When I come to, I find myself on a strange plane. An endless horizon stretches out in all directions. The ground is like a mirror reflecting the sky, and the sky itself is a beautiful azure color. The whole area creates a feeling of peace within me despite the unnatural quality of the environment. For the moment, it is calm, and I allow my mind to wander.

Where am I? How did I get here? What happens now? Many thoughts slowly come and go through my head, but none of them linger for long. The environment seems to be purposefully designed to keep me calm. What was I doing before this?

I gather my thoughts and try to remember the last day. It was a slow day without much happening. I was playing some simulation video games (my favorite kind) and lazing about reading light novels. I had decided to go to a nearby convenience store to get some late-night snacks, but as I was walking over to the store, I was hit by a car with no headlights. Why do drivers have to be so irresponsible? To think that I died because some stupid motorist didn’t think to turn their headlights on. A brief frustration flares, but it slowly washes away thanks to the calming environment. In any case, what now? I take it this is the afterlife.

I continue to sit around gathering my thoughts when a small wind blows, and a ripple casts along the ground as if it were water. A strange man slowly rises from it with a smile on his face. He appears to be young with ethereal pale skin as if his body is made of pure light. His short hair is also made of a shining white color, but the most striking thing about him is his eyes that have what appears to be a deep magenta iris, and his pupil is replaced with a bright golden light. In addition to his unique look, he’s dressed in simple and loose white clothing. I get the feeling that this man may be a god.

“Welcome to the afterlife, Kazuki Hirano.”

The god speaks to me with a smile.

“In a few moments, I will have you move on to your next life in a new world. Well... I suppose it’s up to you whether that happens or not. If you so desire, I can simply destroy your soul right here.”

The god’s grin has a bit of a mischievous feeling to it, as though I’m his toy.

“No, thanks, I’d rather just start a new life in a new world.”

I mean... I don’t think having my soul destroyed would be a fun time.

“Wonderful! Then to help you out with your new life, I’d like to grant you one wish.”

The god spoke. A wish is a common occurrence in stories. However, when a god asks you, it suddenly becomes a lot harder to think. I need to be cautious. “Be careful what you wish for” and all that.

“Can I have some information about the world I’m going to? Depending on the world I’m going to, my wish could easily change.”

I ask the god, hoping he’ll give me an answer.

“Very well.”

The god waves his hand, and a globe appears. It has an incredible amount of detail on it. Actually, the globe appears to be the planet itself. He pushes it through the air towards me.

“This is Arcaea, the planet you’ll be traveling to. In terms of technology, it is far less advanced than your world, likely due to their over-reliance on magic. There are many sentient races, and the world is rife with conflict.

Currently, there is a summoning ritual in progress. A kingdom is summoning a hero. You could be that hero, and I could give you the strength to accomplish great things. It’d be easy to live like that; the kingdom would tell you what to do and provide support. It’d be a very easy way to live.”

I think for a second about it. There’s no way I would want to give my life to some kingdom. Why would I ever want to give up my freedom?

“No, I want to be my own master. I don’t want to be a guard dog for some self-important king!”

The god gives me a bit of a twisted smile

“very well, your wish is my command.”

Wait, no, that wasn’t my wish! Before I could talk back, the god held out his hand, and a strange egg-shaped orb appears within it. The orb is glowing and transparent. Inside, a smaller orb surrounded by rings can be seen. It looks like a depiction of an atom.

“This is a dungeon seed. I made it from your soul itself. It is you, and you are it. Protect it with your life because it is your life. Once you place it and fill it with mana, it will take shape and become a real dungeon that will protect you. As long as the dungeon lives, you will too. If killed, you will simply resurrect at your dungeon. Though that’s not to say that there is no consequence for death.”

“But that’s not what I wished for!”

I shout out. I only said that I didn’t want to work for some kingdom, not that I wanted to run a dungeon. The god gives a small frown

“So you won’t take the dungeon seed? I thought you would make a good dungeon master. You did say you wanted to be your own master, so why not be a dungeon master?”

I mean, I hate that he rushed to conclusions, but I suppose it wouldn’t be too bad to create and run a dungeon. Plus, I wouldn’t have to answer to anyone, and I’d have a lot of freedom.

“Alright, I’ll take it. It’s not like I can think of any better wishes anyway. Before I reincarnate, can you tell me more about running a dungeon? If I’m going to do this, I need to take it seriously.”

