Luca DR

The infinity dungeon 69

The infinity dungeon 68

Chapter 68

While Johanne was putting herself in unnecessary danger, Michael was at his property—that some had taken to calling Site 00—to deal with annoyances.

“What should we do with him?” asked a gruff Old Dave, hands on his hips, as he looked down at the bound form of Mustang. The fat man looked like a formless blob on the ground, and he really was in the broom closet like Dave had said, surrounded by knickknacks and various gadgets that had already started to accumulat...

The infinity dungeon 67

Chapter 67

The alarm blared in Michael’s ear like a tornado siren. Bleary eyed, he noticed that it wasn’t even light outside and momentarily cursed himself for having a better physique that didn’t require as much sleep now as it did before. It robbed him of the little moments, he felt as he refreshed himself with [Healing Aura]. Not that sleeping in was any good. It felt nice while you do it, but then it filled Michael with the dread of a wasted day. Back before the dungeon, the d...

The infinity dungeon 66

Chapter 66

Two courageous martial artists who had the strength to train despite the late July’s heat exchanged whispers among themselves. The dojo was a small, cramped affair with only a wall of mirrors and a diminutive window to the side, with barely any air circulation. It was an uncomfortable arrangement, but it drove the price of the class low enough to make it worth it, at least most of the year.

Phillip and Marc were watching as Michael performed a kata under sensei Stepha...

The infinity dungeon 65

Chapter 65

The biggest gains, at least in the stories, are always said to happen in the heat of battle. Where the threat of dying is the stronger, in the struggle to stay alive in the face of impossible odds, something clicks inside the main character’s brain and he finally finds a way to gain the upper hand. Michael always liked to read of such occurrences happen in books, but now that fighting was his reality, he discovered just how different it was to actually live those situations...

The infinity dungeon 64

Chapter 64

The third floor was similar to the first floor. However, while the first was made of a series of dark caves in sequence, leading to the boss room, the third was a collection of rooms. They were carved out of sandstone, and connected via a series of tortuous corridors that confused the senses. Torches lit the space with an flickering warm light, and motes of elemental fire and light wafted up from them and towards the ceiling. Moss-covered statues, ruined beyond recognition, s...

The infinity dungeon 63

Chapter 63

Travis Tyrell, CEO of PetroLink Global, now a subsidiary of Unity Corp, paced around his spacious downtown office. He had just finished convincing the board of directors that yes, renouncing their independence to go under the control of a newly made, small, insignificant company with no assets owned by a nobody was in their best interest. And not just that, but also that they would have to figure out how to go about it and make it work, else they be booted out of the...

The infinity dungeon 62

Chapter 62

The next day, Michael was back in the dungeon. Real life felt hazy at times, compared to here, where everything was more vibrant and real. Only around the dungeon, where mana was spreading, and inside of it did reality feel solid. Michael pondered over these questions as he walked around the valley. Soon he would have to explore deeper, he knew, and he couldn’t delay it much longer.

Because, even though they felt less solid due to their lack of mana, the problems in t...

The infinity dungeon 61

Chapter 61

That night, Michael slept fitfully. It was an unexpected thing, especially after many days spent in the dungeon with not even a hint of a bad dream. It was as if the spirits themselves were encroaching upon his mind, coming from other planes of existence and from the mana in the air itself. It was a stifling, claustrophobic sensation, with Michael drowning in a sea of Gold-rank mana that had enveloped the Earth itself. There were things in the mana, answers to questions and d...

The infinity dungeon 60

Chapter 60

“What’s the name you came up with, then?” Travis asked, clearly impatient.

“I will call it: Unity. And its vision shall be to shape a better future for humanity and all other sapient races we might encounter in our travels.”

“You have come to a decision, then.” Said Old Dave gravely, yet not without a hint of pride in his voice. “You realize that of all the paths, this is the hardest one, yes?”

Michael nodded. “It’s the right one. For t...

