The sound of metal ringing against stone echoed through the core chamber, sharp and rhythmic.

Clang. Clang. Scrape.

Grika was testing the walls. By "testing," she meant she was bent over at the waist, presenting a truly magnificent view of her frayed denim shorts to the room, while she hammered a wrench against the floor near the tunnel mouth.

Reed leaned against a pillar, trying very hard to look like a dignified Dungeon Lord and not a guy staring at the way his engineer's back muscles shifted under her leather straps.

"This is garbage," Grika grunted, straightening up and wiping a bead of sweat from her neck. It trailed down her collarbone and vanished into the precarious cleavage of her bandeau top. "Empty, smooth, boring. It's too… pristine. It feels like a hospital hallway, not a dungeon."

She turned to him, hands on her hips. The movement made her tool belt jingle.

"You're a dungeon core, Boss. You're supposed to be dark, mysterious, and full of tight squeezes. Right now? You're just a big, empty room waiting to get raided."

"I've been awake for twenty minutes," Reed defended, crossing his arms. "Give me a break."

Grika stalked over to him. For a short stack, she had an incredible amount of presence. She stopped right inside his personal space, looking up at him with those bright, mischievous yellow eyes.

"I don't give breaks," she purred, her voice dropping to a gravelly whisper. "I give results. But first, you need to show me you can actually perform."

Reed choked. "Perform?"

"Build, Boss. Build." She smirked, clearly enjoying his reaction. She reached out and tapped his chest with the handle of her wrench. "Show me your tricks. Open up that construction menu and let's see how big your… budget is."

Reed cleared his throat and focused on the interface.

[CONSTRUCTION – F1]

Dungeon Mana (DM): 5

Available rooms:

– Small Cavern (5 DM)

– Narrow Hall (3 DM)

– Dead-End Nook (1 DM)

"Okay," he said. "I've got five mana. That's enough for one Small Cavern."

Grika's eyes dilated. She licked her lips, her gaze shifting to the blank stone wall behind him.

"One room," she whispered. "Make it count."

She grabbed his hand. Her palm was calloused and warm, her grip surprisingly strong. She dragged him over to the wall.

"Here," she said, placing his hand against the cold stone. She stepped in close behind him, her chest pressing against his arm, her breath hot against his ear. "Feel the rock, Boss. Don't just click a button. Push into it."

Reed swallowed hard. The proximity was distracting, she smelled like hot iron and musk ,but he did as she asked. He closed his eyes and focused on the stone.

He could feel it. The grain, the weight, the potential. It was like a pressure building behind his eyes, a desire to expand.

"Do it," Grika whispered. "Open it up."

Reed pushed.

[CONFIRM CONSTRUCTION]

Build: Small Cavern

Cost: 5 DM Proceed?

Proceed.

The sensation was… intense.

It wasn't just a visual change. It was a physical release. The mana surged out of him, rushing into the rock like water breaking a dam. The ground shuddered. A low, vibrating hum filled the air, resonating in his teeth and lower down in his gut.

The stone wall in front of him groaned. It softened, turning fluid and pliable in his mind's eye. He pushed his will into it, carving, shaping, hollowing out the space.

Grika let out a low moan of appreciation as the floor trembled beneath them.

"Yeah," she breathed, her hand tightening on his arm. "That's it. Tear it open."

Dust poured from the ceiling as the rock receded, opening up a dark, rough-hewn mouth in the wall. The vibrations intensified, shaking Reed to his bones, a feeling of raw power that was almost addictive.

Then, with a final, heavy thud, it was done.

Reed staggered back, panting slightly. The mana drain left him feeling lightheaded but weirdly energized.

In front of them was a new room, a rough, uneven cavern about half the size of the core chamber. It smelled of freshly broken earth and ozone.

Grika stared at it, her chest heaving slightly. Her eyes were wide, pupils blown.

"Not bad," she murmured. She looked at Reed, a flush of green coloring her cheeks. "You've got a heavy touch, Boss. I felt that all the way in my teeth."

"I aim to please," Reed managed, leaning against the wall for support.

Grika marched into the new space, her boots crunching on the loose grit. She ran her hands over the fresh-cut walls, stroking the stone like it was a pet.

"Rough textures," she noted, rubbing her cheek against a jagged pillar. "Good friction. Lots of places to mount… equipment."

She turned back to him, grinning sharply.

"This is my workshop now," she declared. "I need a place to get dirty. And this?" She slapped the wall. "This will do."

"Glad you approve," Reed said. "But we're broke. That cost everything."

He pointed to the DM counter floating in his vision. A big, fat 0.

Grika pouted. It was a dangerous look on a goblin.

"Tapped out already?" she teased. "And we were just getting started. I was hoping you had more stamina."

