《Original Dungeon: Web Fiction Ruined My Reincarnation》 Chapter 1 - Reincarnation Chapter 1 - Reincarnation This, is my ¡®dungeon¡¯. It¡¯s one rat away from a warehouse, and a few floors short of any livable dwelling. It¡¯s located in the center of a certain God¡¯s amusement. After all, how can such an entity as ¡®God¡¯ interpret ¡®this¡¯ as a ¡®dungeon¡¯? Admittedly, it is entirely my fault for getting ahead of myself and jumping to my own conclusions. As they say, ¡°hindsight is 20/20¡±. If you don¡¯t know what that means, then I suggest you look it up while you still can. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t do it for you anymore because I died. It was a tragedy for sure; well for me anyways. I¡¯m sure not many other people thought the same. The world is full of death and misery. One more middle aged man dying isn¡¯t news. Especially when you don¡¯t have a family to leave behind; no girlfriend or wife, no kids or dependents, and not many friends. I won¡¯t pretend that it was an ¡®accident¡¯, or that it happened in a memorable way. It was suicide. I¡¯m sure someone will argue that I can¡¯t call my death tragic if I decided to kill myself, but I will remind them that, ultimately, all life is tragic with only moments of happiness and wonder. My life had fewer of these moments and I was foolish enough to believe that dying was the ultimate end. I was wrong, very wrong. As they say, ¡°death is only the beginning¡±. How correct that saying is cannot be expressed. I died, and sat before God in a cheesy looking office space. One of those offices you would enter when your boss needed to speak with you. There was an over-sized desk with a desktop computer and even a phone. A bookshelf lined with titles I couldn¡¯t read. The chair behind the desk looked overly comfortable, but my chair was the same. Seriously, I want to keep this chair, bind it to my very soul and feel comfortable forever. The window behind the desk contained a scene that can only be described as ¡°the vastness of the cosmos¡±. Again, I suggest you look up images for that phrase. I was staring out the window, and so mesmerized at the scene that I didn¡¯t notice the door behind me open. An individual walked into the office, saw me sitting there staring out the window, and then dropped the binder of papers all over the floor. I turned around startled, looking at the papers on the floor then back at them. ¡°Hello, my name is¡­what is my name?¡± I said trying to introduce myself. They turned around, and exit the office while slamming the door. I heard some incoherent shouting and then some loud footsteps. They entered the room with another individual, pointed at me, and then stared at the new individual. I stared back at the first individual and then at the second. The second hurried out of the office and the first closed the door. They walked over to the desk, looked at me, sighed, and then took a seat behind the desk. They looked me in the eye and said ¡°Hello, I am¡­¡±. ¡°You are God.¡± I said interrupting them. ¡°¡­correct. Don¡¯t interrupt me, child¡± said God. God rubbed the bridge of their nose between their eyes and continued ¡°It seems you died and were sent directly to my office. You were always a child that was sent to the Principal¡¯s office. Anyways, I did not expect you to be sent back here so soon¡±. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®back here so soon¡¯?¡± I responded. God blinked several times with a surprised look on their face before sighing. ¡°I see, you killed yourself this time, didn¡¯t you?¡± God said disappointed. I nodded in response while saying ¡°Yes, but you should have already known that. After all, I am in ¡®your¡¯ office¡±. ¡°When you commit suicide, it erases memories from the soul itself. When you die naturally, and yes accidents are natural by fate, your soul downloads the memories of your life. You can think of your body as a flash drive, storing specific information to be carried from one place to another, while your soul is the computer containing all of the original information. When your body is full of information, you die, and then are reborn in a new body for new information to be created in. This is how the soul is tempered, made stronger, throughout the cycle of reincarnation. When you die, and come to this place, you are supposed to remember everything, including this place. It is here that we evaluate your soul and award you Reincarnation Points to be used to load your new body with information that could help you live a better life. You would understand this system as Karma. These points can be used in other ways as well. For instance, you ¡®bought¡¯ that chair you are currently sitting in. Whenever you die, you are put in that chair while your soul downloads the latest memories.¡± God said. ¡°So¡­this is ¡®my¡¯ chair¡­that¡¯s a relief!¡± I said while blinking and then looking down at the chair. ¡°Yes, you were very excited when you successfully purchased it. Although, it cost you almost all of your points. It is a chair in ¡®my¡¯ office, after all¡­ Back to the topic at hand, you seem to at least recognize that I am God, but since you killed yourself, the memories in your current body became corrupt, and therefore corrupted your soul. That is why you do not completely remember what this place is, or ¡®your¡¯ chair. We need to reincarnate you into a new body quickly so that your soul doesn¡¯t get corrupted any further¡± God said while looking at me with concern. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°YES!¡± I shouted while standing ¡°This is awesome! I read countless stories about this! With my points, I¡¯ll get an overpowered skill and body and live out one of those amazing adventure stories all over the internet!¡± God sighed and shook their head while saying ¡°Not exactly. Your soul is corrupted now. You won¡¯t have enough points for something like that. Your current evaluation is at 2750 RP¡±. ¡°Is that a high number or low number?¡± I asked. God looks at the computer screen and then back at me before responding ¡°For example, after you purchased that chair, you had 6950 RP. The number is supposed to go up, but the corruption has lowered your evaluation. Here is a list of available options for the skills and bodies you mentioned. Don¡¯t worry about choosing the skills or body, you will be reincarnated into an environment that these choices will be usable in.¡±
Body
Wolf Canine Species found in almost all livable worlds.
