After the Abyss Devourer was defeated, the chamber fell into complete silence.
Until a familiar sound caught Mark’s attention.
[Boss Defeated: The Abyss Devourer]
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 50]
[New Skill Unlocked: Absolute Dominion (Lv. 1)]
Mark finally let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
"That was... intense."
"That was incredible!" Aria was practically bouncing with excitent. "Master, that skill you used! It made feel so powerful!"
"It was fairly useful," Yuki admitted, cleaning her daggers.
"It was more than useful," Ely said, walking toward Mark with a smile.
Mark was about to respond when he noticed sothing.
The remains of the Devourer — the black gel splattered across the chamber — had started to move.
To gather.
"Uh... ladies..."
All three won imdiately went on guard, but Mark raised a hand.
"Wait."
The mass condensed, reforming into its original shape — that massive figure covered in eyes, mouths, and embedded weapons.
But this ti it stayed still.
"Master," the creature said, its voice now soft and submissive. "I... serve."
Mark blinked.
What?
[The Abyss Devourer has been subjugated]
[As your summons defeated the boss, you are recognized as its master]
[The Abyss Devourer is now part of your undead army]
"Oh," said Mark. "That... I didn’t see that coming."
Ely eyed the creature warily.
"So what do we do with... that?" she said, pointing at it.
Mark studied the Abyss Devourer for a mont.
It was powerful, no question — but also wildly impractical.
A giant mass of black gel bristling with weapons wasn’t exactly what you’d call discreet.
"Hey," Mark said, addressing the creature. "Do you have another form? Sothing... smaller."
The Abyss Devourer tilted what appeared to be its head.
"Yes, Master. I can... adapt."
And then it began to shrink.
Its enormous body condensed, the embedded weapons disappeared into the mass, and the dozens of eyes and mouths rged into two large glowing eyes and a small mouth.
When the transformation was complete, what stood before them was a black sli roughly the size of a soccer ball, with two large luminous eyes.
"Is this acceptable, Master?" the sli asked in a deep voice.
Mark couldn’t help but smile at the situation.
"Perfect."
Mark crouched down and picked up the sli, tucking it inside his robe.
The sli settled in comfortably, leaving only its head peeking out.
Aria clapped her hands.
"We have a pet! How adorable!"
"This gets stranger by the minute," Yuki said with a sigh.
Mark looked around the chamber, noticing that the runes on the walls were still glowing with that blood-red light.
The dungeon was still active.
"Wait," Mark said, looking at the sli poking out of his robe. "I have a question."
The sli blinked its large glowing eyes.
"Yes, Master?"
"If I already defeated you... why is the dungeon still standing? When you defeat a dungeon’s boss, it’s supposed to collapse or deactivate, right?"
The sli tilted its small head, as if thinking.
"Ah, that is because the dungeon did not disappear, Master. You did not destroy it... you conquered it."
"Conquered?" Mark frowned. "What does that an?"
"When a dungeon boss is defeated by soone whose affinity is classified as an evil being or dark creature, the dungeon does not collapse. Instead, the victor becos the new owner of the dungeon."
Mark blinked.
"Owner?"
"Yes, Master. This dungeon now belongs to you, and all the monsters within it recognize your authority. You may now control it, modify it, and use it however you wish."
A slow smile spread across Mark’s face.
"Wait... are you saying I can literally use this dungeon as a base of operations? Which is exactly what we ca here looking for?"
"Exactly, Master."
"Master," Ely stepped closer with a satisfied smile, "do you rember what I told you about your aura?"
Mark nodded.
"The monsters recognize as one of them."
"Exactly. And now that you defeated the boss... well, technically we defeated it under your command, the dungeon recognizes you as its new lord. That’s why it didn’t collapse."
"As I ntioned before, necromancers are considered evil beings by this world," Yuki explained. "They manipulate death and control the dead. That is why the dungeon accepts you as its owner rather than destroying itself."
Mark processed the information as his smile grew wider.
"So... not only do we have a safe base, but I have complete control over it."
"That is correct, Master," the sli confird. "You can command all the monsters within it, modify the dungeon’s structure, place traps, and control who may enter or exit. In essence, this is now your fortress."
"This is perfect," Mark said, looking around with renewed interest. "Better than I expected. I thought we’d just have to clear the dungeon and hide out here. But having full control..."
"ans no one can enter without your permission," Ely added. "And if they try, the monsters will stop them."
"Furthermore," Yuki said, "we can set up in the boss chamber. It’s large enough and it’s on the deepest level. No one would ever make it this far."
"And we can decorate it!" Aria exclaid excitedly. "Make it cozy! Get beds, furniture, maybe so curtains!"
"Aria," Mark interrupted, a smile on his face this ti. "Fine... we can make it livable."
Aria practically glowed with happiness.
"Yes, Master!"
The sli nestled more comfortably inside his robe.
"Then, Master, what are your orders?"
Mark thought for a mont.
"Keep the dungeon active. The monsters should keep patrolling as usual so as not to raise suspicion. But don’t let anyone in without my permission. If soone tries to go past the third floor..."
"Shall I eliminate them, Master?"
"No," Mark shook his head. "Make them run. Scare them badly enough that they won’t want to co back. I don’t want adventurers going missing and the guild launching an investigation."
"As you command, Master."
Mark looked at the three won.
"Alright. We officially have our base. Now we just need to get settled and plan our next moves."
"Finally," Ely said with satisfaction. "Sowhere we don’t have to hide."
"Sowhere safe," Yuki added.
"A ho!" Aria exclaid.
Mark couldn’t help but smile.
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