"It's a resource issue, not a stamina issue," Reed said, trying to maintain some authority. "We need to recharge. Which means we need intruders."

"Right. Intruders." Grika hopped up onto a low ledge of stone Reed had inadvertently created. She crossed her legs, leaning back on her hands, the pose stretching her torso and emphasizing the sweat glistening on her collarbones.

"Well, we can't fight them with just me," she said. "I'm good, Boss, but if a party of four comes in, I can't handle all of them at once. I need backup. Someone to patch me up when I get reckless."

"We need a healer," Reed agreed. "But with zero mana…"

He looked at the Summon tab. It was greyed out.

"Is there any other way to get mana?" he asked. "Besides fighting?"

"Ambient seep," Grika shrugged. "But that's slow. Or…" She eyed him speculatively. "Emotional resonance. Happy monsters make more mana. Angry monsters make less."

She tapped her chin.

"So basically, if you keep me happy, you get paid."

Reed raised an eyebrow. "And what keeps a goblin engineer happy?"

Grika's grin widened. "Good tools. Things to break. And maybe a boss who doesn't make me sleep on the floor."

She gestured to the hard, uneven ground.

"I'm tough, Reed, but my back isn't made of granite. If I'm sore tomorrow, I'm going to be cranky. And a cranky goblin builds explode-y traps."

Reed looked at the floor. It was cold. And she was half-naked.

"Point taken," he said. "I can't build a bed yet—no mana—but I can shape the floor a little with the residual energy. Smooth it out. Make a platform."

He focused on a corner of her new workshop. He didn't have the juice for a full construct, but he could nudge the stone. He smoothed a section of the floor, raised it slightly to keep it off the cold draft, and curved the edges so it looked less like a slab and more like a resting place.

"It's not a feather mattress," he said, "but it's better than gravel."

Grika hopped off her ledge and walked over to it. She pressed her hand against the smoothed stone. It was still warm from his shaping magic.

She looked back at him, her expression softening just a fraction.

" warm," she murmured. "You actually care if I'm comfy?"

"I care about my employees," Reed said. "Plus, you're the only thing standing between me and death."

"Sure, sure." She walked back to him and punched him lightly in the arm. "Thanks, Boss. You're not total garbage."

The System chimed.

[TUTORIAL – COMPASSIONATE CORE] You showed concern for your first minion's physical comfort.

Alignment Flag: [Pampering Boss] established.

Reward:

– One-time DM Subsidy: +5 DM

– Special Summon Unlock: Slime Girl [Healer Template]

Reed blinked. "Did I just get a reward for being nice?"

"See?" Grika smirked. "I told you. Keep me happy, get paid."

Reed looked at the new total: 5 DM. Exactly enough for a basic summon. And the template…

[SUMMON – SLIME GIRL]

Role: Healer / Support

Cost: 5 DM (Subsidized from 8)

Trait: [Viscous Anatomy]

– Highly resistant to physical damage. Highly… sticky.

"We got a discount on a healer," Reed said. "Slime Girl."

Grika wrinkled her nose. "Ugh. Slimes. They get everywhere. Have you ever tried to get slime out of leather? It's a nightmare."

"We need a medic," Reed said firmly. "And unless you know CPR, she's our best bet."

"Fine," Grika waved a hand. "Summon the puddle. Just tell her to stay off my tools."

Reed focused on the summoning circle in the main chamber.

"Proceed."

The mana drained.

This summoning was different. Grika's had been hot and electric. This one was… wet.

The circle glowed with a soft, aquamarine light. The air in the cavern grew heavy and humid, smelling of rain and sweet, artificial fruit, like blue raspberry candy.

The light didn't shoot up; it bubbled. A column of thick, viscous liquid rose from the floor, defying gravity. It swirled and churned, coalescing into a shape.

Shoulders. Hips. A head.

The light faded, leaving behind a figure made entirely of translucent blue gel.

She was shorter than Reed but taller than Grika. Her body was a masterpiece of soft curves and surface tension. She had formed herself into a humanoid shape, complete with "hair" that hung in wet, heavy strands to her shoulders. She seemed to be wearing a dress, but upon closer inspection, the "dress" was just her own slime, manipulated to be slightly more opaque and draped over her form.

It didn't do much to hide the fact that she was see-through.

She stood there for a second, wobbling slightly. Then, gravity took hold.

Splat.

Her footing gave way. She slipped, her legs losing cohesion, and she landed on the stone floor with a loud, wet smack.

"Ow…" she whimpered. Her voice sounded like it was bubbling up through water—soft, echoey, and incredibly sweet.

She tried to push herself up. Her hand stuck to the floor. When she pulled it back, a string of blue slime stretched out, then snapped back with a thwack.

