As I strut down the street in a fabulous-looking body, my feet lead me in the direction of the Royal Halls of Regeneration. Over the last few months, temptation got the better of me and I ended up creating an incomplete body to enjoy life's little luxuries.

Dungeon Cores only have so much willpower, you know? Plus, there's only so much a woman's nostrils can take before she has to indulge.

Anyway, my body's incomplete because I'm still missing the last element from my repertoire. The ever-elusive and rare-as-hell Time Magic is all I need to create the world's strongest body. Every element adds a multiplication boost to the summoned creation's stats which is then further increased based on the body's tier.

For example, a Rogue may have a solid 10 across the board with Dexterity at 14. It's not bad on average and conforms to the masses as only special classes grant higher stats. However, the Rogues that I can summon, which are actually Tier-Four Assassins with all seven elements, have ridiculously high base stats.

The across-board 10 is multiplied by tier and then by the number of elements added in its creation. That means a level 1 Assassin has base stats that almost reach the 300's and their Dexterity is around 400.

And that's just level 1! No wonder Me managed to blow the front off Ali's the other month.

I don't even know how I managed to reach this point. Well... I do, but it's still hard to wrap my head around sometimes. Somehow though, throughout many mistakes and a shit load of luck, the future is actually looking bright for Abi the Gourmet.

The future also looks extremely tasty as I stroll off course and head straight into Ali's. "Two lunches to go please, Chef," I call into the kitchen with a bright smile on my face. Being here and being here, are two completely different things. If I had to give up this body and go back to using Spiritual Presence and Manifestation combined, I think I'd set a new wailing record.

"Master!" Ali appears at the counter after hearing my voice. The colour of her features match my own and we could be mistaken for twins in any other city. Certainly not this one though. "Do you want the special?"

"It's like you read my mind." Recently, Ali has been experimenting with fish dishes. With a variety of different goods coming from all across Ishda, The Chef now has a lot more ingredients to work with. A far cry from the Boar stew the Rogues lived off for the first week.

Ali rolls up two Yellowtails that have been seasoned and grilled into separate Rooflower leaves. The Rooflower, despite what its name would suggest, is made from a tree's leaves. One that happens to grow on my mountain no less.

Needless to say, it tastes delicious and looks amazing, but maybe that's just because Ali's involved. Who knows? Either way, the oldest of my family members adds a few side dishes into newly designed takeout boxes before placing the yellowtail beside them. She then wraps up both lunches before handing them to me.

"I can already taste it, Ali! I can't wait." Staring at the meals in my hands, I wonder if I'll make it to Anya with both lunches still intact. It's debatable as I'm already pulling a Colin.

"You're too kind, Master. I just do the best I can. We're extremely busy right now since it's dinner time, so I'm going to have to get back. Have a great day, Master." Ali disappears with a smile after I bid her farewell. I watch as she teleports to another one of her businesses to help the staff there.

Believe it or not, there are more perks to having a human body than I would have thought. One such advantage is that whenever I close my eyes, I'm able to see the dungeon overview screens. The ones I've grown comfortable seeing through during my second life.

That means that I'm physically able to see more with my eyes closed than when they're open. The process is truly baffling, yet undeniably amazing.

Anyway, with my new feet, I beat the street and continue my walk to the hospital. Not that I'm complaining, but I can't go anywhere these days without being noticed. Instead, I'm greeted by almost every single person I pass and almost everyone has something to say. Whether they're from the Dungeon or the city, it's lovely that they offer a friendly hello to the small girl with green hair as she skips down the street.

It does make me wonder though.

Why is everyone being so nice? Maybe they're mistaking me for Ali?

That's probably it.

I was only joking, Me. Someone's still got his knickers in a twist, I see. Anyway, It's awesome now that the Queen of Questions is actually in the house. Or should I say the dungeon? What's even better though is being able to finally enjoy the wonderful delicacies made by Ali. Damn, she's good.

Now that I'm bodied up, I can't help but appreciate everything and everyone around me. It's as though I'm high on love and not afraid to show it. Reciprocating everyone's hellos with jolly-natured ones of my own, I bounce on and eventually reach Anya's place of work.

As usual, the reception and waiting areas are full of people just wanting a quick check-up, but there's barely an I'll soul in sight. The reason for this is that the quality of healthcare in my city is secondary to none. I doubt that they even have better in the Royal capital itself.

Another reason is that a great amount of custom goes through Lucinda's Liquids. People can't get enough of the Potion Master's special brews. The magical tonics acquired at her factory help boost the body's natural resistance which in turn prevents them from getting ill.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Still, the citizens of Varona can fill the Royal Halls daily without much effort.

Maybe it's the Doctor Mages?

"Maybe," a familiar voice says from behind. Turning around, I come face to face with Me. He doesn't look pleased, but nor does he look poorly.

"What are you doing here?" The body I created for Me is as strong as my own. Which means, he shouldn't be able to get sick. Not a normal type of sickness at least.

"Doctor Mages," he replies, not phased in the slightest. A large smile creeps across his face as we hold eye contact. Me becomes more and more like myself every day and I can't even tell if he's joking at this point.

I mean, some of those doctors...

"Well, you better not be here for my Rainbow Mage." I frown at the male version of myself who laughs back.

"I wouldn't dream of it. I have my eye on another." His honesty is enough to catch me out and I respond in kind.

"Really? Who is it? I'm curious now." Everyone knows what happened to the cat, but I couldn't care as long as I find out who he's here to see.

"Like I would tell you! You would only make a ridiculous joke about it. Or tell me to fuck off..." He looks elsewhere while sticking the knife in.

