After thinking it through, I decided to go with the guidebook. Dungeon material control sounds good, but I’m going to need to understand how things work. It might just be the system messing with me again, but with the lack of knowledge I currently have, I'll have to take that chance. With the final choice locked in and with some trepidation on my part, I use the shop to purchase my chosen skills.
SKILL SHOP CHECKOUT:
Skill points remaining: 100 Points.
Guidebook -20 Points
Dungeon Avatar -40 Points
Dungeon Territory -20 points
Mana Capacity -10 points
Mana Regen -10 points
CONFIRM PURCHASE?
Okay... It has a checkout feature! I wasn’t really expecting that. Alright. Might have to revise my opinion on the System a tiny bit. At least it makes sure people don't accidentally buy something they don't want. Opinion +1. Well, Quick check then… Yep. All the skills I want are here! Here we go! Confirm!
Purchase Confirmed!
Gained Skills:
Guidebook Lvl 1
Dungeon Avatar Lvl 1
Dungeon Territory Lvl 1
Mana Capacity Lvl 1
Mana Regen Lvl 1
Extra Skill Gained
Self-Analysis Lvl 1 gained due to purchase of guidebook.
Alright! Let’s check out these new skills! The first priority is checking my stats. To the status page!
STATUS!
CURRENT STATS:
LEVEL: 1
Mana: 5 /???
XP: 0/100
VITALITY: ~1-14
DURABILITY: ~7-21
STRENGTH: ~6-20
DEXTERITY: ~0-14
WISDOM: ~1-15
INTELLIGENCE: ~ -6-8
Okay…. I guess on the bright side I have numbers next to everything now. It seems the actual stat is within a 14-point range… And within an 8-point range for intelligence…. At least, I'm pretty sure stats can’t actually be negative… Actually, you know what's negative? My opinion of the system. Opinion -2. Net negative today. Ooh! Wait! The system started me with 5 mana. Opinion +1. Still mad about the range on the intelligence stat though.
Alright! No more negative thoughts! Since the system was kind enough to give me 5 mana points to start out with, time to try out this dungeon avatar! DUNGEON AVATAR! … Nothing is happening… Hmm… OH WAIT!
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
My pedestal was changing! The black pedestal began rapidly morphing. Two arms grew out the sides, and the base gained 2 legs. 4 pillars extended from the sides, enclosing my core on the top of my pillar. NO, not on top of my pedestal! On top of my avatar! And finally, a face emerged from the center of the pillar!
And… I don’t have direct control of this thing… Umm… Hello? Can you hear me?
I HEAR YOU, MY DUNGEON!
…. OW… My ears… Wait, I don’t have ears… My brain? Nope. Don’t have one of those either… OW… MY CORE… Yep. That sounds better.
I apologize, my dungeon. I will control my thoughts better.
Neat. Well. I guess this situation is… not the worst thing ever. Slightly complicates my plans…. Can you stop calling me dungeon by the way? I have a name.
... .... ........... ..................................
What would you like to be referred to as?
How about Jeff?
I WILL OBEY YOU, MY JEFF!
Ow... Too loud. Alright. Pretty sure he's not really getting it. I give up. Let’s do some testing. Can you walk around a bit?
My Avatar obeys my commands and walks around the basement. Wait. He walked right past the 5-meter radius my boundary was at. Actually, the boundary is moving with the core. Wait? Cores aren’t locked to one place and can be moved around?
I suddenly find myself with lots of questions. Time to pull out the guidebook and see what answers it has for me. GUIDEBOOK!
HELLO! WELCOME TO THE GUIDEBOOK! I HAVE BEEN CREATED BY THE SYSTEM TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS!
Hi Guidebook! Actually, why am I talking to this thing? How does this thing work anyway?
THIS GUIDEBOOK WORKS SIMILARLY TO THE INTERNET SEARCH ENGINES YOU HAVE ON EARTH. SIMPLY SAY GUIDEBOOK, FOLLOWED BY YOUR QUESTIONS, AND YOU WILL BE GIVEN RELEVANT ANSWERS.
Alright then. That’s pretty convenient. Saying Guidebook every time will be pretty inconvenient though. Guidebook. Can I change your name to something more convenient, like shortening it to Guide or something like that?
CONFIRM SWAPPING GUIDEBOOK TO GUIDE?
YES! CONFIRM!
CONFIRMED. NEW ACTIVATION PHRASE FOR GUIDEBOOK IS GUIDE.
That’s actually your name, but that’s beside the point. Hmm… What questions to ask… Actually, here’s one. Guide. What is the purpose of this whole system thing in the first place?
ERROR. INSUFFICIENT SKILL LEVEL TO ACCESS THAT INFORMATION. INSUFFICIENT CURRENT KNOWLEDGE TO BYPASS SKILL LEVEL REQUIREMENT.
Umm… what? Okay. Fine. Guide. Why can dungeon cores be moved around?
DUNGEON CORES CAN BE MOVED AROUND TO ALLOW OTHERWISE NON-DESIRABLE DUNGEON CORES TO BE USED AS STRATEGIC RESOURCES BY THE SAPIENT POPULATION OF A PLANET.
Okay…. That sounds suspicious… What do you mean by non-desirable cores?
ERROR. INSUFFICIENT SKILL LEVEL TO ACCESS THAT INFORMATION. INSUFFICIENT CURRENT KNOWLEDGE TO BYPASS SKILL LEVEL REQUIREMENT.
Alright. I can come back to that question later. Guide. For now, what’s the deal with my Avatar?
PLEASE SPECIFY YOUR QUESTION. RANGE OF POSSIBLE ANSWERS IS TOO BROAD TO GIVE A SPECIFIC ANSWER.
Fine. Hmm... what specifically do I want to know? I thought I'd have direct control over the thing like playing a first-person game. Instead, it feels more like an RTS... Okay. Got it. Guide, what is the purpose of the Dungeon avatar?
THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF A DUNGEON AVATAR IS TO ACT AS A FINAL MEANS OF DEFENSE TO A DUNGEON CORE. IT WILL ATTACK INTRUDER'S ON SIGHT. A SECONDARY USE IS TO MOVE DUNGEONS TO NEW LOCATIONS AND DEFEND THEM FROM THREATS DURING THE TRANSITION PROCESS. THIS SECONDARY USE NORMALLY OCCURS WHEN THE THREAT TO A DUNGEON IS SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH TO WARRANT RELOCATION RATHER THAN OUTRIGHT COMBAT.
WAIT! So, you're telling me normal, non-sentient dungeons just... Grow legs and run away when they’re threatened enough?
ESSENTIALLY.
Okay… what’s the next question to ask?
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
“Hey Jeff! Are you okay in there? Answer the door! I tried calling you earlier to make sure you were okay, but you never answered! Hello?
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Well.... this isn't good... In fact, this is really bad. I found myself wishing really hard that I had telekinesis and the ability to speak. Shame those didn't show up in the skill shop. Well, it's not like he's going to break down the door or something, so it will probably be fine...
I hope...