CHAPTER 129: CHAPTER 129 - CORE

When everything finally settled, Lucien and the others returned to Lootwell to rest.

But instead of sleeping, Lucien slipped into his divine energy core.

He wanted to check the loot from the gargoyles along with the mysterious achievement reward. His mind was too occupied earlier so he wasn’t able to see what it was.

Within his miniature Earth, he walked toward a spot where glowing cubes floated, waiting to be claimed. Earlier, he had dumped the gargoyle drops directly into his core. There had simply been too many to fit into his INVENTORY.

Now, it was time to open them.

One by one, the items revealed themselves. Lucien’s eyes lit up.

***

Gargoyle Drops

Common:

• Gargoyle Dust - sprinkle on wounds. It hardens into temporary scab to stop bleeding

• Stone fragments - useful for fortifying concrete, alchemy, or even sharpening weapons

• Water Flask - purifies any water stored inside

Uncommon:

• Gargoyle Mask - filters toxins and harmful air once worn

• Guardian Talisman - wards off debuffs

• Binding Chains - can be set as a trap that coil and bind intruders. It tightens with mana

Rare:

• Watcher’s Eye Gem - allow the bearer to see in darkness and detect illusions

• Stone Lantern - projects a warding aura that keeps hostile creatures at bay

• Wings of Descent - artifact that allows safe gliding from high places

Epic:

• Gargoyle Drone - a gargoyle-like construct that scouts and records what it sees

• Sentinel’s Aegis (Lionmane Gargoyle Drop) - amulet that projects a protective barrier for a short time

• Guardian’s Heart (Serpent Gargoyle Drop) - grants resistance to curses and petrification once consumed

***

Lucien’s eyes widened.

’Crap! I should’ve collected these before entering that damned door with the colossal hand. Some of these items could’ve helped in the fight...’

He let out a long sigh.

Shaking his head, he summoned his SKILLPEDIA. He grabbed two glowing cards from it. The new skill cards he’d earned.

***

Immovable Stance - resistance against knockbacks and pushes

Earthen Camouflage - blend seamlessly into rocky or urban environments

***

Lucien’s expression brightened.

"These might not be flashy... but lifesavers rarely are."

Even if he had trump cards, more options never hurt. He absorbed both skills without hesitation.

Then he turned his attention to the system.

"System, show me the Achievement again."

***

[Ting!]

Achievement Unlocked: The Final Pulse

You shattered a dungeon core for the first time

Reward: Dungeon Core(Gargoyle)

***

"What?!"

Lucien’s mind short-circuited.

He stared at the glowing panel hanging in the air. He read it once... then again, just to be sure.

"...Oh shit."

The reward wasn’t just unexpected. It was absurd.

His expression twisted between excitement and dread. For a long moment, he simply stood there frozen, weighing possibilities.

’What if... that entity shows up again if I use it?’

His finger twitched then he tapped open the description.

***

Dungeon Core (Gargoyle)

Description: A heart of living stone. It radiates a steady pulse as though fragments of the gargoyle realm still breathe within.

Use: Can be embedded into the earth at a chosen location.

Effect: Forges a Gargoyle Dungeon. The dungeon expands over time, producing resources, guardians and hidden chambers unique to the gargoyle domain.

***

It felt like lightning struck his spine.

"...System. This isn’t a joke, right?"

The words slipped out. Half disbelief, half accusation.

With this absurd reward... he could create a dungeon. A real one. A structure that would grow, spawn monsters and churn out resources without end.

’This... this is absurd.’

Lucien fell silent. Even breathing felt strange. The sheer weight of the reward pressed down on him and still he couldn’t believe it.

Finally, he muttered to the air, "System... what are you, really? You feel even greater than that entity. Are you the one he called the Primordial Slime or something? Haha..."

But the silence that followed was absolute.

Lucien exhaled through his nose and shook his head. Overthinking would only spiral into madness.

Instead, he reached out and grabbed the orb from the INVENTORY.

The instant he touched it, a pulsing crystal orb appeared beating like a living heart.

Lucien gulped.

He could feel that it was alive.

It pulsed like a heart and a wave of divine energy was coming off from it.

"Since it came from the system, that entity shouldn’t be able to come, right?"

Just to be safe, he decided to try embedding this in his divine energy core...

He doesn’t know if it will work but it would be better to try it here... In a world he can control.

Lucien blinked to a fitting location and he embedded it to the ground.

