Chapter 4 - Fourteen

I stayed in the fetal position while I sobbed and figuratively marked the wall for the fourteenth time. Fourteen. Fourteen eternities, fourteen lives, fourteen hells. Fourteen, the number of new dungeon cores created. Every time we performed the seeding, I discovered a new world a pain. I never thought so many variations could exist to feel the same thing.

I started to think that the material of the seed stone or the shell stone affected the kind of pain and pressure. I tried asking Undine about it, but she remained vague and obtuse. George barely responded to me, always concentrated on his task. God, on the other hand, helped me keep count.

Notice: Dungeon Core Creation Successful New Dungeon Core Created Through the actions of your bound familiars, you have successfully created a new Dungeon Core. Corrupted Data was transferred to the new Dungeon Core, and will be cleansed before reaching maturity.

The pale blue boxes were the only light I could see. The only color found in this dark abyss. My only solace. My only measure of time. Fourteen pale blues. Fourteen lights. Fourteen notifications. And, for all I knew, countless more would follow. 

The only other thing in that black hell of mine was my status page. No changes were made to it despite the progress. No reassurance that the unbearable pressure and pain were worth it.

Well, there was another thing in there. In that abyss, not my status. It was fleeting, but always imprinted in my mind. Such detail that would put the latest high definition to shame. More intricate designs than even nature could produce.

But, it remained elusive, only appearing for a nanosecond. Every encounter was different. Always in a different location, a different scene, a different world. I tried to focus on it as often as I could, but it would vanish as soon as it came into focus.

I started to think that I was daydreaming. But after the fifth appearance, I realized that each new encounter was immediately after a seeding process. I’d like to think that those images of wondrous places were the future. The results of how we Dungeon Cores would change this world.

I tried to get an idea of how far we travelled and how long it took, but Undine remained unhelpful. Always only giving a brief description of our destination without reference to time.

First was the clearing in the dense forest. Second was the abandoned mine in the hill country. Third was the snowy peak of the mountain. The icy tundra. The cascade caverns. The cliff along the beach. The open plains. The flooded river. The jungle. The desert. The basement of a hidden castle. Forgotten ancient city. The underwater trench. Most recently, the rainforest. All described as stated when I asked her.

“We have arrived.” Stated Undine.

“Where are we this time?” I asked thinking it had to be too soon.

“A large lake.” She informed.

“Sounds like home for you.” I quipped.

“Yes, it is. We are home now.” She responded honestly.

“What?” I asked surprised.

“We are home. This is the last stop. This is where ‘your’ dungeon will be.” She answered.

“I see.” I responded indifferently.

Undine sighed and explained “It’s an underwater cavern filled with air. The pressure from the water and rocks keeps the air trapped here. The only entrance is at the deepest part of the vast lake. Intruders will have to dive down, and under the rock to surface at our ‘shore’. It is the perfect environment for you to cultivate.”

“Why now? Looking at my status, the corruption isn’t gone yet.” I asked.

“We are out of time and locations suitable for seeding. After several years, more locations will become available as the other Dungeon Cores increase the quality of the overall mana. But the seeding process will be different then.” She answered.

“What do you mean by different?” I asked.

“You will be doing it on your own. I will be busy with cleaning up our new residence. Besides, you’ve barely grown in these past fifty years. Only the size of a BB, about 2mm in diameter. The other Dungeon Cores have already matured, and the first one we created gained its own sentient mind about a year ago. The world is rushing to cash in, and you cultivating and trying to create a new core on your own will speed up your growth and cleansing.” She informed me.

“Fifty years.” I sighed.

“By the way, fifty years on this globe is comparable to one hundred fifty years on Earth.” She stated.

I stayed silent for a while after Undine set me down. It felt like she put me in a shell stone, but I couldn’t feel the seed stone. I guessed it was time for me to do something.

If only I could figure out what that something was. All that time, I could not do anything on my own. Never in control. Never taking action. I didn’t even have a way to take action. Like being released from a lifetime in prison, I didn’t know what to do, or how to do it.

“Cleanse. How? Cultivate. How? Grow. HOW!?” I asked myself.

“I am the Owner of the Divine. The Herald of Adventure. The Corrupted Soul. The Suicide. Whatever the fuck that last one is.” I thought.

