Author's Note: I wont often write much stuff here, but I think it needs to be said. These first chapters are going to be more for my close friends who've not read the books. Meaning if you like DDC you know the rules and they do not. It means I don't gloss over a lot of it. So if this drags and you dislike it. I understand. Enjoy!
____
I'm screwed.
Hugely, monumentally,
Shakespearean-tragedy-level screwed.
Now that we've established that, let me fill you in on the why and how.
Picture this: I'm sprawled at the bottom of a staircase—a staircase I didn't exactly navigate so much as painfully freestyle down. Momentum being the cruel mistress that it is, I burst through a set of doors and executed what could only be described as a belly flop of epic proportions. When I finally skidded to a halt, I became intimately aware of a growing pool of blood forming a halo around my head. I felt a symphony of pain radiating through every fiber of my being. My eyes started to droop; the Big Sleep was calling.
Just as I started to RSVP to that grim invitation, a voice jolted me back.
“Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the First Floor."
The voice's twisted cheeriness was the last thing I registered before I felt my thoughts scatter to the wind.
For context, I'm a college student. And no, I don't mean the smarty-pants Ivy League kind. I'm a 28-year-old navigating the maze of community college in the deep south of California. Why is that relevant? Here's why: I was supposed to be on winter break, drinking and watching holiday horror flicks at a drive-in theater. A drive-in that was commandeered for the night by other questionably-adulting adults like myself.
Now, I didn't want to go. Honestly, I didn't. But Ren—my best friend, social lubricant, and overall people magnet—insisted.
Surprisingly, it wasn't a total wash. The atmosphere was charged with flirtatious laughter, and the air was rich with wood smoke. I was about to indulge in another burrito when everything went south. One moment I was waiting for Bruce Willis to drop his iconic line, the next, I watched in disbelief as the enormous screen plunged into the ground.
The ensuing silence was so thick you could slice it. And then, as if on cue, a woman shrieked. The cars, the screen, everything—gone. Sucked into the earth as though it had never existed.
A voice, inhuman and mechanical, resonated in my head, filling every crevice and drowning out the chaos. The language it used was unrecognizable, but the meaning was crystal clear.
Surviving humans take note. Anywhere I looked now, flouting text appeared in front of my vision.
Per Syndicate rules, subsection 543 of the Precious Elemental Reserves Code, having failed to file a proper appeal for mineral and elemental rights within 50 Solars of first contact, your planet has been successfully seized and is currently being mined of all requested elemental deposits by the assigned planetary regent.
Every interior of your world has been crushed, and all raw materials—organic and inanimate—are in the process of being mined for the requested elements.
Per the Mined Material Reclamation act along with subsection 35 of the Indigenous Planetary Species Protection Act, any surviving humans will be given the opportunity to reclaim their lost matter. The Borant Corporation, having been assigned regency over this solar system, is allowed to choose the manner of this reclamation, and they have chosen option 3, also known as the 18-Level World Dungeon. The Borant Corporation retains all rights to broadcast, exploit, and otherwise control all aspects of the World Dungeon and will remain in control as long as they adhere to Syndicate regulations regarding world resource reclamation.
Upon successful completion of level 18 of the World Dungeon, regency of this planet will revert to the successor.
A Syndicate neutral observer AI—myself—has been created and dispatched to this planet to supervise the creation of the World Dungeon and to ensure all the rules and regulations are properly followed.
Please pay careful attention to the following information, as it will not be repeated.
Per the Indigenous Planetary Species Protection Act, all remaining materials—estimated to be 99.999999% of the sifted matter—is currently being repurposed for the subterranean World Dungeon. The first level of this dungeon will open approximately 18 seconds after the end of this announcement. The first-level entrances will be open for exactly one human hour and one hour only. Once the entrances are closed, you may no longer enter. If you enter, you may not leave until you have either completed all 18 levels of the World Dungeon or if you meet certain other requirements.
If you choose not to enter the World Dungeon, you will have to sustain yourself upon the surface of your planet, and this may be the last communication you receive during your lifetime. All previously-processed matter and elements are forfeit. However, you are free to mine and utilize any remaining and naturally-occurring resources for your own benefit. The Borant Corporation wishes you luck, and thanks you for the opportunity.
