《Dungeon of Desires (A Dungeon Core Story)》 Reborn Ugh, my head feels dizzy and my whole body''s sore everywhere, did I drink too much? If so that¡¯s strange because I don¡¯t recall drinking today and I hardly ever drink. Just as the dizziness and pain were dying down, I started to notice my surroundings well at least the lack of it because darkness is all I can perceive. As I was trying to move my body admittedly a little terrified as anxiety took me thinking I got kidnapped or blinded or somehow both¡ªadequate response when waking up in a space unknown and aching body. That''s when I realized I don''t have a body. Well, technically, I do, but it''s just not the one I''m used to. Heck, it''s not even made of flesh and blood. I''m a gem. A glowing gem now apparently with multicolor hues like the rainbow ever shifting, surrounded by stone formed underground. And somehow, I can recognize that this gem was somehow me. That''s when it hit me, ''Ah, so I did die, didn''t I?'' I remember sitting down waiting for the bus and reading a fantasy book on my phone that I recently got hooked on. Then I heard gasps, but I was too engrossed with reading to look and guessed it was another insignificant event I didn''t care about. The next thing that comes to my attention is the sound of a vehicle racing the road, growing closer and faster. When I finally pulled myself out of my reading and looked up, I saw a car running far above the speed limit coming towards me. As I watched it coming mind blank, my body petrified, seeing and hearing people running and screaming. I think I tried to move but my body wouldn''t obey. As it ever got closer in mere seconds. "SMASH!!!" The last thing I remember is darkness, followed by the sound of a thundering crash and the car''s beeping as it slowly faded to nothingness. Then after an eternity or a second, as my consciousness woke, a being The System spoke directly to my ethereal self. Of a deal, a promise of a new life with my memories intact reborn in another world with magic and swords, a world under the jurisdiction and protection of The System, a world named Aetheria. My part of the deal would be solving a problem, a cancer as it metaphorically put it. The System would gift me the capabilities to solve it, but did not guarantee my success as greater help would create an imbalance in the world something counter-productive as it would cause bigger problems. If solved I would be free to do as I wished in the world without interference. If I were to fail a new replacement would be needed, unfortunately, a replacement is highly unlikely due to the special trait of my soul. A unique soul I possess able to travel through dimensions and planes with little consequences that just happen to come through The System''s domain. Or so I was told, as my special trait allowed The System to interfere with me with minimal repercussions. If it got beyond control, the final solution would be to annihilate the problem, as a consequence would result in the annihilation of the world the problem resides and cause detrimental damage to near worlds and dimensions by the impact. The System desires it to be solved at the source instead of annihilating it with everything around it. What other choice do I have, I wanted to live. Not a new life without my memories as The System informed me of the cycle of reincarnation I would take if I chose to refuse. I still have things I want to do, to see, to feel, to love, I want to live to the fullest if given the chance, perhaps my failure would result in a worse outcome than if I chose otherwise, but when was life, not a struggle? Plus, I have The System''s help don''t I then I''ll take those chances! "System sign me up! I affirm to your conditions." As I somehow gave my intent to The System. I precieved something in my mind.
Affirmation detected... Signing contract... Binding commencing... The System holds gratitude for your cooperation and applauds your bravery. Good Luck
And so, we come to the present. ''Huh well that was sort of anti-climatic'' I thought being reborn would be, I don''t know just a lot more. One moment I''m floating in a void in an ethereal form with my consciousness conversing with an all-god-like omniscient and omnipotent System, next I''m a glowing gem. Blame me for not asking but at the very least I thought I would be a living being, well a biologically certified living organism that is. I mean I can think, I have a conscious, I can see(somehow) so I consider that being alive. Even if it goes against everything biology vouches for. Well, fuck you science this is the world of magic. I laugh to myself at my little antic, as I try to shake off my anxiety about this whole situation that is frankly overwhelming. Also, you know getting over the whole I died shit. I take a few breaths or mentally I did to settle down. I am still panicking on the inside, anxiety my soulmate forever with me but my other soulmate optimism comes along with it. Glad you guys came with me I guess we truly are soulmates. I snicker to myself once more. ''Okay, look ahead Aiden a new life, a chance to start anew, and magic to boot. We''ll get through this.'' As I do my habitual self-comfort speech, I realize that despite all that happened and will happen, I''m me. I find solace in the fact that although everything is now different and will be in the future, I''m still the old me, a socially anxious, empathetic, considerate, fantasy magic-loving, creative, honest, laughing a lot, lovable theater kid idiot who is good old me, and I wouldn''t have it any other way. ''Now who or what am I in this world?'' as a familiar blue hologram appears in my mind, as soon as I think so.
Name Aiden
Race Dungeon Core
Titles The System Chosen, Knowledge of Another World
Dungeon Name N/A
Level 1
Affinity Arcane (3 selections available)
Current Mana 55/1000
Self Mana Generation 1/hour
Exterior Mana Conversion 10/hour(Max)
Abilities Absorb Mana, Absorb Mass, Interdimensional Storage, Alter Environment, Create Trap, Create Resources, Extraction, Enhanced Mind, Summon Monster, Monster Link, Transfer Room, Expert Mana Manipulation, Expert Mana Sense, Expert Mana Conversion, Expert Mana Purification, Summon Companion (single use)
Traits Born of Arcane Mana, Pure Mana Crystal Origin, Blessed by Dimensions (3 selections available)
Perks N/A (5 selections available)
''Well, would you look at that if it isn''t the renowned status screen in the fantasy RPG genre, one of my many dreams I never thought would come true just did.'' Was it worth dying for it though ''Heh, who am I kidding of course it was!'' Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Ignoring my nonsense, that''s a lot of something. Well, I think it is as I haven''t had the pleasure to see anybody else''s, one thing for sure is I see some very obvious ones unique to my situation. As I focus on those another screen pops up in front of the other in my mind.
The System Chosen Chosen by the very system that governs this and myriad dimensions, are scarce enough to be called a myth now you are one of them. -As The System Chosen you have received benefits unique to yourself -Having a microscopic probability The System to act favorably for you
Knowledge of Another World You who hold memories of another world, though a scarce occurrence had made a great shift in the lives of the beholders. Some went mad, some became heroes, and some changed the course of the world. Be wise and careful for it could be a blessing as much as a curse. -Allows one to look into the memories of another world the beholder possess -As long as you interacted with it, and exists in this world you can create it
''Okaaay, this is also something.'' I know, I know not exactly insightful is it? Be that as it may, without much context and/or comparison it''s pretty much all deduction and instinct. Well better than nothing let''s start with The Chosen One. ''Uhh Aww'' I know it''s not that but hey close enough for me not to mention it sounds fancier. Gonna tick that one off my list of dreams that''ll never happen. ''Hey, that makes two in a day at this rate I might need a new list. How does becoming the most beautiful gem in the world for starters? Narcissistic you say why my good sir what a narrow-minded and prejudiced thought. Why for us gems it is a great and proud ambition. Never let a gem racist make us conform to your twisted views I say!'' Annnd I''m getting sidetracked. Anyway, yes, the chosen one(heh). I don''t know how to feel about the whole myth thing. As of now, ''meh'' the same problem of lacking information. At least it''s not bad, probably. The first effect should be the gift The System promised me. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I focus, it doesn''t give me more information about the benefits I received. The next with the same problem as before don''t know what it does, I mean on the off chance it actually happens. I don''t like the probability, but hey, free stuff is free stuff, and I''ll take it even if I can''t use it. For the knowledge of the another world, the descriptions help as it gave me intel that there are people like me with memories of the past life. ''Huh, I wonder what made the system choose me then, was that not what was special about me?'' ''I''ll figure it out someday.'' moving on [Allows one to look into the memories of another world] Huh? ''Hmm, I wonder what kind of memories it allows and how it works.'' at the thought, a powerful recent memory came to mind. Suddenly I found myself back at the bus stop, sitting on the same bench, with my phone in my hand looking at the novel. ''what... huh...why...?'' My mind starts freezing at the familiar scene. Soon, I heard the gasps, and then my vision shifts to look up only to meet the very car that killed me, exactly like before. I tried to move and do anything however all effort proved futile as my efforts did nothing but remind me of my powerlessness. ''I can only relive the memory, I can''t do anything.'' The touch of my phone, the shock making my body immobile, the screams and panic I hear, the sound of car wheels grinding on the street, the smell of gas and polluted air everywhere in the city. But what caught my attention was the car heading straight for me, especially now seeing it for the second time. An elderly with dull unfocused eyes switched to panic a moment later, the haphazard struggle to stop the car in turn only increases it. As I watch and relive all of it, as it was about to reach me but centimeters away, fear overwhelming me at the prospect of dying again I shouted in my head ''Stop! StOP! STOP!! STTTOOOPPPP!!!!!'' Then I was back to where I was a glowing gem formed in the underground surrounded by stone. Tutorial 5 hours later ¡®I think I¡¯m okay for now¡¯ I¡¯m guessing 5 hours from my status screen unless hours work differently here.
Current Mana 110/1000
Self Mana Generation 1/hour
Exterior Mana Conversion 10/hour(Max)
Yeesh, that was one heck of a ride. For the last approximately five hours, I was zoning out? Not quite sure about that one, but as I tried to organize my mangled thoughts and calm my panicking heart something peculiar happened. It was like I was meditating and sleeping at the same time still aware but somehow in a dreamlike state. I could perceive my surroundings but like a dream vague and distant yet still aware, instinctively knew I could ¡®wake up¡¯ if I wanted or if something entered my attention. Time seemed to slow down but it also seemed to slip through my non-existent fingers. It was 5 hours but felt more as I organized my thoughts, let my mental breakdown recede, finding the cause and how it affected me. Taking time to identify and accept my emotions, slowly that devastating situation becomes but a moment. Doing all this felt like more than five hours for me, on the other hand waking up felt like mere minutes had passed. Strange, I don¡¯t know if I should be glad I can do that. But, I must admit a pretty handy feature. Now listening to this amazing experience did it fix my newly acquired trauma ¡®Ohh hellll no!¡¯ Are you kidding me if it was that easy I would have not spent years of effort trying to live and come to terms with my trauma. In addition, spending a buttload of money on therapy, reading self-help books, and doing therapeutic activities even though most were a horrendous struggle for me. Even will all that shit I¡¯m still insecure. ¡®No, it will take a lot more than magic and dying to defeat my insecurity and self-hatred. For these mythic bitches are here to stay.¡¯ Anyway, thinking about the whole dying thing, (yep that was the cause go figure), the thing is dying, well it kinda sucks. ¡®Really dying is not a great experience. Wow, who would have thunk? Simply a revelation!¡¯ bypassing my sarcasm, you see previously the experience of dying was close to nil. It happened so fast, there was no pain, and the memories were hazy, like where you wake up and know you had a nightmare even though you cannot remember it. It was mostly just the shock of witnessing a horrific event play out even though I was in the leading role. In conclusion, the impression I got was blurry, to say the least, enough to haunt me for weeks sure but wouldn¡¯t scar me for life. Then came the thing that started it all, the ability of photographic memory as I decided to call it that way, even though it would probably be very different, hey that¡¯s the best I got, work with me here. The memory became clear, my dumbfounded mind during that moment now ever so clear, every bit of my five senses sending signals as it implants in my brain, seared in my memories. Then it came to me, the fear of death, the dread, the unwillingness, the panic, the desire to live, thinking of all the things I could have done in my life as despair fills me. It was shitty. Those feelings are currently but a shadow. Still, they''re forever etched into my very being like all my other unpleasant memories becoming a part of me. ¡®Great another one to the bucket, as if the shitty things before weren¡¯t enough. Yay me.¡¯ The silver lining to this whole fiasco though ¡®Hey I got a superpower, super memory. A limited one with limited memories but hey SUPERPOWERS. Another tick to my impossible dream list that is looking like a bucket list at this point.¡¯ Sure it may have cost me a traumatic experience due to my inexperience, but hey that¡¯s life for you. Plus, not to brag but I definitely have given more for less. Now I can get to watch all the novels, mangas, animes, movies, and television shows whenever I want or get bored, high-five. And also use this knowledge to revolutionize the world like those isekai-tropes, and probably rule the world in the process becoming unimaginably overpowered and creating a harem of obsessed powerful influential lovers.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Nawww, now who needs that when you have thousands of entertaining stuff? ¡®Yay for stuff!¡¯ Now where was I before my meltdown, ah yes checking my titles and what they do. [As long as you interacted with it, and exists in this world you can create it] It was if I remember correctly. Seems like a very useful ability or a completely useless one depending on the similarities of the worlds. Great now that I checked all that, taking a lot more time than I predicted, now to check out more ¡®Perhaps this conspicuous flashing screen in my mind that forcefully woke me in my (zone-meditation-sleep?) let''s settle for meditation. Hmm, I wonder?¡¯ The instant I think about it jumps in front of my mind''s eye(a metaphorical one as for the absence of visual organs, not a new superpower) cutting me off for more nonsense.
