Thrash sat on the wooden chair beside the counter, his new sword, Sigrid, resting silently beside him. It occasionally flashed blue, though Thrash couldn’t remember whether or not that was a common feature among swords in the Starr Galaxy system. Mush, ever unhelpful, refused to divulge more information about Sigrid. The AI continued murmuring to the sword, insisting that it could hear her. She would giggle uncontrollably for a moment, and then lower her voice to the faintest whisper again. Thrash couldn’t help but think she was talking about him, but let her continue on for a while, resting his eyes before shifting his attention to the dungeon management app.

‘Oh yes, sweetie,’ Mush agreed. ‘Mush misses him very much, but this one seems to be heading in the right direction.’

‘Gee, thanks,’ Thrash growled. ‘Stop talking to the sword, Mush.’

Her staticky face blinked at him. ‘You have a couple of new skills, man-child.’

Thrash nodded. ‘They’re next on my list.’

Thrash looked at his ‘Skills and Titles’ tab. Mush was right; he did have a pair of new skills. He also had a new title, one that he had yet to inspect after his boss fight.

You have earned the title 'Boss Boy'.

This title has a 3% chance to instil fear or respect in enemies, regardless of their level. The effects of this title will improve after each successful use.

‘Interesting,’ Thrash noted. ‘I expect it will get stronger odds after each level-up?’

‘Indeed,’ Mush said, still nuzzling the sword.

Thrash moved to inspect his new skills.

Skill: Passive Healing

Current Level: 1

The Passive Healing skill continuously restores a small portion of your health over time without needing activation.

Stay injured for Mummy - she wants to take care of you - ALL OF THE TIME.

This ability only activates outside of active combat.

Effects: Restores 1% of Max Health per second.

Each level increases the restoration by an additional 1% of Max Health per second.

Thrash read through the skill description, raising an eyebrow. ‘Passive Healing, huh? Well, at least I won't need to suffer the effects of those Beastly Dungeon Bars anymore.’

He squinted at Mush’s comment, his face twisting in a mix of confusion and amusement. ‘Stay injured for Mummy? Seriously, Mush?’ He shook his head with distaste.

‘Mush likes to add commentary where she can,’ the robot said.

‘I’ve noticed,’ Thrash agreed, looking at the next skill.

Skill: Dungeon Crafter

Current Level: 1

The Dungeon Crafter skill allows access to the ‘Dungeon Crafting’ menu - which you can use in your base and on ALL DUNGEON FLOORS! While limited recipes are currently available, each is essential for helping you and your patrons navigate through the dungeon.

Craft, daddy, craft!

Reward: Access to the Dungeon Crafting menu

Earn skill experience for each successful recipe crafted. Levelling up unlocks improved recipes.

Thrash was overjoyed as he inspected his interface, noticing a new icon named Dungeon Crafting that had appeared just below Dungeon Management. The icon was a simple black anvil, set against an almost transparent background. He eagerly clicked through to the new interface.

On the right side of the screen, a small window highlighted his current material stash. With a simple click, Thrash could see all of his items and their quantities. Dominating the centre of the screen was a large black anvil, with a slightly visible crafting grid beneath it. Thrash could either drag his own materials into the grid or select a recipe that would automatically place the required items for him.

To the left, a vertical menu listed all of his potential crafting recipes. Since his inventory was currently limited, each recipe was greyed out, showing a silhouette with a ‘?’ over it. Beside each recipe was a brief description, and below it, a progress bar that would fill up as he collected the necessary materials.

Finally, at the bottom of the screen, the all-important ‘Craft’ button waited for him. It was inactive and greyed out, with a note beneath it reading: ‘Gather materials to unlock more crafting options.’

‘This is sophisticated,’ Thrash said, deeply intrigued. Mush beeped from where she was with Sigrid, presumably in agreement. ‘I can’t craft much, but I can open us up for business.’

Thrash navigated back to Dungeon Management and flicked the switch; a little chime sounded, indicating that the dungeon was officially marked as ‘Open’. Thrash stared at the screen, anticipation building - but nothing happened. He swore under his breath, but there was no going back now.

‘No achievement?’ Thrash asked. ‘That’s ridiculous.’

Mush immediately decided to halt her one-sided conversation with the sword and hover over to him, her AI eyes watching through his interface. ‘You’re such a man-child. Here.’

Commiserations! You have earned a participation trophy.

You have been a whiny little bitch. Wear this with pride.

