Bow to My Power: The Rise of the Dungeon King

Chapter five: Echoes of the Old Master

The corridor stretched endlessly, carved from black stone streaked with veins of glowing mana. Each step Rheon took resonated like a drumbeat, the sound merging with the faint pulse in his chest.

The dungeon had gone silent — at least, it seemed so. But the Codex whispered constantly in his mind, subtle threads of energy tracing his nerves like electricity. He could feel every seam in the stone, every flicker of mana, every echo of life or death that had passed through these halls.

[SYSTEM: Host Synchronization – 57%]

[New skill slot detected: Reserved for Codex sub-core abilities.]

Rheon flexed his fingers. The light under his skin shimmered in response, reflecting off the jagged walls. The ruins felt… alive now, but not threatening — not yet.

Then he heard it: a voice.

Not his own, not mechanical, but layered, fractured — the kind of voice that seemed to echo across centuries.

“Who dares disturb my sleep?”

Rheon froze. His blade tightened in his hand, the metal humming faintly with blue light.

[SYSTEM: Unknown entity detected within Codex.]

[Warning: Cognitive interference probable.]

“Old master?” Rheon whispered, his voice rough. “Is that you?”

The voice laughed — hollow, deep, and cruelly amused.

“I am no master to you. I am the core, the blood, the curse that outlived kingdoms. And you… you are only the latest host.”

The words reverberated inside his skull. He felt a pull, like the dungeon itself was inhaling him, drawing him into the shadows. The pulse in his chest grew faster, brighter.

[SYSTEM: Codex sub-core resonance increasing.]

[Host adaptation required.]

[Warning: Neural strain detected.]

Rheon clenched his jaw. “Then I’ll adapt. I have to.”

He stepped forward, each stride measured. The walls shifted subtly with each step, glowing runes rearranging themselves as if the dungeon was both observing and responding. The echoes of old traps snapped faintly in the distance, a reminder that the dungeon remembered everything.

[SYSTEM: Environmental control detected – 15% efficiency.]

[New ability unlocked: Rune Manipulation – temporary.]

Rheon tested it. He focused on a rune carved into the floor — jagged, corrupted with old magic. With a thought, it lifted from the stone, suspended midair, glowing bright blue. The energy hummed in resonance with his chest.

A memory flashed unbidden in his mind.

He remembered a man — not a man, a figure clad in black robes, kneeling before the Relic Core. His hands glowed with blue fire. He whispered incantations older than any tongue Rheon had ever heard. And then… the figure collapsed, not dead, but consumed, leaving only whispers behind.

The voice in his head punctuated the vision:

“I made the same mistake. Power without control is a blade turned inward.”

Rheon staggered. “The curse… it’s not the power. It’s the host who cannot control it.”

[SYSTEM: Codex sub-core memory retrieval – 3%.]

[Host comprehension required: Partial.]

Another step forward and the corridor widened into a massive chamber. The air shimmered with heat and raw mana. The shadows of the past crawled along the walls — echoes of battles, fallen adventurers, failed experiments, and the twisted forms of old servants of the dungeon.

The Codex hummed in response, pulsing along his veins. He could feel fragments of the old master’s consciousness, not just whispering but trying to push into his mind.

[SYSTEM ALERT: Sub-core entity attempting partial overwrite.]

[Host focus required – Failure = Neural collapse.]

Rheon’s teeth clenched. He let the energy pulse, letting the Codex flow through him rather than fighting it outright. He felt the dungeon’s veins tingle as he stepped further into the chamber. Mana gathered at his fingertips, responding instinctively.

“You are strong,” the voice said, almost approvingly. “Stronger than I was at first. But strength alone does not break the curse.”

Rheon flexed, energy crackling around his arms. “Then teach me. I don’t have your time.”

[SYSTEM: Host skill acquisition – 12% completed.]

[Sub-core engagement: Optional tutorial mode activated.]

The shadows in the chamber shifted. They were no longer just echoes — they coalesced into translucent figures, each one a fragment of the old master’s life: his victories, his failures, his greed, his obsession with the Core.

[SYSTEM: Codex memory visualization active.]

One fragment approached, bending low as if bowing. “I was consumed by the Core. It demanded life, then more, until it was no longer mine to wield. Every host since has failed… except perhaps you.”

The Codex pulsed harder. Blue light surged from Rheon’s chest, reacting to the memory’s emotion. The chamber walls trembled. Dust fell from the ceiling in a thin rain.

Rheon felt it — the pull. The curse of the Core. The sensation of being everything and nothing at once. If he misstepped, he would lose himself entirely.

[SYSTEM: Warning – Host neural integrity unstable.]

[Recommended action: Assimilate Codex fragments carefully.]

He swallowed hard. “Then I’ll assimilate it… carefully.”

He stretched out his hand, focusing on the nearest memory shard — a glowing silhouette of the old master holding the Core. Energy surged through him, blue lightning arcing across the chamber. The shard screamed, a high-pitched, painful sound, then collapsed into dust. Its energy streamed directly into Rheon’s chest, integrating with the Relic Core.

[Sub-core integration: 8% complete.]

[Skill gained: Shadow Echo – allows host to access fragmented memories of previous core users.]

Rheon staggered back, panting. Sweat mixed with blood, but his eyes burned with new clarity. He could see the dungeon in ways he hadn’t before — every leyline, every trap, every thread of residual mana. The Codex and the Core had merged with him, but the old master’s shadow lingered — a voice at the edge of thought.

[SYSTEM: Host-Codex synchronization: 61%.]

[Warning: Sub-core influence still active. Caution advised.]

A distant roar echoed through the dungeon. Something alive, massive, drawn by the pulse of the Core. Rheon turned, eyes narrowing.

He gripped his blade tightly. “Good. Then let’s see what the rest of you remember about me.”

The light in his chest flared, illuminating the chamber, revealing the corpses of failed adventurers, remnants of past hosts, and the shifting shadows of the dungeon itself.

Rheon smiled, a thin, dangerous curve. “The curse isn’t just mine to bear… it’s mine to command.”

[Alert: Host skill ready – Bloodstorm Amplified.]

[Objective: Explore deeper, recover remaining Codex fragments, survive.]

With a single step forward, the dungeon seemed to bend toward him — walls twisting, runes flickering, shadows stretching. The voice of the old master whispered once more, softer now:

“Do not forget… power consumes all. Even you.”

Rheon’s smile sharpened, and he advanced, every pulse of the Core thrumming like a war drum. The dungeon roared in response, and he felt the first true taste of his new dominion.