dragonheartednovels

[D'sP] 3aa - Chapter 500

Ace makes sure the various corrupt guards and merchants get their day in court. Sure, this isn’t a pre-system court with a judge unrelated to the case. Though at least they pretended to be neutral.

In fact, more than a few of the patsy’s ended up with a slap on the wrist. The central figures, though? Well, if they were lucky, they were exiled and that was mostly among the corrupt guards.

This causes a bit of a ruckus in town as people hadn’t really thought through the whole ...

[NR] Grabbing The Beast - Chapter 775

Courtney closed her eyes and brought the wisp of charming illusion before her and held it secure. With the back of a nail on her other claw, she gently along the unrestrained part that almost seems to vanish. Courtney could feel that wasn’t true.

Rather, the magic dipped into that other-space the beast had used the day before. This wasn’t even one of those fancy subspaces that let beings seem to teleport around without the more complicated teleportation magic. It wasn’t even a com...

[NR] Grabbing Magic - Chapter 774

Night draws closer, and there is a tenseness permeating the town. Though Liam and the party had kept things to themselves, the guy wasn’t as close-mouthed about it. Never mind the fact that for such a small town, it was impossible for someone not to have heard their conversation. They hadn’t exactly tried to prevent others from listening in.

As for the party? If anything, they are even calmer tonight. Their target is known and its limitations figured out. All that is left? Whether t...

[D'sP] And Catches Them - Chapter 499

It took Ace a few weeks to finally narrow down who it was that was scamming the town. They had been clever about it. Which, in the end was actually the final piece of the puzzle.

As while the group had made it quite hard on Ace and his people to find out exactly who was costing the town multiple gold pieces a week. The sophistication also limited the number of people it could be. Even a person who fell down a rabbit hole before the system came, wouldn’t have been able to set up this o...

[D'sP] Ace Finds Some Scum - Chapter 498

Irritated after days of working on the database skill without progress, Doyle spreads screens across the core room. All of them showed the same thing, but with a different focus. It was like having the same webpage open on multiple screens, but scrolled to different positions.

The more Doyle looked into the Database skill, the more frustrating it seemed. There seemed to be no true rule for how it was organized. This is best seen with how it treated plants and animals.

The creature...

[NR] It Knows Where You Are - Chapter 773

After breakfast the next morning, the group heads over to Old Liam’s place and find the guy being hunted is already there.

Liam’s ears stand up on their approach, “Ah! The adventurers are here so we can get their opinions on the matter. Though to think you’re free of that thing simply because they drove it off once is surely a foolish dream.”

He then pulls out some fresh herbs, “And we have a few fresh finds for Lily! Some of our people went out early this morning to s...

[NR] This Isn't Over - Chapter 772

Later, after the sun has fully set, the trio are back in their room, around the campfire. Courtney finishes the rough meal they threw together and sighs. “This isn’t over.”

Jason nods, “But we know more now.”

Rosha, “It almost feels like we know less! What even is it? The dang thing bled, but barely and it could do that intangible trick. Are we sure it isn’t some kind of undead? Especially after escaping under water like that? We should have seen the thing surface.�...

[D'sP] Oh, Maybe It Won't Be That Easy - Chapter 497

Doyle settles in and pulls up his pattern database, giving it a once-over to get a feel for things.

{

Dungeon Patterns: creature patterns lv100, mystic energy storage patterns lv99, bricks lv99, vines lv99, material patterns lv78, food patterns lv70, shrubbery lv62, grass lv54, weapon patterns lv52, gem patterns lv50, vial lv34, quartz synced polymer lv32, potion patterns lv30, trap patterns lv30, array patterns lv21, wooden hinged box of preservation lv21, cart lv20, armor patter...

Deciding the Short Story Prompt for January 2026

Below are the full prompts as the poll doesn't allow the full text. In the case of ties the first option that got there wins. The short story will be finished by the end of the month.

• Dungeon awakening and how they adapt to this change.

• A common mudcrab finds a washed-up legendary knife. When the curious critter curiously picks up the shiny artifact in its pincers, it immediately gets a massive boost to its stats from wielding the weapon, accidentally becoming a b...

  2026-01-07 20:33:39 +0000 UTC View Post

[NR] Not Quite There - Chapter 771

The three continue to hide as the sun sinks, shadows lengthen and people return to their homes. This includes the guy who had spent his day helping out in the fields of others having felt a bit paranoid about the beast. Though he did need to work on his own fields, and so felt nervous for the coming days.

He would probably feel at least twice as nervous if he realized that while walking home, his path took him right by Jason. Yet despite walking not even two paces away, did not notice a...

