John looked at Ricky, then at the red crystal in his hand, finally back at the crater he had just excavated. In his specialised vision, the object wasn’t just a stone; it was a red star.

He hoped Ricky would confirm the identity of this crystal. And yet all he got was a worthless comment.

John knew what he had to do. With a swift motion, he cut his palm again, allowing the fresh blood to coat his skin before he pressed his hand firmly against the cold surface of the crystal, initiating the handshake process.

-

[Ding! You have come into contact with a High-Grade Item!]

[Ding! To initiate the Handshake process, you must pay 100,000 Mental Points!]

[Ding! Warning: You must pay the full amount within thirty minutes, or the synchronisation process will fail, and the item will self-destruct alongside the dungeon!]

-

"This..." John’s entire body trembled as the terrifying numbers flashed across his vision. He didn’t care about the last warning; he only cared about the staggering, almost impossible sum he had to pay. He felt a chill run down his spine as he contemplated the sheer scale of power possessed by the crystal’s creator.

"Is there something wrong?" Ricky asked, his voice tight with anxiety. He watched John’s face pale and saw the visible tremors racking his frame.

John took a deep, shaky breath, forcing his thoughts about the great difference between him and the Paragon who created the dungeon core back into a dark corner of his mind.

He controlled himself and gave Ricky a firm, resolute nod. Seeing the determination return to John’s eyes, Ricky let out a long sigh of relief.

"It’s just a bit... Tricky to take control of this baby," John explained. He took out heaps after heaps of metal scraps from his inventory. "I need you to watch my back. Give me half an hour, and it’ll be done."

Ricky sucked in a cold breath as the piles of crushed machine parts began to grow, forming a small mountain of junk.

None of John’s friends truly understood the mechanics of his power, but there was one glaring red flag they had all learned to recognise: when John started pulling out massive quantities of scrap metal, something huge was about to happen.

In this instance, the sheer volume of material suggested that taking control of the crystal wasn’t just a simple task; it was an exhausting war of attrition.

Ricky didn’t say another word. He stood as a silent guardian on the sideline, watching as John meticulously arranged at least fifty massive heaps of metal in a wide, intricate spiral.

John stepped into the very centre of the formation, his left hand touching the first heap while his bloodied right hand maintained its grip on the red crystal.

"Let’s do it!"

The moment the command left his lips, the system roared to action. The handshake process began. He moved with a speed born of urgency, jumping from one heap to the next, his hands blurring as he touched the metal scraps.

He didn’t count how many points he sucked; he didn’t calculate; he simply absorbed everything he could touch, providing more than what he needed, just in case.

For twenty minutes, he leapt over piles of twisted iron, his skin slick with sweat and his eyes glowing with the reflected red light of the crystal.

He didn’t stop, didn’t rest, until a final, golden notification chimed in his mind and appeared in front of his eyes, signalling the end of the struggle. He collapsed against the remaining piles of scrap, heaving a sigh of pure relief.

-

[Ding! You have successfully acquired the Instant Dungeon Crystal: Grade 1!]

-

"Is it done?" Ricky asked, stepping closer. He had watched the frantic display with growing awe, noticing how John’s posture finally relaxed after thirty minutes of high-speed movement.

John didn’t answer immediately. He remained silent, his gaze fixed on the crystal, which had now shifted from a violent red to a deep, obedient crimson. As he stared at the system description, his heart raced.

’Grade one? That means... I can evolve it, right?’

He scanned the basic functions he acquired by turning into this core’s new owner. He had the power to open and close the entrance and designate who was allowed inside. It was a start, but for the price he had just paid in Mental Points, that wasn’t good enough for him.

’I won’t settle for this kind of mediocre garbage after paying through the nose!’

His eyes ignited with a fresh wave of determination. To Ricky’s mounting shock and confusion, John began pulling out different cores. He began feeding the cores directly into the crystal, dissolving into light as they touched the crimson surface.

The resulting metamorphosis was ground-shaking. A pulse of energy rippled out from the crystal, flattening the nearby scrap heaps and sending a shiver through the very fabric of the dungeon.

The crystal had evolved to Grade four by the system notification.

The new list of privileges flashed before him, and John couldn’t help the wide grin that spread across his face.

He could now relocate the entire dungeon at will, expand its boundaries, and use the interior as a massive, portable inventory that could be accessed by other people if he chose to.

He could set up automated defensive systems and even project an Illusion Zone around the entrance in the outer world to mask its presence from any prying eyes.

"Now that is what I call a good harvest! Hahaha!" John erupted into a fit of triumphant laughter. He turned to Ricky, his excitement renewed. "Gather up anything you want from this place. We’re going back to the academy."

"What?!" Ricky’s face fell, his eyes darting around the greenery. He had completely misinterpreted John’s sudden decision. "Did the takeover fail? After all that... What a wasted chance...."

"I gained control over it," John chuckled, realising his friend’s confusion. He held the evolved crystal aloft like a trophy. "And I didn’t just take it, I evolved it. We aren’t leaving it behind. We’re taking it back with us."

"We are going to relocate it to the academy?!!" Ricky was stupefied, his brain struggling to catch up to the implications of what John was suggesting. It took a few moments for the realisation to sink in, and when it did, his jaw dropped. "Don’t tell me..."

"Hahaha, yes!" John couldn’t control his excitement. "Now we have the perfect secret base for our future plans. A fortress that goes wherever we go, where we can plan our moves in total safety and secrecy. It’s all thanks to Mark and your brother’s generous gift! Hahaha!"