The War Room didn't smell like a dungeon anymore. It smelled like burnt coffee and the terrifying scent of impending deadlines.

Reed stood over the obsidian table, staring at the holographic projection of the Estate. The transformation was 80% complete. Floor 1 was no longer a damp cave; it was a sprawling, neon-lit casino floor. Floor 2 was the Abyssal Spa, a luxury retreat capable of scrubbing the sins off a warlock.

It was magnificent. It was expensive. And it was completely empty.

"The math," Maira said, her voice tight, "is mathematically offensive."

She slammed her clipboard onto the table. The sound made Luma, who was currently napping in a martini glass on the sidebar, ripple with alarm.

"We have fifty slot machines," Maira listed, her eyes darting behind her glasses. "Twelve blackjack tables. A VIP lounge. A high-volume bar. We are expecting a capacity of two hundred guests per night when the 'Whales' arrive in five days."

She looked at Reed, her tail flicking with agitation.

"Our current staff consists of: One General who thinks customer service is a form of torture , one Gremlin who is currently trying to overclock the toaster , one Slime who dissolves fabric , one Ghost who gives people panic attacks , one Rock who speaks in all caps , and a bird with a hoarding problem."

"Riva helps!" Riva chirped from the chandelier, dropping a stolen brass screw onto the table. "Riva watches! Riva screams!"

"Riva is a liability," Maira corrected. "Sir, we cannot run a resort with six people. We need grunt labor. We need bussers, dealers, cleaners, and security. We need a hierarchy."

Reed rubbed his temples. The Void Shard in his chest was humming, a constant, low-level vibration that made his teeth itch. Since the assimilation, he had a surplus of energy, but nowhere to put it.

"You're right," Reed admitted. "We're top-heavy. We have executives but no interns."

He checked his HUD.

[MANA RESERVE (VOID): 23,400 MP (OVERFLOWING)] [MANA RESERVE (BLUE): 120 MP (CRITICAL - TAXED)]

"I have the juice," Reed said, his eyes glowing a faint, smoky violet. "The Void Mana is replenishing faster than I can burn it. Let's go to the Core Room. Daddy needs to print some employees."

The Core Room

The heart of the dungeon pulsed with a deep, abyssal rhythm. The Core itself was no longer a calm blue crystal; it was a swirling vortex of indigo and black, beating like a dying star

​Reed stepped up to the summoning circle. He waved his hand, dismissing a dozen red notifications about "Structure Damage" and "Tax Audits" that he had been ignoring since the siege.

​"Time to see what the Void bought me," Reed murmured. "I haven't actually looked at the tech tree since Malakor tried to turn me into a condo for zombies."

​He opened the [BESTIARY / SUMMONING] tab.

​His eyes widened. The Void Shard hadn't just given him infinite mana; it had corrupted his entire database. The standard monster list was gone, replaced by a swirling, purple interface filled with "Shadow Variants."

​[NEW UNLOCKS DETECTED (VOID RESONANCE)]

​[ABYSSAL SIREN (Tier 3):] Aquatic Unit. Hypnotic voice. Warning: Singing may cause crew to abandon ship/lives.

​[TOXIC GASTROPOD (Tier 2):] "Slug-Girl" variant. High viscosity. Note: Luma might get jealous.

​[VOID-WEAVER (Tier 3):] Drider variant. Eight legs. Eight eyes. Tags: Webbing, Silk Production, Predatory.

​[DULLAHAN (Tier 3):] Headless Knight. Tags: Heavy Cavalry. Don't lose your head.

​Reed scrolled down, feeling a mix of awe and exhaustion. The "Thirsty Author" flag in the system was working overtime. The thought of adding a spider-mommy or a high-maintenance mermaid to a house that already contained Seraphine and Maira made his blood pressure spike.

​"I can't," Reed whispered to the glowing menu. "I do not have the mental bandwidth to date a spider right now. I barely survived the snake."

​He imagined a Drider fighting with Riva over ceiling space, or a Slug-Girl trying to out-slime Luma. The custodial costs alone would bankrupt him.

​"Focus, Reed," he told himself. "We don't need waifus. We need workers. Minimum wage. No personality. Just labor."

​ ​He aggressively tapped the [FILTER] button.

​[FILTER APPLIED: TIER 1 (MINIONS)]

[SORT BY: LABOR COST (LOW TO HIGH)]

​The list refreshed, hiding the exotic monster-girls and replacing them with the basic grunt units. Reed glanced at the resource drain stats next to the "Skeleton" and "Goblin" entries. He blinked.

​[VOID EFFICIENCY BONUS: ACTIVE]

[Summon Cost: LOW.]

[Upkeep Cost: NEGLIGIBLE.]

[Note: Tier 1 Void Constructs utilize ambient Void Radiation as a primary fuel source. They are self-sustaining batteries.]

​"Zero upkeep?" Reed grinned, the tension in his shoulders relaxing. "Because they run on the background radiation I'm already leaking? That is music to my ears. It's free labor."

​The entire senior staff had followed him down. It wasn't just curiosity. It was the Shadow Rot. Whenever Reed prepared to release a massive amount of Void Mana, they flocked to him like moths to a bug zapper, drawn by the energy.

​Seraphine coiled near the door, her tail twitching. Grika sat on Terra's shoulder, vibrating slightly. Luma was clinging to Reed's leg.

​"Okay," Reed muttered, stepping into the summoning circle. "Standard Dungeon Doctrine. We need security first. Something scary. Something that rattles."

​He pulled up the menu

[BLUEPRINT: SKELETON WARRIOR] Cost: 50 Mana. Description: Bones. Rusty Sword. Bad attitude.

