Then—
[System initializing…]
A spark of awareness jolted through him. His thoughts were fragmented, slipping through his grasp like sand. He was... something. Someone?
A new message blinked into his consciousness.
[Error: Dungeon Assistant not found.]
[Compensating…]
[Restoring memories…]
And just like that, the dam broke.
Ethan Lee. Twenty-nine. Mechanical engineer. No social life. Questionable caffeine intake.
And, oh right—he was dead.
His last memory was fuzzy, but considering the ridiculous number of safety hazards at his job, there was a solid chance he got vaporized by some poorly maintained machinery.
The realization should have sent him into a panic, but his mind was already racing with a more pressing concern: he wasn’t in a body.
No hands. No legs. No heartbeat.
Just… awareness.
A slow dread crept in. Was this the afterlife? Some kind of weird coma? Or—
[Dungeon Assistant located. Initializing…]
There was a faint pop, and suddenly, a tiny ball of light flickered into view. It pulsed softly, about the size of a marble, floating in front of him like some kind of will-o’-the-wisp.
Then it spoke.
"Alright, alright! No need to panic!"
The voice was high-pitched, quick-talking, and—judging by the tone—way too cheerful for the current situation.
Ethan tried to respond, only to realize he had no mouth. "Uh—"
"Hey, boss!" the light continued. "Name’s Chip, and I’ll be your Dungeon Assistant! Or, well, technically I wasn’t supposed to be, but the last guy never showed up, so—surprise! You got me instead!"
Ethan paused. Or, well, felt intensely in Chip’s general direction. "...Dungeon what now?"
Chip flickered, as if processing his question. "Oh, right! You don’t know anything yet. One sec."
[Loading tutorial…]
Ethan braced himself, expecting some overwhelming flood of knowledge to be dumped into his brain like the books he used to read. Instead, Chip just started talking.
"Okay, so here’s the short version: You died. Sucks, I know. But congrats! You’ve been reincarnated as a dungeon core—a super-magical, ultra-important crystal that controls a dungeon! Your job is to build up your domain, spawn monsters, and, uh… not get smashed to bits by adventurers."
Ethan processed that. "...You’re telling me I came back as a rock?"
"Not just any rock! A very special rock!" Chip did a little loop in the air. "You can expand your dungeon, create creatures, set traps, gather resources—oh, and if you get strong enough, you might even be able to evolve!"
Ethan wasn’t sure how to feel about that. On one hand, he was alive—sort of. On the other… he was a glorified security system.
"...Right. And how exactly do I do all of that?"
[Dungeon Core Basics Unlocked.]
Chip hummed. "Ooo, perfect timing! Okay, so dungeon cores operate using mana, which you absorb from the environment. You can spend that mana to shape your dungeon, create monsters, and set up defenses."
"Sounds simple enough," Ethan said.
Chip snorted. "Yeah, until you realize you’re weak as hell."
[Current status: Newborn core]
[Tier: 0]
[Mana reserves: Low]
Ethan glanced at the message. "And I assume ‘Tier 0’ means I’m at the bottom of the food chain."
"Bingo! You’re basically a baby dungeon right now. No monsters. No traps. Just a glowing rock in a hole."
Fantastic. He’d been demoted from ‘underpaid engineer’ to ‘magic pebble.’
But… there was potential here. If dungeons could evolve, that meant there was a progression system. A way to grow.
"Alright," Ethan muttered. "Where do we start?"
Chip pulsed excitedly. "Now that’s the spirit! First things first—we need to absorb some materials so you can start shaping your domain!"
“Right… and how do I do that?" he asked, still wrapping his head around the idea of being a magical rock.
Chip pulsed in excitement. "Great question! You’ve got an ability called Absorption. It lets you break down materials in your surroundings and convert them into mana. Think of it like eating, except instead of food, you’re devouring the very essence of the world around you!"
Ethan wasn’t sure if that sounded efficient or horrifying. "So, I just… pull in stuff and turn it into power?"
"Pretty much! Here, give it a shot. Focus on the ground around you and will it into your core."
Ethan focused outward. It was an odd sensation, like stretching a limb he never knew he had. A faint, tugging pull extended from his core, and suddenly—
[Absorbing basic stone…]
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[+2 Mana]
That… felt weird.
He repeated the process. Another chunk of stone disappeared from his surroundings, broken down into raw energy that pooled inside him.
[Absorbing compacted earth…]
[+3 Mana]
[Absorbing iron ore fragment…]
[+5 Mana]
Chip whistled. "Ooooh, nice find! Iron ore already? That stuff’s good!"
Ethan glanced at his status. His mana was slowly increasing.
[Mana: 0 → 10]
[Mana: 10 → 15]
[Mana: 15 → 20]
"Wait—iron gives more mana than stone?"
Chip bobbed up and down. "Yup! Different materials have different values. Iron’s denser and rarer, so it gives more mana. Basic stone is kinda worthless, but hey, every bit counts!"
Ethan focused again, pulling in more of the cavern floor. His mana ticked upward.
[Mana: 20 → 24]
[Mana: 24 → 27]
"Alright, so what can I actually do with this mana?"
