"So, how exactly do dungeons make residents?"

Finn's question was a good one, and unfortunately one I didn't exactly have an answer for.

"To tell the truth, I'm not entirely sure. I only stumbled into figuring out how to make rooms by poking through the interface and asking it several pointed questions before I even got on the right path."

"You have an interface?"

I felt my eyes widen at that, some small confusion setting in – they spoke like they know exactly what I was referencing, but how could they, if Finn wasn't familiar with the inner workings of a dungeon? Were the little blue screens I kept seeing not just exclusive to dungeons, as I had assumed?

"I do indeed. Here, let me show you."

I made the by now familiar reaching out gesture, and the blue screen of the interface opened right before me, the same lapis-colored window and bold white text that had been my constant companion in this strange new world. I could see fins surprise and excitement as they stared, eyes going wide.

"Whoa! I didn't think dungeons had a status interface, that's wicked! And it's way different from mine too."

I watched them do a quick gesture in the air, more of a wave than my reach, and I saw a screen appear in front of them as well. It was superficially similar to my own, but I could see the stark differences well; still white text, but on a dark green background, and the options on it were arranged very differently from my own. Said options were also labeled substantially different as well, and there was more emphasis on numbers. My own interface had been relatively bare-bones, just various lists and descriptions of effects, while this one was more… I wanted to say complicated, but robust would probably be the more accurate descriptor.

"Well now, that's interesting. What are all those numbers supposed to be?"

"You mean my stats?"

"… Sure."

I watched Finn grinning wide as they maneuvered their interface closer to me and began to excitedly point out all of its features; I was both pleased and somewhat dismayed by how easy it was to get them to open up, with just a little bit of kindness and attention. The poor child must be absolutely starved of anyone expressing any real interest in them.

"So there's a lot here that's way different from yours – these numbers down here are all of my Attributes. Like, how strong I am, how agile, perceptive, etc."

"And all of that is… quantified, somehow? What do the numbers even mean, really?"

I watched Finn's expression fall a bit, uncertainty creeping into their features.

"I mean, I don't really know that much about it. I know the numbers go from 1 to 100, and I know it's not quite a straight line up. Like, obviously 100 is a lot bigger than 1, but it's not like, literally a hundred times better or anything. There's supposed to be a lot of weird and complicated math that goes on in the background in the system that like, affects how you do stuff, but that's about all I know."

What a strange way to run the world, calculating everything someone did, to determine exactly what would happen when they did it. I suppose that would lead to a world with reasonably predictable outcomes, which might be desirable for whatever divine power created this world, but surely there had to be a less complicated and less… well, oddly artificial method of running a world.

"How very strange. I know it's only been a handful of days, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm ever going to get used to just how things work here. Still, I appreciate the explanation, any bit of information is extremely helpful."

Finn just shrugged, though I got the impression they were at least a little pleased.

"Sorry I don't know much about Attributes. There's also Skills, but they're not really that much different; 1 to 100, weird math in the background, only that's for stuff that you know, or know how to do. And there's Level and Class, of course."

"… What and what?"

I don't think I had ever asked this many questions since my childhood days in the university; I despaired of the constant gaps in what was common knowledge to this world, yet I couldn't deny there was some small part of me that was beginning to relish the challenge of putting it all together, starting to peek past my initial frustrations.

"… Oh. Right, forgot you're a Wayfarer. Um. It's like. Your Class is kind of what you do? I mean it's kind of like a job. Or lifestyle? Maybe kind of both at the same time? Like, just look – see, my Class is Ranger, and I'm at Level 4."

"… And that goes from 1 to 100, yes?"

"Sure does! See, I knew you'd catch on."

I gave them a very flat look. The numbers made somewhat more sense, but I still had no idea exactly how they impacted things, and with Finn's lack of in-depth knowledge, I would either have to resort to experimentation or interrogate the interface if I wanted answers. Naturally, I would ask the system first; always gather as much evidence first, before attempting an experiment.

"I see. Well, thank you for at least helping me with the basics, but I do believe we need – or at least I need – something more in depth. Interface, I need a question answered, if you may; why is it our screens are so different?"

The soft, barely perceptible hum of the system interface washed over me as I felt it turn its attention on me once again.

"WORLD RESIDENTS POSSESS ATTRIBUTES BASED ON THEIR RACE, TRAINING, ENVIRONMENT, AFFLUENCE, AND A SLIDING RANDOMIZATION FACTOR. THESE ATTRIBUTES MAY CHANGE BY INCREASING THEIR LEVEL, LEARNING NEW SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES, AND MAINTAINING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE, AND CAN BE NEGATIVELY AFFECTED BY ILLNESS AND POOR CHOICE. AS THE [AVATAR] OF A [DUNGEON CORE], YOU DO NOT POSSESS THESE FACTORS, AS YOUR CURRENT BODY IS AN ESSENCE CONSTRUCT THAT MAY BE STRENGTHENED OR WEAKENED BY THE INFUSION OR REMOVAL OF ESSENCE."

