《Transcendent Core》 Prologue - a soul lost in the void In the depths of the void a bluish-white light drifted slowly, the soul was new to the environment with its memories largely intact. Drifting until it collided with something. Something big. Something powerful. And with a movement too fast to be seen it was sent hurtling into the void by an errant swat of that ancient divinity, taking a small fragment of the creature¡¯s essence with it. The soul collided with various entities in the void¡¯s distorted space, distorted cries rang out across the mystic energy of the airless void, lesser monstrosities were obliterated while greater beings were injured, even lesser divinities of the dark void were injured by the soul. The impacts alone would destroy most beings, but souls are sturdy and the remnant energy of the being that carelessly threw it protected the soul, and as more creatures were slain and injured, their power was dragged along with the hurling soul. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Eventually it passed through an entity capable of slowing it. The soul crashed through a vibrant barrier holding countless interconnected worlds within, the soul passed through easily and the barrier rippled. Now it lay dormant between various bubbles, each with a different world within, slowly acclimating to the new rules of the mysterious space, connecting to the new powers this space harbored.
Beginning System Integration¡­
Commencing Reincarnation¡­
This will be posted only on RoyalRoad by CalamitousCat, if this is on any other site it is likely a plagiarized copy chapter 1 Core POV. ¡°What happened¡­¡± Echoes passed through the core¡¯s mind, flashes of memories hurtling through darkness, time and space felt distorted and it felt as though it had collided with many things. It felt like it was floating in the darkness with glimpses of more beyond the edge of some unseen boundary. If it focused the core could even shift its perspective to see everything, all at once. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± The sudden shift left it disoriented. The core quickly shifted back to its original focal point, the crystal core in the center of the room. ¡°That was way too much.¡± Quickly, it¡¯s attention was taken over as a new entity appeared within the dark domain, a glowing blue window.
Greetings Outworlder.
System integration has concluded.
Would you like to view your Status?
¡°Yes? I guess so?¡±
Status
Name: Undefined
Race: Dungeon Core
Rank: Transcendent
Titles: Outworlder, Transcendent, Divine, Void Genocider, Dimension Traveler, Reincarnated Soul
Skills: Dungeon Menu, Domain Rules, Dungeon Magic, Dimensional Manipulation, Void Affinity, Eldritch Affinity, Language Comprehension
Divinity: Undefined
Boons/Banes: None
This will be posted only on RoyalRoad by CalamitousCat, if this is on any other site it is likely a plagiarized copy This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Well, that is something. It still doesn¡¯t tell me much though.¡± The status menu answered some questions, but it left many more unanswered. It now knew that it has truly died, and that a new life lay ahead, but it didn¡¯t know where a number of titles and skills came from, nor what they did. The Transcendent rank seemed to come out of nowhere and the same could be said for the Void Genocider title, the core couldn¡¯t think of anything that could correspond to them, nor did it understand what made it Divine. Instead of focusing on the things that didn¡¯t make sense the core decided to think about something else. Dungeon Core. Its new race seemed more like a species descriptor to it, the name evoking memories from various stories it had once read in its previous life. A miniature world, filled with monsters, traps and opportunity. A place where life teeters on the edge of death, yet still brining in countless challengers with the promise of fame, fortune and power. The core didn¡¯t know if it was the same as the stories it had read; however, if it was anything like those fantastical stories the future would be interesting. It had no interest in being a bloody death trap, but there was a certain appeal to be found in creating a miniature world tailored to its desire, or worlds if it would be possible to segment its domain into different floors. The more the core thought about it the greater the appeal became. It then shifted its attention to its skills; a new idea had taken root in the mind of the core. ¡°Maybe if I focus on the skill, I can get a sense of what they do, even if it doesn¡¯t work it¡¯s not like anyone will laugh at me for it there¡¯s no one here after all.