《The Second Dungeon Master》 The Second Dungeon Master I twirl the pencil around in my hand, not listening to my English teacher as he drones on about the benefits of the latest book he¡¯d made us read. I doubt that anyone in the class is listening to him, most of them are probably surfing their phones for information about all the world-breaking shit that had been happening in the past few days. Something had taken over Salt Lake City just two days ago, at the same time, cities all across the world were reporting attacks by Monsters straight out of Tolkien, or Harry Potter. And then there are the superheroes, people calling themselves Beta Testers. Everyone in the classroom, including the teacher, probably agree that super-powers and monsters invading, arewaymore important than To Kill a Mockingbird. Surprisingly enough, that isn¡¯t what was distracting me. No, my thoughts are stuck on my older brother, he had disappeared the day that all of this started. I stop twirling the pencil as the bell rings, signaling an end to class. I grab my stuff, take off my glasses and put all of it in my backpack. I don¡¯t like wearing glasses except when I need them for class. My eyes catch on two girls who are whispering as they glance at me. Oh Carla. I hurry to get out of the room, hoping to avoid the confession I know is coming. I¡¯m not stupid, I know that she has a crush on me, I was just hoping that it would pass after a little while. It didn¡¯t. Now I¡¯m here, having to find some way to let her down gently. Until I figure out a way to do that, I¡¯m just going to avoid her entirely. ¡°You¡¯re still avoiding her, aren¡¯t you Chris?¡± An old friend wraps his arm around my shoulder. James, a tall wiry basketball player, smiles down at me, his brown eyes sparkling with mischief. We had played on the same soccer team since we were kids, with the exception of the last year, when he decided to play basketball full time. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Who am I avoiding?¡± I look away, not meeting his eyes. James glances behind us, examining the girl I am avoiding. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t see the issue. She¡¯s kinda cute.¡± ¡°She is.¡± I say, nodding in agreement. ¡°Then why are you avoiding her Chris?¡± He asks as we step outside, heading towards the school bus. ¡°The world is ending, the least you can do is find a cute girlfriend.¡± I think about how to respond as we get in line for the bus. ¡°I¡¯ve been in love before. It¡¯s an incredible feeling, and I just don¡¯t feel that way about Carla.¡± ¡°Ah, the mysterious Krista, the girl of your dreams..¡± James responds, with a teasing smile. ¡°Shut up.¡± I say, rolling my eyes. After a minute of continuous teasing from James, I manage to distract him from the conversation with the latest interview that one of the new superheroes, also known as a Beta Tester, had given on TV. By the time I get home from school, I¡¯m feeling exhausted from the mind-numbingness that is school. I open the door to an empty house. Usually, my older brother Samuel would be here, and his absence makes me pause for a moment at the threshold of the house. I sigh as I continue into the house. I don¡¯t bother to turn on any lights, and instead walk straight to my brother¡¯s room. A soft knock on the door doesn¡¯t get any response, but I still open his door, hoping that he might be here. Our parents aren¡¯t worried about his disappearance, thinking that he probably just ran off with his boyfriend. But I know that he wouldn¡¯t just leave without saying goodbye to me. I walk into his room, flipping the light on. I look around with nostalgia, his bed is unmade, contrasting the rest of his room which is ordered to perfection. Another reason that I don¡¯t think he meant to leave, my brother would never leave his bed unmade, he was too OCD to do that. I sigh, as I fall on his bed and close my eyes. It doesn¡¯t take me long to fall asleep. *** The opening of a door wakes me up, which is odd, since I don¡¯t remember closing my brother¡¯s door. ¡°What are you doing in my bed?¡± My brother¡¯s voice reaches me. I hurriedly stand up to look at my brother. My mouth opens in surprise as I take in my brother¡¯s appearance. His face is pale from exhaustion, his clothes are practically in strips, with long cuts across his body. He gives me a small smile, obviously a little embarrassed at his appearance. He runs his hand through his short curly red hair, his blue eyes looking around him wearily. People used to say that we look like twins, except for how much older he is. Four years older to be exact. I stand up, pulling him into a hug. He stiffens a little at the sudden hug, before relaxing into it. ¡°Where the hell have you been?¡± I ask, stepping away from him ¡°I-I can¡¯t tell you right now.¡± He says, sitting down on the edge of his bed. He sighs as he sinks into the mattress. ¡°Are you a Beta Tester?¡± I immediately ask. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡± He says, before purposefully giving me two long blinks. A code we used to use as kids, two blinks means yes, three blinks means no. ¡°I don¡¯t have long Chris. Some really evil people are after me. After something that I have, which I can¡¯t give them.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°I understand.¡± I say, not really understanding, but willing to cope as the situation changes. ¡°Good. I love you little bro.¡± He says, smiling at me with warmth. His smile disappears as he speaks words filled with a strange power.¡°[System, Transfer Ownership of Dungeon Core to Chris Nordstrom, non-player. Authorized by the God Thoth]¡± I open my mouth to ask what is going on, when a strange blue screen appears in front of me. I find to my surprise, that I am able to read it, even without my glasses.
Transferring ownership ofDungeon Core... Error: new host is not a Player. Error overridden byThoth. Granting NPC Chris Nordstrom Dungeon Master status. Basic system permissions granted. Restricted access to Mana, and other sources of power. Restricted access to Class system Restricted access to Inventory system Granted class: Dungeon Master, byThoth Granted item: Inventory ring, byThoth
Congratulations Dungeon Master! You have been brought into The Game Of The Gods. Due to the changes in your body as cosmic energies travel through you, and your unique circumstances, you are about to be knocked out! Thanks for joining us!
¡°Wha-?¡± I start before darkness claims me. *** I wake up on my brother¡¯s bed, darkness surrounding me as it had fallen to night during the time I was asleep. I glance over to my brother¡¯s clock, which tells me that it is three in the morning. Was everything that I had just experienced a dream? I get up and walk over to the light switch, flipping it on. I frown, unable to remember ever having flipped it off. Glancing around the room one more time, I notice a little piece of paper sitting next to where I fell asleep. I walk over to the note and pick it up, grabbing my glasses along the way. Sorry that our conversation was so short. The people that are following me are close on my heels and I didn¡¯t want to lead them to you. First; say Status. Once you¡¯ve done that, bring the dungeon core out of your ring by ¡°willing¡± it to happen, and say ¡°Activate Dungeon Core.¡± You can thank me for how awesome all of this is later. Love you lil bro. P.S. Lay low. The thing that I just gave you is SUPER powerful, and people will be looking for it. P.P.S. People might be watching you, because you are connected to me. Don¡¯t do anything too obviously magical. You¡¯re supposed to be an NPC after all. I read through the note, my frown deepening. So my brother really did come to say hi. I knew that he was a Beta Tester. ¡°[Status]¡±As soon as the word leaves my mouth, a blue screen appears in front of me, kind of like a video game.
General Info:Chris Nordstrom, Age:17, Lvl:1, Class: Dungeon Master, Mana:XXX, Health: 150 DP:0, Gold: 0 Sponsor:Thoth Titles:Chosen Of Thoth, Dungeon Master, NPC, Master of Dexterity, Card Shark, Special conditions:Normal Physical Condition:Impaired Vision (minor) Physicality:Athletic 50% Brilliance:Genius 90% Equipment:Inventory Ring (unique)
I chuckle when I see my titles, still a little unsure about what all this means. I may have spent a large part of my childhood learning how to ¡°earn¡± money from my parents¡¯ friends at poker, but I wouldn¡¯t exactly call myself a Card Shark. Towards the top of the screen is a little ¡°x¡±, which I press to dismiss it. I sit down on the bed, my mind racing with what this means, and all of the questions I will need to ask my brother the next time I see him. At least I just learned the answer to one of the world¡¯s most asked questions. Where are these Beta Testers getting their powers? They are literally playing a game to earn powers from gods. I don¡¯t think that is the answer that most people are expecting. I glance down at the note, reading what my brother tells me to do one more time. Holding up my hand, I look over a silver and gold ring with intricate markings all over it. Hieroglyphs, if I remember correctly. They are what the ancient Egyptians used for writing. I hold out my hand, and following the instructions of my brother, Iwillthe Dungeon Core into my hand. It takes me a few seconds to get the feeling right, but when I do, particles gather into the form of a cube and solidify in my hand. I look at the cube closely, curious at what was so important. The cube is see-through, except for a green mist that swirls inside of it. I look at the note one final time, then back at the dungeon core. Rubbing my eyes, I take my glasses off and put them into my pocket. Here goes nothing. ¡°[Activate Dungeon Core]¡± The world shifts around me, as colors flow into each other, creating a rather psychedelic effect. After a moment, the world solidifies into a white nothingness, and a blue screen.
