Dungeon Maker

As he absorbed the leader's spirit a wave of an immense pleasure hit him, satisfying the Greed within. However, it wasn't as powerful as before. Nor was there any satisfying aftertaste.

The Orc leader's physical body was stronger than the giant that had invaded before, however, he didn't have a lot of mana. Not only did he lack mana but since Yong-Ho had already developed his own mana, it didn't help much.

However, that wasn't the only reason for his dissatisfaction.

The Kobolds had died. Out of the four, only one remained. He wasn't sure if it was just a coincidence or perhaps fate, but it was the same one that had earlier attacked the armory with him.

It's only been a few days since he accepted them as allies.

They weren't as important to him as Catalina or Eligor.

And he didn't like them as much as Skull or Jon.

Nevertheless, deep anger resonated within him.

Yong-Ho could sense the source of this pain. The power of Greed was furious.

They had harmed something that belonged to him.

They had robbed him.

They took away his possessions!

Despite the pleasure of obtaining the spirit, Yong-Ho felt disappointed. He tightened his grip on Aamon and calmed his breath. He tried to control the anger emanating from Greed.

Even now, time was quickly passing. If his assumptions were correct, the invading Orcs weren't drifters like the giant was. There was a high possibility that they belonged to a dungeon.

He had to find out. And he had to prepare.

Yong-Ho closed his eyes.

He waited for Catalina and Eligor to return.

***

Eligor and the salamander returned a couple of minutes after Catalina reappeared with the captured Imp.

Eligor had concluded what had happened after examining the installed traps on his way back and was no longer surprised. He immediately took care of the situation in an orderly calm manner.

Under Eligor's command, the Goblins cleaned up the mess. Jun and Yon picked up the Orcs' equipment while Jon and Ron moved the Orcs and Imps' corpses into an empty room.

Meanwhile, Skull moved the corpses of the Kobolds into a different empty room. It was a room specifically designed as a tomb for the dungeon's fallen spirits.

Eligor let the Treant rest. After commanding the salamander to guard the entrance, in case of another attack, he and Catalina visited Yong-Ho, who was waiting in the prison.

About an hour after the battle.

After managing to suppress his anger and agitation, Yong-Ho greeted Eligor with a calm expression. He wanted to take a rest after expending all his mana, but questioning the Imp took priority.

Imps were small demons with green skin. They were smaller and weaker than a Goblin, but more agile and intelligent.

The Imp had a large head with thin arms and legs. It glanced between Yong-Ho and Eligor with its large eyes.

"Begin."

Yong-Ho commanded and Eligor immediately set to action. He opened the prison door and violently grabbed the Imp who was tied down by a rope.

"I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"

As soon as Eligor had grabbed it, the Imp started to shout frantically. However, Yong-Ho just stood still and stared while Eligor coldly examined the flailing Imp.

The Imp couldn't even look at them. It just closed its eyes and quickly spoke.

"The master sent us! Master Foras! To capture the dungeon! Sir Terak said it would be easy to capture since there wasn't an owner! They said it was for reconnaissance!"

The name, Foras, caused Eligor's expression to immediately change. However, he quickly covered up any change in emotion. He tightened his grip on the Imp's neck and asked.

"Who's Terak?"

"T-the dead Orc. The leader! The one that led the Orcs… a-and he said that! That if there was a new owner, they would check and return right away! That they would notify Master Foras and form a proper army!"

After quickly explaining, the Imp opened its eyes. It looked around anxiously and yelled again.

"I've said everything! I told you everything! I'm not lying!"

Yong-Ho thought so too. The Imp's words had contained all the important information that he needed.

The one that sent the Orcs.

The reason why they did this. And the information regarding their future plans.

Eligor asked again.

"How many are there? Are there a lot of spirits like Terak?"

"T-there is! There are dozens of Orcs! Over forty! There are three like Terak!"

Eligor squinted his eyes. He tightened his grip again and interrogated the imp further.

"And?"

"A-and! I don't know! I told you everything that I know! I've said everything!"

Again, the Imp didn't look like it was lying.

Eligor looked back at Yong-Ho as if asking for his confirmation. Yong-Ho nodded his head. He remembered what Eligor had said when he returned to the dungeon.

Elgior twisted the Imp's neck. He agilely broke its neck, instantly killing it.

"The imp had already been cast with spirit confirmation magic. It's unlikely there was a tracking function, but… it's something we should be concerned about."

Eligor spoke as he pointed to the small magic circle drawn on the Imp's forehead. It was similar to the magic circle that had appeared on the salamander's forehead.

"Eligor, do you know about the owner, Foras?"

