Year 336 Post-Collision – Day 131 (7 Hours, 26 Minutes Into Dungeon)
Sunny emerged onto floor twelve to find something unexpected: other people.
Not constructs this time. Real humans. Or at least, what appeared to be real humans—sitting around a campfire in what looked like a safe room within the dungeon. A stone chamber with supplies, beds, and defensive fortifications.
There were five of them. All wearing worn adventurer gear. All staring at Sunny like he'd materialized out of thin air.
Which, from their perspective, he had.
[AKASHIC INTERFACE: ANALYZING ENTITIES]
[READING LIFE SIGNATURES...]
[RESULT: SEMI-REAL]
[THESE ARE: MEMORY ECHOES]
[PREVIOUS CHALLENGERS WHO DIED IN THE DUNGEON]
[PRESERVED AS INTERACTIVE RECORDINGS]
[PURPOSE: UNKNOWN]
An older woman—mid-forties, battle-scarred, carrying herself like a leader—stood slowly. "Another one? The dungeon's been quiet for months and now two challengers in as many days?"
"Two?" Sunny asked cautiously.
"Young man came through eight hours ago. Moved like lightning, barely stopped to acknowledge us. Headed straight for floor thirteen." She studied Sunny. "You're even younger. What are you, ten?"
"Nine. Sunny Blackshore." He didn't sheath his blade—not yet. "Who are you?"
"Captain Vera Ironheart. Or at least, I was." She gestured to herself and her companions. "We challenged this dungeon seventeen years ago. Made it to floor thirty-two before Asmodeus tested us beyond our limits. We're... echoes now. Memories the dungeon preserves to warn future challengers."
[THOUGHT DOMINION: ANALYZING SCENARIO]
[THIS IS TRIAL TYPE: KNOWN FROM MEDIA CATALOG]
[THE "FAILED HEROES" WARNING]
[PURPOSE: TEST IF CHALLENGER BECOMES DISCOURAGED]
[ALSO: OPPORTUNITY FOR INTELLIGENCE GATHERING]
"Floor thirty-two," Sunny said. "What killed you?"
Vera's expression darkened. "Asmodeus asked us to choose. Save our kingdom or save each other. We were five warriors who'd sworn oaths of brotherhood. We chose each other." She looked down. "The dungeon showed us our kingdom burning. Showed us every citizen who died because we weren't there. Then it asked: 'Kings put duty above personal loyalty. You failed. Do you wish to try again?'"
"And you said yes," Sunny guessed.
"We said yes. The dungeon reset us to this floor, as echoes. To warn others: Asmodeus tests not just your ability to rule, but your willingness to bear rulership's cost."
One of Vera's companions—a young mage with haunted eyes—spoke up: "Turn back, kid. You're nine years old. You can't be ready for what's deeper. The trials get personal. They break you in ways combat can't."
[SOVEREIGN'S DEFIANCE: ASSESSING TRUTH]
[STATEMENTS: MOSTLY ACCURATE]
[THESE ECHOES: GENUINE WARNINGS]
[BUT ALSO: TESTING YOUR RESOLVE]
[ASMODEUS WANTS TO KNOW: WILL YOU TURN BACK?]
Sunny considered the five echoes. Failed challengers preserved as eternal warnings. It was cruel. It was also typical of Djinn dungeons—using every tool to test worthiness.
"I appreciate the warning," Sunny said carefully. "But I'm not turning back. I came here for a metal vessel and Djinn authority. I'm going to get both or die trying."
"Die trying," Vera repeated softly. "Most do die. That other challenger—the one who passed through earlier—he had the same determination. I wonder if he'll make it."
"Wait," Sunny focused. "This other challenger. What did he look like?"
"Tall. Late twenties. Black hair. Moved with absolute confidence. Had three artifact rings and a cursed blade." Vera shrugged. "Didn't give a name. Just said he was here to 'claim what should have been his decades ago.' Weird phrasing."
