Chapter 129 - The Hidden Passage
After giving my instructions, coupled with warning, to my three slaves, I turned behind me and left their presence.
I passed by the side of Gratiana, who still remained on her knees as she held Sofia. The younger girl has regained consciousness, it must have to do with Gratiana's aid, but no matter. I do not need to concern myself with them.
As I walked past them, I headed toward the edge of the wall which stood behind them. I stopped directly facing the badly damaged wall. Due to the Apostle's grand entry and the Guardian's attack, everything in this room has become vandalized. This wall is no different, however...
I placed my hand on the charred wall and felt it up. Its rough surface caressed my palm as I closed my eyes to navigate the several channels laid out within its structure.
Using my heightened senses, I can see beyond the mere physical frame of the wall. Seeing the very Aspects within it, as well as the other lines and channels which connect this floor to the next and the previous one. However, there is one more channel this wall connects to.
Found you!
I finally discovered it! A tiny thread, nearly indistinguishable from the countless lines of nerves in the walls, but could not escape my keen senses.
I focused my attention on the channel as used the essence within me to connect to the conduit. Immediately, it fired up and the little line in the wall became larger, more pronounced than the rest.
This Dungeon is a giant mechanism made by me. It follows a system. Once the Boss is defeated by the challengers, the channels within the walls automatically connect and create the path to the next floor. Similarly, should one desire to return to a lower floor, a path will also open.
However, thanks to the Apostle's interference, breaking through the ceiling, and Disintegrating the Boss monster, the flow of my intricate program became disturbed. That's why, even though the Boss has been killed, no new passage to the next floor has opened. The Respawn effect is invalid, and the nerves in the structures have also been disturbed. This way, advancement will have to be done manually...
Perfect! Just as I planned.
Gratiana and her little partner think they've caught me by surprise, but they couldn't be any more wrong. I always knew would come after us, and they played their parts splendidly.
"How foolish can they be? I literally made this Dungeon, so I can see everything that happens in it.
" I mused.
From the beginning, I knew they would follow us to the Dungeon. Ana did mention Jared acting weirdly, calling her by her previous Apostle name. There's no way he could have known that. It had to be another Apostle.
From my experience and the memories I obtained, the Apostles can be pretty stubborn, so I had no doubt that they would come for Ana.
When we finally entered the Dungeon, I used my Admin Authority, through Hex, to search through the floors. It wasn't difficult finding them. They were transported to the 6th floor.
Sofia, the younger one, has a possession ability, that's most likely her Grace. She used it to spy on us by taking control of monsters.
The fools didn't know I was watching them as well.
Judging their location, I calculated that once we got to a floor closer to them, they would take action. Of course, after some time of Gratiana being impatient, she finally decided to intercept us on the 5th floor.
I overlooked some things, and I admit some things were beyond my expectations. But... They played their roles well.
Keep trying your best, and serve as the right growth tools for the children... Be sure to give them a hard time
I don't mind if one of them dies, but I expect them to win. They have been personally trained by me, after all.
The walls suddenly creaked and split apart, parting itself to reveal a wide hole that served as the entrance to the space beyond it.
This is different from the Advancement passage, it's a hidden feature of the Dungeon, one that leads the one who activates it to a different space entirely.
Let's go!
I took one final look behind me and saw the longing faces of my slaves and the apprehensive looks of the Apostles. I gave them a devilish smile and ventured within the opening leading to a dark place.
As I entered the space, the walls began to close, returning to their original state.
"B-But Lady Gratiana... Are you really going to let him get away like this? It's not too late. We could still...
" Sofia protested weakly as she glared at me.
This sudden outburst surprised Sofia, who looked frightful by Gratiana's rash response.
"... That man... Is beyond us! His level of power is comparable to the Prophet! No, maybe more...
" Gratiana muttered, still trembling slightly.
"N-No way...
" Sofia's eyes bulged as she glanced at me with fear, shocked by Gratiana's testimony to my strength.
I smiled as I heard this, and just then walls closed entirely, bringing the room into utter darkness.
Using my enhanced vision made the darkness obsolete to me as I easily navigate my way through the passage. Sensing all the Aspects around me, I can not only see objects around me but also their entire structure if I really try.
The Passage extends for a long distance, if I dawdle any longer, it'll take forever to reach. I decided to speed things up since I'll be saving time.
Using 'Spatial Interference', I altered my distance and appeared at the end of the passage. An ominous glow appeared at the exit, drawing my attention. Its purple flicker and bright light made the darkness begin to cease as I approached.
Without hesitating, I entered the room, and finally found exactly what I have been looking for.
"The Administrator Room
" I muttered with a grin.
With a large purple System Window displayed in midair, the room container brilliant flashes of light and a console directly behind the purple icon. The console possessed a large screen, currently shut off, but still functional.
The window it displays contains the entire features and mechanics of this Dungeon, and the console is used for access to various floors, and to monitor the activities of the people within it.
Using the console, I can see all the people in the Dungeon, and the monsters placed there. However, I can already do that with my Administrator Authority, using Hex.
The thing I am after, however, is this large icon in front of me.
It looks exactly like the pop-ups Root uses to relay its messages. However, it's much larger.
With icons appearing on it, showing various options for me to select, it buzzed in front of me.
More
There are quite a lot of things I can do with this Control Panel, however, I already know what I'm looking for.
I used my index finger to tap on the
Immediately, the window buzzed and changed the information that it previously displayed. A new set of icons now appeared.
Excellent. If memory serves well, then... It should be this!
I tapped on
I picked the last option on the list.
Finally, the list I wanted appeared before me.
Current Total Number Of Floors: 15
Current Number Of Floors Conquered: 8
Highest Number Of Floors Conquered: 14
So, even after so long the Adventurers haven't gone past the 14th floor. Disappointing. It only shows how weak they are.
I tapped on
Ranging from 1 to 100, I picked the highest amount.
Accept Cancel
I accepted immediately.
Immediately, the window shone brightly. After a moment, it regained its normal state.
The ' Current Total Number Of Floors' has now changed to 100.
Good. Now, there's one more thing.
I returned to
A new set of lists appeared.
Current Floor Structure: Classic
Select New Structure
... And finally, the one I want...
I selected the one at the bottom of the list. As soon as I did this, a warning icon appeared on the window.
System Warning
I know that, and I know what its effects will be.
Do You Wish To Proceed?
I agreed to continue, getting impatient by the long process.
I really had a lot of time on my hands to make such an intricate system.
A lot of things will change in this Dungeon now, but it's the only way for me to reach the 100th floor Boss in the shortest period... Rather, in no time at all. Plus, it'll prove to be some entertainment for later.
The Randomizer function alters the system of advancement from one floor to the other. Usually, once one clears a floor, they move to the next floor. However, with the Randomizer function, the floors are not arranged in an orderly fashion. They are random. Not only that, but the monsters and Bosses are all jumbled and mixed with one another.
The most important change that will happen though, is the level of difficulty. Previously, before I changed the Floor Structure, the Difficulty was set to Easy. The Adventurers had such a hard time fighting at the lowest difficulty, when the others exist.
Of these, the new position the Dungeon has adopted thanks to the increased number of Floors and
Current Difficulty: ANNIHILATIVE
Heh, I wonder how they will survive. It'll be fun to watch.. Unfortunately, I'll be occupied from this point onward.