I give him a wry smile. The god began to speak

“The first thing you’ll want to do is to find a good location to build a dungeon. After all, if nothing comes to your dungeon, it will never grow. However, just because the location is important, you shouldn’t take a long time deciding where to build it. If you die before placing your dungeon, you won’t be able to resurrect. Additionally, in less than 2 weeks is the northern equinox, during which all the dungeon masters of the world will gather. You’ll definitely want to go, so make sure you plant the seed before then. Once you plant the seed, you will know what to do next. Unfortunately, that is all that I can offer you, for now, the [God of Order] is coming here soon. Enjoy your next life, just make sure no one finds out about the seed, not even a god!”

The god gives one last nod and then disappears into nothing with a small shockwave.

“Not even a god, huh? Aren’t you a god, and what was that about a [God of Order]?”

I say to myself, thinking about how I’m going to build a dungeon. Judging by what the god said, having people visit is important to growth. I should follow the same logic that cities follow. If a city grows around the dungeon, everything would be so much easier. Looking historically, it will be important to have a nearby river, specifically at a location where two rivers meet. That will provide transportation. Of course, I also need to make sure that crops can grow. It would be pointless If settlers couldn’t get any food. Finally, I need some economic resources for the city. When I think about it, the dungeon itself should form the basis of the city’s economy.

I continue to think about where to build when suddenly a second shockwave appears. This time it is much stronger than before. From within the endless horizon, a second person rises from the ground. This person is a young boy. In human terms, he would be maybe 8 years old? That is if he were human. His appearance is quite different from the previous person. His hair is a golden color, and his eyes reflect gold within them. Unlike the previous being, he wears a gaudy outfit. It is a white robe but adorned on it are intricate patterns adorned with gold. Where the previous god’s expression was one of entertainment, this one has an expression of boredom.

“Hi, Kazuki! You’re dead. Welcome to your next life and all that.”

He says frankly without putting too much enthusiasm in. He doesn’t really care about me at all.

“Anyways, you’re being reincarnated in a new world. I have a mission for you! I’ll go ahead and give you some fun skills, and all you have to do in return is go and release mana!”

The god says with slightly more enthusiasm.

“Huh?”

I respond, dumbfounded. There is too much difference between the previous god and this one.

“That’s what I said, look I could explain the science and all that, but that’d be a pain. Look, just go find crystallizations of mana and break them. That should do the trick.”

The god speaks as if all of my questions should have been answered by his response.

“Crystallizations of mana?”

I ask slowly. I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean!

“Oh right, you’re from a world without magic. Anyway, don’t think too hard about it. Kill some monsters and destroy some dungeons, and you’ll receive a reward. Does that make sense?”

I slowly blink. I’m trying to figure out what’s happening right now. Oh yeah, the previous god said something about a [God of Order] coming. I was so caught up in the thought that I completely forgot about it.

“Sorry, I’m having a hard time following this conversation. You’re the [God of Order], right?”

We sit in silence for just a second when the god interjects,

“You’ve heard of me then, that’s surprising. Wait, how did you know who I am?”

The god glares directly at me, but I don’t answer.

“You met him, didn’t you? The [God of Chaos] got to you before I did.”

The god wheezes out with an annoyed expression. So, it seems that the previous god was the god of chaos, then?

“Yeah, I talked to him.”

I say openly. It’s not like it’s a secret or anything.

“Did he give you anything strange? You’d be wise not to listen to anything he says.”

Between the [God of Order] and the [God of Chaos]. I’m leaning more towards team chaos. He was actually decent to talk to, unlike this guy. I don’t think I’m going to listen to this so-called “God of Order.”

“He didn’t give me anything, but he said something or another about going and crystallizing mana or something? I don’t know, I didn’t really get what he was saying.”

The [God of Order] has a perplexed expression. Did I really manage to fool him?

“I see, so he has decided to start convincing people to make more crystals, which is the exact opposite of what I’m trying to do. This is quite troublesome.”

The god answers. Little did he know he was completely fooled.

“Alright, I learned something good. Here, you can have this unique skill as a reward.”

My heart suddenly feels as if it’s on fire. I fall to the ground in pain as the aching spreads throughout my body. I feel as though I’m going to die as the intense burning sensation fills every last inch of my body. However, just when as it becomes unbearable, the pain suddenly vanishes. I am back to normal quicker than it even began.