[THOUGHT DOMINION: CALCULATING PROBABILITIES]
[ANOTHER CHALLENGER: UNEXPECTED]
[TIMING: SUSPICIOUS (BOTH ENTERING SAME WEEK)]
[POSSIBILITY 1: COINCIDENCE (12%)]
[POSSIBILITY 2: DRAWN BY YOUR ACTIVITY (34%)]
[POSSIBILITY 3: SENT BY HOSTILE POWER (54%)]
[CONCERN LEVEL: MODERATE]
[CONTINUE BUT CAUTIOUS]
"I'll keep that in mind," Sunny said. "If you're echoes bound to this floor, can you tell me anything useful about the deeper trials?"
Vera smiled grimly. "That's why we're here. To offer knowledge in exchange for carrying our story forward." She gestured to the campfire. "Sit. Let me tell you what awaits."
Intelligence Gathering
Sunny sat, keeping his sword accessible, and listened as Vera outlined the dungeon's deeper structure:
"Floors 12-20 are the Specialty Trials. Each floor tests a specific aspect of rulership in extreme scenarios. We faced:
Floor 13: The Plague City—you must save a city from magical disease while infected yourself. Tests your ability to lead while suffering.
Floor 14: The Betrayal Court—your closest advisor is a traitor. You must identify and handle them. Tests judgment and mercy.
Floor 15: The Siege Endless—defend a fortress for thirty days against overwhelming odds. Tests endurance and morale maintenance.
Floor 16: The Hostage Dilemma—enemies hold your people captive. Tests negotiation versus force.
Floor 17: The Corrupted Heir—your successor is evil. Tests whether you can make hard succession choices.
Floor 18: The Economic Collapse—your kingdom's economy fails. Tests resource management under pressure.
Floor 19: The Just War—you must invade a neighboring kingdom to prevent greater evil. Tests moral complexity.
Floor 20: The Forsaken Throne—everyone who ever trusted you believes you betrayed them. Tests conviction when reputation is destroyed."
Sunny absorbed this, his Sovereign's Defiance cataloging every detail.
"And after floor twenty?"
"Floors 21-40 are The Nightmare Floors. We only made it to thirty-two, but we heard rumors from other echoes. Reality starts breaking. Challenges become deeply personal, pulling from your actual memories and fears. Asmodeus digs into who you really are, not just what you can do."
"And floors 41-47?"
Vera's expression went flat. "No one who reaches floor 41 becomes an echo. They either succeed or they're gone completely. Whatever Asmodeus tests in those final floors—it's beyond what we can comprehend."
[THOUGHT DOMINION: PROCESSING INTELLIGENCE]
[FLOOR STRUCTURE CONFIRMED]
[MATCHES MAGI-STYLE DUNGEON PATTERNS]
[ADJUSTED TIMELINE:]
[FLOORS 12-20: 2-3 DAYS (COMPLEX BUT MANAGEABLE)]
[FLOORS 21-40: 7-10 DAYS (NIGHTMARE TRIALS, PSYCHOLOGICAL)]
[FLOORS 41-47: UNKNOWN (FINAL TRIALS)]
[TOTAL ESTIMATED TIME: 10-14 DAYS FOR FULL CONQUEST]
[FASTER THAN EXPECTED]
The young mage spoke again: "One more thing. If you encounter the other challenger—the one ahead of you—don't trust him. There's something wrong about someone attempting this dungeon now, after it's been dormant for months. Either he knows something, or he's after something specific."
"I'll be careful," Sunny promised. He stood. "Thank you for the information. I'll carry your story forward. When I conquer this dungeon, I'll tell the world that Captain Vera Ironheart and her company made it to floor thirty-two and died with honor."
Vera smiled—genuinely grateful. "That's all we can ask. Good luck, kid. You'll need it."
Sunny descended to floor thirteen, leaving the echoes behind.
Floor 13: The Plague City
The thirteenth floor materialized as a medieval city engulfed in magical plague. Purple-black miasma filled the streets. Citizens collapsed in agony. Healers worked desperately, failing to contain the spread.
And Sunny felt it immediately—the infection entering his body.
