As they enter the town of Dune, Light, Dropper, and their human tag-along Sophie, begin their search for the Silver Moon brothel.

To complete the mission to the highest standards, they have to eliminate their target whilst he's in the brothel and they must return with his head. As they traverse the streets in search of their destination, Light purchases some food for the party. With Sophie busy eating, finally removing herself from Light's waist, he and Dropper rock, paper, scissors to decide who will disappear to complete the mission.

Losing sorely, Light resigns himself to the less enjoyable job of remaining with Sophie. Fortunately for him, it seems that this job was made especially for the poor showman.

After finishing their food they arrive at a fork in the road. Both Light and Dropper can spot the brothel in the distance down the path that leads to the right. As Light grumbles under his breath, Dropper informs Sophie that they are going to be splitting up and she takes the news exceptionally well when she hears who she will be partnered with.

"Okay, Dropper. We'll see you where the roads meet up!" dragging Light by the arm, Sophie and the reluctant Shadow Walker disappear round the corner before Dropper can even say goodbye.

"Why are you pulling me? And why are we running? We're not chasing anyone." Confused at how the situation changed so easily, Light calls to Sophie over the sound of the wind but as he looks at her all he can see is her smile. Caught off guard by the heart-moving smile, Light crashes into another person heading up the street and they both tumble to the ground.

"Light! Are you okay? I'm really sorry," running to the aid of her downed man, Sophie realises that this accident was her fault.

"What the fuck! Do you know who I am?" outraged, the hooded man, screams at Light.

"You don't look like the type of person I'm looking for, so I'm not really interested," brushing himself off, Light isn't impressed with the tone the man has taken and his answer doesn't help the situation, it only serves to exacerbate it.

The small part of skin that can be seen under the hood flushes red in embarrassment as the man disappears in the wind. Before anyone can say a word, he reappears in front of Light, moving extremely fast and aiming a knife at his heart.

"Nice," speaking a single word and without using any magic, Light parries the incoming hand upwards before full force slapping his attacker, sending him rolling across the street toward his own companions. Rising from the ground in a dishevelled state, the hooded man glares at Light furiously. He begins to visibly shake and then starts talking nonsense to himself.

"You're lucky I have other business to attend to," the man calls out before walking away with more haste than is necessary, or so Light thinks.

'That wasn't cool." Watching the four figures round the corner, he shakes his head and then finds himself confronted with a sparkly-eyed Sophie.

"That. Was. Amazing. He was like whoosh, and you were like bang, slap. How are you so strong? Are you a vampire?" laughing at Sophie's idea of his strength, Light shakes his head.

"I'm not a vampire. I'm just good at what I do," playing it off as nothing, Light turns to continue on down the street.

"It's ok if you are, I don't mind. You can... Bite me. If you want too," hooking up to Light as he walks away, Sophie leans in close, fully exposing her neck to him which causes Light to stop.

"I'm not a vampire. If I was I wouldn't be able to walk around in the sun. Would I?" trying to get Sophie to see sense by questioning her, Light's words fall on deaf ears as Sophie leans in closer.

"I don't care what you are. Just bite me and take me right here. I want to stay with you forever," blushing redder than his attacker did moments ago, Light flusters at Sophie's words as he is confused by their meaning. From inside his chest, his heart begins to beat faster and faster as he is able to smell the sweet aroma coming from the woman offering herself to him. As he blinks, Sophie turns her head and their eyes meet. Light can't move and his heart beats even faster, threatening to explode and burst out from his chest yet he still can't move. Sophie moves closer and closer as time seems to pass slower and slower until eventually their lips meet.

Light closes his eyes as ecstacy floods his whole body in an unbridled overload of joy, before he collapses on the floor in a happy heap.

Light, Dropper, and Sophie, Syndicate Assassins.

After purchasing another plot of land, I filled the whole section with homes and inns. After that, I paved the roads and added a bit greenery to the area.

I have to say that I was rather impressed with my work.

If I was still human, I'd love to be able to own a house here and I'm hoping that's how other people will see this place. After all, this area is specifically for non-dungeon residents and that's why it's so well done up. Not that the area my dungeon inhabitants inhabit is worse off, it's just that I can build freely around them without having to use Divinities Presence.

Either way, this place has everything it needs for people to start living here and I shouldn't have to add anything else.

I can easily accommodate a few hundred people now without worries.