Choose the starting race for your dungeon: Goblins Imps Zombies Twiglings Slimes Bunnies & Wolves Kobolds
I stare at the screen for a few seconds, surprised. ¡°Um. Hello? Is there anyone here that can help me with choosing a starting race?¡± I ask the emptiness, knowing that it is rather unlikely that anything will respond. ¡°Maybe a cute little fairy?¡± I add, remembering a story I¡¯d read a while ago. No one responds, and I¡¯m left staring at the screen, unsure what to do next. ¡°Time waits for no man.¡± I say to myself, slapping my cheeks to pump myself up. If this Dungeon Core is so valuable to such powerful people, that probably means that it should be valuable to me. Plus my class says ¡°Dungeon Master¡±, which sounds way more inappropriate than I¡¯d like, but also implies that I am somehow tied to this dungeon. After I feel sufficiently ready, I turn my mind to the choice ahead of me. The screen says ¡°starting race¡± which likely means that there will be other races after that, which hopefully means the choice I make now won¡¯t be too irreversible. The next question is will I be fighting this race, as is normal for dungeons in video games? Or controlling them somehow, as the title Dungeon Master implies? I don¡¯t know. Which means I¡¯ll have to act as if either one could be true. Starting from the bottom, Kobolds are a lizard-esque people if I remember correctly. But they are alsopeople,which implies intelligence. I don¡¯t want to fight intelligent creatures, which means that they are out. Bunnies and Wolves. Bunnies sound nice, but I wouldn¡¯t last a second against one wolf, let alone wolves. So they are out. Slimes? I don¡¯t really know much about them, except from the occasional video game where they are the weakest of enemies. I might be able to fight them, except from what I understand, they usually require magic to defeat, and I am manaless according to my status, which likely means no flinging spells around for me. I¡¯ll put them in the ¡°maybe¡± pile. Twiglings¡­ I have no idea what they are, which means no. Zombies are easy to run from, and I know their weakness. They¡¯re only really powerful in hordes. But anything in a horde will kill me if I have to fight it. In the ¡°maybe¡± pile then. Imps are evil, so they¡¯re out. Goblins have the same problem as Kobolds, in that they might be intelligent. Between zombies and slimes then. Dungeons usually have a theme right? Which means, whatever I pick, the dungeon will follow that theme. I¡¯ve always been a sucker for dark color schemes. ¡°[I choose Zombies as my starting race.]¡±I say, that strange power filling my voice as I give a command to the system. Chapter 2: Zombies.... Arggggh The blue window in front of me disappears. In its place, standing a few feet away from me is a zombie. I jump back in preparation, wondering if it might attack me. It just stands there, looking at me curiously. After a moment of it not attacking me, I relax. Slowly, I approach the creature and study it. The zombie just looks at me, it¡¯s skin is pale beyond human, the texture looking almost pasty. It¡¯s eyes are a strange yellow and its cheek bones are visible, the skin no longer covering them. Thankfully, the creature seems to be empty of blood, so the sight isn¡¯t too gory. The zombie wears some loose cloth covering up its privates. Funnily, the zombie actually seems¡­ feminine. Probably just my teenage boy imagination though. I must be into some weird shit, if that¡¯s in my imagination. I remember how word had finally made it out of Salt Lake City while I was leaving school, saying that it was undead monsters which destroyed the city. ¡°Did your cousins destroy Salt Lake City?¡± I ask the creature. It just tilts its head, uncomprehending. I step back, surprised at the movement. I¡¯d thought that it was unable to move. I run my hand through my hair, taking a full step back, done inspecting the creature. Once I do, another blue screen appears in front of me.
Choose The Environment for your Starting Race: Underground Forest Jungle Ruins Plains Deserts
Another choice given to me without any real explanation. I glance over at the zombie, who is motionless except for its studying of me. Damn. There¡¯s intelligence behind those eyes. Not something I like to see. I shake my head, turning back to the choice in front of me. Again, I go through my options starting from the bottom. Deserts make me think of mummies more than zombies, so they¡¯re out. Plains are too plain. Ruins fit my idea of zombies, plus they have plenty of hiding spots if this thing tries to chase me down. I glance at my zombie real quick, then quickly turn back to the screen. Nothing seems to fit it the way that Ruins does, so I think I¡¯ll go with that. ¡°[I choose Ruins for the environment.]¡± As soon as I made my choice, the white nothingness surrounding me shifts, skyscrapers rise from the ground only to fall, and be covered in vines. Roads build themselves only to be split apart by trees rising in the middle of them. Cars appear, only to rust and be taken over by the land. A sun just rising in the sky lights the world up with the rays of dawn My mouth hangs open as I stare at the landscape surrounding me. ¡°So cool.¡± I whisper under my breath. I look over to the zombie and nearly scream as I see at least thirty more zombies appear around it. I gulp involuntarily. Those things are frickin¡¯ scary. Thankfully, a blue window distracts me from the terrifying sight.
As your Starting Race adapts to the terrain and overcomes the trials before it, you will earn gold that you can use to improve the Dungeon Race, or dungeon. Congratulations on being the second person on your planet to start a dungeon, as a reward, you earn an extra eighty dungeon gold and an Expanded Dungeon package. When you are ready to start your dungeon, say ¡°Start dungeon¡± Good luck, and may the best Dungeon Master win.
Alright, so there is a lot to take in from that message. First, I¡¯m the second on my planet to start a dungeon. That implies that there are other planets out there. Ok, cool down. Don¡¯t panic. I always thought there had to be life out there somewhere anyway. Then there is the whole ¡°good luck, and may the best Dungeon Master win¡± bit. What am I winning? I don¡¯t remember signing up for any competition. In fact, could I please not compete? I really don¡¯t need to win anything.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. I run my hand through my hair again, and look for a good place to hide. Best not to start the dungeon standing in front of thirty zombies. Finding a nice building to hide in, but still have a good view of the zombies. I make my way over to the front door of the building and enter, curiously looking at all of the vines making their way up the walls. I walk to the door with a little symbol for stairs on it, it takes a good pull before the door opens, completely coming off of its hinges. The stairs are in fairly good shape, considering how dilapidated the rest of the building is. They were made of metal, which means they didn¡¯t rot away. Finally I catch sight of the room that I wanted to use for my viewing of the zombies. With a surprising spring in my step, I walk through the threshold, only to be suddenly stopped by several silk-like strands. I stare at the strands across my arms and chest with growing horror. Oh. Oh no. Please god no. I look up to the center of the web I¡¯m stuck in, and see a basketball-sized spider. This time I scream. Few people can possibly understand what it is like to stare stare up into eight beady eyes as big as human eyes. Something inside you screams, this is a predator! Run! Unfortunately my movements only get me further stuck into the web. I look up again to see the spider still unmoving. Is it dead? No, I haven¡¯t started the dungeon yet, which probably means that the spider can¡¯t move. I could really use that helpful dungeon fairy now. Please? Unnamed Zombie I watch as the creator studies me, his chilling blue eyes running over every part of my body. I watch him, curious. I know what he is, he is the creator. But he is¡­ different than I imagined him, not that I ever imagined him before. I did not exist to imagine until moments ago¡­. What a strange feeling. But, how do I know that it is strange? Everything should be strange. ¡°Did your cousins destroy Salt Lake City?¡± The creator asks me. I tilt my head in confusion, I know what each word means, but the sentence does not make sense to me. Cousins, what cousins? And what city is in a salt lake? Even if I could respond, which I could not because of the rules. I would not know how to. When I tilt my head, the Creator steps back in¡­ fear? I had not meant to frighten him. Forgive me. The creator fully steps back, controlling his face so that the fear fully disappeared, but I could still smell a trace of it on him. The creator ignores me as he turns to stare into empty space. I take the chance to study him. Although I do not have anything to compare him to, I know that he is handsome. Strange that I should know such a thing, but I do. His body is toned with regular exercise, and he has a habit of running his hand through the short curly red hair on his head. His chilling blue eyes study the screen in front of him, thoughts beyond my comprehension no doubt running through his mind. ¡°[I choose Ruins for the environment.]¡± With those simple words of his, the world shifts around us, and I feel the presence of twenty of my brothers and sisters. I watch the creator¡¯s face with amazement, as it shows obvious wonder at the world around him. He turns to us and is obviously startled by the increase in our numbers. Once again, the creator is distracted by something unseen in front of him. He looks around us before heading off towards a small building. Once he is gone, I wait patiently, knowing that soon the world around us will give me permission to move and stretch my limbs. A scream shakes me to the core, as I realize that the creator must be in trouble. I must help him.
Warning: Movement before dungeon start is not allowed, please give a reason for your movement.
¡°My creeeatooor is iiin daaaaangeeer.¡± A garbled voice comes from my mouth,
Acknowledged, you have been granted permission to move. Please do not abuse permission or there will be punishment.
I move forward with surprise as the bonds on me release. With an infuriatingly slow amble I walk towards the sound of the scream. I¡¯m not fast enough! What if something were to happen to the creator because I did not arrive in time?