Reward: Tinfoil Necklace

Effect: None

Thrash couldn’t help but laugh as he placed the item around his neck. It had no effect whatsoever. ‘Thanks, Mush.’

He explored the Dungeon Management screen before him. It had whirled and changed, revealing an entirely new dashboard.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

‘Whoa!’ Thrash said, zooming in to inspect the minor details. ‘This is an incredible interface.’

He started from the top of the interface, listing off everything he could see. ‘Okay, I see our dungeon name - and next to it, that’s our rank, Mush!’

Mush buzzed, nonplussed. ‘Unranked. Commiserations.’

‘I can set up parties?’ Thrash asked, immediately distracted with the top left of the screen. ‘And beneath it, look, I can see recent visitors. I don’t remember any of my apps looking like this before, Mush.’

‘Once again,’ Mush said, though she still watched. ‘Commiserations.’

Thrash gave her a flat stare. ‘Fine. I’ll monologue internally, shall I?’

He looked again, noting the sponsored dungeons listed in the middle of the screen. There were four, as there had been when he’d entered the Ruins of the Fallen. Beneath it, there was an icon for ‘Weekly Challenges’. He reluctantly looked at Mush, who enjoyed his pleading for a few moments before answering.

‘Sponsors can add limited time challenges with special rewards,’ she said. ‘But they usually only work with proper Dungeon Masters, like Brigwell. You know, those that are powerful, strong, influential, sexy, et cetera.’

He ignored her. Sponsored challenges would be interesting, especially if he could gather enough patrons to come and help. He fully expected that the experience rewards would be significant, but he needed some partners to help him. There was no chance that any challenge would be applicable to Floor One and Floor One only.

To the right of the screen was a visitor overview section, highlighting the dungeon’s analytics. It included metrics like ‘Total Visitors’ and ‘Levels Descended’. Thrash planned to dive into that later. Above it, he had another set of skills to manage and maintain. Currently, all were listed as ‘Unranked.’

Dungeon Master: Mining Skill

Your dungeon currently has an ‘Unranked’ level of Mining Skill. This determines the types and rarities of ore found within your dungeon.

You’re just starting out on this journey — and the only way is up! Well, for you, technically, the only way is down. Come down with Mummy, won’t you?

At this level, you can find common ores with base efficiency.

Dungeon Master: Mining Efficiency

Your dungeon currently has an ‘Unranked’ level of Mining Efficiency. This determines how quickly you can gather ore and ingredients.

Let’s be honest, your efficiency isn’t that great right now. But hey, we all start somewhere. Keep at it, kiddo. Soon, you’ll be plundering the depths with half the effort needed - less sweat, more reward - just how Mummy likes it.

At this level, you can gather common ores with base efficiency.

Dungeon Master: Mining Luck

Your dungeon currently has an ‘Unranked’ level of Mining Luck. This influences the chance of discovering rare and valuable ores while mining.

So, your luck in mining is a little bit low at the moment? Don’t worry. Stick with it and soon enough, you’ll strike gold. And believe me, you need it. Mummy has expensive taste, darling.

At this level, you have a basic chance of discovering rare ores.

Thrash huffed. ‘Mush, you’re really pushing the Mummy thing now. Maybe take a break?’

Mush beeped indignantly. ‘You are a man-child, Thrash. Man-children need mothers.’

Thrash couldn’t be bothered to argue. Instead, he continued on with inspecting the new skills. ‘These are all pretty good. The effects aren’t explicit, though. Are these only relevant to me, or to all dungeon patrons?’

‘Just you,’ Mush said. ‘Hence the title; Dungeon Master Skills. The higher your dungeon is ranked, the higher they will be.’

Thrash gritted his teeth again. ‘You’re so difficult to deal with. A simple yes or no would suffice.’

This time, Mush sounded as though she was gritting her teeth. ‘Ask Mush again.’

Thrash didn’t want to take the bait, but it was too easy. ‘Who are these skills relevant to, Mush.’

‘Yes.’

Thrash pushed the robot away. She buzzed right back beside him, prodding him with her long, pointy arm. He yelped. She prodded again, and he swore. ‘You sound like a whiny man-child.’

‘Stop it!’ Thrash glowered, bruises immediately forming on his skin. He lifted his shirt, pink patches forming on his ribs. ‘God dammit, Mush. No touching!’

Mush’s display screen lit up, heavy, metal eyelids slapping together. ‘Forgive me, mighty master.’

