There was a harsh buzzing sound. Like a cockroach. It creeped me out, but I couldn't work up the energy to open my eyes. I just wanted to sleep. Was that really so much to ask for, little bug? My eyelids felt so heavy, but I managed to drag them open. My bed wasn't in the right place, but... I was starting to get used to waking up in this stone coffin, maybe.
The Interface was vibrating irregularly in my hand. Unpleasant. I focused on the screen, which automatically shifted.
|
Congratulations! You've learned to use magic without aid or catalyst. |
"Ugh. Is that really worth waking me over?" I grumbled out loud. Dismissing the little window, my attention immediately caught on something on my status screen. Why did my max CP go up?
|
Selene Crystal Core: Rank1Your rank is dependent on your floor count and your CP capacity and regen. 0. Type2Your type is determined by your mindset and how you use your creations. Valid types are Fortress, Frontline, Marshall, and Support.: Frontline3Frontline dungeons have the highest priority for Chaos incursion. They are self-sufficient, strengthening every aspect of the dungeon and its master to create the ultimate battlefield against Chaos. Specialization4You may choose a specialization when you reach rank 1.: Blessing of Night5The Blessing of Night was granted by your patron and will be lost when you choose a specialization. It raises the resilience of you and your creatures at night, and grants the ability to see in the dark. Synergy Bonus: You and your creatures regenerate when exposed to moonlight. CP6CP stands for Core Points. CP capacity is increased by reinforcing your Crystal Core. CP regeneration is increased by carving out floor space so that more mana can be collected. A single CP contains an extreme amount of energy, mana, and rukh, which can be used to shape your dungeon through this interface or at will - with a thorough understanding.: 63/647Current/Capacity. You currently regenerate 2 CP per hour.
| Avatar | Bank | Crafting | Creatures | Evolution | Magic | Party | Rooms | Traps | |
It was up about six points since I last checked. Then again, starting at fifty eight was weird as well. Had it already been going up by the time I first looked at it? Well, fine, but why? I didn't know what I did to raise it, so I couldn't make it happen intentionally. I shook my head. I had too many things to figure out to worry about this particular detail.
I could either go back to playing with magic, or look through the last menus. Well, there would be time to play later, especially since the Excavate spell might be necessary. I clicked the 'Party' button.
|
Having a party will allow you to directly Transmit messages to, trade with, move creatures to, and defend other dungeons. The First Dungeon in the Formation will be attacked during an invasion, and if it falls, the Second will come under attack, etc. Having more party members will slightly raise Incursion Priority.
First Dungeon: Second Dungeon: Third Dungeon: Fourth Dungeon: Incursion Priority: High
| Recruit | Formation | Transmission | Back | |
Well. I assumed I was the Leader because I was the only member. I wondered how it would be selected once there were more. I clicked Recruit, and got a list of names in the same format as in the Party menu. Just a Name, Type, Rank, and all of them were Unspecialized. I had the option of sorting it by Type or Rank, but there were also four buttons at the top. Clicking them dropped down the Type list, and clicking one set the button to match it. A preferred roles list, maybe, tied to each of the party slots? Though I don't know why I could change all four when my own Type was already decided.
Theoretically, I could select my preferred formation, gather my party and discuss how we'd advance together. But... The idea didn't really sit right with me. What if we didn't get along and it made it harder to get through this? Or what if the others weren't strong enough and I had to carry them around like deadweight? If I wasn't strong enough? It seemed like an unnecessary complication to a situation that I already had little control over. No, that's just an excuse. I just really don't want to interact with other people right now. Ever. I kinda hated myself for it, but it couldn't be helped right? Having a bunch of strangers around would just stress me out. So, I left the Party menu and pressed the 'Room' button.
|
Rooms are a convenient way to keep track of space in your dungeon. They can be moved at a small cost of CP, or duplicated for the sake of convenience. Once a room is designated, its walls will not interfere with CP collection. A single room can be no larger than 25 Hectares, and no smaller than 5 square meters. Rooms: 1
| Create | Relocate | Duplicate | Designate | Back | |
Okay, so I'm not locked into the layout I start with. That would make the initial experiments easier. I clicked 'Create', and got two lists side by side. The first list was for the size, and the second was features, things like bedroom, closet, kitchen. All of them had a price listed next to them. I let out a breath of relief. While the sizes did seem to cost a lot of CP, it looked like they were far more efficient than using the Excavate spell with CP. A 5x5x3 meter room was 1 CP. So, seventy five times more efficient. The largest room, the 500 meter cube, cost more CP than I currently had max.
The other list was much cheaper, for the most part. There were a few outliers like 'Reactor Room' that cost a large chunk of CP. But I think these ones were mostly just the cost of the items inside, like a bunch of beds and dressers for a bedroom. There was also an 'Empty Room' option at the top, which didn't cost CP at all, making the cheapest option the 5x5 Empty Room. Like the room I was currently in.
I quickly tapped the needed buttons and made an empty room. A small map appeared on the display, asking me where I wanted to put the new room. I dragged it onto the other side of the tiny little hole I dug out before, then confirmed. There was a visible burst of energy from the hole, and then suddenly a new room appeared. Just like that, as if a curtain had been pulled aside. With that, I checked my CP regeneration... Nothing. It still said 2 per hour. Just how much space did I need to carve?
I had the gist of this one, so all that was left of the menus was the 'Traps' button.
|
Traps are an extension of the dungeon, created and maintained by the Crystal Core. They allow little input from creatures or enemies, while performing many of the same functions as items. You may create new traps, modify existing ones or design your own.
Traps: 0
| Create | Modify | Design | Back | |
The 'Create' button brought up a list of traps. Some were recognizable little things like 'Pitfall' and 'Dart Trap'. Others... Just what is a 'Null Space Field'!? I had no reason to drop a random trap in the middle of what amounted to my living room, so I backed out to the menu. I still had a lot of stuff to look into, but I had a general idea of everything I could do.
I thought about what I really needed to do right now. In the long run, I needed to fight something. No idea what. But that meant creatures, weapons, traps, and fortifications. All of that would take CP, so I needed to get as much CP as possible. The max had gone up on its own, but it wasn't strictly needed anyways. What I needed was to increase the collection rate. Supposedly that meant I needed more space. I was starting to have my doubts about that though. Maybe I had my first question for the divination spells. First, though, I should probably eat something.
Reinforced by the regeneration capping out the capacity and the excess generation going towards reinforcement automatically?
I'm assuming it went up because she messed around with the magic stuff. Though how that counts as "reinforcing" her core is beyond me.
Nope. Though I'm kinda glad it isn't totally obvious. Having her gloss over it when everyone else knows would make her look like an idiot. Would it become obvious if I said that alot of time passed while she was unconscious?