Congratulations! Due to your unique soul and mentality, you have been granted the variant Undead Shaman. Do you accept this change? Yes/No
¡°Yeeees.¡± I say, grateful for anything that might help me. Suddenly, my control over my body increases and my slow amble turns into a jog. **** Chris I stare in frustration at the window I¡¯d been on my way to, before I got caught by this stupid spider web. I¡¯d lost the purchase on the ground I¡¯d need to really get me out of this situation. Stupid skip in my step.
Congrats! One of your Zombies has evolved into the undead variant Undead Shaman! +20 gold
How in the world did that happen? A few minutes later, I hear the sound of heavy footsteps approaching from behind me. Oh. Oh no. Nothing is supposed to be moving until I give the say-so. I am going to die because something broke the rules. Oh god, my brains are going to be eaten. *Whack* I close my eyes as the sound of flesh being hit reaches my ears. A soft thud beside me makes me open my eyes in time to see a stick bashing into the spider that had been hit to the floor. The spider¡¯s legs curl up in death after another hit from the stick, and a black mist is pulled from the dead spider into the creature behind me. So, uh¡­ What now? I¡¯m answered by two arms that wrap around my stomach and start pulling me away from the web. The sound of my clothes ripping slightly reaches my ear as I¡¯m pulled out of the web. With a final rip, my savior and I fall to the ground. I turn around to look at a surprisingly worried zombie. She- I¡¯m pretty confident that it¡¯s female, examines my body carefully. ¡°Huuurt?¡± The zombie asks. ¡°Uh, no. No, I¡¯m fine.¡± I respond, still caught by surprise. ¡°Goooood.¡± The zombie says, something like relief coming over its features. ¡°Thank you- uh.¡± I stall, not sure what to call her. She just tilts her head questioningly. ¡°You don¡¯t have a name yet, do you?¡± I ask, unsure. She shakes her head. ¡°Is it ok if I call you¡­ Luna?¡± I say the first name that comes to mind. She nods.
Unable to name Dungeon Inhabitants until Dungeon Starts. Reinitializing safety protocols.
The zombie freezes in a way similar to the way she¡¯d been frozen before I had gotten in trouble. ¡°Oh. I guess you¡¯re frozen again Luna. Thank you.¡± I say, feeling a little uncomfortable speaking to a frozen zombie. What I assume to be a soft smile spreads across her face. Unfortunately, it looked rather horrific with her zombie features. I take a deep breath, looking around to make sure that there aren¡¯t any other dangers I need to be wary of. Then, ¡°[Start Dungeon]¡± Chapter 3: Zombies Are Basically People That Value Intelligence Luna starts moving again, but looks around in confusion, her eyes going right through me. ¡°What is it Luna?¡± I ask. She pauses, her head tilted as if listening to something she barely heard. Then she stands up and walks right through me. I jump up in surprise, finally noticing how my body is rather see-through now. Frowning at my inability to communicate with Luna, my new favorite zombie, I walk over to her, where she is now studying the web and the dead spider. I open my mouth to try and speak with her again, when a blue screen takes up my vision.
Welcome to your Dungeon Menu! Dungeon Gold: 100 |Zombies| |Dungeon Upgrades| |Species| |Add Starting Race| (unavailable)
I move the screen out of my vision to see a saddened look on Luna¡¯s face. Gently, I put my hand on her shoulder, surprisingly enough, I don¡¯t pass through her. She looks up quickly, ready with her weapon. When she sees that it¡¯s me, she relaxes. I smile at her nodding, before letting go to focus on the screen in front of me. Luna is obviously a very nice zombie, but she still creeps me out to all hell. I click on the |zombies| option. It shows me a web with the word ¡°Zombie (29)¡± in the middle and arrows pointing outward from there pointing to question marks. As I watch, once of the question marks is replaced by ¡°Zombie Shaman (1)¡±. At the bottom there is a greyed out bar saying ¡°Force Random Evolution to Basic Zombie: 30g¡± If I remember the blue screen from earlier correctly, it said that one of my zombies had evolved into the variant Zombie Shaman. Maybe this is an evolution tree then? Showing me all of the things that zombies can evolve into once they unlock their evolutions. Cool. Not wanting to mess with anything or spend any of my limited gold, I click a little back arrow at the top of the screen, and it brings me back to the Dungeon Menu. Then I select |Dungeon Upgrades|, a list of various upgrades appears in front of me.
Year 0, Basic Stone Of Knowledge: Contains all accumulated knowledge of your dungeon race, plus basic knowledge of Mana and Chi. 50 Gold Town Center: Provides protection and allows creation of buildings through the system. 30 Gold Respawn Point. 800 Gold Outside Portal: Allows starting race to enter the Dungeon Master¡¯s world. 500 Gold Battlegrounds Portal: Allows transportation to the battlegrounds of the Dungeons. 100 Gold Gold Collection: Allows owner of dungeon to siphon gold from every kill the starting race makes against a predator species. 120 Gold Two Starting Races. 1000 Gold Upgrade Plant Life. 300 Gold Next Page (unavailable)
That¡¯s a lot of options, but only Town Center, the Battlegrounds Portal and the Basic Stone of Knowledge are within my purchasing range, but I should probably check my last option before making any choices. I open the |Species| option.
Starter: Zombies Current Species: Spiders, Deer, Rabbits, and Coyotes. Buy Predator Species: Snakes. 20 Gold Wolves. 20 Gold Large Cats. 30 Gold Bears. 20 Gold Alligators+Crocodiles -Swamp/River. 15 Gold Sharks -River. 15 Gold Spiders+ 25 Gold Ants 20 Gold Birds 25 Gold Locked¡­
Buy Neutral Species (All neutrals are non-sentient due to agreement 874 signed by the gods):If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Humans. 80 Gold Goblins (removes from starters). 40 Gold Orcs (removes Goblins from starters). 80 Gold Apes. 40 Gold Locked¡­
Buy Prey Species: Squirrels. 8 Gold Birds. 15 Gold Fish -Rivers/lakes. 10 Gold` Mice. 5 Gold Rats. 5 gold Horses. 10 Gold Sheep. 8 Gold Boars. 8 Gold Elephants. 10 Gold Bison. 8 Gold Locked¡­
Buy Magical Species (Possibility of Sentience) Drakes. 50 Gold Ents. 50 Gold Giants. 50 Gold Ogres. 50 Gold Gryphons. 50 Gold Faeries. 80 Gold Elementals. 80 Gold Rocs. 50 Gold Sandwalkers. 50 Gold Dragons. 200 Gold Serpents 100 Gold World Tree 500 Gold Locked¡­
I spend a good five minutes examining the options before navigating out of the page with a thoughtful expression. My attention sets on Luna, who is gathering up the spider she had killed with her stick. If the spider is an example of a bought species, then I doubt that the species I can buy will turn out exactly as I expect them to. I don¡¯t see any reason to add more species to my world yet, especially when I don¡¯t have a stable source of income. The upgrade which would give me a stable source of income is currently out of my price range of one hundred gold, so I really have two choices as I see it. I can buy the upgrades I can afford, which are currently The Stone Of Knowledge and Town Center, or I can save up for the upgrade which gives me a more stable income. Luna unlocked the Shaman variant, which implies that she will have some use for the mana that the stone of knowledge will tell her about. Town Center sounds useful, I just don¡¯t really know what it does, the explanation doesn¡¯t actually explain that much. I consider for a moment, before moving to the upgrades page and purchasing both the Stone Of Knowledge and the Town Center. I don¡¯t really have enough information to make a truly educated choice, so I might as well go with my gut feeling, which is telling me that it is better to buy these things, since they are more likely to benefit my starting race than the gold maker which will benefit me. A rumbling sound from outside catches my attention. Luna runs right by me, down the stairs and towards the rumbling sound. I follow her a little more reservedly, keeping an eye out for webs, since the world is now able to move. When I leave the building, I find an ornate wooden hut sitting in the middle of the road, the thirty or so zombies that the world had created surrounding it. None of the creatures see me, my newfound invisibility seeming to work perfectly, and I consider walking through my zombie ¡°children¡± with only a small amount of hesitation and fear. Thankfully, the other zombies seem to move out of the way of Luna with something similar to reverence, so I¡¯m easily able to follow in her footsteps through the door of the wooden hut. That reminds me, the system wouldn¡¯t accept Luna as the zombie¡¯s name until after the dungeon started, which means that I can name her somehow? ¡°[I name this zombie Luna]¡± I say, that strange feeling of power flowing through my voice. A blue screen pops up in front of me in response.
Zombie Shaman named Luna by the Dungeon Master. Due to the effects of the class skill Grant Rebirth, the soul of Luna will be reborn with memories and skills intact upon death inside the dungeon.