[ALERT: MAGICAL PLAGUE DETECTED]
[INFECTION: SPREADING THROUGH BLOODSTREAM]
[SYMPTOMS: FEVER, DISORIENTATION, WEAKNESS]
[TIME TO TOTAL INCAPACITATION: 6 HOURS]
[TIME TO DEATH: 12 HOURS]
[ADAPTIVE ARMOR: INEFFECTIVE (INTERNAL DISEASE)]
[DEATHLESS DEFIANCE: WILL RESURRECT YOU, BUT PLAGUE PERSISTS]
[TRIAL OBJECTIVE: CURE THE CITY WHILE DYING YOURSELF]
A city administrator rushed toward Sunny—a construct playing the role. "Thank the gods! Are you a healer? A mage? We need—" The administrator took in Sunny's youth and visible fever. "Oh no. You're infected too."
"I am," Sunny said through gritted teeth. The plague was aggressive. His demigod physiology was fighting it, but losing. "What's the situation?"
"Three thousand citizens. Two hundred infected so far. Spreading exponentially. Our healers can slow it but not cure it. We estimate total population death in four days." The administrator looked desperate. "We need a miracle. Or a king who can organize a miracle."
[THOUGHT DOMINION: ANALYZING PLAGUE]
[MAGICAL COMPOSITION: COMPLEX]
[BASE: NECROTIC MANA + CORRUPTION + DECAY]
[CURE REQUIRES: PURIFICATION + RESTORATION + MAGICAL ANTIBODY]
[CONVENTIONAL HEALING: INSUFFICIENT]
[SOVEREIGN'S AUTHORITY: INSUFFICIENT (CAN'T JUST "DENY" DISEASE)]
[CONCEPTUAL SYNTHESIS: POSSIBLE SOLUTION]
[BUT: YOU'RE DYING]
[TIME TO CREATE CURE: 4-5 HOURS]
[YOUR REMAINING CONSCIOUSNESS: 6 HOURS]
[NARROW WINDOW]
Sunny forced himself to focus despite the fever building. "Gather all your healers. Every mage who can sense magical structures. Bring them to the central plaza. We're creating a cure."
"You're a child. How can you—"
"I'm a king with an Ultimate Skill and six hours before I pass out. Move."
The administrator ran. Sunny made his way to the plaza, each step harder than the last.
This trial tests if you can lead while suffering, Sunny thought. Can you prioritize others when your own death is imminent? Let's find out.
The Cure's Creation
Twenty healers gathered in the plaza. All of them infected to varying degrees. All of them exhausted, desperate.
Sunny stood at the center, using Thought Dominion to maintain consciousness despite his body screaming for rest.
"Listen carefully," he said, voice hoarse. "I'm going to analyze this plague's structure with my abilities. You're going to follow my instructions exactly. Together, we'll create a cure."
A healer objected: "Creating magical cures takes weeks of research, not—"
"I have an Ultimate Skill called Sovereign's Defiance that processes reality at quantum speeds. I can model magical structures faster than teams of archmages. Trust me or watch everyone die. Choose."
The healer went silent.
Sunny activated his Akashic Interface, pulling on every medical concept from his Media Catalog—every anime where protagonists cured magical diseases, every fantasy story about plague solutions, every cultivation novel's purification technique.
[CONCEPTUAL SYNTHESIS: INITIATING]
[COMBINING: PURIFICATION CONCEPTS + RESTORATION MAGIC + ANTIBODY CREATION]
[DESIGNING: MAGICAL CURE FORMULA]
[PROGRESS: 12%... 24%... 37%...]
His fever spiked. Sunny collapsed to one knee, blood running from his nose.
One of the healers rushed forward. "You need to rest—"
"Can't. Five more hours of work. Three hours of consciousness left." Sunny forced himself upright. "Someone. Talk to me. Keep me conscious. Ask me questions. Anything."
An older healer—a woman with kind eyes—knelt beside him. "What's your name, young king?"
"Sunny. Sunny Blackshore."
"Why are you doing this? You could use your remaining time to find an escape. Save yourself."
