Strange words materialize in Adrian’s mind, as if suspended in a void. They aren’t fully there, yet somehow clear and readable.
System initialization in progress. Please wait…
A pause, then more text:
Initialization 42% complete… 61%… 87%…
Adrian feels a spark of confusion. This looks like a computer program… but where is this coming from? He’s silent in the darkness, thoughts racing. Am I losing my mind or something? What is this “system”?
----------------------------------------
System Message: System initialization complete.
Adrian tries to hold onto his thoughts as new words appear.
The dark gods didn’t say anything about this! Is this… like Dungeons and Dragons or something?
As he grapples with this strange situation, another System Message appears, filling his mind with more detail.
----------------------------------------
Character Overview
* Name: Adrian Falkenrath
* Race: Dungeon Core, Level 1
* Dungeon Type: (Selection Pending)
* Class: (Selection Pending)
* Terrain: (Selection Pending)
* Theme: (Selection Pending)
* Flora: (Selection Pending)
* Fauna: (Selection Pending)
----------------------------------------
He stares at the words, his thoughts a mix of anxiety and curiosity.
What is that now? Adrian thinks, forcing himself to focus. He reads the details slowly, line by line. Race: Dungeon Core? If he had a body, he’d feel the shock ripple through it. What does that mean? I’m not a human anymore? What the hell is a dungeon core?
Another System Message materializes as if to answer him.
Dungeon Core: A dungeon core is the central control unit of a dungeon. A dungeon is a stationary construct of immense power that challenges humans with the promise of power and riches.
Adrian’s thoughts are a storm of disbelief. I’m not human? I’m a… construct? He hesitates, then pushes on, studying the other details in the box. His mind gravitates toward each option, one after the other, as curiosity and confusion battle within him.
----------------------------------------
Dungeon Type catches his attention first. What could this mean for me? What kind of “dungeon” am I becoming? The system responds:
----------------------------------------
Dungeon Type: The structure and style of your dungeon, determining its layout, defenses, and environment. Dungeons challenge intruders by creating unique and hostile terrains. Each type of dungeon has strengths and limitations, guiding your dungeon’s development. Dungeon Cores influence the choice of dungeon type, adapting the environment to their intentions and desired style of control.
----------------------------------------
He thinks about it carefully, a vague idea forming. I don’t know exactly where I’m going, but I have… a plan of sorts.
He shifts his attention to Class.
----------------------------------------
Class: A Class gives direction and specialization to the individual. Different classes have access to different skills, spells, and passive skills, which align with the dungeon’s intended style of control. Classes enhance abilities, helping guide a dungeon core’s evolution and capabilities. Class evolution is available only to beings recognized by the system as universally sentient.
----------------------------------------
So, it’s like a specialization, he thinks, his mind lingering on his knowledge of biology and his old experiments. I wonder if there’s something that fits… my line of work.
Next is Terrain, and the concept immediately draws him in.
----------------------------------------
Terrain: The initial terrain of the dungeon, determining temperature, ground types, and ecosystem. Animals and plants will adjust to this terrain. In later level-ups, additional terrain options will be available to diversify the dungeon.
----------------------------------------
So, I can start with a base and build out from there, he muses. That might be useful, if I’m going to control what lives here.
The next point, Theme, pulls his focus.
----------------------------------------
Theme: Sets the primary atmosphere and influence of the dungeon, directing the types of creatures, plants, and overall environment. Themes align with the core’s intentions, guiding the nature of its flora, fauna, and additional effects. This choice will influence later decisions on flora and fauna, helping to shape the dungeon’s unique style.
----------------------------------------
He considers this, his mind sparking with the possibilities. I could use this to create the ideal conditions for… certain creatures.
Then Flora.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
----------------------------------------
Flora: Determines the initial plant-based entities within the dungeon, shaping the ecosystem’s foundation. Flora options are influenced by prior choices, ensuring plants align with the chosen terrain, theme, and other attributes. These initial plants may serve as both defense and resource.
----------------------------------------
Plant-based organisms? Adrian’s scientific mind races. There could be potential here, with the right selection.
Finally, Fauna appears.
----------------------------------------
Fauna: Sets the primary animal-based creatures within the dungeon, defining its defensive and offensive forces. Fauna choices are influenced by preceding selections to ensure harmony within the ecosystem. The chosen fauna will align with the dungeon’s environment and theme, strengthening its unique identity.
----------------------------------------
This is it, he realizes, understanding the weight of each choice before him. Every part of this will define what I become. He steels himself, prepared to take his first step as a dungeon core.
“Alright, let’s think this through,” Adrian mused, piecing together the fragments of his new reality. “I’m not human anymore. I’m… a stationary construct. Immobile, rooted.” He paused, a bittersweet fondness surfacing as he thought, Goodbye, legs. It was nice having you guys. He gave himself a mental moment of silence in honor of his appendages.
He shook off the thought and took stock of his situation. “Alright, so I’m fixed in one place. And I’ve got a series of choices to make, all shaping what I am.” A spark ignited in his mind, a glimmer of inspiration. “And what am I?” he murmured, feeling a grim satisfaction. “I made a parasite… a beautiful little weapon. I didn’t get to enjoy my victory back on Earth, but this time, with adventurers crawling through here, I could create something even better… test my creations in real time.”
