Creation system
Chapter 32: Waffle in a dungeon

Chapter 32: Waffle in a dungeon

"Woof! Woof!" The sound was pure joy given voice.

But this wasn’t just any generic canine construct. The creature before him was unmistakably Waffle, his beloved companion from his world of origin, perfectly recreated down to the distinctive patch of white fur on his chest and the slightly crooked left ear that had never quite straightened after a childhood mishap.

"WAFFLE!" Mitch’s voice cracked with emotion as he dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around the mana-constructed dog.

The familiar felt solid and warm, its fur soft beneath his fingers despite being composed entirely of magical energy.

Waffle’s behavior was identical to his flesh-and-blood counterpart, tail wagging so hard his entire back end wiggled, tongue lolling out as he attempted to lick every inch of Mitch’s face, whining with pure happiness at being reunited with his beloved human.

Along with the spell itself, Mitch had received comprehensive knowledge about its mechanics and applications.

The familiar could maintain its form for several minutes without additional mana investment, though he could extend that duration by feeding it more energy.

The initial casting cost approximately two hundred mana, a significant investment, but well within his expanded capacity thanks to his new passive ability.

The truly remarkable feature, however, was the sensory link. With proper concentration, Mitch could perceive everything the familiar experienced, seeing through its eyes, hearing through its ears, even detecting scents through its enhanced canine nose.

The tactical applications were immediately obvious: scouting dangerous areas, gathering intelligence, even maintaining surveillance from multiple vantage points simultaneously.

"Alright, boy," Mitch said, scratching behind Waffle’s ears exactly the way the real dog had always loved. "Let’s see what you can do."

The familiar obeyed Mitch’s every command with the unwavering devotion of a zealot, its ethereal form responding instantly to his mental directives.

The mana-constructed creature possessed no autonomous thought, no spark of independence, it existed purely as an extension of his will.

Only when Mitch explicitly commanded it to remain idle did the spectral dog regain his playful nature

The absolute nature of this control was both fascinating and unsettling.

If Mitch were to command the familiar to leap from a towering cliff to its death, the creature would bound forward without hesitation, without fear, without any instinct for self-preservation.

It was, after all, a being of pure mana, a construct that knew nothing of free will or independent desire.

Intrigued by the familiar’s limitations and possibilities, Mitch embarked on a series of experiments.

His first attempt involved channeling aspected mana instead of the pure, unrefined energy he had used initially.

Fire-aspected mana crackled through his fingertips as he tried to weave the summoning spell, but the magic resisted his efforts.

The spell structure collapsed before completion, the aspected energy too rigid and specialized for the flexible framework required. After several failed attempts with different elemental aspects, he concluded that the familiar summoning demanded pure mana

Next, Mitch experimented with the quantity of mana invested in the casting. Doubling the usual amount, he watched as the familiar materialized with noticeably greater density, its form more solid and defined.

The creature’s ethereal outline gained substance, and remarkably, it could maintain its existence for nearly fifteen minutes without requiring additional mana from him.

Each subsequent increase in mana investment yielded diminishing returns, but the pattern was clear: more mana meant greater duration and stability.

The most intriguing discovery came when he tested his ability to maintain an active connection with the familiar.

Through careful experimentation, he found he could sustain a mana link across a distance of approximately forty-three meters, a range that corresponded exactly to his mind stat, suggesting a deeper relationship between his mental attributes and magical capabilities.

Within this radius, he could continuously feed mana to the familiar, keeping it active indefinitely.

Even more remarkable was the familiar’s sensory sharing ability. While the mana link operated within forty-three meters, Mitch discovered he could perceive through the creature’s senses at nearly three times that distance, roughly 129 meters.

The experience was disorienting at first, suddenly seeing the world from the familiar’s perspective, processing visual information from two viewpoints simultaneously.

With practice, however, he learned to switch between his own vision and the familiar’s, effectively extending his awareness far beyond his physical location.

Having concluded his magical training with these valuable insights, Mitch sought out Leya to discuss their next venture.

His coin purse felt disappointingly light, and he desperately needed gold to purchase additional mana cores and better equipment. More importantly, he had conceived a potentially lucrative plan, but it required substantial initial capital to execute properly.

"We have two main options for dungeon delving," Leya explained, settling into a wooden chair.

"We can venture deep into the wilderness and search for undiscovered dungeons, wild dungeons that haven’t been registered with any awakener guilds yet.

It’s dangerous and uncertain, but the rewards are better, because the new drops from the undiscovered dungeon will have a higher price."

"And the alternative?" Mitch asked.

"The conventional approach, we pay the guild for designated access to their catalogued dungeons."

"How expensive is that?"

Leya waved dismissively. "Not prohibitively so, though costs vary significantly depending on the dungeon’s popularity and difficulty.

The more sought-after locations command premium prices, but for most dungeons, the fee is largely ceremonial.

The real purpose is scheduling, we pay for exclusive access during our designated time slots, ensuring no other parties interfere with our delving."

She led him through the winding streets to the guild’s dungeon management office, a surprisingly modest structure that belied its important function.

Inside, comfortable seating areas were arranged around low coffee tables laden with glossy brochures, each one advertising different dungeon opportunities within the city’s jurisdiction.

The atmosphere reminded Mitch uncomfortably of a travel agency from Earth, complete with promotional materials designed to entice customers.

The pricing structure was refreshingly straightforward: exclusive dungeon access could be secured for up to seven consecutive days at just twenty-five silver per day, a reasonable fee that even their limited funds could accommodate.

Together, they browsed through the extensive collection of dungeon brochures, each one presenting its featured location like a commercial product.

The informational pamphlets contained comprehensive details: precise geographical location, illustrated bestiaries of resident monsters, the potential loot, and various supplementary information such as recommended party size.

Mitch’s search focused specifically on dungeons containing elemental creatures, as he desperately wanted to get essences.

Unfortunately, his requirements proved challenging to meet. Most dungeons featured conventional monster populations.

After extensive searching, he located just one dungeon that satisfied his criteria, though it presented the drawback of featuring an elemental only as its final boss encounter.

The brochure he finally selected read:

[Forest’s Army Dungeon - Tier 2 Nature-Themed Environment]

[Monsters: goblins, horned rabbits, bears, slime, other rare nature monsters may appear]

[Boss monster: Nature elemental]

[Potential loot: trinkets boosting regeneration, tier 2 wood, essence, tier 2 living wood weapons, tier 2 living wood shields]

[Recommended Party Size: 3-4 awakeners ]