A deep, rhythmic beep echoed through the darkness, growing louder with each pulse until it became unbearable, reverberating inside my skull. 

It reminded me of the relentless clanking of machinery, the monotonous hum of my workplace—a sound I'd grown tired of long ago. 

But this was different. 

This wasn’t just in my head.

“Kaw! Kaw!”

A sharp cry pierced through the noise, followed by a strange sensation. 

Something was pecking at me. 

At first, it was light, almost curious. 

Then, it became more forceful.

"Wake up! Kaw! Wake up!"

The pecking grew relentless, each jab yanking me closer to consciousness. 

Groaning, I forced my eyes open, squinting against the harsh light. 

My vision blurred, and it took a moment for the world to snap into focus.

An open sky stretched endlessly above me, vivid and impossibly blue. 

The trees swayed lazily in the breeze, while vast plains of green grass rolled out in every direction.

I blinked, disoriented.

"Where... where am I?" The words tumbled out of my mouth, thick with confusion. 

Just moments ago, I’d been in my room, lounging on my bed, engrossed in the latest video game. 

But now—this? 

This place was foreign, wild, and unsettling.

“You’re finally awake, kaw!”

I jerked my head toward the voice and saw a small black creature hovering mid-air. 

I squinted at it, struggling to make sense of what I was seeing.

"Huh? A... talking crow?" I muttered, bewildered.

"What!? A crow! Who are you calling a crow, you insolent fool?" the creature snapped, fluttering its wings angrily. 

"I am Krothe, descendant of the great demon Ravenous!"

Before I could react, the creature darted forward, pecking me hard on the forehead with its sharp beak.

“Ow!” I winced, rubbing the spot where it had struck. 

Up close, it definitely looked like a crow, but something was off—its eyes gleamed with intelligence, and a red gem embedded in its forehead glowed faintly. 

Its wings were larger than any ordinary crow’s, beating powerfully as it hovered in place.

"Did... did you bring me here?" I asked, my voice shaky, trying to wrap my head around how I'd gone from my room to this bizarre place.

"You could say so," Krothe replied nonchalantly, puffing out his chest as if summoning me was an accomplishment.

"Then can you send me back?" I asked, not even bothering to hide the desperation in my voice. 

I didn’t care how ridiculous it sounded—I just wanted to go back to my room, to my game, to my life.

"Nope. I can't."

Krothe's refusal was blunt, immediate, and completely devoid of sympathy.

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"Huh? Why?" I stared at him in disbelief.

"Because that's not how summoning works," Krothe replied with a smirk, clearly enjoying the confusion on my face.

"Really?" I was starting to get suspicious.

"Yes," Krothe said, brushing off my doubts with a wave of his wing. 

"Anyway, we don’t have time to waste. You need to prepare quickly—humans might attack us at any moment."

"Humans? Attack... us?!" My heart skipped a beat as I sat up straight, shock washing over me. 

"Why would they attack us? I’m just—"

"Isn’t it obvious?" Krothe interrupted, his tone dripping with condescension. "You’re the dungeon boss."

"Dungeon boss?" I repeated, the words hitting me like a brick. 

"Me? A dungeon boss?" 

That was something from a video game, not real life.

"Yes, you," Krothe affirmed, his tone serious. 

"And I’m the dungeon manager. I summoned you to protect this dungeon."

"But... why me?" My voice wavered, completely at a loss. "Why didn’t you summon something stronger, like an orc or a dragon?"

"I tried!" Krothe snapped, flapping his wings in frustration. "I was aiming for an alpha lizardman, but for some reason, you got summoned instead."

For a moment, we both sat in silence, the absurdity of the situation sinking in. 

I ran a hand through my hair and exhaled heavily. This couldn’t be happening.

"Okay, fine," I said, rubbing my temples. "But how am I supposed to fight them?"

"Ah, that’s simple." Krothe perked up, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Just check your status window. Think about it."

"My... status window?" I repeated blankly, still trying to process everything.

"Go on, think 'status window.'"

I sighed, resigned to whatever fate had in store for me. 

"Status window," I muttered under my breath.

Instantly, a translucent, glowing blue screen materialized in front of me, floating in the air. 

My breath caught in my throat as I stared at it. 

It was just like a video game interface. 

But this wasn’t a game. 

This was happening to me.

I scanned the screen, seeing my name, stats, and abilities laid out neatly before me.

[Name: Cyrus Movok]

[Class: can't be provided]

[Job: dungeon boss]

[Species: Matrivans]

[Skill: Matter shaping, Matter transmutation, Matter life induction,...]

Cyrus Movok. I let out a shaky breath—at least my name was the same. 

But the next line stopped me cold.

Species: Matrivans.

What the hell was a Matrivans? 

My mind raced as I looked down at my hands, expecting to see the same skin I’d always known. 

But what I saw were hands that didn’t belong to me—elongated fingers, pale skin, and veins pulsing with a faint green hue, as if something other than blood flowed through them.

"What the hell...?" I stumbled back, my breath quickening. 

I wasn’t just in a different world—I was in a different body.

