Author's Note: Going forward, whenever you see the (*) symbol immediately after three periods (…*), it means some content (typically an in-depth description of a litRPG mechanic) has been removed and relocated to a post-chapter author's note. Sometimes they'll contain hints or mechanics that will be used in future chapters, and sometimes it's just there to satisfy my inner 'but acshually' critic.
Either way, I don't want to interrupt the pace of the story with bloated litRPG mechanics any more than I have to. Rori is allowed to know everything that is written in these relocated sections thenceforth, and so are you. You're free to skip them if you want, or wait until you're done with the chapter, or read the removed sections right away. Whatever you prefer.
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Immediately after his dramatic declaration, Rori was met with another menu.
Select Dungeon Type:
Heights
Depths
Expanse
Darn. I messed up the timing. I'll get it next time. Or maybe… Back, Rori tried. Nothing. Undo. Escape. Restart. Try Again. Revert. Menu.
All these and more failed to bring him back to the previous screen.
Yep. The system's still a stubborn shmuck. Looks like I'm 'harmless' and that's that. Alright, let's see what we have here.
Rori gave a mental frown at what he saw.
Did it change my… Settings. Yep. It did. Flavor Text: Off/On -> Off/On. Preferred Language: The Holy Word -> Eseldra. Back. Description. Drafts.
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Nineteen hours, Clac thought as the clock struck seven.
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Confirm: "Dungeon Type: Depths"?
NOW it's time to give the fetus his firearm and/or Ferrari. Confirm.
ANOTHER menu appeared.
Select Dungeon Nature:
Ordinary
Fiery
Chilly
Watery
Dry
Overgrown
Shoot, wrong again. Wait, what's this? Rori hadn't seen any 'locked' options before. Is it because I'm harmless? Or maybe 'depths' can't be fiery? I don't see why not, magma caves are a fantasy staple. Maybe the description will tell me. But first thing's first. Back. Undo. Revert.
Once again, nothing. Once again, the previous decision seemed to be locked in. And once again, the system had reverted his…
Settings! Flavor Text: Off/On -> Off/On. Preferred Language: The Holy Word -> Eseldra. Back. Description. Drafts.
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Twenty-one hours.
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Confirm: "Dungeon Nature: Watery"?
Okay, NOW it's time for the baby to have a boomstick. Confirm.
Select 'Watery Depths' Variant:
Ocean Trench
Seafloor Tunnels
Beach Cave
Underground Lake
Glistening Grotto
Stop. Reverting. My. Settings! Flavor Text…
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Twenty-two and a half hours.
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Confirm: 'Underground Lake'?
Confirm.
Finalizing SOP-ACRP…
Success!
Spawning Core ID: 0.0.931-48…
Wait! I forgot to say it's time for the infant's-
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Finally! thought Clac as he felt the core spawn. At a rather convenient time, too; he'd just arrived home for the day and he wasn't far from his study. Barring a bad spawn point, he should be among the first to reach it.
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The amphibious creatures of the Cave-Watcher tribe, known to the world as 'fishlings', flinched at the funny feeling now coming from their cave. Only a single fishling did not flinch – the tribe's elder. It was his duty to preserve tradition, protect his tribe from greater threats, and most importantly of all, train his replacement. When he took note of the shifting winds, the subtle draw, the arrival of the power-pearl (as his predecessor had called it), he simply stood from his rug and walked from his hut.
His presence got everybody's attention, his hoisted staff raised their curiosity, and his short speech sparked their imagination. This is a once-in-a-generation occurrence. Soon, the tribe will have a new elder-in-training.
But not all of the tribe heard his speech. Four of the tribe's bravest had already been in the cave at the time, training their resistance to the feeling of forbearance that it always produced. When the feeling of fear evolved into allure, they couldn't help but be drawn to its source.