Confirmed parameters met for the minimum level of sentience¡­ Confirmed parameters met for 90% of total mana capacity and/or possessing 100 mana minimum¡­ Initiating protocol¡­ Binding tutorial to confirmed target¡­ Imparting basic world knowledge¡­ All set protocols are finalized¡­ Initiating tutorial¡­ Good Luck
Tutorial Step 1
Confirmed insufficient space Please use the ability Absorb Matter to acquire sufficient space Imparting basic use guide of the ability Absorb Matter¡­ Impart achieved
Task
-Form a 1m-radius space with your core at the center using Absorb Matter
¡®ugh¡¯ You know in those sci-fi contents where there''s these inventions that allow to straight up inject information to your brain, making learning new information a piece of cake. If you ever wanted to just jam your brain with knowledge for a test tomorrow you are horrendously unprepared for, or when learning something new, only to quit in the next few days. You know what I¡¯m talking about. Want to know how it feels, as a first-hand experience, not pleasant. Gives me the willies, forming non-existent goose bumps on my non-existent skin. To be fair, a small price to pay for a wondrous miracle. Did you know that in this world of Aetheria, a day is 28 hours, a week is 8 days, and 12 months being a year is the same? With 3 suns and five moons. There are elves, orcs, humans, beastkins, dwarves, halflings, and gnomes that are the main sapient race in Aetheria. There are even multiple bonafide Gods, I know it¡¯s ironic being surprised chosen by the all-mighty System and all, but still. A part of me thought the System would be the one and only god in the worlds it presides over. Even got information on monsters, what they''re called, descriptions of their appearances, and that''s pretty much it. I have basically as much information as seeing a picture of a platypus the first time, even less than that for it¡¯s all descriptions no image. I know its name, and I know how it should look, but as for the structure or what any organs do, nada. On a side note, zero platypuses on Aetheria from the general information on fauna and critters. You don¡¯t exist in a magic world, but exist in a non-magical world, truly an extraordinary existence. For the rest of the information, rubbish. I mean they¡¯re pretty basic stuff. The sky, the sea, dirt, colors, legs etc. Lacking severely of information and so theoretical. For example, the sky exists in the air, up above most times a shade of blue, sometimes a different colors based on the time of day. That¡¯s it. No image, no whys or hows just that. Barely knowing the concept of it. I guess it¡¯s useful if you get to see the sky for the first time, you can identify it and know its name, but that¡¯s as far as you can get. Being a singularity, making most of the knowledge obsolete, I''m definitely not the target audience. I wonder how much the threshold for sentience is. To be given such abstract knowledge. Well, back to the tutorial always a fan of those no sarcasm there. I¡¯m the type who needs to read the rules of the board game and understand it to have fun, even if said rules take hours to read. The rules are there for a reason! But I guess a little chaos is welcome it won¡¯t be boring if anything else. Shall we now use our very first ability (ignoring the photographic memory) ¡®Now behold as I use the power in me bestowed by the mighty System.¡¯ Absorb Matter Then about 2 cubic centimeters volume of stone adjacent to my core disappeared. ¡®Yes!!!! I am INVISIBLE!!!!!¡¯ Aiden The Magical Plant Some minutes after... I figured some things out after being halfway done with my task. The guide the tutorial imparted about Absorb Matter was lackluster. First, focus your intent to use it, then visualize the effect to be made, concentrate and set parameters on the target, recite the name in your mind, and finally, release. The first time I tried, it was less about doing it with knowledge and reasoning and more about following instincts and intuition. Instincts and intuition that are so foreign yet so natural. Things I would come to discover being a dungeon core now; I wonder what more there are? As I continued to use the ability, I became more skillful and familiar with each use. Less time was needed to focus, easier visualization, and less effort to lock on the target. I became faster, steadily increasing the volume I absorbed each time. It eventually became as natural as walking. Becoming instinctual made me have the luxury to think about my other abilities. The ones greyed out. I couldn¡¯t feel or get anything at all, which led to the conclusion they were locked or sealed, most likely unlocked in the future, putting my bets on during the tutorial. Among the available, Expert Mana Sense stood out. It made me feel little particles; some were pulled into my core like a vortex. I could sense my core slowly absorbing the particles as they touched my core. The particles were everywhere, some denser than others. They were ubiquitous; they were mana. Another thing I could ¡®see¡¯ and ¡®feel¡¯ was that my core slowly released mana particles, much less than what my core absorbed, but there nonetheless. It was different from the ambient mana. It was somehow pure, wild, and untouched. Then, as I ¡®saw,¡¯ I realized the light coming off my core was mana, as it somehow intertwined and weaved together to become light. It was still the same pure feeling, but more solid and bigger. As the lights reached the walls, I felt the light reflect off the stone. As it did, I sensed multiple mana particles dispersing into the pure mana I first felt when the light hit the stone. But not all; few remained in their light form, hitting another part of the stone, then continued one last time, the light form barely holding on, becoming the pure mana particles as it hit the third time, some floating in the empty space and some seeping into the stone. A realization hit me as I focused on my ¡®vision.¡¯ I can now truly perceive it; I can feel the stone, the light coming off the core, the clusters of different feeling mana and structure to what I assume are ores and some gemstones or crystals. Is that how I was able to ¡®see¡¯ all this time? No, not seeing, sensing. Feeling the mana, the structure of how everything is built with it. A 360-degree view is like a 3D printer, in my mind, creating a 3D model. But there''s a limit, a barrier; past the limit, I¡¯m very much blind, not sensing anything, just nothing¡ªthe limited view of my world, a 1m radius around my core. After recognizing the barrier, I decided to test something. Stopping my expansion, I looked once again at my sphere of influence. It seems I dug a space out with a radius of 60 centimeters, my core at the center. In the middle my core, a 3-centimeter dodecahedron gem of ever-shifting hues of color. Suspended mid-air by the upheaval of mana rushing from all sides my core attracts, along with the constant mana my core discharges. I gathered my now much-aware mana senses to the perimeter of one side of the barrier. Using Absorb Mana, trying to reach beyond the barrier. For the first time, my ability failed. The answer was quite clear to me. While preparing Absorb Mana, I gathered all my spare attention on my mana sense. First, there was the intent, and then I could sense a change in the mana; I could feel the mana become malleable, willing, and fluid. Yes, like I could manipulate it. Then, the visualization, the first time doing it, I couldn''t quite get my head around it. In the ability''s name, there''s absorb, but to where. So instead, I thought about transferring (teleportation, if being fancy)¡ªthe destination¡ªmy ability Interdimensional Storage recorded on my Status. I had to have it even if I couldn''t feel it right; The System would not lie, so with confidence in that notion, I visualized a transferring stone from one place to the Interdimensional Storage I had but could not perceive. Obviously, it was a success, and as something entered the Interdimensional Storage, I could feel its existence in my core. Not physically there, but another dimension connected and anchored to my core. In my storage, the stone was suspended in a vastless void, a lot more brittle and weathered, which I''ve deducted is due to the absence of mana. There''s a reason Absorb Mana and Absorb Matter are separate abilities, right? I couldn''t think why otherwise. When visualization began, I noticed an inconspicuous change in the malleable mana. It became otherworldly? connected to another place, not here. Yet, such a minor change to truly distinguish it from before unless exceedingly susceptible. As I target my ability beyond the barrier, I imagine a cube going beyond the borders of the barrier, and precisely as I do so, all the latent mana present in the aforementioned imaginary cube sector changes to the same otherworldly feeling mana, this time more noticeable than before yet still easily missable if not for my current heightened sensitivity. At the thought of release, however, the changed mana reverted to its original state without any sign or a hint at the previous event. I once again willed my ability, this time stopping at the very limit of the barrier. Observing the trying to find differences, I feel in great detail as the ability operates without hindrance. All the same processes except before, where the side of the cube touching the barrier was hazy, unstable, rough, and in disorder. Compared to the orderly-formed mana of the cube this time, it is somehow stable, solid, and clean; it just felt right. As I come to the end of my test, letting my attention wander in my 1-meter-radius sphere of visuality, I notice a mental fatigue that went unnoticed during my hyperfocus. ''Huh, got to watch out for that.'' So, let''s summarize what I found out. Absorb Mana or/and Expert Mana Manipulation attracts ambient mana to my core, where Absorb Mana allows me to absorb it. I speculate Expert Mana Conversion changes the absorbed mana or, at the very least, converts the mana when using Absorb Matter. Similarly, Expert Mana Purification is likely the cause of pure mana emitting out my core; whether purification is happening only to the released mana or also to the mana I hold in my core (speculating from the status screen) is unknown. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Expert Mana Sense allows me to perceive all this and, most importantly, substitute for visual organs I do not possess. Expert Mana Manipulation seems to allow me to do all the abovementioned things more fluently. So, my conclusion ''Am I a magical plant?!'' I mean, you can see my reasoning, right? The ambient mana is carbon dioxide, whereas the mana I release is oxygen. Now that I think of it, Absorb Mana and Absorb Matter function like a plant to absorb air and minerals, respectively. Of course, I know I''m a dungeon core and know its purpose. I''ve had multiple D&D sessions, most of them as a DM. There is also the obvious grayed-out Summon Monster and Create Trap. I have eyes; wait a moment; actually, I currently do not possess eyes, but you know what I mean. But being a DM was about creating engaging stories and NPCs, balanced enemies to encounter, choices to make and consequences, and trash mixed with loot. Sometimes, it was more about annoying traps or riddles, just for the heck of it. Loot to make players fight over, random-ass strong NPC for those murder hobos, and a lot of impromptu stuff pulled out of my ass for underestimating the stupidity of players. Sometimes, it is caused by ingenuity overlooked, but mostly stupidity. There''s no information on how a dungeon operates, how it''s created, or its purpose beyond adventure and loot. ''Man, this D&D talk pulls me back. The friends then grew apart as we grew older, and one thing came to another: we all stopped seeing each other gradually. It''s been years since I met them. I wonder how my friends are doing now. I wonder if they will ever get to hear about my death. I hope it doesn''t hit them too hard.'' While reminiscing about some of our more memorable D&D sessions, a screen appeared, notifying me that I had finished my task. This was followed by another tutorial screen.
Tutorial Step 2
Please use the ability Summon Companion Imparting basic use guide of the ability Summon Companion Impart achieved
Task
-Summon a Companion
Oh, the greyed-out ability is now available. Let''s hop to it then because being alone and talking to myself in a confined space underground is perfect for going insane. And I certainly don''t want that; someone to talk to or companionship alone will do wonders for my mental health. So, I follow the knowledge imparted to me. First, the intent as the surrounding mana becomes malleable, then the visualization as I think of it, ''someone I could communicate with, someone whom I would feel comfortable with, someone who won''t give up on me.'' It succeeds as the mana changes ever so slightly. Then, targeting setting the location in front of my core as the mana changes, forming a circle with undecipherable patterns inside. A new step: injecting mana. It didn''t specify how much, so the more, the better. I''m going all in. Feeling the mana in my core, I send all of it to the circle. As mana leaves my core and touches the circle, the circle''s presence grows, becoming solid and growing its existence; as the circle glows, it starts vacuuming all the ambient mana and pure mana in the air, shining brighter and becoming more concrete as mana fills it. As I drain all the mana in me, I release for the finale. Then I watch as the light converges and compresses into a floating sphere, and soon, appendages start growing, settling in a humanoid form with wings. Then, the form takes on more details; the head gains a face, ears, and hair; human hands and feet instead of the stumps before; the body gets curves and groves, and finally, the wings start to become more than light, three sets of wings shaped and thin like a dragonfly yet somehow looks to be made of prismatic crystals. As I watched the process, I understood some parts of it. The glowing mana felt solid; the mana was turning into matter. When all the glowing mana at the beginning was converted to making this fairy at the height of 50 cm, I felt something like a pull, a bond tethered by something mana but more personal, private, and special. As the bond was finalized, I knew that this bond was unbreakable. Then a System message appeared, except this one seemed more fractured and transparent than all I had encountered.
Detected Bond of The System Chosen with Companion... Proceeding protocols... Increasing Authority for Acess to System Knowledge of Subject Companion... Increasing Imparted General Knowledge of Subject ???panion... Increas???? Limit of Anato?? ?? ?ubject Co?¡Æ?????n Rem???¡Ä¡È¡Ö Lim?? ??? Ego and Consc????? ?? Subject Com??????... ???? ???? ?? ??? Last
If you wish to see the unbroken message, click the spoiler below.
