Draconic Karma Dungeon

Chapter 60: Repairing Trust and Dealing with Complaints

After her talk with the priest, the Lightning Mage came by to talk to me in person. She wanted to know several things, the first of which being how she could trust me after I lied to her.

Which… I hadn't realized I had done, but looking back; yeah. All those fake requests certainly were a form of lying.

One I don't regret as I only did it out of self preservation.

It was a necessary lie.

But now she feels like you used her. You took advantage of her firm belief that the System couldn't be manipulated into lying to her. My soul's trauma demanded I do something to make up for having inflicted the same wound onto someone else, even though I was certain this betrayal had been nowhere as bad as what had traumatized me in my previous life.

She had seemed to accept my answer of precautionary self defense, though she had been visually still… sad?... disappointed I hadn't trusted her?

I'm not a mind reader! How am I supposed to know what that expression is for?

In the hopes of cheering her up again, repairing our broken trust - Not that there was a lot of trust between us before this. I do still spy on her - and soothing my own guilt, I asked if there was anything I could do to make up for what I'd done.

After a bit of thought she stated she didn't believe I was going to give her actual requests just because she had learned of the false ones. Which was correctly assumed. So instead she asked that I no longer send her requests for stuff I don't intend to create. Any request for stuff I actually intended to do would be greatly appreciated though she now knew they were unnecessary. Her job as a dungeon mistress meant she needed to be as up to date on my Dungeon as possible and all my fake requests had really messed up her notes.

So to make up for my lies she wanted me to make a fake request for each of my creatures so she could ask the System for a description of them, which she would add to the bestiary she had made of my Dungeon's creatures. Even though new miners would forget all their unearned knowledge as they entered my Dungeon, the bestiary would still allow them to prepare appropriate armor and tools.

At least she added that she wouldn't fault me if I decided to keep the details of certain creatures to myself.

So I accepted her olive branch, though it would take me some time to decide which creatures to expose and which to keep hidden. Any creature with no hidden features or only features the Lightning Mage had already discovered, might as well be revealed and that was actually most of my creatures. The rest I would have to consider more comprehensively.

I did want to give her something she hadn't discovered for herself as a token of… potential friendship?... goodwill?

Maybe as an apology?

Probably all three and more…

Regardless of exactly why, I still allowed her access to the descriptions of the two types of dragons she had seen on my 10th Floor:

Karmic elemental amphipteres of the Lightning element are a small species of amphiptere with 2 pairs of wings each with a wingspan of 0.6 meters. Their scaled bodies are obsidian black with bright yellow stripes. They attack through the use of Lightning and only eat electrocuted meat. As their specific way of using Lightning can be amplified through multiple Lightnings being cast at once, elemental amphipteres of the Lightning element find it advantageous to form flocks. These flocks can get as big as the ecosystem can sustain. While they hunt together, they aren't actual social creatures and in large flocks it is not uncommon to see them fight to the death amongst themselves. As they are karma creatures, they will mirror how sapients treat them. They will however gang together against outsiders attacking one of their members.

Karmic elemental drakes of the Buff element are a brown species of drake with darker brown spots covering their entire bodies. They are 2.3 meters from head to tail, omnivores, and are opportunistic scavengers. Their slow speed and physical reaction time leaves them open to attacks from predators. While their scales offer little protection against physical attacks, any attack using mana gets absorbed by the drake who can then Buff the attack before redirecting it towards an enemy. This has resulted in making elemental drakes of the Buff element an almost entirely symbiotic species, as various mana using species has used it as both bait and amplifier while offering protection and a share of meat in return. As they are karma creatures, they will mirror how sapients treat them.

I had gotten the Lightning amphipteres as a creature pattern as I got to level 19 and while they sounded cool, simply flooding my second Boss Floor with a bunch of the same creature to power up its Lightning seemed boring and lame. At the same time I did want to take advantage of said ability.

So I used a lot of downtime waiting for my mana to recharge to design various different elemental dragons of, at first, the Lightning element. Only a rare few of these ended up being original designs - which I determined by looking at how many extra unthought of details the description included - as many of my ideas were rejected by the System for one reason or another. It mainly sounded like the System found my ideas unrealistic…

In the end I didn't think any of the various Lightning dragons would have added anything interesting, even if most of their attacks would have gotten the same bonus my Lightning amphipteres did. Something, looking back, I wasn't actually sure would happen.

So I tried again, but focusing on the Buff element this time. An element I was mightily curious about anyway.

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As it turned out, the Buff element had many different uses all based on strengthening what was already there. Whether it was an Ability Score, a magical effect, or even one's size.

And among the different elemental Buff dragons I found just the right one for the job. Amplifying the already supercharged Lightning attacks, while giving off an entirely different vibe than my Lightning amphipteres.

My Dungeon was still my body after all. I didn't want to be considered ugly or boring.

The Lightning Mage hadn't yet left my Dungeon when I made my 'requests', so I got to see her face as she read their descriptions. While each description separately was nothing special, in the middle of writing the second one down she realized their destructive potential when working together.

The look on your face! Clearly she had forgotten she was working with an intelligent Dungeon! I had even made sure each member of the two species had gotten a 'Symbiote - [name of the other species]' modifier. Something she had taken note of but not fully understood until now.