"Come on, Me. I apologised, didn't I? You know how I felt about those little bastards. I've been good since then and I'm alway nice these days. I just wondered if I could help in any way." Maybe I apologised? I can't actually remember. Even if I didn't, it's been weeks since then. Months, in fact.

Gods. Knows how to hold a grudge, doesn't he? Then again, I wonder where he gets that from. I certainly don't hold grudges and would just eat the first fool that told me to fuck off. Simple.

"Did you apologise though? Whatever, it's fine. Thank you for the offer, but there's... Nothing to help yet." His mood sours as his eyes stare at the floor solemnly. Until they dart up to look at me as he shouts "And don't even think about watching me!"

At this point, all eyes in the waiting area fall on us and I instantly feel the need to retreat to a safer place.

"I wouldn't do that... Don't! I meant don't. I don't do that type of thing," I say in a hushed manner, deciding I've taken too much uncomfortableness to be thrust on a single person. "Anyway, I'm off to see Anya. See ya, Me."

I wave farewell and rush off before he causes another commotion. Not that I mind attention, but when it's unexpected it always throws me. I don't get far before "Don't forget to spend up before tonight," Me shouts out as covertly as he can and I head down the corridor a deeper shade of red than when I entered.

I don't know why I get so flustered. I thought I'd grown used to being the center of attention, but clearly not. Which is odd since all I wanted at the start of my second life was to be seen and heard. Maybe it's because Me's so much like me that I don't know how to deal with him.

Either way, it's not a problem. It's just weird, but then again what isn't around here?

As I turn the corner towards Anya's office, I bump into another dungeon resident who can take on human form. The Black Death doesn't often leave her floor, but today it seems she needs to come to the hospital. She has long black hair, pitch-black eyes and is rocking a skin-tight dress that compliments her colour. At least she has clothes on.

"Oh. Hello, Master. We were just talking about you." Ditto looks a little freaked out by my arrival. Almost as though I'm here to scold her or something. Has she done something wrong?

"I-I mean... Anya was just telling me stories about the times you used to adventure together." That gets a chuckle as I can imagine Anya doing a good deal of embellishing. Especially on my part.

"Is she in?" I ask, even though I know. To which Ditto nods, says goodbye and promptly rushes off back to her floor and the other Slimes. I can't be that scary, can I? I'm only a little girl.

Heading onwards to Anya's office with our lunch still intact, I wonder if Ditto's here for the Doctor Mages too. Before reaching a conclusion, however, I finally arrive at my destination.

Knocking on the door, I let myself in knowing that she's alone and not in the middle of examining a patient. "I hear someone's been telling tales of Abi the Great recently," I laugh.

"Abi!" Anya jumps up and grabs me in her arms. "I only saw you yesterday. There's no need to be so dramatic," I playfully deny her affection even though I love it more than words can express.

"You're going to crush our dinner." After soaking up my friend's love, I push her off and hold the containers from Ali's. Anya's eyes light up as she takes one and sits down behind her desk.

"You're the best, Abi. Thank you." Anya starts eating before I can even say, "You're Welcome." She must have been hungrier than usual today.

"Sho..." Anya starts to speak before stopping to finish her mouthful. "What do I owe for the pleasure of your company today?" She takes another large bite out of the Yellowtail wrap and my mouth waters slightly at the sight.

Digging into my lunch, I momentarily ignored Anya's question to appreciate the food made by Ali. The Chef most certainly is the best without a doubt. I definitely didn't eat this well before becoming a Dungeon Core, that's for sure.

"No reason. Can't a girl just drop in on her best friend whilst she's at work?" I take another large bite from my wrap as Anya stares at me skeptically.

"If I didn't know you any better, and I do, then I'd know not to believe the first thing that came out of your mouth. So... What's up?" Anya places her wrap on the table and walks around her desk before putting a hand on my shoulder. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I know," I smile at the Rainbow Mage who has my well-being on her mind. In a way, it's like looking at a reflection of myself because I now feel as though I have their best interests at heart.

A long stride from the shady Rogue I used to be, but a welcome change as well. Who would have thought that dying and being reincarnated as a dungeon would have turned out so well? Certainly not me and to be honest, if I was given a choice as to what I wanted to reincarnate as I would have chosen to become human again in a heartbeat.

The foolishness of my former self doesn't even shock me. It's not like I've become an enlightened being now that my species has changed, but I do feel as though being a human isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Don't get me wrong, there are undeniable perks to owning a body made from flesh and blood. Ali's food being the top runner in that category. However, other than those little benefits that can only be experienced by having their five senses, is being a human really all that?

As I'm metaphorically weighing the state of existence in my head, Anya wraps me up in another warm embrace.

Fuck it! Being human rocks. Even if this singular gesture was all life had to offer, I would gladly stay wrapped up inside it for all eternity. Tears of happiness spill from my eyes and as I look up at the person warming not only my heart, but my soul as well, they run down my cheek and drip off onto her jacket.

"Seriously. Are you OK? Is it that time of the month? Wait... Do you even get that anymore? Is it worse for dungeons? Do you have like a cave-sized menstrual cycle that's about to explode on someone?" Anya gets right up in my face getting more and more serious, yet all I can do is laugh.

I wipe away my tears and calm myself down. Before explaining that I'm just happy I can enjoy the warmth of hugs. Through the dungeon, it feels like more. In a way, it's like our souls are entwined and I can feel the love that she's offering.

It's not given with expectancy, or for any type of reciprocation. Instead, it's offered from her heart and soul. From her to me. Just because and for no other reason than she can. If there was ever a call for a good wailing session let me tell you, today would be the day.