For those who wish to exercise their right of resource reclamation, please take note.
There will be 150,000 level-one entrances added to the world. These entrances will be marked and easy to spot. If you so choose to enter the first level of the dungeon, you will have five rotations of your planet to find the next level down. There will be 75,000 entrances to level two. There will be 37,500 entrances to level three. 18,750 to level 4. 9,375 entrances to level 5 and 4,688 entrances to level 6. The number of available entrances to the next lower level will continue to decrease by half, rounding up until the 18th level, which will only have two entrances and a single exit.
Crawlers who choose to enter the World Dungeon must find a staircase and descend to the next level down before the allotted time is up for that level. Once the time has passed, the level will be reclaimed and all remaining matter in the level, organic and inanimate, will be forfeit. Generated loot and other matter that is not gathered and claimed may be placed in the Syndicate market.
Each lower level will have a longer period of reclamation. Additional rules come into play once any crawlers descend to the tenth floor. These rules will be explained when and if any crawlers reach this level.
If you so choose to enter the World Dungeon, it is highly recommended you immediately find and utilize a tutorial guild. Multiple tutorial guilds will be seeded throughout the dungeon on levels 1 through 3.
If you have any additional questions, or you wish to file an appeal, such requests must be submitted in writing directly to the closest Syndicate office.
Thank you for being a part of the Syndicate. Have a great day.
You know those moments when your gut does a little skydive and your blood turns to ice water? It's a nanosecond of distilled, unadulterated dread. It's the instant your dog bolts into traffic, or the split-second you realize your lover is anything but faithful. It's that merciless revelation that the folks you've been calling 'friends' have been playing you all along. Yeah, I was in one of those moments.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm no stranger to the fantastical. Call me a geek, nerd, or the Dungeon Master of a five-year D&D campaign—it all fits. I've logged enough hours in front of screens and books to have a working knowledge of black holes and string theory. All the sci-fi tropes you can think of? They're as familiar to me as my own reflection.
But here's the kicker: all those things were confined to my head, safely tucked away as entertaining yet fictional notions. This? This was as real as the tingling sensation crawling up my spine. No amount of rationalization could change that glaring, uncomfortable fact. This wasn't some hypothetical wormhole to a parallel universe—it was happening, right now.
"What in the hell is going on?" a dark-haired guy bellowed, his hands clawing through his hair in exasperation.
"Dungeon? Are they talking, like, video game dungeon?" a woman's voice piped up.
Confused questions spiraled into a cacophony, the tension snapping as a horn blasted, silencing the panic-stricken crowd. I slapped my hands over my ears as a pillar of blinding light rocketed skyward. Not fifty feet away, a square hole yawned open in the earth. I felt a familiar hand rest on my shoulder.
"Hey," Ren murmured, the eye of the storm in this chaotic world. He gave me one of his warm, inexplicably calming smiles and jerked his head to the side. I followed his lead. "What do you think?"
"Think about what?" I retorted, relieved to be momentarily distanced from the hysteria.
"Are we going down there?" He peered into my eyes with his own, dark and unfathomable.
Picture your ideal elf—lithe, ethereal, almost glowing. That's Ren. His face was a constellation of light dusting of freckles and small moles, a beautiful contrast to his obsidian eyes and wavy hair that cascaded in gentle, unruly curls.
Next to him, I was far more mundane. While we were nearly the same height and build, my hair was shorter, tousled but not quite artistic. My mocha eyes stood in harmony with my olive skin, itself dotted with a smattering of freckles that ran from my neck, over my nose, and up to my forehead. I adjusted my horn-rimmed glasses, meeting the eyes of my friend through the lenses.
"So," he said, "you in or out?"
"What abo—"
"My family?" Ren's voice pierced the air, each syllable heavy with unspeakable burdens. His gaze darted from the gaping chasm where a city once thrived back to me. The look in his eyes spoke volumes. "Anyone we knew is gone."
It wasn't a cruel statement, just a cold, hard truth. And while Ren maintained his composure, the crowd around us did anything but.