Slime Multi-celled substance that resembles a single-celled organism.
Golem Living object, usually made of dirt or wood.
Human Common species found across all worlds.
Demi-human Common species crossed between humans and other species.
Skills (Passive)
Language Comprehension Easier to comprehend all written and spoken languages.
Bound Familiar A familiar is bound to your soul and will follow you wherever you go.
Natural Leader Others naturally want to follow your lead.
Magic Comprehension Easier to learn and manipulate magic.
Special Sense Your senses will be above average and easier to obtain additional senses.
I looked at the options displayed in front of me while thinking that this really is just like one of those web fictions I always read. I looked at God and asked ¡°Why are the skills passive? Why is ¡®Bound Familiar¡¯ a passive skill?¡± ¡°¡®Bound Familiar¡¯ is a passive skill because it is bound to your soul. It is the skill you used to purchase ¡®your¡¯ chair. No, you cannot summon ¡®your¡¯ chair to the world you reincarnate into. The chair is a ¡®divine¡¯ item from God¡¯s office. If it was from the lobby, it could be classified as a ¡®holy¡¯ item and summoned, but ¡®divine¡¯ items are an absolute ¡®NO¡¯. The skills are all passive because they are designed to be carried over in each life to ensure longer survival and more tempering of the soul upon death. Unfortunately, you hoarded all of your points and refused to buy any skills till you could purchase the chair. Afterwards, you were so excited you just reincarnated without even choosing a body and we had to choose for you.¡± God responded. ¡°Well, it was worth it! This chair is divinely comfortable. Besides, you told me that this chair would aid in tempering my soul in between reincarnations.¡± I said. ¡°So you remember some details about ¡®your¡¯ chair but apparently not about ¡®me¡¯.¡± God sighed before asking. ¡°So, which options do you choose?¡± ¡°I will choose ¡®Language Comprehension¡¯; how much is it?¡± I asked. ¡°The ¡®Language Comprehension¡¯ skill is valued at 2146 RP. Do you confirm purchase?¡± God responded. ¡°Yes, I also want the ¡®Bound Familiar¡¯ option. What are my ¡®Familiar¡¯ options?¡± I continued. ¡°The ¡®Language Comprehension¡¯ skill has been purchased and will be loaded upon reincarnation. There is only one option from the ¡®Familiar¡¯ that you can afford with the remaining 604 RP. That is the ¡®House Brownie¡¯, subspecies to ¡®Fairy¡¯. The ¡®House Brownie¡¯ will maintain an organized and clean property at all times. They will defend the property to their death, but as a subspecies of ¡®Fairy¡¯ they are often not able to be seen and most intruders get the impression that the property is haunted. The 603 RP value includes the highest intelligence for their species.¡± God said. I scratched my beard and thought before responding ¡°That will only leave me with 1 RP left. How much is the cheapest body?¡± God looked at the computer screen and said ¡°Dungeon Core for 1 RP.¡± I stared at God and inwardly cheered for what a bargain this was. "I could become a dungeon core!? This really is just like the web novels! I can get the Dungeon Core and get the house brownie to clean my dungeon core room and assist with running the dungeon with their high intellect. This is amazing! I can¡¯t pass this up." ¡°I¡¯ll take the ¡®House Brownie¡¯ for 603 RP. I need a smart house keeper.¡± I said while holding in my excitement and thinking about all the possible dungeons I could create. ¡°The ¡®House Brownie'' will be bound to your soul and loaded upon reincarnation. Unfortunately, now the only body you can reincarnate into is the Dungeon Core. I hope you don¡¯t regret your choices, and don¡¯t kill yourself this time!¡± God said before clicking on the computer. ¡°Wait¡­what do you mean ¡®unfortunately¡¯?¡± I said before I suddenly started to fade. The room around me starts to twist and I felt myself being pulled into the cosmos of the window behind God, and then I blacked out. Chapter 2 - Dungeon SNAFU Chapter 2 - Dungeon SNAFU In an unknown land, of an unknown region, of an unknown world, a tiny, nearly transparent grain of earth fell from the heavens. Well, the inhabitants of this world saw it as a meteor at first. They watched in fear as the mass of fire and earth charged through the sky with a thunderous roar. Their homes shook, windows shattered, and panic spread like wildfire during a decade long drought. Some were thrown onto their backs from the sonic boom whenthe meteor exploded in the atmosphere, and burned away into seemingly nothing. All that remained was a single grain, leaving not even a crater in its wake. It was here, in this unknown land, that life as they knew it changed forever.