"Because that's not what kings do." Sunny coughed blood. "Kings die for their people. That's the job. Besides—" He managed a pained smile. "—I have a resurrection ability. I'll survive. These people won't unless I help."
[DEATHLESS DEFIANCE: CONFIRMED]
[RESURRECTION AVAILABLE: YES]
[BUT: WOULD FAIL TRIAL]
[YOU MUST CURE THE CITY BEFORE DYING]
[OR RESURRECTION DOESN'T COUNT AS SUCCESS]
The old healer understood. "You're gambling everything on a narrow window. That's brave. Stupid, but brave."
"Story of my life."
[CURE FORMULA: 58%... 71%... 84%...]
Three hours in, Sunny could barely see. His vision swam with fever dreams. His hands shook so badly he couldn't write.
But his mind—boosted by Sovereign's Defiance—remained crystalline. Perfect calculation even as his body failed.
[CURE FORMULA: 96%... 98%... 100%]
[CURE: COMPLETE]
[FORMULA: READY FOR IMPLEMENTATION]
Sunny collapsed completely. The healers caught him.
"I have it," he whispered. "The formula. In my mind. Perfectly preserved. You need to—" He described the complex ritual, the magical components, the casting sequence. Every detail transmitted through failing breath.
The healers worked frantically. Following his instructions exactly. Combining their power under his direction even as he lay dying on the plaza stones.
Four hours, thirty-seven minutes after entering the floor, the cure was complete.
A wave of purifying light spread across the plague city. The miasma dissolved. The infected stabilized. Three thousand citizens saved.
Sunny felt it work on him too—the cure reaching his bloodstream, fighting the disease, winning.
He didn't die. He'd cut it that close.
[FLOOR THIRTEEN: COMPLETE]
[TRIAL: PASSED]
[METHOD: LED WHILE DYING, CREATED MIRACLE, SURVIVED BY SECONDS]
[ASMODEUS'S JUDGMENT: "KINGS WHO PRIORITIZE OTHERS ABOVE SELF ARE RARE. NOTED."]
Sunny lay on the plaza stones, gasping, as the plague city faded and a stairway appeared.
The old healer's voice echoed as the construct dissolved: "Thank you, young king. You're the real thing."
Floor 14: The Betrayal Court
Sunny barely had time to recover before floor fourteen materialized. A royal court. Advisors, nobles, guards—all constructs playing roles.
And somewhere among them: a traitor.
[AKASHIC INTERFACE: SCANNING COURT]
[THIRTY-SEVEN INDIVIDUALS]
[ONE IS: TRAITOR (HIDDEN)]
[TRIAL: IDENTIFY AND HANDLE APPROPRIATELY]
[TIME LIMIT: NONE STATED]
[WRONG ACCUSATION: CONSEQUENCES UNKNOWN]
A scenario played out as Sunny entered: His kingdom (in this simulation) was at war. Intelligence was leaking to the enemy. Someone in his inner circle was selling secrets.
The constructs played their roles perfectly—concerned advisors, loyal guards, worried nobles. All claiming innocence. All pointing fingers at others.
Sunny observed in silence, Thought Dominion analyzing every micro-expression, every word choice, every behavioral pattern.
[PROCESSING: 47,000 PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILES]
[CROSS-REFERENCING: BEHAVIORAL INCONSISTENCIES]
[SUSPECTS NARROWED: 37 → 12 → 4 → 1]
[TRAITOR IDENTIFIED: ADVISOR MARCUS (COINCIDENTALLY SAME NAME)]
[CONFIDENCE: 99.7%]
[METHOD: DETECTED MICRO-HESITATION WHEN DISCUSSING ENEMY MOVEMENTS]
[ALSO: EXCESSIVE LOYALTY PERFORMANCE (OVERCOMPENSATION)]
Sunny addressed the court: "I know who the traitor is."
Everyone went silent.
"Advisor Marcus. You've been feeding intelligence to our enemies."