"Would you shut up?" The snarl came from the guy who'd been serving us drinks all night, his face now contorted with fury. With a casual brutality, he shoved Ren.
You don’t fuck with my friends. Fueled by pure adrenaline, I lunged at the guy, using my momentum to push him back. The man was a behemoth, well over six feet and built like a tank. He tossed me aside as if I were a mere ragdoll. Capitalizing on the opening, Ren landed a sucker punch. Scrambling to my feet, I wrapped an arm around the bartender's neck from behind and yanked back with all the strength I could muster.
"CALM DOWN!" My roar filled his ear.
He fought back, landing solid punches to my ribs. One of them connected with my face, causing my grip to loosen. He seized the opportunity, delivering a headbutt that sent me stumbling backward. And just like that, things went from bad to catastrophic: I staggered back, directly toward the yawning void in the earth.
And down I went.
001 - Martin
The moment I regained consciousness wasn't a gradual thing, as though I were waking from a gentle sleep. No, I snapped to alertness like a rubber band reaching its limit, like the crack of a whip. One moment, the sound of a fireplace was an abstract murmur in the distance; the next, it was as immediate as my own heartbeat. My eyes flicked open, and a bolt of pain shot through my skull, like a firecracker in a tin can. I groaned.
"I think he's coming around," murmured a voice, soft and melodic.
The bed beneath me was more than a bed—it was like an embrace from an angel, ensnaring me in its otherworldly comfort. The duvet warmed me as though it had been spun from sunshine. And the scent? A mesmerizing blend of earth and heaven that filled my senses.
Slowly, I sat up and turned toward the source of the voice. And for a split second, my mind blanked out. Reclined on a couch not ten feet away was a vision—a woman of such compelling beauty that it arrested all rational thought. Now, while the caveman in me would love to claim that her allure was the reason my neurons short-circuited, it wasn't just that.
She wore a white dress, a cascade of silk that clung lovingly to her curves. Her skin was a shade of rich, velvety black that almost seemed to absorb light, and over it, she had painted her face with an ethereal porcelain white. Her lips were crimson as if kissed by a rose. Her hair, a silvery waterfall, contrasted sharply with the golden crown, set with glimmering rubies, that she wore. Black eyebrows knitted together in concern above her haunting white eyes.
"How do you feel, darling?" she asked in a voice that felt like it was wrapping around my soul. "You nearly died, you know."
Were these the sadists running this hellhole of a dungeon? My thoughts scattered as a glowing prompt appeared above her head:
Lynette - Obsidian Half-Elf
Guildmaster of this Guildhall
Non-Combatant NPC
Ah, you know those keyboard warriors who never miss an opportunity to gripe about "Chads" and "Stacys"? The self-proclaimed red-pillers who insist that any woman can snap her fingers and have men falling all over themselves? Well, meet the creature designed to fuel their sad little conspiracy theories: the Obsidian Devil. These femme fatales are infamous for one thing and one thing only—reeling you in just to dine on your soul as an appetizer. And hey, get this: every once in a while, one of these devils actually deigns to mingle with mere mortals, and you get a rare half-breed like Lynette. Oh, she may be only 50% devil, but trust me, her knack for entrapping the gullible? That's 100% inherited. So consider yourself "blessed." Sure, she'll still milk you dry, emotionally and probably financially. Don't fall for it, dude. Not worth it.
That's when I clocked it—the damn game HUD, hovering like a persistent specter at the edge of my vision. I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. No such luck.
Up in the top-right corner, bars for Health and Mana shone like neon billboards, urging me to pay attention. Just above those, a clock counted down relentlessly: 4 days, 19 hours.
Then there was the hotbar, a series of slots begging to be filled with spells, weapons, or God-knows-what. And there, blinking with the persistence of an unanswered text, a mail icon flashed at the bottom of my screen.
I stared at it all, my mind racing like a hamster on a wheel that had suddenly caught fire. This was real. As real as it got. Not some fantastical geek dream spun from years of gaming and consuming sci-fi like it was holy scripture. I was inside the nightmare, and the clock was ticking.
