs I had, which wasn’t much because I had used most of them inside the other two dungeons, but they had a fast growth. Root crops left alone in a random corridor in an open dungeon grew to maturity in four hours, while it seemed that the speed was about one hour faster when the puppets were aiding them. Herbs took six hours to reach maturity but they give a substantial number of seeds in return, and they were sped up by two hours with the puppets.

  After seeing that, I checked the other dungeons and looked at the tall grass that had sprouted nearby shoots. I took several and put them around the farm dungeon. I was amazed when the puppet passed by, it stopped and did the growing. Within the five minutes it was aiding it, they spread to one tenth of the corridor.

  I was very amazed by it and thought why and came to the conclusion that common plants and bushes required less mana to grow and since that was common tall grass—a weed—they had a much easier time to grow.

  I instantly moved the wooden puppet into the other dungeon and had it focus on spreading the grass on the corridors.

  Against my expectation it didn’t make a grass corridor, but it turned into a variant dirt corridor with grass. The reason being, that if I removed the corridor, the grass and plants were ‘harvested’ and stored. I set a limit for the puppet to keep the tall grass away from the herbs gathering points but let it grow naturally in the corridors besides those mentioned.

  “Well, it seems things are set up nicely. The puppet is set to return to the other dungeon if anything gets within the same corridor its inside and won’t return until the dungeon is cleared out. Now then, I need to resolve my problem as a mana regen potion drinker. So to the alchemist!” I said and got up. I left the inn in search of said alchemist.

  Chapter 13

  Staring at the single story wooden house, I could distinctly smell the strong smell of herbs and medicines inside.

  This was the alchemist's house, and store of the village. It was surprisingly hard to find. The village was several hundred meters in diameter, and the alchemist’s house was hidden near the center of the woods I had hidden my room the night before. I had to ask some villagers where it was and even needed to show me the little path that was cut to reach him.

  When I heard there were herbs all over the forest area planted by the alchemist, I suddenly felt an urge to search for it, but I knew any good medicine maker would hide the growing plants from prying eyes. Also, rare herbs had many conditions for growing and achieving such a thing. Inside the dungeon it was not currently possible.

  I walk up to the door and knocked.

  A moment later the door opened to a boy that looked around 13 with a pair of thick glasses.

  “Can I help you?” he asked.

  “I am looking for potions and to trade
herbs,” I said.

  “Oh, please enter, Master is in the other room, I will call him,” the boy said and opened the door for me to enter.

  Within the room was a huge assortment of herbs hanging to dry, and on several tables were lots of glass bottles and alchemy tools.

  “So science class comes from this stuff huh?” I thought jokingly.

  “So you’re the one that wants to buy potions eh?” a voice called.

  I looked and saw a really old man with a cane in his hand wearing an old robe. He looked to be in his late 80s and had a long beard with thick round spectacles on his face.

  “Yes sir, I gathered a large number of herbs, and wish to trade for potions,” I said.

  “Let me see them then? Boy, get a box so he can drop them inside,” the old man said.

  The boy started to move around and began to empty some boxes and put them in front of me.

  All the while, I was flipping through the book until I reached the vegetation part of the archive, and I could remove them like I did with the minions.

  There were 35 healing herbs, so I pressed the icon, which formed new words below and removed 30 from the book.

  The pen began to glow and I touched it at the bottom of the box.

  The next moment, the 30 healing herbs appeared in the air above it and fell into the box.

  “30 healing herbs, how much?” I asked.

  The two just looked at me surprised.

  “Boy, what in the world is that book?” the elder asked.

  I smiled wryly and closed it. “It’s a class related book,” I said.

  “Hmm, so an ancient class inheritance. I see, I will drop it then,” the elder said and walked over to the box and sat down on a stool. He picked up one herb and began to look at it.

  He took his time to examine it, and when he finished he put it back in the box.

  “Boy, where in blazes did you find these herbs? They are high quality and filled with vitality,” he asked.

  I didn’t answer for a long while, and scratched my head not knowing how to answer.

  “This is related to your class it seems. Well just so you know, I can tell these herbs should only appear in a place with high mana concentration. That said, even then the vitality isn’t that good. Is there at least one thing you can answer?” he asked.

  “Yes, that I can answer,” I said and summoned the wood puppet.

  “This is a living puppet that can use nature magic, and I have it grow the herbs and crops,” I said and call the puppet back.

  “A summoner? No, summoners work with living animals and not inanimate constructs. Not to mention, puppets are extremely rare in this nation and only elves and dwarves have the technology to make them. Still, if it's like this, then with the base price of healing herbs being 80 copper per bundle of 20 I will give you one silver coin for each.” he said.

  “Wait? 20 healing herbs in the capital cost nearly two silver!” I exclaimed.

  “That is the capital boy, we are far from it in a place near the forest that is abundant in herbs. Also what are you complaining, you produce your own herb,” he said.

  I just sighed as I understood what he meant.

  “Fine. Do you buy crops or is it only herbs?” I asked.

  “Nah, the food market exists for that. I take herbs only,” he said.

  I nodded and after I accepted the 10 extra herbs back, I took the silver coins and brought out one by one the other herbs in groups of 20. I got around four silver for the herbs, but I got 12 silver from the alluring flower. The effects were extremely good it seemed and mine were even better with the high vitality in them.

