Being touched for the first time in my life feels weird. I’m not sure how else to describe it. Anyway, I early look forward to this “Lilly” helping me. I could really use it.

“I accept”

The blue box disappears and I feel something intruding in my mind.

“Hello? Helllloooo? Answer me already silly Core.”

That must be Lilly. I push the race selection box away from my vision and focus my vision to see my Core room. There I see a tiny creature sitting next to myself tapping its foot as it looks increasingly... hungry? Sad? Upset? I guess I’m not that good at telling emotions in whatever race Lilly is yet. Well whatever she is I guess it’s better to answer soon before she leaves.

“I’m here. I’m here. Are you here to help me?”

I hear a sigh. How does one sigh in thoughts? “Yes, silly Core. That’s why I’m here. To offer guidance to a newborn Core. Since you’re the only newborn Dungeon Core around here that would mean I’m here to help you.”

“Oh wonderful! I’m so happy to have someone to talk to. I’ve been so confused ever since I was born.”

“Before we continue coreling I need to know. How many previous times has your Core been destroyed?”

“What does that mean? I was just born 3 hours ago.”

“Oh, well that’s a change. Dungeon Cores are blessed by the gods to be reborn every time they die so that each time, they can figure out how to survive longer. That or the gods really hate dungeons and made it so that you’re stuck in an eternal cycle of death until your will to live disappears. Cores don’t reincarnate if they really don’t want to. A small mercy if you ask me. Eternity might sound nice for young people but eventually I figure it would get pretty boring.”

“How can I be sure I’m not an old Core?”

“You would know. If you say you’re 3 hours old then you’re a new one, trust me. Oh right, you’re not some traveling soul that just woke up as a Dungeon Core?”

“What? Didn't I already answer that?”

“So, you weren’t just killed is some hilarious way and then found yourself talking to a lady or man before blacking out and waking up as you are now? Nothing pops into your mind as I say that?”

“No, other than confusion there’s nothing else going on in my mind.”

“Thank the gods! That’s good. Those type of cores never have a happy ending. Sure, at first, they’re interesting and bring fresh ideas but give it 100 to 150 years and they start to go mad. Something about the soul not being suited for a long lifespan. Of course, by then they’ve usually grown too much to easily kill them. Not good for anyone that is. Ironic that, those cores usually start the most averse to killing but, in the end, they kill far more than a normal Dungeon Core ever would.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Well I’m not sure what I should say. I’m just me. No old soul or previous life. Just a very confused newborn. Can I get some help now please?”

“Oh, all right. Let’s take a look at where you’re at.”

I feel control of my mind slip as different windows pop up and disappear again in my vision for a while until it stops.

“You haven’t even done anything yet. In fact, you’re not even supposed to be able to call me for assistance until you’ve at least picked a starting race. That’s when the “Call Help” part of your menu shows up. How did you ever manage to call for help?”

“Well before I was sent here, I really wanted help so the blue box asked me if I wanted help and I said yes.”

“That’s not how it’s supposed to work. In the void you should only have your “Status” and “Menu” options enabled. Once you’ve seen both you get sent away.”

“That’s how it was for me too. But before I picked a location the blue box offered to send me help. There wasn’t some option in the menu that I picked. It just kind of asked me.”

“Are you sure that’s all there was to it?”

“Well, I was panicking at the time and really wanted help so that box really calmed me down.”

“Interesting. If I’m not mistaken one of the gods must be looking over you at the moment. This works out great for us.”

“What? How do you know a god is watching out for me?”

“Not looking out for you. Just looking over you. The gods get bored easily so they like to mess with mortals from time to time and manipulate the system, what you call the blue box. Those blue boxes are something the gods made long ago to stop having to run around and answer basic stuff. All living things have a system the gods designed to handle most of the stuff that comes up in their life. Why pray to a god and ask what’s wrong with you when you can just call up your status to see you’ve been poisoned. Anyway, since the system is just what the gods put in place to avoid dealing with mortals then can just take over for a bit and manipulate it. That’s how you got help before you were supposed to.”

“So how is that great for us?”

“Well I’ll have you know that you’re not the first dungeon I’ve helped in my life. In fact, you would be the fifth. Others from my village has also had their own dungeons in the past so we know a fair bit about your kind. I’ve even wanted to try something for a while now and you are just the perfect little Core that can help me with it.”

“I am? Help you with what?”

“Well, sooner or later you will be discovered by the sentient races. When they decide you aren’t evil, they will start to delve into your dungeon for loot and resources. Don’t worry, that’s a good thing mostly. Aside from a few fools looking to kill you it a mutual beneficial relationship. They get things from you and you get to kill some of them to help with your growth. The things they bring with them when they die will help you unlock more things in your menu.”

“Like the granite and cave moss from before?”

“Yes, like that. But you can only absorb it once the person has died. Or if it’s offered as a token once you build your altar. Anyway, adventures coming is good. But eventually people will no longer come to you and you’ll be cast aside for some other dungeon. Before you ask, it will happen because they will grow bored with you. Dungeon Cores meanwhile will grow bored with no one venturing into them. Dungeons try to overcome this by a variety of ways. They offer better loot, more resources to find and collect. They might even start causing trouble around them is a desperate bid for attention. But in the end, it doesn’t help. The better loot and resources attract resentment from rivals to the town or nation the dungeon is placed in and they kill the dungeon just so their enemy won’t have access to it. A dungeon causing too much trouble is likewise killed to restore tranquility to the area. No, young coreling. I think to be a truly successful dungeon you must offer them something no other dungeon can offer.”

“What’s that Lilly?

“Thank you for finally calling my name. Anyway, what I want you to offer them is something they all crave. An adventure!”