[NR] There's Always Magic - Chapter 770

The next morning, everyone gathers around the fire pit for breakfast.

Courtney looks satisfied at something, and so Jason and Rosha purposefully don’t ask.

Their breakfast is soon devoured and still, they’re sitting there until Courtney sighs. “Do you want to hear what I learned?”

The other two smile at each other. Rosha laughs, “Sure! What have you learned?”

Courtney frowns at her before sighing. “Okay, the story we heard yesterday is basically a classic...

[D'sP] Why The Secrecy - Chapter 496

Doyle sighs, ‘Lets get off the subject of soul memories. At this point, it almost sounds bunk. Could we get down to how other people’s database skills work?’

Ally nods, ‘Fair enough. Souls are already annoying to begin with, what with not being restricted by time and space.

‘So I guess at the base level, most people with a pattern database will have something quite similar to one of your sub-tables. An alchemist will have a potion database skill and so won’t need anyth...

[D'sP] The Database Skill - Chapter 495

Doyle spends a few hours relaxing after his level up before turning to his new goal. To work on the Dungeon Pattern Database skill. Though not in the normal fashion. He didn’t plan to add new patterns or level up existing ones to advance the skill itself.

First though, he had to ask Ally a bit about the skill. Or rather, similar skills. Doyle had a suspicion about the dungeon version of the database skill. After all, it was more than a little unwieldy right now and didn’t really mat...

[Closed] Collecting Short Story Prompts for January 2026

Once again I'm here to ask all of you for short story prompts! I'll take the more popular ones as decided by the number of hearts (or that I particularly like) in the comments and make a poll at the start of the month. The winner will be made into a short story of a thousand or so words.

Not many rules on what you can suggest at the moment. That will mostly be figured out as we go. Besides that, the short story will come out before the end of the next month.

Rules for prompts:

[Short Story] Lake Placement Error

{

Increasing World Energy Stagnation Detected

Triangulating Source...

New Sapient Civilization with active [Fertility] Deity detected

Analyzing Tech Level...

TL2 (S-Factor: 8)

Analyzing Arcane Level...

AL3 (S-Factor: 14)

Analyzing Faith Level...

FL3 (S-Factor: 5)

...

Anomaly detected!

Faith levels too low for [Fertility] deity to be the primary cause of population growth

Commencing deeper analysis of Faith...

[NR] Footnotes Or A Pelt - Chapter 769

Rosha nods, “Well. That is quite the story. Though I do have to ask, why hasn’t anyone heard it? Why hasn’t anyone been attacked by it? We literally just saw the thing in town.”

Old Liam shrugs, “Well, we’re a town. Oh sure, not the biggest place, but not like we’re ever alone out here. All those tales? They have one thing in common. Some lone person wrongs the critter and then vanishes. I actually find it kind of funny that we managed to copy the local story so closely! M...

[NR] Telling A Tale - Chapter 768

Old Liam turns back to the party, “So, I’d say things are a wee bit different than I first said.”

Courtney raises an eyebrow, “It sounds like you got more out of that story than we did? Or him for that matter.”

Old Liam nods, “Bit O’ folklore we’ve heard from those who made a living here before people officially lived here. Now, critters losing their tails? Even if they’re not lizards? Strange, but not by much.”

Rosha, “Story?”

Old Liam shrugs, ...

[D'sP] Things Falling Into Place - Chapter 494

The idea that not everything had stats was interesting and Doyle spent some time considering what it actually meant. Especially after he confirmed that high-level materials or a high-level creator isn’t enough. Otherwise, it would be a simple matter of quality. Even if the quality was based on something like concepts, intent, or weight of importance. Though all of those things have been shown to enable an item to gain a status.

This all had Doyle thinking back on what stats Are. Becau...

[NR] Tell It Again - Chapter 767

Courtney, “Well if my removing the shadow Mana means we can’t tell, why didn’t you stop me?”

Jason laughs, “What good would it do? Whatever it was, is gone and used. Otherwise, there would likely be other shadowed spots. The material might not even be used up. It would simply need to be out in the sun for a while to clear up the remnants of shadow Mana.”

They chat a bit more as they wander through the town. Although it sounded busy, there actually wasn’t all that muc...

[NR] Grab The Shadows And Toss It Out - Chapter 766

The night passes quietly enough. In fact, it passes too quietly. For the first time in a while, the creature didn’t show up. The town doesn’t see this as too odd. It seems to be a bit shy of showing itself around strangers. And the no-show continues over the rest of that day, which finds the party doing mostly what they figured. Not entirely, though.

There are a bunch of odd jobs they ended up doing that do not fit the expected jobs. Jason shrugs at this, “A bit to be expected. Th...