Names left for the skill Grant Rebirth: 2
I have to admit, I wasn¡¯t expecting something so grand simply from naming Luna. I am stopped from examining the message more in depth, when I enter the wooden hut that is likely the Town Center I bought. A cozy fire burns in the fireplace sitting next to a desk with writing implements and what appears to be a map on it. I only examine those for a second, before my attention is drawn to a stone obelisk as tall as I am standing in the middle of the floor of the hut. I glance at Luna, wondering at her reaction to the impressive stone structure, but her eyes seem to be looking at something in front of her that I can¡¯t see. Does she get Blue Screens as well? That¡¯s a surprise. Now that I think about it, Luna acts very much like a thinking, and¡­ living creature, despite her, well, undead state. She might be sentient, which is honestly a terrifying thought. As far as I can tell, I am responsible for her and all the others like her. I literally control the world around them. I don¡¯t want that kind of responsibility. I shake my head, focusing in on the situation at hand. Luna had walked up to the stone obelisk while I was distracted, studying it with interest. She touches the top of the obelisk with her hand, and her eyes glaze over. I step forward, a little worried, but a moment later, she removes her hand, her eyes returning to normal. She nods once to herself. I walk up to the obelisk myself, studying it curiously. An unfamiliar zombie shambling through my body shocks me, the zombie not even noticing my presence. Shuddering, I turn my attention back to the obelisk. With no small amount of trepidation, I touch the obelisk in the same spot Luna did.
Error: No affinity for Chi or Mana detected. Unable to access Stone Of Knowledge unless you are a member of the starting races.
I lower my hand, rather disappointed. With a sigh, I turn my attention to the desk I noticed when I first entered the hut. Luna is already studying the map on the desk, and I quickly move over to join her. The only colored building on the map is the one that we are currently in, with roads leading in all four directions away from it. The abandoned buildings surrounding this hut are marked with symbols resembling various resources like wood or stone. Next to the map is a piece of paper with those same resources with a number next to them listed in an orderly fashion. I put on my glasses to look at the paper more closely, most of the resources have a zero next to them, so I assume that those are the resources that the zombies currently have. I rub my eyes in exhaustion, realizing with some surprise, that I had only just put on my glasses and that they had been off for most of my time in the dungeon. I had been able to read the blue screens just fine without the glasses so it had never occurred to me. How strange. That¡¯s a lot of mysteries for one day, plus the harrowing experience of being caught in a spider¡¯s web had rather traumatized and exhausted me. So I think I¡¯ll call it a day. Walking over to Luna, I gently grab her shoulder turning her to face me. The stumbling movements from the other zombies makes my heart race as all of the creatures in the room turn to look at me. I gulp, turning my full attention to Luna, so that I don¡¯t have to think about the others. ¡°I¡¯m going to be leaving now. See you soon Luna.¡± Her yellow eyes look at me with a hint of¡­ sadness? I think. She nods, and brings her pasty white hand up on top of the one on her shoulder, holding it gently. Only a little creeped out by the sight, I let go of her shoulder, returning to my insubstantial state. How do I get out of here exactly? I don¡¯t think my brother ever told me in his note. The dungeon seems to respond well to commands, so here goes nothing. ¡°[Leave Dungeon]¡± The power fills my voice, and the colors in the room start to blend as everything around me disappears. A moment later, I¡¯m back in my brothers room, holding the dungeon core in my hand. That was definitely the strangest experience I¡¯ve ever had, I turn to leave, but am surprised by another note lying on the bed. Hey lil bro, Thoth made me come back since I forgot to mention some things, but you were gone by the time I got here. Anyways, if you want to learn anything more about your status, just say ¡°Identify¡±, then say whatever you want to identify. The system is really good at understanding improvised commands, so if you ever need to learn more about something, just ask. Sorry for missing you. Love, Your best bro ever. P.S. Tell mom and dad that I love them, and miss them a lot. I take a deep breath, calming myself down as best I can. ¡°Stay safe Sam.¡± I whisper to my brother, wherever he is. Chapter 4: I have Titles, too bad they werent given by the Queen. I look over the note that my brother left me again. All I have to do to get a response from the system is ask it? ¡°[Status]¡± I say, bringing up the rpg-like blue screen.
General Info: Chris Nordstrom, Age:17, Lvl:1, Class: Dungeon Master, Mana:XXX, Health: 150 DP: 10, Gold: 20 Sponsor: Thoth Titles: Chosen Of Thoth, Dungeon Master, NPC, Master of Dexterity, Card Shark, Special conditions: Normal Physical Condition: Impaired Vision (minor) Physicality: Athletic 50% Brilliance: Genius 90% Equipment: Inventory Ring (unique)
If I remember correctly, my DP, whatever that is, was at zero the last time I looked at my status. What changed? My brother said that I can ask the system anything, so here I go, ¡°[System, what is DP?]¡±
DP (Dungeon Power): The dungeon master gains one point of DP once per day per member of the starting race in the Dungeon Master¡¯s dungeon.
Shouldn¡¯t I have thirty DP then? SInce there are 30 zombies in the dungeon. Maybe I used up twenty somehow. I rub my eyes, glancing at the clock. I¡¯m supposed to be getting up for school in an hour, hopefully my nap from earlier will carry me through even without the extra sleep. Why did our school have to be one of the few that didn¡¯t cancel classes? I sigh, turning my attention back to my status screen. ¡°[Identify Titles]¡± In response to my words, a flurry of blue screens pop into my vision, each one covering the next.
Chosen Of Thoth: Thoth has decided to sponsor you. Various benefits may pop up.
Dungeon Master: You are the master of a Dungeon World. You have control over that world.
NPC: You are not currently a player. /ERROR/ Title changed to Special NPC do to your special status, allows access to basic system elements while in the Beta phase.
Before continuing with my titles, I glance at my status to see that that the title has changed from NPC to Special NPC. I continue on to the next title curiously.
Master Of Dexterity: Due to your focus on dextrous actions such as: Soccer, Sleight Of Hand, Ballet and Gymnastics. You gain a bonus to actions requiring Dexterity and the gaining of skills that require dexterity
Ok, it isn¡¯t what it looks like, I may have done gymnastics and Ballet for eight years, but I stopped! I am now doing the much cooler and manlier sport of Parkour and I¡¯ve stopped doing Ballet all together. So don¡¯t judge me.
Card Shark: You have played card games with others and bended the rules so that you earn money from them, multiple times. You gain a natural bonus to your luck when gambling.
Oh come on! I stopped doing things like that a year ago. It might have been because everyone refused to play with me anymore, but that¡¯s besides the point. Why can¡¯t I get a title for being good at chess? I played in my middle-school club! Actually, scratch that, I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t get a title like ¡°super-nerd¡±. I might have been a little too eligible for that title. I wonder how my titles compare to others? Too bad I¡¯m not related to any beta testers that could simply sit down and explain everything to me. If I get any abandonment issues, I¡¯m blaming you Sam. Shaking my head, I move onto the final thing that I want to cover before I take my pre-school nap. ¡°[Identify Class ¡®Dungeon Master¡¯]¡±
Class: Dungeon Master (NPC only) You have been granted one of the most powerful items in existence Now your very being revolves around it Raise your dungeon well You are a Dungeon Master Abilities Gained: Transform Grant Rebirth Summon Dungeon Inhabitant.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Transform: Transform into one of the variants unlocked in your Dungeon, DP cost varies based on variant target.
Grant Rebirth (basic): Mark three souls in your dungeon to be reborn with memories intact whenever they die. Currently Marked: Undead Shaman Luna. DP cost: 20
Summon Dungeon Inhabitant (basic): Bring up to (3) inhabitants from your dungeon into the world you currently inhabit (Earth) DP cost: 10/transport
I found out where that 20 DP went. I remember that when I named Luna, it mentioned me using a class skill. So do I try out the one class skill I can, or fall into the sweet embrace of my bed? I glance around my brothers room. The least I can do is move into my own room to make my decision, so that¡¯s what I do. I step into my small bedroom with a sigh, exhaustion filling me. I realize as soon as I see my bed that the idea of the choice was silly. I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the bed, only to be woken up an hour later. With a yawn, I turn off the alarm. My eyes slowly focus in on the two blue screen in front of me. I reach for my glasses, before I realize that I can easily read the text on the blue screen.
Congratulations! Your zombie shaman has risen their first skeleton from the dead. You have been awarded +10 gold.
One of your Zombies has advanced into the variant Undead Warrior! +10 gold.
