Over time, I grew increasingly familiar with the system, gradually unraveling new layers of this unfamiliar world. The interface served as both a guide and a gateway, leading me to several revelations.
First: The thing is that the world —this world operate under a leveling system, one strikingly similar to the video games I had occasionally played in the past. Godhood Potential (G.P) functioned as a currency within this system. It could be used to make changes to the domain and acquire and customize spawns, including selecting their classes and increasing their levels. However, these customizations incurred additional costs beyond the base price.
Second: The monsters section of the interface presented an extensive catalog of creatures, ranging from seemingly mundane animals to horrifying abominations straight out of an eldritch horror novel. The sheer diversity of these entities left me wondering how the world’s inhabitants had managed to survive thus far. Given the descriptions provided, I could only assume these creatures truly existed out there, somehow.
The more I learned, the more evident it became that I had been thrust into a fantasy world reminiscent of a video game. The familiarity of the terms and systems presented to me raised an unnerving possibility: had I truly died, or was I now trapped in some form of simulated reality? Yet, a brief moment of introspection dispelled this doubt.
I remembered that place. I remembered, with agonizing clarity, how every second there felt like an eternity of suffering. I had no body, yet I felt pain —a pain that seemed to pierce my very soul. That realization left me in a miserable state, desperate for solace.
"Forgive me, A42675, Outer God of Corruption," I whispered, my voice echoing in the void that was now my existence. "For I have doubted. This sinful one is deeply flawed, but I repent. Please, have mercy upon me."
As a miraculous calm settled over me, I continued, "Forgive me, A42675, Outer God of Corruption. Forgive me, Mighty K.R.U.L. I promise never to doubt again. Of course you are real — I died. I, better than anyone, should know that. I must never forget what I saw, what is now my purpose. Though I still do not fully understand that purpose, I will dedicate my entire existence to it."
With renewed determination, I embraced my role as a Dungeon Master and my nature as a Dungeon Core, ready to navigate this world and fulfill the purpose bestowed upon me.
Now then, getting back to what I discovered. The third thing that became painfully clear as I deepened my understanding was that if G.P was my currency, then I was a very poor Dungeon Master. My pitiful 90 G.P barely gave me enough to afford a level 18 Verdenkind Warrior or a level 13 Highbreed Priest.
I didn't fully understand all the finer details of this system — things like MP, SP, offense, defense — those were still a mystery to me. But it just made sense, didn't it? Higher levels had to be better than lower ones. That's just logic. Common sense, even. And yet, even with that logic, a level 13 Highbreed or a level 18 Verdenkind didn’t exactly scream "unstoppable force." Not when I’d seen the terrifying base stats of certain other races and species. Compared to them, these options felt... underwhelming — certainly not enough to achieve any grand goals, whatever they might turn out to be.
That said, there were alternatives. My spawn options were not limited to humans. I could acquire elves, dwarves, angels, demons, and many more. The monster subinterface offered an even greater range of options, from humble beasts to creatures that defied comprehension. However, those that truly captured my attention — dragons and phoenixes — were far beyond my modest 90 G.P budget. Powerful, majestic beings fit for someone serving a god were simply out of reach.
I understood, of course, that I could always make do with what I could afford. But with Godhood Potential being so precious and scarce, it was clear I needed to invest wisely. Much like I had once stretched every penny in my early days, I now had to treat my 90 G.P with the utmost care. Especially when I had yet to fully understand how these spawns would serve me — or my divine purpose.
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[ ???'s Interface ]
Spawns Catalog
Monsters
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I continued skimming through the seemingly endless list of entities in the interface. It was overwhelming, with numerous categories and subcategories to explore. The classification ranged from elemental creatures to undead, forest creatures to deep-sea monsters, and many more. Each category had its own subcategories, further expanding the options available.
As I browsed through these categories and subcategories, I realized that there were near-endless possibilities for customizing and acquiring entities. It was clear that this world was filled with diverse and unique creatures, each with its own set of abilities and characteristics.