"I'll summon a test unit," Reed announced. "Maira, stand back. This might be dusty."

He raised his hand. "Arise."

He didn't use the Blue Mana. He reached into the cold, bottomless well of the Void. It felt like pouring heavy, freezing syrup into the ley lines.

[SYSTEM ALERT]

[Summoning Initiated.]

[Mana Type: VOID (Corrupted).]

[Harem Protocol: ACTIVE.]

[Analyzing Subconscious Desires...]

[Filter Applied: "GOTHIC NOIR AESTHETIC".]

"Wait, what filter?" Reed asked.

WHOOSH.

Violet fire erupted from the floor. The bones knitted together with a sound like wind chimes rather than dry rattling.

The smoke cleared.

Standing in the circle was not a Skeleton Warrior. It was… a skeleton. Technically.

But the pelvis was wide, impossibly wide, flared out in a shape that suggested birthing hips made of reinforced ivory. The ribcage wasn't barrel-shaped; it tapered inward, the bones fused together to form a natural, porcelain-white corset. The legs were long, ending in feet where the heel bone was extended, forcing the skeleton into a permanent, high-heeled strut.

The skeleton raised a hand. It didn't have a rusty sword. It placed a hand on its hip and popped its nonexistent weight to the side.

Click-Clack.

"What is that?" Seraphine hissed, narrowing her eyes. "It looks... breakable."

"Shiny Bone Lady!" Riva screamed, diving from the ceiling to land on the skeleton's shoulder. The skeleton didn't buckle. It caught the harpy with surprising grace, striking a pose.

[UNIT UNLOCKED: THE BONE-MAID (TIER 1).]

[Role: Service / Dexterity.]

[Specialty: High APM (Actions Per Minute). Theatricality.]

"It… it has sass," Reed noted, horrified. "I wanted a guard, and I got a runway model."

Maira walked forward, her clipboard out. She grabbed the skeleton's hand, inspecting the fingers.

"The phalanges are tapered," Maira analyzed, her voice clinical. "Extremely high dexterity. Sir, this creature could shuffle eight decks of cards simultaneously without an error. It is perfect for the blackjack tables."

"But can it fight?" Seraphine challenged, slithering closer.

The skeleton looked at the massive Lamia. It didn't flinch. It simply curtseyed, the violet fire in its eye sockets flaring with a cool, mocking light.

"It has attitude," Reed sighed. "Fine. We need muscle next. Actual muscle."

He selected [BLUEPRINT: ORC GRUNT]. Cost: 75 Mana. Description: Big. Green. Smells like onions.

"Please," Reed prayed. "Just give me a generic goon."

He poured the mana. The circle flared.

[SYSTEM ALERT: AESTHETIC FILTER APPLIED.]

[Subconscious Desire: "DEATH BY SNU-SNU".]

The smoke cleared.

Standing there was a seven-foot-tall Orc. She was green. She had tusks. She was also wearing a loincloth the size of a napkin and a leather strap across her chest that struggled to contain massive amounts of muscle. Her abs looked like they could grate cheese. Her thighs were thicker than Reed's torso.

She flexed. A bicep the size of a honey ham bulged.

"BOSS," she rumbled. Her voice sounded like gravel in a blender.

[UNIT UNLOCKED: ORC MATRON (TIER 1).]

[Role: Bouncer / Heavy Lifting.]

[Specialty: Grappling. Intimidation (Arousal-Based).]

"WHOA," Grika whispered, her eyes widening. "Look at the hydraulics on that one! I bet she could bench press a cart!"

"Why?" Reed groaned, putting his face in his hands. "Why can't I just have a normal ugly monster?"

"Because you are the Dungeon Daddy," Maira said flatly, making a note. "Your Core reflects your… internal landscape. Apparently, your landscape is a Red Light District."

"One more," Reed pleaded. "Waitresses. I need fast, invisible, quiet waitresses."

He selected [BLUEPRINT: SHADOW STALKER].

The circle flared. Out popped a creature made of semi-solid violet smoke. It had a humanoid female shape, translucent and curvy. And on top of its head, the smoke formed two long, distinct shapes.

Bunny ears. It was a Void Bunny. In fishnets made of fog.

[UNIT UNLOCKED: VOID BUNNY (TIER 1).]

[Role: Waitress / Stealth.]

[Specialty: Phasing. Can hold 10 drinks at once. Mute.]

"We are doomed," Reed sighed. "We aren't a dungeon anymore. We're a theme park for degenerates."

"The demographics suggest this will increase tips by 200%," Maira corrected, pushing her glasses up. She tapped her clipboard with finality. "The prototypes are functional. We have the mana. Mass produce them, Sir."

Reed looked at the empty room. He looked at the vast, silent casino floor waiting above. He didn't have time to do this slowly.

"Alright," Reed said, rolling his shoulders. "Go big or go home."

He pulled up the interface. He selected all three blueprints: The Bone-Maid, The Orc Matron, and the Void Bunny.

[QUANTITY: MAX.]

"Arise," Reed commanded.

He didn't just pour the mana this time. He opened the floodgates. The room turned blindingly violet. Fifty summoning circles ignited simultaneously, filling the cavern with a roar like a jet engine taking off.

But as the mana left him, something else rushed in. A thousand whispers. A sudden, crushing pressure against his skull.

His HUD turned red.

[SYSTEM ALERT]

[WARNING: HIVE MIND LIMIT EXCEEDED.]

[Neural Load: 50 Minds connecting...]

[Bandwidth: INSUFFICIENT.]

Reed's eyes widened. He grabbed his head, dropping to his knees.

"Wait," he gasped, his voice lost in the magical roar. "Too many...!"

Everything went white.

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