…

…

…

TAK! TAK! TAK!

CLANG! CLANG!

The rhythmic sound of wood striking wood echoed through the chamber like a heartbeat made of thunder. Thane's eyes flicked open. For a brief moment, he thought he was still trapped in the burning vision of the gods. The sway of the hammock beneath him felt like the rhythm of an aftershock. Warm air brushed across his face and it made Thane's nose tinge. The air carryied the scent of metal, mushrooms, and oddly… stew?

"Huh? I… fell asleep?" he muttered groggily. He rubbed his eyes, blinked, and froze.

The dungeon had changed.

The air shimmered faintly with magic. The cave walls were veined with radiant streaks of pearl-colored mana that pulsed like veins of living light. The underground river had cleared to crystalline brilliance, reflecting the ceiling like a second sky.

Moss glowed a pale green, creeping along the stones like starlight taking root. Thick vines coiled down from above, spiraling with deliberate artistry. Clusters of blue and white mushrooms exhaled faint mist, glowing like lanterns under the earth.

Magic was flowing strongly in the air.

Upright bones jutted from the ground, forming a fence of ivory stakes that hummed with low necromantic resonance. Where once bones were planted, bones, now turned into strange sprouts of herbs and vines. Living and writhing.

There were also five new stone cocoons pulsed along the cavern's edge. New Groundlings were being born, their silhouettes faintly visible through translucent stone.

At the center of the room, six Groundlings were busy… fighting?

Thane sat up, bewildered. The small, clay-skinned creatures moved in synchronized rhythm, holding wooden practice swords and mimicking someone unseen. Their heads tilted upward, eyes fixed on a glowing screen hovering before them.

On the Get Fit! Fantasy Channel, an elf instructor in a sparkling tunic, strutted across a training yard, his wooden sword twirling dramatically.

"Alright, everyone! Step! Pivot! Strike! And remember to breathe!" he announced with theatrical enthusiasm.

"Swordplay doesn't need to be complicated; it's so easy that even a Groundling can follow!"

The Groundlings, in TV, of course, followed.

But the Groundlings that were in the dungeon, being led by Esau, also followed.

They had no voices, only heavy, rhythmic breaths and the soft scrape of wood hitting stone. The elf on-screen continued like an overzealous fitness coach.

"Good form, everyone! Don't forget your footing! That's it! If you're at home, keep swinging!"

The Groundlings struck in unison, wooden blades clacking. One overextended, stumbled, and fell into another. The rest kept going, oblivious.

Hovering near them, Esau stood up with frustration.

It roared numerous howls.

"You! You! Wrong!" It spoke in staggered English and forced all to get up as they tried to catch up to the routine. Another difficult set of moves, which involves spins and wide strikes, appeared.

CLACK!

Two Groundlings collided and toppled over.

And it was as if the elf knew some would mess up, so the elf instructor's cheerful voice rang out again.

"And if you fall, that's okay! It just means you're committed!"

Thane was too bewildered by the sight.

"I fell asleep, and my dungeon has turned into some fantasy fitness class?"

"I thought it would be wise to use some of the physical shows to get them ready for combat," Libra muttered.

"GAH!" Thane cried when he heard Libra speak and saw the ghastly head next to him.

"What happened?!" Libra asked in alarm.

Thane blinked.

"Oh... I'm just... still not used to waking up next to a floating skull."

Libra rolled its eyes.

"But I'm still impressed you managed to make them follow like that!"

"This was not my doing. It was a shot in the dark as the groundlings had nothing better to do. We tried to, but the elf's charisma rating is absurd. I barely did anything. That elf is right. His swordplay is so easy that even a Groundling can understand."

Thane looked at the Groundlings still practicing under the glow of the elf's perfect smile.

"Well, at least they're motivated. You've got to give them that."

The cavern itself was tidied. The boxes that Thane brought in from the previous Groundling dungeon were now fully utilized.

It stacked in neat rows with hand-scrawled labels: Weapons, Rations, and one ominous box marked Harvested Herbs (DO NOT EAT).

A small cooking area had been arranged beside the stream, a hanging cauldron, pans, spoons, and herbs dangling from twine like trophies.

"You had me worried there, Master," Libra said, floating closer, his mist shimmering softly.