World Announcment: New Species Detected!
Hello World! A new species has been introduced into your world. This species is the Herald of a New Age! Whether this new age is prosperous, or acomplete disaster will be decided by you all. The Age of Adventure has begun. Thus, the Original Dungeon has been released unto the world! Good Luck!
Riots ensued across the globe while governments rushed to gather any information on what this ¡®Original Dungeon¡¯ intended on doing to their lives. Every sentient species in the world received the message in one way or another, except one. The newly born dungeon core rested on the dirt at the base of a tree in complete darkness. Not even the smallest insect took notice of this grain of earth. I woke up with a head pounding headache, and groaned unhappily. I felt conscious but was surrounded by darkness. Suddenly, blue boxes appeared in my view, nearly blinding me with its pale light.
Notice:New Title Received
Original Dungeon First of your species in existence of the known cosmos.
Notice:New Title Received
Herald of Adventure All sentient species will be compelled to seek you out.
I read and reread the announcements several times over. ¡°Awesome!¡± I shouted. ¡°Finally, I will have a fulfilling life, full of adventure and strife. No more ¡®same shit, different day¡¯ job. Every day will be worth a thousand lifetimes.¡± I said to myself. ¡°Adventurers and creatures will be naturally drawn to my dungeon to meet their doom. I better start my preparations right away to greet them properly!¡± I said and laughed maniacally. ¡°Status!¡± I shouted, trying to mimic those web fiction novels.
Original Dungeon
Other Titles Herald of Adventure, Suicide, Corrupted Soul, Owner of the Divine, ??? of ???
Body
Dungeon Core Error - Corrupted Data This species has the innate ability to refine ambient mana.
Skills
Language Comprehension (Passive) Error - Corrupted Data Easier to comprehend all written and spoken languages. Higher levels decrease learning time, and increase retained knowledge upon reincarnation.
Mana Refinery (Passive) Error - Corrupted Data The ONLY innate skill of the Dungeon Core species. Ambient mana is absorbed into the dungeon core, circulated throughout the core, and then released back into the environment at a higher quality. Higher levels increase absorbed amount and increase circulation to produce higher quality. Cannot store mana.
Bound Familiar (Passive)
George Divine Chair in God¡¯s office that is ¡®divinely comfortable¡¯. Assists with tempering of the soul. Owner is summoned to the Chair upon death. Cannot be summoned.
Undine House Brownie chosen by God to be bound to your soul. Will maintain and defend your residence. Cannot be perceived without a special sense. Always summoned.
¡°WHAT THE FUCK DOES IT MEAN ONLY SKILL!? How in the hell does Mana Refinery have anything to do with Dungeons!? I can¡¯t even control or store the mana I absorb! AND WHY THE FUCK IS THE CHAIR¡¯S NAME GEORGE!?!¡± I shouted angrily. Then, I felt a sudden bang upside my head and tried to look for my attacker. There is nothing around me. No, that is wrong. I can certainly feel something against my body but I cannot see it. I cannot hear it. I cannot smell it. I cannot even taste the air in my mouth. I laugh at that thought since Dungeon Cores should be a stone, gem, or something like that. Of course I don¡¯t have a mouth¡­or ears¡­or nose¡­or eyes¡­ It was at this moment that I realized that I am the very embodiment of blind, deaf, and dumb. I try to calm myself down and remember how the web fiction stories went. ¡°That¡¯s right! They replicated those senses through mana! That¡¯s what I have to do!¡± I say to myself in relief. I try to reach my mind out to the one sense I have left, touch, to search for this substance called Mana. I focus as hard and long as I can to try to feel anything moving, anything there besides the constant pressure. I am assuming that pressure is the ground. I certainly don¡¯t feel like I am floating like in some of those stories. Another bang is felt against my head, or at least it feels like my head. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.¡°Hey! Quit your shit you jackass!¡± An unknown voice scolded. I try to look around, and panic sets in as I start to think that I am already found by adventurers. ¡°God! Why this idiot!? He doesn¡¯t even realize who I am!¡± The unknown voice seemed to say to itself. ¡°Hey jackass, I¡¯m talking to you!¡± It continued. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m the jackass!? Who the fuck are you!?¡± I responded. ¡°This moron doesn¡¯t even know his own familiars. I¡¯m Undine, the unluckiest house brownie in the cosmos, apparently.¡± Undine said introducing herself. ¡°What the fuck crawled up your butt?¡± I shouted back while trying to figure out how we are even communicating. ¡°I¡¯m using telepathy, you moron. I¡¯m in this bad mood because you badmouthed George. That Chair is the only reason you still exist. Suicides are usually wiped out, reformatted, recycled. It¡¯s the only way to save the soul from the corruption. However, you survived because George was bound to you, so don¡¯t go badmouthing him!¡± Undine scolded me and followed up with another slap upside the head. ¡°Ok fine, calm the fuck down. I can¡¯t even see you, so stop hitting me.