[Dungeon Core Interface activated]
[Linked User: Ziom — Dungeon Master]
[Innate Skills compatible with the dungeon detected][Verifying compatibility with Innate Skills…]
[Compatibility established]
[Displaying User Status]
Name: Ziom
Race: Human (Linked to the Core)
Class: Dungeon Master
Subclass: Technomage
Age: 15 years
Level: 2
Mana: 50
Strength: 6
Agility: 8
Dexterity: 34
Endurance: 9
Constitution: 10
Authority: 0
Innate Skills:
• Dungeon Master
• Mana Reserve
• Cross-Species Procreator
• Talented Offspring
• Techno Mage
[Displaying Dungeon Status]
Dungeon: "Unnamed"
Level: 1
Dungeon Energy: 30 DE
Available Areas:Core Room (room: 15 m3)
Inhabitants: 0
"I'm alive…" I muttered, raising a hand and clenching my fist. Strength returned like a warm current.
After a few seconds I realized something and, with a sense of urgency, checked inside my pants. A sigh of relief escaped my lips.
Good… intact, and the best part is that it's almost 50% bigger than before. If it hadn't been, I would have destroyed the dungeon core myself for a quick and painless death.
My condition feels much better than in my past life, even though my stats aren't even a third of what they were before my death, except for dexterity, which remained the same, and mana, which is nearly double what I had before even though I was level 10.
Looking up, I noticed the space around me: three walls of smooth stone, no decorations, no visible door. An empty room that seemed to be inside a much larger cave. There was nothing except the core glowing in the center like a beacon of life, its light not even letting me see the ceiling.
The interface kept floating before my eyes, offering a basic menu.
• Expand Rooms
• Create Rooms
• Modify Rooms
• Create Traps
• Summon Monsters
After glancing at it, I ignored it for now and began examining my body. My clothes were stained with blood and in a mess.
This is troubling. I don't even know the situation my body was in, how it ended up so injured, or why it died in a dungeon. The most logical guess is that someone wounded him and he tried to hide in a cave. Upon finding an unprotected dungeon core, he must have tried to destroy it to recover.
I'd better prepare for a fight.
I selected the option to summon monsters and felt disappointed with the choices.
[Summon Menu]
[Horned Rabbit: 8 DE]
[Giant Rat: 10 DE]
[Cave Bat: 8 DE]
[Goblin: 20 DE]
[Lesser Slime: 5 DE]
[Kobold: 30 DE]
[Armored Beetle: 14 DE]
[Cave Snake: 15 DE]
[Weak Skeleton: 20 DE]
[Luminous Moth: 5 DE]
I carefully reviewed each option. Fragile creatures, with savage instincts, useful only to buy time or distract an enemy, since I couldn't summon many to gain numerical advantage. Though they could be useful for exploration, their base intelligence was a problem. I wouldn't be able to communicate effectively with them. They were all disposable… except for the Goblin and the Kobold. Both can reproduce with humans, so if I summoned a female, I could breed and increase numbers. The thought made me want to vomit, and I'd probably end up traumatized for life.
I think I'll choose the kobold. A primitive being, yes, but with a spark of intelligence. Capable of wielding a weapon, learning simple commands, and most importantly, its appearance was better compared to a goblin.
The cost was everything I had, thirty energy points… but it was worth it.
"A necessary risk," I muttered, and confirmed the summoning.
The core vibrated intensely, spilling energy that condensed into a small, hunched, furry figure glowing only with white light, its form undefined. Just a rough draft of what it would become.
Then a new screen appeared before me.
[Summon Customization unlocked]
[The Dungeon Master can modify the general and basic parameters of each monster, with a total of three available slots, each acting as a fixed template when summoning a monster.]
[Due to the Dungeon Master's innate skill Cross-Species Procreator, the option to select gender is added, and the range of modifications to general appearance is expanded.]
[Slot 1]
Available Options:
• Gender
• General Appearance
• Initial Abilities
I stared at the incomplete figure of the kobold. A smile spread across my face, so that explains why some dungeons spawn variants of certain monsters more frequently.
And the fact that I can create three different types of the same monster makes it very versatile, allowing me to specialize monsters in different areas.
The first choice was obvious.
[Gender: Male/Female]
"Female."