Detected Bond of The System Chosen with Companion... Proceeding protocols... Increasing Authority for Acess to System Knowledge of Subject Companion... Increasing Imparted General Knowledge of Subject Companion... Increasing Limit of Anatomy of Subject Companion Removing Limit for Ego and Conscious of Subject Companion... This Will be the Last Piece of Help I Can Give The Companion Will Guide You Along The Way GOOD LUCK AIDEN
My Companion ''I wonder what that was all about.'' I was pondering over the recent system message but was immediately brought out of my thoughts as I felt a stir in my newly formed bond. All my attention was focused on my newly born companion as I felt an awakening of a conscious flow through my bond. Slowly, the entity was sent into motion as its body twitched with life, and its eyes slowly fluttered open. There it was, staring right at my core, white short hair, white eyes, an androgynous white face, and body, no nails, belly button, genitals, and even blood or veins as if carved out of marble. ''It felt so artificial, and (sorry) had an uncanny valley feel to it.'' But to hell with that, I say, this is the first being except for The System I have met in my new world, ''Oh, how self-centered I am, believing another different world with magic nonetheless will conform to my earth-titled views. Damn, you brain being so specialized in recognizing faces. Wait, I don''t have a brain to blame, do I? Oh gosh, darn nit!'' Not to mention, it might take months, depending on how deep I''m underground and how long it will take for me to reach the surface, till I have a chance to meet anything conscious enough for communication. Ooh, unless there are mole people or something resembling an underground civilization. ''Oh my gosh, focus, Aiden, focus. You have to make a good first impression. Not just stare and think about nonsense. Okay, where to start, umm...'' "Umm... Hi, nice to meet you, and welcome to this world. So, how is it being just born?" ''AHHHHH! What was that? Are you stupid? What do you mean by being just born? What should I say next? What would they say next? How should I respond to that? Why am I such a fuck-up? Damn you, my social anxiety.'' I can''t mess this up; what if they leave me? What if they hate me? What if they are disappointed in me? I don''t wanna be alone in this place with nobody but me for who knows how long? I''m scared. I''m scared, I''m scared; I can''t screw this up; if it does, then... Then I felt a touch directly at my core; the companion gently rubbed my core with an expressionless face, yet I could feel the concern and confusion from our bond. Next, I heard a voice in my head: an androgynous voice with no emotion discernible. "I will never leave you, I will never hate you, I will never leave you alone. It''s nice to meet you, Aiden, and to answer your question. It''s strange. It is strange to be nothing before yet somehow exist and know the next." Watching and listening, I can see an almost invisible smile forming on their face. Feeling the truth in those words through our bond, the storm in my head calms down. Then it hit me: their mouth wasn''t moving the whole time. Actually, I wasn''t making any sounds at all, too, and I don''t recall ever telling my name. "Through our bond, we can perceive each other''s thoughts and emotions. Of course, you can decide what to convey; however, you have unintentionally conveyed everything due to inexperience and instability. As the bonding happened, a minuscule amount of your soul was split. As The System formed my soul, it merged with it, carrying some memories of your time on Earth. It was through this I became aware of your name. Aiden, we are bonded so closely that if one were to perish, the other would, too. But do not be concerned; as my soul is protected by The System, becoming impervious to all but The System itself, if my body were to be destroyed, it can be reconstructed by your mana." ''Oh, so that''s how it is. Also, that means they heard my panicking rant, and even worse, they know my past.'' You know it''s great to have someone to talk to, but it''s not so great when they hear your inner rant of anxiety and have memories of your past, ruining the opportunity for a good first impression. "I hope the memories were nothing too bad and devasted your impression of me." "Aiden, I do not possess all but a fraction of your memories, not enough to define you, and the ones I do did not make me think any less of you but helped me understand you more. I''m glad I was able to hear your thoughts so that I can help you through with it instead of not knowing, so please do not feel embarrassed about it." "So you heard that too, ugh. First, thanks for, you know, everything you said, but I really need to learn to keep control of what I want conveyed. I still want some privacy." "Of course, my purpose is to teach you what you do not know. First is a guide and message for the ''problem.''" At that, I feel something coming through our bond from them to me.
In one of the many dimensions governed by The System, there was a disturbance in some of the recently acquired dimensions being invaded by The Abyss. The Abyss'' sole intent and goal is to corrupt and twist, standing at opposite ends to The System symbolizing Order and Impartiality. The Abyss was grown enough to the point of sentience and was annihilated immediately. As eons passed, The System helped new planes form as the dimensions settled from the aftermath. One of those planes, which has come to be called Aetheria, lay dormant, The Abyss, a microscopic piece that survived the annihilation using all its ability to twist the perception of The System to go unnoticed. Once Aetheria was formed and stable, it leeched off the core of Aetheria to grow. The System discovered the anomaly when there was a lapse in the Abyss''s ability to twist The System''s perception. Unfortunately, by then, it had grown too much. The System lent power to the aborigines as much as possible, yet after a kingdom in ruins, they only managed to seal The Abyss. The only way to get rid of it was to annihilate it once more; however, this time, countless planes and lives existed. Choosing to do so would destroy and demolish these planes and lives in the process, going against The System''s principles, The System waited for a better solution, setting annihilation as a last resort. Then, after an eon or so, The System encountered a solution, you: a wandering soul Blessed By Dimensions. It would allow a way to intervene without destroying Aetheria and the surrounding planes. Integrating into a dungeon core while amplifying the power to purify The Abyss that is sealed beneath you. It is unknown how long the seal will last, but until then, Grow, Build Your Army, Expand Your Influence, Construct Impedes, and when the time comes, Purify All of The Abyss and Bring Order Back to Aetheria Good Luck
"Oh wow, that''s a lot." And I don''t mean just the message. When I accepted The System, I did it because I didn''t wanna die, and I thought what The System proposed was doable. But now, this message was like a hammer to the head. ''I really was tasked with something grand, wasn''t I?'' "Yes, you were, and should you fail, annihilation is the most likely conclusion for this dimension. Excluding that if you were to be defeated by the Abyss, the consequence would be terrible. The Abyss does not kill; it corrupts and twists, and it will make you into something wrong." "Well, that sure is an incentive to do something, isn''t it? Just wondering, what is so special about me to be chosen." At that, I could feel doubt coming through my bond. "Did you not check your status? According to my imparted knowledge, it should explain most things, and it takes time before the tutorial parameters are met." "Hmm, no, I did check but only looked at the explanation for my titles, and then I had a panic attack. When that settled down, the tutorial popped up, so I forgot to do so." "I see; then, would you please check them now, as it would make explaining much easier." "Sure thing." At that, I brought my Status Screen up, and while I was at it, I decided to check the others.
Born of Arcane Mana A dungeon core born in a place of ambient arcane mana -Unlocks Arcane Affinity -Gives a generous boost to increasing arcane affinity and a moderate boost to increasing other affinities -Your dungeon monsters gain a moderate boost to arcane affinity and a minor boost to other affinities -Delvers get a minor boost to increasing arcane affinity and a minuscule boost to increasing other affinities.
Pure Mana Crystal Origin Your core is miraculously constructed of the purest mana directly coming from the core of the world, acquiring abilities similar to the world''s core -Self-mana generation is increased 10 times -Mana Capacity is increased 10 times -Gives an immense boost to mana density for monsters when using Summon Monster -Gives an immense boost to the growth rate of Self-mana generation, Mana Capacity, and Extrior Mana Conversion at each level -Gives a monumental boost to Mana Purification -Increase any mana-related abilities proficiency by two tiers
Blessed by Dimension Dimensions and planes all have barriers that protect them by selecting and resisting what comes in and out. Yet, you are a miraculous soul blessed, letting you pass their indestructible and impenetrable walls unscathed and without hindrance. These blessed souls travel freely from dimension to dimension. Many have tried to study and use these properties yet failed as blessed souls are elusive and unreadable, protected by the dimensions. -Has minimal consequences for passing dimension and plane barriers -Almost impossible to identify unless by a twist of fate -Gives a monumental boost to time, space, and gravity affinities -Gives a monumental boost to increasing time, space, and gravity affinities
As I read, I was still confused. The whole thing about dimensions, planes, and worlds is way above what I was used to in my previous small world, which is currently an even smaller world. Then, I felt surprise pass through the bond; looking at my companion worried, I asked. "You okay? Is something wrong?" "Yes, forgive me. I was just surprised by your trait." "Huh, which one? And wait, can you see my status screen." "Yes, as your guide, it is a function for Companions to see the status screen of dungeon cores. As for my reason of surprise, the Pure Mana Crystal Origin is not in my database for dungeon cores that the System has granted me. It may very well be the first for this trait to exist. Pure mana made from the world core is well pure. It, in its natural form, cannot become something as it is simply complete in itself. The closest to it is arcane mana, a cluster of unattributed pure mana changed to taken form, being able to change to anything."Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Listening to the explanations, I tried to make sense of them by substituting them with things I knew. So I guess you can think like this pure mana is like neutrons, just with those, you get numerous neutrons, but add in protons and electrons, and it becomes atoms or arcane mana, for this case, capable of becoming any matter. Then, I think it''s safe to check this trait as one of the gifts from The System. Thinking of gifts, I wonder why not just tell me instead of guessing like this. Well, if you don''t know, ask. "Yeah, probably The System at work there; by the way, can you explain why I was chosen and perhaps the reason for not telling me the help The System provided?" "Of course, to put it so you may better picture it, think of the dimension as an egg, the world, the yolk. Now, one-yolk called Aetheria was infected right in the center of the yolk. Leave it be; it will kill the egg, and the infection will spread to the surrounding eggs. To solve it, you only have your bare hands to crush it and medicine without an opening to put into it without breaking the egg. Then, your unique trait made you capable of passing the shell and yolk sack without destroying it. Using you as the carrier of medicine to solve the infection. However, as your trait only allows the process to be done with minimal damage, there was a capacity limit, and knowledge had the same weight as medicine." "Oh, okay, yeah, I understand now, but just one thing, what about you? Clearly, The System intervened with you, right?" "Certainly, all dungeon companions are beings made by the system, inheriting knowledge to guide dungeons so they may properly acclimate and work. A minuscule amount of the dungeon core soul is used during the creation process to strengthen the bond and to prevent the dungeon core from harming the companion; as your soul merged with my newly created one, I inherited some of your soul''s unique properties, making an opening. Wich The System used to increase the limit of the original Companion preset. Companions are more like AI in your world without emotion, programmed to say what words for different situations. They don''t even look anything like me; as a dungeon companions appearance is made by the subconscious mind of the core. Most of the time, they are elementals, relating to the affinity of the dungeon core. As a newly born dungeon core, they have the consciousness of a baby knowing only what they have seen." "Ohh, that explains why you''re a fairy; it''s a trope in Earth where dungeon cores have dungeon fairies as guides. Don''t know who started it, though" "Interesting. Aiden, though I know you have many more questions, I would suggest we finish the tutorial; though The Abyss has been sealed, it is unknown when it will emerge, so the quicker we start, the better. We will have plenty of time to answer your questions once the dungeon starts truly operating." "Hmm, yeah, actually having something will help me sleep with the danger below me. I totally forgot about the tutorial, as it was kind of hectic." "Then let''s begin."
Task
-Summon a Companion
Tutorial Step 3
Ask the Companion to move on to the next step
Task
-Companion initiates the next step
Tutorial Step 4
Ask the Companion to unlock the ability Summon Monster
Task
-Summon Monster unlocked
"Ignoring the procedure to get dungeon cores familiar and dependent on their companion, let''s see what monster we start with."
