I stood in the open field, the weight of the moment pressing down on me.

Everything—the alien air, the unfamiliar body—still felt strange, but now there was something else.

A simmering curiosity growing inside me, urging me to understand what I had become.

It was time to see what I could do.

I bent down, picking up a small, weathered stone from the ground.

Let’s start small. I rolled it between my pale fingers, taking a deep breath to focus.

My thoughts zeroed in on the stone’s texture, its weight.

Slowly, a soft green glow began to seep from my hands, mist-like tendrils curling around the object.

As the aura surrounded the stone, something stirred deep within me.

A flood of information hit me all at once—the stone’s composition, its minerals, its structure.

It was overwhelming, like the stone’s essence was laid bare before me, waiting for my command.

I can change it.

The thought felt instinctual.

With another deep breath, I focused harder, willing the stone to transform.

Slowly, it obeyed.

The rough surface smoothed out, its dull gray beginning to shimmer.

In moments, the stone in my hand had turned into a sharp, gleaming shard of glass, reflecting the pale light overhead.

I held it up, disbelief washing over me.

This... this power, it was intoxicating.

The ability to reshape the world at will, to mold something simple into something extraordinary.

A flicker of excitement sparked within me.

I tossed the shard aside and picked up a broken branch lying nearby.

The green aura returned, enveloping the wood, and once again, that rush of information flowed into my mind.

I focused on hardening the branch, turning it into something durable, something stronger.

The texture changed beneath my fingers, slowly transforming into a metallic sheen.

Steel. I’d turned the branch into steel.

My heart pounded as I looked around, picking up different objects—a patch of dirt, a fallen leaf—and transformed them, one by one.

Dirt became stone. A leaf morphed into shimmering crystal.

The more I experimented, the more I began to understand the nuances of my power.

But it wasn’t perfect.

Each transformation took time, and the larger or more complex the object, the longer it required.

My concentration wavered more than once, slowing the process, even causing a few mistakes.

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I could feel it—this power was raw, unrefined.

I wasn’t anywhere near mastering it.

Panting slightly from the mental exertion, I stood amidst the remnants of my experiments, staring at the green aura that had encased each object.

The transformations weren’t instantaneous. They took effort, time, and focus.

And if I found myself surrounded or in a fight, time was something I wouldn’t have.

This isn’t going to be useful in a head-on fight.

The realization hit hard.

If I had to face humans soon, I couldn’t rely on these slow transformations.

Not yet.

My powers were better suited for preparation—for building defenses, laying traps.

The potential was there, I could feel it, but it would take practice to make them battle-ready.

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck, frustration building inside me.

This is going to take time.

“Kaw! What happened?” Krothe’s sharp voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

He was watching me with a furrowed brow, clearly noticing the troubled look on my face.

“I can’t fight humans directly yet,” I muttered, rubbing my temples to ease the tension. “I need time… time to figure out a better defense.”

Krothe’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “Oh, if that’s the problem, I’ve got just the thing! We can summon minions from the manager’s store!”

I raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. “Manager’s store? What’s that?”

“Kaw! I forgot to mention this earlier,” Krothe said, flapping his wings as he landed on the ground.

He puffed up with enthusiasm.

“Every dungeon manager has access to a store. From there, you can summon minions, dungeon bosses, and even special items to defend your dungeon—all in exchange for points, of course.”

I crossed my arms, intrigued but cautious. “And how do we earn these points?”

Krothe nodded sagely, as if imparting some deep wisdom.

"There are a lot of ways, but the most efficient is simple—guard the dungeon, kill invaders, and collect their life force as points. As long as we defend well, we’ll keep earning. Easy, right? Now let’s summon some minions!”

I watched him eagerly open the store interface, my heart lifting at the thought of help, of reinforcements.

But Krothe’s enthusiasm quickly morphed into horror.

“What!? This can’t be!” Krothe squawked, his wings flapping frantically as he stared at the screen in disbelief.

I stepped forward, dread pooling in my stomach. “What happened?”

“There are no minions to summon!” Krothe’s beady eyes were wide, his feathers ruffling in panic.

“What do you mean, no minions?” My voice came out harder than I intended, frustration bubbling to the surface. “There’s got to be something.”

Krothe flapped his wings nervously, pacing back and forth.

