I fixed the image of the mountain that my dungeon lay beneath. I could feel its dimensions. How it rose from the surrounding range, thrusting up proud into the air. I was on the west side of the range. There was plenty of room north, east, and south for me to expand.
I sent my first shaft north. I created a hallway that ran and ran and ran in a straight line. I thrust it out into the rocks. It formed in moments, the Void Crystal humming between my fingers as I created the simplistic tunnel.
Just a basic hallway. No traps. No rugs to cover the bare stone. Not even bricks, just shafts carved out of the rock itself.
The cheapest tunnel. The longest one I could build without dismissing my monster girls to get more power.
That felt too callous. If I wanted to protect my heart and not become like these cock-sucking twins, I had to not think of my monster girls as things. They were people. Flesh-and-blood girls who had their passions. Their wants and desires.
I wouldn't abuse their love. I couldn't. It was bad enough to make them fight and die for me.
I felt no Mana Vein pumping magic through that tunnel. I didn't expect to find it on the first go. It was like mining for diamonds in Minecraft. You dug tunnels spaced two blocks apart. This allowed you to see as many blocks as possible.
Increased your chance of finding the rare resource.
I shifted my tunnel over ten feet. It reached the same distance to the north but passed through different rocks and minerals. Touched different parts of the mountain.
Nothing.
I didn't let that disappoint me. You sometimes got lucky searching for diamonds. Other times, you went through a lot of iron pickaxes.
Third tunnel north. Fourth. Fifth. I went methodically building out from my dungeon. Some could reach farther than others because of the layout, but I covered the northern side effectively. I shifted my stance, my feet starting to ache from standing up.
I felt Lana watching me. She had delivered Halia's statue to the dungeon. I had put my poor paladin in her own room, a shrine to hold and protect her statue. It was off the bedroom. I had conjured flowers to surround her.
My hands clenched my Void Crystal. I would carve out Ziamili's heart and steal his Earth Glyph.
North was a bust, so I shifted to east. I worked as methodically. I sent the tunnels out deep into the mountain range, passing beneath other peaks. I longed to feel that magic flowing through me. That increase to my power and abilities I needed.
"Come on," I muttered as my dungeon changed again.
"You can relax, Leo," Lana said. "Today was harrowing. You can get some sleep or enjoy your women. I can hear them moaning in the bathroom. Let's soak in the hot springs."
"No!" I growled, my hands clenching down on the Crystal. How could I relax when I was so powerless against the twins?
"Leo," she said in this placating way that made my shoulders tense.
"I can rest later. This is too important."
Her curvy form pressed into my back. Round breasts that tingled with her electric current. Her crackling wings hovered over us. She kissed at my neck, her arms holding me tight. She stroked over my chest, brushing the four glyphs tattooed into my skin. Each was made of cuneiform-like markings to form stylized representation of Lightning, Dark, Life, and Water.
"You're not alone in this." She nibbled on my ear. "We're in this with you."
"Because I brought you here. I plucked you out of your life and put you in this madness."
"And am I complaining?" Her arms tightened around me. "I'm happy to be here with my number one fan."
"Am I? I put you in danger. What sort of fan does that."
"You were such a fan, you chose me out of literally billions of women. How can I not be flattered by that? Impressed. Leo Baldwin, I am not sad to be here. I'm not angry. I'm thrilled. I'm free of my life. My addictions. The casting couch. And there is something about this world. Something special. You're going to figure it out. Working with Fuegin will help."
"But only if we can survive. It's not just the twins. Others will attack. More powerful adventurers will come. I have to upgrade." I swallowed, terrified I would be forced to replace my will o' wisps and wildhounds, my oozes and mermaids and satyrs. I made them. Created them with my will. I was like their god, but what sort of god treated their creations like that?
As toys. Things. I fucked them, made them die for me, then put them into eternal sleep.
"I have to get stronger," I growled. Then I wouldn't have to abandon my monster girls. I could have the strength to keep Sviesos and Hela, Doodh and Skela and Cikata. I could have them all.
I sent out more tunnels to the east as Lana held me. Her presence was a comfort. It was tedious work. Fatigue began to nibble at the edges of my mind.
My stomach growled, hunger building as I sent my exploration tunnels east, driving them through the stone of the mountains, passing different veins of stone all mixed.