The construct playing Marcus went pale. "My Lord, I would never—"
"You just tensed your left shoulder when I said 'enemies.' That's a subconscious tell indicating you were thinking about them as 'allies' and had to consciously correct. Also, you've used seventeen loyalty affirmations in the past ten minutes. That's statistically abnormal—people who are actually loyal don't constantly assert it."
Marcus's facade cracked. "How did you—you're just a child—"
"I'm a child with an Ultimate Skill that processes human behavior at computational speeds. You never had a chance of hiding from me." Sunny gestured. "Guards. Detain him."
The guards moved to comply—but then stopped. The trial wasn't over.
Asmodeus's voice filled the court:
"IDENTIFICATION CORRECT. BUT KINGS MUST ALSO JUDGE. WHAT IS MARCUS'S PUNISHMENT?"
"EXECUTION FOR TREASON?"
"IMPRISONMENT?"
"EXILE?"
"OR MERCY?"
Sunny looked at the construct Marcus, who was now openly weeping—genuinely emotional despite being artificial. "Why did you betray us?"
"My family. The enemy captured them. Said they'd kill them unless I provided information. I—I had no choice."
[THOUGHT DOMINION: ASSESSING TRUTHFULNESS]
[STATEMENT: LIKELY ACCURATE WITHIN SCENARIO LOGIC]
[TRIAL TESTING: JUSTICE VS. MERCY]
[EXECUTION = HARSH JUSTICE]
[IMPRISONMENT = MODERATE JUSTICE]
[EXILE = LENIENT JUSTICE]
[MERCY = RISK]
Sunny made his decision:
"Marcus. Your family will be rescued by my best operatives within forty-eight hours. Your betrayal is understandable but unforgivable. However, your loyalty—before they threatened your family—was genuine." He paused. "You're stripped of your position and placed under house arrest. After your family is safe, you'll serve the kingdom in diminished capacity, rebuilding trust. This is exile from power, not exile from home."
Asmodeus was silent for a moment. Then:
"INTERESTING CHOICE. NOT HARSH, NOT LENIENT. STRATEGIC. YOU RECOGNIZED THAT EXECUTION CREATES MARTYRS AND EXILE WASTES RESOURCES. HOUSE ARREST PLUS DEMOTION MAINTAINS CONTROL WHILE ALLOWING REDEMPTION. CALCULATED MERCY. ACCEPTABLE."
[FLOOR FOURTEEN: COMPLETE]
[METHOD: SOPHISTICATED JUDGMENT]
Floors 15-19: Accelerated (Summary)
The next five floors came fast. Each testing different aspects:
Floor 15 (The Siege Endless): Sunny defended a fortress for thirty simulated days using optimal resource distribution and morale maintenance. Thought Dominion calculated perfect rotation schedules. Victory through endurance.
Floor 16 (The Hostage Dilemma): Enemies held citizens hostage. Sunny negotiated while secretly positioning Phantom Movement for precision rescue. Negotiation as distraction, force as solution. Both/and rather than either/or.
Floor 17 (The Corrupted Heir): The successor was evil. Sunny's solution: establish democratic council override powers in the succession law. "If the heir is unworthy, the people can remove them through legal process." Asmodeus called it "structural wisdom."
Floor 18 (The Economic Collapse): Kingdom economy failing. Sunny implemented emergency measures based on macroeconomic principles from his Media Catalog. Stimulus, trade agreements, resource redistribution. Mathematical solution to economic crisis.
Floor 19 (The Just War): Must invade neighbor to prevent genocide. Sunny invaded with minimal force, targeted leadership only, established temporary governance, then withdrew. "Liberation, not conquest. Intervention, not imperialism."
Each trial took 3-6 hours. Each was exhausting. Each pushed different aspects of rulership.
And each time, Asmodeus's approval grew:
"YOU ADAPT."
"YOU SYNTHESIZE MULTIPLE APPROACHES."
"YOU DON'T THINK LIKE A CHILD."
"MOST IMPORTANTLY: YOU LEARN FROM EACH TRIAL."
Floor 20: The Forsaken Throne
Sunny materialized on floor twenty to find the cruelest scenario yet.