It was as if some cosmic programmer had decided to drop me into a game of life or death, with the rules yet unwritten and the stakes unimaginably high. If I didn't play my cards right, that countdown might just mark the end of me. And unlike a game, there were no respawns or save points. Just a lone man trying to make sense of a dungeon crawl that had suddenly become his reality.
"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered, still trying to reconcile the fact that the woman in front of me—half devil, all temptation—had just saved my life in what was apparently a deadly dungeon crawl.
Lynette flashed a smile that could make angels weep. "Oh, hush, you're safe now. I've taken care of you. It's not every day that an intriguing young man like you is carried into my lair—excuse me, guildhall—by another equally charming young man. I activated your HUD to kick-start your dungeon-given healing. Otherwise, you'd have become a very uninteresting corpse."
"Was that Ren?" I interrupted. "Is he alright?"
"Your gallant friend is out there, leveling up before the next stairs reveal themselves. He's fine, darling."
That news eased a weight off my shoulders, like releasing a breath I didn't know I was holding. Swinging my legs off the bed, I stood up. Lynette's eyes glinted, and she closed the distance between us with a swiftness that defied her graceful appearance. She enveloped me in a hug so warm and plush that it should have been patented. Her curves pressed against me in ways that made focusing on anything else nigh impossible.
"Whoa, hey," I stammered, pushing her back gently by her waist. "Boundaries."
Lynette pouted, retreating a step.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
"As enthralling as this has been," I said, rubbing my temples, "what's with this HUD? I get the Health and Mana. But what's this flashing icon at the bottom?"
She glanced at the screen that only I could see. "Ah, those would be your unread notifications. Achievements, messages, that sort of thing. You can check them when you're less bewildered."
"Speaking of bewildered, how many video games did you play?"
A rueful chuckle slipped out. "More than enough to recognize when I'm in one."
She clapped her hands, a rapid staccato that echoed in the chamber. "Oh, this is going to be such fun!" Then Lynette wheeled over an ancient cart, its top burdened by a CRT television stacked over a VCR. She hit the rewind button, and the mechanical whirr of tape winding back filled the room. The setup was a nostalgic throwback to schoolroom movie days—only, I suspected, the educational video I was about to see had life-or-death stakes.
She fired up the TV, and a suited man materialized on the screen. "Welcome, Crawler, to the Dungeon!" The half-hour tape was a crash course in existential weirdness. It explained the governing body known as the Syndicate, seasonal "crawls," and the diversity of sentient species—humans included—in the universe.
It laid out the nuts and bolts of the HUD, from health and mana to notifications, and even demonstrated a minimap navigable via mental commands. Lynette waved her hand at something she could only see and a mini appeared on the bottom right of my screen. It explained how I could resize the map and that I would be able to see other crawlers or hostile mobs or NPC and all of them would be a different color. Lynette was a white dot and when I mentally clicked on it it said “Guildmaster Lynette” and if I focused on the room it said Tutorial Guild. I had to hand it to these Borant people. This was surprisingly intuitive.
Then the tape ended on instructing the guildmaster to show us our stats screen. Lynette went on to explain how to open menus and close them and lead me to my stats.
Strength: 2
Intelligence: 8
Constitution: 3
Dexterity: 3
Charisma: 5
I scowled, a little bitter. "Didn't exactly expect to see 'weakling' stamped on my profile."
Lynette chuckled. "Don't sweat it. You're off the charts in Intelligence. You're practically begging to be a wizard or something." She elaborated that I had 8 mana points, a reservoir that would gradually refill—or could be instantly replenished with a mana potion.
Her words encouraged me to poke around the magic menu, and the budding mage in me couldn't help but crack a smile. Real, actual magic. I found a heal spell and, with Lynette's guidance, assigned it to one of the ten hotlist slots. The moment I mentally activated it, a buzz—half electric, half exhilarating—zinged through me. Lynette let out a gleeful squeal. "You're a natural!"
Then we ventured into the skills menu—a nightmarish jungle of seemingly endless options. Breathing, swimming, walking; hell, there'd be one for blinking if they could cram it in. Lynette helped me sift through the chaos, setting filters to isolate the skills actually pertinent to a Dungeon Crawler. I was left with things like 'Logic Puzzles: 5' and 'Basic Computer Repair: 4.'