Select Starting Monster Race (2 Selections Available)
Type Description
Animal A selection of a small variety of weak animals (Recommended for all biomes)
Plant A selection of a small variety of common monster plants (Recommended for biomes with ample sunlight)
Fungi A selection of a small variety of common fungi plants (Recommended for dark humid biomes)
Skeleton Animated skeletons equipped with basic weapons (Recommended for places with darkness and abundant corpses)
Zombie Reanimated corpses with poisonous blood and bites (Recommended for places with darkness and abundant corpses)
Kobold Small, reptilian humanoids known for their cunning and traps (Recommended for underground and caves)
Goblin Small, green-skinned creatures, adept at using simple weapons and traps to ambush intruders. (Recommended for forests and caves)
Imp Mischievous, small demons that delight in causing trouble. They can cast minor spells (Recommended for areas near lava, deserts, and underground)
Slime Blobs of gelatinous corrosive liquid (Recommended for caves and swamps)
Spirit A weak creature born of mana and remnants of souls (Recommended for all biomes)
Mimic A creature that can mimic the appearance of objects, often a treasure chest and doors (Recommended for complicated underground regions)
Construct Constructed beings animated by magic or technology. (Recommended for mines and mountains)
"This is different. Usually, one would be assigned the appropriate monster based on the environment. It''s one of the many safe locks to prevent unsuitable choices like slimes in deserts or goblins underwater. It''s most likely one of the gifts from The System. Aiden, I advise you to choose from the recommended ones that fit our environment. Personally, I think Constructs and Mimics are for the best. Ores and gemstones in this region are suitable for building lethal constructs, and mimics will unlock lucrative rewards that will attract more people we can kill. However, I''m only the guide the" "Wait!!!" I shout at my companion, stopping them as I feel their surprise and worry through our bond. I knew it the moment I saw it, but I kept ignoring it, thinking it would be different here from what I knew. But they said it so casually. "Aiden, is something wrong?" The worry I feel hits me hard; perhaps this is how it is in this world; after all, dungeons are a natural part of this world. Even so, I cannot accept it as if it''s no big deal, as they do. "Why does a dungeon need to kill?" Confused at my abrupt question yet still answering. "To grow, when a being dies in the dungeon, the dungeon absorbs it, gaining an immense amount of mana." "Is it the only way for a dungeon to grow?" "No, there are various ways a dungeon absorbs mana; killing and absorbing the body is simply the fastest and most efficient way." "Then I''m not gonna kill." It takes a moment before they answer. "Oh, of course, you won''t. that is why we have monsters and traps." "No, me and my dungeon will not kill anybody." I feel the confusion flowing from them to me. "Surely you jest, a dungeon''s purpose is to kill and grow. Are you not intending to build your dungeon?" "No, I will, but no killing." "Why?" "I just can''t." "Please tell me, is it something I did? Did I say something wrong?" Confusion, doubt, and fear becomes a wave rushing from them through our bond, crashing on me fiercely. "NO, no, none of that! This has nothing to do with you. it''s me, I...I just cannot tolerate the fact of me killing people." "What''s wrong with that? They are well aware of the risks of dungeon delving, yet they still delve. Nobody is forcing anybody; they know of the risks and will bear the consequences of their action. What part of this is intolerable." "I cannot in good conscience kill living, feeling, sapient people for the sake of power." "Why can''t you? The Earth I saw was just as much of a natural selection as Aetheria; the living survived off killing the others; lives were killed for you to feast and devour. Lives were killed for the betterment of your life; weak lives were ruined, yet you did nothing." Memories of my own came through our bond, of when I ate meat and fish, where I used animal-tested products, and of when I ignored the beggars and the homeless. I won''t deny it Earth sucked, and so was I living in it. But even so... "No, I don''t need to kill, right? You mentioned there were other ways, right? I''m not giving up; I simply want to do something different. Please, this way, be the usual in Aetheria, but not for me; I don''t want to give up my values just because this is a different world; I won''t give up without trying." As I finished my words, I felt the confusion and doubt turning into a brewing storm. Lighting made of anger strikes me hard. But I stand firm; I can''t give up the values I hold precious, I can''t just let this world change me without fighting back, and I can''t give up on myself. "NO NEED! WE HAVE PLENTY OF REASONS TO KILL! Are you unaware of The Abyss, which will DESTROY us if we are unprepared?! Our failure would mean the annihilation of not just Aetheria but countless planes where life thrives. WE have every right to kill them for our growth because THEY''LL be dead otherwise. KILL THEM, Aiden; the other methods are inefficient; killing is the most efficient and natural way a dungeon grows. It has been for millennia, and it will continue to be AFTERWORD! This is BIGGER than your values. Countless lives depend on YOUR success!" "I''m sorry, but no, not without trying." Then I can see it: the face that has always managed to appear emotionless becomes weak and confused. I can feel it, how it comes through our bond, the sadness, the fear, the guilt, the last ones I could bear, but this, this HURTS. "Aiden, please, just kill. Please, let''s be a normal dungeon. Aiden, please, I''m supposed to help and guide you. But I don''t know how. Please, Aiden, tell me what to do. Tell me what I have to say. Immeasurable knowledge was imparted to me, but I don''t know how to deal with you. I was never made for this never was, and still not even after The System changed me. Please, Aiden, follow the protocol so I can use this knowledge to guide you. If you don''t, then what use am I? Please, Aiden, allow me to help you." "You are, though; you are helping immensely just being here, being you. Please, you don''t have to know what to do, what to say, or know all the knowledge in the world. Stay by my side, listen and laugh to my stupid nonsense, calm me when I get too anxious, say how you really feel about things, tell me your honest opinions, be someone I can depend on, and I''ll try making you depend on me." I feel nothing coming through our bond, which makes me extremely anxious, but I give time and wait. As I also organize my thoughts and feelings. A few minutes of silence broken when my Companion spoke. "Do what you want. I am, but your guide, the choice will always be up to you." I sense turmoil through our bond, but it is not enough to overwhelm them. ''I hope we can work this out once we are both calm.'' "Thank you"
Slime has been selected as your starting monster race
Fungi has been selected as your starting monster race
Ability Summon Monster has been unlocked
This is for those wanting to know the scale shown in the descriptions of traits. Minuscule - Minor - Moderate - Medium - Generous - Large - Major - Immense - Colossal - Monumental Affinities, Traits And Perks My Companion is still in turmoil, but they continue to explain and go along with me. "If you''re going to avoid killing, you should know the other ways. Fundamentally, everything is made of mana; mana has the tendency to change and imbue itself with anything. When mana converts to another state, they self-duplicate an infinitesimal amount, and when enough gathers, they tend to cluster, forming matter. When beings achieve consciousness, a soul is born. Sapient beings produce abundant mana using these souls; when souls are stimulated, some part of their soul mana changes, increasing the mana''s self-duplication more than anything else, producing far much more mana than what was used; these mana are categorized as emotion mana. Unfortunately, it comes with a price. When sapient beings use mana, they are intertwined with a microscopic amount of soul mana, becoming static and unusable. That''s where dungeons come in; dungeons are capable of absorbing and purifying this type of mana. This is then used to create monsters, which in turn will be killed by delvers showering them with purified mana bursting from the slain monster, strengthening them in the process. Dungeons use traps, monsters, and treasures to stimulate emotions for their mana, but the most efficient way is when they die. Death triggers the explosion of emotions, the eruption of will to live, the life force blazing everything it has. It cannot simply compare to the others. It is an ecosystem, a cycle that benefits everyone, making the world bigger with its ever-increasing mana, Aiden." "And one dungeon gone wrong won''t stop the cycle." ''So strong emotions create mana.'' At that understanding, my mind thinks of ideas and plans for my dungeon without killing: ''This, this could work.''
Slime has been selected as your starting monster race
Fungi has been selected as your starting monster race
Ability Summon Monster has been unlocked
According to my Companion, slimes, plants, and fungi were the most lucrative, besides mimics. Plants and Fungi were popular as they were used for medicines and alchemy and for procuring wood and rarely would create elixirs. The slimes were the most common monsters but the most ubiquitously used, used for leatherworking, adhesives, lacquer, alchemy, binding agents, and more.
Task
-Summon Monster unlocked
Tutorial Step 5
Ask the Companion to open Affinity Status
Task
-Select Affinity
Choose Affinity to Unlock (3 selections left)
Fire Affinity -Unlocks fire affinity -Gives a moderate boost to fire affinity
Water Affinity -Unlocks water affinity -Gives a moderate boost to water affinity
Air Affinity -Unlocks air affinity -Gives a moderate boost to air affinity
Earth Affinity -Unlocks earth affinity -Gives a moderate boost to earth affinity
Arcane Affinity -Gives a medium boost to arcane affinity
Kinetic Affinity -Unlocks kinetic affinity -Gives a moderate boost to kinetic affinity
Life Affinity -Unlocks life affinity -Gives a moderate boost to life affinity
.... .....
"Normally, you could only choose between fire, water, air, earth, and the affinity originally possessed." My Companion mentions as he absentmindedly stares at what I assume is the shared screen. "Is this the only time I get to choose affinities?" "No, dungeon cores are given one perk every two levels, one affinity every five levels, and one trait for every ten levels. For affinities unlocking related higher tiered ones or bigger boost to unlocked affinities as levels grow." "Are there any other ways to acquire them except for leveling?" "For perks, no, as they are given directly by The System. For traits, technically, yes. Traits are talents and aptitudes you are born with, as you can tell by your traits. Gaining traits after birth happens to beings made of matter often; however, as dungeon cores are more just mana in the form of matter, the possibility is negligible; then again, you are a singularity among them, so I cannot say for certain. For affinities technically, everything has an affinity to everything. Only some affinities will be inefficient, and some will cause harm or death. As said before, Dungeon cores are beings of mana and can use every affinity without adverse effects. The System only locks them as trying multiple affinities at once without experience mostly explodes and destroys the dungeon core. More so, as it is more efficient to specialize in only one or two affinities. When you use the locked affinity with enough proficiency, it will automatically unlock. This has happened, but only for unlocking higher tired affinity in advance." "Got it, thanks." Hmm, as I learn about mana I''m definitely sure I could use my past life knowledge to unlock some affinities, for the world of Aetheria matter is mana taken form but to Earth, matter is much more complex and well-studied. "It''s my job."
Space Affinity has been selected
Life Affinity has been selected
Soul Affinity has been selected
As the message finished, I could feel things I had never felt before. The space we are in is more transparent in my mind than ever. I could feel the soul fluctuations and waves coming from my companion. I could feel my soul radiating in my core. It was so clear that I wondered just how I couldn''t feel this before. Then my Companion spoke, pulling me out of my reverie of feeling my new senses of the world. "Hope you know what you are doing." "I hope so, too." ''It''ll will work out, they have to work as I intended, otherwise I could only... No! I''ll try, and if it comes to worst, I will find a compromise."
Tutorial Step 6
Ask the Companion to open the Traits status
Task
-Select Traits
Choose Traits to Unlock (3 selections left)
Minor Mana Spring A spring of mana has formed inside you, increasing your self-mana generation -Doubles self mana generation
Solid Core Your core is harder to destroy than others -Gives a moderate boost to core defense -Gives a minor boost to damage reduction on the core
Regenerative Core Your core regenerates faster from damage -Gives a medium boost to the core''s natural regeneration
Water Attuned You are naturally attuned to water and its mana, giving you an advantage over it and affecting your dungeon monsters as well -Gives a generous boost to increasing water affinity -Your dungeon monsters gain a moderate boost to water affinity -Delvers get a minor boost to increasing water affinity
Trapper You have a fondness and interest in traps -Gives a moderate boost to traps you create
Charming Core You have a natural charm about you that makes you irresistible, affecting your core and dungeon monsters -Gives a major boost to the attraction of the dungeon to delvers -Gives a generous decrease in desire to harm your core to whoever notices you -Gives a large increase in desire for possession to whoever notices you -Gives a moderate increase to dungeon monsters'' natural charm
Smart You are brighter than others -Gives a moderate boost to intelligence
.... .....
As I perused through what seemed to be an endless list, I felt surprise from my companion. As I drift my attention to them, they speak before I ask.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "I was surprised about two things. These are all the options one could get, meaning all low-mid-high level traits are here. Another thing is I don''t recognize half of these traits. Aiden, The System imparted records of every dungeon that existed and is in Aetheria, with some limited system knowledge on Aetheria. These options are most likely from other dimensions governed by The System. I''ll remove all the low and mid-level ones; I''ll try to explain as best I can, even with my lack of knowledge on most of these traits or how they were put into practice. ....Sorry." I try to think of what to say but, in the end, don''t. I know that feeling, the feeling of uselessness, the feeling of being not enough, the feeling of helplessness. This isn''t about how I feel. It''s about how my Companion thinks of themself. So, I simply send my feelings to them, hoping it will help. "Thank you," I say, making sure they know I meant it. ''Now, let''s see.'' I busy myself by perusing the much shorter list now.