“Usually, the minions are linked to the dungeon boss’s species! Like orcs would summon goblins, trolls—creatures of their kind. But you… you’re the last Matrivan. There are no others.”

A cold chill ran down my spine.

No minions. No backup.

I clenched my jaw, a heavy sense of dread settling over me.

“So what advantage do we have?”

“There are items we can buy to help us… but they cost a ridiculous amount of points. Way more than we have. Oh! We’re doomed! Kaw!” Krothe’s frantic words echoed in my ears, but I barely registered them.

I stood there, feeling the weight of the situation crush down on me.

My thoughts raced, clawing for any solution, but something in me shifted.

The fear, the desperation—those human instincts were still there, but now they were quieter, fading into the background. A cold, calculated logic took over, sharpening my mind like a blade.

“Calm down, Krothe,” I said, my voice firm but controlled. “Panic won’t solve anything.”

Krothe froze mid-flap, staring at me with wide, anxious eyes. “But—! Kaw! We have no minions! No backup!”

I stood there for a moment, taking in the reality of our situation.

No reinforcements were coming.

If we were going to survive, it would be because I found a way.

I had to be the solution.

“Let me think,” I whispered, more to myself than anyone else.

I glanced around the open field, scanning the surroundings for anything useful.

My mind raced through the possibilities.

When I opened my status window, my eyes fell on one particular skill: Matter Life Induction. That’s it.

I walked over to a nearby tree, its branches swaying gently in the breeze.

Grabbing one of the lower limbs, I focused my powers, and the familiar green aura enveloped the wood.

In moments, the branch shifted, reshaping into a crude but functional shovel.

Without wasting time, I began to dig into the earth, turning over the soft soil.

Krothe fluttered nearby, confused. “Kaw! What are you doing? Are you digging a trap?”

“No,” I replied without looking up. “Just wait a few minutes… I have an idea.”

The dirt piled up beside me as I dug, methodically working the ground.

Every movement was deliberate.

Krothe, for once, stayed quiet, his beady eyes darting between the growing mound and my determined expression.

After a while, I stopped, surveying the shallow pit and the mound of soil.

Now came the critical part. I knelt beside the earth, my hands hovering over the dirt.

Closing my eyes, I summoned the green aura again, this time focusing on shaping the soil into something more.

The dirt responded to my will, twisting and solidifying under my control.

It grew, molding into a shape—rough, humanoid, but sturdy.

“Kaw! Wait… are you trying to create a golem?” Krothe’s voice trembled with both awe and disbelief.

I nodded, keeping my focus on the task. “Yes. I’m going to bring it to life.”

The mound of earth was now a figure, crude but unmistakable—a clay doll with bulky limbs, standing tall.

But the real challenge was ahead.

Stepping back, I took a deep breath, summoning the power within me.

My hands tingled with energy as I raised them toward the golem, the green aura pulsing brighter than before.

“Kaw! Are you sure about this?” Krothe asked, perched on a branch, eyes wide.

I didn’t hesitate. “I have no choice.”

This time, I reached deeper into my power, feeling the ancient force of Matter Life Induction surge through me.

I poured that energy into the golem, willing it to come to life.

The air around us thickened, humming with power.

The ground trembled slightly, a subtle vibration beneath my feet.

And then… it moved.

A slow, deliberate creak as the golem’s arm shifted. Its head lifted, and though it had no eyes,

I felt its awareness, its consciousness flicker to life.

It stood tall, solid and imposing, its form rough but now animated by the life I had given it.

I stepped back, exhaustion washing over me, but a sense of triumph swelled in my chest.

"It worked…” I muttered, half in disbelief.

Krothe fluttered down, circling the golem in excitement.

“Kaw! You did it! You actually made a golem! This changes everything!”

The golem stood there, silent and still, awaiting my command.

I could feel its connection to me, a part of my own essence now residing within this creature of earth.

It would obey me, defend the dungeon, protect us.

But more than that, I realized something profound: I could create life.

I had the power to shape the world, to build something from nothing. This was just the beginning.

“We’re not as helpless as I thought,” I murmured, my eyes fixed on the golem. "This is only the first step. We’re going to turn this dungeon into a fortress. Something no human can conquer."

Krothe cawed in approval, his feathers ruffling with excitement.

“Kaw! Let them come! With your golems, they won’t stand a chance!”

A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

The first step had been taken.