Luca eyed the big ship where the pirates were. Glob was shivering next to him and mumbling to himself. The builder ants looked ready for a fight, though.

“Listen up, ants. You are to go to the ship and eat a massive chunk of it. Enough so it would sink. Can you do it?” Asked Luca. The ants marched towards the ship.

“If Captain Gideon Razortooth sees them, the plan will be stopped under his boot.” Said Glob, fearful. “I have a single black crystal, but it is a small one. Are you sure it will be enough, Luca?”

“It will have to be.” Said Luca. Glob gave him the crystal and Luca gripped it. He needed a storm. No rain, as that would make the already hard task for the ants even more difficult, but he required strong wind. The ship needed to be pushed away from the shore. But first.

“Glob, I will make the storm, but you have to take the anchor and make sure it doesn’t touch the bottom anymore.” Said Luca. Then, with a thought, he summoned another black crystal thanks to the first. He handed it to Glob.

“Ask for more strength and to breathe underwater. Stay safe, Glob.” Said Luca as he turned to look at the skies. They were becoming stormy and the first winds were playing with the sails of the ship. Already, there was a commotion onboard.

Glob gulped and moved towards the ship. Now, it was Luca’s turn to act. He ran out in the open and waved his arms. A pirate saw him and got off the ship to come to him.

“Who are you, boy, and what are you doing here?” Asked the pirate. Apart from the funny goblin, they hadn’t seen anyone in here so far.

“I am Luca and I am lost. I am a friend of Princess Theanore von Eomis.” Said Luca. He was bad at lying, so he didn’t bother to try.

“A royal toady, is that so? Well, come on board, boy. We will see if the Princess won’t pay anything for your return.” Then the pirate took Luca by the color of his shirt and dragged him to the ship.

So far, so good, thought Luca. The problem was that there were numerous black crystals on the ship, Glob had told him. He didn’t want them to land in mermaid hands. They would compete with him in supplying things, and he didn’t want that. He needed to make sure that the ship went down in a blaze.

As soon as he was placed on the deck, he bit the pirate’s hand and rushed towards the cabins. The pirate gave chase, as his fellows laughed at him. Then, Luca got a lucky break as the first lightnings began falling down.

Suddenly, the pirates were more interested in the shore and the safety it provided, than in Luca. So, Luca entered the cabins unbothered. He soon found the treasury. He absorbed all the wealth inside, making his mana pool 100001 mana. Then he took out the small crystal and whispered.

“I want the crystals to disappear and for the ship to catch fire.” And they did disappear, absorbed in the small crystal. Luca smelled the smoke in the room and soon heard the screams.

Running out, he saw the pirates abandoning the ship. Once he became a dungeon core, he would take care of them with mobs. But for now, he needed to get away from the burning ship, too.

But how does he go to the shore when the pirates were there? He felt a slight pang of fear then. Then he noticed that the ship was moving further in the sea as it was filling up with water.

Glob must have done his task. But where was the goblin?

“Glob?” Screamed Luca, his lungs had filled up with smoke, and he chocked. A hand tapped his shoulder. It was Glob.

“What are we going to do? They are waiting there!” Said Glob. Luca noticed that there was water around his feet and that now the ship was not as high as it used to be. He took a hold of Glob’s hand and gripped the small crystal with the other and spoke.

“Take me to the best place where a peaceful dungeon can be created.” He said to the crystal and they disappeared. When Luca breathed fresh air, he remembered he hadn’t taken the builder ants with him.

Guilt ate at him. They had fought for him, and he had forgotten about them. But wait, he still had the crystal!

“Bring the builder ants that helped me here.” Said Luca to the crystal. The ants appeared. Wet, but looking healthy. Luca went and hugged the Queen.

“I am sorry for leaving you behind. I will be better from now on.” Said Luca. The Queen began to move her antennas quickly, but as Tania was not here to translate, Luca had no idea what she meant or how she felt.

Then, Luca looked around. He was in a picturesque canyon, full of greenery and caves. He smiled at that and placed the silk band to the nearest cave.

“From now on this is the grounds of the Canyon Rush Dungeon, and I am its core!” Proclaimed Luca and the silk band disappeared. In its place was a crystal.

Luca had been worried that his core would be something that could die, with or without a life-extending ring. Some things, like Theanore’s apple tree, could have their life’s span extended ever so much.

Her tree would be healthy for about 150 years, and then it will begin to die slowly. With how powerful her ring was, she had thousands of years ahead of her. But still, even her tree will crumble and rot away one day.

Luca’s crystal was black, and the newly made dungeon core found his small crystal was gone. He tried making food appear from the black crystal, and he grinned when it did. He handed the roast chicken to Glob and wondered where he was.

Back in his house, grandpa Thinker watched the dungeon list and especially the new one which had appeared in No Man’s Land. He wished Luca luck. He would need to fight tooth and nail to survive. At least he had something to dull the pain.