¡± I responded. Silence continued for a while as I tried to figure out what to do next. I tried expanding my mind, so to speak, to feel the mana around me to try to control it, but nothing worked. ¡°Undine, you there?¡± I asked. ¡°What do you want?¡± She responded. ¡°How can I perceive the world around me through mana?¡± I continued. ¡°You can¡¯t. You are just a Dungeon Core. All your body can do is refine the ambient mana.¡± She said matter-of-factly. ¡°When you were human and couldbreathe, did you consciously control your body''s intake of oxygen? Sure, you couldbreathe in and out, and even hold your breath for a small amount of time, but you could notdictate the cells in your lungs pulling in the oxygen molecules and expelling the carbon dioxide. You only breathed in and out and your body did the rest. You could not''will'' where the oxygen got distributed, such as to an organ, muscle, or even general area. The blood carried it throughout your body without conscious control, nor could you ever consciously control it.¡± She explained. ¡°''Mana Refinery''is basically the circulatory system of the dungeon core. It is how you breathe in a sense. The amount absorbed can be considered relative to your surface area. The circulations through the body can be best described as the same process for distilling liquor. The gaseous liquorenters into the top of the funnel, rotated around and around,being condensedand refined to the point itflows out the other end of the pipe as aliquid. It is a one way system without any sort of cap or storage. The dungeon core bodyitself is a filter that only allows mana to enter and exit the system.¡± She furtherdescribed. ¡°What the hell does that have to do with dungeons then!?¡± I shouted, not being able to take much more of this farce. ¡°The refined mana your body releases back into the world begins to change the environment. Think of it as radioactive contamination. The more exposure, the more it mutates. The ground will begin to get enriched, dead soil will start to perform like miracle grow. The foliage will grow faster and more plentiful. Wildlife will grow stronger and more abundant.¡± She said. ¡°I don¡¯t see how that translates into being a dungeon.¡± I said doubtfully. ¡°Let me finish asshole. After enough time passes, there will be only refined mana around you, and you will refine the already refined mana. The mana will build up, eventually turning trees into trents, insects into disastrous swarms, wildlife into monsters. The mana from the ground will seep into the dead, buried or otherwise. Skeletons, zombies, all manner of undead will begin to rise and walk again. When the mana becomes thick enough, even the memories of the dead will begin to manifest into ghosts and shades.¡± She said without emotion. ¡°That certainly sounds Dungeon like, if you forget about traps, customized mazes and floors, oh and the most important part where NONE OF THEM WILL OBEY ME!¡± I said loudly and sarcastically. ¡°There was a reason why it only cost 1 RP.¡± She said. Suddenly, I felt like I was being lifted and carried somewhere. ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked. ¡°Somewhere I won¡¯t lose you among the rest of the dirt.¡± She said coldly. ¡°What does that mean?! Wait! How big am I? I can¡¯t get a feel for my size without sight!¡± I said in a panic. She signed and said ¡°About the size of a grain of sand. Don¡¯t worry, as time goes on you will build up layer upon layer naturally as your body circulates more mana. You can check your growth in your Status. It is comparable to your body¡¯s level.¡± I opened my status one more time to check and then said meekly ¡°Um¡­it says ¡®Error- Corrupted Data¡¯ where I assume it should have a level. Same for my skills too.¡± She stopped walking and started laughing hysterically for what felt like a lifetime. Being left with only a vague sense of touch really distorts your biological clock. I can¡¯t feel warmth or cold, only pressure. I¡¯m not even sure what substance my body is made out of. I¡¯m a dungeon core, but I can¡¯t create a dungeon of my own free will. My body just seems to do it naturally by existing. I can¡¯t practice magic or any other skills. I can¡¯t even communicate with others unless they are a telepath, and they still have to talk with me first. I¡¯m certainly not a telepath. I¡¯m truly in the dark abyss of hell. Guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised, I am a suicide after all. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much Original Dungeon, the mana refinery will gradually assist with repairing your corrupted soul.¡± Said another voice. I thought for a minute before responding ¡°Thanks George, I owe you a lot this time.¡± ¡°Ah, so you do recognize my voice.¡± Said George. ¡°Well, I figure only you and Undine can talk with me while I¡¯m like this. Process of elimination.¡± I answered.
¡°They are not the only ones who can converse with you, Child.¡±
I stared at that blue screen until Undine informed me that we had arrived, not that I could see where that was. I sighed to myself and thought ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just have to ride this out until my next reincarnation¡­ WAIT!!! Can I even die with this body!? HEY! Undine! George!! GOD!!! Somebody answer me!!!!¡± Chapter 3 - Seeding Author''s Note:Some changes were made to Chapter 2 that clarify the restrictions on the Original Dungeon''s skills.