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-intercontinental ballistic…
Rori's mental mouth trailed off at the sudden change into scenery, from blank limbo into otherworldly wonders. Thoughts of missed opportunities for dramatic timing no longer felt important compared to what he saw. Only one thing did.
Drafts. Open Draft 1. Rori confirmed that his work had not been undone. Note to self: never forget. Baby with a gun. With that in mind, let's have some fun!
He Backed out of Drafts, then Backed out of his screens entirely. Once he didn't have to worry about fading memories, he allowed himself to be mesmerized.
Now isn't that something, he thought as he gazed at the sight.
In a cavern, above a lake, glistening bright. Held tight betwixt stalagmite and stalactite. Shining crystal bathes whole chamber in light. Like a moon, soft and gentle, pure and white.
Pretty. Also, pretty sure that's my new AR/car/brain jar. His 'core' is certainly eye-catching, if nothing else. Which might be a problem. I guess it's time to- wait. First, let me get this out of the way.
AAAAAAAHH!! HEEEEELP!!! I CAN'T FEEL MY ARMS!! I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS!! HOW AM I ABLE TO SEE EVERYTHING ALL AT ONCE?!
…
Alright, NOW it's time to address the elephant in the room. WHY, in the name of all that is holy, is there a BRIDGE OF LIGHT leading STRAIGHT to my core?
Suspended far above the surface of the water, a white, luminous bridge connected the cavern's shining crystal to the other shore of the lake. Lacking any support structures, it laughed at engineers everywhere. The thin, glowing structure didn't sway or bob, despite what physics would suggest.
Alright. I've put it off long enough. Interface.
Of the key words that wouldn't work until the tutorial was over, he had decided he would try that one first. It also happened to be the first of several words hovering horizontally at the top of his awareness. Status was the next, followed by Mana, Attributes, Milestones, Settings, Drafts, and a few other keywords he'd never thought to try, including one labeled 'Keywords'. It seems the system hadn't been expecting its users to figure out keywords on their own.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
When the 'interface' window opened, it showed:
Mode: Manual/Assisted
There was nothing else, so he switched modes.
Immediately the screen stopped occupying the 'center' of his vision, somehow sliding to the side. His 'focus' was again on the 'real world', where a translucent 3D grid pattern now filled the cavern. Perfect lines and concentric circular spheres radiating out from his core clashed with jagged stone walls. Only two things aligned cleanly with the grid: the perfectly flat bridge of light, and the perfectly flat surface of the water.
Upon the screen itself, more options appeared.
Mode: Manual/Assisted
Rooms: 0/1
Checkpoints: 0/1
Zones: 0/1
Mobs: 0/10
Available Mana: 1001
Mana Intake/Maintenance Ratio: 99%
Actions: Highlight | Description | Modify | Delete | Move | Place | …*
[A/N: Reminder, …* means relocated content.]
Templates: Structure | Object | Special | Custom
Rori did not bother stopping to translate, transcribe, or memorize. Now that he's in the 'real' world, time is of the essence. He did his research earlier so that he can go fast now.
Highlight, he thought.
His focus seemed to snap into alignment with the grid, hovering over the structure of stone pincers containing his core. The entire thing was flashing yellow-red, as if to say 'you can't adjust this item'.
And to that I say HOW DARE YOU?! I CAN adjust this item! Move.
Action not allowed.
Hmph! Okay, maybe I can't. You win this round. But I'll be BACK for you later!
The 'action not allowed' pop-up disappeared at his deliberate use of the word 'back'. After that, moving his 'highlight' focus was as simple as willing it. He had a perfect demolition target in mind while he learned the ropes.
The bridge was made of large, individual square segments, forming a long, narrow rectangle as wide as the sides of the squares. Each square flashed yellow as he highlighted them.
Delete, he thought.
Action not allowed.
Back, foul demon! Move.
A translucent phantom copy of the solid light square was 'picked up'. He moved it away, hoping to leave a gap in the bridge.
Place.
Action not allowed.
