Chapter 1: Bodies

Death is a lot different than I expected. Dark wooden shack, damp atmosphere, and a dead body. Doesn’t fit the stereotypical pearly gates does it? Not to mention the lack of physical body and being trapped inside a 5 meters in diameter sphere. It’s been an odd Tuesday...

Without any form of natural light its difficult to tell what time it is or how long I’ve been here. By my estimate it has been around 4 hours but longer is certainly possible. An hour of that time had been full-blown panic over my “death” and worry about finding my family or any other survivors from the crash. It was a death beyond any fault of my own yet I still harbored some regrets. A bit conceited for an 18 year old to say but I had died too young to really accomplish anything. Guess I should go over what happened and look for clues.

The last thing I remember was me and my family flying to Hawaii for our long awaited vacation when the left wing engine had exploded. In the panic a stewardess had come over to help all of us prepare for a water landing when the right engine exploded as well. Just as the searing metal and crimson flames began lapping across my body, a bright orange light of a different nature enveloped me. Before the pain of death could find me I was suddenly here. In this small little shack without a body of my own.

It had taken around an hour but eventually I was able to calm down enough to look around and experiment with my new form. At the direct center of my limited movement sphere was a baseball sized orange orb. Just looking at it filled my consciousness with a warm tingly feeling mixed with just a hint of pride. A strange notion considering I knew nothing about the orb itself. Enough orb gazing revealed that the orb was giving off some form of energy. Actually, it would be more accurate to say it was producing the energy itself. Just another instance of todays spitting upon the laws of physics.

My anchor of sorts was resting atop a two person dining table with a red cloth underneath so it wouldn’t roll. Using my consciousness I could “feel” the velvety texture along with other things in the shack. Strangely I found myself unable to move them or actually touch them. The only movement I could cause was slight wobbling of the orb.

Other than the table, there was a bed aligned along the left wall with what looked like a straw mattress and pillow. In the back right corner was a small kitchen set up. I call it a kitchen but it was really just a cutting board, some utensils, and an empty trash bin. Just looking at the wooden spoons, straw bed, and lack of modern appliances was putting a foreboding thought in the back of my mind. Even more so when combined with the bookshelf full of unreadable books. It wasn’t just that I couldn’t read them but that I didn’t even recognize the characters from anywhere back home.

Most eye-catching of all was the dead man in front of me. His hands were resting on the table while the rest of him was slumped over on the ground. Dressed in a long dark robe and possessing more than a few gray hairs, the man reminded me of a wise old mentor archetype. Of course I had attempted to call out to him, only to realize I couldn’t speak and that he wasn’t breathing.

I’m no forensic investigator but the body didn’t seem that old. With my senses I could tell the body was slightly warm to the touch and his face hadn’t gone completely pale yet. Whatever killed the man remains a mystery since he possesses no physical wounds. From the variety of complex papers and diagrams scattered underneath his body I think he may have been a scientist or inventor. But without the man himself to fill me in all I can do is speculate.

Having explored the entire shack several times I was getting desperate. Out of sheer desperation I began rolling the orb around in an attempt to break it and free my movement. But something else seemed to detect my intention and a sudden intense pain was sent flying through my entire being. Resulting from my surprise I launched the orb across the table, rolling the velvet up behind it. Once it left the table the orb rolled across the floor until it touched man’s leg, not even chipped from the fall revealing some durability. And as soon as it did a completely androgynous if somewhat robotic voice spoke to me.

*ORGANISM DETECTED COMMENCE ABSORPTION?

Yes/No

‘Yes?’ I thought to myself hoping the voice could hear me. Normally a voice in my head would be cause for concern but any kind of contact was a welcome addition to the situation at hand.

*COMMENCING ABSORPTION

Slowly, a pale orange light appeared, completely surrounding the man as small red and orange orbs of light began rising from him. The anchoring orb began to flicker as the lights traveled into it. Within a minute the man was slowly decomposed, and it was absolutely disgusting. All of his insides being visible before becoming part of the orange orb. I couldn’t help but compare it to a 3d printer working in reverse, except with meat. Once the man was completely gone the voice made a triumphant return bringing light back to my queasy consciousness.