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The sun set and the Tribe once again began walking around the other levels of my Dungeon to gather food, train with kobolds, or simply to stretch their legs. As had happened several times before, someone would mention how odd it was to be in a Dungeon while being unable to earn EXP or loot from it.

They were thankful for the constantly reappearing fruit and wheat, training from my kobolds, their safety and continued freedom…

No one said they had to stay in my Dungeon. They simply feared what would happen should they leave, even though I had kept them up-to-date on what was going on up there. I had even informed them that I had convinced the leader that beastkin were sapients and should be free to do as they chose!

… I didn't mention how long she had been in denial about it after I had told her…

Nonetheless, the Tribe refused to leave and while they gave me more entertainment than they were a bother, complaints were starting to get more and more normal. Most I couldn't actually do anything about either.

I thought you were worshiping me? I mean you still are, but can we get back to when it was just worship and no complaints?

The Tribe did do daily prayer to me which was a form of thanking ceremony led by Chief Nerok. 'Thank you for this merciful Dungeon of Karma', 'Thank you for that loving Dungeon of Karma'. Though sometimes they called me 'the holy System's loyal disciple'. While I was certainly loyal to my Mission and by extension to the System, I doubted 'disciple' was a good description.

Not that I bothered to correct them. It was close enough.

But in an attempt to get the Tribe to stop complaining, I tried to give them entertainment. First through kobold training, then through aerial dragonet dances as they looked really impressive when flying rhythmically together. Yet it clearly wasn't enough anymore.

Well… not good enough for my standards. Nerok had already informed me that I had done more than enough just by keeping them safe.

So, the Tribe wants - among other things - to go back to running through my Dungeon again, earning EXP and loot. The EXP would help them get stronger which would make them less fearful of elves and getting enslaved again, while simply getting access to meat from loot drops againwould stop a good deal of complaining. The Tribe had run out of meat and had lived exclusively on a vegetarian diet the last couple of days

But all that is inaccessible to them as they would have to leave my Dungeon and enter again which would reveal their presence to the elves due to their constant guard around my Portal.

But this is my Dungeon and here I am a god. So I must be able to change that rule. Right?

Let's give it a try! System! It is no longer necessary to -...

Wait no. I don't want the elves to be able to take advantage of this. They would have no reason to leave after sunset anymore and then the Tribe would have less or maybe even no time to go forage for food in the rest of my Dungeon! And as the environment in unfinished Floors can't be harvested they would eventually either starve or be forced to confront the elves!

…

Let me try again: New Dungeon Rule: My chosen family can restart a… Dungeon run without having to leave my Dungeon.

Calculating…

Insufficient data provided.

Uhmm…

That's a new one.

Insufficient data? So… I can do it, I just need to give more details on how it's going to work?

Dungeon God: You have realized that you are (kind of) the god of your own world.

Ahh… The classic 'yes' answer! I'm glad we understand each other!

So, I was thinking we could add a door, or maybe more an entryway, to my Core Room that only my chosen family can see and use. Walking through the entryway would take you to The Great Tree Room like you had just entered my Dungeon.

… Is that enough data to make it a Rule or should I keep going?

Calculating…

The Rule "Family Reruns" costs 13,580 mana.

That's expensive… As it always is when dealing with Rules… And I suppose this one does give me yet another way of earning EXP.

Not that I need anymore of that! I took a quick look at my Personal Status to see just how much excess EXP I had and how long I would have to wait till I had enough mana for the Rule.

Personal Status Level: 29+ Needed number of killed or redeemed sapients with original karma levels of 25% or lower: 56/100 EXP: 1,499,647 Next mana payment for level up: 2,000/18,000 Mana: 2,013/4,000 Mana regeneration: 1,400 per hour Floors: 10/15 Allowed number of sapients in each Floor: 6 Floor Details Achievements Mission Dungeon Rules

I have 4,013 mana and need to have 13,580. That should take me about 6 hours and 50 minutes.

Mental sigh. It better be worth it!

… Is there something more urgent I need to use that mana for?

Maybe I should make that ‘forbid mind control’ Rule for my 1st Floor now that I have the needed mana for it?

But I already have ‘Only for Those of Sound Mind’ and ‘Get Out of My Head’ to deal with any potential mind control. While the cult might think my Core is the ‘main piece’ of their goddess - whatever that means - I’m still publicly known as a new and low tier Dungeon. I might fight above my weight group which might make them feel inclined to send higher tiered people after me, but as I'm still only a 2nd tiered Dungeon they won't bother sending their very best.

And, of course, when it comes to the cult, I don’t even need to kill them to defeat them. Simply delaying them long enough for ‘Get Out of My Head’ to free their minds is enough!

Yeah. Forbidding mind control won't have any immediate effect and I won't need it till I've killed or freed more powerful people, making me worth sending the truly powerful people after.

On the other hand, 'Family Reruns' will have an immediate effect. It'll make the Tribe stronger, which means I'm better protected as well, and I'll get more EXP for when I'll eventually start needing it again.

Yeah. That’s what I’ll do. And simply adding more Floors will have a more immediate effect than forbidding mind control too.