The form changed immediately. The body became slightly more slender, the features softened. Still beastly, but recognizable as feminine.
[Please note that appearance and initial abilities will only serve as a general framework and not something definitive, as there may be variations with each summoning.]
[General Appearance]
I was surprised to see that I could now modify the appearance like in some video games from my first life.
Although it seemed to have a limit that prevented me from fully changing the facial type, I couldn't make the face completely humanoid since it didn't allow me to remove the snout or dog-like nose. But I could adjust it to make it much longer or shorter. The same applied to the rest of the options: I couldn't remove all the fur covering its body, but I could shorten it down to one centimeter at minimum, ten at maximum.
After testing the limits, I began shaping a robust yet attractive and more humanoid body. The reason for making her body both sturdy and slender was how the world functioned. Even though stats have numerical values, it doesn't mean that two people with 10 Strength are equally strong. Other factors such as control, weight, size, and similar aspects also play a role. The same applies to the other stats.
[Initial Physical Abilities]
[Points available to allocate: 45]
[Strength: 12
Agility: 5
Dexterity: 8
Endurance: 10
Constitution: 10]
I crossed my arms, observing her now defined silhouette. A female kobold, humanoid as much as possible, with a sturdy constitution. A perfect base for my first subordinate, someone who would protect me and accompany me in bed.
"You'll be called… Kaera."
The creature opened her eyes. A pair of golden eyes glowing with life stared back at me.
[Summoning completed]
[Initial Loyalty: 80%]
[Relationship: Absolute bond with the Dungeon Master]
I wonder what her status looks like.
[Displaying Kobold Status]
[Name: Kaera
Race: Kobold
Class: None
Age: 0 years
Stage: Adult
Level: 1
Mana: 10
Strength: 18
Agility: 9
Dexterity: 11
Endurance: 12
Constitution: 13]
Her initial status was surprising. The fact that she had such high stats at level one meant she had plenty of room to grow upon leveling up.
Also, if I looked closely, her appearance wasn't exactly the same as how I originally designed it. I wished I had more DE to summon additional creatures, but for now I needed to focus on what mattered most.
I pressed on the word DE.
[Dungeon Energy: the vital resource of every dungeon. Its acquisition and usage determine the growth of the core and the strength of its inhabitants.]
[Ways of obtaining:
• By defeating hostile entities within the dungeon.
• By absorbing corpses.
• By accumulating ambient mana.
• By increasing allied entities.
• By having inhabitants belonging to the Dungeon.]
[Main Uses:
• Summoning monsters.
• Expanding or creating rooms.
• Placing traps or structures.
• Enhancing the core.
• Creating items.]
Now I understood better how Dungeons expanded.
"Can you speak?" I asked Kaera, but she only looked at me in confusion.
"Can you understand me?" This time she seemed hesitant for a moment, then nodded hesitantly. She probably understood more of the intention behind my words than the words themselves.
I could only sigh before patting her head.
She accepted my touch, and little by little I placed my hand on her face, sliding my thumb into her mouth. Seeing how she accepted everything submissively without a trace of resistance excited me a little, but I quickly pulled myself together.
"We need to find food."
Although the Dungeon Core had healed my wounds, it seemed it hadn't done the same for my appetite. Kaera tilted her head like a confused pup, but upon seeing my gesture, she immediately stood up.
Her movements were clumsy yet steady, as if her body was still getting used to existing. She walked toward the edge of the room, where the stone was rougher, and sniffed curiously.
My gaze returned to the core, floating silently. The information about Dungeon Energy swirled in my mind. If I could really obtain DE by defeating enemies or absorbing corpses, then hunting wouldn't just provide food… it would also be the key to growing and expanding the dungeon.
I clenched my fist. I still didn't know what had attacked my descendant before, but nothing would change if I stayed locked inside. I needed to learn more about the terrain surrounding the dungeon to know the best way to proceed.
"Let's go, Kaera." She turned her head toward me and, although she didn't understand the words, she recognized the intent in my voice.
It was time to leave the core room.
But when I tried to step outside with Kaera…
[Because the bond with the core has only recently formed and this is a level one dungeon, the host cannot leave the dungeon's territory or they will die shortly after.]
[It is recommended to send monsters to explore, a map will be generated based on what the monsters see.]