Trap Savant You have a knack for all sorts of traps as the traps you make become deadlier, more complex, more challenging to notice, cunning, and difficult to disarm. Your mind is filled to the brim with trap ideas, and you seem to gain inspiration from the simplest of things. -Gives an immense boost to all traps you personally create -Gives a major boost in designing traps and modifying traps -Gives a large boost to inspiration and creativity for traps -Your monsters gain a major boost using and creating traps
Immortal Core You have achieved immortality, however restricted it is, a considerable achievement nonetheless -Will lose invulnerability when all dungeon boss monsters are in respawn
Sadistic Bloodthirsty Heart You are sadistic and cruel. Screams of agony and wails of despair are the most exquisite music for you. Every moment, you imagine ways to torture and agonize your prey more efficiently, more tastefully, more agonizingly. Wicked machinations you create with such finesse, a talent gone wayward. -Gives an immense boost to negative emotions while inside your dungeon -Gives an immense decrease in positive emotions while inside your dungeon -Gives a major boost to sensitivity to pain while inside your dungeon -Gives a major decrease in willpower while inside your dungeon -Gives a major boost to torture devices and gruesome traps -Your dungeon monsters gain a generous boost to insanity and a generous boost to sadistic nature
Treasure Hoarder You are infatuated with valuables of all kinds and have become a connoisseur of them in the process. You dream of drowning in your collection of treasures and will forever desire more valuable and precious treasures. Your other passion is your abhorrence of thieves who aim for your treasures. -Gives an immense boost to all valuables you create -Gives an immense boost to appraisal -Gives a major boost to all resources in your dungeon -Gives a major boost to the chance of rare valuables appearing in your dungeon -Gives a major boost to dungeon monsters when guarding treasure or fighting thieves
Serene Mind You have learned to be untroubled, untouched even amid a storm. You are tranquil and at peace, and nothing will disturb your mind. -Gives an immense boost to the calmness of the mind -Gives an immense boost to defense against attacks to your mind -Your dungeon monsters gain a major boost to intelligence -Your dungeon monsters gain a major boost to mind defense -Your delvers gain a large boost to mind tranquility
Air Lord (Requires Air Affinity) You became a being of air; air is you, and you are air. Your core changed, and so too will your dungeon follow. For air is the only true thing you understand. -Change Dungeon Core race to True Air Dungeon Core race -Your dungeon will be filled with air mana, and the mana you purify will become air mana -Gives a colossal increase to air affinity and affinities associated with it -Restricts using and gaining affinities not related to air affinity -Your dungeon monsters gain an immense boost to air affinity and those associated with it -Your dungeon monsters are unable to evolve except for evolutions related to air affinity -Your resources and traps are imbued with air mana and gain a major boost to air-affiliated mana density -You are unable to gain resources and traps that are not of air affinity and those associated with it
A Million Curses (Requires Curse Affinity) You have been cursed, baring countless curses yet somehow managing not to shatter under its weight. No, you have exceeded it, and you now wield it like your own. You became the curses, and the curses became you. -Change Dungeon Core race to True Curse Dungeon Core race -Gives a monumental boost to curse affinity -Gives a monumental boost in creating and using curses -Your dungeon will be filled with curse mana, and the mana you purify will become curse mana -Restricts using and gaining affinities except for curse affinity -Your dungeon monsters gain a colossal boost to curse affinity -Your dungeon monsters are unable to evolve except for evolutions related to curse affinity -Your resources and traps are imbued with curse mana and gain an immense boost to curse mana density -You are unable to gain resources and traps that are not of curse affinity
.... .....
Finally, a few hours later, I decided on my choices.
Mana Conductor To you, mana is a friend, a companion, your life. You can use mana like no other; you do not need to think or act but do, and mana follows. You are a brilliant conductor of mana. -Gives an immense boost to mana sensitivity -Gives a major boost to proficiency gained for mana-related abilities -Increases Mana Manipulation proficiency by two tiers -Increases all mana-related abilities proficiency by one tier
I chose this one as it will help me unlock affinities. Even without that, since mana is the be-all and end-all, essentially the atoms of this world, having higher control over it will be very useful. Also, having the Pure Mana Crystal Origin trait, it seemed best to improve that advantage further. I also understood how my two traits were overpowered; these high-level traits become available once you reach level 100, and even then, the maximum boost is immense without penalties, yet I have two traits with monumental boost without penalties.
Mad Scientist of Amalgamation You are a genius, a mad one, but a genius, nonetheless. Capable of theoretically endless evolution, monsters are highly susceptible to change. You saw something in this: why wait for evolution when you can abuse this property? So, you did; you mixed and converged, united and merged, creating something new. -Changes Summon Monster to Create Monster -Gain more in-depth knowledge of the monsters you possess -Gain a colossal boost to comprehension of monster anatomy -Able to alter monster preset when using Create Monster -Able to adjust the monster when it forms when using Create Monster -Able to combine different elements when using Create Monster (Using incompatible and numerous components may lead to failure) -Any alterations made will not count toward evolution -Alteration limit correlates with monster knowledge, compatibility of components, degree of alteration, proficiency with Mana Manipulation and Mana Sense
I chose this one as it is affected by Mana Manipulation and Mana Sense. Also, according to my Companion, evolution is the main way for monsters to gain power; however, the difficulty of evolving increases exponentially for every evolution. For dungeons, this doesn''t matter as they summon already-evolved monsters, but it does give a better foundation, but as my Companion says, ''a waste of a high-level trait''. For me, it can help immensely with my plan.
System Access: Quest You have gained access to one of The System Powers: Quest. Able to give quests to delvers that enter your dungeon through The System; once a delver has completed the Quest, you will gain mana depending on the quest''s difficulty. You can establish rules in an enclosed environment that must be followed by all beings within (Including the dungeon monsters). -Able to give compulsory main quests and optional side quests -Able to assign rewards for completion and penalty for failure -Quests must comply with the dungeon rules -Quest zones must be set and need to make quests capable of completion within the quest zone -Able to set rules that must be followed (Limit of rules depends on the effect of rules; Limit will increase the higher the floor)
This prevents brute-force tactics and extremely powerful delvers from bulldozing their way to my core. But the fundamental reason I chose this is to guide and lure the delvers to my trap, not to kill them, of course. The dungeon rules are rules dungeons must obliged by. 1. Delvers must be able to access the entrance and dungeon core, so there is no blocking the entrance, making them starve to death, or hiding my core. 2. Delvers must have a chance to survive. Simply put, you cannot create a rockslide or cave-in, smashing them all or locking them in a cage with no way out, but you can lock them in a cage with a hidden switch to escape. 3. The dungeon must provide appropriate rewards. Simply put, we cannot give a legendary sword for killing a mob rat or coal for killing the boss monster, and obtainable resources must have risks appropriate to their value. 4. Dungeons cannot intervene in areas where delvers are present, so I can''t summon monsters right in front of them or make changes in their rooms. For quests, I cannot change the quest''s information in the middle or meddle with quest objectives after it is given. However, I can prepare a teleport trap for the monsters, put devices when activated, changes the room, and set conditions for quests; when triggered, changes the quest information and/or goal.
You have acquired the trait Mana Conductor
You have acquired the trait Mad Scientist of Amalgamation
You have acquired the trait System Access: Quest
At that, I find new information and senses in my world. Mana, which was clear and present in my senses, now feels like a part of my body; it''s like moving my arm. I don''t think or command it to move; it just does, and I can now sense the little differences of each mana more than before. I could feel something new within me as I was more connected to The System, a tiny amount but connected, gaining access to one of The System''s powers. "You are more sure and confident than before." My Companion says, I wonder about the meaning, then I realize that even though I have been resolute about not killing a part of myself was actually compromising and resigning, thinking, ''What can I do? Would I stay firm with my life on the line? Why not just accept and say It''s just how it is.'' But now, with these traits, my plan and idea just might be plausible. "Yeah, I got a good feeling about this." "Is that so." I didn''t feel anything from them concerning me, but I can''t back down, especially now when I picked traits revolving around my plan. ".....You know the drill next is perks."
Tutorial Step 7
Ask the Companion to open the Perks status
Task
-Select Perks
Choose Perks to Unlock (5 selections left)
Just a spoiler of a minor world-setting for normal dungeon cores. A normal Dungeon Core will have one point for Affinity, one for Traits, and three for Perks when level one Im Sorry and Thank You
Choose Perks to Unlock (5 selections left)
Basic Traps Provides schematics for basic traps -Includes net trap, pressure plate, arrow dispenser, and collapsing ceiling.
More basic loot Become familiar with basic loot to create more with the same mana -Gain a minor understanding of coins and basic loot
Animal Speed¢ñ Increases speed of all animal-type dungeon monsters -Gives a 5% increase in speed for all animal-type dungeon monsters
Fire Dungeon¢ñ It makes your dungeon more inclined to fire affinity -Gives a moderate boost to the probability of ambient mana changing to fire mana -Gives a minor boost to the probability of fire-based traits, perks, and evolutions appearing
More Mobs¢ñ Increase the limit of monster capacity -Gives a 5% increase to limit of mobs per floor
Water Traps ¢ô (Requires Water Traps¢ó) Provides schematics for water traps -Includes whirlpool, darkness-infused water, draining rain, haphazard waves, and crawling water.
Snow Floor Provides schematics for building snow-based floor -Imparted with the method of creating snow-based floor -Has a generous increase to all things related to water mana and ice mana -Has a generous decrease to all things related to fire mana and heat mana -Water and/or ice affinity monsters occupy less on limits for monsters per floor within this floor -Fire and/or heat affinity monsters occupy more on limits for monsters per floor within this floor
.... .....
"This one also has all the low-mid-high level perks, and I do not have information for some of them. I''ll sort this out for you."
Dungeon Instability (Requires Space and Time Affinity) Causes random distortions in the dungeon. -Will randomly distort the layout and environment of the dungeon -Will randomly teleport objects and monsters -Will randomly speed up anything in the dungeon -Will randomly speed down anything in the dungeon -Increases the chances the higher the floor
Echo of the Dead (Requires Death and Soul Affinity) Summon echos of the past of the one who has fallen in your dungeon -When a monster dies within your dungeon, the corpse will be reanimated for a short period of time before dissipating -When a delver dies within your dungeon, the remnants of the soul will form an incorporeal spirit attacking the nearest delver for a short time before dissipating -Time and strength will be affected by death and soul affinity
Sentient Traps Your traps gain sentience capable of growing and becoming deadlier -All traps will gain sentience -Traps will have intelligence depending on their tier and quality -Traps now have the chance to evolve -Traps can self improve itself -Traps gain an immense boost to regeneration -Traps will now respawn if destroyed
Invulnerability Zone Provides schematics for invulnerability zone -Monsters will become invulnerable when inside activated invulnerability zones -Will require a week of time after use to use again -Will have limited amounts and size per floor
Realm Of Illusions (Requires Illusion Affinity) Your dungeon becomes connected to the realm of illusions affecting your dungeon as a whole -Will create random illusions on floors (ex., hiding and creating pathways and traps, hiding and creating loot) -Will create random sensory illusions for delvers -Will provide illusions for monsters (ex. Hiding presence, making clones) -Illusions will appear frequently the higher the floor -Illusions will become harder to disrupt or counteract the higher the floor
Life Bloom (Requires Life Affinity) Your dungeon becomes a fountain of life -Gives an immense boost to all plant-type monsters -Gives an immense boost to all plant-type resources -Gives a major boost to monsters'' self-healing and healing received -Gives a generous boost to increasing and usage of life affinity for delvers
Curse of Sin: Pride (Requires Curse Affinity) Your dungeon becomes imbued with one of the curses of sin: pride -Delvers who enter your dungeon will become conceited, causing them to delve floors higher than appropriate for -Delvers will underestimate the dungeon, becoming more perceptible for attacks -Delvers will over-exert themselves than required -The curse will become stronger the higher the floor -The curse will become harder to dispel or counteract the higher the floor
.... .....