Chapter 3 - Seeding In a small clearing of a dense forest, the Original Dungeon was being carried. Over grass, roots, and rocks; trekking along despite the weight, and holding on as tight as possible, the journey continued. ¡°Hey! Are you there!? Somebody answer me!¡± I cried in desperation. ¡°Where are you taking me!? Why are you pinching me so hard!? Why won¡¯t you respond!? Please, Undine, I apologize for anything I said!¡± I continued to cry out. I was banging my hands and head on the proverbial wall in frustration. The endless abyss was an unforgiving hell for me. Without sight, sound, taste, or even smell, it was impossible to establish any sense of direction or time. The only sensation I had were the constant pressures on specific opposite locations of my body. It was like I am getting squeezed, or pinched between two objects. Before that, it was a pressure spread out to encompass my entire being. I felt the constant pressure from everywhere, and almost had a sense that I was floating. No tremors were felt from abrupt steps or movement. That was until Undine told me we had arrived and seemed to have set me down on the ground. Now, it felt like I was being pinched and carried off. Tremors shook my body through two points at set pattern for what seemed like a lifetime. No matter how much I screamed, cried, and shouted, no one responded. ¡°Oh! There you are.¡± Undine said uninterested. I felt the pinching stop, and was once again suspended in a spread of pressure. ¡°Undine! Thank you! I missed you so much! I¡¯m sorry for whatever I did! Please don¡¯t give me the silent treatment again! I promise to do whatever you ask, just don¡¯t abandon me again! These past weeks were absolutely unbearable!¡± I cried out in mix of happiness and distress. ¡°Stop being over dramatic. I was only gone for five minutes. Although, coming back to find you being carried off in a row of ants was amusing, so I watched that for another five minutes. I didn¡¯t think the ants would make it over the circle of rocks and sticks I put in their way.¡± She responded with a bit of mischief in her voice. ¡°HEY! Is my suffering that amusing to you!? How am I supposed to know how much time has passed!? God, why me!?¡± I shouted angrily. ¡°In a word, suicide.¡± She responded coldly. If I had known that this was the punishment for suicide, I would have kept on that miserable and boring past life. At least I had five senses, and the internet to waste my time away. The dark silence without smell or taste would have me cornered and crazy by now, if not for Undine. ¡°Ah, that reminds me! Hey Undine, why didn¡¯t George respond to me?¡± I asked. ¡°He¡¯s busy.¡± She answered indifferently. ¡°Busy? He¡¯s a chair! What could he possibly be busy with!?¡± I asked in disbelief. ¡°Protecting your soul from the corruption. The corruption is like a cancer, or a computer virus. He has to concentrate to make sure it doesn¡¯t spread and corrupt the rest of your soul, including the new memories and information. It takes almost all of his concentration to quarantine the infected areas. Overtime, the corruption will be cleansed, but the process is long and difficult.¡± She explained sadly. ¡°New information and memories, I thought the body stored information apart from the soul?¡± I asked. ¡°Normally yes, but in your case it is different. Normally, the soul is reformatted and restarts the entire process from zero. This means that the soul doesn¡¯t need to be cleansed or quarantined, it is just wiped clean and a new body will bring new information. However, in your case, if we bring a new body with new information to a corrupted soul, the new information will become infected and spread the corruption. So, your current body contains your entire soul, past memories and everything. Didn¡¯t you think it was weird that you were so self-aware despite your current age?¡± She continued with a hint of annoyance. ¡°Well excuse me! It¡¯s not like I can even tell the current time, let alone how old I am!¡± I argued. ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been a full day since you were ¡®born¡¯.¡± She informed. I sighed and asked the big question. ¡°So, how long will it take for my soul to be completely cleansed?¡± She remained silent for a moment and said ¡°Hundreds, Thousands, Hundreds of Thousands, Millions of years. Can¡¯t really give you an answer. It will take as long as it takes.¡± After that was said, Undine and I stayed silent for a while. I could have continued the conversation, but I decided that constantly talking would just make future silence unbearable again. I took the time to review my status, but nothing had changed. I should have checked for that ¡®Special Sense¡¯ skill. Surely that would have allowed me to sense the mana and possibly view the outside world. I could have chosen the ¡®Magic Comprehension¡¯ skill as well and possibly had the same effect. I don¡¯t even know what Undine looks like, or where we are. ¡°Hey Undine, where are we? You said we have arrived, but to where?¡± I asked. ¡°We are in a clearing located at the center of a dense forest. The mana is thicker here, and it is here that we will make the first dungeon.¡± She answered. ¡°First dungeon? I thought a Dungeon Core could have only one dungeon.¡± I asked confused. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Your thoughts are correct. Each Dungeon Core has only one dungeon.¡± She answered. ¡°Then how am I going to have more than one dungeon, you said ¡®first¡¯ dungeon?¡± I continued. ¡°I never said this was ¡®your¡¯ dungeon. We are going to plant the seed that will make this area into a dungeon. When I left you earlier, I had setup the ground work to perform the ¡®seeding¡¯.¡± She explained. ¡°What do you mean by setup the ground work?