Back! Gah!
Rori already had his suspicions about why it wasn't allowed.
Copy. Place, place, place. Delete.
The bridge now had four right-angle turns, as if taking a detour around a cube. This more or less confirmed it. He could delete a segment of the 'bridge' so long as there's still a fully connected path leading from the core to the entrance of the dungeon. Also, while he was placing them, the three tiles were highlighted in green instead of yellow, then became a stripe pattern of yellow-green after all three were down. The tile he deleted had also turned yellow-green, and after he deleted it, the three new tiles became solid yellow.
He's pretty sure he knew what was going on, but he decided to see if his favorite keyword would confirm it for him.
Description.
Structure: Basic Panel
Properties: Path to the Core, Harmless, Temporary
He didn't bother reading the description, having found what he was looking for in the Properties. Ah, THERE you are, Mr. Obvious Culprit. Path to the Core. Description.
The Path to the Core is the uninterrupted path that must exist from the entrance of a dungeon to its core. Templates with this property are highlighted in yellow, and cannot be moved or deleted until an alternative path to the core is established…**
Why can't the water below count as the Path to the Core? Rori wondered. Is it because I'm Harmless and someone might drown? Maybe this will tell me. Harmless. Description.
Templates with the Harmless property have varying qualities that make them safe for delvers. Ground tiles such as this have the feel of semi-firm cushions, to absorb blunt damage on impact.
Hmm.. so the flavor text hadn't been joking. But that doesn't answer my question.
Figuring he'd learn as he went along, he decided to get the descriptions of two other important-looking items before adding any 'templates' to his dungeon.
I/M. Description.
Ranging from an absolute minimum of -100% to an absolute maximum of 100%, your Natural Intake/Maintenance Ratio is the comparison between the rate at which you gain mana from the environment and the rate at which you lose mana in order to maintain templates…***
Alright, lots of words I don't understand, but I'm starting to get the bigger picture. One last thing I need to know before I fortify the path to my core. Temporary. Description.
Templates with the 'temporary' property require a constant stream of mana to maintain. They can be added, moved, or removed instantly, and at no immediate cost other than a change to your I/M ratio, unlike fixed templates which require time and stored mana to be built, adjusted, and deconstructed…****
Hm… a bit lengthy, but that's okay. Now that I have a decent idea of what I'm working with, let's just get something temporary down ASAP. Structures.
Template: Structure | Object | Special | Custom
Structure Type: Room | Corridor | Surface | Custom | Saved
Hm… Rooms.
A long list of options, and the costs that came with them, appeared in a drop-down menu. The many, many costs that came with them… but after getting mentally overwhelmed, Rori just ignored everything except the first value, since that's all that mattered to temporary templates anyway.
(I/M Ratio Cost | …)
1_Basic Boss Room (Randomized): 100% | …
2_Basic Trap Room (Randomized): 33% | …
3_Basic Obstacle Room (Randomized): 33% | …
4_Basic Zone Room (Randomized): 33% | …
5_Basic Mob Room (Randomized): 33% | …
6_Basic Economy Room (Randomized): 27% | …
7_Basic Trap/Obstacle Room (Randomized): 66% | …
8_Basic Trap/Zone Room (Randomized): 66% | …
9_Basic Trap/Mob Room (Randomized): 66% | …
10_Basic Trap/Economy Room (Randomized): 53% | …
Page: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11,…
Assuming it was first for a reason, he selected option 1. A giant, ethereal object appeared in midair, seemingly made up of the same material as the floor panels, and with yellow connection nodes on opposite ends. The nodes flashed red when he tried to disconnect them from existing floor panels, so he lodged it in the center of the bridge. He could see straight through highlighted things as if they were transparent, and on the inside of the box he saw a giant mushroom and some kind of sparkling fog. Before placing it, he fetched its Description.