Surprisingly... It worked.

The dungeon core glowed.

And waved of divine energy shot off the surroundings.

It was intense.

And soon... A barrier was created covering the dungeon core.

It was expanding.

Strangely, Lucien can’t peek through it.

’Crap. Is this dungeon something I can’t control? Why can’t I see through it.’

But then he didn’t worry anymore.

If ever monsters can come out from it, he could erase them directly from his mini world.

He watched for awhile.

He then remembered that he can’t even summon or create life inside. So he breathe a sigh of relief.

’Sice dungeon was said to be part of a different dimension then its different matters inside.’

He then looked around and though.

"If I could bring life here... then it wouldn’t be any different than outside haha."

But then... Those words struck something in him.

A very strange thought creeped in.

"Wait... Could it be... This world is inside a core all along? Something like my divine energy core?"

The mere thought sent shivers down his spine. If this world truly existed inside someone else’s core... then with a single whim from its creator, he could be obliterated. Forgotten. His existence can be erased as though it had never been.

Lucien clenched his jaw then shook his head.

"No... Clara said there was no God in this world. I must be overthinking."

And yet, the chill lingered.

’Then what about the Will of the World? Where did it go?’ He hadn’t seen it since that strange encounter. It remained his only lead and its absence gnawed at him.

Lucien sighed. He hated questions without answers.

So he turned his focus elsewhere.

To something more practical.

He needed a way to link his territories. Moving by airship every time was a hassle. What he wanted was seamless teleportation.

He called for his MAGIC BOOK. The tome floated before him and he began flipping through its pages.

Space Magic was full of options but none were ideal to him

One-way teleportation. Unstable circles. Lagging transfers.

Then...

As if sensing his frustration, the Magic Book stirred. Its pages fluttered on their own, turning rapidly until they stopped on a Chapter that glowed faintly with cosmic energy.

Cosmic Attribute: Ancient Magic.

Lucien’s eyes widened.

There it was.

Constellation Gate Seal.

Like a bolt of lightning, the words struck him. His lips curled into a grin.

"This... is exactly what I needed."

Lucien looked up from the glowing page. His eyes narrowed in a thought.

Over time, his books had grown... sharper.

Ever since the creation of his miniature universe, their intelligence had steadily grown. And now, it could even suggest things to him.

He remembered the way it had once interacted with Cielius and the thought made him smile.

He reached out and gently patted the book.

"Thank you."

The book quivered in response.

Turning back to the page, Lucien reread the spell’s details carefully.

Constellation Gate Seal.

"Umu, umu... just what I need. Seamless teleportation. No time lag. Interlocking circles."

The concept was simple but brilliant. More than two magic circles could be set up and all of them are interconnected like a star web. Any circle could be chosen as the destination, so long as it remained linked.

Lucien’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

Even better, the spell was practical. The only maintenance required was to keep the circles intact. Retouch them regularly and they would last indefinitely.

Accuracy, however, remained crucial. The circles had to be drawn with precision and activation required mana. Distance dictated the cost and the amount of mana had to be exact. Too much or too little may cause accidents.

Thankfully, Lucien had Waystone Fragments. With them, he could measure approximate distances between circles, reducing the risk of unstable teleportations or catastrophic backfires.

’After all... space, time and cosmic magic demand perfection.’

With renewed determination, Lucien opened his CRAFT feature. He begun scanning for items that could prevent spatial anomalies.

Safety nets. Insurance against the worst-case scenario. Something to ensure they wouldn’t die even if a mistake occurred.

His eyes lit up as he found several promising options.

’Perfect.’

A grin spread across his face.

’Soon, all my territories will be connected as one. And when that happens... as their Lord, I’ll be the happiest man alive.’

•••

The next day...

The division representatives returned to the Coalheart main territory. Their expressions were grim.

The reports they carried painted a bleaker picture than anyone had expected. The territories’ situation was harsher and far more complicated than surface numbers had suggested.

Fixing it wouldn’t be easy.

But despite the weight of what they had seen, their eyes still held certainty.

They trusted Lucien. If anyone could change things for the better, it was him.

In their hands were detailed reports.

Observations written with care.

Drafts of plans drawn from the sleepless night.

And suggestions gathered from the people themselves.

Some requests were simple needs and desperate pleas for survival. Others were ambitious hopes for a future they still dared to dream.

And all of it... was now in Lucien’s hands.