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[ ???'s Interface ]
Spawns Catalog
Monsters
Undead
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Despite the overwhelming choices I was given, I needed to remain focused and find an entity that would suit my current situation. I wanted to start with something affordable—cheap in fact to gain a better understanding of how this works exactly.
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[ ???'s Interface ]
Spawns Catalog
Monsters
Undead
Spiritual Undead
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After some time, I finally settled on a relatively affordable spawn to invest in—a monster from the Undead category. In my catalogue skimming I quickly realized that a couple of the undead subcategories, particularly the ones indicating the undead was only partially corporeal, offered a surprisingly good quality-to-price ratio. At least, that’s how it felt when I compared the offense and defense stats to let's say a Verdenkind and a Highbreed which are the two subcategories of the human species.
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[ ???'s Interface ]
Spawns Catalog
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Specters
Spectral Reaver
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“Cheaper than a level 1 VerdenKind, but already stronger than a level 1 highbreed,” I mused, “this isn’t a dragon, but this seems like a good starting point for my experimentations.”
With a mental click, I decided to acquire the spawn and see how I could use it.
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[ ???'s Interface ]
Acquire [ 0.35 GP ]
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“Yes.”
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[ ???'s Interface ]
Spectral Reaver Level Acquired.
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[ ???'s Interface ]
Name: ???
Entity: Dungeon Core
Designation: Dungeon Master
[ Ressource ]
- Raw Manacyte Cluster (R.M.C): 1▲ / 1▲
- Mana Available (M.A): 403.7▲
- Godhood Potential (G.P) Earned: 89.65
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"Sayonara, 0.35 GP of mine—you will be greatly missed."
At first, I had no regrets about spending the 0.35 GP on the Spectral Reaver. It was a relatively small amount compared to my total Godhood Potential. However, as soon as the acquisition was complete, I noticed something unsettling—no additional options appeared. There was only the exit button and the option to make another acquisition. It was as if I hadn’t purchased anything at all. Panic bubbled up inside me, but thankfully, I remembered a particular section of the interface.
I quickly exited the spawn catalog and navigated to the spawn section within the spawnable entities tab. To my immense relief, there it was—my dear new acquisition.
"Sigh… there you are. You almost gave me a heart attack."
Once I figured out that all new acquisitions from the catalog were automatically sent to the spawn section, I began to fiddle with that corner of the interface, exploring the options available for my newly acquired spawn.
The first option I selected was "Assign M.P." It opened a screen where I could allocate a portion of my available mana (M.A.) to the Spectral Reaver. Apparently, the maximum M.P I could assign to it was 25—a value that, I assume, was derived from some formula involving the Spectre’s base SP, MP and SP. Though, to be honest, I couldn’t say for sure.
I paused to think it over, but the decision came easily. After all, I wasn’t exactly mana-starved—at least, not for long. My M.A., which I distinctly remembered starting at 323.7, had already passed the 400 mark, and it was still climbing steadily with no signs of slowing down. Considering that, I felt no hesitation in allocating the mere 6.25% of my total M.A. the Spectral Reaver needed.
There was something oddly satisfying about watching its spawn status hit 100%. It felt like I was empowering it, breathing purpose into something that had just been a line item a moment ago. It was a small victory, but one that filled me with a quiet reassurance—the sense that, for once, I wasn’t doing something I would regret.
With that settled, I moved on. There wasn’t much else I could do in that section except raise the Reaver’s stats — something that, of course, required G.P., which I couldn’t afford to spare right now. Technically, I could scrape some together, but something held me back. There was something else I needed to see first.
So, I scrolled down to the next option: "Assign Behavior." With a mental click, I opened that section of the interface, and a new list of behavioral patterns unfolded before me.