Basic Boss Room: Snoozing Shroom (Harmless): 100% | …
Room Contribution: 1
Zone Contribution: 1
Resident Contribution: 10
Snoozing Shroom? Description.
Basic Zone Trap Boss: Snoozing Shroom (Harmless)
While asleep, a Snoozing Shroom emits soporific spores. Once its victims are all unconscious, it will wake up and gently carry them to the room's ejection pods. It is highly vulnerable to attacks and it will not defend itself.
Huh. I guess Harmless dungeons CAN have a boss. Not sure if I'm a fan of this one, but let's use it to block the bridge for now. I can always switch it later.
Place 'Basic Boss Room: Snoozing Shroom (Harmless)'? (99%->-1%)
Confirm.
Rori felt an intangible change that he couldn't easily describe. It was like he had been sitting still before, but now he was exercising. He didn't have a body, or muscles, but that was the only analogue that came to mind. And maybe it was just the numbers talking, but he didn't feel like he could keep it up forever.
I'll probably have to change it soon, but for the moment I'm safe enough to do some research. Assuming I'm understanding this whole 'dungeon' concept correctly.
And now. At last. Status.
Dungeon ID: 0.0.931-48
Name: Unnamed
Type: Watery Depths, Underground Lake
Danger Level: 0 (Harmless)
Difficulty: Basic (1)
Hm… not what I was looking for. Let's try left to right across the top row. Mana.
Stored Mana: 1010/100
Mana Until Next Level: 10/100
Natural Intake/Maintenance Ratio: -1%
Adjusted Intake/Maintenance Ratio: -1%
Much better. But why is this number golden? Stored Mana. Description.
Stored Mana: 1010/100
Properties: Starting Allowance
Starting allowance? Oh, right. The 'harmless' description said something about a low starting allowance. And since he was already there, Rori decided to read the rest of the description.
Stored mana is used to level up, to create and repair fixed structures, and to fuel negative I/M expenditures, among other things-
Before Rori could get any further, he felt a sense of intrusion, of trespass. Without any voluntary input on his part, his attention snapped to the entrance of his dungeon, where stood a creature like a mix between a monkey and a fish, holding a spear. Another sense of intrusion, and it was joined by a companion. Then another. Then another.
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A/N: Chapter Finished. Cut descriptions:
*The following should not be taken as the complete list of actions that Rori can take using his interface, but some additional ones are:
Actions: Highlight | Description | Modify | Delete | Move | Place | Copy | Undo | Redo | Set | Confirm | …
"Set" will eventually be used to queue a change without implementing it right away. Most of the rest should be obvious based on the name.
**Property: Path to the Core
…Templates with this property may be replaced by templates that qualify as paths, such as rooms, obstacle paths, or trapped floors, which will then adopt the 'Path to the Core' special property.
***Mana Intake / Maintenance Ratio
…At a ratio of 0% I/M, you are gaining exactly as much mana as you spend. At 100%, your maintenance costs are low enough that you are still maintaining the maximum natural mana growth rate. At -100%, your maintenance costs have reached the inverse of your maximum natural growth rate – the maximum mana deficit. If your I/M ratio is negative, you will consistently lose stored mana unless something supplements your natural intake rate, such as the presence of delvers. (See Adjusted Intake/Maintenance Ratio.) If you run out of stored mana, temporary constructs will be automatically deleted (or replaced by temporary floor tiles, in the case of constructs along the Path to the Core) in the order of most expensive to least expensive until the I/M ratio is no longer negative. This will happen regardless of a template's (Occupied) status.
****Template Property: Temporary
…At the cost of stored mana, temporary templates can be converted to fixed templates. Temporary templates have significantly higher maintenance costs than fixed templates, significantly lower structural integrity, and are more obvious to delvers. Most temporary templates require structural soundness before conversion into fixed templates. For example, a temporary floor tile supported by nothing in midair, or supported only by other temporary floor tiles, cannot be converted into a fixed floor tile.