"See? Not so bad," Lynette said, though her eyes told me she knew just how overwhelming this all was. Lynetter assured me that this was okay. Skills seemed unimportant now but would play a bigger role as the crawl went on.
“Okay Martin.” She nearly sang my name. “This next menu is one of the most important. The Ratings menu. Go to it.”
I followed her command and moved to it
Ratings:
Views: 0
Followers: 0
Favorites: 0
Patrons: 0
"Ever catch that cinematic gem, 'The Hunger Games'?" Lynette asked, her eyes shining with anticipation.
"Uh, yeah," I replied, memories of the movie flashing through my mind. She rewarded my recollection with a round of enthusiastic applause.
"Fantastic! You'll understand this next part, then. Imagine your crawl as the ultimate live stream, rife with suspense and drama. You'll acquire Patrons, supporters who'll gift you loot boxes filled with invaluable gear and goodies. The catch? You've got to put on a show, dazzle them, stand out. Be something worth watching," she concluded, grinning from ear to ear like she'd just let me in on the secret to eternal youth.
I nodded, my understanding tinged with a dose of cold reality. The surreality of it sank in: I was the star in some extraterrestrial game show—a bloody, life-or-death spectacle crafted for the amusement of beings I couldn't even begin to comprehend. And as I pondered this, I realized Lynette was speaking to me again, her words lost on ears that hadn't quite been listening.
"Huh?" I blinked, snapping back to reality.
"Do you have any more questions before I move on?"
"No, continue," I said.
She resumed her explanation, "Safe rooms—you'll want to get familiar with these. These sanctuaries are combat-free zones where you won't have to worry about mobs or other Crawlers. Now, this tutorial space is a sort of pseudo-safe room. The real ones? They'll show up on your map, cutting through even the fog of war." I nodded; the gaming terminology translated well, giving me a glimmer of hope in this alien experience.
Her hands came together with a triumphant clap. "Now, onto your loot boxes!"
"My what now?"
"Your loot boxes, silly! Pay attention; you're about to get bombarded with a wave of notifications."
So I gave a mental flick, I activated the blinking mail icon on my game HUD.
You have been designated Crawler Number 2587 you have been assigned the Crawler name “Martin”
Yor are assigned the race of Human. You are currently level 1. You may choose a new race and class as soon as you descend to the third floor. Your stat points have been assigned based on your current physical and mental profiles. See the stats menu for more details.
Congratulations! You’ve earned your first achievement: Whoops a daisy
Ah, so you made your grand entrance into the world dungeon face-first, huh? Did you trip or were you given a not-so-gentle nudge? Either way, congrats! You've just given potentially trillions of cosmic onlookers a reason to chuckle at your expense. Because let's be honest, a good old-fashioned face plant never gets old.
REWARD: You’ve received a Gold Oh No! Box
New Achievement: Early Adopter.
You are one of the first 5000 crawlers to have entered a World Dungeon. Sucker.
REWARD: you’ve received a Silver Adventurer Box!
New Achievement: Empty Pockets.
You didn’t bring any supplies. None. You know you still gotta eat, right?
REWARD: You’ve received a Bronze Adventurer Box!
New Achievement: Loner.
You entered the dungeon without any human companions. Didn’t anyone teach you their is safety in numbers?
REWARD: None! You’re so dead.
New Achievement: You’ve entered a guildhall!
Congratulations you know how to open doors
REWARD: That sense of fulfillment you feel? That’s rewards enough.
New Achievement: You were dragged into a guildhall!
Wow you’ve got friends. Rub it in.
REWARD: The knowledge that if this was considered cheating you’d be dead. Feel blessed.
New Achievement: Saved by the dungeon
Oh, almost bit the dust before even setting foot in the dungeon, huh? How absolutely legendary would that have been? Going out before even earning a pathetic footnote in the annals of Crawler history. Lucky for you, some kind soul dragged your sorry self to a tutorial guide, so you didn't end up extra dead. And since I'm feeling unusually charitable, consider this your get-out-of-death-free card. That's right, you can call me your daddy now.
