Time has been a blur to me. Hours, days, I do not know. What I do know is I must move deeper, further from the surface. After I confirmed that my past self had awoken from his nap none the wiser about my existence I again started using my telekinesis. It was hard at first, but with effort and much trial and error, I was able to move the dirt in a fluid motion. It was like a whirlwind of dirt around my core, slowly going deeper into the darkness.
After some time the dirt became granite, not quite the easiest material to move, but surprisingly my telekinesis was able to push through it as well, though not without considerably more effort. But even after continuing what must have been a hundred meters, I did not stop. There was an urge deep inside me, telling me I must find a home underground. Somewhere safe and dark where I can not be touched by the... humans. So, I continued on.
With the feelings in my core guiding me, I moved diagonally through the stone, tunneling with purpose. With my satchel still in tow, I ran into my first surprise. The stone in front of me was not like the rest. It gave off peculiar energy and a strange warmth. In my bubble of perception it felt… tasty? Giving into the feeling my core seemed to act on its own, pulling on the chunk of rock, separating it from the rest of the stone and pulling it straight at my core. But, rather than colliding with my crystalline body, it seemed to glow brightly for a moment and disappear into a wave of energy.
New Material Absorbed - Earth Mana Stone
The world graced me with an explanation to the event, and I felt my body’s urges return to manageable level like somehow my instincts were satiated by that fist-sized, brown rock. It seems like as a dungeon I can absorb materials? Does this work with stone as well?
Trying to replicate those actions that my core had automatically performed proved to be difficult, however, it came to me with time. By pushing my perception into a material, deep beyond its surface, I gained a greater understanding of it. Much greater. I could feel the very makeup of the rock, down its composition, construction, and base properties. Once I could process all this, I tried commanding the rock.
‘Break!’ I exerted my will with strong intent.
To my surprise, it actually worked! The rock shattered into pieces along stress lines that my analysis had identified. Again speaking to the rock, I commanded it.
‘Absorb!’
The rock’s pieces began moving to my core at a frightening speed, but just like the Mana Stone, the moment they touched my core they disappeared into a wave of energy!
New Material Absorbed - Black Granite
Woh! That was so much easier than using telekinesis to command the solid stone to flow around me. All this time I could have been doing this? Damn!
With renewed vigor I focused on the direction the Mana Stone had been and pushed my perception out in a massive wave of energy, penetrating multiple meters into the stone wall. Once I had felt it fully become my own, I pulled it back to my core.
‘Absorb!’
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The stone was ripped forward and washed over me in waves of magical energy with every chunk. I pulled myself and my satchel forward into the hole I just created. Again I stretched out my presence and widened the tunnel in front of me. I moved my body forward and then repeated. I fell into a rhythm expanding, moving, then expanding again. Every time it became easier and faster. The process became smoother, more refined, more elegant. I could feel this energy building inside of me with every motion. The faster I did it, the more energy was flowing, circulating through my murky cyan core. Then, with one final push, the energy seemed to explode out of me.
Dungeon Core Birth! Congratulations new dungeon core! You have attained enough mana to be classified as a rank 1 Dungeon!
The world praised me. I could feel my body changing. The color of my core shifted going from cyan to a deep red, growing in size significantly too. I was suddenly not just a rock, but a full-fledged boulder.
Alert! A Dungeon is reforming in deceased dungeon core, unlocking previous powers.
Dragon species unlocked! Fire mastery unlocked!
Previous dungeon name: Fiery Death Destruction Dragon Death Dungeon. Accept old name?
My mind again grew groggy from the sudden change in crystal size and color. It seems in times like this the consciousness becomes second to the system’s will. After repeating back the words of the world to myself I was able to comprehend their meaning.
Dungeon Reforming? Well, this was a dead dungeon core, maybe I supplied it with enough power to revive it? But what does that mean for me? Am I safe in this core? Putting that aside, for now, naming huh? I need to name myself.
Every dungeon I have visited has had a name, I always assumed the guilds or towns gave them names based on their characteristics. Does that mean that every dungeon core is sentient and names itself? Such a revelation would shake the foundation of the modern magical theory! Master Timon would immediately drag me on an expedition to the nearest dungeon core if he were to discover this fact. Has communication even been tried with dungeons before? Master Timon would-
But Master Timon is dead…. My mind felt heavy now, like a pressure was weighing on it. I knew that in this timeline, he still lived, engrossed in research of all things magical. But I can't forget his face as he watched me dematerialize. A face of pain and agony as he was stabbed by that damn soldier, tears on his eyes as he sacrificed everything to give the world another chance. I will not forget.
I must do my best to prevent that tragic future! What would be the point of their suffering if I couldn't? Even if the future is to be changed, it doesn't mean it never happened! I will never forget its memory!
Name Confirmed: Dungeon Avenger
Now the messages from the world disappeared and left me alone in my stone tunnel, but, something else was now visible to me. I say visible, but I am limited to this bubble of perception spreading around my core. It seemed that final piece of rock was not like the rest, it opened me up to something new. What I mean is foreign energy seemed to flow strongly from the hole in the stone I just created. Not the energy of a magic stone, rather I seemed to instinctively understand what it was.
Another dungeon was attacking me!
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Dear Firren Twire, apprentice artifactor of the magic academy, I write this letter to you with great importance.
His dorm room was dead quiet except for the sound of a piece of fine parchment flapping in unsteady, nervous hands. He did not have a roommate, but even so, he bolted the door so that no one could barge in on him. Professors did not take kindly to students skipping class, but the young artifactor had decided his intermediate potions class could wait, he already finished the assignment anyway. The king himself addressed a letter to him, what could be more important?
Due to many circumstances, I cannot go into detail in this letter. I will be brief and cryptic. The world as you know it is at stake and if this letter finds you, then you have an important role in preventing its demise. More instructions will follow, but for now, do not tell anyone about this.
You will know the future instructions with a blue feather.
The apprentice was understandably confused. The world was at stake? As if, the kingdom currently is in its longest peaceful period in recorded history. Almost every country has agreed to de-armament en mass, who would believe this crap.
He threw the note onto his table and hurried out of his room, hoping he could still make it to his potions class without getting another tardy.
He paused at the door once more, looking at the fine piece of parchment with gold inlays sitting disheveled on his desk. The red wax of the 'royal seal' shimmered with gold flakes in the sunlight.
‘Huh… A lot of detail to put into a dumb prank’
And the door shut behind him.