Kaiden zoomed the map view out, measuring in his head like a true min-maxing gamer. He was happy to discover that the 100 meters of space only had to be honored horizontally, not vertically. He could place the cavern right at the foot of the dungeon gate, meaning 0 meters had to be honored downwards, and only 3 meters (9.84 feet) had to be honored upward.

This meant that he had to give enough space for a tall, muscular man to walk without scraping his head. Furthermore, he tried to make the path so narrow that even Luna would struggle to fit through, but he was once again stopped.

The cavern pathways had to be wide enough for at least 2 people in armor and swords in hand to walk next to one another.

It was a bit sad, but Kaiden wasn't annoyed. He now understood that being a dungeon master wasn't just about ensuring no one could ever win. You had to play the dungeon game by the rules… Which meant giving the invaders some chances of success.

However, this was still more than perfect compared to what Calypso had before.

He didn't want invaders strolling in comfortably; he wanted them to feel confined from the first step.

But before letting himself feel good about his decisions, Kaiden decided to test it out. He did not allow himself a false sense of security.

He needed to test the rock.

Kaiden raised his hand. His Blood Monarch's Gauntlet responded instantly. Blood gathered in his palm, forming into a crimson pickaxe. It was dense, perfect for the job.

He lifted the pickaxe high and brought it down with "[Doomrend]!" The impact echoed like thunder in the silence. The rock didn't crack. A faint scorch mark spread where the pick struck, but no fragment came loose.

Kaiden's eyes lit up. "Oh?"

He hit it again. And again.

For several minutes, he slammed his weapon against the abyssal stone, each swing powered by mana and muscle alike. His blows shook the air, sparks of red energy dancing across the black surface. But when the dust cleared, the result was the same: no dent.

Not even a scratch.

"Amazing."

Sweat beaded on his brow, but Kaiden was relieved.

"That explains the price tag."

He'd made the right call. Regular stone could be tunneled through by miners or awakened with earth-type skills.

Since he had to provide the invaders with a safe zone, they could just enter, realize it's a cavern-type dungeon, go back out, and come back with proper tools for the job, such as enchanted pickaxes, blessed with durability, reinforced with mana, to dig alternate paths.

This would let them bypass the path Kaiden intended his invaders to be forced into traversing.

But abyssal rock?

No chance.

They could swing those enchanted toys all day long, and they'd dull before they left a mark. Unless someone possessed obscene, god-tier strength, this wall wasn't getting breached.

He leaned against the unblemished surface and grinned. "Freaks like the Heavenly Demon might have the tools or just raw power to break through something like this, but my concern right now is humans."

Kaiden didn't doubt that he'd have to face mightier enemies in the future, but for now, he had to prepare for what he knew were the most imminent threats.

He dismissed the pickaxe, the blood evaporating into mist as he wiped his brow.

Even just testing the stone had been satisfying. Feeling the feedback of his blows, the satisfying resistance of the dungeon… it scratched that primal itch deep inside him.

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Man, I wish the girls were here to see this."

His voice echoed softly through the empty cavern-to-be.

He chuckled under his breath. "They'd probably argue for hours over which entrance theme music fits best."

He'd let them voice their inputs, of course, but he wanted to create the basis of his domain right now. From what he could tell, he was given a unique time-stop period, which would only happen at the inheritance, meaning now. If he left now to ask for input, then he would be wasting the chance.

Furthermore… He wanted to be the one to decorate at least the kill zones. His girls would get to work their magic where the boss - they - resided.

The rumble continued as the cavern stretched outward, slowly forming a narrow funnel of abyssal rock that began where the safe zone ended.

The dungeon was taking shape, becoming an embryonic labyrinth.

Then, a new prompt flashed before his eyes.

[Structural Requirement: Two Primary Pathways must lead outward from the Safe Zone.]

[Structural Requirement: A Minimum of Three Routes must connect toward the Dungeon Core.]

Kaiden frowned. "This dungeon core again?"

He only heard that term for the first time today, spoken by Calypso. Humanity, as far as he was aware, did not know of this thing's existence.

Thankfully, the interface explained.

[Dungeon Core: The heart of every dungeon. It serves as both an anchor and a sustenance source.]

[As long as the Dungeon Core remains intact, the dungeon will naturally restore itself over time.]

[Destroyed traps, slain monsters, and damaged terrain will gradually reform based on their original designs.]

[The Dungeon Core may be physically placed within the dungeon or linked to the Dungeon Master directly.]

[Warning: If the Dungeon Master perishes, the Dungeon Core will automatically shatter. The dungeon will collapse.]

Kaiden's gaze lingered on the glowing blue text.

"So that's what's going on," he realized.

Humanity had catalogued many thousands of dungeons since the Mana Apocalypse, but not once had anyone mentioned this. There had been no talk of "dungeon cores." No explorers had ever brought back one. No hunter team had ever said, 'We destroyed the core.'

Because there wasn't one to find.

He realized why now. The "core" wasn't some gem buried beneath the boss chamber. It was with the dungeon's master, the creature ruling that domain. It was part of their essence, so to speak.

When the boss died, its Dungeon Core shattered with it. The magic drained out. The dungeon began to rot, its monsters fading, its halls collapsing into dust. Humanity had seen that countless times and assumed it was just the way of things.

But now he understood the mechanism behind it.

"Unless one places the Dungeon Core somewhere in the dungeon physically, in a way, the Dungeon Master will become the Dungeon Core."

Now he had a choice to make. Keep the Dungeon Core with him, which would be done by simply not placing it anywhere, or, well… Place it.

Kaiden could only rationalize that he was given the choice because if the Dungeon Master had placed the Dungeon Core down physically and he was slain, then the dungeon would remain without a master.

This would allow it to continue functioning, just without anyone making any more choices or changes to it. As long as the core remained intact, it would sustain the dungeon.

But Kaiden did not want this option. It wasn't that he didn't want to leave his girls with a badass dungeon should he be slain, but that until it became a truly impenetrable fortress, he didn't feel good putting it down in some random corner.

He would rather keep it with him.

Now, with the decision made and the safe area established, it was time to continue making the most deadly dungeon known to man, including the selection of monsters!

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