REWARD: You’ve received a Legendary Grace of the Dungeon Box
There were a few more achievements for being dragged around and for having a status effect on me before my health bar was activated but they resulted in Bronze boxes. I didn’t have time before another notification popped up. Spoken in a distinct female voice.
Saved notification by admin:
Hello, Crawlers! The dungeon is now sealed. We have a diverse group joining us this season, and we are very happy to have you here. We had just under 13 million human crawlers make it through the gates and into the dungeon. We are already down to under 10 million. A quick note, the entrances to the second floor will not open up until the introductory episode of Dungeon Crawler World tunnels, which will be in approximately 30 of your hours. Once that happens, the entrances to the second level will populate. There will be no lag time for the appearance of additional levels. On behalf of the Borant Corporation I wanted to thank you for volunteering, and I wish you all good luck and a happy crawl.
“My word! You’ve gotten a legendary box? Those are so amazing. This is wonderful news.” She spent a moment explaining to me the tiers of the loot boxes which were pretty simple to understand. Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Legendary, and Celestial.
“Okay now you’re inventory” Lynette followed up. I remained motionless, my gaze fixed on the words written in that alien script. Only 13 million humans had survived, an inconceivably low number, and three had already perished in the first hour. I had been unconscious for two of those hours. How many more had been snuffed out in that time? Even if humans were numerous in the grand scheme of the universe, my world—my Earth—was irrevocably lost, reduced to a memory that grew colder each passing second.
I met her eyes; they were soft, almost tender. Her smile was hauntingly warm, as if she could sense the torrent of thoughts cascading through my mind. She said nothing, allowing me the space to sink further into my own reflections. A quiver ran through my throat as the reality sank in: there were faces I would never see again, voices I would never hear. My family, my sisters, my dogs—all irrevocably gone. The weight of it was almost too much to bear.
As if to take my mind off it, Lynette instructed me to the menu and when I opened it I could see a list which was supposed to be filled with items. There were sub menus listing potions and healing to weapons and armor. In the boxes tab there were my loot boxes. Before I opened them Lynette handed me a small wooden coin. As I held it an examined it
Lynette’s Token
She gives these to everyone, you’re not special.
It had an add to inventory button and when I clicked it the token vanished and appeared under a misc. Tab. I could hold up to 999 of every item and had unlimited storage. Finally it was time to open my loot boxes. She gave me some final words before I did.
“Martin my sweet, opening loot boxes is an all or nothing thing. Once you start it will open all of them and it’s important that you always read the description before you wear anything. Some of these items can do you more harm than good. Okay open your boxes.”
I pressed the first box and selected open. 6 of my loot boxes jumped out of my inventory in front of me swirling around. As they whirled in a circle the first Bronze box grew in size
Bronze Adventurer Box (1 of 6)
Potion of healing x2
Bandana
Bronze Adventurer Box (2 of 6)
Potion of Healing
Potion of Mana x2
Bronze Adventurer Box (3 of 6)
Potion of Healing
Torch x3
Silver Adventurer Box (4 of 6)
Crawler Biscuit x 50
Torch x10
Potion of Healing x5
Poison Antidote x2
Gold Oh No! Box (5 of 6)
Enchanted Ring of the Scared Venomfang Hordeants
Enchanted Boots of Shadow Specterbeast
Legendary Grace of the Dungeon Box (6 of 6)
Aspect of the Inferno Furyborn
I glanced her way, doing my best to disregard the effervescent bounce that accompanied her leap of jubilation. "Martin, those are some downright impressive items you've got there," she beamed. "The Aspect is especially noteworthy—if you decide to bond with it, you're in for something special."
Enchanted Ring of the Scared Venomfang Hordeants
The wearer of this ring gains a +3 to intelligence and a +5 to the Danger Sense Skill
Ever wonder why sneaking up on a Venomfang Hordeant is like trying to quietly rob a bank in broad daylight? That's because these ants are the walking, chomping embodiments of paranoia. They'll sense you before you can even get into your best ninja crouch, and they won't think twice about decapitating you for their trophy case.