Right after I finish, one of my scouting parties return and I finally hit level 33. My explosive growth ran its course a while ago and since then it's taken almost two weeks to reach my next level.

Crazily enough, that's also the same time that I swapped Light and Dropper's scouting detail for Syndicate Contracts so that might be a factor.

They always brought back something shocking. Maybe when they get back from this mission I should let them scout around my mountain for a few days. With almost two dozen other scouting teams out at any time though, it's unlikely that they will bring back anything on the same level as before but you never know with those two.

From what I hear and what I'm told, most of the area within a 5 mile circumference of our home is safe and clear of monsters. Which is another good selling point for moving to Varona.

As is the trend with each new level, I always unlock something new. Whether it's a new building, room feature, a new monster, or even the loot I hardly use. I've been trying to work through my backlog before jumping on the latest arrivals. With this latest level up though, I have unlocked something that cannot be placed at the back of the queue.

This one insignificant level up, in the many I have gone through, has just offered me a fraction of the hope that I had almost given up on.

Dungeon Core Abi has reached Level 33:

A new monster has been unlocked:

Rock Worm: 20DP

A new skill has been acquired.

Spiritual Presence: Level 1

Ignoring the Rock Worm, I waste no time and instantly cast my new skill, praying in my head that it will finally give me a semblance of what I desire.

Light glows in front of me as my new skill activates and I close my eyes instinctively. When I finally reopen them, the light has faded away. I begin to turn around and almost trip over. I've caught myself on what appears to be another part of myself.

After a thorough inspection, I have no issues at what almost caused me to trip and a tear rolls down my face.

I can actually feel myself.

I feel the muscles in my old-but-new face contracting and I pull the largest smile I have ever done in either of my lives.

I can see ten fingers, attached to lovely little hands, that flow up and down as I wave my arms in the air. I raise each mischievous leg into the air and wiggle the toes attached to the end of my feet, smiling joyfully at the feeling of a body.

There is only one problem so far that I have with my new skill. It's not big enough for me to care about right now though. Especially not with how ecstatic I am to finally be able move around properly.

However, as I push my hair over my shoulder to see the beautiful green shine that always reflects from it, the only colour I can see is translucent white and it saddens me a little.

I have an idea.

I combine Manifestation with Spiritual Presence as I cast them simultaneously and watch as my hair starts to turn green.

"Yes." I voice my first ghostly word and fist pump the air only to see that my hand, arm, and everything else that's connected to it, has also turned manifestation green.

Green ghost or white ghost, what do you think, Me?

I would say that green is your colour.

And I would agree. I reckon you would be an orange.

An orange?

Yeah. I don't know why though, you just strike me as an orange.

Colours are irrelevant for myself. Green does suit you however. Now that you're happy, you have more DP to spend.

Aww. But I just got a new skill and it's an actual body. Hang on.

I bend down and try to pick up a rock from the floor. To my dismay my hand phases right through the rock as it would with regular manifestation.

It was worth a shot. Maybe when I level up more, I'll be able to unlock something that lets me touch.

I have given up trying to work out where your skills come from and how or when you will attain them. After you passed level 10, the consistency between what you earn and when changes all the time. You always earn something during the level up process but as to what that something is going to be, I could not even hazard a guess.

I actually have my fingers crossed as I hope and pray that I'll be able to physically hold something in the near future as Me explains what I already know.

Kat says humans are crazy and she's not wrong. There's just something about being human though that has a lure to it.

As I twirl my fingers through my hair, I laugh as I remember what that lure was. It was freedom. Being an adventurer. Seeking the unknown. Conquering the challenges of life with friends and family.

In that moment reminiscing, I realise that I already have everything that I ever needed already.

I may not be able to leave the dungeon, and knowing my luck I probably still won't be able to go past my own barriers, but as long as I fully support and embrace the people that can, does it really matter if I have a body or not? What changes now that I can move my fingers and toes? Nothing.

Having a body was all that I wanted. Now that I've got it however, I understand that it's not what I needed. The acceptance that I claim to already have over being turned into a Dungeon Core may not have been as accepting as I had made it out to be. Deep down I was still harbouring grudges and aiming them in the wrong directions and at the wrong people. Using any reason I could find to vent my frustrations, I even named Dropper in a sad rage over a horrible Goblin.

The ghostly body that I'm currently standing in helps me see things differently. What I really needed was what I was already creating around myself. Strong foundations. Dependable people. Everything that makes me, me.

With this new outlook on life, things can only get better from here.