[D'sP] A Lot Of Ways To Cheat On Traps - Chapter 493

Doyle was back in the bear room, but not for the bear. The trap ceiling was in the middle of resetting, but what he was more interested in was the trigger. As while it was physically connected and all of the traps set up by his kobolds were as well. But why?

There was literal magic. Doyle was a crystal in a fancy hole. He finally had someone to spend time with and not just watch videos alone at home. So why force a trap to be directly connected to the trigger?

Doyle pauses. ‘Wel...

[D'sP] Not Worth The Weight - Chapter 492

Ally sighs, ‘Dungeon breaks are honestly some of the stupidest things. Well, I guess if no one is strong enough to delve a dungeon, I can’t blame the locals. Besides that, though? You need people to keep a dungeon occupied.

‘What my job is normally compared to is babysitting and I can’t say that’s wrong. Whenever a dungeon Fae can be paired with a core, the instances of dungeon leaks and breaks go down significantly. But what works the best?

‘Making sure people delve t...

[NR] A Place To Sleep - Chapter 765

With the main reason they’re here settled, the group changes to another equally important topic.

Rosha, “So uh, does this place have somewhere for us to stay?”

Old Liam laughs, “Don’t worry! While we don’t have an inn, you aren’t the first coming through this way. We’re the last stop before what most consider ‘the wilds’ begins. That river being a convenient boundary between civilization and nature.

“Though given you just came from the expansion point, ...

[NR] Tail Trap - Chapter 764

The sun tea is half finished and small talk wraps up, so Jason sets his mug down and focuses on Old Liam. “So, what does the town need? The Guild wouldn’t have directed us out here if something wasn’t brewing.”

Marry gathered up the few remaining snacks and bustled back into the house, leaving Old Liam to talk to the group. “Well, we don’t rightly know how much of a problem we’re facing. Located as we are, the town is safe enough from normal critters. River being deep enou...

[D'sP] Rock Size - Chapter 491

Doyle, ‘So, do you think it will be hard to get more mineshaft traps?’

Ally shrugs, ‘Hard? No. Useful? Probably not. What good would a pattern for a trap you never use? I would be willing to bet that you can really crank out trap patterns since, unlike monsters, you can make new traps easily.

‘The limit will be more about your imagination and where the system draws the line at what counts as a new trap. I would consider dungeons lucky that the system doesn’t regulate tra...

[Closed] Deciding the Short Story Prompt for December 2025

Below are the full prompts as the poll doesn't allow the full text. In the case of ties the first option that got there wins. The short story will be finished by the end of the month.

• System Borks a spawn and a dungeon appears inside an established settlement. They open the entrance inside the fountain of the main square, and the lil core is like 'ah, aquatics! I can do that!' and goes full Legend of Zelda water dungeon, meanwhile the locals are like... Catfolk ...

  2025-12-11 06:51:17 +0000 UTC View Post

[NR] Meeting The Locals - Chapter 763

William, the greymuzzle rabbitkin who goes by Old Liam, grumbles at the lady. “You saw that last group just as clearly as I. The less we knew about them the better and this town as a whole was happy to see them skedaddle.”

The rabbitkin in the house laughs, “Just a bunch of broody teens. If we had said there was some fell beast across the way, they would’a been out of our hair lickety split. Don’t try to trick these young’ins. I’ve been married to you nigh on sixty years n...

[NR] Numbered, Not Named - Chapter 762

The group is once again back in line, though for a different desk. After an hour and change of research, the three finally admitted they couldn’t figure out which of the nearby farming villages would need them, even if you ignore the whole money issue.

Good thing the guild is ready for such questions as they’re not the first looking for a few low-end side quests to burn some time. Once they reach this receptionist, it is relatively easy to get a list of nearby farming towns to go an...

[D'sP] Oh, That's What Was Missing - Chapter 490

The answer was automation! Doyle even has something to work from.

Admittedly, the “kobold rock fall” pattern wasn’t enough. That was designed to, at most, drop five or six human head-sized rocks on something. What Doyle needed had to work on the entire ceiling.

Besides, the trap needed a less manufactured trigger. Or rather, he wanted it to have a less manufactured trigger. This is a bear den after all. Not going to have many strings, carved stone plates, or loose wooden rod...

[D'sP] Glowing Berries - Chapter 489

With Doyle having seen the general terrain around his second portal, Ally moves on to showing interesting features. Though there wasn’t too much that was exceptional. Even if admittedly, anything exceptional is in fact, the exception.

After all; Doyle, Ally, and the entirety of the town had failed to find anything yet.

Now, the first thing they came across at the second portal was obvious enough. Hidden only from above, there was a beehive that had taken up the entire tree it wa...