"Two big things!" Chip declared. "First—you can expand your domain."
Ethan perked up. "Expand? Like make my dungeon bigger?"
"Yes and no! Expanding your domain doesn’t physically change the space—you’re not just digging holes. It means extending your influence. Once an area is part of your domain, you can reshape it, create monsters, and pull mana from it."
Ethan absorbed that information, along with a little more stone. His mana ticked up again.
[Mana: 27 → 31]
"Alright, I’ll try it."
He focused outward again. This time, instead of pulling mana in, he pushed his awareness outward.
[Expanding domain…]
[New area claimed: +2 meters]
[Mana: 31 → 21]
Something shifted. It wasn’t a physical change—there were no walls moving or tunnels opening—but Ethan felt the space become his. Like an extension of himself.
He focused on the newly claimed area, experimenting. He reached for a rock near the edge of his domain and willed it to move.
Nothing.
Chip giggled. "Ah, yeah, forgot to mention—you have to spend mana to physically change stuff. Expanding your domain just means you can change it. Think of it like… adding something to your inventory. It’s yours, but you still have to use it."
Ethan checked his mana.
[Mana: 21]
"So if I wanted to, say, smooth out the walls or carve tunnels, I’d have to spend more mana?"
"Exactly! And the bigger the change, the more mana it costs. Simple tweaks, like shaping walls or moving small rocks? Pretty cheap. Big things, like forging metal or making entire rooms? Expensive!"
Ethan let that sink in. "And the second thing? You said there were two ways to use mana."
Chip did a little spin. "Ooooh, this one’s fun—you can create monsters!"
Ethan’s core pulsed. "...Excuse me?"
"Yep! Dungeons naturally generate creatures to defend themselves. Right now, you’re still a baby core, so you don’t have access to anything big, but once we get enough mana, you can start summoning your first constructs!"
Ethan checked his mana.
[Mana: 21]
"So I can make creatures to fight off intruders?"
Chip bobbed enthusiastically. "Yep! Dungeons naturally produce creatures to defend themselves. But here’s the catch—you can’t just make anything."
Ethan frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You have affinities. Every dungeon has an elemental or thematic alignment that shapes the kind of creatures it can create. You can only make monsters that match your affinity, or ones that are extremely close to it."
Ethan processed that. "So… what’s my affinity?"
Chip buzzed in place. "You haven’t picked one yet! Every dungeon core gets to choose their starting affinity—but be careful! Once you pick, it’s permanent."
Ethan frowned. "And my options?"
"Well, you’ve only absorbed raw stone and ore so far, so your natural choices are Earth or Metal. Earth dungeons are sturdy and great at terrain control, while Metal dungeons are tougher and produce stronger creatures with reinforced bodies."
Ethan thought for a moment. "And once I pick, I can’t change it?"
"Nope! But you can develop secondary affinities over time by absorbing enough of the right materials. If you start pulling in a ton of fire-aspected materials, for example, you could unlock Molten Affinity, which would blend Metal and Fire into something new."
Ethan hummed. "So most dungeons just make creatures out of their affinity, right? Like, a Metal dungeon would make steel-armored beasts, and an Earth dungeon would make stone golems?"
"Exactly! A Fire dungeon makes flame spirits or magma hounds. A Water dungeon makes amphibious or aquatic creatures. The stronger your affinity, the better your creatures will be."
Ethan’s core pulsed thoughtfully. "What about mechanical creatures? Like actual metal constructs—golems, automatons, clockwork beasts?"
Chip stopped bobbing. "...Huh. That’s not really a thing."
Ethan blinked. "What do you mean? Dungeons use metal, right?"
"Sure, but they don’t build stuff. Metal dungeons reinforce their monsters with steel-like traits—sharper claws, armored hides, maybe metal-infused bones. But an actual mechanical construct? No dungeon’s ever done that."
Ethan considered that. "Why not?"
Chip pulsed. "Dungeons don’t think that way. Most cores run on instinct—they absorb mana, shape creatures, and defend themselves. They don’t consciously design things like a blacksmith or an engineer would."
"But I do."
Chip flickered. "...I guess you do. You’re weird."
"Wow, thanks."
"No, really. Most dungeons start with completely blank minds, just running on basic instincts. But you? You kept your memories. Your whole thinking brain. That’s probably why you even considered mechanical constructs in the first place."
Ethan’s excitement grew. That meant he wasn’t just another dungeon core following the same natural evolution as everyone else. He had knowledge—a completely new way to approach things.
"So, if I pick Metal… I could potentially make actual mechanical creatures?"
Chip hesitated. "I mean… in theory? It’d take a lot of experimenting, but since you can actually design things instead of just shaping mana on instinct… yeah, you might be able to pull it off."
That settled it.
Ethan opened his status.
[Choose Your Primary Affinity:]
- Earth (Durability, terrain control, reinforced constructs)
- Metal (Enhanced strength, armored creatures, reinforced traits)
He didn’t even hesitate.
[Affinity Chosen: Metal]
A surge of power flowed through him, and for the first time since waking up in this strange new existence, Ethan felt like he was really in control.