Chapter 102: upgrade

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: upgrade

Kenny looked at the unconscious group scattered around the trail.

"We’ve gotten enough."

Tolu nodded.

"I was thinking the same thing."

They had already collected valuable resources from the first two floors.

The Spirit Crystals alone had made the trip worthwhile. On top of that, they had the treasures from the Aróni’s inheritance, and Tolu now had the Earth Core Fragment and the Solace Tree safely inside his dungeon.

There was no reason to become greedy.

Especially after what had just happened.

Kenny sheathed his sword.

"Then let’s get out of here."

Tolu looked toward the trail leading deeper into the dungeon.

For a moment, he considered going farther.

Then he shook his head.

"No need."

They turned around.

The journey back was considerably quieter.

Neither of them spoke much about Titi or her group. Tolu occasionally checked their surroundings, but they encountered no more enemies.

Eventually, the familiar passage leading toward the dungeon’s entrance came into view.

The further they traveled, the lighter the atmosphere became.

When they finally stepped through the dungeon’s exit, sunlight greeted them.

Kenny stopped and took a deep breath.

"Feels good to be outside."

Tolu glanced back at the massive dungeon entrance.

"We came here looking for resources."

He looked at the bags they carried.

"I think we found enough."

Kenny smiled.

"More than enough."

They started walking away from the entrance.

They had only one thing on their minds.

Getting back to the city and finding out exactly what they had brought home.

...

By the time Tolu and Kenny returned to Kemisola’s manor, the sun had already begun to sink toward the horizon.

The guards at the entrance recognized Kenny immediately and opened the gates without question.

Kenny walked in carrying his belongings, looking considerably more cheerful than he had when they left.

Tolu followed behind him.

They had spent enough time in the open dungeon.

For now, there was nothing more they needed to accomplish there.

Once they entered the manor, Kenny turned toward Tolu.

"I’ll see you later."

Tolu nodded.

"I’m going to my room."

The two separated.

Tolu headed upstairs, carrying his belongings with him.

Once inside his guest room, he closed the door.

Only then did his expression change.

His thoughts immediately returned to the dungeon.

The Aróni.

The strange tests.

The treasury.

The Earth Core Fragment.

The Solace Tree.

And the things the Heart had yet to explain.

He had a lot to think about.

But first, he needed to rest.

---

Kenny went in search of his sister.

He found Kemisola in one of the manor’s sitting rooms, speaking with one of the household servants.

The moment she saw him, she smiled.

"You’re back."

Kenny grinned.

"We’re back."

Kemisola looked him over.

"You’re not injured?"

"Not seriously."

She immediately noticed the excitement in his expression.

"That’s good. And from.the looks of it, it seems you got something good?"

Kenny reached into his belongings and carefully brought out the large fang.

Kemisola’s eyes widened.

"What is that?"

"A beast fang."

She stared at it.

"That’s not an ordinary fang."

"No."

Kenny turned it slightly so the light caught the pale surface and faint blue markings.

"It can be shaped into a weapon. A dagger, most likely."

Kemisola examined it without touching it.

"Where did you get something like this?"

"Inside the dungeon."

She looked at him for a moment.

"You were lucky."

Kenny smiled.

"Very."

There were plenty of things he could have told her.

He could have told her about the ancient space hidden beneath the dungeon.

About the Aróni who had created it.

About the tests.

About the Spirit Tempering Potion.

About the technique he had received.

But the more he thought about it, the more complicated it sounded.

And there was no telling what kind of problems revealing something like that could cause.

So he kept those things to himself.

Some secrets were better left unexplained.

Kemisola noticed his hesitation.

"Did anything else happen?"

Kenny laughed awkwardly.

"Actually, yes."

"What?"

"We met another group."

Her expression immediately became serious.

"Another group?"

Kenny nodded.

"There was a girl with them. She called herself Titi."

He explained what had happened.

How Tolu had heard her calling for help.

How they had found her trapped among the vines.

How they had freed her.

Then he explained what happened afterward.

"She was pretending."

Kemisola frowned.

"Pretending?"

"She was part of the group that ambushed us. She deliberately led us into an isolated trail."

Kenny shook his head.

"I didn’t realize it until it was too late."

"And Tolu?"

"He got us out of that mess."

Kenny smiled.

"He fought all of them."

Kemisola looked surprised.

"All four?"

"All four."

"And you?"

Kenny rubbed the back of his neck.

"I was ready to fight."

Kemisola gave him a look.

"But?"

"But Tolu handled it."

She sighed.

"You really were lucky he was with you."

Kenny nodded.

"I know."

He glanced toward the stairs.

"He saved me more than once today."

Kemisola smiled faintly.

"Then you chose the right person to travel with."

Kenny grinned.