Cool? More gold is nice, I guess. This means that last night wasn¡¯t completely imagined then. I grab my glasses, putting them on, then I search for the notes my brother left me from last night, reading through them again quickly. I leave my room to brush my teeth, then skip a shower in favor of making myself an actual breakfast with eggs. It feels¡­ weird. Going through life as if everything is normal after what I did last night. Zombies, real live zombies. They were fricking horrifying too. ¡°Status.¡± I can¡¯t help but say, bringing up the little blue screen that proves that all of this is real. My DP was still at 10. Does that mean that it increases at a set interval everyday? Or were the gains so slow that my status hadn¡¯t registered the increase yet? After I¡¯m finished with my breakfast, I rinse the dishes, putting them into the dishwasher, and I leave the house. My parent¡¯s house sits in the nice little cul-de-sac of a wealthy neighborhood. It¡¯s not too unusual to see people starting their days all around, but I take notice of a few people that I don¡¯t recognize, the words of my brother¡¯s letter making me slightly nervous. He¡¯d said that people would be watching me because of my connection to him. A couple of the other students at my highschool were already at the bus stop by the time I got there. They were brothers of hispanic descent, with the same brown hair and eyes. I only knew them because we¡¯d waited at the same stop for the past three years. The older one was busy teasing the younger one the entire wait, which helped calm my anxiousness over the strange people on the street. One of the people in particular, a twenty year old wearing a leather jacket, and shades, sat smoking a cigarette, and seemed to be paying more attention to our group than was usual. I controlled my nervousness carefully, knowing that looking nervous would only make whoever was watching me, watch me with even more care. I¡¯m thankful when the bus finally stops by us. I step on and quickly spot James who¡¯d saved a spot for me. I sit down, thankful to take off the heavy backpack I had for my classes. ¡°Sup man?¡± James says, pulling out an airpod from his ear. ¡°Did you see the latest news?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± I ask, looking at the video James is watching on his phone. James hurriedly rewinds the video so that I can see it. The video starts, pointing at a young woman wearing a masquerade mask, staring at whoever is filming. James, of course, doesn¡¯t lend me an airpod so that I can hear. The young woman wearing the masquerade mask in the video turns away from the camera to look at two other people wearing ski masks. They all appear to be in a historical exhibit of some kind, and the two other people are obviously Beta Testers. One of them, the man, stands floating in the air with a gun over his shoulder, while the woman, has a black mist flowing out from a dagger at her waist. I watch as they talk, then a fight begins. The woman in the mask disappears as the gunshot from the man blows a hole in the wall where the masked woman used to be. The view from the camera points at the wall as whoever is filming hurriedly hides behind a wall. A second later, the phone is hesitantly pointed back out at the fight. The woman with the dagger reels back as cuts form along her body, and the masked woman appears in front of her. Unfortunately, the man with the gun is ready, and he shoots the masked woman into a wall. The masked woman just stares as the other woman¡¯s dagger is thrown at her. Then another dagger appears in front of the masked woman creating a shield of some kind. Two gunshots ring out, and the fight is over as the two people in ski masks fall over. The video ends. ¡°Holy shit.¡± I say, slack jawed at the speed of the fight. ¡°No kidding.¡± James says, pulling his phone back. ¡°Apparently the woman wearing the masquerade mask saved a whole bunch of people at the museum. She¡¯s a ¡®hero¡¯¡± I review the fight in my head, and rethink any idea I¡¯d had of confronting the Beta Testers chasing me and my brother. ¡°When did this happen?¡± I ask James trying to review every part of the fight in my mind. Did my brother know these people? Was the masked woman the one chasing my brother? Or was it the other Beta Testers that the masked woman fought? God damn it, I have no answers, and I can only speculate. ¡°It happened two days ago, but the video was just leaked. Apparently the government didn¡¯t want the video released.¡± James smiles excitedly, he does love conspiracies. ¡°That reminds me, Ziron, a streamer, has been saying that he¡¯s going to be doing a big stream later today where he goes into the City of The Dead with a Beta Tester.¡± He catches my full attention by mentioning the City of The Dead, I¡¯ll have to remember to watch that stream. I look up the time for the stream he mentioned on my phone, and set an alarm so that I¡¯ll be ready to watch it. ¡°How much longer are you planning to avoid Carla?¡± James asks. My thoughts stall as my mind witches over to his question. ¡°As long as it takes for her to give up?¡± I respond hopefully. James just stares at me questioningly. ¡°You know that¡¯s really-¡± ¡°Stupid. I know.¡± I say, sighing. ¡°I just can¡¯t reject her ok? I know the stuff she¡¯s going through, and if she asks and I say ¡®no¡¯, then it will hurt her. I don¡¯t want to do that.¡± ¡°There¡¯s such a thing as being to nice, you know?¡± James says, obviously annoyed with me. ¡°Look man. You don¡¯t want to lead a girl on, believe me, I¡¯ve tried it.¡± We both shudder as we think of Anna. ¡°Just let her down gently. It might suck for a little bit, but she¡¯ll get over it.¡± James looks at me hopefully. ¡°Who are you guys talking about?¡± Diana, a sophomore that is friends with James¡¯s little sister asks, sitting down on the seat across from us. Diana has long, thick black hair and inquisitive green eyes that stare at us curiously. We both clam up. Diana couldn¡¯t keep a secret if her life depended on it. And I personally don¡¯t think my love life is the whole school¡¯s business. Crazy thought, I know. I hurriedly think of something else to talk about, ¡°Hey Diana, have you seen the latest video of the Beta Testers?¡± Diana doesn¡¯t buy it, but she rolls her eyes and accepts the change of topic. It isn¡¯t much longer before the bus arrives at the school, and we go through another boring as hell day of classes. The one light in it all is my biology teacher, Mrs. Henderson, she actually keeps the whole class interested in her lecture during the class. For lunch, James and I slip out of the school to eat pizza at a new spot that opened nearby. While taking a bite of the delicious pizza, James catches the eye of the girl he currently likes. I let him go to work his charms on the pretty girl while I enjoy the pizza. A familiar looking man wearing a leather jacket, and shades, slips into James¡¯s seat. I stare at him, trying to place where I¡¯d seen him before. It only takes me a moment to realize I¡¯d seen him at my bus stop this morning smoking a cigarette. ¡°Sorry kid. I hate to do this.¡± He says, his voice deep and gruff. I open my mouth, not sure what I¡¯d do. Scream for help? Call James back? Before I can make up my mind, a word comes out of his mouth that stops all my thoughts. ¡°[Sleep.]¡± The world fades to darkness as I slump over the last bite of my pizza. Chapter 5: Silly Man, Kidnapping is for KIds! I wake up groggily, only to realize that my hands are cuffed to some kind of piping, and my feet are tied together. I open my eyes to see the same man wearing that leather jacket standing in front of me. The room reminds me of a basement, and the rickety stairs leading up and lack of windows supports that idea. The man takes a puff out of a cigarette, his eyes presumably watching me underneath his shades. ¡°He¡¯s awake.¡± The man says. A girl maybe a year or so older than me moves in the corner of the room, drawing my attention to her. Long blonde hair slightly curled, a button nose and two large blue eyes marks the girl as someone that could¡¯ve been a supermodel. ¡°I can see.¡± The girl says with an accent I can¡¯t quite place. I surreptitiously feel around my finger, internally sighing with relief when I feel the ring that holds the dungeon core in it. Outwardly, I keep my expression worried with a trace of the actual confusion and fear I¡¯m feeling inside. ¡°Who the hell are you guys?¡± I ask, testing the bindings on my feet as I talk. I do my best to not let any fear affect me. I¡¯m not always a scaredy cat, alright? Zombies are just freaky, and giant spiders are something that should never exist. The two of them look at each other, apparently sharing some kind of unspoken conversation. Finally, the girl turns toward me, ¡°Do you know where your brother is?¡± ¡°I honestly have no idea.¡± I say, hoping that they¡¯ll believe me and leave it at that. ¡°Fuck. He¡¯s telling the truth.¡± The man says, pushing his sunglasses back to rub his eyes. The girl frowns unhappy with my answer. ¡°Maybe we can use him as blackmail? Tell him to come or we will kill his brother.¡± My blood runs cold at her words. ¡°And how are we supposed to tell him that we have his brother? Might as well kill the kid now, maybe the kid¡¯s death will bring him to us.¡± The man says pulling a dangerous looking curved blade seemingly out of nowhere. ¡°Hey look!¡± I hurriedly say, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯m more useful to you alive as a hostage than dead. I mean, you¡¯re Beta Testers, there¡¯s nothing I could possibly do to hurt your plans.¡± ¡°He makes a good point.¡± The girl says, raising an eyebrow at the blade the man had brought out. ¡°I¡¯d rather not start killing people just because it¡¯s easier. They still have their uses¡­.¡± They both stopped as their gazes turned to something I couldn¡¯t see in front of them. Are they seeing their own blue screens? That proves my idea that they are Beta Testers. ¡°You buy the tickets?¡± The girl said, her gaze turning back to the man. He nods. ¡°Good. I¡¯ll have my assistant watch him while we¡¯re gone. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find some use for him.¡± The girl motions to me as she speaks. The man nods again, already browsing on his phone, he turns to leave and I catch a glance of what he¡¯s looking at, thankful that they didn¡¯t remove my glasses. Tickets to St George, Utah. Why in the world are they going there? Both of them ignore me as they leave, and a moment later, the girl returns with another woman, pointing to me ¡°Watch him, make sure he doesn¡¯t escape. We need him.¡± The woman studies me, and I study her right back. Her brown hair is pulled into a short ponytail, and she wears form fitting clothes that look rather obviously expensive to me. Her brown eyes watch me coldly, and I shiver. After she¡¯s done, she calmly walks back up the stairs with the girl, leaving me alone in the room. My options here are limited. After seeing the video of those Beta Testers fighting, I know that there is no way in hell that I¡¯ll be able to force my way out of here. I¡¯m lucky that both of them seem to be leaving for somewhere, or I doubt that I¡¯d ever be getting out of here. The first step of getting out of here would be getting out of these bonds around my hands and feet. If I were James Bond, I could probably convince that woman to just let me go¡­. But I do not have that much confidence in my ability to talk my way out of this situation. I touch the storage ring on my finger, considering my options.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I have three magical abilities. Only two of which could apply here. I could transform myself into one of the zombies, but I really don¡¯t like that option. I could also summon a zombie to help me. I don¡¯t like that option either. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t really think of anything else. I¡¯ll just have to make sure that both the Beta Testers are actually gone, cause if I try to escape while they¡¯re here. I¡¯m screwed. That means I get to play the waiting game. It¡¯s my favorite game after all. ¡­. Okay, maybe I lied. The waiting game isn¡¯t my favorite game. How do I know for sure that the Beta Testers are gone? I don¡¯t. Thankfully, right as I¡¯m starting to feel hungry, the woman that was tasked with watching me comes down with a to-go box in her hand. ¡°H-hey.¡± I say nervously. The woman ignores me as she walks over to me, setting the food down. ¡°I¡¯m going to untie your hands. If you try anything, I¡¯m going to stab you with this knife.¡± She says emotionlessly, pulling a nasty looking pocket knife out of her pocket. ¡°Do you understand?¡± ¡°Y-yeah. I get it.¡± I respond. ¡°Good.¡± She walks over to me, unlocking the cuffs around my wrists. I rub my wrists gently, trying to get some feeling back into them. She sits down across from me, ¡°Eat your food so that I can leave.¡± She points to the to-go box on the floor. I open it, and am surprised to see some rather delish looking chowmein in the box. I take a bite, just enjoying the taste of the meal. After a moment, I turn my attention to the woman who is watching me emotionlessly. ¡°You know, you don¡¯t-¡± ¡°Shut up, or I¡¯ll stab you.¡± She says coldly. I gulp. I mean, she holds that pocket knife like she knows how to use it. I turn my attention back to the food, but it doesn¡¯t really taste as good as I thought it did. During my food, I¡¯m surprised when a message appears in front of me.
