The Runesmith

The group of adventurers huddled together, staring at some jagged rocks. They were looking over a large map that represented this area, one of their members was scribbling on it, filling out the blanks as they went along. There were five in total, a balanced party with years of experience exploring dangerous ruins and forgotten realms. Their leader, a burly man in heavy armor, frowned as he ran his gauntleted hand across the rough stone.

"This is strange… Are you sure we made a wrong turn? I could swear that this is where the entrance should be…"

Behind him, a robed man with sharp eyes and a calculating demeanor stepped forward. The adventurer group stood where the entrance to the next dungeon floor should have been, their expressions ranging from curiosity to frustration.

"It is strange indeed, leader."

"I know that already! You don't need to repeat yourself!"

The man, who looked like a mage, shrugged. Like everyone else, he had expected to find the exit to the next floor by now. Time was running out, with more and more adventuring teams diving into the dungeon. They knew a boss chamber had to be nearby. Securing the first clear would earn them bonus loot, and they were determined to get it before the guild claimed it.

"Don't you have any magic to check? What if it's hidden by an illusion?"

"Sure… give me a moment. I can check again, but I doubt it'll change anything."

"Just do it."

The robed man, a mage seemingly specializing in sensory and detection spells, sighed and stepped forward. He adjusted his runic staff before casting a spell. His chants were rather quick making whatever he was saying incomprehensible to anyone here. A wave of shimmering energy radiated outward, washing over the jagged rocks and the surrounding area. The rest of the party waited in silence but instead of answers they only could hear the mage sigh.

"Nothing. No magical signatures, no distortions, no hidden runes. It's just… rocks."

The leader growled in frustration, his gauntleted fist slamming against the nearby stone wall.

"Damn it! Where could it be? We almost searched through this entire damn floor, we never had problems with the upper ones."

"Calm down leader, let's just go to the areas we haven't checked yet, we'll find that entrance eventually."

The mage attempted to calm the adventurer leader. It was true - there was something strange about this place. He was almost certain there was a hidden exit somewhere, but he wasn't sure how to uncover it. If this continued, they would have to leave and procure specialized tools for detecting enchantments. It seemed likely that finding the entrance to the next floor would require dispelling some kind of magical barrier.

"Don't fret over it!"

Another member of the group called out from the back, an archer who had already scoured the area without discovering any enchantments or hidden entrances. Both the mage and the tracker of the team had found no signs of anything unusual. While they respected their leader's instincts - his sixth sense for these things was often uncanny - they also knew he wasn't infallible.

Frustration flickered across the leader's face as he glared at his party members, who didn't seem to be taking him seriously. In a sudden burst of anger, he picked up a rock from the ground and hurled it at the rocky wall he suspected might be hiding a secret entrance. The stone arced through the air before colliding with the wall, shattering on impact. A bit of rubble tumbled down, but it revealed nothing - just more hard and unremarkable rock behind it.

"Fine… let's just go. We'll retrace our steps and check everything again. There has to be an entrance somewhere."

The group of five finally began walking, their footsteps fading into distant echoes. Behind them, the wall the adventurer leader had thrown a rock at began to shimmer. A figure stepped through, holding the same rock - completely intact. The rubble on the ground vanished, revealing itself to have been nothing more than an illusory projection.

*****

"Well, that was close… Luckily, everything is working as it should."

Roland stepped forward, revealing the staircase that led to the floor with the five elemental temples. He had just finished exploring the first temple and had set up an illusory wall to deter any intruders. Watching the party arrive and interact with his creation gave him valuable insight into the limitations of his setup.

"It would be better if I could create hard constructs. While this fools their minds, if someone trips or stumbles, they'll just fall through the wall…"

Thanks to his multiple run-ins with the Abyssal Cult, Roland knew a thing or two about illusions. While this was nothing compared to the monoliths he had encountered before, it was more than enough to affect Tier 3 class holders and keep this place hidden. Even without a physical wall, if someone threw a rock at it, their minds would be compelled to perceive the rock bouncing back.

However, the illusion wasn't foolproof. The more people examined it, the easier it became to see through. If someone hadn't witnessed the rock appearing to bounce off the wall, their minds wouldn't register the illusion's consistency. And if anyone in a party raised doubts about the wall, the deception could quickly unravel.