Libra ignored him. "You were unconscious for three days. Your soul left your body."

"My what did what?"

"Your soul wandered," Libra explained calmly.

"Between the battle, the mist, and the Celestial TV's interference, your spirit detached. You were exposed to realms beyond mortal comprehension."

Thane's eyes widened.

"That was real?"

Thane rubbed his temples.

"Do you remember?"

"I… saw something. Those five figures. Four strange beings and a serpent."

"You saw the rulers of this world. I only detected one, for we are of the same kind. But those four..." Libra said quietly.

"Mortals who stole divine power. And one among them, Serpentarius, who should never have allowed such blasphemy. Hmp. If anything, I feel that those mortals who think themselves as gods are falling for Serpentarius's plan."

"Why does my body feel so... tight?"

"You nearly died. If not for the Ambrosia Fruit that bestows not just life to the body, but also to that of the soul, you would have been killed."

Thane recalled the bright energy attack that those 'gods' launched at him.

"When I followed your soul through the Celestial TV, I saw the world as everyone else does. It was lush and bright. My spectral form was bound to the Celestial TV, so I was confident that my journey would remain undetected. I sought you through the TV, and when I approached you, I saw the world through your eyes. I saw decay. It was... shocking to say the least."

"I probably see the world as how God sees it. The effects of Sin truly destroy this world."

"That is the only explanation, Master."

"So, why are you calling me Master?" Thane asked as if standing up.

"Pragmatism," Libra said.

"You wield the Celestial TV. A divine-ranked dimensional engine. Every channel you unlock reshapes the world. You have your own world in this."

"Wait… You mean this thing can build worlds? Aren't they just channels?"

"Yes. Right now, the beings here live in a way that they are tied to the TV. But think of your TV as a giant Dungeon Core. A World-sized dungeon core. In time, if you grant them their form like how Dungeon Break monsters do, then, this can be your fortress, your forge, and your army! I you learn to use it."

Before Thane could answer, the ground trembled. The soft ripples in the stream shivered violently. Pebbles rolled across the floor.

Libra turned sharply.

"Master! Leave this channel now! The gods are searching for you through the residual trace of your spirit! You must hide in another plane!"

"What? But I was finally gonna see the end of the elf's sword demo!"

"Master!"

"Alright, alright!" Thane grumbled, pointing the remote skyward.

WARP!

The cavern folded into light.

Across distant heavens, the gods paused. The signal they were tracing was suddenly gone. Serpentarius's gaze drifted through the void, seeking the vanished spark of Libra.

At once, he heard the echoing howls of the fellow gods, also confused.

"A power that used all of our abilities, and he was able to evade it! Just what happened to Libra?"

Meanwhile...

Thane reappeared in a blaze of heat and noise.

He landed on a rocky platform surrounded by flowing lava. The air sizzled with burning air. Beneath his boots, the ground pulsed faintly red, heat bleeding through cracks that looked like veins of fire.

But unlike the former time when Thane left it, the lava was already splashing like waves and had risen alarmingly high that it would soon engulf the platform!

"WHAT THE FRAGMENT?!" Thane yelled.

"LIBRA?! WHERE DID YOU WARP US?!"

The ground trembled again. Beneath him, molten rivers churned and foamed like angry serpents. Geysers of lava shot upward, splattering droplets of molten rock across the cliffs.Strange humanoid beings could be seen moving and standing on the lava!

Thane stared down. The immense, humanoid silhouettes walk through the magma as if through shallow water. They glowed from within, their rocky bodies threaded with veins of molten gold. When one turned, its faceless head cast a burst of heat that rippled the air.

"Those things are alive!"

"Molten Golems! Master! You've stumbled into a growing dungeon! A Lava Dungeon Core."

"A what?"

"Leave! Those things are ancient! Your current weapons cannot hurt them!"

As Libra spoke, the molten tide surged upward again, licking the edge of the rock platform.

"Yeah, about not lingering! Great idea!" Thane shouted.

"I didn't die and went to heaven to be cooked in hell!"

He bent his knees and drew a deep breath, Spirit surging into his limbs.

[Spirit Dispersing Deflection Strike]!

BOOM!

Thane leapt as a molten hand reached for the platform.

The Molten Golems were rising from the depths of the lava!

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