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[ ???'s Interface ]
Spectral Reaver
Assign Behavior
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Initially, apart from that peculiar instinctive inclination to accumulate more G.P., I was uncertain about what was truly expected of me. However, as I delved into the myriad interfaces of this enigmatic "system," certain theories began to take shape, shedding light on—or at least giving a sort of silhouette to—what was expected of me as a dungeon core. But now that I saw this interface, it became evident that I, as a dungeon core, or perhaps more accurately, my spawns, bore the responsibility of dealing with what this system cryptically termed "intruders."
Anyway, right now, it seemed clear that I was expected to select one of the four available behaviors.
The first option was "Guard Behavior," which would designate the spawn to protect specific areas. It seemed like it gave spawns a defensive role, focused on safeguarding valuable locations. I considered this as a possible choice, particularly if I wanted to secure key points within my domain. Not that I had that yet.
The "Hunt Behavior" also intrigued me. This would make the Spectral Reaver actively seek out intruders, acting as relentless trackers. It could be a useful choice to intercept and confront those who entered the dungeon. I made a mental note to consider this option.
"Patrol Behavior" was another intriguing choice. Spawns assigned to this behavior would systematically move through predefined areas, serving as deterrents to intruders. This seemed like a balanced approach.
The last option, "Rest and Spawn Behavior," also piqued my interest—but more than the others. It involved having the spawn remain concealed, conserving their energy and resources until summoned in response to an intrusion. This approach could add an element of surprise and unpredictability to encounters. Looking at it this way made it quite the interesting choice.
After some contemplation and a lingering uncertainty—since each option appeared equally promising in its presentation—I ultimately settled on the last one: the Rest and Spawn Behavior. "After all, I should have the flexibility to alter this choice should I come to regret it, shouldn't I?"
With that in mind, I mentally confirmed my selection by clicking on it. As I did, the choice seemed to lock in. Seeing that there was not much else I could do here, I exited the "Assign Behavior" section of the interface to get to the next: Promote to Domain Guardian. With a mental click, I selected "Promote to Domain Guardian."
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[ ???'s Interface ]
Spectral Reaver
Promote to Domain Guardian
_____________________________
The "Promote to Domain Guardian" option seemed like a significant enhancement for my Spectral Reaver. This choice could, from the look of it, bolster its abilities and make it even more formidable. But there was a "but"—a big but—that I simply couldn't ignore. The cost of 0.5 GP for promoting my Spectral Reaver to a Domain Guardian was a bit steep for my current budget. I decided to hold off on this option for now, with the intention of revisiting it in the future once I had a better understanding of my dungeon's resources and capabilities.
"This is not for me yet. Yep. Better come back to this later."
I promptly exited the "Promote to Domain Guardian" option and moved on to explore the two remaining subsections. In the corner of my nonexistent eyes, I saw the "Upgrade" option, but it sounded very familiar, for I had already figured it would be similar to when I had first acquired the Spectral Reaver. Instead, I chose to explore the "Spawn" option and as soon as I clicked on it, a holographic map materialized before me, one akin to the one in the Domain Visualisation interface," featuring a single notification in its center.
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[ ???'s Interface ]
Select spawning zone for [Spectral Reaver Level 1]
_____________________________
After some consideration, I decided to place my Spectral Reaver near the entrance of the cave-like structure I inhabited. It seemed like the most logical choice, as it would serve as an early line of defense against potential intruders. With a mental command, I designated the entrance as the spawning zone for my Spectral Reaver.
As soon as I confirmed the selection, the notification disappeared, and I was left with a somewhat anticlimactic map of the dungeon. It felt underwhelming because there was little to nothing different about the map at all. There was no sign of my "spawn." It was only when I activated a newly discovered zooming ability that a dot representing my Level 1 Spectral Reaver finally appeared. The dot was so minuscule that, in perspective on the map, it looked like the size of a grain of rice atop an eight-person table—the latter representing the map—which finally brought to my mind just how large the dungeon was.
