The storage reeked of rotten eggs from the 3 crates filled with sulfur. Inside, skeleton haulers moved silently between the piles, their bony fingers gripping sacks and chiseling marks into crude ledgers.
Karl stepped into the hall. He stopped in the center.
"This is it, Leo," Karl said, spreading his arms wide. "The perfect component for the next step of the industrial revolution."
Leo, standing a short distance behind him, tilted his head. "My lord, are we to begin mass production already?"
Karl smirked. "Not yet. But first, did we buy the organic fertilizers from the farmers, as I ordered?"
Leo nodded. "Yes, my lord. The granaries are stocked. Compost, dung, and more besides. If you wish, I can have the researchers begin synthesizing potassium nitrate right away."
Karl waved the suggestion off. "No. Not in small quantities. I’ll expand the fourth floor. I’ll build a separate structure for it. An alchemical works—an entire facility, not a tinkerer’s corner. And it will not rely on open fires or clumsy tools. It will run on elemental stones and Arcstone control nodes. Regulated, stable, efficient."
As if summoned by his words, the system appeared.
[ You have created a custom structure! ]
[ Structure Blueprint: ⚗️ Elemental Alchemical Works ]
Description: An industrial-scale alchemy hall using elemental mana stones and Arcstone control nodes to regulate heat, pressure, and flow. It transforms raw minerals and organic matter into chemicals and fuels.
– Converts sulfur + charcoal + saltpeter → Gunpowder
– Distills organic matter with Fire + Water stones → Oils, solvents, tinctures
– Uses Earth + Water stones → Pigments, dyes, mineral paints
– Controlled pressure chambers (Arcstone logic) → Primitive acids & reagents
Skeleton Workers Required:
[ You have earned 1,130 NP ]
Karl dismissed the panel with a wave, his smirk growing. "There it is. Gunpowder, acids, dyes, solvents. Endless applications. The possibilities stretch further than any single battlefield."
He turned to Leo. "Begin acquiring iron ores and sulfur in bulk. As much as we can haul. We’ll need mountains of it."
Leo bowed. "At once, my lord." He hesitated, then added, "On another matter, Dolrik and the research team have finished their trials with the chamber explosion mechanism."
Karl’s interest sharpened instantly. "Go on."
"They tested a fire stone in a sealed chamber. The gases expanded, propelling a projectile at high speed. At first, the steel barrels shattered under the strain, some bursting apart like brittle glass. But with Arcstone regulation, the steel held. The most successful trial so far was with a forty-millimeter barrel."
Karl’s brows lifted. "And the velocity?"
"We cannot measure it precisely," Leo admitted, "but at two hundred meters, the projectile struck almost instantly. The impact tore through our targets with ease."
Karl chuckled, crossing his arms. "Accuracy, however..."
"Still lacking," Leo said. "The barrel has no rifling. Dolrik is attempting to cut grooves without a lathe, but the process is slow and difficult. The metal resists his tools."
Karl’s gaze drifted as he muttered, "Muskets. Breech-loaders. Revolvers. Even the Dreyse needle rifle. All black powder weapons. All possible if we master rifling."
Leo tilted his head thoughtfully. "It is feasible, my lord. They still rely on gunpowder, not the advanced propellants of the later wars you recall."
Karl smirked. "Good. Firearms will march hand in hand with industry. Each step forward in chemistry is another step forward in war." He tapped his temple. "And chemistry will not stop at black powder. If we manage nitration, nitrocellulose becomes possible. Smokeless powder. Cleaner, stronger, less fouling."
Leo frowned slightly. "That would allow smaller cartridges and faster loading without choking the barrel?"
"Exactly," Karl said. "With that we move from muskets to the rifles of the Great War—Mauser 98s, Lee–Enfields, Mosin–Nagants. Even the Springfield. Bolt-action weapons that could outshoot any primitive musket. Then revolvers give way to semi-automatics. Lugers, Colts, Brownings. The leap in firepower is immense."
Leo listened intently, his sockets gleaming. "What about heavier weapons my lord?"
Karl nodded slowly. "Once oil is found, once we can refine it into fuel, then comes the next age. Tanks like the Renault FT, the Mark V, rolling fortresses. Later, beasts like the Panzer IV or the Sherman. All of it follows from chemistry—powder, oil, steel."
Leo gave a small, almost reverent laugh. "Then every discovery here is a stepping stone. From sulfur and dung to machines of war."
Karl’s smirk lingered. "Precisely. Each flask of acid, each handful of powder, pushes us further down that path."
He fell quiet for a moment, then sighed. "And here I thought my memories were my own secret. Only now do I realize... you can all read them."
Leo stiffened. His voice dropped. "Ah... y-yes, my lord. We always could. It felt improper to speak of it. Forgive me. I thought it best left unspoken."
Karl studied him, then laughed, shaking his head. "Well, that eases my burden. You’ll never lack for knowledge again, so long as you use it well."