¡± And so, it did, and it worked too. The skill Dungeon Menu opened up a new window, the glowing blue box displaying a number of tabs, each with options that seemed to extend endlessly with a little search bar to narrow down the options. The core noted down sections for monsters, traps, themes, biomes, plants, animals, treasure and so much more. It then shifted its attention to the next skill, Domain Rules. This gave far less than the Dungeon Menu skill, instead evoking a vague sense of what the skill is. The core sensed different the concepts that made up the core of the skill. There was rules, restriction, and enablement, all of which seemed tied directly to the domain itself. When it focused on Dungeon Magic it felt a sense of creation, alteration and destruction, followed by a sense of command. It felt like the skill was meant to create and control what was created, though there was clearly so much more to it as well. When the core focused on Dimensional Manipulation something different happened, it felt the entire domain respond to the skill. It echoed a sense of control tied to the concept of space. The core felt like it could warp and expand its domain at will, even dividing the domain if it so wished. The affinity skills had a different feeling to them, the affinities felt more raw, like a connection to a primal force, unrefined yet powerful. Void Affinity had a sense of emptiness, tied primarily to concepts of space and time, yet it also hinted at a sense of corruption and hunger that tries to consume other powers. Eldritch Affinity instead had a strong connection to knowledge and power while hinting at a hidden danger for those unable to accommodate its potential, twisting its bearers in an attempt to pass their limits, likely to destroy them in the process. Lastly there was Language Comprehension, this skill seemed to follow a strongly defined purpose. Its core was clearly the concept of understanding ties to language, but there was more to it hidden beyond the core of the skill. It had echoes of intent that while seemingly smaller than the rest of the skills aspects, felt stronger and deeper than the rest. While much of it was vague the sense that the core got from its skills did help it understand the potential they held, with its ponderings ending just in time to see a new messege appear. This will be posted only on RoyalRoad by CalamitousCat, if this is on any other site it is likely a plagiarized copy
Would you like to summon a Dungeon Assistant?
chapter 2 Core POV.
Would you like to summon a Dungeon Assistant?
The core saw the prompt and considered it briefly before coming to a conclusion. ¡°Might as well.¡± And with its approval energy began to coalesce within the domain and a small humanoid figure appeared. It was fairly small, about the size of a child with insect-like wings and colorful hair which carried several shades of green with hints of brown and yellow mixed within. ¡°Ha hahaha¡± The small figure was laughing with an ecstatic expression across its face, it¡¯s smile seeming somewhat eerie to the core. ¡°I got one! I got my own dungeon.¡± The core didn¡¯t like what it heard as the creature continued on. ¡°With this I can form my own territory, with my own army to kill whatever I like.¡± And as the childish creature¡¯s rant continued the core became more upset. ¡°Endless treasures, plenty of bloodshed, I shall have a forest stained crimson! Hahaha.¡± And with that it had enough. ¡°System can I get a replacement, preferably someone less blood obsessed.¡±
Request Acknowledged.
Searching for a more Suitable Assistant.
The child suddenly stopped laughing, its creepy grin replaced with a look of shock and horror. ¡°What! You can¡¯t do this! What do you mean Unsuited!¡± ¡°I am a Royal Fey! I can¡¯t be replaced!¡± Just as suddenly as she appeared the fey disappeared with another burst of energy, leaving a much smaller figure in its place. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. The new creature also resembled a human, though it was much smaller than the prior assistant, being mere inches tall, it had the same wings though and hair colored with a deep forest green. ¡°Eh?¡± The new assistant was much quieter and even seemed confused. ¡°I was chosen?¡± With that it¡¯s confusion shifted to both joy and worry. ¡°Why me? I¡¯m not particularly well regarded in the Dungeon Assistant department. I¡¯m a scholar not a strategist.¡± With that the core decided that it liked this one much more than the last assistant. Thus, it attempted to reach out. ¡°Because the last one sucked, and I asked for a replacement¡± The small fey looked shocked for a second. ¡°Who? What? Where?¡± It looked around frantically. ¡°The core.¡± It responded quietly. ¡°I am the dungeon.¡± And with that the small fey froze. ¡°The dungeon?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How!? That shouldn¡¯t be possible!¡± ¡°And why is that?¡± The fey stopped with that response. She held a hand to her chest and slowed her breathing in an attempt to calm herself. ¡°Because only newborn dungeons are assigned an assistant, and an assistant is crucial to guide them in many places.¡± ¡°To be assigned an assistant you would only need to be a newborn in a part of the universe where assistants are assigned, but to reassign your assistant you would need to be of a higher Rank too.¡± ¡°Dungeons default to F Rank, with less than 1% starting higher than that with the probability dropping exponentially the high the starting rank is. Even a B Rank is practically unheard of.