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“What am I to do? What is expected of me now? I have countless memories of countless lifetimes, but none of that helps me now. I’ve never before been in such a hell. Never have I been blind, deaf, anosmatic, ageusic, and virtually mute all at the same time. My only remaining sense is touch. Well partially, I can only feel pressure.” I told myself trying to sort out my mind.

“Pressure. Pressure… Pressure… The seeding. Synthetic Diamonds. Artificial cultivation of gemstones. But Undine was the one to do the process. I was merely the seedling that the new stone grew on. If we were to perform that now, I could grow. But the corruption would just spread to the new parts. Even if we just push the corruption to the new parts and free up space within the original, it won’t solve the root cause. I need to get rid of the infection. Remove the cancer. Cleanse the corruption. HOW!?” I continued thinking in circles.

“George cleanses the corruption or removes it from me completely like surgery. I can’t cleanse it, I am not divine. I can’t remove it, I’m not a surgeon. How do I cleanse, how do I cultivate, how do I grow?” I continued.

I banged my head on the figurative wall. Mumbling to myself incoherently, repeating the same conversations over and over again. I was the very embodiment of crazy by this point.

“Why can’t I cleanse? Why can’t I cultivate? Why can’t I grow? Haven’t I suffered enough? Fifty years, one hundred fifty years, it’s all the same in this dark abyss. Fourteen. Fourteen eternities. Fourteen hells. Fourteen lives. Haven’t I given enough already? Fourteen lives have come from me, doesn’t that outweigh my one miserable mistake?” I sobbed.

I was on the ground crying, knees curled under me, fists pounding down. I took a deep breath, deeper than ever before. I held that breath and counted each and every life. Fourteen. Fourteen adventures waiting to happen. Fourteen different worlds to be discovered. Fourteen.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I screamed with all my might, shouting in such frustration that could shake the heavens.

Notice: New Title Received Cleansed Soul Your soul has been cleansed of corruption. Having both Corrupted Soul and Cleansed Soul titles allows you to better understand the nature of Souls, providing insight and comprehension.

Notice: Skill Level Up Elementary Mana Refinery Ambient mana is absorbed into the dungeon core, circulated throughout the core, and then released back into the environment at a higher quality. Refining rate is proportional to Dungeon Core level. Higher skill levels increase efficiency. Cannot store mana.

Notice: New Skill Received Elementary Controlled Refinery Requires Elementary Mana Refinery. Obtained upon successfully altering the refinery processes: absorb, release, and concentrate. Brief controlled changes can be made to any of the following refinery processes: absorb, release, and concentrate. Similar to breathing, more mana can be absorbed by ‘taking a deep breath’; mana can be released faster by ‘blowing out’; mana can be further concentrated by ‘holding breath’.

World Announcment: Original Dungeon has Matured! Hello World!

New Adventures Await!

The Original Dungeon has reach maturity and with it comes fifteen new worlds to discover!

Good Luck!

I stared at the pale blue in front of me with tears streaming down my face. I was flabbergasted. Astonished. Amazed. So many words to describe my surprise. Fifteen. Not fourteen. Fifteen. Fifteen hells. Fifteen eternities. Fifteen lives. No, I did not successfully create a new dungeon core. I forgot to count the most important life, mine. I counted and focused on the others, forgetting my own. Ignoring my own. Throwing away my own.

“I see.” I stated before laughing at myself.

Suddenly, I felt a change in pressure around me. Cracks forming and the pressure lessening. No longer confined and cornered. I must have been breaking out of the shell stone. The world would recognize the hatching as a global quake. But for me, it was as if I walked out my front door and into the world.

I looked at the scenery around me. It was filled with pale blue light. In every crevice, every stone, every drop of water. I could feel the damp coolness of the breeze. I could hear the still calmness of the underwater shore. I could smell the moisture in the air. I could taste the mana all around me.

“What do you think?” Undine asked, gesturing to everything around us.

I stared at her and answered “I’m home.”

“Welcome home.” She responded happily.

“You have been restored, cleansed, reborn. What will we do now?” She asked while smiling.

“What do you think we will do?” I responded sarcastically.

“I am the Suicide. The Corrupted Soul. The Cleaned Soul. The Owner of the Divine. The Herald of Adventure.” I stated.

“I am the Original Dungeon.” I said with conviction.

“And ‘Whatever the fuck that last one is’” She added while giggling.