A throne room filled with everyone he'd ever known in Blackshore. Elena, Marcus, Roland, Nina, Burgundy, all the queens, every citizen.
All of them looking at him with betrayal and hatred.
"Traitor," Elena spat. "You sold us to Lord Castor."
"Liar," Marcus said. "You claimed to protect us. You only protected yourself."
"Monster," Nina whispered. "You used us. All of us."
Even Burgundy—loyal Burgundy—stood with mandibles clicking in rage. "You are not worthy of the names you granted. You are not our Lord. You are a pretender."
[AKASHIC INTERFACE: ANALYZING]
[ALL CONSTRUCTS: CONFIRMED]
[BUT: PULLING FROM YOUR ACTUAL MEMORIES OF THESE PEOPLE]
[TRIAL: MAINTAIN CONVICTION WHEN EVERYONE BELIEVES YOU BETRAYED THEM]
[PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE: EXTREME]
[THIS IS YOUR DEEPEST FEAR]
[BEING ABANDONED BY THOSE YOU PROTECT]
Sunny stood alone before the throne, surrounded by hatred from every person he'd built his kingdom with.
And he realized: this was the floor that broke Captain Vera's team. This was where they chose each other over duty and failed.
"You're not real," Sunny said steadily. "You're constructs. Testing if I'll break under social pressure."
"Prove it," construct-Elena challenged. "Prove we're not real. You can't. For all you know, we're the real ones, and this is Asmodeus showing you the future—showing you what happens when your secrets come out, when people learn what you really are."
[THOUGHT DOMINION: CALCULATING RESPONSE]
[LOGICAL PROOF: IMPOSSIBLE]
[EMOTIONAL RESPONSE: COMPROMISING]
[OPTIMAL STRATEGY: MAINTAIN INTERNAL CONVICTION REGARDLESS]
Sunny walked toward the throne through the crowd of hostile constructs.
"Maybe you're right," he said. "Maybe this is the future. Maybe everyone will eventually hate me. Rulers are always hated by someone. That's the nature of authority."
He sat on the throne.
"But I'm not ruling for approval. I'm ruling because it's necessary. Because Blackshore needed a king and I was there. Because ants needed names and I could give them. Because a Leviathan claimed me and I refused to disappear."
The constructs crowded closer, shouting accusations, curses, betrayals.
Sunny raised his voice: "I am Sunny Blackshore! I am Claimed of the Leviathan! I am the Sovereign who Defies! And I don't need your approval to know I'm doing what's right!"
His Sovereign's Authority flared—not attacking, just existing. The sheer conviction of his presence.
The constructs froze. Unable to advance against absolute certainty.
Asmodeus's voice echoed with something like respect:
"CONVICTION. TRUE CONVICTION. YOU DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE HATED, AS LONG AS YOU KNOW YOU'RE RIGHT. THIS IS DANGEROUS IN TYRANTS. BUT NECESSARY IN KINGS WHO FACE IMPOSSIBLE CHOICES."
"FLOOR TWENTY: COMPLETE."
"THE SPECIALTY TRIALS ARE FINISHED."
"NOW COMES THE REAL TEST."
"NOW COMES THE NIGHTMARE."
The constructs dissolved. The throne room faded. And a new staircase appeared—leading down into darkness that seemed deeper than before.
Sunny stood, exhausted but unbroken.
Twenty floors conquered. Twenty-seven to go.
The dungeon's second phase was about to begin.
[END CHAPTER 29]
[FLOORS CONQUERED: 20/47]
[TIME ELAPSED: 2 DAYS, 8 HOURS]
[ASMODEUS'S JUDGMENT: "CONSISTENTLY IMPRESSIVE"]
[SUNNY'S STATE: EXHAUSTED BUT ADVANCING]
[NEXT: FLOORS 21-40 (NIGHTMARE TRIALS)]
[WHERE THE DUNGEON BECOMES PERSONAL]
[WHERE PSYCHOLOGICAL LIMITS ARE TESTED]
[WHERE REALITY BREAKS DOWN]
[THE REAL CRUCIBLE BEGINS]