"I have also removed those providing schematics that I know of. With my imparted knowledge, I could explain the schematics, allowing you to create them without using perk points. It will be harder as it''s not provided directly by The System, but the advantages outweigh them." Hearing that, I couldn''t hold my surprise. Looking at these perks, there are several tempting choices already, and if the high-level perks providing schematics are just as alluring, it is a huge boon. "Does that mean I can slather the floors with high-level schematics?" "No, high-level schematics have high requirements, and implementing several on one floor could cancel or disrupt others. Not to mention the limited amount of mana density per floor." "Still, that in itself is a huge advantage." But that got me thinking: ''Why did he feel unenergetic when mentioning them.'' "Because most of the high-level schematics are deadly traps for killing, and the low-mid levels are something you could make with a little experimenting and creativity." ''A right, they can still hear my thoughts. Does that mean they heard everything up to now? Augh, really need to learn to control this.'' "Don''t worry. I didn''t hear everything. Only those with strong emotions attached that are related to me. You are already getting the hang of it, even without me teaching. Anyway, I''ve stalled you enough. Look through everything and choose the ones that best fit your plans." "Yeah, thanks." "Mnn." Hours later
Monster Horde Why have stronger monsters when you can have more? -You receive all the starting monster races -Your dungeon monster evolution lock is unlocked -For every 10 levels, instead of an evolution choice, you are given The Horde Upgrade choices -Increase the limit of boss monsters from every five levels to an additional one every 7th level (can place them anywhere except floors 5 and 10) -Doubles the number of floor bosses from one to two per floor -Tripeles the number of elite monsters from 3 to 9 per floor -Quadruples the limits for mobs per floor -Any perks increasing the number of monsters will always be applied first
Pools of Birth Your dungeon now becomes a sanctuary of birth -Your boss monster respawn time is halved -Your floor boss spawn time is reduced to one-third of its original -Your elite monsters gain the ability to respawn with a 1 hour waiting period -You can now build breeding grounds where mobs will be summoned automatically once a mob perishes using the ambient mana and remains of the dead mob -Any perks decreasing monster respawn time will be applied first
Lucky Evolution Your dungeon monsters are blessed by luck when it comes to evolution -Dungeon monsters gain an immense boost to evolving to desired paths -Dungeon monsters gain an immense boost in optimizing evolution -Dungeon monsters gain a major boost for evolution chance -Dungeon monsters gain a major decrease in difficulty for evolution
Ascension of elites Your titled monsters are more elite, unfixed, and simply more. They have ascended compared to others -Dungeon boss monsters gain an immense boost to their souls and conscious -Dungeon floor boss gain a major boost to their souls and conscious -Dungeon elite monsters gain a major boost to their souls and conscious -Titled dungeon monsters are free to move from their floors; however, respawn points must be placed on their floors -Increase dungeon boss monsters'' attributes and growth by 50% -Increase dungeon floor boss''s attributes and growth by 30% -Increase dungeon elite monsters'' attributes and growth by 20%
Unique Floors Your floors are one of a kind; delvers never know what is ahead -Eliminates some floor restrictions -Able to fuse multiple floors to one -Triples the floor size limit -Gain a colossal boost when using Alter Environment on floors -Able to name, theme, and specialize dungeon floors -Dungeon floors will gain bonus effects, rules, and penalties depending on the theme of the floor -You are unable to create the same themed floors
As I settle on these five perks, I hear my Companion say to me "Are you sure about these? The perk Monster Horde may seem powerful by increasing numbers and various monsters, but there''s a reason why the evolutions were locked to those optimal to their environment, and removing the evolution choice means you have to wait for an uncertain time until something evolves in order to summon it, it''s easier in the beginning, but evolution becomes more challenging and longer to take the higher they are. Even with Lucky Evolution helping, it seems more efficient to choose other perks." "I understand, but can you answer me this: is there a schematic for increasing time flow for floors?" "Of course, but they are extremely mana-heavy, something you couldn''t use as of now unless...?" "Remember why I was chosen?" "Then why didn''t you choose time affinity?" "Oh, I think I did technically." At the confusion coming off them, I just laugh and say "Look, I know I will be very different than any dungeon in your knowledge, but please trust me on this. I am betting my life on this. You can admonish me as much when this all fails" "OUR lives, actually. You''re the dungeon core in charge of this dungeon, not me. I won''t criticize you anymore for how you run it." At that, I make my choice.
You have acquired the perk Monster Horde
You have acquired the perk Pools of Birth
You have acquired the perk Lucky Evolution
You have acquired the perk Ascension of Elites
You have acquired the perk Unique Floors
Tutorial Step 8
Ask the Companion to unlock Monster LinkThis tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Ask the Companion to unlock monster knowledge
Task
-Create monster -Command monster
"Here you go."
Ability Monster LInk has been unlocked
You have acquired the knowledge for starting monster race Animal Type
You have acquired the knowledge for starting monster race Plant Type
You have acquired the knowledge for starting monster race Spirit Type
You have acquired the knowledge for .......
Wow, that''s a load of knowledge being injected into me. As it is processed in me, I could feel the trait Mad Scientist of Amalgamation working inside me, letting me gain and see more than I could without it. I now know every organ and its usage for each monster. I know characteristics that can naturally occur between the same races, and I somehow just know things I could adjust in their mana structure, which is something like genetic makeup. I know the differences and similarities between different monster races and how some parts could be combined; I can now picture the monster''s anatomy to the point of cells. ''This feels wonderful, doesn''t it?'' Before, receiving knowledge was like being dumped trash, but this feels like my mind is expanding, and new understandings are forming in my mind as enlightenment embraces me. I wake from my trance when it is all processed, embracing the afterglow from what felt like days but were mere seconds. Then I hear my companion ask worriedly "You okay? You seem out of it, but that normally doesn''t happen." "Yeah, yeah, I''m fine, just had a mind-blowing experience." As I explained what happened to me "That''s different. Monster summoning for here is like copying and printing the given preset, so they only need to know how to use the printer, but for you it seems you now khow how the printer works and its components. I should have been capable of warning you before." "Hey, no worries, it wasn''t like a bad experience." "No. No, it''s not Aiden. That was very dangerous. You have a combination of perks and traits that would normally be impossible, and at such a low level, nonetheless. There have been cases where dungeons went insane, absorbing too many memories at low levels. You are only okay now due to your ability Enhanced Mind and memories from your past life." "Oh, I... I didn''t know I''ll be careful next time, um, but what does the ability Enhanced Mind do actually?" "No, it happened due to my incompetence; I could have stopped you if I had knowledge of these traits and perks or, at the very least, warned and prepared you, such... You asked what Enhanced Mind does, right? It is one of the most important abilities dungeon cores are born with. It allows them to store and process vast amounts of information and helps split their minds into different places to handle different things. As dungeons get bigger, the amount of information gathered and work that needs their attention exponentially increases, becoming impossible to manage without the ability." "Oh, that''s neat, umm, so should I start?" "Go ahead. I won''t say anything, as you probably know more than me on this." I begin focusing on my intent; this time, I don''t notice a change with mana as before, then realize my increase in proficiency with mana made it feel malleable and manipulative all the time. Immediately, as I visualize, I see all the monster presets I have. After thinking about my surroundings, I chose Fungi as it will best suit this place. I started looking at the few options among fungi monsters. I chose a mildly hallucinogenic mushroom as it glows the brightest and beautifully and will really liven up my core room. Then I notice my trait, Mad Scientist of Amalgamation, take effect, allowing me to alter the preset in my mind as I make it healthier, improving its natural self-healing and resilience, making it glow brighter with more colors. When I was done, I basically optimized its genes to be the one-in-a-million-best mushroom ever. Then, I injected the mana needed as the circle took form and became more solid. Finally, I released Create Monster. Then, times seemed to slow down. As my mind accelerated, I felt the mana move, the circle''s existence getting stronger in front of me, similar but less complicated compared to Summon Companion, mana beginning to glow, coalescing to the shape of a mushroom. That''s when I strike, first imbuing the Spirt race''s ability to glow using mana and soul, strong healing slime to flow through like blood, combining the plants'' and fungi''s abilities to absorb nutrients and mana, strengthening them, and finally, I inject more of my mana converting it to arcane mana and life mana imbuing more affinity for mana and empowering its lifeforce, finishing off with my soul affinity to direct some soul mana produced by my soul fluctuations, doing all this with my mind reeling and going overdrive as I finish just in time before the mana begins to take the final form, changing mana to matter. As I watch the process finish with severe mental fatigue like going through two days with no sleep, surviving off coffee. My first monster was created in front of me. A 1.2-meter tall mushroom with a thick white stem, a large wide cap on top with an underside glowing soft blue, and its top emitting a gentle, soothing glow of iridescence with all hues of colors similar to my core that is mesmerizing and most noticeable feature is lace attached like the mushroom phallus indusiatus glowing with a bright green filled with life. I watch in anticipation as I command it to shine brighter, and it does just that as soon as I think about it. As I look at every part of it with my 360 degrees of vision, I couldn''t care damn less about my mental fatigue. So excited and euphoric, I shouted to my companion. "ARE YOU SEEING THIS? I MEAN FUCK. Is that not the most beautiful thing you have ever seen or what? I DID THAT! ME, created this MOTHERFUCKING MASTERPIECE, FUCKING YESSSS!!!" "Um....it''s a mushroom, Aiden." "THIS IS THE SHIT I''M TALKING ABOUT!" "It''s just a glowing mushroom; its hallucinogenic abilities are just enough to affect a rat. Aiden, you spend all that mana on this?" "I AM A FUCKING GOD!" "AIDEN!!!" ''Huh! *mental hiccup*'' Anger and helplessness crashing into me through our bond, as they talk to me while trying to calm down "Aiden, you used nearly 15 mana for something originally costing one mana, ignoring that you used all that mana for what is essentially a nightlight. Fuhhh... Aiden, a dungeon''s first monster, is unique as they usually gain a special title, Guardian, specializing in protecting the core. I didn''t tell you because you were against killing, and I didn''t want to force you to make a lethal weapon. At the very least, I thought you would create a monster capable of defending. Why are you so difficult to deal with?" ''Ah, the disappointment, the expectations, me fucking it up, makes me feel like back then, it''s been a while since I felt this way again'' "I''m...I''m sorry." ''I hate this, I hate this, I hate this, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, why am I like this, why do I always ruin things, I''m a pit where all things go wrong, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. I wanna cry. I don''t want to feel bad for feeling sad, I don''t want to feel like this, I don''t want to be like this. I''msorry, I''msorry, I''msorry, I''msorry, I''m s" Then, a touch, as Companion floats up and puts their forehead on my core, locking eyes with it. As they speak to me in a cautious and pleading voice. "Aiden, I''m sorry. I didn''t know. I didn''t intend for things to turn out this way; I didn''t intend to make you feel this way, yet I did, and for that, I am incredibly sorry and remorseful. It''s actually fine; how many dungeons do you think summoned a perfect strong monster for the first time with the intelligence of a newborn, yet they did fine. I...I only said those things because I expected something different due to your past life memories. Aiden, we are not in a good situation; even with all the help the system gave, there''s a high chance it might not be enough. The Abyss, I have records about when it emerged in Aehteria of how it ruined an entire kingdom, it is so much worse than you can think. You act like nothing''s wrong, or there isn''t a threat that could destroy us below, worrying me. As The System imparted me with knowledge, I was appointed to help you solve The Abyss as best I could. But that''s not the reason I want us to succeed. I want us to succeed for you. Aiden, as your companion, you are my number one priority; I want to make sure you are safe and for you to become powerful enough so nothing can hinder you; I want you to live as long as possible. But all that did was push you and hurt you. I''m sorry, Aiden. You are my number one priority; I should have cared more for you at present than about you in the future." After that, we just stayed there for who knows how long, them staring at my core, forehead still touching, and me not knowing what to say and keeping silent. The silence is broken as they stop the contact floating down to the ground. "Shall we continue the tutorial?" Their voice was the same as the first time I heard them: androgynous and untinged with emotions. Giving an affirmation through the bond, they continue as they pull out the screen for me.
Tutorial Step 9
Ask the Companion about Expand Aura
Task
-Learn ability Expand Aura
"Now you would have noticed your abilities and vision only extend to 1 meter, the core of which is your center; this is the expanse of your aura. Now, you can expand your aura in any direction; they don''t even have to be a straight line; the only limit is they have to be all connected, and the limit of your aura corresponds to your level and mana capacity. The reason the ability Expand Aura is learned and not unlocked like previous ones is that it is unique to every dungeon. The way to expand is simply to visualize your mana and push it to the aura with the intent of expanding. This is where it becomes unique; there is no correct way to visualize it; it could be like the tide pulling back and forth, roots growing to expand, wind weathering it away, or crushing the hindrances. Each way is personalized; though they may have similarities, they are never the same, like fingerprints. So dedice the method that fits you the most, and it will be done." In the end, they just stood still, waiting for me to accomplish the task; wanting to increase my aura to see more, I began. I felt the mana in my aura and tried to visualize all the examples my companion said that had passed through my mind, yet none of them resonated with me. Thinking about my affinities, I ponder over them, and one sticks out like a thumb. Space is something that has just recently become apparent, yet it is so familiar and effortless. As I felt the space within my aura, I locked on and isolated it, visualizing this isolated sphere of space twisting and folding, expanding and retracting till the once isolated sphere of space became a two cubic meters cube, my aura expanding precisely like it.
Learned ability Expand Aura
"Well done, space expansion visualization, well, isn''t that rare." They comment with subtle joy and an inconspicuous smile on their face.
Tutorial Step 10
Ask the Companion for directions to the entrance
Task
-Have an entrance
"This one will take some time, Aiden; please dig straight up roughly 6.4km until we reach the surface." "Wait, 6.4km." "Yes, we are quite far underground with a mountain on top, you see; as such, I advise you to make your aura as small as possible while going up." "And we do this because...?" "Because without an entrance, we cannot build floors and function as a dungeon." "Ughhh, finneee, time to grind."
6.3 Km Left Till Surface "You know it will really be great to tell the time expect for checking my mana capacity." "Oh, there''s a time display option you can use on your Status Screen." "THERE IS??!!" "I should''ve told you that sooner, shouldn''t I?"