The infinity dungeon 59

Chapter 59

Michael stared at the white skill stone in his hand as if it was a white-hot, scalding piece of molten metal. For all intents and purposes, it might very well be one. Not that he did not earn it, because he sure did. More like because, in light of what he learned about the dungeon, he was growing ever more wary of power handed to him by the strange, inscrutable entity. It wasn’t as if the dungeon wasn’t aware that Michael now wanted to find a way to avoid Earth suffering ...

The infinity dungeon 58

Chapter 58

“What’s your name?” Michael asked.

“I am called Johanne of the Roses,” the woman said. Far from meek, now that she knew Michael would not abandon her it was like she was living for the first time. She was energetic, studying even the dull room they were in with interest.

“An lovely name. I’m Michael. How did you end up here? Did you come from Earth?”

“What’s Earth?” she asked, full of curiosity. “I have not heard of such a name for a ...

The infinity dungeon 57

Chapter 57

The dungeon had mentioned a companion as a reward for clearing the second floor’s quest, long ago. Michael had long thought Drullkrin was going to be it, a loyal followed he had earned through hard work, but it seemed that it was not to be. Drullkrin was dead now.

Instead, the dungeon had transported Michael to what was clearly supposed to be a reward room. Here he had found the legendary skill stone that now rested in his pocket like a lead weight, begging to be used...

The infinity dungeon 56

Chapter 56

They spoke for a long time. As per agreement, Michael shared things about his world: the presence of technology, how society operated, how several powerful nations controlled the world, the whole introduction. Theobond was not as surprised by technology and the scientific method as Michael thought a member of a fantasy race would have been, nor did he take too long to understand the basics of society Michael was talking about. The king was likewise not surprised to learn that...

The infinity dungeon 55

Chapter 55

“A monster?” Michael asked reflexively. He didn’t know if his strategy worked, but he had a theory that displaying emotion and quick reactions was throwing Theobond off balance.

“That is correct.” The king of the castle said, “you must understand how you look from our perspective. The difference between an intelligent monster created by this wretched place and an adventurer is thin. Only by seeing you leave and return could I be sure.”

“Does this m...

The infinity dungeon 54

Chapter 54

Michael wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was a hot day, heading into the thick of the summer heat, and the late hour had done nothing to diminish the discomfort. If anything, it seemed to have gotten more humid, the heat stickier and even more uncomfortable.

He had been doing multiple dungeon runs. After a while, the dungeon had given up on cleaning his clothes and sweat after each run, probably out of spite, increasing his discomfort. Michael didn’t care much. I...

The infinity dungeon 53

Chapter 53

A message appeared in Michael’s field of vision as soon as the process was finalized.

You have gained a Skill!

There is a seed of truth to a martial system developed in a remote corner of reality. Something can be salvaged. You gain the common skill [Okinawan Mastery], a simple stepping stone to greatness.

Michael frowned. This was different than your usual run of the mill system message. This almost felt… per...

The infinity dungeon 52

Chapter 52

When Michael woke up the next day, he realized just how tired he had been the day before. While yesterday’s paranoia had been entirely justified, perhaps his state of mind had amplified it by an excessive amount.

Now that it had all boiled over, like a pot of water left on a stove, all that was left was a little nugget of residue at the bottom.

If they betray me, I’ll just kill them.

He had lost sight of something very important for a moment. Hi...

The infinity dungeon 51

Chapter 51

There was a momentary pause after Michael announced that he would think about the vision for his future company. During that time he thought he had somehow fucked up, and some of his insecurities came back. He tried to school his face under the hard gazes of the other two men in the room, and he thought he was doing a lousy job at that, at least until Travis beamed a smile at him.

“Good answer,” he said, “Had you tried to answer this question on the spot, I would ...

The infinity dungeon 50

Chapter 50

After Dave was gone, Michael went to talk with Dr Kavins. The doctor was ecstatic to tell Michael all about the newest people now working at Saint Hernest, about what sort of research they were doing and about how it would help Michael do a lot of good in the world.

When talking to the doctor about recruiting other people, Michael had been worried about unethical research going on under his nose, and had given specific instructions about what could and could not be done...

