P-System Log

Ooh! A dungeon!

Aster was talking about this earlier, but I wasn't expecting to see one so soon!

My perception interfaces with it kind of weirdly. I can't sense a single thing past that door, even though we're right up next to the entrance. I get the impression that there should be something there, but there's an effect blocking me from fully processing it. Like a staticy curtain, if that makes any sense. My perception is getting muffled into senseless noise once I go past the door. Is there another effect countering me?

This is just a [Common] dungeon. Surely that isn't enough to stop me, right?

I'm going to focus harder.

Maplecrest Dungeon Message Appraisal prevented. P-System Log

Get off me, man. You're not even sentient!

I think. Are the Dungeon Cores sentient? They might be, if they have classes.

But fuck you, Maplecrest Dungeon's System! You lack qualia!

Well, I've still got a bit of W Inertia overflow. I'm sure I can just burn a little of that and add to my sight. It's supposed to be used for Jerome's skills and stuff, I'm pretty sure, but that's what I know of it so far. Surely I can add this to my own perception, right? Push just a little harder, and...

System Prompt

[W%M;G,P] initiated.

Overflow requirements met.

Enhancement requirements met.

Enabling override.

Insufficient W Inertia invested for maximum override.

Initiating limited override.

Maplecrest Dungeon Class Race Level Village Core Dungeon Core 7 Stat Current Maximum Mana 81 89 Health 118 118 Monsters 43 70 Biomass Perceptrons Traps Monster Affinity Skills [Relocate lv. 2], [Spawn Monster lv. 11], [Build lv. 8], Titles [Dungeon], [Slaughterer II] Stat Modifier Total Strength - Magic - Insight - Constitution - P-System Log

Shit, my [Unique] skill activated again. I have no idea what it did exactly, but it looks like I didn't put enough W Inertia in. That's fine, I didn't need to know everything about the Dungeon Core anyway. What's important is that I broke through that layer of haze blocking its internals. I can perceive inside it, though I can still feel some interference.

I... I think it's bigger on the inside then it is on the outside. Is that supposed to happen? My dome extends maybe twenty meters and inside that dome I have a pretty damn good sense of distances and places.

But that dome is being warped somehow. Like a piece of it abruptly grew larger or denser. I didn't see anything about a space or perception warping skill with the Dungeon Core's stat sheet, but then again it had a perception blocker that isn't recorded there either. There's a whole bunch of tags, maybe those include the skill that's making that space weird.

Aster just opened the door. The haze is fading.

Uhhh... I don't think that was because I overrode the perception blocker. Was I not supposed to be peeking behind closed doors? Oops.

Aster: Come on in.

Jerome: A [Common] dungeon, huh?

Aster: Indeed it is. It should not be dangerous for one of your caliber.

Uh, lady, I don't think it got the title [Slaughterer II] for no reason...

Ah well. The more I see of other people's stats, the more I realize that Jerome's are absolutely fucking broken. He'll be fine, even if it takes a while. I'm pretty sure he could just sit there and get hit a bunch and his HP would still be protecting him.

We're inside now. The haze of the perception blocker is completely gone now, and my senses are covering only the inside of the dungeon. Now, it's the outside that seems kind of fuzzy. Now that we're here, my perception dome is mostly reverting to normal. It definitely feels bigger than it should be. I'm fairly sure the cave entrance wasn't this deep, but now we're standing in a mostly empty torchlit clearing. Taking into account the dim but consistent lighting, the relatively evenness of the dirt floor, and the single passageway leading off from the other end, this looks almost like it's a manmade structure.

Huh. My perception is more effective in here than it is outside. I wonder why. I can sense pretty far down, and there's one thing in particular that's attracting me there. My range isn't good enough for me to tell exactly what it is, but I can feel energy swirling down there. Is that mana? Or perhaps W Inertia?

It's not just energy, either. It's only a vague sense, but there's stuff down there that might be loot. I can't tell much beyond the shape, though.

Aster: This is the Dungeon Core's entrance. For reasons unbeknownst to us, most non-R related Dungeon Cores--benevolent or not--have some form of "safe room" at intervals. Enter that hall, and you will begin.

Jerome: Anything I should be wary of?

Aster: No. I will be behind you in the case of danger.

Jerome: Alright.

And here we go!

My skill taught me a couple unused features that I haven't bothered yet, but I think this is a good time to test one of them. Only a small amount of W Inertia for this one, coupled with a bit of that manipulation, and bam! Here we are!

New [Objective]: Clear the Maplecrest Dungeon Rewards: XP, Skill XP, Dungeon Core Rewards, P-System Log

I'm just going to bank on there being rewards. I'm not actually completely sure what he's going to get out of this, but I know that I can apply W Inertia to improving his skills. Given what other uses it has, I doubt it's exactly experience points, but I can simulate XP by using it.

That does beg the question--when I went deeper on my pseudo-[Assess] perception, I saw XP points on that R Beast. That implies that XP and W Inertia are two different things... either that, or the System that guides R Beasts just calls W Inertia a different name.

Some deep level of me tells me that's wrong, though. I can't tell if it's my gut or [W%M;G,P] speaking, but I am fairly sure that they're two different things.

Okay. Serious introspection over. I figured out how to use the quest interface, and I even threw in a little formatting of my own!

Time to get some W Inertia!

Hero's Personal Log 009

Time for my first dungeon. Honestly, I have to admit that I was at least a little scared.

But thinking on it... this is definitely the best choice. I think it was that new [Objective] that made me realize. There's so much I can do, so much potential growth!

I can increase my stats, and I can become as powerful as anyone in this world.

This is it. I knew I had what it took before, and now I can prove it.

Time to show the world that I can kick some ass and gain some stats.

P-System Log

...man, I'd be more excited about this if he was a little less cocky.

P-System Log [first dungeon]

I can feel the Dungeon Core shifting stuff around. I have a general idea of the layouts of the next rooms, I think. Long passageway, entrance room, three rooms of monsters and traps, and then the end.

Here we go.

Maplecrest Dungeon System Intruders detected. Initiating Core defense.