One of your skeletons has learned how to become a zombie. +10 gold
Not super useful right now, but cool I guess. Once I¡¯m finished with the food, she cuffs my hands back to the piping, and leaves the basement. Ok, what I¡¯m really lacking here is information. I don¡¯t know if the Beta Testers have left, or how closely that woman is watching me. I don¡¯t have the patience to stay chained up to this pipe any longer, and I do have someone that could help me. It would be nice to see her again too. Alright, here goes nothing. ¡°[Summon Dungeon Inhabitant: Luna]¡± The words of power fill my being as I feel my Dungeon Points decrease, it¡¯s a strange feeling actually. A bright light glows in front of me as a feminine creature appears in front of me. An armor that looks vaguely like the spiders I¡¯d seen inside the dungeon covers Luna, and she holds her staff gracefully, giving her a dangerous aura. Her yellow eyes look at me with surprise and a little worry. ¡°Hey Luna, you¡¯re looking well.¡± I say, hiding the tiny bit of fear that appears when I see the pale skin, and bones that are showing through that skin. Luna immediately walks up to me, setting her staff down, and putting her hand on my cheek with care, her eyes filled with worry. Luna¡¯s Perspective. The tribe was doing well. Spiders and the large coyotes continued to hunt us, but we¡¯d learned to deal with them over the three years we¡¯d lived in this world. There was some worry over the future of the tribe, when we hadn¡¯t known how to create more of us. But thankfully, I¡¯d solved that problem with the rising of the first Skeleton. It had only taken him two years before he¡¯d gathered enough flesh to truly become one of us. Surprisingly, the next skeleton we¡¯d risen had refused to become a zombie, instead choosing to follow his own path. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how he was doing, our creator. What was life in his world like? Did he think of us? I am close to my next advancement, I can feel it. I only need a small push, but I don¡¯t know what that push is. Lately, I have taken to hunting the spiders in their own nests, hoping that through my fights with them, I might gain the push I need to advance. The brood mothers in the depths of their nests are truly terrifying, and I know that if left unchecked, they will become truly powerful. I fear that if I do not advance soon, I will not be able to fight them when the time comes. My musings pause when I feel a tug, a request. He is calling me. I tell the system that I am ready to be summoned, and the world fades around me as space distorts. I open my eyes to see the creator in front of me, his red curls falling in front of his eyes. I take in his state with surprise. Someone dared to chain him? This slight cannot go unpunished. He is not hurt, is he? ¡°Hey Luna, you¡¯re looking well.¡± The creator says with a strained smile. I walk up to him, and set my staff down as I put my hand on his cheek. Gently, I send my mana through his body, checking for any injuries. Nothing seems wrong, and I sigh with relief. I look into his eyes questioningly, knowing that I could not speak well if I tried. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I just got into a little bit of trouble with some powerful people.¡± The creator says, causing me to frown. I immediately feel for the chains around his wrists. They are made out of good steel, but that will not stop me. I reach into my pouch, pulling out a paste made from the blood of the wolves. I carefully apply the paste in a circular pattern around the bonds of the creator, ignoring his questioning look. Using my mana, I activate the magic of the paste, turning the bonds around the creator¡¯s wrist into dust. The creator brings his wrists in front of him in surprise, rubbing them gently. Noticing the marks on the skin of his wrists from the bonds, I start to get angry. I hurriedly suppress the feeling, knowing that this is not the time, or the place. I apply the paste to the bonds around his ankles as well, setting him fully free. I look at his face, hoping for some praise, instead I see a frown. ¡°Whaaatsss Wroooonng?¡± I ask, worried that I had messed up. The creator¡¯s frown disappears when he hears my words, ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just worried that we might have started our escape a little too soon.¡± He turns to look at the stairs out of the room. ¡°Nothing to be done about it now, I guess.¡± Chapter 6: Run Luna! Its a Tentacle Monster! I creep up the stairs as quietly as I can, Luna following me just as silently, her staff now in hand. Quiet zombies are only slightly creepy, but I¡¯m thankful for it in this case. I frown when the handle to the door won¡¯t open, but Luna pats me on the shoulder motioning towards her pouch, and then the door. I let Luna walk past me, watching with fascination as she does the same thing she did to my cuffs to the door handle, disintegrating it into dust. It isn¡¯t flashy, but it¡¯s magic. So. Cool. I push the door open slowly, cringing at the creaking of its hinges. The hallway is mostly dark, but empty, so I hesitantly walk forward. Luna sniffs as we enter the hallway, her nose flaring. She frowns, a look of worry appearing on her face, before her eyes widen. She hurriedly steps in front of me as a knife comes flying forward, embedding itself in her shoulder. I stare in shock at the knife in her shoulder, while Luna looks at it calmly. ¡°Tch. How¡¯d you know I was here? I thought I hid myself fairly well.¡± The woman who had fed me steps forward, the shadows visibly letting her go. Another Beta Tester? She was a Beta Tester as well? Luna doesn¡¯t respond to the woman as Luna pulls a powder from her belt, throwing it in between us and the woman. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you got here, but my master told me to kill the boy if he tried to escape. And that¡¯s what I plan to do. If you want to live, I suggest you move aside.¡± The woman¡¯s hand ripples, turning into a gelatinous pink goo, before another knife appears in her now solidified hand. Luna calmly pulls the knife out of her shoulder, turning it around in her hand as she studies it. With a snort, she puts it in her belt. ¡°So you aren¡¯t human either.¡± The woman says, her form starting to ripple, ¡°That ought to make this interesting.¡± The woman throws her knife. At the same time, her arm extends into a pink tentacle, flying towards us. I flinch as both the knife and appendage hit a barrier in front of us, right where Luna had thrown the powder. The barrier wavers, bending where the pink tentacle presses against it. Luna lifts her staff, pointing it at the woman. She traces an intricate pattern on the staff with her finger. A fireball shoots from the end of the staff racing towards the woman. The woman just smiles as she turns completely pink, her body warping around where the fireball would have hit, letting it through to the wall behind her. More tentacles shoot from the pink blob that used to be the woman, hitting the barrier. Luna frowns as she pulls a paste from her pouch. She kneels down to the floor, placing the paste in a semi-circle in front of us. She finishes it just in time as the pink tentacles break through her first barrier. The tentacles stop as they hit the semi-circle, yet another barrier stopping her. Luna looks a little worried, and I realize that she isn¡¯t as confident in winning this as I would hope. Honestly, I¡¯m feeling really useless right about now. I look over my left over DP, which numbers exactly 10. That gives me two options, I can summon another undead, or I can become an undead myself. I doubt that becoming undead would help in any way, but¡­ there was that other evolved undead. ¡°[Summon Dungeon Inhabitant: Undead Warrior]¡± As I start to speak, the woman increases her attacks, but Luna¡¯s shield holds, if a little unsteadily. Luna casts another fireball from the staff, forcing the pink blob to back off slightly. In front of me, a more masculine zombie appears, he wears the same chitinous spider armor that Luna does, but he holds a wooden shield and a spear with a stone head, instead of a staff. The zombie himself is more gory than Luna, with long red scars cutting through his bare arms, showing bone. Two symmetrical scars cut through his right cheek, also showing bone. Luna looks at him gratefully, as he nods to me respectfully. She motions for him to come towards her, and he walks to her as she hurriedly applies paste in a circle on his shield. The barrier cracks from the force of the tentacles, reminding us of the impending danger. The undead warrior walks past us, towards the barrier. With one more look at the both of us, his yellow eyes looking at me with respect, the warrior steps over the barrier. Immediately the pink tentacles fly towards him. The warrior holds his wooden shield forward to block the tentacles, a strange glow appearing underneath his skin. The shield holds as the warrior slowly walks towards the pink blob. Luna takes advantage of the break in the pink slime¡¯s attacks to draw new symbols on her staff with another paste from her belt. The warrior strikes with his spear, severing one of the pink tentacles, but suffers a cut along his own arm from another tentacle for the act.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Luna finishes the drawings on her staff, as the warrior suffers several more similar cuts. The warrior¡¯s wooden shield cracks as he gets closer to the pink blob. Luna stabs her staff into the ground, and the circle on the warrior¡¯s shield starts to glow. The shield explodes, sending a powerful force at the pink blob. The pink blob suffers a direct hit, exploding into pieces. Luna and I both sigh in relief as the glow around the warrior slowly starts to fade. Right as it does, a pink tentacle shoots out from the floor puncturing through the warrior¡¯s chest, and another one shoots out for me, already past the barrier that Luna had let drop. I stare at the tentacle as time seems to slow, the tip of the appendage right in front of my eye, almost touching the lense of my glasses. Black energy erupts from beside me consuming the tentacle before continuing down its length until it consumes every piece of the pink blob.