¡± ¡°Only fey fill the role of Dungeon Assistant in this part of the universe and the most qualified are often chosen first by the System, you shouldn¡¯t have been assigned anyone less than C Rank, likely even having a B Rank fey or higher.¡± The small fey looked more and more nervous as he continued. ¡°I am a D Rank Lesser Fey. The weakest a sentient fey can be, I shouldn¡¯t have been chosen, especially for a high rank dungeon.¡± ¡°I requested someone less bloodthirsty, perhaps that is why you were suitable¡± The Assistant looked shocked. ¡°You requested something! The System listened! That shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡± ¡°The last one was supposedly royal too.¡± The core felt smug with the last statement and the fey¡¯s face froze once again with a look of shock. ¡°S Rank. Royal fey are S Rank! You must be SS Rank then!¡± She became frantic with the realization. ¡°I will be hunted, branded an enemy of the court, my life is over.¡± She quickly became dejected. ¡°You could always stay here. Look around, I don¡¯t think they will find you and once I figure out how to make stuff with my Skills we can have something nice here too.¡± The fey looked around the domain for the first time since appearing there, fully taking in where she was. ¡°We are between worlds.¡± She marveled at the realization. ¡°I don¡¯t want to make some bloodstained deathtrap, rather I think I¡¯d prefer something closer to nature. Not safe or anything but not meant to kill everything either.¡± The fey looked to the core. ¡°I see. Thank you for the offer, I think I¡¯ll take it. I¡¯ll stay.¡± ¡°Thank you as well, it will be nice to have someone to help me set up here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll gladly help.¡± With that the two acknowledged each other and the decision was finalized.
Dungeon Assistant Acknowledged.
¡°Oh. One more thing, my rank isn¡¯t SS Rank, apparently, I¡¯m Transcendent¡± And with that the fey fainted, leaving the core to stew in its confusion. This will be posted only on RoyalRoad by CalamitousCat, if this is on any other site it is likely a plagiarized copy Chapter 3 - Status Core POV. After some time, the small fey reawakened. ¡°T T Transcendent¡± She was clearly still disoriented. ¡°Yup, don¡¯t really know what it means though¡± ¡°You don¡¯t!?¡± She looked quite upset with the core¡¯s new remark. ¡°Transcendent is a rank, the highest rank, do you at least know what those are?¡± ¡°Nope, like you said earlier I¡¯m a newborn core.¡± Now with the core clearly amused and the fey thoroughly confused their conversation returned. ¡°But that shouldn¡¯t be possible either, yet it is.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because your intelligence is far too developed for a newborn, and a Transcendent dungeon core should be impossible.¡± ¡°And yet, here I am.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± They both seemed solemn at the realization. The core now knew it was far more special than it initially believed and the fey had accepted her new reality. Yet, both wanted answers, and they only had each other for them. ¡°I guess we should start with your Status, have you seen it yet.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The core pulled up its Status sheet once again.
Status
Name: Undefined
Race: Dungeon Core
Rank: Transcendent
Titles: Outworlder, Transcendent, Divine, Void Genocider, Dimension Traveler, Reincarnated Soul
Skills: Dungeon Menu, Domain Rules, Dungeon Magic, Dimensional Manipulation, Void Affinity, Eldritch Affinity, Language Comprehension
Divinity: Undefined
Boons/Banes: None
¡°Then what would you like to hear about first?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start at the top of the list, what is a name in the eyes of the System.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an easy one, it¡¯s a name, chosen or granted, that one identifies with, usually only the primary one is shown, but surnames and aliases can appear there as well so long as you consider it to be you.¡± The core accepted that one easily enough. ¡°Then how about Race, mine seems to refer to my species instead.¡± ¡°That one¡¯s a bit more tricky, Race refers initially to one¡¯s species, and if there are subsets to it, which there often are, it uses that instead. Though not every subset used by the races is accepted by it. For example, I¡¯m a pixie, the System recognizes that over lesser fey any you are a dungeon core which has no subspecies to identify.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°That also makes enough sense to me.¡± ¡°It can be tricky at times though.¡± This information, while mundane clarified things for the core, now understanding the specifics behind the Race definition in the System. ¡°Then next should be Rank.¡± ¡°Urg. Yes, you¡¯re correct¡± ¡°You seem upset.¡± The core¡¯s reply held hints of its smugness. ¡°Because Rank it important, it¡¯s the weight of one¡¯s existence, each additional Rank represents an exponential increase in power that is incredibly difficult to circumvent by a being of lower Rank without some incredible weapon or ridiculous Skill. It also acts as a cornerstone of fey society.