"Oh no," she squeaked. "I'm… dripping. I'm so nervous I'm losing viscosity!"

Reed stepped forward. "Hey. You okay?"

The slime girl looked up. Her eyes were big, round, and darker blue than the rest of her. She saw Reed and froze.

Then, she flushed.

It was fascinating to watch. A cloud of deep purple ink bloomed in her cheeks and spread down her neck, coloring her transparent body.

"Y-you're the Core!" she gasped. She scrambled to her feet, or tried to. Her legs were still half-puddle. She essentially launched herself forward, stumbling.

Reed instinctively caught her.

It was a mistake. Or maybe the best decision of his life.

His hands sank into her arms. She wasn't cold, she was warm, like bathwater. And she was sticky.

"I got you," Reed said, trying to steady her.

"I'm sorry!" she cried, clutching his tunic. Her fingers dissolved slightly, soaking into the fabric. "I'm so clumsy! I just got born and I'm already making a mess!"

She looked up at him, her face inches from his. She smelled intoxicatingly clean and sweet.

"Hi," she whispered, her eyes darting to his lips. "I'm… Luma."

"I'm Reed," he said, painfully aware that he was currently embracing a girl made of living Jell-O who was slowly soaking his shirt.

"Nice to meet you, Reed," she beamed.

She squeezed him.

Luma didn't hug like a human. She hugged like a liquid. Her body pressed against his, conforming to every contour of his chest and stomach. He could feel the pressure of her, soft and yielding but surprisingly heavy. It felt like being hugged by a warm, affectionate waterbed.

"Okay," Grika's voice cut through the moment like a knife.

The goblin was standing nearby, arms crossed, looking unimpressed.

"Break it up, you two. You're gonna drown him."

Luma squeaked and pulled back. The sound of her detaching from Reed was a loud shhh-luck that echoed in the quiet cave.

Reed looked down. His tunic was now transparent in the front, soaked through with blue residue.

"Sorry!" Luma apologized again, wringing her hands.. literally wringing them until her fingers merged into a single blob and then popped back out. "I just… I felt the connection to the Core and I got excited and my surface tension dropped and…"

"It's fine," Reed said, patting his wet chest. "We'll… work on the boundaries."

Luma nodded enthusiastically. Her "hair" bounced with a wet flopping sound.

"I can heal!" she offered, eager to prove her worth. "Do you have any boo-boos? I can put my slime in them and fix them!"

Reed coughed. "Phrasing, Luma."

"What?" She tilted her head. "It's how it works! I insert the gel into the wound and—"

"We get it," Grika interrupted, grinning. "You're thorough."

Grika walked over and circled the slime girl, inspecting her like a new piece of machinery. She poked Luma's arm. Her finger sank in an inch, then popped back out.

"Springy," Grika noted. "Good shock absorption. Might be useful for tanking hits."

Luma shied away, hiding behind Reed. "Please don't poke me. It tickles."

"Welcome to the team, puddle," Grika said. "I'm Grika. I build things. You keep the Boss alive so I can keep building things."

"I will!" Luma promised. She looked at Reed with pure adoration. "I'll keep him so healthy. I'll monitor his vitals constantly. I can wrap around him and check his pulse from everywhere!"

Reed felt a bead of sweat trickle down his back.

"That… won't be necessary," he said quickly. "Just general healing is fine."

[SECOND MINION SUMMONED]

Slime Girl – Luma

Role: Healer / Support

Loyalty: 10 (Imprinted)

Morale: 14 (Happy to be held)

Trait: [Soothing Gel] – Contact induces mild euphoria and healing. Highly addictive.

"Great," Reed muttered. "One goblin who wants to crush me with her thighs, and one slime who wants to absorb me. We're off to a flying start."

"Did you say something, Boss?" Grika asked, her ears twitching.

"I said we need to get to work," Reed lied.

He looked at his new team. Grika was adjusting her tool belt, the leather creaking. Luma was jiggling happily in place, leaving wet footprints on the stone.

They were chaotic. They were dangerous. And they were looking at him like he was the center of their universe.

Reed took a deep breath.

"Okay," he said. "Luma, try not to dissolve the floor. Grika, show her the workshop. We have a dungeon to run."

Grika grabbed Luma's hand, which squished, and pulled her toward the new cavern.

"Come on, squishy," the goblin said. "Let's see if you're conductive."

"Is that safe?" Luma asked, wobbling after her.

"Probably not," Grika laughed.

Reed watched them go, rubbing the damp spot on his chest where Luma had hugged him. It still tingled, a warm, pleasant numbness spreading across his skin.

He looked back at the Core.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he asked the crystal.

The Core pulsed a slow, deep throb of violet light that looked exactly like a wink.

Reed sighed.

"Yeah. That's what I thought."

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