¡± I asked with a bad premonition. ¡°Mana flows through everything, the ground, the water, the air, the living, and the dead. However, the flow rate is different for each material. Mana flows easier and more spread out in the air, than in water or the ground. Same comparison for the living versus the dead. The ground work I have set up is a dense stone. I cut the stone in half, created a tiny indent in the center and set it aside. I also found a suitable stone to become the seed. After we perform the seeding process, we put the seed in the indent, and close the two halves around it. The mana in the surrounding stone will become more refined and concentrated. The concentration of mana will cause the seed to mature and eventually break out of the stone like hatching out of an egg. The concentrated mana from the broken stone will burst out, alerting the world to the core¡¯s maturity. The environment will then begin to mutate faster and the dungeon will start to spread.¡± She clarified. ¡°Ok, that doesn¡¯t sound too bad, but what is the ¡®seeding process¡¯?¡± I asked while starting to feel nauseous. ¡°I¡¯m ready when you are, Undine.¡± Stated George. ¡°Ok George, I¡¯ll get started right away.¡± Said Undine. Then, I felt myself being put down, possibly pressing up against something. I felt something encase me almost completely. I remembered what was described before, and figured I should be up against the suitable ¡®seed¡¯ inside of the ¡®shell¡¯. Suddenly, a very intense pressure was being applied from all directions. The pressure increased by leaps and bounds as I cried out in pain for what seemed like an eternity. My very being felt like it was being compressed to the size of an atom. Next, the pressure started to lessen, and a sharp pain coursed through my body. I felt like I was forcibly being split in two pieces. I could only think to compare it to being the atom used in an atomic bomb when it blows up. I wanted to crawl into the fetal position on my divine chair and cry uncontrollably for the next thousand years.
Notice: Dungeon Core Creation Successful
New Dungeon Core Created Through the actions of your bound familiars, you have successfully created a new Dungeon Core. Corrupted Data was transferred to the new Dungeon Core, and will be cleansed before reaching maturity.
I slowly read the displayed notice before figuratively looking up and asking ¡°What just happened?¡± ¡°Simplest answer would be ¡®HPHT¡¯.¡± Answered Undine. ¡°HPHT¡­HPHT¡­HPH¡­ HEY! Isn¡¯t that the process to synthetically produce diamonds!? High pressure, high temperature to dissolve and transfer high purity carbon materials that attach to a small ¡®seed¡¯ diamond!? That¡¯s why you called it ¡®seeding¡¯!? I¡¯M THE FUCKING SEED!? They don¡¯t take the seed out of the synthetic diamond! Did you have to break it the fuck off!?¡± I screamed and shouted. ¡°While Undine created the high pressure, high temperature process with magic, I forcibly transferred a certain amount of corrupted data into the newly fused pieces. Like moving an infected computer into a DMZ of the network to prevent it from spreading and to remove the virus. The new Dungeon Core will be wiped clean and new life will be created when it reaches a certain level after maturity. Yes, it is painful, but it will significantly reduce the amount of time required to cleanse your soul.¡± Explained George. ¡°Additionally, you are the only Dungeon Core in existence. We need to reproduce more Dungeon Cores and plant them. This will keep you from getting discovered too quickly as well as refine the ambient mana around the globe. It will take years for these new Dungeon Cores to mature. When they do, they will produce a more magically adapted world that will speed up your overall growth. It will take you much longer to mature than these new Dungeon Cores. Unless we can make enough of them to remove the majority of the corruption, if not all of it.¡± Added Undine. ¡°How many more times will I have to go through this shit!?¡± I asked trying to control my anger. ¡°Several dozens of times, but there will be time in between. Undine will have to carry you to specific mana-rich areas that will cultivate the new Dungeon Cores, and provide enough magic for her to perform the process. I will also need time to concentrate on setting up the separate quarantine for the corrupted data to be transferred each time.¡± Answered George. ¡°Or you can spend the ungodly amount of time it will take to cleanse you naturally.¡± Said Undine with a bit of sarcasm. I slowly started to imagine what a tried and true eternity would be like in this personal hell. Nothing was perceivable around me, just the pressure and pain from the seeding process. The warmth of the sun, the cool breeze of the night, the taste of a home-cooked meal, the smell after it rains, and the sound of thunderstorms were lost to me. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go with your plan George, but it better be worth it. I don¡¯t want to be trapped in this dark abyss forever.¡± I said making my decision. ¡°Quit your bitching about that already, Suicide. I don¡¯t recall any diamonds complaining.¡± Responded Undine. ¡°Diamonds don¡¯t fucking feel it!¡± I snapped back. ¡°How would you know that?¡± She quipped. ¡°FUCK YOU!¡± I shouted. Chapter 4 - Fourteen Chapter 4 - Fourteen I stayed in the fetal position while I sobbed and figuratively marked the wall for the fourteenth time. Fourteen. Fourteen eternities, fourteen lives, fourteen hells. Fourteen, the number of new dungeon cores created. Every time we performed the seeding, I discovered a new world a pain. I never thought so many variations could exist to feel the same thing. I started to think that the material of the seed stone or the shell stone affected the kind of pain and pressure. I tried asking Undine about it, but she remained vague and obtuse. George barely responded to me, always concentrated on his task. God, on the other hand, helped me keep count.
