Having ceased my cathartic, yet ultimately fruitless wailing, I eventually turn my gaze back to the System prompt. For the record, I still feel stupid, but I have more pressing things to deal with than my negative IQ.

What's my reward, Oh Glowing Box?

Quest: [Breath of Life] Complete!

Reward: Strawberry's Letter.

Due to the recipient's current lack of appendages and opposable thumbs, the letter shall be displayed through the System.

I'm preparing myself for disappointment, but maybe I'll be lucky, and I'll get a tutorial on how to progress from here on out?

Hello again, Hero of Passion.

As it turned out, that rushed avatar of mine didn't have nearly as much time to explain things as I thought it would, so I wrote you this letter. There's an actual reward at the end of it, so bear with me for the few minutes this takes to read.

I find it a little odd she didn't use my name, but being called a hero gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling, so I'll let it go.

To recap - you almost died when I brought you over, because your new body had no instinctive urge to breathe. (My bad. But I jump-started you, so bygones?) Anyways, against my plans, you've become a dungeon core - I know you've read a couple rather hefty books on the concept.

The reason you've been summoned is such: We Gods are divided. Of us fourteen, we are at odds over how this world should function.

Seven of us, myself included, believe that mortals should strive to better themselves, growing greater in mind and might, perhaps even joining us in Godhood someday.

The other seven, however, think mortals need not better themselves, that vices reflect the true self. They think the mortal races should stay primitive beings, only chasing strength, and venerating those above them. Existing only to worship us, to feed us prayer forever more. They fear that new Gods would mean less prayer for themselves. Contemptible.

That said, regardless of which faction comes out on top, we all still need worshippers to live. So rather than us all tearing this world apart, warring for dominance, we came to an agreement: To summon heroes to fight in our steads, one for each God.

Unfortunately, as the weakest God on this side, the others have relegated me, and by proxy, you, to supply duty, hence your current incarnation.

They want you to become a dungeon that churns out war supplies, magic items, arms, armour, and so on, without cessation.

Existing like that, your dreams of heroism would never come true. It wouldn't be a good look for me, either - being the only God to not send a Hero to battle.

Reading the Gods' intended fate for me, I find myself shaken - I-I'm a person, not a factory line! I don't want to sit here, being a personal armory for everyone who walks in here! My dream is to be a Hero, and I have no intentions to give it up!

I imagine you're probably livid, and I'm frustrated too, but for now, there's nothing we can do. That said, as the Goddess of Passion, and as the one who brought you here, I won't give up on my Hero's dreams! I'll try to figure something out for you.

For now, though, it's time for you to finish this quest, and activate your System fully. My sigil is at the bottom of this letter. Just direct your mana into it, and the quest will be completed.

- Strawberry

This... is a lot. The whole lot of Gods, quite frankly, sound like jerks, and I don't really want to be their personal toy box. That said, I need to get stronger to do anything with my grievances.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

And that leads me to my first challenge. Looking at her heart-shaped sigil, I wonder out loud, "How do I control my mana?"

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I think I've worked it out. When I "exhale," I release mana from my body, which is why I was barely making progress back before I realized I'm a mana vacuum. And, following my logic, if I breathe at the sigil...

Like a key to a lock, the mana and the sigil click together, and, with a flash of light, the quest is finished. Not another moment passes before my full System blooms open, taking up my whole field of vision. Overwhelming lights abound, in glaring intensity, and just as I wish it would calm down, most of the screens flee my field of view, leaving just one; my Status:

Name: N/A (Lost) Race: Dungeon Core, Lesser Class: Hero of Passion Level: 1/5 Vessel: Sword (Damaged) Domain: The Buried Church Patron God: Passion

Reading this over, more than a few things catch my eye, and not in a good way. Firstly, what does it mean my name's lost? My name is ♡●■□♡●, like in the stories...

A moment passes, and I realize I'm zoning out. My core is stated as damaged, which I have no doubt is a problem. But how would I fix it? Find a blacksmith?

Do I have any abilities? A box slides back into view, showcasing my Skills. It seems the System now responds to my questions, which is helpful.

Mana Manipulation Lv.1 You can pull mana from your core, pushing it out into your surroundings. Set Domain Lv.1 By releasing a wave of mana, you can claim your surroundings as your own. Claimed territory increases the range you can draw in mana from. Forge Monster Lv.1

You create a monster from amongst your saved designs. Mana cost varies.

Saved Designs: None.

Standard Dungeon stuff, it seems. Expanding territory and making monsters. I'll be using these soon, I'm quite sure.

Traits next, please! The Skill box is replaced by a new one, and I start feeling a little giddy, browsing through menus using my mind! My situation isn't ideal, but this is exciting!

Blessing of Passion

You have been blessed by the Goddess of Passion, patron of lofty dreamers.

Learning skills is easier.

Your System boxes turn pink.

Mana Transpiration Lv.4

As long as you are breathing, you gain 5 Mana every 3 seconds.

You currently require 2 minutes to fill your core from empty.

Untarnished

(Vessel Trait)

The sword that serves as your vessel was once a holy relic, and will not degrade with time.

So my System is pink because of Strawberry? Honestly, I'm not surprised, considering that she seems to have claimed the colour. Mana Transpiration is by far my highest leveled.. anything, really. But that's good, in my books. I have no interest in dying again.

I while away some time getting acquainted with my various menus, before eventually, I rip the bandage off, asking for, "Quests."

Open the Gates, 1: Create your first monster.