Fortunately, the device he had hidden inside one of the walls had a wide range of influence. There was also only one spot to view this unsuspecting wall, making it easier to fool larger groups. The chances of someone seeing through the illusion were slim - and for now, that would have to be enough.

"Woof!"

"Yeah, you can talk now, they are gone."

"Wooo!"

Agni leapt down the staircase, sniffing the air eagerly. Roland chuckled as his canine companion wagged his tail with unrestrained enthusiasm, darting around the now-empty corridor. Agni had been restless during the encounter, but thanks to the concealment device, their presence had remained hidden.

After giving Agni a quick scratch behind the ears, Roland approached the wall where his hastily assembled device was embedded. From his spatial storage, he retrieved his portable furnace - an item that finally had a chance to shine. One of his skills allowed him to control forge flames, making it particularly useful in situations like this.

The device itself was a patchwork of interconnected cubes, tangled wires, and battery units. It was crude but functional. He just needed to attach a few additional batteries to ensure it would last until he returned to this location.

He inserted a piece of metal into the portable forge, letting the flames flare to life as they began melting it down. Once the metal had turned to liquid, he used his magic to shape it into an intricate, finely woven net of cables. Carefully, he connected the molten metal to the base runic cubes he had prepared for just such an occasion.

Rather than relying on bulky machinery, Roland had designed these cubes as modular building blocks. They could be combined and configured to create almost any device he needed, connected through pathways made of metal. While ethereal pathways were an option, they caused a significantly higher mana drain on his creations. By crafting custom-fit wiring from molten metal, he achieved a more efficient and reliable setup.

"That should do it… I think."

With the generator operational, he stepped back to admire his handiwork. The illusion projected a convincing jagged rockface that seamlessly blended with the surroundings. Coupled with its mana signature dampening effects, it would be nearly impossible for an average-tier 3 adventurer and mage to uncover the concealed entrance without specialized tools or skills.

"This should hold until I get back…"

Roland muttered to himself, contemplating his next move. While he had already explored the first temple and set up turrets to clear it repeatedly without his direct involvement, his work was far from finished. His ultimate goal was to transform this place into a personalized material farm.

The temples were brimming with hidden treasures, valuable metals, rare resources, and monster parts that could be sold for profit. He wanted to monopolize these riches, not just for himself but also for Albrook. Even when the dungeon was eventually opened to the public, his turrets would remain in place, automatically clearing the newly generated waves of monsters as they appeared.

However, ensuring the efficiency of this system posed a challenge. To minimize strain on the turrets, he needed a method to handle the drops before any adventurers could reach them. One option was to station soldiers as guards, but that wasn't practical as there simply weren't enough Tier 3 class holders on his side. At best, he could enlist the platinum team Arthur had hired to keep watch, but even that felt insufficient for a long-term solution.

"I suppose I'll have to make more robust golems. There were a few sections that could be used for their storage."

In his mind, Roland was already formulating a plan to tackle these challenges. The biggest hurdles, as always, were time and resources. Beyond that, he needed to figure out what lay behind the massive door. It was likely a boss chamber, possibly even the dungeon's endpoint.

He hoped this dungeon connected to the super dungeon located at the center of the island, but there was no guarantee. If it didn't, whatever awaited him beyond the door would still likely be strong - close to level 200, perhaps slightly stronger, but nothing beyond his ability to handle.

"Come on Agni, we need to return and prepare."

"Woof!~"

While Roland didn't want to leave without fully exploring the area, he had run out of turrets. He could move through the temples on his own if he wished, but he wasn't in a rush. Even if adventurers managed to make it inside, they would likely be unable to open the sturdy door at the end.

He had already taken the loot from the fire temple and hidden the key item required for the puzzle at the end. Even if someone came through and cleared the other four temples, they would probably be unable to progress past the point he had reached. Monopolising the new loot was important and he knew that if the guild master caught wind of it he would complain. However, he was still the high commander of this place and Aurdhan would not be able to bully him anymore.

"Now what to do about a power source? Could I use that thing to create some steam?"

As he made his way back through the dungeon, his mind raced with new plans. He had stashed away the elemental block and concealed its fiery signature. It was well-hidden, and he doubted anyone would be able to locate it. He mused over its potential uses - perhaps it could heat water. The block, composed of materials that heated rapidly and infused with abundant mana, continuously generated flame energy on that floor. This energy could potentially power his turrets.

