Dungeons are born with an innate awareness, allowing them to develop and sustain themselves. Whether nestled within the wilderness, teeming with monsters and natural dangers, or situated near human settlements, these dungeons can evolve in fascinating ways. They can become a boon to nearby towns, providing a source of income and fostering growth. Conversely, they can morph into dreadful threats, annihilating all life in their vicinity. The Dungeon Core itself dictates the fate of these subterranean labyrinths.

  Adventurers must choose their words carefully whilst venturing inside the dungeon as the floors and walls are part of the mysterious creature's body.

  One rule about dungeons remains as true today as it did at the time of its creation.

  If you come across an unguarded dungeon, you should not enter and it should be reported straight away so that it may be categorised and, if needed, eradicated.

  Safety is never a laughing matter.

  - Excerpt from the Worldpedia. Chapter 4. Dungeons.

  Awakening to darkness, my senses feel askew as I try to make sense of the unfamiliar location I've found myself in. It's still dark and there isn't much to see. Confident that I'm still partially dreaming, I begin my morning routine. I move to stretch my arms out, but a wave of fear crashes down on me instead. The moment I make to perform the simplest of motions I've made thousands of times, my senses scream in disgust.

  Where are my arms?

  Worse yet, after a brief inspection of myself it turns out the strange phenomenon isn't just limited to my arms. I don't seem to possess any of my limbs anymore. Legs, torso, even my head is gone.

  It begs the question 'How am I able to see?' But more importantly, what's happened to my body? Wait. Do I still have a body? If so, where is it?

  Butterfly's flutter in my non-existent tummy and a cold sweat manages to run down my back as my eyes lock onto the only object in the otherwise featureless room. A gorgeous crystal floating in the center of the room. Pulsing a soft, green light, the small gemstone looks like it's worth more gold than a Lord's manor.

  What the hell is going on!?

  A conversation springs to mind that I immediately rebuke. As much as I want to forget what was said, memory doesn't work that way. Not that it would help if it did. Still, unable to ignore the glaring truth Infront of me, I begin to panic.

  No.

  Just. No.

  No. No. No!

  Don't be silly.

  I can't be. Can I?

  I'm not... This Dungeon Core?

  Not that I've ever seen one, but this is what I heard they're supposed to look like. Only, maybe a little bigger? Why is this one so small?The whole Dungeon is supposed to be controlled by this tiny gem that acts its heart and soul. Destroying it would grant an Adventurer a special power. Depending on the strength of the dungeon, that is, and at the price of being labelled a criminal if caught.

  That's ridiculous though.

  This is obviously one of those crazy-strong dreams. Those where you feel as though you're awake, but you're actually not. I mean, it has to be. I am definitely not a Dungeon Core. If that was even close to the truth then... Then... What am I going to do? Then again, I could be dead for all I know and might not be that stunning emerald, but a ghost instead... Which makes me feel kinda sad actually.

  But that could still be a thing.

  Right?

  Noooo!

  I don't want to be a stupid Dungeon Core. It doesn't matter how beautiful it looks.

  Fear sinks its claws deeper into my soul and imaginary tears spill from my non-existent ducts.

  How did this even happen?

  The last thing I remember is being out on a mission with my party. We took a contract that required us to kill a group of Ogres up north. Ogres are usually tough to deal with. Their tough skin makes them resistant to physical attacks, but even without a mage we were confident in our abilities. More so, it wasn't our first time and we trusted each other completely.

  Before we had reached the Ogres, however, we came across a different group of monsters. Goblins. Side note, I absolutely abhor Goblins. After killing a small group loitering in the forest, we managed to find their cave and, having already put a fair distance between ourselves and Orad, decided to clear the nest out. What we didn't expect was that the cave would turn out to be a Dungeon.

  Instead of returning to the guild and reporting the dungeon, as all good adventurers should, we decided to try and make some profit first. And it went well. Really well. We sold the loot to travelling merchants before returning for more. Staying out of cities and never using the same merchant twice, all whilst hoping not to get caught.

  At the risk of expulsion from the guild, we decided on one last run before we would report the unclassified Dungeon. With a substantial haul, we called it on the Seventh floor. Deciding to camp there before leaving the next day, Anya taking my watch was the last thing I remember before everything turned... Wrong.

  Wrong. Wrong. Wrong!

  I don't wanna be a dungeon. I wanna be me again. Like I was before.

  Why is this happening to me!?

  Why can't I remember?

  Surely someone's done this to me on purpose. Someone must have killed me! Was it... My friends? No. I don't believe that. Not a chance. Maybe it was the Dungeon?

  That sounds plausible. I mean... Dungeons eat people all the time, right? It makes sense it would kill me whilst I slept. But... How did my friends not notice during their watch?

  Were they killed too?

  If so, then where are they and why am I the only one here? And why am I an itty-bitty Dungeon Core!?

  It doesn't make any sense.

  My name is Abi! Stop calling me Dungeon Core.

  And I'm human, not a Dungeon.

  Wait, what? Slow down. No. Hold on. What do you mean I'll die?

  What?

  Is that... My status?

  That's not what I was expecting... Or what I asked for.

  And it tells me nothing.

  Nothing!

  What do you mean, I could die?

  The reference throws shade on my fear and a bout of anger forces it's way to the surface.

  Hey!

  That's a little harsh. I'm in the middle of a crisis here and you're saying I'm going to die again tomorrow? And at the hands of a grubby, little Goblin as well!