5.8 Km Left Till Surface "Hey, I reached the limit for my aura. How do I level up?" "Simple, by consuming mana that equals 50% of your mana capacity, increasing the size of your core in the process." "Well, that''s gonna take a few hours then." "What do you mean the things you absorbed should have been more than enough to max out your mana?" "When you say absorbed, do you mean all the ores, stones, crystals, and gemstones in my interdimensional storage?" "Aiden, you can absorb mana and matter, converting them to mana usable by you." "Hey, then why did the tutorial only mention absorb matter?" "To provide enough mana for Summon Companion to activate when in an enclosed space and/or is not injected with sufficient mana. Why did you use Absorb Mana and Absorb Matter simultaneously, making me unable to notice?" "Well, you know what happens when mana gets stripped from matter. I''m not letting these beauties go to waste."
4.5 Km Left Till Surface "Hey, do you know where we are since you know the distance to the surface?" "It''s a function companions are given to find the most optimal entrance build point, but I do know the geography of this plane from the improved general knowledge from The System. The Material Plane, with the one and only continent Solara, has four main ruling countries in each direction with similar power and territory. These countries are called The Alliance of the Free Lands, Emerald Grove, Steelheart Confederacy, and The Sacred Order. We are situated in the middle of the continent called The Forbidden." "Having a wild assumption that not many people visit guessing by the name, won''t that be a problem for us?" "No, it was forbidden by The System itself, causing no one daring to trespass it; I''m sure The System will notify the people. Even if not, dungeons are lucrative abodes with infinite resources. They have devices for sensing new dungeons when the entrance is opened; I''m sure they will check if not for checking the anomaly in The Forbidden."
3.6 Km Left Till Surface "Thank you." "Excuse me, I do not understand for this sudden thanks." "Thank you for apologizing when you figured out I wasn''t doing well." "Of course, I did what was only natural as your companion." "No, it wasn''t. It isn''t obvious, and it isn''t natural; you chose to apologize when you could have not. I will not disrespect you labeling that as ''Of course''." "But, I''m your companion. It is my duty to" "No. At least I don''t feel it that way. You are more than my companion. You''re an individual with thoughts and feelings who makes choices and speaks their opinions." "I hurt you. I hurt you badly because of them." "No, you hurt me because I cared, because you are important to me because I care about how you feel and think about me because you''re the best thing that has happened to me ever since waking up in this world. I was afraid of you being disappointed in me, hating me. I thought you would give up on me." "I won''t, never." "But I''m afraid no matter what you say or the truth you convey. I''m sorry, and thank you for apologizing." "Does this mean you forgive me?" "What''s there to forgive? I was just being a nincompoop, and you were just frustrated these things happen." "...."
2.7 Km Left Till Surface "I''m sorry." "Huh, woah, what''s this all of a sudden?" "I''m sorry about how I forced my view on running a dungeon, on the need to kill; I''m sorry for being obstinate without listening; I''m sorry I went against you. I''m sorry for not following your ways. I''m so" "Ok, stop. First, don''t ever apologize for going against me or not following my ideas and views. What happened then. We were just new and rusty. I was adamant about not killing, and you couldn''t see another way besides that. Sure, I could have listened and patiently explained my reasons to you, finding a compromise. You could have listened to my ideas and tried to reason with me or compromise. Things could have gone better, but that was our best then. We simply had different ideals that clashed, nobody was wrong so don''t ever apologize for that and don''t ever follow or comply with me without fighting for your views. I''m not always right and so are you, that''s why fights and conflict is needed. Thank you. By the way, I should have said that first, and I forgive you. I''m sorry I didn''t hear you out. I''m sorry I shut you down without trying to understand. I''m sorry I didn''t consider your feelings and reasons." "Thank you, and I forgive you." "Neat, so we cool." "Yes."
2 Km Left Till Surface "Aiden, you said I was helping by being here, being me." "Umm, yeah. Still true now, too." "To stay by your side, listen and laugh to your stupid nonsense, calm you when you get too anxious, say how I really feel about things, and tell you my honest opinions." "Uhuh, yep, all true." "To be someone you can depend on, and you''ll try making me depend on you." "Uhuh, what are you getting at?" "Aiden, as I mentioned before, I''m not made for all those things. Nothing in the knowledge I have contains any instructions to fulfill them, but they also don''t have instructions why I cannot try." "You..." "Aiden, you are a singularity like no other, and being tied to you, so am I, but I cannot accept it and change without problem. I will learn and try to be those things, but it''ll take time, and I may very well never be those things. Even then, will you wait for me?" "OF COURSE! Absolutely. Onehundo percent...Can I just add something to the list?" "What would it be?" "One day, you will change for yourself; one day, even if you don''t change or don''t understand, you will be proud for trying." "Yes, I will add that to my list. And Aiden." "Huh?" "You''re the most pain in the ass dungeon core and hell to deal with." "MY, MY, but I can''t help myself. I mean, can you truly blame me when I am this fabulous? Puh...HAHAHAHA!"
300 Meters Left Till Surface "Hey, thank you for being here." "Where else would I be?" "I mean being my companion, thank you for being my companion; I''m thankful out of all the companions I could''ve possibly gotten that it''s you. And I''m thankful for meeting you, for you being in my life." "...Aiden." "..." "Thank you for being my dungeon core, I''m thankful out of all the dugeon cores I could''ve possibility bonded, I bonded with you. And I''m thankful for meeting you, to be assigned to you, for you being in my life."
O Meters Left Till Surface A hole emerges in the middle of Mount. Starfall, situated in The Forbbiden. Current Status Of Aiden
Name Aiden
Race Dungeon Core
Titles The System Chosen, Knowledge of Another World
Dungeon Name N/A
Level 4
Affinity Arcane, Space, Life, Soul
Current Mana 2500/7000
Self Mana Generation 4/hour
Exterior Mana Conversion 70/hour(Max)
Abilities Absorb Mana, Absorb Mass, Interdimensional Storage, Alter Environment, Create Trap, Create Resources, Extraction, Enhanced Mind, Create Monster, Monster Link, Transfer Room, Grandmaster Mana Manipulation, Veteran Mana Sense, Veteran Mana Conversion, Veteran Mana Purification
Traits Born of Arcane Mana, Pure Mana Crystal Origin, Blessed by Dimensions, Mana Conductor, Mad Scientist of Amalgamation, System Access: Quest
Perks Monster Horde, Pools of Birth, Lucky Evolution, Ascension of Elites, Unique Floors, Bigger Aura¢ñ, Mines¢ñ
New perks
Bigger Aura¢ñ Increases aura Limit -5% increase to total aura limit
Mines¢ñ Increases quality of mining resources -5% increase in quality of mining resources
BANG "FUCKING FINALLY, oh my gosh, that took how many days?" "Roughly about 108 hours, which is about 4 days minus 4 hours." "Huh?...Oh, right, a different world with different hours for days. Still, it felt like weeks of mining and expanding, the job being so monotonous and tedious." "Well, good work with that; I''m sure the next one will be much more exciting, if not just as taxing." "You know you are becoming a lot snarkier now." "Ohh, and do you regret making and allowing me." "Naah, bring it on bitch. I''ve got years worth of internet bullshit to be fazed by that." "Fuhuhu, I''m sure you do."
Tutorial Step 11
Ask the Companion instructions for building floors Ask the companion to unlock all the other abilities
Task
-Learn how to build floors -Unlock all abilities
"Now, as you are aware, you can only do things in your aura and had no problem absorbing anything within them. That won''t be the case for absorbing living things or fresh corpses; even when in your aura, you are incapable of absorbing them. You can only absorb corpses when they are on your designated dungeon floors. When you designate your dungeon floor, the boundaries are changed to become invulnerable or distorted. For example, stone, wood, metal, or any solid will become impervious, while air, water, lava, or any form of nonliquid will nullify any attacks made from in and out, making it impossible to hurt something inside from the outside and vice versa. The way to designate your floors is by gathering the mana in the boundaries you want, and when it becomes an enclosed space, it will be done. You can change these boundaries anytime unless a delver is present. However, all the resources and monsters within the moved floor area will dissipate quickly. That''s where Transfer Room comes in; you can move all the monsters, layout, and resources to another designated floor with nothing overlapping that is in the same tier. Tiers means floors from 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, and so on. " "Wait, what about microorganisms?" "What? Oh, right, those. They don''t exist hear as their roles are replicated by mana, even the diseases, infections, and plagues are caused by mana." "And what do you mean by dissipating?" "You can only summon monsters and Create Resources on dungeon floors; it anchors their existence to the floor, allowing them to function. They can, of course, move away from it. They only dissipate because there is nothing connecting them to this reality." "Then my mushroom." "It''s anchored directing to your core; that''s what makes the first monster special. The other summoned monsters need to be anchored on a floor; that is also the reason for the limited number of monsters per floor: a safe lock The System implemented immobilizing dungeons spawning unlimitedly, resulting in monster waves. Now to unlock your abilities."
Ability Alter Environment has been unlocked
Ability Create Trap has been unlocked
Ability Create Resources has been unlocked
Ability Extraction has been unlocked
Ability Transfer Room has been unlocked
Basic flora and fauna schematics received
Tutorial Step 12
Build your first floor
Task
-First floor complete
"Well, it''s time for your plans to start now." "Yeah, before that, what does Extraction and Create Resources specifically do?" "Extraction is only usable on dungeon floors; instead of absorbing things for mana, you absorb the schematic for it, allowing you to replicate it with Create Resources. Create Resources are also used for designating spots on your dungeon floor, making them into nodes where the resources in them will be regenerated if any are missing in different locations within the node in a day''s time." Hearing the abilities of Extraction made me light up as it would be a tremendous help to my plan. "One other thing, now that we''re outside, can you procure things to use for Extraction?" "Yes, actually, I was about to suggest that, but for that, spread out your aura to the surface, as I can only exist within your aura." "Huh, didn''t know, will be noted." With that, I split my mind into two, which I learned how to do by practicing using one to expand and one to absorb. It was trippy as hell at first, but now I''ve gotten used to it being only slightly dizzy. I used one mind to expand my aura down the mountain, while the other I tried to designate my newly open entrance space as my floor. It was done in a jiffy with my mana manipulation. Then I did the same in my core room because even though I can manipulate mana anywhere in my aura, it gets harder the further away from my core, and I noticed those restrictions lessen on the floor. First, I will use Extraction on all the stuff inside my inventory, gaining much more in-depth knowledge of their structure. When I finished with that, I started using my title, Knowledge of Another World, to create the things needed in my plan and using Extraction not only to better understand it. But also making them createable using Create Resources, as using Knowledge of Another World takes 10 times more mana than Create Resources. As I was doing all that, I reached the end of the mountain, beginning to notice greenery appearing and my companion outside; expanding further, a forest appeared. As the aura expanded to 20 meters into the forest, I heard the voice of my companion. "Aiden, that''s enough. I can see kilometers of the same-looking forest ahead; expanding further is not worth the gain; spread your aura elsewhere to create your floor, or do you want this forest to be your first floor?" "No, though this is the environment I want, I need an enclosed space to better utilize my plan." "Got it; well, I will start foraging." "Yeah, I designated the mountain entrance as a floor. You can leave them there, or do you need me to put the floor closer?" "No, don''t, though you could change your floor area. It''s very timely and taxing. Another safe lock The System put so that the dungeon can''t put floors everywhere, absorbing everything." I watch for a while at my companion, flying around, collecting something new each time, and then start focusing on creating my floor. I planned on making my floor inside the mountain. First, I finish creating and extracting everything I need. Then I use my split minds, one to expand and one to absorb, as I create a long 200-meter straight hallway enough to fit two people starting from my entrance. Once finished, I started making room for all my resources and monsters. By the time my companion finished foraging everything and some more, I had finished my floor room, which was a 1.5-kilometer cube. "Just how many floors is this?" "Three floors in total." "Now what?" "Well, remember how I asked you about some schematics and learning them while tunneling for the entrance? I''m gonna use them now." "Which one?" "You''ll see." There were many fascinating schematics, but only a few truly caught my attention, learning them while tunneling to help with the boredom. Now, I''m trying to test out just how well I learned. I focused on the 1.5km cube, especially feeling the boundaries of the floor; what I''m about to do is to expand the space here. This is possible due to the specialty of floor boundaries being invulnerable and durable enough to withstand such a volume of expansion. I could actually do this in the air, too, but I felt like that would be incredibly harder with all the movements. It doesn''t matter for other dungeons since the system helps, but I''m cheesing it here, so it''s one of the reasons I chose to build inside the mountain since the room will be surrounded by solid everywhere. After feeling the space thoroughly, I start converting all the mana to space mana, adding my own mana where there''s not enough, and filling the cube with it. Then, when it comes to the faces, I intertwine and structure the mana like a lattice covering the whole cube, then I isolate this space but leave a passage in the hallway. When done, I could feel the space exist in another realm yet still present here, anchored to the hallway. I observe the hallway and see how the space is distorted, becoming hazy, unable to see the inside of the cube. Now that this space is isolated, I can alter it. I feel the space mana filling the cube, then manipulate it to twist and turn, eventually folding the space onto itself and doubling the space. I try as many times as possible and eventually fold it two more times with great effort as the space is expanded by 8 times, reaching my limit. The cube now from the outside is only 1.5 cubic kilometers, but the space inside is 12 cubic kilometers. Then, I feel enormous mental fatigue crashing on me as I fall into the state of meditation.