Then there were the other elemental blocks, each with unique properties. One contained wind energy, making it ideal for assembling a wind generator. That task would be relatively simple, but finding an optimal location for it posed a challenge. Water could also serve as a source of energy if he managed to create flow, akin to power plants that harness dams and flowing water.

The earth block, however, seemed more difficult to utilize. Perhaps he could harness tremors to vibrate a specific section of earth and produce torque, though he wasn't entirely sure how to achieve this. Nevertheless, with the other three blocks, he seemed to have enough energy to supply his turrets. The dark elemental block, on the other hand, intrigued him. Its energies were unfamiliar, and he lacked much experience working with them. This made it an enticing challenge, though he would need to proceed with caution.

In theory, the darkness element embodied the absence of light, but in this world, it was associated with evil and corrupt energies. The many occult and cursed items he had encountered were imbued with this element, often twisting their users' minds or demanding sacrifices to function. In contrast, the light element was seen as divine, a force wielded by good deities like Solaria.

Yet, to his knowledge, photons also existed in this world. Drawing on theories from his own world, he suspected that the light and darkness elements might be better classified through a different lens. Few people studied light in this scientific sense, but it was a field he was eager to explore. Photons - the smallest particles of light - might hold untapped potential. The idea of harnessing them to achieve something extraordinary, like moving at the speed of light, was quite intriguing.

As Roland trekked back toward his workshop, his thoughts remained fixated on the possibilities. The elemental blocks represented untapped reservoirs of energy, and the potential to harness them for his machinery was too valuable to ignore. His portable turrets and golems, efficient as they were, would need consistent and reliable power sources if he hoped to automate this dungeon's operations. If done correctly, he would even have a place to store his safety golems there, bringing in another source of revenue.

Once back, Roland wasted no time. His first task was reaching out to the Union Dwarves. Their expertise in forging and construction was unparalleled, and with the materials he had gathered, he could afford their assistance. They would eagerly trade their assistance for rare minerals such as the ones he found but would also ask questions about where he had gathered them.

"Sebastian, could you send a rune letter to the union requesting their aid? I've forwarded the schematics for the updated turrets into your runic databank - they should be there"

As you wish, Master."

Sebastian replied, promptly beginning to carry out the instructions. The workshop around him was becoming increasingly modern, incorporating elements reminiscent of the world he had come from. Among his creations was a system akin to a rapid messaging service. As he pondered whether to reuse its old name, he decided instead to adapt it to his new craft, dubbing it "rune mail" or simply "r-mail" in place of the "e-mail" from his previous world. It was a touch silly, but it felt fitting for the persona of the runic craftsman he had become.

Only a few people were using this system, as it required either specially crafted boards featuring the letters of the language native to this world or access to a pen. While the script resembled an alphabet, it wasn't quite the same, and creating a keyboard system needed some thought. Instead, he created a simple receptor to written text that would be then copied over onto the display screen, similar to drawing tablets from his own world. It was a much faster solution and for the time being was enough. Only a limited number of people in the city had access to them and even then, they were used sparingly, primarily for emergencies.

'Ever since I've started sharing some of the inventions from my old world, the dwarves seemed to have taken a liking to me, they stopped questioning me.'

This world was not one that changed easily. It operated on skills and abilities granted by the world's system. While this system made many aspects of life more convenient, it also stifled progress in certain areas. People were less inclined to think outside the box or invent non-obvious tools, such as this communication device. It was something other runesmiths could have created ages ago, but they clung to the old crystal ball technology, as though there was no reason to innovate further.

Thus, when he began presenting the dwarves with new ideas - starting with something as simple as a cold box, a plumbing system with hot water, and mana-charged light bulbs for every home - his inventions made an impact. They helped the dwarves realize that countless more tools could be created, and that, perhaps in the future, they too might be remembered as master crafters and innovators. It seemed they decided to stick to him like a swarm of leeches, hoping to uncover some of his secrets and perhaps claim some credit for his creations, as they were the ones responsible for crafting many of his designs.

'Well, it doesn't matter…'

There were no laws preventing people from copying inventions, so everyone could eventually take what he had made.

'This might take a while, what should I do until then?"

Roland pondered while looking at some of the magical ore he retrieved from the dungeon and his lone armor that was on the armor rest. It looked a bit lonely there and perhaps soon, it would have some friends.