Adrian’s mind raced with the possibilities, and a dark smile would have crossed his face—if he still had one. “Yes, I have an idea. A good one.” He focused again on the system, a surprising sense of anticipation filling him. “Here’s hoping this system is as helpful in the future as it’s been so far.”
Time to make some Choises!
----------------------------------------
Adrian's thoughts linger on Dungeon Type, curious about its implications. As he focuses, the System responds in its cold, neutral tone.
----------------------------------------
Dungeon Type Options:
* Reverse Tower: A descending series of cavernous floors, each replicating the same surface area deeper underground. Creates a vast, multi-level structure.
* Nest Complex: A labyrinthine network of underground chambers with multiple entrances. Confuses invaders and allows flexible creature placement.
* Field Dungeon: An above-ground type using natural terrain features as defenses. Ideal for wide, open environments.
Adrian considers each option, a faint sense of purpose forming. Reverse Tower aligns with his vision, but he keeps his intentions to himself, leaving only a vague thought: I have an idea.
----------------------------------------
System Message: Dungeon Type selected: Reverse Tower.
----------------------------------------
With his first choice set, Class becomes the focus.
----------------------------------------
Class Options:
* Bio-Mancer: Specializes in the manipulation of biological matter and life forms within the dungeon. Grants access to adaptive, evolutionary spells.
* Necrobiologist: Combines biological expertise with necromantic elements, allowing for parasitic and undead creations.
* Hive Master: Controls hive-based organisms, managing swarms and parasitic entities.
A faint satisfaction stirs in Adrian. Bio-Mancer calls to him, matching both his expertise and his ambition.
----------------------------------------
System Message: Class selected: Bio-Mancer.
Adrian’s mind focused on the word Terrain, and once again, the system responded, its message crisp and neutral.
----------------------------------------
Terrain: The initial terrain of the dungeon, determining temperature, ground types, and ecosystem. Animals and plants will adjust to this terrain. In later level-ups, additional terrain options will be available to diversify the dungeon.
----------------------------------------
Adrian mulled it over, considering what the choice really meant. So, the starting environment… He thought of each option, how it might impact his creatures, his traps, his overall plan. The system presented him with a range of landscapes, but one in particular caught his attention.
“Swamp,” he murmured with something like admiration. A damp, dark place filled with hidden dangers. Swamps breed decay, disease, and things most people avoid. Perfect conditions for something parasitic to thrive. The idea appealed to him more and more, like the fitting backdrop for his research and legacy.
He chuckled darkly, noting the irony. “So I’ve gone from pristine labs to… a swamp. Seems about right.” A grim satisfaction settled in as he locked in his choice.
----------------------------------------
System Message: Terrain selected: Swamp.
----------------------------------------
Adrian could feel it—a new piece of his identity slotting into place. It’s not exactly a lab, he mused, but it’ll do.
----------------------------------------
The System prompts him toward his next choice, Theme.
----------------------------------------
Theme Options:
* Swamp of Decay: A disease-ridden swamp, increasing infection rates and toxins in creatures.
* Nest of Corruption: A hostile environment that mutates invaders and spreads corruption.
* Parasite Lair: A realm of parasitism, enabling creatures to infect and weaken intruders.
Parasite Lair, he decides without hesitation, thinking of his legacy and the parasites that defined his life’s work. He feels a twisted sense of pride—if he is to be reborn, then so, too, will they.
----------------------------------------
System Message: Theme selected: Parasite Lair.
----------------------------------------
As Flora surfaces, his thoughts narrow to two concepts: resilience and utility.
----------------------------------------
Flora Options:
* Venomous Plants: Poisonous vegetation that debilitate intruders on contact or release toxic spores.
* Bloodroot Trees: Stores bio-matter in sacks, accessible by dungeon creatures.
* Symbiotic Fungi: Provides buffs to dungeon monsters or debuffs to invaders.
The idea of Bloodroot Trees resonates with him, envisioning how they could store resources and support his creatures—a silent, symbiotic source of strength.
----------------------------------------
System Message: Flora selected: Bloodroot Trees.
----------------------------------------
Finally, Fauna. Creatures to embody the grotesque and serve his vision.
----------------------------------------
Fauna Options:
* Leechfiends: Blood-sucking creatures that drain stamina or mana.
* Flesh Crawlers: Spider-like creatures that infect and disorient invaders.
* Carrion Beasts: Scavengers that target weakened intruders, consuming bio-matter.
Flesh Crawlers, he selects, the image of those creatures aligning with his newfound connection to the dark god, Wall of Flesh.
----------------------------------------
System Message: Fauna selected: Flesh Crawlers.
----------------------------------------
Each choice solidified, the system begins its finalization. Adrian feels a strange warmth radiating through his consciousness, an unsettling reminder of the alien body he has become. The cold System voice returns, indifferent to his thoughts.
----------------------------------------
Choices recorded. Integration complete.
Dungeon Core designation: Adrian Falkenrath.
----------------------------------------
He waits, anticipating a change in himself, a ripple of transformation he can’t yet describe. For now, he is still. Yet with each choice, each piece of his new reality, he senses a power growing, waiting to be unleashed.