The infinity dungeon 49

I'm thinking about making a discord. It would be a community to talk about my books, chat and discuss the chapters of the day. You could point out mistakes, discuss theories about what's going to happen, suggest new characters and plot points, skills and much more. There would also be a patron-exclusive tier with access to discussion about the advance chapters. On top of that, I was thinking about taking beta readers--not many, just two or three--who would be able to read chapters in real tim...

The infinity dungeon 48

Chapter 48

The stampede was an endless outpour of monsters, coming from the far end of the tunnel and boxing Michael and his team in with no means to escape. The tunnel leading to the king’s chamber had been a long and winding thing with no side exits, and now that the monsters were coming from behind, the only way they could go was back in the maw of the icy monster that was the king.

However, this time it would be even worse. They would have countless monsters at their heel, p...

The infinity dungeon 47

Sorry for the late chapter, but yesterday I was away and could not post. I'll make it up to you, though :P

Chapter 47

The fight went on for what felt like hours, but there was no way to tell the passage of time deep down below the ice. The only thing that was changing was that Michael felt increasingly exhausted, despite his healing working overtime to keep him alert. It had gotten to the point where the healing was costing more and more mana to keep up, and his dantian felt compl...

The infinity dungeon 46

Chapter 46

The first enemy was waiting for them at the bend of the tunnel and, like an inactive sentry, it immediately locked onto them as soon as they got close enough to it. It was a creature made of ice and spikes, deep blue like the walls of the tunnel it inhabited. It charged at Michael with a roar, crossing the space between them with considerable speed.

The team reacted at once. Drullkrin dove to the side to circle back and attack the elemental from behind, while the stone ...

The infinity dungeon 45

Chapter 45

“Sire, changes are happening in the valley, many changes.” Drullkrin, who had rushed to Michael as soon as the man had appeared in the valley, said.

“What sort of changes?”

“The scouting parties of the snow people, they stopped all of a sudden. I had thought it was a good thing, and it was only thanks to your teachings about contingencies that we avoided catastrophe.” The goblin general snickered, rubbing his hands together. “They thought they could ...

The infinity dungeon 44

Chapter 44

Later that morning, Michael went to the private care facility that he owned to perform some partial healing on a few patients. With the improvements to his skill, it felt easier and quicker than ever to do the miracles, and a new streamlined procedure ensured that there were no incidents.

They had changed the procedure in order to address two problems. On one hand, a partial heal meant that Michael did not have to burn through his limited supply of coins which, even tho...

The infinity dungeon 43

Chapter 43

“Chi and Jing,” Michael repeated himself, “I just got a skill upgrade, identifying what I’m seeing as those two kinds of energy. I have never heard of them before, though. Do you know what they are?”

Judging by Stephan’s hard and focused gaze, Michael knew that he knew. Stephan sighed, wondering just how the young man in front of him had managed to gain knowledge of such things. Magic was strange, and dangerous, and now more than ever he wanted no part in it...

The infinity dungeon 42

Chapter 42

Michael sat in the back of his car, enjoying the ride. The day was far from over, but his long rest inside the dungeon had him feel like this was a whole new day. Only ten minutes has passed in the outside world while, to him, it had been a few enjoyable days of rest.

However, returning to the real world made some of his worries come back, and his mood took a turn for the worse. Since it would be a while before got home, he thought it would be nice to practice magic, to...

The infinity dungeon 41

Here it is, bonus chapter while Royal Road is forced to wait mwhahahah!

Since blue boxes don't work on patreon, you will have to imagine them whenever you see an empty line. Sorry about that...

Chapter 41

Five demolition charges, the sort used to blow up chunks of mountains or to reduce entire buildings to rubble, all blew up at the same time inside the stone king’s weakened body.

Michael was a short distance away, having been the one to sentence the golem to death. ...

The infinity dungeon 40

Extra post tomorrow to increase patreon chapters to 11

Chapter 40

The stone king did not have a castle. He was at the center of his faction’s encampment, but he did not have a tent. He did not even have a throne. He stood there, a mountain so big his head appeared tiny when looked at from below, in an open field of brownish stone. The king’s body was made of black obsidian, here and there streaked by lighter colored stone. His joints were green like jade, and his head was a wh...