Dungeon Diver: Stealing A Monster’s Power

The simple man in orange robes, sitting in Valor City where he has lived all his life—fighting monsters and humans to support his followers and continue the teachings of his predecessors—looks at the private message he's received with wide-open eyes.

This is because when he opens the private messaging chat, an automatic visual feed is shared, and Alveron, the millennia-old monster ruling over hundreds of worlds, doesn't hold back.

He allows Monk to see the enormity of his empire, and this instantly brings legitimacy to his urgent message.

Monk deletes all of his messages sent into the system and even contacts other commanders and members of the Crimson Army to try and make sure they're gone.

The generals seem to be busy, as they have all begun closed-door divine fragment cultivation, but this message influx alerts Bri that something interesting is happening.

The yellow slug watches as all the public messages disappear, and once they're all gone, it hears a human's voice reply through the instant link of the system.

"Please do enlighten me. What do you know of the Originators...? And why do you say that this knowledge is dangerous?"

As soon as these words leave his lips, a reply seems to come back within fractions of a second with a speed that cannot even be fully appreciated in monk's mind.

"My intention is to safely tell you everything you need to know and become a great ally. So, I will start with the most simple underlying secret. These ruins and artifacts are not naturally occurring, and in the grand scheme of things, they are not even rare. Though, to the worlds that still have not been tainted by the demons, there is a reason they do not know of the Originators. For if they did, their planets would not last long... That makes my curiosity grow as to how a 3rd Class World managed to ward off an invasion. Please do, answer me this and I'd be happy to tell you more."

Silently, a ping goes off on Bri's system as Monk was instructed to inform her about any sensitive information being traded, and from this statement alone, he's aware whatever this being is on the other side of the system is very serious.

Seconds later, a request pops up on both Alveron's and monk's systems requesting to add a new member to their call.

The yellow slug vibrates in his vast ocean with excitement, as seeing the favored system user from earlier take interest is the best response to its message it could have gotten.

The craftswoman joins and makes herself heard instantly.

"Proceed. There are already millions of users in the system spreading the story. Confirming it with a future trade ally is the least we can provide in exchange for more information on this topic."

Bri looks at the slug, unable to read its emotions based on appearance alone; but her memory of this being in the trade meeting hours ago is clear in her mind, and it cannot be solely a coincidence it has made contact like this now.

Monk lets out a relieved sigh, thankful that he hasn't run into another dead end. Then, he begins telling an abridged version of the failed invasion from his point of view outside the tower in the Dark Continent just a few days prior.

The yellow slug floats on its back, gazing up at three bright suns in the sky while visualizing Monk's retelling of humans facing off against a 3rd, 2nd, and 1st Class Demon along with an army of over a hundred red-cored knights and a dozen commanders—without a single casualty to the human troops.

Monk's retelling of the trials within the tower is very similar to some of the message boards and posts the slug read over the last few hours. It corrects the inconsistencies, exaggerations, and twisted retellings that make this Flame Emperor seem like a god who obliterated the demonic forces and freed this world with a snap of his finger.

Then again, as Monk confirms that the demon in the final battle really was kilometers tall and that a human alone defeated him, it begins to believe these godlike depictions may not be that far off...

Only so much can be conceptualized over retelling and mere words alone. Plus, the visual feeds during this event went in and out, so no one in the world truly knows the full story.

However, the slimy yellow being is satisfied with this offer of information and replies back with a payment of its own, as promised.

"There is a constant struggle for power within this galaxy we mortals live in. Having power over one world is never enough—not even a hundred, or a million, or the billions that surround the source. Even if one can hold them all, through the river of time, there is always another ruler. Though rulers often shift the rules of reality within the system. Even if they are overthrown, their changes still echo through the past and hold their structural patterns to continue altering the future, even if their era is long lost and forgotten..."

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The slug stares off past the three suns in its sky and into the vastness of space, allowing its abstract words to set the tone for these lower lifeforms as it attempts to explain a concept not meant for their slower information-processing minds.

"There are many variations of Originator artifacts, but the ones you have shown me are by far the oldest I've ever seen. They have been overlooked for many system updates. They are valuable, as lost techniques and written history remain. Many of the artifact-rich worlds I've dug up have been from just the era before this, but the demons will send all of the weapons they have to stop mana-based lifeforms from learning the truth."