A few hours later, I woke up seeing my companion next to my core, feeling their worry. "Aiden! You''re awake." Relief washes over them as they feel my awakening "Yep, didn''t know that would happen. I guess I overdid it, huh?" "Yes, yes you did, Aiden. You are really something, you know that?" "I''ll take that as a compliment. But, hey, look, the space now is huge!!" My companion sighed but followed my lead "Yes, honestly I''m surprised you were able to do so, I thought you would be lucky if you could only manage to fold it once." "Hehe, what can I say? I am awesome." "Fine, I''ll give you that since normally dungeons spend their mana for The system to intervene in something like space expansion. But having too much space isn''t always good. You do have plans to use all of it, right?" "Of course, now no time to waste I have experimenting to do." I moved my attention to the forest, feeling the earth mixed with decomposed plants and animals, the small pockets of water and air; I felt the mana imbued in the earth warm, solid, moving, and shifting. I sensed the mana in the earth moving the nutrients and decomposing the remains. As I observe, I also manipulate and change the ambient arcane mana in front of my core. The mana changes, imitating the earth and the mana imbued, and then the arcane mana forms and bonds, changing to earth mana, forming matter that is earth.
You have unlocked Earth Affinity
As I unlocked earth affinity, I could feel more. The way earth holds life mana within, as it guides the life mana to the trees and plants, as they give life mana back to the earth enriching it. In a cycle of giving back and forth, I converted the earth mana to life, giving it to the plants as they released another form of mana that slowly changed to earth mana, enriching the soil. I partake in this cycle, trying to feel the new mana, getting a hold of it. ThenUnauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
You have unlocked Nature Affinity
I feel the movement of life in the trees as they absorb nutrients and convert sunlight to energy, as small critters eat and kill, as one life''s flame bursts, using all the fuel dying out, and those that consume to gain their life. Life begins because it ends; life shines and burns as darkness surrounds it; I watch the cycle of life as one is converted to another to be born anew.
You have unlocked Death Affinity
Getting everything I needed from there, I moved on to my floor. In my 1.5-kilometer cube with a space of 12 cubic kilometers, I first started with the easiest one. I start vacuuming the air in my storage, separating the oxygen from the rest and combining it with the oxygen I got from mining. I filled a part of the room with oxygen and summoned coal in my storage. Then, I start to manipulate the arcane mana in the air to become faster and faster; fire needs fuel, an oxidizing agent, and heat. The first two I have, and heat is movement. As mana starts becoming faster and faster, the arcane mana changes, and the space gets hotter and hotter when, finally, combustion.
You have unlocked Heat Affinity
I observe and sense the mana and how it moves in the fire; as atoms and mana become free from the coal, becoming gases, then these gases react with the oxygen and air mana, engulfing it, becoming faster to create more heat, and waves are produced, creating light. I then shift my attention to another corner, using heat mana to raise the temperature, then I move the arcane mana, imitating the mana in the fire as I sense the change in the arcane mana reacting with the heat as it combusts creating a floating fireball fuel by mana.
You have unlocked Fire Affinity
Then I feel the air and mana surrounding the fire, as air and mana within expand from the heat, moving rapidly. As it moves, becoming farther apart and slowly floating to the top, I sense how, as it cools at the top, becoming closer and denser, falling to the bottom. I see manas that are different from fires and lights created as coal burns, releasing carbon dioxide and changing the mana in the coal. I imitate the arcane mana following the movements as the arcane mana changes to be further apart and expands, taking form.
You have unlocked Air Affinity
I create water in another corner, observing it fall and splash, feeling how it sticks to itself and the walls. I move the oxygen and the air mana within and summon hydrogen from storage as I mix and mingle them, imitating the water and mana movement as slowly the gases and mana mix, the hydrogen and oxygen forming bonds becoming water and water mana.
You have unlocked Water Affinity
Then, I take control of the water and water mana, slowing the movement as the bonds become further, creating a crystal lattice structure. As it becomes solid, the water and water mana change to something new.
You have unlocked Ice Affinity
I create heat mana surrounding the ice, watching how the heat makes the mana move as ice and ice mana becomes water and water mana, then the water moves faster with the heat, speeding up to the point where it becomes free, breaking from its form as the water and mana changes floating with the rising air.
You have unlocked Steam Affinity
I move the steam and mana within to a small box I created with earth mana enclosing it; I heat the box and watch as the steam and air become faster, creating more force as it becomes faster, eventually to the point of breaking the box.
You have unlocked Kinetic Affinity
I sense the kinetic mana as it explodes, with another similar mana, using kinetic mana to imitate the waves passing through the air, solids, and water vibrating them.
You have unlocked Sound Affinity
I sense a familiar wave from the fire burning, imitating the sound waves to match them. I see them change to become something visible.
You have unlocked Light Affinity
I created light mana, watching the waves move and reflect, creating places without. Something that became of due to the light, I sense mana from the light changing becoming the opposite.
You have unlocked Shadow Affinity
I created steam, letting it rise up, hitting the ceiling, moving some heat mana away from the ceiling, cooling it further, watching the air and steam cool down as the water coalesces around mana and dust, some becoming ice, but not falling by the updraft of air and steam mana I keep creating, eventually becoming bigger creating something visible.
You have unlocked Cloud Affinity
As the air, water, and ice collide, I sense a movement, electrons and mana moving with each collision, the lower side having more than the upper; when it reaches the point where the electron and mana move, from the lower side to the upper, creating lightning. I create water, air, and ice colliding them feeling the shift of mana with each collision I get a hold of the mana speeding this process when one side became more and the other less I release my control as the mana changes and moves.
You have unlocked Lightning Affinity
As lighting is made, I feel the heat and how it causes the air to expand, causing shockwaves; I imitate them with my sound mana.
You have unlocked Thunder Affinity
Then, the cloud I was making became big enough to fill the ceiling, and lightning formed in the clouds as one lightning struck the floor.
You have unlocked Storm Affinity
I feel the water in the cloud become too heavy for the updraft as it falls to the floor.
You have unlocked Rain Affinity
Then I remove the heat mana in the ceiling to the point of freezing temperature, making the water cold, introducing ice mana to it as the freezing water clings and forms ice, those ice colliding with other ice and water becoming bigger and bigger, becoming too heavy for the updraft eventually falling and shattering on the floor.
You have unlocked Hail Affinity
As I keep making steam mana and air mana float up, I create wind shear, moving the air mana in different directions in the floor and ceiling, rotating the storm above, creating a column of air in the middle as it gets faster and faster, and the column tighten and descend to the ground
You have unlocked Tornado Affinity
I immediately changed the heat mana, cooled it down, controlled the air mana to stop the wind, and put the water in my storage. The tornado and storm disappeared without it, getting closer to my affinity experiment. I summon ores and felt the earth''s mana in them, watching them move as I heat them, watching impurities break and move away and separate from the metal. I feel the change in the earth mana as the metal is purified; taking control of it, I start pulling, speeding up the purification as slag forms and pools, and metal floats with my control on top.
You have unlocked Metal Affinity
I then summon all the ores in my storage in the middle, using telekinesis with kinetic mana, forming a floating ball of ore, then I heat it up, increasing pressure to condense it more, adding more ores along, as the ball of ore becomes bigger, heavier, and denser, I focus on the space mana feeling it move the denser the ball became, I feel another force and mana twisting the space, feeling and imitating it eventually.
You have unlocked Gravity Affinity
Using gravity mana to twist the space mana and increase the ball''s density, as the space mana twists more, I feel a connection to the space mana with a different mana, something coexisting with it as I feel the space mana and reach for the mana already in it.
You have unlocked Time Affinity
''Hewwww, that was exhausting.'' I then check my status for the result, feeling proud of the list "Huh, hey, why do I have this much mana?" "..." "Um, Companion, Companion, COMPANION." "OH YES, sorry, just a little overwhelmed. Aiden, did you know this would happen?" "Huh, I mean sort of. I thought science could help me get some affinities, but it''s not really that great, right? It just unlocks affinities, not become a master at it. The knowledge I have is pretty basic, and I barely was able to do this by using my photographic memory." "Your what?" "The ability from the title Knowledge of Another World." "That one, of course, Aiden. What you accomplished is unprecedented; to have these many affinities is another, but your affinities for them are all above average, even from dungeon core standards. You created a STROM AND TORNADO. For goodness sake, how are you not shocked by this?" "Because The System is not stupid." "Huh?" "As I said, the knowledge I have is very superficial; if someone like me could accomplish this much, then what would someone who specializes in them, or from a civilization far more advanced than Earth? I read the description of the title Knowledge of Another World; having past memories is rare, but not so much as my Blesses By Dimensions. The System should have encountered these souls or at least been capable of preserving their past life memories, but they chose me. Why?" "Then why do all this." "For my dungeon, of course!! These affinities will help immensely in making the dungeon of my dreams. Look, The System is much more intelligent than both of us. When I contracted with them, I could feel how they wanted to protect this place from the abyss; I''m sure I was born as a dungeon core for reasons I do not know. Since The System decided, then I''m going the make the best fucking dungeon there is. Anyway, will you answer my question?" "Yeah, sure, your dungeon floor boundaries are like veins, not only allowing you to channel mana through them but also adjusting mana density between floors to make them suitable. What you did made such a big change, causing the mana''s self duplication properties to flourish, producing excess mana, with no other floors to distribute they were gained by you." "Cool." "Are you okay? I was worried when you became unresponsive." "Yeah, I''m fine. I''m a little tired, but not too much. Unlike before, I was guiding the natural reactions, not forcing them." Now, finally, we move on to the last part of the experiment, making the sun. There were schematics for creating a day-night cycle but in the form of illusions, which didn''t work for me. I created ledges near the ceiling and then made water crystals. Crystals capable of producing water as long as there is sufficient mana; creating it is simple: just combine water mana with mana crystals that are abundant near my core. As the water was pouring out the crystal below the pool I made, I created two copper rods, put them in the water, then used lighting mana to move the electrons from one to another and use lighting mana to pass electricity through the water, then voila hydrogen from one end and oxygen from the other. I started creating three more for each wall. Putting the hydrogen in my storage and leaving the oxgen in the room. Next, I isolated a small section of space on the ceiling; in there, I started summing hydrogen into it, using heat mana to move them faster and faster. As I kept pumping hydrogen into the limited space and put more heat mana, the rising pressure and temperature were insane. "Ai..." But I kept going as it wasn''t enough for fusion. "AID...." I didn''t know how long I did this, but finally, I could feel the change as hydrogen colliding and bouncing started to merge. As I was watching in anticipation, I didn''t hear my Companion screaming. You know it all good and well, trying atom fusion and all, but one small thing: mana changes everything. At that moment, my instinct was wringing like crazy. As time slowed down in my mind, I started building a wall to the hallway, quickly designating it as my floor. Unfortunately, I didn''t get to seal it completely before the fusion happened. *BAAAANNNNNGGGGG* The isolated space I made shattered, the explosion filling the entire room and out the little opening in my impromptu wall. I felt a rush of mana being absorbed by the floor into me, way too fast as carks appeared on my core. "AIDEN USE THE MANA TO LEVEL UP!" I think I heard my companion screaming and did just that as I level up like crazy with the tsunami of mana, my core growing bigger and healing the cracks, and when my core filled half the room, the mana rush stopped. Rewrite First of all, to the readers reading this, I would like to declare that I will be rewriting this story, and I have uploaded the rewritten version so you can read it now. So explanations, I was totally in over my head. This was my first time writing, and I was so excited, brimming with ideas, settings, and world-building ideas. I wanted to write about everything, explain everything, and solidify the world to make it feel real and not like a half-finished project miraculously working with glue and duct tape. Unfortunately, that just ended up with me saying a lot without going anywhere, writing about unnecessary stuff, making unnecessarily complicated explanations, and not getting to what this story wanted to tell.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. I would still probably be adding more stuff than needed in my rewrite, adding convoluting shit getting lost in itself. Anyway, just to tell whoever might be reading this, I fucked up, got too excited, and bit more than I could chew. If you still want to read this story, check out the rewritten one. This one will be taken down within a week. Sorry about all this, and I hope you have a good day.