Notice: Dungeon Core Creation Successful
New Dungeon Core Created Through the actions of your bound familiars, you have successfully created a new Dungeon Core. Corrupted Data was transferred to the new Dungeon Core, and will be cleansed before reaching maturity.
The pale blue boxes were the only light I could see. The only color found in this dark abyss. My only solace. My only measure of time. Fourteen pale blues. Fourteen lights. Fourteen notifications. And, for all I knew, countless more would follow. The only other thing in that black hell of mine was my status page. No changes were made to it despite the progress. No reassurance that the unbearable pressure and pain were worth it. Well, there was another thing in there. In that abyss, not my status. It was fleeting, but always imprinted in my mind. Such detail that would put the latest high definition to shame. More intricate designs than even nature could produce. But, it remained elusive, only appearing for a nanosecond. Every encounter was different. Always in a different location, a different scene, a different world. I tried to focus on it as often as I could, but it would vanish as soon as it came into focus. I started to think that I was daydreaming. But after the fifth appearance, I realized that each new encounter was immediately after a seeding process. I¡¯d like to think that those images of wondrous places were the future. The results of how we Dungeon Cores would change this world. I tried to get an idea of how far we travelled and how long it took, but Undine remained unhelpful. Always only giving a brief description of our destination without reference to time. First was the clearing in the dense forest. Second was the abandoned mine in the hill country. Third was the snowy peak of the mountain. The icy tundra. The cascade caverns. The cliff along the beach. The open plains. The flooded river. The jungle. The desert. The basement of a hidden castle. Forgotten ancient city. The underwater trench. Most recently, the rainforest. All described as stated when I asked her. ¡°We have arrived.¡± Stated Undine. ¡°Where are we this time?¡± I asked thinking it had to be too soon. ¡°A large lake.¡± She informed. ¡°Sounds like home for you.¡± I quipped. ¡°Yes, it is. We are home now.¡± She responded honestly. ¡°What?¡± I asked surprised. ¡°We are home. This is the last stop. This is where ¡®your¡¯ dungeon will be.¡± She answered. ¡°I see.¡± I responded indifferently. Undine sighed and explained ¡°It¡¯s an underwater cavern filled with air. The pressure from the water and rocks keeps the air trapped here. The only entrance is at the deepest part of the vast lake. Intruders will have to dive down, and under the rock to surface at our ¡®shore¡¯. It is the perfect environment for you to cultivate.¡± ¡°Why now? Looking at my status, the corruption isn¡¯t gone yet.¡± I asked. ¡°We are out of time and locations suitable for seeding. After several years, more locations will become available as the other Dungeon Cores increase the quality of the overall mana. But the seeding process will be different then.¡± She answered. ¡°What do you mean by different?¡± I asked. ¡°You will be doing it on your own. I will be busy with cleaning up our new residence. Besides, you¡¯ve barely grown in these past fifty years. Only the size of a BB, about 2mm in diameter. The other Dungeon Cores have already matured, and the first one we created gained its own sentient mind about a year ago. The world is rushing to cash in, and you cultivating and trying to create a new core on your own will speed up your growth and cleansing.¡± She informed me. ¡°Fifty years.¡± I sighed. ¡°By the way, fifty years on this globe is comparable to one hundred fifty years on Earth.¡± She stated. I stayed silent for a while after Undine set me down. It felt like she put me in a shell stone, but I couldn¡¯t feel the seed stone. I guessed it was time for me to do something. If only I could figure out what that something was. All that time, I could not do anything on my own. Never in control. Never taking action. I didn¡¯t even have a way to take action. Like being released from a lifetime in prison, I didn¡¯t know what to do, or how to do it. ¡°Cleanse. How? Cultivate. How? Grow. HOW!?¡± I asked myself. ¡°I am the Owner of the Divine. The Herald of Adventure. The Corrupted Soul. The Suicide. Whatever the fuck that last one is.¡± I thought. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°What am I to do? What is expected of me now? I have countless memories of countless lifetimes, but none of that helps me now. I¡¯ve never before been in such a hell. Never have I been blind, deaf, anosmatic, ageusic, and virtually mute all at the same time. My only remaining sense is touch. Well partially, I can only feel pressure.¡± I told myself trying to sort out my mind. ¡°Pressure. Pressure¡­ Pressure¡­ The seeding. Synthetic Diamonds. Artificial cultivation of gemstones. But Undine was the one to do the process. I was merely the seedling that the new stone grew on. If we were to perform that now, I could grow. But the corruption would just spread to the new parts. Even if we just push the corruption to the new parts and free up space within the original, it won¡¯t solve the root cause. I need to get rid of the infection. Remove the cancer. Cleanse the corruption. HOW!?¡± I continued thinking in circles. ¡°George cleanses the corruption or removes it from me completely like surgery. I can¡¯t cleanse it, I am not divine. I can¡¯t remove it, I¡¯m not a surgeon. How do I cleanse, how do I cultivate, how do I grow?¡± I continued. I banged my head on the figurative wall. Mumbling to myself incoherently, repeating the same conversations over and over again. I was the very embodiment of crazy by this point. ¡°Why can¡¯t I cleanse? Why can¡¯t I cultivate? Why can¡¯t I grow? Haven¡¯t I suffered enough? Fifty years, one hundred fifty years, it¡¯s all the same in this dark abyss. Fourteen. Fourteen eternities. Fourteen hells. Fourteen lives. Haven¡¯t I given enough already? Fourteen lives have come from me, doesn¡¯t that outweigh my one miserable mistake?¡± I sobbed. I was on the ground crying, knees curled under me, fists pounding down. I took a deep breath, deeper than ever before. I held that breath and counted each and every life. Fourteen. Fourteen adventures waiting to happen. Fourteen different worlds to be discovered. Fourteen. ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± I screamed with all my might, shouting in such frustration that could shake the heavens.
