Chapter 1: The Awakening
In a deep dark cave, a blinding white light appeared out of nowhere lighting up the dark surroundings. After a few seconds, the blinding white light slowly condensed into an orb that still emitted faint white light into its surroundings.
***
Lucas pov.
Nooo!... Huh, I am still alive and what is this place wasn't I just hit by a car, what is happening here? Hmm from the looks of it, this place is probably an underground cave but how the hell did I end up here? Then as I was looking around the cave a white screen caught my attention as it popped out of thin air in front of my vision.
How the hell did this screen appear out of thin air? As I was starting to question the origin of the screen, I was once again distracted by rows of text appearing on the screen.
[Activating the system]
[System activation successful]
[Initiating the tutorial quest]
[Quest 1/10
Open the status tab]
Hmm wait a minute I think this might be a cliche where I was reincarnated in another world with a system. I had read these types of mangas before so if I am right this should work. As I said the word Status a new screen popped up in front of my vision.
[Status
Name: unnamed(Lucas)
Level:1(0/100)
Race: dungeon core
HP: 100/100
MP: 50/50
Stats
Vitality:10
Intelligence:6
Wisdom:5
Skills
Active
Passive
Title]
[Quest 1/10
Open status tab✓
Open skills tab]
oh, it really worked so let's see my name is the same but why is my race a dungeon core? and what is a dungeon core? As soon as I started to have questions my doubts were immediately cleared as another screen appeared with the answers to my questions.
[dungeon core
Dungeon cores are cores created by the condensation of massive amounts of natural mana over a long period Into a crystal-like orb that has sapience and can create and maintain a dungeon.]
Hmm so that is what a dungeon core is huh but Why the hell am I a dungeon core shouldn't I be reincarnated as a hero or something so why was I reincarnated as dungeon core? Thinking about this I grumbled for a short while before deciding that I should be glad that I was reincarnated at all instead of complaining about my race. After this, I started to read the status screen more thoroughly to learn more about myself.
[Skills
Active
Floor designation, monster creation, terrain manipulation, plant creation.
Passive
None]
[Quest (2/10)
Open status tab✓
Open skill tab✓
Open title tab]
Hmm so it looks like I have 4 active skills but no passive skills and it also looks like I progressed the tutorial quest more. Alright so first let's take a closer look at their descriptions to learn more about them.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
[Floor designation
This skill allows the dungeon core to claim and designate an area to be the dungeon floor. The current no of floors (0/1) the floor limit can be increased by leveling up.
Monster creation
This skill allows the dungeon core to create monsters who will act as the dungeon's faithful defender and protect the dungeon core. Floor required for monster creation.
Terrain manipulation
This skill allows the dungeon core to change the terrain of a designated floor to their liking.
Plant Creation
This skill allows the dungeon core to create vegetation for the dungeon floors. Floor required for plant creation.]
Hmm, can the terrain manipulation skill create lava if I want a lava floor, that would be something to look forward to and the other skills are also all useful. Alright now, let's take a look at the title tab.
[Titles
The otherworldly
It is a title given to a living being who has traveled from another to here.
Allows the holder to understand all languages, even otherworldly languages.]
[Quest (3/10)
Open status tab✓
Open skills tab✓
Open title tab✓
Designate a dungeon floor]
Well, the title indeed has a good-sounding name and with its effect, I might even be able to communicate with humans if I find any. Of course, I would only be able to do that after I get a human form as I don't think a dungeon core would be treated very well by them.
Anyways let's try out the floor designation skill. As I activated the skill a selection box appeared in my vision which let me know what will be considered the floor so that I could choose more easily. After spending a while thinking about which location to take I just decided to take a random one since I couldn't see far because of the cave's darkness.
Then as the skill activated and turned the selected area into a dungeon floor. My mind seemed to rapidly expand and spread throughout the floor allowing me to sense everything on the floor including how much dirt, stone, and other minerals were present on the floor. My mind was almost overloaded by the sudden influx of sensations and information because of which I just rested for a few hours to get used to this sudden change.
Man, that was really painful having so much information enter into my mind I almost fainted due to the immense headache. Anyways now that my mind has gotten used to it, I can now actually see my body which is a faintly glowing white orb on the ground. Hmm, so this is what I have now become huh well can't really deny it as it is clearly my body, and denying it won't help with the current situation. Though I need to build a pedestal for my body now as I don't want my body to just lay on the disgusting dirt floor.
After deciding what to do I activated my terrain manipulation skill and created a beautiful pedestal for my body using a shining blue I had found on the dungeon floor. It was made of two serpents intertwined into each other as they rose above to hold my body which is the dungeon core between their mouths.
[Quest (4/10)
Open the status tab✓
Open the skill tab ✓
Open the title tab✓
Designate a dungeon floor✓
Choose your primary element]
hmm looks like I'm almost halfway through the tutorial, but what is this primary element that the system is telling me to choose?
[Primary element
All young dungeon's first elemental specialisation is known as the primary element also when a dungeon chooses its primary element the skills terrain manipulation, plant creation, and monster creation are also affected and become limited in what they can do as a dungeon which has fire as a primary element cannot have any water element related plants or monsters or terrain though these disadvantages are lower than the advantages as the primary element the dungeon chooses is greatly strengthened.]
So this primary element is kind of like a shackle while also being a power booster. Then I contemplated it for some time before asking. Hey, system can I not choose any particular element as my primary element and just have all of them be my primary element? After a moment I received my answer though I was surprised the system took so long to answer because previously it was almost instantaneous.
[Your request has been inspected by the system administrator but unfortunately, your request was denied because of reasons you are not authorised to know of]
What, who is this system administrator? It's the first time they have been mentioned by the system but they are clearly above the system itself seeing as the system has to report to them. Hmm is he like the overseer of the system or something. After mulling over the new discovery I made today I also mentally noted the fact that I couldn't access some info because of insufficient authority. Anyways since I can't take them all so show me the options which I can take.
[Primary element options
Fire element: Fire affinity+200% and access to unique fire element terrain and plants, monsters. Water affinity -100% and access to water terrain, plants, and monsters removed.
Water element: Water affinity+200% and access to unique water element terrain and plants, monsters. Fire affinity-100% and access to fire terrain, plants, and monsters removed.
Wind element: Wind affinity+200% and access to unique wind terrain and plants, monsters. Earth affinity-100% and access to earth terrain, plants, and monsters removed.
Earth element: Earth affinity+200% and access to unique earth terrain and plants, monsters. Wind affinity-100% and access to earth terrain, plants, and monsters removed. ]
Hmm, so I have four options fire, water, wind, and earth. They all have the same advantages and disadvantages so I guess It's all now up to what I prefer. I mulled over the issue for a couple of hours before I came to a decision.
I choose fire as my primary element. as soon as I finished choosing a message came from the system.
[Fire element has been designated as the primary element of the dungeon core]
[Quest 5/10
Open the status tab✓
Open the skill tab ✓
Open the title tab✓
Designate a dungeon floor✓
Choose a primary element✓
Complete terrain manipulation of the dungeon floor]
[Starting dungeon core elemental recalibration to fire element]
What the, why am I feeling so sleepy? Just as I had started to try and stay awake another message came from the system after seeing which I decisively stopped resisting.
[Please do not resist the elemental recalibration process as too much interference during the process may end in the dungeon core's destruction]
Hmm better I stop resisting as I wouldn't want to die because of stubbornness. As my mind slips away the dungeon core that is my body which was previously only emitting a faint white light now had a tinge of red mixed in.