After Jordan left my menu appeared to show me how much mana I had gained, and it was a lot.

‘You have gained an excess of mana through these means:

* An adventurer has cleared you for the first time

* An adventurer has completed the pacifist run for the first time

* The first adventurer cleared you for the first time

* Your monsters were defeated by and adventurer

* Your trial was completed by an adventurer

With your mana as it is i highly suggest you expand to your second floor before you begin to take damage.’

Cool! So I have a ton of mana to- wait did you say take damage?

Suddenly my head began to throb, or what felt like my head. I wanted to expand to another floor but my first floor still felt unfinished.

Menu, how many rooms and tunnels can I have?

‘You may have five rooms on the first floor, would you like me to create them for you? It will alleviate the pain, but only slightly.’

Yes please I don’t care where just make them for now, I’ll finalize them later!

‘Understood, creating rooms and tunnels.’

It felt like I was filling with gas and just burped, it felt better. Unfortunately I could feel the mana rising up again.

Menu, create second floor.

‘Please select floor theme’

Do I get a list or do I just say something?

‘Please select floor theme’

Great you’re no help. Uh I’d like to say jungle or something but that seems a little to early for something so… wild. Heh. Okay what about water? No water dungeons suck. Okay screw it just make it crypt theme! Like underground burial ground crypt something or another just make it!

I felt like I was on the verge of bursting. Geez he gave me so much mana from a single run. Was this going to happen every time?

‘Floor created, this will hurt so I’m putting you to sleep’

Yeah that might be fore the- wait you’re gonna what?!

‘Sleep Alpha, I’ll handle things from here’

I saw a figure smiling at me, so close and yet I somehow could tell if they were male female or even human at all. I had more questions to ask but there was nothing I could do but slip into the dark embrace of sleep.

• • •

I heard something, voices off in the distance but I couldn’t hear what they said, children laughing. I could feel and smell things, someone brushed my hair, small hands holding mine, the smell of smoke. It flooded my mind, I heard explosions and gunfire, screams and yelling. Someone shouted and I heard what they said, they were calling for me, it was a name, my name.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

‘Second floor creation finished.’

I awoke back in my cave, I was a dungeon core. Nothing else. I feel like I almost remembered something important but I couldn’t remember anything from my dream, do dungeons dream?

Okay menu let’s see what you’ve done with my first floor so far. Also if I’m going to talk to you like this you need a name.

‘I have said before I don’t need a name’

Yeah well that was before you had a personality.

The box stayed blank facing me.

So if I’m Alpha and they’re going off of the military alphabet, let’s change it to Greek for you and name you the last in their alphabet. Your name is Omega, or Meg for short.

‘Why would I be last if you’re first?’ Omega asked almost upset. He can’t really convey emotions very well but I got that feeling anyway.

Well in this world’s history things that get named omega tend to be of great importance, plus I didn’t think beta fit you.

‘Why couldn’t I be the first in their alphabet then?’

Well alpha is also the first in their alphabet, military goes alpha, bravo, Charly, delta, echo, foxtrot, Etcétera. But the Greek alphabet goes alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, and so on all the way to omega.

‘Makes sense, well I am important to this dungeon so I will accept this important title.’

Whatever makes you feel better Meg.

‘I would prefer the full name of Omega.’

Whatever Meg.

As Omega turned a slightly pink shade I turned my focus on my first floor, the first three rooms are a straight line, but the next two rooms branch off and then rejoin to the last room. I guess I’ll work backwards, let’s make the last room the boss room! Uh, how do I do that now?

‘Convert room to boss room?’

Yes that please, you’re going to have to show me how to do that on my own sometime.

‘Your current mind cannot handle the burden of converting rooms manually, that is why you have a menu’

Oh so I’m not smart enough eh?

‘Correct.’ Meg stated bluntly.

Oh well that’s rude, but I guess if I really needed a menu it must be pretty hard stuff to comprehend.

‘Your mind is akin to that of a human. There have been a handful of humans in the past that are capable of barely handling this but even the brightest of humans would still lose their mind if they attempted to fully control even a single level dungeon.’

I muddle that over while I watch the room grow larger and more round. A large door forming itself in front of the boss room.

‘You may evolve an existing monster into a boss or create a new monster to be the boss, what would you like?’ Meg asked without emotion.

I’ll make a new one, I think my goblins are doing fine on their own for now, no need to separate them for this.

‘Understood, forming boss monster now, please choose form, humanoid or animalistic?’

Let’s go with animalistic, I would rather save anything more humanoid for further down, I feel the closer they are to human the stronger they should be, uh dragons excluded of course.

‘Forming animalistic boss, boss formed. Spawning boss, Devil Dog.’

I watch as my boss monster slowly comes into existence. It claws it’s way up out of the ground, and I wait in anticipation. What will it be? A fire hound of sorts? Some sort of three headed Cerberus? Or….a puppy?

It was a simple pit bull but it was a puppy. Maybe because it just spawned?

‘This is the boss’s natural form, when challenged the boss changes form to properly challenge any human or adventurer properly, it will not become impossible to pass but it will not be easy to beat either, unless instructed to by the dungeon core. Dungeon core can only make the boss fight easier, not harder.”

Oh so if I say, wanted to let Jordan by I’d just have my puppy here stay a puppy and he could just walk past?

‘That is one way you could do it yes.’ Meg said somehow giving off a feeling of irritation.

Okay, so I want something fun for my other rooms, let’s see what I can do. Meg what are my options for this room?

Meg moves to the room I pointed out, the one that branches to the left. ‘There are three room options you may choose from:

* Puzzle room, with this room we may choose a puzzle or riddle that must be completed to continue

* Garden, a room used to rest before the boss, may be used to kill adventurers with poisonous or man eating plants

* Prayer room, a simplistic safe room where a statue of your choice may be placed and a bowl placed underneath for offerings and prayers, depending on what is given they may be buffed or de-buffed for the coming boss fight.

Which would you like?’

We’ll all of them sound pretty good if I’m being honest. Although I’d rather not use the garden one, I’d prefer either puzzle or prayer.

Thinking on it I don’t know which would be better, one I could annoy people with hard puzzles or puns in the form of riddles. But the other I could get some nice materials from outside to help me grow.

Let’s go with, the prayer room.

‘Creating prayer room, what would you like the statue to be of?’

Me of course, if they’re in my dungeon they should be asking me for help, not some god of theirs. Who knows if gods even exist on this planet. Oh but, uh, don’t make it of my core, so it like Jordan explained, tall man with a ponytail and a suit, don’t worry too much on the details, just make it look good.

‘One statue of a vain core coming up’

Hey now, I’m not that full of myself.

But arguing wasn’t going to stop him, soon enough a small room with a simple statue and a bowl stood before the tunnel to the boss. Now onto my next room. If I’m being honest I really just want to finish my first floor a bit and go see my second floor.

Meg I’ll let you pick this room.

‘Option chosen, random’

I watch at the room begins to form into some sort of lab. It was almost perfectly rectangular with tables that appeared out of nowhere, beakers and books on potions here and there.

‘Potion room created, in this room humans and adventurers may create potions using whatever they bring and what the find in the dungeon. The books in here may be used for a small fee and include how to create the most basics of most potions including poison, healing, attack boost, armor boost, and more.’

That’s very interesting, I may have to have a goblin come here to find some more potion recipes or even just to make some potions as loot. Either way my first floor finally feels like a dungeon proper. Let’s head to the second floor and see what trouble we can cause there.