  What's your problem?

  I was human yesterday, but now I'm apparently a Dungeon Core. What's it going to be next? Will I be a monster tomorrow!?

  That off-handed remark scares the hell out of me.

  I really don't want to turn in to a monster. Then again, I don't want to be a Dungeon Core either.

  Why can't I just be me again?

  Here comes the waterworks.

  Can I even cry?

  It's doubtful.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid Dungeon.

  Why did I let Kal talk me into that last run? If I would have known that something like this was going to happen...

  I shouldn't have come here.

  Are you serious? Why would I want that? In fact, who would want that? Do you want to die here... Whoever you are?

  I just want my body back. That's all. I don't care about points or lists. I just want to be able to move again.

  Does that means I don't have to live as this pretty, little gemstone all my life.

  So... I'll never be human again in this life?

  I burst into tears.

  I don't want to be a dungeon!

  How long can I cry over this?

  Apparently, not long enough because people are supposedly coming to murder me when I open for business. Which is less than 24 hours away. As much as I want to wallow in self pity, I've got to do something. Sitting around waiting to die will get me nowhere and seeing how I've managed to bag myself a helper, I would be foolish to ignore their advice.

  I have no idea how to be a dungeon so I'm going to need all the help I can get.

  Helper?

  Wow. That a right mouthful, isn't it? Voice Activated User Notification System. Gods, that just rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it?

  Hmm?

  Distracting myself from the awful reality that's now my life, I try to come up with a better name for my helper. The bulky name it has now is no good and I certainly don't want to say all that every time I want to ask a question. I need something easy to call it, like Sam, or Max.

  Let's think...

  It's a special programme that's been designed to support me. It's also a part of me now and is going to help me grow without getting destroyed or killed in the process. A part of me? I'll be honest. I've always been rubbish with names so let's just keep it simple. Really simple.

  In fact, let's make it as simple as simple can be.

  I'm going to call you, Me.

  Hehe.

  I can't help but giggle. I know it's childish, but it takes my mind away from the horror that's life.

  It sounded perfect to me. Nowhere near as long as Voice Activated User Notification System and easy to remember.

  Looking at the list floating before me, I wipe away a non-existent tear with an imaginary hand. I'm still on the verge of a full-scale breakdown, but I'm trying my best to fight it off. There's no time to waste, according to Me, so let's put my best foot forward.

  Staring at the prices, however, all I can think is, why is everything so expensive? Shouldn't things be cheaper than this for a newborn Dungeon Core? And why the hell are the Goblins the cheapest Monsters on the list? Screw them. Let's see, if I purchase a room I'll be broke. Which means I'll have no money to put into defence for this upcoming attack. So that's out... A tunnel is no use yet either without anything to connect it to. Also out.

  That leaves fewer options to consider. More so since I've chosen to ignore the option of summoning cheap and smelly Goblins forever. Who would want to purchase those ugly, little beasts anyway, right?

  What's a Gacha?

  That... Actually sounds quite good and I find myself really wanting to purchase a Gacha, but the (special) Rogue option steadies my mind. That was my class when I was still human. With sentiment pulling on my heartstrings, my decision is swayed and I make my first purchase.

  The Gacha will have to wait.

  A bright, light forms into existence inside the small, dark cave and is covered in a soft shade of blue. It pushes and ripples the air around it, growing steadily until it becomes the size of a person. After a few seconds, the light begins to fade until it disappears completely. A female Rogue is left behind on the cold floor of the Dungeon and I'm shocked. Not because she appeared from nowhere, but because I created her.

  Me.

  With my crazy dungeon voodoo magic points.

  That... Was... Amazing!

  Thankfully, she's not naked and is garbed in basic Rogue-like gear. A cheap, leather-breastplate, chausses that cover her thighs and knee-length boots. Gloves hide her skin and a cowl covers her face. A small, blunt-looking dagger hangs at her side finishing her attire.

  From what I can see, which isn't much, she looks young. Definitely human too. Dark green curls escape her hood and cover her neck, reminding me again of what I've lost.

  She also appears to be level 1.

  I wonder if that's because of how I summoned her?

  Can I make her stronger? Not that it matters now, but she will get stronger, right?

  Wait? What?

  No!

  What's that about? I haven't even done anything yet. I most certainly do not want that happening.

  It's just Abi! Not Dungeon Core Abi, OK?

  That's better.

  Pulling my mind away from an inevitable death at the hands of adventurers, knights or Goblins with sticks, I kind of listen to my advisor and spend my points on the random Gacha. Not a normal monster like I was advised to choose, but it should be a monster nonetheless.

  C'mon! Momma needs a Dragon for protection!

  Once again the cave is bathed in the glow of summoning. This time, however, the light that appears is a vibrant orange. More beautiful than any sunset, it covers much more of the room than what little light my Core my offers and it keeps growing. It constantly expands until eventually it has eradicated any remaining darkness my small room was harbouring.

  That's when I realised that wishing for a Dragon probably wasn't the smartest idea. Really, I should have been wishing for something small, adorable and not life-threatening at all. Something no one is going notice.

  The summoning light becomes an enormous, swelling mass. Almost like a sun is forming inside my dungeon and the worrying part is that it's right beside my Core. Panic sets in again as the thought of my pretty, green crystal shattering causes me to fret. A second death looming over me.

  Is that monster even going to fit in here?

  What is it?

  Oh no, please no.

  Please don't break my heart!