Chapter 9：The Dungeon Lord opens the Orange Area

With the last requirement fulfilled, it was time for some Expansion, if you get what I mean?

"Expansion!"

[Understood!]

[Expansion program initiated!]

[Upgrading Dungeon Core...]

[Expanding radius of influence...]

[Adding new options...]

[Complete!]

And so, that was it...

No luminous effect, no earthquake, no change in the Dungeon Core, not even a fanfare congratulating the Rank up.

"...booooooring..." T_T

We work so hard to reach this stage and not even a congratulation message is send to us! This feels so heartless!

After my half a minute drama, I let go a helpless smile and regained my focus.

I noticed that the place where the entrance was located was gone, in it's place was the old and traditional dungeon wall, but that was not all, it seems like while I did my one man act the System was already working at full throttle, as all messages had already disappear and they were switched by what appeared to me to be the full map of the dungeon.

Not only the map displayed all the walls, it also displayed the location of my Static Thunder, my own location, as well as our newest party member who was right beside me.

But this was not all! There were also icons all around the walls, showing what I could find up to 5 meters in distance from any dungeon wall.

As soon as I noticed that, I started searching like crazy for some icon representing Mana crystals. Unfortunately I couldn't find any, but I found some odd orange area near one of the Dungeon.

"Let's investigate this orange area!"

"Building mode!"

[Denied!]

[Please set your floor stairs before proceeding!]

"Oh! So that's why this map appeared!"

Hmm, let's see...where should I put it?

Should I put it close so it would be convenient for me to go up and down?

Or maybe further, to give me some time?

Further is safer but it feels a hassle to have to run for two hours just to go down...

I sighed and lowered a bit my head, lightly resting my head in the crystal.

[Understood!]

!?!?

"What!?"

As I lifted my head again the map had already disappeared.

"No way! Hey stop trolling me! Show me the Map!"

.

..

...

Nothing...

(-_-) ...

WHY!?

T_T

Sigh...

Anyway, let's head to the orange area.

Maybe if we are lucky we will find something good.

"Activate Building mode!"

[Understood!]

As soon as the system confirms the order, I start running to the place I think the orange area was located. Luckily it was a fairly easy path, all I needed to do was follow forward until the 5 finger's room, take the 4th path, head north, jump the next two passages, go left, right, left, run for a bit, take the 4th path after the cross, pass through the big room, run around the middle room, take 4 steps back and destroy the wall on my right.

OK, I may have gotten a bit lost midway, but so would you if you were me!

The important thing is that after 5 hours of wondering I finally recognized the room which was close to the orange area as passed in front of the same room for the 3rd or 4th time, so I pressed my hands against the wall and started digging my way through.

After another hour of digging, finally something changed. The blue wall that I was used to see turned yellow.

"Oh my god! There is something over here! Maybe it's a treasure room! Or even a way out!"

All right, let's proceed slowly...

Dig,dig,dig,dig...

Dig,dig,dig,dig...

Dig,dig,dig,dig...

Plop...

A hole was opened and I tried to peek inside but I couldn't see anything, not even the walls.

"Should I come back with some light source?"

Because lately I had been always using Mana Sight, I never had the need for light sources.

At the beginning I still installed light sources as I was not too used to darkness, but as the days passed, I got more and more used to Mana Sight, to the point that more than half my tunnels had no light at all.

This time, I don't know why, Mana sight was failing to see what was inside the Orange area. So I had to either bring a light source and use my normal sight, or try digging a bit more and making sense of what was happening.

Honestly I felt like just digging a bit more and getting it over with, but after noticing there was a strange cold smoke coming in from the hole I convinced myself to rethink the plan and grab some lights to scout first.

After summoning five luminous stones for 1u each, I went back to the orange area's entrance.

"First!"

Kick, kick, kick....stop.

.

..

...

Nothing.

"Good. Next a bit further!"

Kick, kick, kick, ploc...

Water??

...

..

.

Well, no sound of anything moving inside... One more!

I ready myself and throw it with all my strength!

But instead as fast as it goes into the hole, it hits something and bounce back at me.

"Wha!? F***!!!!"

Bang!

Something tackles the wall from the other side, enlarging the hole.

\O.O/

"Run!!!!"

As I start to run, I hear the wall crumbling behind me.

I take a fast peek and see a 1 meter tall, 8 plus meters long Giant Centipede chasing me.

"Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn!"