*ABSORPTION COMPLETE 523 MANA COLLECTED

*FIRST ABSORPTION OF AN ORGANISM COMPLETED

*ACCESS TO SKILL “REMOTE ABSORPTION” GRANTED

*DUNGEON HAS REACHED MANA REQUIREMENTS FOR LEVEL 1

*ACCESS TO SKILL “CREATE CREATURE” GRANTED

*ACCESS TO SKILL “CREATE FLORA” GRANTED

*ACCESS TO SKILL “DUNGEON STATUS” GRANTED

*DUNGEON HAS REACHED MANA REQUIREMENTS FOR LEVEL 2

*ACCESS TO SKILL “NAMING” GRANTED, CURRENT CAP: 0/1

*DUNGEON HAS REACHED HIDDEN REQUIREMENT: Reach level 1 within first week of existence or gain more than twice the current dungeon level in one day

*ACCES TO TRAIT “FAST PACED” GRANTED

After the audial assault that was the barrage of messages, I slowly replayed their contents in my mind. The first thing mentioned was the amount of mana collected. If memory serves, then mana is a term for magic power or energy in fantasy type stories. Which either means this is a place with magic, which would coincide with the technology level of this shack, or it refers to something else I don’t know of yet. Second was the skill [Remote Absorption]. I would imagine that means I can now turn organisms into mana from a distance instead of touching the man like earlier. Probably from within my range of movement if I had to guess.

I also seemed to have leveled up, whatever that means. I mean it sounds like a video game, but I can’t feel any changes in any kind of stats right now. Speaking of games, it said I now have access to skills. If they work like a game, then I might be able to activate them verbally? But as established I can’t exactly speak out loud and say, ‘[Dungeon Status]’.

As I thought the name of the skill [Dungeon Status] I was suddenly met with a screen of information similar to a video games. Without any colored background the white text simply floated in front of me contained inside a white border. Easily as a smartphone I could scroll and tap several key phrases within the status mentally. From what I could tell the text was only visible to me since the light of the words wasn’t reflecting into the room.

Unnamed Dungeon Level 2

Mana Capacity223/500

Passive Regen Rate 10/day

Floors: 1

Named Creatures: 0/1

Skills: Remote Absorption, Create Creature, Create Flora, Dungeon Status, Naming

Traits: Fast Paced

Interesting... it seems like this will keep track of all those announcements for me. Well if Dungeon Status worked let’s try the other skills out. Maybe one will let me get out of here. I’ll try Create Flora first, it seems less dangerous than [Create Creature].

‘[Create Flora]’ As I thought about using the skill [Create Flora] a screen appeared like before, but it was very different from the [Dungeon Status]. Not in appearance but content.

*APPROPRIATE LEVEL REACHED PLEASE SELECT A FREE BASIC FLORA TYPE ORGANISM. NEXT FREE SELECTION WILL BE OFFERED AT LEVEL 5.

*MANA GRASS

*MANA KELP

*MANA LILY

*OAK TREE

*SPRUCE TREE

*COMMON BROWN MUSHROOM

*COMMON RED MUSHROOM

I guess this means I’ll gain the ability to make one of these plants after I choose them? The voice won’t give me any more information about the different species to make an informed decision with. Which sadly means I don’t know what makes Mana Grass different from normal grass.

My first idea was to pick one of the trees. I would definitely get noticed if I placed an oak tree in the middle of the man’s house. But then a new thought crossed my mind. Obviously this voice believes me to be a dungeon and everything else I’ve done so far seems to confirm that. If I have somehow become a dungeon then wouldn’t it be a bad idea for me to be found? In traditional fantasy games dungeons are sometimes destroyed by the heroes because of the threats they can pose to humanity. I think that would destroy me as well as I either am this dungeon or I am tied/bonded directly to it.

At the very least I could grind up to level 5 and pick one of the trees then. That would give me time to better understand where I am, what I am, and how people will treat me. Looking at the [Dungeon Status] the core, or me, will gain the mana required to level up passively. So no matter how long it takes reaching level 5 is basically guaranteed.

Trusting my survival instincts, I decided to go with something that wouldn’t be strange to find underground, where I suspect this shack is based on the damp and cool air but could still be used to grab attention if placed properly. ‘Common Red Mushroom’.

*COMMON RED MUSHROOM SELECTED

*COMMON RED MUSHROOM CAN NOW BE CREATED USING “CREATE FLORA” SKILL

Now that I’ve selected them I guess I should try out [Create Flora]. When activated the skill some of the energy I sensed the orb creating earlier left said orb. This feeling confirmed to me the orb, or dungeon core, was a part of me now. I felt like I was expending energy simultaneously with the core. After the energy was spent, a holographic indication of a mushroom appeared in my vision. I could move this hologram within my movement sphere and place the mushroom where I wanted. For now I placed the first mushroom in front of the table I’d placed the core back on top of.

Responding to my intention to place the mushroom the energy that had left the core condensed in the indicated spot. Slowly the orange lights began to take the shape of a bulbous top, a stem, and eventually the slight red pigmentation of an Amanita mushroom. For awhile I repeated the process in an attempt to gain further understanding but said experiments led nowhere. Deeming it safe I next activated [Create Creature].

*RANDOM SELECTION OF BASIC CREATURES IS BEING ROLLED...