"They're one of the many owners in the southern part of the continent. They're not that far from Mammon's dungeon. Around a day or two travel away by horse."

The Orcs probably traveled all the way here by foot. Although Yong-Ho couldn't perform an exact calculation on the difference in travel speed between riding a horse and walking, he could make a rough assumption.

"What's the strength of their power?"

"They're one of the middle powers of the south, they aren't the strongest, but they're certainly not the weakest either. During the time when the previous owner was alive, we would sometimes make contact with them."

It was an unexpected piece of information causing Yong-Ho to ask him further questions.

"Were you close?"

"No. We never actually fought against them, but… they would often make us aware of their desire to obtain this dungeon and occasionally provoke us."

"And now they've finally made their move."

Yong-Ho spoke, but Eligor didn't answer.

The enemy had attacked.

And, this time, they weren't a wandering spirit that they could defeat with a single fight. They were the owner of a dungeon.

Yong-Ho started to think. Instead of drowning in despair, he focused on the positive aspects of the situation.

"It's not the worst possible situation. We prevented them from obtaining any intel. If we consider the time it would take the Orcs to travel back after reconnaissance, then we still have at least a few days to spare."

They were going to make their move regardless.

However, there was a substantial difference in planning a move based on precise information rather than just mere assumptions.

Since Catalina had captured the Imp, the enemy wasn't able to receive any information. They didn't know how powerful Mammon's dungeon had become nor how their troops had been killed.

The time needed for Foras's troops to return. The time needed to wait to ensure certainty of their demise. The time needed to make a decision based on limited information.

Yong-Ho reckoned that, compared to if the Orcs had successfully completed their mission, he should have an additional two days of time. For a total of around six to seven days. He could accomplish a lot during that time frame.

He knew the enemy was coming.

So how should he prepare?

It was simple. The best defense would be to repel the enemy.

How could he proceed?

He had to finish designing his plans in the next couple of days.

Yong-Ho started to calculate his choices. He decided to start with what he considered his highest priority.

Yong-Ho looked at Catalina.

***

If there was no battle, then everything could have progressed in a more tranquil manner.

After leaving Eligor to dispose of the Imp, Yong-Ho entered the throne room with Catalina. Since there wasn't a table for them to sit at and talk face to face, they instead sat on top of the carpet.

Their conversation was short and concise.

It was regarding Catalina's current state.

The potential routes for evolution.

She had the choice to either choose between a Dark Elf and Succubus upon her advancement.

Or, instead, the third possible route, the hybrid.

Yong-Ho thoroughly explained each choice one by one with extreme care. Catalina paid close attention to every detail.

She already experienced the Power of Evolution once before, so it was important for her to listen as closely as possible.

"That's all I can tell you. I'm sorry, but I can't give you a lot of time. Think over it tonight and tell me your decision by tomorrow morning."

It was too difficult to increase the number of their soldiers right now. So, the best possible option was to focus on strengthening their current troops.

Yong-Ho didn't know much about Catalina.

Like how she became a spirit of the Mammon family or what kind of past she had.

However, despite that, he trusted her.

Catalina didn't give an immediate answer. Instead of replying, she closed her eyes and after fixing her posture, she opened her eyes and spoke.

"With all due respect."

She paused for a moment. Her blue eyes gave away her nerves, but only for a moment.

"I want to take the hybrid route."

Was it because she didn't want to give up either the Succubus or the Dark Elf blood?

Or perhaps she wanted to keep the advantages of both sides?

There could be many reasons. However, Yong-Ho decided not to question her decision and simply nodded his head in response.

He had left the decision to Catalina, so all he had to do was follow her choice.

Furthermore, the hybrid route had the same amount of evolutionary potential as the other two. Rather, it may, in fact, have more possibilities than the other routes.

Since Catalina had already made her decision, then there was no need to waste any more time. Yong-Ho pulled Catalina up from her seat.

"Catalina, close your eyes. Relax your body, just like before."

Yong-Ho spoke as he stood facing her. Catalina closed her eyes as she relaxed her body.

Yong-Ho commanded the Spirit of the Dungeon.

"Transfer the remaining mana of the dungeon to me."

[Understood, Master.]

Yong-Ho's body filled with the mana of the dungeon. He instinctively started to circulate the mana as it entered his body. He condensed it into a single portion and then split it into two again.

Yong-Ho placed both his hands that were now enveloped in mana between Catalina's waist and pelvis. He activated the Power of Evolution.

Hybrid evolution.

It was a greedy decision that didn't give up either race.

Yong-Ho's mana broke through Catalina's body.

It brought out Catalina's potential.