Panic surged through me as my eyes darted around, desperate to make sense of the situation. 

Then, I spotted a small pool of water nearby. 

Without thinking, I scrambled toward it, falling to my knees at the edge, my hands sinking into the cool grass. 

Leaning over the reflective surface, I prayed that I’d see something familiar.

But the face staring back at me wasn’t mine.

I gasped, nearly recoiling from my own reflection. It wasn’t me—at least not the me I knew.

My skin was pale, almost translucent, like it had never seen sunlight. 

It looked… fragile, almost ethereal.

My ears—long and pointed like an elf's—were sharp and defined, nothing like the rounded ones I’d had my whole life. 

But the most unsettling part? 

My hair—except it wasn’t hair. 

No, it was something else entirely. 

Green tendrils, like flowing leaves or seaweed, crowned my head, shifting and curling as though they were alive, dancing lightly in the breeze.

I reached up slowly, fingers trembling as I touched my forehead. 

Strange diamond-shaped markings glowed faintly under my fingertips, forming a symmetrical pattern across my skin. 

It made me look otherworldly, like a creature from some dark, forgotten legend.

And my armor—what was it made of? Bone? 

It clung to me, organic and twisted, shifting in colors—purple, blue, and brown, all swirling together like a storm. 

The armor mimicked the forms of branches and shells, as though nature itself had shaped it around me. 

A large collar framed my face, with a central jewel that pulsed with light, and branch-like protrusions extended from it, like a crown of thorns or antlers.

This isn’t me.

The thought echoed in my mind as I stared at the strange creature in the water. 

I didn’t recognize the face, the body—it was like someone had ripped away everything that made me human. 

I wasn’t Cyrus anymore. I wasn’t… anything.

"Kaw! What happened?" Krothe’s sharp voice snapped me out of my daze. 

He flapped closer, hovering in the air with a confused expression. "Why are you acting so weird?"

“Who… who are the Matrivans?” My voice came out shaky, barely above a whisper. 

Saying it out loud was like admitting this was real. Like I had to face it.

Krothe tilted his head, looking at me as though I’d asked the stupidest question in the world. 

“What a weird thing to ask. You’re Matrivan, of course.”

“But… I used to be human before you summoned me.” My words trembled, each one feeling like it was cracking something deep inside me.

Krothe froze, his wings flapping uncertainly. 

His beady eyes darted over me, as if seeing me for the first time. 

“What!?” he squawked, clearly caught off guard. 

The smug, confident attitude drained from his face.

I let out a long sigh, the weight of everything settling on my shoulders. 

I was trapped here. 

This was real. And I was going to have to fight. 

“Since it looks like I’ll be facing humans soon… tell me more about these Matrivans.”

Krothe fluttered down to the ground, his usual energy muted. 

“Alright, kaw. So, basically, all Matrivans can manipulate matter to some extent. It depends on their powers and affinity. But they’re not just shapers—they can animate life into non-living things.”

I nodded slowly, trying to absorb it. 

Matter manipulation? Creating life? 

It sounded unreal, but here I was—looking at hands that didn’t belong to me, in a body that wasn’t human.

“They were masters of their environment,” Krothe continued, his voice turning more serious. 

“They didn’t just fight head-on. They used their surroundings, built traps, layers of defense. They turned the battlefield into their weapon.”

I glanced at the dungeon around us, vast and empty for now. 

If what he was saying was true, I could use this place to my advantage. 

I needed to start planning, now.

“You should start thinking about your abilities quickly,” Krothe urged, his voice tense. “Humans might attack us at any moment.”

I nodded, more to myself than to him. 

“I need to defend this place,” I muttered, my mind racing with strategies. 

I could shape the terrain, use traps… 

I had options. 

If I really had this power, I could make this dungeon impenetrable.

“You’ve… calmed down,” Krothe said, his voice tinged with amazement. 

“Despite everything—you’re in a new world, in a body you’ve never known, and you’re about to face humans in battle. But you’re… calm.”

I blinked, realizing he was right. The fear, the confusion—it was fading, being replaced by something else. 

A cold, calculated focus. 

“Maybe it’s because I’m not human anymore,” I said quietly, glancing down at my alien hands. 

“It feels like… my emotions are dulled. They don’t matter as much.”

“That could be it,” Krothe mused. “Matrivans were known for being emotionless. They cared little for others. That’s… why they went extinct.”

Extinct. That word hit hard. 

I was the last of them, the last of a species that had once been powerful, feared. 

And now, forgotten.

I glanced at Krothe. “Then I guess I’ll have to embrace that, won’t I?”

Krothe blinked, his surprise giving way to a grin. “Kaw! That’s the spirit! We survive, no matter the cost.”

I nodded, my focus sharpening. “Let’s start discussing strategy.”

“Yes, kaw!” Krothe flapped his wings excitedly. “We need to figure out what you can do before the humans arrive.”

As we began planning, I could feel something shifting inside me. 

I wasn’t Cyrus Movok, a confused human trapped in a strange world anymore. 

That part of me was gone, distant.

Now, I was the dungeon boss. And I would defend this place at all costs.