Thrash turned to his interface one more time, focusing on the final section he needed to investigate. At the very bottom of Dungeon Management, a tab titled ‘Upgrades’ caught his eye. Thrash immediately presumed that this was exactly what he needed. His hands started to shake slightly, excitement sparking his enthusiasm.

He opened the tab and was greeted with an entire upgrade tree to peruse, each upgrade option branching out to another, and then another. His eyes widened as his mind raced with a hundred possibilities.

‘Holy shit, Mush,’ he said, laughing. ‘We can get a bedroom - or an assistant! Look at this, there’s an option for a window, or to unlock the Basic Merchant Centre. How much do these cost?’

Within the app, there was no gold attributed to the dungeon. However, in his personal inventory, he saw the 45 gold pieces that had been looted from Sheila.

‘You have to purchase the lower-tier upgrade before moving on to the next,’ she said simply. ‘I recommend that you purchase a bedroom. Mush loses hope for humankind each time she sees Thrash get changed.’

‘No personal opinions, Mush,’ Thrash ordered. A thousand questions stormed through his brain, each one pressing for an answer more urgently than the last. ‘What does an assistant do, Mush? How much do they cost? Can they travel into the dungeons with me?’

Mush allowed her display screen to roll its eyes, her voice tinged with mild annoyance. ‘Once your dungeon has increased in rank, more than one patron may visit per day. An assistant can help manage your visitors if you’re already out on request. So no, they won’t be mothering you in the dungeons.’

Thrash decided to leave it there. He didn’t have the gold for it, and Mush seemed moderately offended at the idea of an assistant. He inspected each upgrade in more detail.

The bedroom offered personal space. It could be locked from visitors, allowing him to store important items, personal belongings, and actually rest in private. He had been slightly concerned about a visitor waltzing through the portal while he was sleeping opposite the entrance, but the price was a bit out of his budget.

‘100 gold pieces,’ he sighed, looking at Mush. ‘Sorry, Mush. That won’t be happening today.’

She glowered at him, eyeing him up and down. ‘I will continue to be disappointed.’

He grinned and inspected the window upgrade next. It was a simple option that allowed an opening in the wall so he could actually see the outside world. His senses began to imagine it—the scent of rain, the feel of the sun on his skin, and even the chill of a winter’s night. Still, the window was 50 gold pieces, just beyond his budget.

Finally, he reviewed the Basic Merchant Centre. Again, it was priced at 100 gold, but the description for it was indeed interesting.

Basic Merchant Centre

Unlock the Basic Merchant Centre to introduce a humble marketplace into your dungeon. This upgrade adds a dedicated area where you can browse and purchase basic items, as well as list your own for sale.

I know Mummy used to handle all your phone calls and appointments, but it's time for you to gain some independence. You can’t be coddled forever, after all.

The programme will connect you with other merchants and vendors, whether they’re NPCs or Starr Galaxy participants.

NOTE: The auction area will be unlocked via the Advanced Merchant Centre.

‘Well, shit,’ Thrash said, dejected. ‘I really thought we’d be upgrading the dungeon today.’

He skimmed over his interface, unsure of what was next for him. He could venture back into the dungeons; he’d be more than ready to handle Floor One mobs now, but he was still slightly exhausted from his previous excursion. Ideally, he needed to start on the Basic Merchant Centre. That was going to be his fast track to success. He needed to sell what he could spare and push for as many upgrades as possible.

‘How long does it take for a patron to visit,’ he asked Mush, scratching at the stitches still in his head. ‘Will we see anyone tomorrow?’

Mush laughed in her robotic voice. ‘Tomorrow? Sure. Mush believes that an unranked dungeon will be at the top of the list for all hopeful adventurers. I will set out the chairs and organise the party.’

‘You’re quite sarcastic for an AI,’ Thrash told her. ‘Was that Brigwell’s contribution?’

‘Brigwell had a lot more influence than you,’ Mush immediately snapped.

He held his hands up. ‘Back off, Mush. One minute you’re nuzzling me, and the next you’re insulting my entire existence. Make your mind up, will you?’

‘You are right,’ Mush agreed. She flew over to her little cubby hole, backing into it with evident pleasure. ‘I will only insult you from now on.’

She disappeared, but Thrash shouted after her. ‘You’re still under my command, Mush!’

She didn’t answer.

‘Good leadership, Thrash,’ he whispered to himself.