Congratulations! Your Undead Shaman has evolved into an Undead Mage. +20 gold
I gulp as what used to be a pink tentacle dissolves into black dust. ¡°Thanks for that.¡± I say to Luna, before turning my attention to the warrior who was slowly getting up with a giant hole in his chest. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± A surprisingly feminine voice says from beside me. I turn my full attention to Luna, my eyes wide. Her pale skin now fully covers her, with only her cheekbones showing through, her body had grown more feminine, with wider hips and a more noticeable, if small chest. You couldn¡¯t mistake her for a male any longer. ¡°You can speak.¡± I say the first thing that comes to mind. ¡°I can, but it is still hard.¡± She says, moving forward to examine the undead warrior. ¡°You should send him baaack. Excuse me. You should send him back, so that he can get flesh for his wound.¡± ¡°[Return].¡± The warrior nods to me, before he is surrounded by a white light and presumably teleported back to the Dungeon. ¡°What was she?¡± I ask, walking forward to examine the black ash that used to be the woman. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Luna says, kneeling down to scoop some of the ash into a pouch she¡¯d pulled from her waist. Whatever she was, I don¡¯t think she was actually a Beta Tester, she was just a little too inhuman. I look down the dark hallways, worried that the fight had gotten the attention of one of the actual Beta Testers. Thankfully, the house seems to be empty aside from Luna and I. ¡°We should hurry. I don¡¯t want to be here when the Beta Testers get back.¡± I say, reaching forward to gently pull Luna away from her study of the ash. ¡°Beta Testers?¡± Luna frowns, following me down the hallway. ¡°They sound familiar.¡± ¡°They¡¯re very powerful people.¡± I respond idly, opening the door to a room, hoping to find my phone and wallet, both of which aren¡¯t on my person. The room looks like a normal bedroom with a recently made bed, a desk with a few books on it, and a large cabinet. Moonlight shines through the only window in the room. I hurriedly search the cabinet for my things. Luna follows me carefully, looking at everything with curiosity. Opening one of the droors in the desk, I find my wallet and phone. With a sigh of relief, I pull both of them out. My sigh turns into a groan when I realize that my phone is dead. I open my wallet, thankful to discover that they hadn¡¯t taken any of the cash or cards out of it. I take another glance at Luna, who is looking through the window outside. She turns to look at me, and I smile at her. ¡°Come on, we really need to get out of here.¡± She nods. Thankfully, we don¡¯t encounter anyone else as we leave the house. Outside, we appear to be in a middle class neighborhood. I don¡¯t recognize the street name of where we are. But it takes only ten minutes of walking before I find a gas station. As we are walking to the gas station, I take another look at Luna. While she doesn¡¯t look as creepy anymore, it¡¯s easy to see that she isn¡¯t exactly human. ¡°Look Luna, I think I need to send you back to the Dungeon as well.¡± I say before we enter the lights in front of the gas station. ¡°Why?¡± She asks, looking at me with surprise. ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to have someone like you following me around, and if the wrong people find out that you are with me, it could be very bad.¡± My mind flashes to the warning my brother gave me. ¡°I think I¡¯m safe for now, and I¡¯ll make sure to summon you at the first hint of trouble. Ok?¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Luna nods, even if she is obviously unhappy with my choice. ¡°[Return]¡± I say, and Luna disappears into light. A quick glance at my dungeon points shows that they are empty. I really hope that there aren¡¯t any more Beta Testers about to kidnap me. The gas station has a charger which I buy. Once my phone is charged enough, I make a phone call. ¡°Chris?¡± A groggy voice answers the phone. ¡°Hey Charles, how have you been?¡± I ask, glancing at the only employee of the gas station, who is watching me with boredom. ¡°Chris? Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?¡± Charles asks, his feminine voice clear over the phone. ¡°I needed to call someone they wouldn¡¯t know is connected with me.¡± I answer honestly, my gaze turning to the darkness outside of the gas station. ¡°I might have gotten into a little bit of trouble.¡± ¡°What... ¡° Charles yawns, ¡°What kind of trouble?¡± ¡°The bad kind. Look, I just need somewhere to lay low for the next little while.¡± I pause, considering my next words carefully. ¡°I have news on my brother too.¡± The phone is silent on the other end for a couple of breaths. ¡°You can stay at my apartment. I¡¯m not using it right now anyway. Just ask Laura for the key.¡± Another pause, ¡°Is he ok?¡± ¡°He was fine, if a little torn up, last night.¡± I consider telling him that he is a Beta Tester, but decide against it last minute. ¡°I see.¡± Charles says, drawing out his words. ¡°DId he mention me?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t speak for long.¡± I say, feeling a little embarrassed over the whole situation. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be over to your apartment sooner rather than later. Can you call Laura and tell her I¡¯m coming?¡± ¡°I can.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I say honestly into the phone. ¡°No problem.¡± The phone goes quiet as he hangs up. I sigh. Why do my brother¡¯s romantic relationships stress me out more than my own? Interlude This is a story from Isis, one of the Egyptian godesses that rules over The Game Of The Gods. These words were told to one of her followers, a Beta Tester on the world known as Earth. *** Ra was an emperor, he was not a bad emperor, nor was he a good emperor. He was an Emperor. Some might say he was ruthless, and cruel, I would not argue with them. Ra brought the wrath of the sun on those who angered him, killing women and children alike. But he also oversaw the greatest time of his people, bringing life and wealth wherever he went. Ra was the most powerful of the gods, and I knew that with his power I could accomplish my dream of seeing my husband again.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. All I needed was the smallest piece of him. So I waited for my moment, and eventually it came. On the night he fought Apep, the great snake, he shed blood. I used that blood in my magic to create a creature in the likeness of his enemy, a snake. Then one day, he was bitten by the creature I created. No word of power he used could free him of the poison of the snake, since the poison was made with part of his own flesh. Terrified of the poison that would one day kill him, he called upon me, one of the greatest healers in the land, to free him of this poison. As he lay dying there, I told him that the only way I could heal him was if I knew his true name. He knew to not give his true name away, for with it, someone could have power beyond imagining. But fear of death twisted his mind, and he told me. With knowledge of his true name, I forced the poison out of his body, and gained the power I desired. It would take him a long time to find the truth of my actions, but eventually he did. Chapter 7: Admiring Another Mans "Spear" The Uber lets me off at a nice building in the upper end of the city. Laura, Charles¡¯s sister, yawns as she lets me into the building, handing me the key without a word. Laura has always been a little standoffish to me for no real reason. The apartment is on the seventh floor. It¡¯s one of those nice penthouse sweets you see on the TV. Charles comes from some serious money. A large living room with an equally large kitchen greets me. Specially designed furniture lies all around the room. I can¡¯t believe my brother turned away from this. The best thing about the whole apartment? The size of its bathtub. I mean, it¡¯s basically a hot tub. The first thing I do is take a nice long bath. Once I¡¯m feeling clean, I borrow some of Charles¡¯s clothes, put on my glasses and pull the dungeon core out of my inventory. It¡¯s still the same clear cube, except now the mist inside of it is noticeably darker than the first time I saw it. ¡°[Enter Dungeon Core.]¡± I say, The world warps around me, colors blending together until they reform into a familiar landscape. Collapsed buildings lie on the side of the road, with vines crawling up them, and trees growing through them. The most surprising thing about the new scenery are the new buildings that have been constructed. The Town Center that I¡¯d bought when I was last here is now two stories tall, and the street surrounding it was starting to turn into a small village. Right behind the Town Center were three newly constructed buildings of different sizes, all of them built on the crumbling road. The first one was a barn, with two large wooden doors open. Inside the building were metal slabs with dead spiders in various states of dismemberment sitting on them. The building had the symbol of an X hanging on a sign in front of it. The second building looked like a normal wooden house. It had a symbol of a vial on the sign standing on the ground in front of it. The third building looked normal as well, if a little smaller than the other two. There was no sign for that house. I turn away from the Town Center to see two more buildings, and a third in construction. The two wooden houses that were already built both had no sign in front of them, and were smaller than any of the other buildings. The final building under construction was the largest by far, it had a courtyard surrounding the stone house in the middle Zombies walked back and forth through the buildings, although none of them actually seemed to be working on the building under construction. I stop as I catch sight of my first skeleton. The creature wears the chitinous armor of the spiders, but it¡¯s white skull is unmistakable. An eerie yellow flame dances in the eyes of the skeleton. The skeleton looks lost in thought, it¡¯s attention focused on a small yellow ball it holds in its hands. No one notices me, and I¡¯m fairly confident that my invisibility is in effect somehow. ¡°[Dungeon Menu]¡± I say, bringing up a familiar blue screen.
