2022/12/23 (After system) at 12:02m central time. A massive change ripped through the world.

  The system which had remained static for over a millennium received an update.

  All across the world, people read the update in confusion, excitement and panic.

  For some, the system was an unchanging stone – a fundamental part of reality. A change to it – however small – was world shaking.

  For some, the idea of gods had begun to be disputed in recent years. The existence of higher beings was a theoretical – no proof of their existence convincing. They saw this update in a belief-shattering way – indisputable proof the gods were real after all.

  For others, the update was met with skepticism. ManaCorps had been rolling out their own system – perhaps they finally figured out how to hack into the grand system somehow? How easy was a blue box to fake? Perhaps someone was playing a practical joke on them?

  For some, this was the push they needed to become an adventurer – several low-level humans went through a class change quest and some retired delvers decided to visit a dungeon for old time's sake.

  For a few individuals this wasn't very big news – they knew the dungeons had done it due to being near the ascension site or were a dungeon involved.

  And finally for one, this update was met with pure shock.

  In the middle of a windowless room partly outside of reality – one foot in the void so to speak. A single user received a second blue box.

  “Tom!” The gremlin angrily shouted – his voice echoing in the bubble of reality.

  The owner of ManaCorps shook slightly and then slowly but surely calmed himself. “You talking to me like this, ruins a lot of the illusion of power your fellow ascended have cultivated. Massive amounts of power and you use it for a petty rivalry. Aren’t you above that now? Shouldn’t you leave us ‘mortals’ to cultivate in peace?”

  The owner noticeably twitched. After breathing out deeply the gremlin walked towards a desk and poured himself a mug of spark ale.

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  “I see my business can now claim to have a god as a rival. I’ll drink to that.” The owner smiled taking a long sip of the burning beverage – small flashes of light popping about his mouth as he did so.

  The owner sat in his building in silence for over an hour drinking his ale.

  Sighing a bit at the end he muttered low in the darkness “see you around”.

  ...

  Elsewhere, In a private group chat that went by the name of “Ascending a delver by delving an ascender”.

  Catacombs Of Woe: Did anyone hear about the new god? Apparently a dungeon helped him ascend.

  Dung30n: Wait what?

  Godmaker: No! NONONONONONO! I’ve been working on this project for over three centuries I’m so close!

  Catacombs Of Woe: Three centuries? Pah, I’ve been working on it for a millennia youngster.

  My floors bring all the adventurers to the: We did it crew!

  Catacombs Of Woe: Want to know what the worst part is? Apparently the dungeon who did it is a rank 4 welp less than a century old.

  Lightlord: Is there a point in continuing this goal? Is there a point in anything anymore?

  Godmaker: I’m going to continue. I bet I can ascend a better god.

  Dung30n: Okay, did my own research its not ‘a dungeon’ – there was a group that did it. They managed to share floors and collaborated to reach their goal – someone by the name of ‘Abe’ is currently explaining their exploits to anyone who will listen.

  Godmaker: See, now that makes sense. COW I told you should help me with my reflection trial – if we just worked together we totally could have beat them.

  Lightlord: I think…I think I’m going to try and find a new purpose. I’m leaving this group everyone, its been fun.

  Catacombs Of Woe: I’m taking a few years off. I’ll start trying again after my break.

  Dung30n: In other news does anyone know about circuits?

  Godmaker: That broken system?

  Dung30n: Yeah, someones released information on a whole secret language built into it.

  My floors bring all the adventurers to the: New circuits dropped? Link me.

  Dung30n: I just closed it – search for a site with S-Circuits, seems pretty well developed.

  Godmaker: Its by one of the cores who ascended the god – someone called ‘Innearth’.

  Godmaker: see I bet that’s how they did it. If I lucked into finding the secret S-Circuits first, I totally would have ascended someone first as well. He’s just lucky.

  Dung30n: Don’t be jealous of someone making a free guide – you’d have just kept it to yourself wouldn’t you have?

  Godmaker: Slander! Of course I would have told you guys.

  Similar conversations were mirrored in other groups – some congratulatory, some jealous. Others were finding out about the secret project older dungeons were working on for the first time and reacting to it with confusion – or like they were being left out of some grand secret.

  ...

  Deep in a metaphysical representation of the edge of the universe, a group of gods relaxed.

  “See I told you the system would work. After the newbie mirrored his cultivation technique into the master node, the chance of a second ascension has increased.” Trix spoke – a spark of light shifting and becoming a pile of coins as she spoke.

  “And also! Every ascension after that should exponentially increase the problem space. We created a miracle, we need more partying! 50 millennia to make 12 gods and only 2 to make a 13th! That’s at least double the efficiency!” As if to illustrate the increase of ascensions, the coins grew and spilled across the table. Coins tumbled away through the lounge and rolled across the floor that was also a tense battlefield and also nothing but empty space folded a quintillion times.

  “Earth gods will outnumber the rest of us in a few dozen millennia.” A shift of thought sighed and unfurled into an anthropoid – but not one that any on earth would have recognized.

  “__._..A” A cloud added to the conversation helpfully.

  “Heard they got some cross planet portals set up – what’s the chance someone will figure out cross universe portals?” the concept of colours spoke from its spot on Trix’s body.

  “Without our interference? …probably never. If I get some free time I might be able to help open up some new worlds…but is that even wise? The Earth's unstable enough as it is – the only thing preventing them from blowing themselves up sometimes is the systems we set in place. I can’t imagine how some of them would react.” The god of dwarves spoke.

  “Oh I think we all know why that is” Mortimer laughed – “I blame the hypocrite over there” he suddenly disappeared – his section of space curling around itself cloth grasping and strangling his after image.

  Like nothing had happened he popped back in a moment later just to start walking away. “See, she’s crazy. Needs to learn to chill – I’m calling first trip back home. Hold the fort down while I go do some god stuff”.

  “He cannot be allowed to go alone unchecked.” The holy mother cursed – “Minor mantles don’t do much. Sasha dear, make sure he doesn’t break anything”. Out of the surroundings, one of her minor gods curled into being and saluted. As one of the mantles left its post, the whole of the realm lost something. All of them took up their positions once more – the line of demons were harder to push away. They returned to the struggling stalemate they were in once again.

  Their break over.

  But that was fine. There would be plenty of breaks in the future.

  ...

  Ripples of change were rolling through the dungeon core community. Conspiracy sites were popping up left and right. A small percentage of cores disappeared – their purpose gone, all that was keeping them together broken. A percentage was shifting their goals or coming up with new ones. A majority were continuing on business as usual.

  That's really what the majority of people did at the end of the day. Cores, humans, elves and dwarves – the vast majority of people continued on. Everything had changed but simultaneously nothing noteworthy was different for the average person.

  That was life after all. You just had to take it one day at a time. From now until forever.

  kofi donations (and a PayPal one) and felt motivated to write this. Thanks for all the support and for reading this story! I love each and every one of your comments, the motivation I received while writing this was what made the series what it ended up being.

  The Achievement [system]. It's quite a bit different from this series – There are dozens of disclaimers/trope warnings and tons of fundamental differences between it and DCCR…but if it looks like something you might be into, feel free to check it out!