*SUCESS

*APPROPRIATE LEVEL REACHED PLEASE SELECT A FREE BASIC CREATURE TYPE. NEXT FREE SELCTION WILL BE OFFERED AT LEVEL 5

*KOBOLD

*SLIME

*COMMON EEL

*COMMON BASS

*COMMON WOLF

*GOBLIN

*IMP

*SPRITE

*LIVING SHADOW

*COMMON SNAKE

*COMMON SPIDER

Well the names of these creatures definitely reinforce the fantasy setting I’m quietly forming in my head! Just like the term “Mana” they could refer to something completely different in what I’m beginning to fear is another world, but that seems unlikely at this point. There is also the possibility the names “rolled” were influenced by my prior knowledge.

Looking at the list Eel, Bass, and Imp are immediately crossed off. Eel and Bass obviously because I’m not underwater and they would prove useless and Imps because I think summoning demons is typically a bad choice no matter the situation. Using the same logic as the mushrooms I’ll take something that wouldn’t be strange to find in a shack but could be used to grab someone’s attention. That leaves Common Spiders and Living Shadows. Wolves and Snakes could also work but both seem a bit dangerous to make before I know how they’ll act around me. Curious as to what a “Living Shadow” would look like I chose the more exotic sounding option.

*LIVING SHADOW SELECTED

*LIVING SHADOW CAN NOW BE CREATED USING “CREATE CREATURE” SKILL

Soon as the message ended I attempted to create the Living Shadow and was surprised at just how much energy it took to construct compared to the mushrooms. When using the hologram I could move the Living Shadow with, I felt some of my influence become blocked. For now I decided to stick to the standard process but some foreign instinct was hinting I could influence the creature before it was finished forming. Thinking back the same may be true for the mushrooms to a lesser extent. Just something else to experiment with in the future.

Coming into existence with the same orange lights of the mushrooms the Living Shadows wasn’t much to look at in the beginning. A very thin dark circle on the floor around 3 inches in diameter barely distinguishable from the dark corners of the room. Wondering if spiders would have been a better decision I tried ordering the Living Shadow to move around.

Surprisingly quick given its size, the small circle began darting around the shack’s floor as if guided by shadow laser pointer. Completely silent as it slid I came to the conclusion the monster was an ambush predator. A conclusion confirmed when the shadow slipped into the shack’s back right corner under the kitchen supplies. If I didn’t have an inert sense of where the things I created were within my boundaries it would be completely invisible.

Satisfied with the result I readied to produce a second Living Shadow for it to play with. But the voice interjected and no energy left my core.

*Insufficient Mana for Living Shadow

Looking at my Dungeon Status it was quite surprising to see how much mana I’d spent without thinking in such a short amount of time. My current mana was sitting at 43/500 meaning I’d spent 180 mana in total after the level ups are deducted from the man’s “donation” of 523 mana.

Whoops. Guess I’ll need to absorb some more organisms before making more of my own. Actually... how am I supposed to find other organisms inside this little wooden shack? There aren’t any cobwebs or roaches from what I’ve seen and I can’t leave this room... Guess I’m waiting out that 10 mana per day regeneration rate for the time being...

The last new skill I received was [Naming] and I think I’ll hold off on it. In traditional fantasy names have power related to magic. Until I have the freedom to spend time figuring out how bestowing a Name works I should stick with what I have a limited understanding of. If in the future I learn this Living Shadow is a trash tier monster I would waste my limited supply of names. Given how the limit is listed I think getting more names is possible but who knows when that will come as a level up reward.

For the next few hours I honed my meditative skills and tried ordering my Living Shadow around further. Only simple orders such as “Go over there”, “Hide here”, or the somewhat foreboading “Attack this” were as specific as I could get. Of course all attempted communications with the mushrooms proved futile.

Eventually, to my elation, the mana ticked over from 49 to 50 and I immediately went to create another Living Shadow as I suspected that to be the mana cost. However the voice once again halted my progress and realization donned on me. I hadn’t actually been keeping track of how much things cost to create! The voice isn’t giving that information in my status either so I messed up! From now on I’ll keep a mental record of how much mana organisms cost. My self-proscribed OCD can only hope everything is in increments of five...

“Plop.” “Squelch...”

‘What the heck was that?’ had barely crossed my mind when a gross feeling that invaded every sense of privacy I held took over me.

Not directly painful but definitely unpleasant, the sensation of a living non dungeon creature within my space was gnawing at me. It was similar to a cold injection needle just resting underneath my skin after puncturing through, moments away from releasing some dangerous chemical. This feeling of anticiaption was warning me that the core was dangerously exposed, and according to that feeling I was moments away from a second death at the hands of my invader.

Turning to the originator of the sound I was both nervous and immensely curious at what had slipped under the wooden door. It was a cold stone gray, about 6 inches tall, holding a small ball of energy in the center of its jelly like mass. From all my years of playing RPG’s I knew this creature well.

A slime.

And it’s trajectory was straight towards my core.