Dungeon Menu: Age of Dungeon: 4 Dungeon Gold: 70 Number of Zombies in Dungeon: 34 Number of skeletons in Dungeon: 10 |Zombies| |Dungeon Upgrades| |Species| |Add Starting Race| (unavailable)
The dungeon is 4? What does that mean? It has only been a day since I started the dungeon up. Looking over my surroundings again. it does seem like a lot happened in one day¡¯s time. Maybe time moved differently here? It makes a little sense, considering how connected space and time are, and how this world is basically a whole other dimension. I close the dungeon menu, mentally noting down that there are now forty-five monsters under my control now, opposed to the original thirty I had seen when I first started the dungeon. I slowly approach the starting building, watching my surroundings curiously. I enter the building to see that it still has the same cozy atmosphere it¡¯d had when I first saw it. The warmth of the fireplace immediately hits me. It¡¯s a comfortable warmth, not a burning warmth. Luna stands over the map that lays on a table in the middle of the room, her face frowning in concentration. I walk over to the map, surprised at some of the new information on it. On the south side of the map, the road leads into a forest and towards a mountain range. The forest had a large red circle surrounding it, with a crudely drawn spider sitting in the middle of the circle. A group of zombies were shown on the map, slowly making their way back from the spider lands. The images of the zombies were actually moving, making me wonder what other powers the map had. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. I look back up to see Luna¡¯s face deep in thought as she stares at the map. She¡¯s looking a little pretty actually, now that her skin isn¡¯t falling apart in places. God, I need a girlfriend. Luna shakes her head slightly, sighing and moving away from the table to sit on a chair covered in furs. She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath, then lets it out. Her breathing starts moving in a pattern reminding me of meditation. I decide to hold back on disturbing her for now. There¡¯s nothing super urgent that I need to deal with.
Congratulations! One of your zombies has evolved into the variant Undead Craftsman. +10 gold
That reminds me, I have gold I can spend on the dungeon. All of the dungeon upgrades are still out of my reach, but I could maybe buy one of the species that are available. I glance at Luna out of the corner of my eye. It might be a good idea to talk with her before I change the ecology of her world. She¡¯s still resting, and I¡¯d rather not bother her. I glance back at the notification I¡¯d just gained. Let¡¯s go check out this undead craftsman. All of the upgraded zombies I¡¯ve met so far (a total of two) looked very different from their brethren. I¡¯m kinda curious what the undead craftsman will look like. I leave the town center, wondering which of the buildings outside are hiding the craftsman. I search through each of the buildings, phasing through the doors in my strange invisible state. Eventually, in one of the smaller buildings that didn¡¯t have a sign in front of it, I found the zombie I was looking for. The skin on his face and arms are a pale white, making him look almost human. Black circles surround his yellow eyes, giving him a tired look. His short black hair is tied up in a bun behind his head, and his calloused hands hold a beautiful spear. My breath catches at the sight of the spear. Its head is made out of sharpened bone, which is intricately tied to the wooden portion with twine. It¡¯s the wooden portion that makes me catch my breath. Artwork unlike any I¡¯d seen was carved all along the staff. The art itself showed one man fighting against a pack of wolves. As my eyes roamed down the staff, the fight was shown, the man giving his everything to fight the wolves until he finishes victorious. ¡°[What Is That Spear?]¡± I whisper without thinking. I only realized that I had used words with power in them after I said it.
Spear Of The Survivor (uncommon): The first creation from the soul of a craftsman. Made from the bones of coyotes, and the wood of an oak, this spear has taken on part of the personality of its creator and could someday gain it¡¯s own sentience. Grants ability: One Against Many
One Against Many: The more enemies you are fighting, the more energy flows through you.
Holy shit, that¡¯s impressive. That weapon could actually gain sentience someday. Feeling a little nervous, I do something extremely reckless, and turn off my invisibility. ¡°That spear is amazing.¡± I say. The zombie looks over his work smiling. His smile exposes unnaturally sharp teeth. ¡°Thank you. I am quite proud of it.¡± His words come out crisply, sounding even more natural than Luna. He pauses when he hears his own voice, his hand reaching towards his throat in surprise. Brought out of his reverie, he slowly turns to look at me, his eyes widening as he takes in my full appearance. He opens his mouth, before closing it again with a snap. ¡°Who is it meant for?¡± I ask, doing my best to ignore his reaction to me. ¡°This spear is meant for the warrior, Bes.¡± He says, glancing over at the weapon as he speaks. ¡°His last spear was broken in a fight against one of the lesser brood mothers. This is so strange.¡± He whispers the last part to himself. ¡°What¡¯s so strange?¡± I ask, surprising him with my question. ¡°T-talking. I somehow know what the words mean. It is strange for everything to be so clear.¡± The terrifying zombie, that has teeth which look designed for ripping into meat, wrings his hands in nervousness. I chuckle at the strangeness of the situation. ¡°What is your name?¡± I ask, getting ready to go back into whatever that invisible mode is. ¡°My name is Adom.¡± ¡°It was nice meeting you Adom.¡± I say, dismissing the notification asking me if I¡¯d like to name him. I don¡¯t have the Dungeon Points to do that at the moment. ¡°Hopefully I¡¯ll see you again soon.¡± I activate the invisibility, fumbling with the timing of my exit a little. Adom doesn¡¯t seem to notice as he stares through me. His throat moves in a gulp, before he looks back at the spear. After a moment, a wide smile spreads across his face, just a tiny bit wider than what should be humanly possible. I leave the house to see the group of zombies coming back, led by the undead warrior who had helped me at the Beta Tester¡¯s house. On the backs of the group of ten zombies are dead spiders, carefully bundled and recently dead. They walk past me, towards the barn-like building that already has the spider corpses in various phases of dismemberment in it. I look at them curiously for a moment, before continuing back to the Town Center. Inside, Luna is back to staring at the map, that same frown on her face. After a moment of studying her, I deactivate the invisibility. Luna¡¯s eyes widen in a way eerily similar to the craftsman¡¯s when she catches sight of me. She smiles after the surprise wears off, walking around the table with the map to wrap me in a hug. I freeze in the hug for a moment, taken off guard by the familiarity of the action. I awkwardly return the squeeze before she steps back. ¡°It is good to see you.¡± She says, a trace of a smile still on her face. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you too.¡± I say, blushing slightly at my nervousness. I am not attracted to zombies. Although she is looking decidedly more human¡­. No! I am only attracted to completely human women. I don¡¯t even want to think about what sex means with a woman who used to be literally dead. Presumably. I mean, she did pop into existence, she might¡¯ve never been actually dead. I bring my mind out of the gutter with a force of will. I blame teenage hormones. Clearing my throat to cover the lapse in conversation, I say the first thing that comes to mind. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking of adding creatures to this world. What should I add?¡± Luna frowns as she returns to her thinking face.