I nodded gratefully, and turned to face Finn – and was greeted by perhaps the most perplexed and confused expression I'd yet seen on their face.

"Your interface can TALK!?"

"… Is that not normal?"

Finn quietly slumped onto a nearby chair, still looking exceptionally gob-smacked.

"… No. No, that's not normal at all, not even a little bit, but I don't know why I'm surprised at this point."

"See, this right here? This is how I feel whenever I learn anything new about how this world works, and I learn something new all of the time."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

While they recovered from their shock, I turned my attention to the interface again; I should point out that strictly speaking, I didn't actually have to face the screen, but looking towards it made conversing feel a little bit less awkward on my part.

"Thank you for the explanation. And while we're discussing this particular topic, I'm curious about dungeon residents, as I am working on some ideas. Do they work more like my avatar, as you described, or do they function more similar to Finn and other living creatures?"

There was a brief pause, which I was recognizing as the interface's equivalent to gathering its thoughts – whereas a person might gesture and make little vocalizations, the air around us simply hummed quietly when the interface thought.

"WHILE DUNGEON RESIDENTS ARE ESSENCE CONSTRUCTS, THEY ARE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO INTERACT WITH AND AFFECT NON-DUNGEON DENIZENS, AND AS SUCH POSSESS SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES SIMILAR TO THOSE FOUND IN A STANDARD STATUS SCREEN, THOUGH THEIR ABILITIES ARE SOMEWHAT LIMITED BY INTENDED ROLE AND FUNCTION. AS THESE CONSTRUCTS ALSO LACK STANDARD BACKGROUND FACTORS, ARTIFICIAL ONES ARE GENERATED TO QUANTIFY THEIR INITIAL ABILITIES, BASED ON INPUT FROM THE DUNGEON OVERSEER."

I nodded quietly in thanks, contemplating that explanation – and also contemplating the one hidden in the subtext. If dungeon residents were built more like the native people of this world, and designed specifically to interact with them on a regular basis, that would indeed explain why they would have abilities similar to the average person. And from context, it also heavily implied that avatars didn't have such things because they were not, in fact, intended to interact with people that way.

Which once again meant I was engaging in a very nonstandard way, and would probably struggle to find my footing once adventurers began visiting the dungeon in earnest. Well, I had only been promised a new life, not an easy one; a little adversity was good for one's character.

"I see. You've given me plenty to think about. I will likely have more questions later, when I am actually prepared to begin the process of creating residents, but for now I will take a moment to consider my options."

Dismissed, the screen fades, leaving Finn and myself once again by ourselves.

"Well then. That certainly some food for thought. But for now, let's get back to work, my – huh. You know, I was about to say lad or lass there, but I'm not actually sure which one you prefer."

"… Um, lad, please."

"Then let's get back to work, my lad. I do believe I know just where to start."

* * * * *

In the end, just like I had started with basic infrastructure, I chose to begin the process of creating my dungeon's residents by starting with the support staff, and there seemed to me no better place to begin than my very first room, the [DINING HALL]. I had several ideas that I thought would be appropriate, and Finn had been kind enough to offer his opinions and advice on the matter – namely, that I should make my residents all jackals like myself, to drive home the unique nature of the dungeon – though I was still strongly debating the merits of those contributions. Still, I believed we had enough to begin the process, so I again summoned the interface to ask my questions.

"Welcome again, Interface. I believe I'm ready to begin, can you please walk me through the process of creating a resident?"

"AFFIRMATIVE. THE PROCESS OF CREATING A DUNGEON RESIDENT IS RELATIVELY SIMPLE; YOU NEED ONLY IMAGINE A BASIC PERSONALITY, A FORM, AND FUNCTION, THEN THE SYSTEM WILL GENERATE A SET OF STATISTICS TO GOVERN THE RESIDENT'S BEHAVIOR AND CAPABILITIES. ONCE GENERATED, YOU WILL BE PROMPTED TO SET YOUR CREATION'S INITIAL LEVEL, WHICH WILL DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF ESSENCE THAT WILL BE SPENT TO FINALIZE THEIR CONSTRUCT. BE ADVISED THAT MORE POWERFUL CREATIONS REQUIRE INCREASINGLY MORE EXPENSIVE INFUSIONS OF ESSENCE, AS DO SAPIENT AND SKILLED BEINGS."