“What was that?”

I groan out, taken aback by the sudden attack.

“Skills are built directly into the soul, unique skills, especially so. When they are acquired slowly over several months, they don’t hurt at all. Still, for me to give you one so rapidly, it’s unavoidable that your soul would creak and buckle.”

The god says, giving a basic explanation with no emotion behind it. This god is very cold-hearted.

“In any case, go ahead and check what skill it is. Not even I can control what it formed into.”

The god, for the first time, gives an amused smile. For him, it must be like rolling a gacha. Who knows what will come out of it. Alright, time to check the skill! Wait... how do I check the skill?

“Errm”

I verbally let out my confusion, to which the god frowns

“Just focus on the words [Display Status] within your mind.”

How very like a video game… Anyways might as well check it,

“[Display Status]”

[Name: Kazuki Hirano Lv. 1] [Race: Human] [Class: None]

[Stats]

HP: 958/958

MP: 532/532

Strength: 53

Dexterity: 72

Magic: 98

Physical Defense: 62

Magical Defense: 33

[Skills]

[None]

[Unique Skills]

[Overdrive Lv.1]

[Universal Translation Lv.1]

“[Overdrive Lv.1]”

I tell the god the name of the unique skill that appeared.

“Ooh, I’ve never heard of that one before! What does it do?” The god is finally showing an interested expression on his face.

“How do I figure that out?”

I am completely clueless here! On the other hand, the god looks like an annoyed adult who is looking down on a child who said something ridiculous. I’m sorry I come from a world that isn’t so convenient!

“Just think [Display Status: Overdrive], it’s quite simple, really.”

I blink in amazement... Of course, it’s something incredibly basic. Oh well, here we go! [Display Status: Overdrive]

[Overdrive Lv.1]

In exchange for consuming a percentage of your maximum HP every second, multiply all stats in proportion to the HP consumption rate.

*Warning: does not automatically disable even if the user is unconscious. In such cases, accidental death may occur, use with extreme caution.”

This ability could be really powerful if used correctly. However, that drawback is nothing to joke about. I should avoid using this ability at least until my dungeon is set up.

“Wow, that ability is really powerful, but it definitely isn’t one for the faint of heart. You’ll definitely want to spend time focusing on increasing your health regeneration rate if you want to rely on it.”

The god lets out a wry smile.

“In any case, our conversation has been going on for perhaps too long. I’ll leave the rest of figuring out your new life to you. Wait here in the world of glass until you see a bright gateway appear, go through it, and you’ll enter Arcaea! See you later. I might expect great things from you.”

The god gives one last twisted smirk then vanishes into thin air.

I’m suddenly alone in this so-called world of glass. I sit and rest as I continue to think and plan. Once I enter this world, I’ll need to find a town and get a map. If I can register as an adventurer, that would really help me out. Interacting with people as an adventurer should allow me to grow the dungeon fairly quickly. Of course, who knows how they’ll react if they find out my identity. If I am summoned as a hero, I’ll probably have to shake off whoever summons me, maybe through feigning incompetence?

In any case, I feel very excited, like I’m about to live in a video game. I imagine running a dungeon is going to be a lot of fun and very fulfilling. It will also double as my home, so I’m excited to live out my dreams at the heart of a deadly dungeon of my own design! As I continue to fantasize about the life that awaits me, a plane of light opens in front of me.

This must be the gateway that The [God of Order] was talking about. In any case, time to jump in. As I think about that, a second gateway opens a few feet away from the first. The second gateway is much smaller. Assuming a large gateway is created by a hero summoning, I’d imagine that a small gateway has a weak summoner. In any case, I’d rather take my chances with a weak summoner than a powerful one. I slowly walk towards the gateway, crouching down. As I step inside, I’m overtaken by light.

My vision slowly comes to focus. I’m lying down in a forest, and above me stands a young girl. The girl has light green hair, and wears a cute brown dress. Her shoulders are wrapped in a gently colored green shawl. In her hand is a simple wooden staff. As I slowly try to sit up, I notice a magic circle surrounding me. It seems that she is the one who summoned me. As I look around dazed, the girl opens her mouth to speak.

“Is this a hero? did I just summon a hero?”