Relief softened Leo’s posture. "Yes, my lord. I swear it."
Karl waved the matter aside. "Now, the engine project. Report."
Leo straightened. "With the H-EFS alloy, the team has cast a lighter seven-point-three V8 block. Pistons and crankshaft are in progress. It is their first project of this scale. I estimate two to three months before completion, including testing." He hesitated, then added, "We are also studying how elemental stones could be integrated into the engine itself, my lord. Fire stones to replace spark ignition, water stones to aid in cooling, perhaps even earth stones to stabilize vibration."
Karl’s eyes narrowed with interest. "An elemental powered engine... a hybrid of magic and mechanics. If successful, it removes the need for refined oil entirely, at least until we strike deposits. But when oil is found, we will leap ahead again. Vehicles, tanks, aircraft—all driven by fuel and industry." He chuckled darkly. "Then comes infrastructure. Roads carved through forests and plains, supply lines stretching from one stronghold to another. A network to deliver rifles, powder, food, and goods to every franchise owner under my name."
Leo tilted his skull slightly. "That would push the cities and villages into a new rhythm of life. An industrial revolution, forced upon them by necessity."
Karl grinned wide. "Exactly. The beastkin will adapt or be left behind. Wars will be fought not with blades, but with rifles, artillery, and engines of steel. And who will profit from those wars, Leo?"
"You, my lord," Leo said, bowing.
Karl threw his head back and laughed. "HAHAHAHAHAHAH, of course, it’s none other than me! HAHAHAHAHAHA." The sound echoed through the entire second floor.
Karl then calmed himself down and exhaled. "For now, divide the labor. A quarter of the workforce for the orders. Another quarter for elemental rifles. The rest remain on the vehicle."
He stopped, then added firmly, "When I expand the dungeon, I’ll dedicate an entire floor to the smiths. Blacksmithing, machining, casting—all under one roof." He paused, his tone shifting. "And that foundry floor won’t just be for tools. It will be the beating heart of our industrial rise. Imagine an entire hall where the first rifles and cartridges are mass produced, where artilleries, tanks, and transports begin their birth."
Karl gave a low chuckle again. "With it, we’ll lay down the roads. A network linking every city, every village, every franchise under my banner. Supply trucks, caravans escorted by riflemen. The beastkin will see industry not as a choice, but as the air they breathe."
Leo inclined his skull. "And with such reach, no rival lord could stand against you. Wars would be waged with the very weapons we supply."
Karl grinned wider, a gleam in his eyes. "And who profits from endless wars but the one who arms them all?"
The dungeon’s panel shimmered into view once again.
[ Dungeon Mana: 1,310 ]
Karl’s grin widened as he looked at the glowing numbers. "Time to open more floors."
Leo inclined his head. "Shall I prepare the elites, my lord?"
Karl gave a sharp nod. "Yes. Have them wait by the pits. We don’t know what awaits beyond the fourth floor. It’s better to be cautious." With that, Karl descended further, reaching the fourth floor where glowing circuits ran like veins along the stone walls, pulsing upward toward the higher levels.
Later on, as Karl walked, he observed the twelve armored skeletons in tower shields and heavy plate stood guard before a vast chamber. Beyond them stretched a narrow bridge over a yawning dark pit, leading straight to the dungeon core chamber with Rook in light armor plates with a katana on his hip, leading the elites.
Karl surveyed the defenses with satisfaction before striding across the bridge. At the core, the interface flared to life:
[ Priority Task: Accumulate 1,000 Dungeon Mana to Unlock Levels -5 to -10 ].
Karl placed his hand on the glowing orb.
Additional text scrolled into being:
[ 1,000 Dungeon Mana Acquired ]
[ Rerouting Mana to Emergency Egress Platform ]
Beyond the dark pits, a large metal platform began to slid towards the center, joints locked in place on the walls as it began ascending up towards the -4th floor.
[ Rerouting Mana to Levels -5 to -10. ]
Floors -5 to -10 began lighting up. Torches lit up the walls and chambers, revealing skeletons wandering and large spiders crawling on the ceiling.
[ Disabling Security System. ]
The once-locked doors began to open. Traps were deactivated. The doors leading to the main egress also opened. The dark pit that connected the floors was revealed. A light above indicated the -4th floor and a team of elite skeleton soldiers waiting. The spiders and skeletons wandering the floors, their movements paused their eyes lit up, then flickered for a moment. And their eyes turned red, making their movements erratic but ominous.
Then a harsh red warning flashed across the display that caught Karl off guard:
[ Please prepare to eliminate hostile malfunctioning security ].
Karl said, "I knew there was something." He gritted his teeth.
Far below, on the fifth floor, torches sputtered to life, revealing undead shuffling in the darkness and giant spiders crawling the ceilings. And on the tenth floor, in a chamber drowned in blackness, two red eyes opened. A metallic voice echoed: "Ownership license examination start."