I nodded my understanding, and my appreciation for the warning – I had allowed some small time for rest between fashioning the first few areas of my dungeon and my current project, so my reserves had recovered somewhat, but I was still in no hurry to strain my resources. With the instructions still fresh in my mind, I closed my eyes and steepled my fingers in quiet meditation, as my thoughts slowly took form.

A cook of some sort, to command and make use of the new kitchen and its tables; my thoughts could not help but drift firstly to my grandmother, and my many fond memories of our time together, learning the art and joy of cooking beside her. I tried not to picture her exactly – while I was willing to consider making my residents jackal-shaped, I would not be duplicating anyone I knew in life. That would be a step too far, and quite nearly an open invitation to madness, masochistically surrounding myself with doppelgängers of my loved ones. Instead, I tried to impart a grandmotherly aura to a more generalized figure, allowing wrinkles and a gentle silvering of the fur to creep in, in a manner unbeknownst to my kind, and a personality befitting; warm, open, and kind, accented with patience, competence, and practicality.

I could see in front of me a figure slowly coalescing, a heat distortion of the air shimmering with prismatic light. To one side, I saw another screen appear, similar to Finn's save the color, which matched mine. I saw the long list of abilities – her strength, her agility, her charisma, and more – and an even longer list of skills, mostly related to crafting, perception, and interestingly enough, the healing arts. And on the section labeled Class I saw… Alchemist? Not… entirely what I had suspected, considering what little Finn had been able to tell me, but I suppose that would work? The only thing now was to set her Level, and for that decision I would need a little advice.

"A question for you, Finn. I know you don't know all the ins and outs of the system, exactly, but I imagine you have a much better idea of things than I do. What is the average Level of a typical adult?"

"I dunno? I mean, if you don't include adventurers, then like, ten or so, I think?"

It wasn't as though I had any better guess, so with a little fumbling, I entered '10' in the blank space, and instantly felt a sharp and sudden clench deep in my gut; I judged I would lose at least a third of my maximum essence to make this being. Not a third of what I had currently mind you, but a third of what my maximum would be. She would be more expensive to create than an entire building, which in all honesty seemed fair enough. Making an entire complicated and complete person from scratch shouldn't be cheap or easy. That did leave me with the quandary of whether or not to accept the hit or dial down my creation somewhat. I had some passive ability to regenerate power, but I couldn't justify a single expenditure of that size currently, especially just starting out. I erased the entry and halved it, putting her one level above Finn, which made the expense significantly more bearable, at just under ten percent of my reserves. That in itself was important information – enhancing my residents was an expense that would escalate quickly and viciously.

With that decided, I refocused my thoughts, and concentrated on willing energy to fill the blank form in front of me, and complete the process. I felt the drain, now familiar from my efforts to reshape my new home, and watched a shape coalesced in front of us.

* * * * *

She felt strange, which was in and of itself an odd thought to have, because she was quite sure she had never felt any sort of way before, so it would certainly be unusual to feel strange, and yet, here she was. She knew… some things. She knew that she was a she, that she was an alchemist, that she was a jackal – though that was a very nebulous piece of knowledge, somehow – and that this hall was her domain.

A glance to her right revealed a pair of figures; a young boy she knew in only the most vague terms, impressions passed down from her maker – and said maker, the dungeon overseer, a being much like herself in shape, if slightly more youthful in appearance, who she knew intimately and yet only in echoes and shadow, impressions passed and pressed deep into her being. A warm smile crossed her lips, and she gave a slight bow, just enough to be courteous without being fawning.

"Greetings, creator and guest. It is a pleasure to meet you."

The other jackal smiled at her, his eyes soft and wide.

"The pleasure is all ours. What shall I call you, if I may ask?"

"… I. I do not know."

She watched him purse his lips, looking thoughtful for several long moments.

"… That I shall grant you a name, if it please you. You shall be…Nawra. Nawra bint Zahur."

"It is an honor to bear your name. I shall do my best to do it justice."

"I know you will. And on the subject of names, I should introduce you to our guest; this young gentleman is Finn, and he will be staying with us for at least the foreseeable future."

The young boy looked between them, some nervousness and shyness quite apparent in his expression as he gave Nawra a tentative smile.

"… Hi."

"Hello to you as well, Finn. I do hope your stay here will be exemplary – and on that note, I can see through the windows that the hours growing late. Perhaps a small dinner would go well?"

Her words were met with more smiles all around, and the trio quietly retreated to the back end of the dining hall, and the small kitchen attached to it.