  That said, for potions I was able to get five mana regeneration potions for two silver each.

  “Hey, what are the ingredients for making mana regeneration potions?” I asked as I put 10 potions in my bag.

  “That is easy, mana drop, flower petal, and medical herb,” he said.

  “Mana drop… flower?” I muttered.

  He turned and pulled out a flower with a large blue petal.

  “This boy, this is a low grade medical flower. Its ability to absorb mana is far weaker than a mana herb but it’s true strength is that its petals have the effect of causing living beings to gather more mana from the air. If you compare this flower to a mana herb then for something like a monster, this flower is more valuable as the effects grow stronger as the monsters eat them instead of the instant burst of mana from mana herb where a large portion of mana is lost. Also, it’s one of the first few flowers that releases mana after reaching maturity so the air around it is purer and more abundant in mana,” he explained.

  Looking at the flower, I saw the interesting flower’s shape and even felt a bit of the mana from it.

  “Do you have seeds for this and mana herb?” I asked.

  “Mana herbs are rare boy, but I do have them, but it will cost you five silver for one seed,” he said.

  I clearly frowned at that and he saw it but just grinned.

  “This flower’s seed costs how much?” I asked.

  “One silver for a small pack of 10. I raise these myself so I have plenty and their requirements aren’t as bad, unlike mana herb that needs constant mana being injected. If only there was a dungeon around here for me to find some mana stones,” he cursed.

  “I'll take two packets of Mana Drop flower seeds,” I said and took two silver coins out.

  “Good boy, Hains get the packs for the boy,” the alchemist said.

  The boy ran into a different room and after a bit he came back with a small leather pouch and handed it to me.

  I opened it and counted 20 seeds then took the pen out and archived the seeds to make sure they were mana drop flowers.

  “Alright, I guess that is all. I will probably be returning more often as I get more herbs and such,” I said.

  “Come back anytime boy. Oh and boy, one suggestion for improving your herbs more. Make some bone meal off some animal bones and sprinkle it on your fields. The quality will shoot to a new level,” he said and I nodded thanking him.

  I looked at the book loot, but sadly it hadn’t gathered bones from the goblins or wolves. Thinking about it, wouldn’t skeletons count as a bone puppet through necromancy? Nah don’t need something that could get me in trouble.

  I look at the current prey and pressed to loot them.

  Loot results

  3 Gray Wolf pelts

  1 skeleton of Gray Wolf

  2 Gray Wolf flanks

  4 Gray Wolf claws

  13 Wolf pelts

  4 skeletons of Wolf

  14 Wolf flanks

  25 Wolf claws

  6 Wild Cat pelts

  12 Wild Wat Claws

  142 Rat tails

  89 Rat incisors

  142 Rat Skeletons

  “Is this a joke, now that he mentions skeletons that it appears. Maybe I need to recognize something as a drop like the brains that can be used for making lye for leather processing, eyes for alchemy or something. Put simply, I need books on all crafts and materials,” I said pissed off.

  I walked back to the inn and entered my room a bit pissed by this stupid dungeon maker system.

  Sitting down on my bed, I opened my book and looked over my dungeons. The first dungeon I placed already had 40% of the corridors with tall grass on the floor. As a result, grass munchers and herbivores were attracted to the dungeon. Rats were already populating the dungeon where grass was making small trails in the grass. Nothing bigger had ventured inside though.

  I took three seeds from the mana drop flowers and planted them at the three farthest bunches of herbs. What came from it surprised me.

  You have planted a flower that performs mana synthesis. Mana synthesis is the process of using mana to grow instead of sunlight. Once that plant reaches maturity it will absorb much smaller quantities of mana and release purer, richer mana. This plant must be protected or else invading beasts will take it to further their growth into monsters.

  “Wo
w, who knew there was something like this. The old man said it released mana back into the air, but I didn’t think it had this big of an effect,” I muttered then noticed something new.

  I have stated that the dungeon gathers mana before. The gathering of up to 200 mana was rather quick and happened within minutes, but after that it had a five mana gathering capability per hour.

  At that moment the mana gathering was at -10, but after planting the seeds it said +15 mana next to the flower icon that appeared.

  “So they absorb five mana regeneration from the dungeon and then return it during the adulthood,” I muttered. “Now that I think about it, the puppets gather mana from the planting root skill as well. Then the puppets being a monster also evolves, if they live in a high mana density area they would be able to grow faster right?”

  Wondering this I opened the farm dungeon and went to plant the plant, but a window appeared

  This plant can’t be planted as a seed in this dungeon due to the lack of mana in the air. If you wish to continue, the seed will use the mana from the Book of Dungeon Maker as its source of mana until it reaches maturity.

  Reading it again I was rather surprised by that, but still added one in the herb field. When I looked at the mana regeneration of the dungeon, I was shocked because it was -30 mph.

  “Wait what?” I muttered. Looking for something that indicated the mana gathered by the book I found nothing that could indicate what showed the mana.

  “Damnit! Show me the fucking mana gathered already!” I cursed.

  Book of Dungeon Maker mana pool: 3253/100,000

  Mana regeneration: 50 (-60) mph