Monk recognizes phrases in this slug's words, but both his and Bri's facial expressions show that they are equally confused as they are intrigued.

The slug instantly picks up on their emotions and shifts its tone and lessens its depth even further in its next response, as the humans still lack this knowledge and have been tinkering around with a time bomb with catastrophic consequences, yet have no idea.

"Every large artifact left behind is imbued with portions of an Originator's soul. It is the only way for them to pass down wealth to their races through the generations. Originators are just the blanket name we give to the ruling race. The last era was of the Wyverns, and some of the most ancient relics I've found are of an Elven race that battled a Hydra over control of the system before that. This era is owned by the Demons. This is why they have infected the system and created mutations like labyrinths to plant seeds on every world the new wave of the system touches. The Originators on your world are further back than this, so far that I have never seen texts from the race that has left them."

Monk responds now, as these words are starting to make more sense to him and his master's teachings.

"So Qi is a fragment of our ancestors' souls? Like an inheritance? You say the Demons are the ruling race, and me putting out messages to trillions of minds is like putting a bigger bullseye on our world?"

The slug vibrates with satisfaction again, as it has found common ground and an intelligence level to speak on without being misunderstood.

"Yes, it is the greatest inheritance a race can find. Worlds can move up entire classes when finding the right tomb of artifacts and deposits of this Qi, as you call it. Many have their own names for this essence, but to those that study the gap between realms, we call it Ether. For it can never be created nor destroyed—only strengthened and refined by the complexity of life itself. Whatever lived on your world before has left a great gift of their Ether, now degraded back to its original unstimulated form. But with the knowledge it's left, untold secrets can be uncovered... Some artifacts even retain their creators' wills. If one from your world has held on through this many eras, its potential would eclipse anything I've ever found."

Possibilities of this so-called Flame Emperor rivaling a Noble Demon repeat in the slug's mind, as it wonders if he found a legacy tomb to be granted this much power or if there are even more unknowns at play that it cannot see.

Meanwhile, Monk's eyes are wide, and he can't hold back his smiles, as so many of his questions over the years are being both answered and confirmed. He dares not interrupt this powerful being as it enlightens him as promised.

Though, this wise creature has read the emotions of many races and knows how to pull the strings of the mind quite well. Even if it wishes to become allies with these humans and give them what they desire, it is in its nature to ask for more when its audience is captivated.

"I have access to quite a few worlds that were taken over by demons in the last few millennia. They were of 3rd to 1st Grade strength, so many of my elite forces were tasked with fighting them off. All of their mana has been drained dry, and a majority of their more refined Ether; but I'm certain there are still artifacts left behind from the Wyvern era if you're interested in prospecting them yourself. There are still many ancient infected Demonic Beasts of strengths that certainly rival your world's greatest forces that roam these worlds. I couldn't help but see one of your administrators was searching for Concentrated Essence... This would be an excellent hunting ground for him to build up his unrefined Ether stores. All I ask in return are visuals of any texts you find, and a single meeting with the creator of this system. The Rising Emperor, as you call him."

Monk's eyes widen even more at the thought of many worlds' worth of artifacts to continue studying, but Bri has stayed level-headed and knows this is another stop in the real conversation where negotiations begin. Knowing that the last message received from the Upper Realm said she would lose contact for an unknown number of days until some special training was finished and a list of things needed when it's over, she replies to Alveron.

"The Creator is not always available. He is very busy in the Upper Realm. I cannot promise a timeline, but I'm sure a meeting can be arranged. That is, in exchange for access to these artifact hunting grounds and assistance in fulfilling a large list of unique item orders."

Bri summons a hologram showing a list of items that would be difficult to procure even if the resources of 100 normal 1st Class worlds were drained dry.

Alveron's virtual gaze scans the list and tries to determine what this could possibly be for, but it replies after a full second. This is the longest it has waited to respond yet. After attempting to make simulated crafts in its mind hundreds of thousands of times using all of the listed items, it finally stops without coming up with a solution to what these items are going to be used for.

It has not found a puzzle it cannot solve in longer than it can remember. The entire ocean on its world glows yellow with excitement as it replies.

"If that is for the creator, then I am looking forward to meeting him even more... We can certainly work out a deal."