¡± ¡°Please elaborate.¡± ¡°Fine. Ranks are roughly divided into three sections, mortal, heroic and Transcendent, these aren¡¯t used by the System but are important distinctions none the less. Mortal refers to F Rank through A Rank, it¡¯s where the vast majority of existence lies with less than a fraction of a percent outstripping it. Heroic refers to S Rank through SSS Rank, this is where one¡¯s very presence can naturally influence the world around oneself unless suppressed, for these beings the world bends to their will. Lastly Transcendent is just that, Transcendent, this refers to any being that a world can no longer contain, they have to act more indirectly or have their influence limited by the System itself, there is no limit to the growth of a Transcendent and they can do many things that no one else can, be it claiming divinity, breaking reality or even being free of the System¡¯s restrictions.¡± ¡°System restrictions?¡± ¡°Yup, the System has a lot of power over the many worlds it manages, but it can¡¯t do much of anything to a Transcendent unless they let it, other than suppressing their influence and power when they invade a world directly. It even gives them certain benefits.¡± The core liked to hear that, knowing that the System couldn¡¯t do much to it was reassuring to it. ¡°Then how about Titles, I have a few of those.¡± ¡°Titles are marks of achievement that can give a degree of power related to the achievement, you should have Transcendent right, that one gives access to the aforementioned benefits, though those vary by individual.¡± ¡°You sure do know a lot about this.¡± ¡°I was a Librarian after all, it paid well for tuition.¡± ¡°I see¡­ We might have to revisit this topic soon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with that, but first we should probably move on to the next section.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± The core was curious, it wanted to know about the Academy and fey society as a whole. Just what life did its new assistant have before meeting it? ¡°Next should be Skills then.¡± ¡°Yes, Skills are a sort of power ingrained into one¡¯s very being. Your Skills are a part of you and not two creatures have Skills that are quite the same. Even if two dungeons have the same Dungeon Menu skill they will both operate it in different ways and have an easier time accessing different things through it. It comes as a standard for every dungeon core, but it will change to fit each user as they receive it and make use of it, growing with them.¡± ¡°I see, so skills are abilities gained by an individual and refined by them.¡± ¡°Yes, Skills may inherently belong to a Race, or they may be acquired through other means, usually through training or bestowal.¡± ¡°Bestowal?¡± ¡°Certain beings can bestow Skills, like dungeon cores or Transcendent beings, but they can also be gained through certain items as well.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The Skills turned out to be more than the core initially thought they were, with the prospect of growth and personalization it realized that it could do so much more with them than it initially thought. ¡°What about Divinity?¡± ¡°Divinity! You have Divinity!¡± ¡°It¡¯s labeled as Undefined.¡± ¡°The System only shows a Divinity section to those that acquire it, it¡¯s a potent source of power tied to a specific concept, allowing for the manifestation of power regarding that concept through it. Divinity is a potent power that only Transcendent beings can fully make their own. To have it Undefined means that you can define it, your Divinity has yet to be shaped.¡± ¡°That sounds powerful.¡± ¡°It is.¡± The core considered her words for a bit, wondering what Divinity it should try to acquire. ¡°Divinity can embody any concept, right?¡± ¡°Yes, it can¡± It decided then what it would have. The core would have a Divinity related to the concept of ¡®A World¡¯. But first they should finish with covering Boons and Banes. ¡°There is one last section on Boons and Banes, what are those?¡± ¡°Ah, well Boons and Banes are similar to skills in a way, though they are also different. They are both gained from an external source with Boons being more benevolent and controllable and Banes being malevolent and uncontrollable. Though they are less a part of you and more attached to you while being more rigid in function. Also, they don¡¯t grow in the same way skills do, instead needing to be manually empowered b meeting a requirement or the intervention of what bestowed them.¡± ¡°So they are gifts and curses that are attached to someone¡± ¡°Yes, one example of individuals with these tends to be Outworlders.¡± The core was surprised at that statement, after all it should apply to the core as well. ¡°Oh, I have that Title.¡± ¡°Wait, what!¡± This will be posted only on RoyalRoad by CalamitousCat, if this is on any other site it is likely a plagiarized copy