Enchanted Boots of Shadow Specterbeast
The wearer of these boots gains a +4 to dexterity and cannot be ensnared by difficult terrain. Has a 30% chance not to set off a trap. Specterbeasts? Oh, they're just the universe's way of saying, "Good luck with that." Why? Because you can never pin these nuisances down. Zippy little things, they glide over your carefully laid traps as if they're on a leisurely stroll. Nice try though.
Aspect of the Inferno Furyborn
So you like it hot?
This is a Unique item!
This is an Evolving Item!
Imbues the wearer with +10 intelligence all magical attacks now have 15% chance to inflict the burn debuff. All magic based fire spells are 50% more effective, all other magic based spells are 50% less effective.
Firebased Spells Level 30% faster.
Non-Firebased spelled Level 30% slower.
Gains the Fire Bolt Spell.
Gains another fire based spell every 10 levels.
WARNING: This item, when bonded with a user will change their magic pool into fire which can only be replenished with potions inherit to fire or by absorbing fire. It will severely limit the amount of classes and races selectable upon reaching the third floor.
**This item can not be removed once bonded**
“Hold up,” I began, taking a deliberate breath to keep my composure. “Why is it that I can’t choose a class right now? And one of those notifications mentioned something about not being able to assign stat points?”
Lynette shot me one of her patented reassuring smiles. “Reshaping someone down to their very molecules? It's not a weekend project, trust me. It's intricate, delicate, and not to mention expensive. We need to make sure you're a worthy investment. You see this appearance?” She gestured to herself. “Wasn’t born with it.”
My eyes widened. “You mean you weren’t always…?”
“Exactly,” she replied. “Human. Like you. Though my people were a bit on the tall side, and our hair was anything but ordinary. Mine? Teal. All natural.” Her eyes sparkled, the pride evident.
I blinked. “That’s...a lot to take in.”
Her nod was empathetic. “I can imagine. But right now, our primary goal is getting you to the third floor. Those items you’ve acquired? Exceptional. Especially the aspect. Bond with it, and you’ll hit the ground running. You could blaze through to that third floor.”
I weighed the gem in my hand, hesitation evident. “But is it the right choice? It sounds formidable, yet also binding.”
She nodded understandingly. “It'll funnel your path, mostly towards fire-based classes. But the strength it’ll grant you, and the mana issue? Easily tackled with a bit of alchemy, which I can teach.” Her smile was encouraging. “It sets you apart. It’s unique; a one-of-a-kind item.”
Taking a moment, I summoned the other items. Slipping on the boots felt like stepping into a custom-tailored suit, and the dexterity boost was palpable. The ring followed, snug on my right index finger. The aspect, however, was the showstopper — an opal gem that seemed ablaze from within. I met Lynette’s expectant gaze. “Let’s bond.”
Her grin was infectious. “Swallow it.”
The gem rested on my tongue, radiating warmth. As it traveled down my throat, a searing heat ignited every fiber of my being. The world blurred as pain overwhelmed me, a searing sensation that ebbed only to leave a comforting warmth in its wake.
New Achievement: Loot!
You’re wearing something you found in the dungeon.
REWARD: You’re now a handsome son of a bitch, that should be reward enough.
New Achievement: Changed for the better.
Oh, you bonded with an aspect? Well, I sure hope you're not having second thoughts, because that ship has not only sailed—it's hit an iceberg and sunk. No backsies!
REWARD: You've got fire powers now? What, you were expecting more? How incredibly selfish of you.
“Wow,” I exhaled, surprise clear in my tone. A quick peek into my magic menu confirmed the new spell addition. I swiftly added it to my hotlist, catching Lynette's grin of delight. “Ready for the next part?”
She had me produce a mana potion, placing a burning log beside me. To my astonishment, the flames didn’t affect me when I pulled a burning piece of bark off. Following her instructions, I doused the burning bark in the potion, resulting in a concoction called a Weak Boiling Potion of Mana which only restored 10% of my mana. She had me do it again with my 2nd potion. Then showed me how to combine them to make a standard Boiling Potion of Mana which restored 30% of my mana. “Stock up whenever you can,” she advised.
As our tutorial wound down, she suddenly pulled me into a tight embrace. “Any tutorial guide you meet is connected to me. Need help? Have questions? Find one. And then she let go and I knew it was time.