"Yeah."

He looked down at the fang in his hands.

"And I think this trip was worth it."

Kemisola nodded.

"Good. Now go get some rest, I’ll start making preparatios for the fang."

Kenny started toward the stairs.

"Kenny."

He stopped.

"Thank Tolu for me."

Kenny smiled.

"I will."

Then he headed upstairs, leaving Kemisola alone with her thoughts.

...

Tolu closed the door to his room and locked it.

He waited for a moment, making sure no one was nearby.

Then he reached for the connection he had maintained with his dungeon ever since becoming its Lord.

The next instant, the room disappeared.

Tolu appeared within the dungeon.

The familiar underground air surrounded him.

Before he could take another step, the Dungeon Heart’s voice greeted him.

"Welcome back, my Lord."

Tolu looked toward the glowing crystal at the center of the dungeon.

"I have a question."

"I expected as much."

Tolu smiled faintly.

"The Solace Tree. What exactly is it for?"

There was a brief silence.

"It is a replacement."

Tolu frowned.

"A replacement for what?"

"Something far more powerful."

His expression became serious.

"So it’s incomplete?"

"Not incomplete. Rather, it is one component of something greater."

Tolu looked toward the spot where he had teleported the tree earlier.

"What does it do?"

"The complete purpose is useless to explain without the other components. You currently possess only one of them."

Tolu sighed.

"Then what can it do now?"

"It can store energy."

Tolu’s eyes narrowed.

"Dungeon energy?"

"Yes."

The Heart continued.

"The Solace Tree can absorb and store excess energy generated by the dungeon. That stored energy can then be drawn upon by you."

Tolu considered that.

"So I get another energy reserve."

"Not exactly."

The Heart’s tone became slightly more serious.

"You have always been connected to the dungeon. But until now, you have mostly accessed its energy indirectly. The Solace Tree will allow you to consciously draw upon a portion of the dungeon’s stored energy."

Tolu looked at his hands.

"How much?"

"For a short period?"

"Yes."

"Enough to make your current abilities considerably more powerful."

Tolu’s eyes widened.

"How much more powerful?"

"For a brief moment, your attacks could exceed what your current cultivation would normally allow."

That made Tolu silent.

"But there is a limitation," the Heart continued.

"The amount you can draw at once is substantial, but you cannot maintain it for long. Attempting to continuously channel dungeon energy through your body would exhaust you quickly."

"So I shouldn’t use it to fight normally."

"Correct."

Tolu thought for a moment.

"Then I should use it to strengthen individual attacks."

"That would be the more efficient application."

Tolu nodded.

"That sounds useful."

"It will become considerably more useful as the other components are acquired."

Tolu looked at the Heart.

"Then let’s plant it."

"Beneath me."

Tolu blinked.

"Beneath you?"

"Yes."

He walked toward the Dungeon Heart.

The Solace Tree appeared in his hands.

It was still small, barely more than a young seedling.

Tolu carefully lowered it into the earth directly beneath the floating Dungeon Heart.

"Now what?"

"Step back."

Tolu obeyed.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then—

Crack.

Tolu’s eyes widened.

A thin crack appeared in the ground.

Another followed.

Crack. Crack.

Green light seeped through the fractures.

The soil began to shift.

The tiny seedling trembled.

Then it grew.

Roots pushed deep into the earth.

The trunk thickened rapidly.

Branches stretched outward.

Leaves unfolded one after another, glowing faintly as energy flowed through them.

Tolu stared.

The little sapling became a young tree.

Then a large tree.

Then something far beyond anything he had expected.

Its trunk rose several meters into the air.

Its branches spread wide across the space surrounding the Dungeon Heart, forming a natural canopy.

The leaves were lush and vibrant, carrying a subtle green radiance.

Then Tolu noticed something strange.

The center of the trunk was hollow.

The tree had grown around the Dungeon Heart.

The Heart remained suspended within the hollow center, completely enclosed by the massive trunk without being touched by it.

Its crystal pulsed.

Once.

Twice.

The light inside it became noticeably brighter.

Tolu stared upward.

The Dungeon Heart had always been beautiful.

But now it looked different.

Brighter.

Stronger.

Almost alive in a way he had never seen before.

The Solace Tree’s roots spread throughout the surrounding earth.

Tolu could feel something changing.

The dungeon’s energy wasn’t simply flowing through the tree.

It was being gathered.

Stored.

Organized.

And then slowly returned to the dungeon.

Tolu smiled.

"So that’s what you meant."

The Heart pulsed softly within the tree.

"Yes, my Lord."

Tolu looked at the majestic tree surrounding it.

For the first time, he understood that the treasure he had chosen wasn’t merely a valuable plant.

It was part of the dungeon itself.