A minute after coming to being, I was fantasizing about controlling a huge army of monsters. Wouldn’t that be amazing? Before I’d ever thought about it, a part of me knew I wanted to be the strongest dungeon ever. And if that meant killing humans, elves, any bipdes or fourpeds, intelligent spiders or snakes, ghosts or zombies, I’d do it. Anything that came through my rift would die.

I found myself in a room with a large red, nakedly unprotected, gem in the very middle. The dungeon core. The thoughts floated into my mind with other information coming alongside, but another thing grabbed my attention.

In the center of my sight was a large, blue window.

Demon

Beast

Slime

Genie

Skeleton

Plants

This would decide what group I align myself with which meant where I’d get my units, traps, and allies, but also enemies from. It was the most important decision for me to make at that moment. The difference between one option and another could be the difference between glory, and defeat.

I looked around the dungeon. The word, Unique, floated up into mind. Apparently, every dungeon would get the same options, but the shape of the room in the dungeon would be different. The starting dungeons had three rooms which didn’t leave much for uniqueness.

They all had a safe room, which was the room intruders entered after exiting the rift. The rift was essentially a large black void which when activated would create a portal in some reality. I couldn’t access the safe room, nor could units, until the intruders opened the door. There was also the core room, which was a huge, cube formed room, with a hole in it. It was also rather ordinary. It was the rooms connecting these two which were unique.

In my case that room was the form of a dark cave, the ceiling being about two meters away from the floor. I had to pick the group which would best fit this type of environment. I looked back to the options.

Demon

Beast

Slime

Genie

Skeleton

Plants

I wondered what group would give me the biggest advantage. Demons were strong, but fire usually covered them in some sort of manner, and I’d like to use the darkness to my advantage. Beasts were too stupid for tactics untill the later levels, but I would not like to put my fate into the hands of some dogs.

Slimes suffered the same fate, although they were much more malleable. Genies were too good hearted. I wanted to play this as ugly and brutal and having somebody's morals stand in my way was not appealing to me.

Skeletons were magical in nature. They had a very strong late game, certain units such as the lich belonging to them. But they were extremely weak in the start. A single adventurer slightly capable with the sword would rip through them.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

There wasn’t any water in my dungeon which meant plants were a complete no go. Some plants could live off blood but they wouldn't be accessible in the early levels. In other words, all the options sucked.

I wanted something with personality and the ability to be creative. Something clever, but also lacking morals. Something unpredictable yet capable of strategy. And most importantly, something with a gigantic desire to kill, just like me.

If a choice is not made, a random choice will be distributed.

“But the options are garbage,” I said out loud.

Due to a horrible attitude, the system decided to show you “garbage”, and has removed all options.

The window in my face changed. The options disappeared, and I was left with a blank slate. I knew I was fucked, call it intiutive thinking. I didn’t know what to do anymore. Without a clan to belong to I had neither access to troops or traps.

“This isn’t fair, give me back my options.”

There was nothing. The system doomed me for a simple comment. My fate, my goals and my dreams had vanished to miniscule effort by something else. How could I be a dungeon with a system? Was that even possible?

Without those, I could never kill anybody. Which meant I could never open up my dungeon. I’d die of starvation. Damn it.

No. No way I would let my journey end before it even had the chance to begin. There must be a way out of this situation. Maybe it was just hope or rather delusion. It didn’t matter to me. I would become the strongest dungeon.

“Fuck you then, watch me become the strongest dungeon without you.”

The rift has been opened permanently. The rift’s position will move once every twenty four hours to increase the chance of coming across a fatal enemy. Furthermore, the system will completely detach from this dungeon. Good luck!

If not having units was a death sentence, this was like getting nuked whilst still in the womb. Even if I managed to get units now, with the system gone, I’d neither have the ability to level them up or upgrade the rooms of the dungeon itself.

Despite this, a feeling of knowing stayed in my chest. I’d become the strongest dungeon to ever exist in any of the universes. I knew that and also that I was delusional, but it was a trait that would serve me. It was the only thing protecting me against despair.

Suddenly, something called out to me. The red crystal which had been dead two seconds ago, was now almost moving. It brought me closer. Something about it that I hadn’t noticed before captured me.

It vibrated and glew in light slightly and I could hear its voice. Master! There’s still a way, absorb me. Use my energy to create monsters.

“Wait, can you do that?”

No. I can only regenerate the monsters after they die. That is a limitation placed upon me, but not you. Absorb my energy and will the monsters into being. However, be careful for if the monsters you create die, you regenerate them.

“You will be remembered dungeon core.”

I know how to absorb the core, and within a second it sucked into my hand. I felt the power surge within me, the creation power. The image of what I’d wanted formed in my head, and I pressed the power towards that image hoping something would happen.

I held the core and within a second it sucked into my hand. I felt the power surge within me, the creation power. Something about my body changed at that moment, but I don’t know what. My heart thumped so loud for a moment the whole would grew dizzy, and I collapsed against the floor.

When I came to, I felt an energy swirling around within me. Was this what the core spoke of? Could I use it to create a monster? I didn’t have an image of what I wanted, but rather a small feeling. I focused on that feeling like nothing else, and I felt a part of me suck out and slowly morph into something.

Three creatures stood in front of me. I had never seen anything like it. They were short, had long spiky noses, ears that flapped like elephants, smirks on their faces, iron weapons in their palms, clothes covering their junks, yellow teeth, sharp slitted eyes colored red and yellow, and they had green skin.

They bent down, and simultaneously said, “Master.”

The next second the rift rippled—intruders were on their way.