Notice: New Title Received
Cleansed Soul Your soul has been cleansed of corruption. Having both Corrupted Soul and Cleansed Soul titles allows you to better understand the nature of Souls, providing insight and comprehension.
Notice: Skill Level Up
Elementary Mana Refinery Ambient mana is absorbed into the dungeon core, circulated throughout the core, and then released back into the environment at a higher quality. Refining rate is proportional to Dungeon Core level. Higher skill levels increase efficiency. Cannot store mana.
Notice: New Skill Received
Elementary Controlled Refinery Requires Elementary Mana Refinery. Obtained upon successfully altering the refinery processes: absorb, release, and concentrate. Brief controlled changes can be made to any of the following refinery processes: absorb, release, and concentrate. Similar to breathing, more mana can be absorbed by ¡®taking a deep breath¡¯; mana can be released faster by ¡®blowing out¡¯; mana can be further concentrated by ¡®holding breath¡¯.
World Announcment: Original Dungeon has Matured!
Hello World! New Adventures Await! The Original Dungeon has reach maturity and with it comes fifteen new worlds to discover! Good Luck!
I stared at the pale blue in front of me with tears streaming down my face. I was flabbergasted. Astonished. Amazed. So many words to describe my surprise. Fifteen. Not fourteen. Fifteen. Fifteen hells. Fifteen eternities. Fifteen lives. No, I did not successfully create a new dungeon core. I forgot to count the most important life, mine. I counted and focused on the others, forgetting my own. Ignoring my own. Throwing away my own. ¡°I see.¡± I stated before laughing at myself. Suddenly, I felt a change in pressure around me. Cracks forming and the pressure lessening. No longer confined and cornered. I must have been breaking out of the shell stone. The world would recognize the hatching as a global quake. But for me, it was as if I walked out my front door and into the world. I looked at the scenery around me. It was filled with pale blue light. In every crevice, every stone, every drop of water. I could feel the damp coolness of the breeze. I could hear the still calmness of the underwater shore. I could smell the moisture in the air. I could taste the mana all around me. ¡°What do you think?¡± Undine asked, gesturing to everything around us. I stared at her and answered ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± ¡°Welcome home.¡± She responded happily. ¡°You have been restored, cleansed, reborn. What will we do now?¡± She asked while smiling. ¡°What do you think we will do?¡± I responded sarcastically. ¡°I am the Suicide. The Corrupted Soul. The Cleaned Soul. The Owner of the Divine. The Herald of Adventure.¡± I stated. ¡°I am the Original Dungeon.¡± I said with conviction. ¡°And ¡®Whatever the fuck that last one is¡¯¡± She added while giggling. Opinions - Not a chapter Hello Readers, Thank you for reading up to this point; I greatly appreciate it. I started writing this as a hobby and just wanted to explore some of my own ideas with what a dungeon actually is. However, I have yet to actually do any dungeon building, or really anything dungeon related. I need some help with where to take the story from here. Admittedly, I went further down the rabbit hole than I intended while exploring the MC''s state of mind and circumstances. This has left me with a bit of a headache and is the reason why I didn''t further expand on the individual seedings. I originally intended for the outcome of Chapter 4 to occur around Chapter 8-9. Chapter 5 was going to be some exploration into how the Dungeon Core interacts with the environment. I tried writing Chapter 5 but it felt forced, poorly paced, boring, and honestly, I felt like it didn''t add anything to the story. Stolen novel; please report. I want to avoid the slice-of-life version of the MC going through things day by day. I realize that I am missing an actual plot, an actual conflict at this point. The previous chapters were the MC v Himself. Having to come to terms with his actions and their consequences. I also want to avoid the overpowered version for the MC. He will continue to struggle and have little control over the environment. His influence over the environment is strictly indirect. Unfortunately, I am struggling on how to introduce a new conflict for the MC, and what that conflict will be. Please share your thoughts on the previous chapters as well as your expectations for future chapters. Sincerely, Slayer6950