Initiation Rites

I blinked...well, I would have blinked, if I had eyes.

What the hell had just happened?

One moment I was at home, moping about my sucky life, and then...

Was it all true?

The thought sent a shiver through my body.

A simulation.

What was it they called it?

Emulation and whatsit congregation? And here I thought Earth was just...Earth. Not some spooky acronym.

A sharp, piercing pain lanced through my awareness, and then there was light.

Out of the darkness, I could see the outline of a small room, featureless. It was about one meter by one meter cubed, pale gray stone surrounding me on all sides.

But...what was I?

At the thought, another dialog popped up in my vision.

[ Your character sheet has not been initialized yet. Come back when you've created your Dungeon. ]

Okay, back up. What...in the hell...was happening??

Hello? Anyone out there?

I heard nothing, saw nothing but my little stone room. When I tried to move, I realized I no longer had arms, or legs for that matter. I was stuck.

Great.

I took a few deep breaths and tried to gauge the situation. Okay.

Start with what I know.

What DO I know?

I know I can't move. I know I'm in this stone room.

I know that I have some kind of character sheet, and that it says I'm a dungeon.

Now I might have been a bit of a loser in my past life, but I'd played several games and read web novels about sentient dungeons growing in power and feasting on wayward adventurers. They (whoever they were) didn't mean I was THAT kind of Dungeon Core, did they?

[ Dungeon Creation Sequence Initialized ]

[ Please choose a name: _ ]

I sucked in a breath. Okay, this was definitely getting weird. It was like those games I used to play...or the novels I used to read online. We really were in a simulation, after all. A game.

As I stared at the blinking cursor I realized I couldn't remember my old name. It was there, but locked away, somehow. No matter how much I grasped, I couldn't touch it. Like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands.

In the end, I let out a mental sigh and surveyed the screen again.

New world, new name.

My old life pretty much sucked, but that didn't mean this iteration had to, right?

With that thought in mind, I returned to the dialog.

[ Please choose a name: _ ]

While I was trying to figure out how to input a name, there was a warning buzz and then this message appeared:

[ ERROR: Request timed out. Rolling a random name... ]

[ You have been assigned the name: Fluffy. ]

"Wait! Go back! Undo!" That was so unfair! I was just trying to figure out how everything worked, but apparently, this system was an impatient one.

The system did nothing to respond to my frustrations. Instead, it simply displayed a new prompt.

[ Welcome to E.A.R.T.H., Fluffy. Would you like to start the tutorial? ]

"My name's not Fluffy!"

[ Of course not, Fluffy. Would you like to start the tutorial? ]

"GRR!"

[ Would you like to start the -- ]

"Fine!" I screamed. "Start the damn tutorial, see if I care." I knew, rationally, that sulking wouldn't do me any good. Especially since I was apparently stuck in a rock in the middle of a cave somewhere. And especially since my old life appeared to be over.

[ Excellent. Launching Tutorial Mode now... ]

[ Ding! Welcome to the E.A.R.T.H. Dungeon Core Tutorial. You have been reincarnated as a Dungeon Core in this life, and that means you are lord of an underground domain. You can shape the land to your will, spawn monsters, and create devious traps and puzzles. What's more, you can lure adventurers into your depths and feed off their energies to get stronger! To start, you will need to choose a Dungeon Type: ]

[ Dungeon Types ]

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[ Beastmaster - As a Beastmaster Dungeon, you will nurture and build a thriving ecosystem of various creatures and plant life. Adventurers will visit the dungeon for a chance to face off against rare and powerful monsters, if you make it worth their while. ]

[ Labyrinth - a favorite of mages and scholars, Labyrinth dungeons are a little more rare than straight-up killer monster dungeons. They focus on trickery and deception rather than brute strength, and only the most cunning survive. Labyrinths make clever use of traps and debuff effects to catch parties off their guard and lead them to their peril. ]

[ Mine - Mining Dungeons are centers of crafting and industry. Whole towns and economies can spring up around Mining Dungeons as they provide various types of ores, jewels, and other precious crafting ingredients. Mines aren't for the faint of heart, though -- there are always those that dig too deep or too far, and unearth something they wish they hadn't... ]

[ City - City Dungeons take up residence in the middle of a burgeoning town or village, and instead of killing the villagers, build up their boundaries and gain points by enticing more settlers to move in. City Dungeons must take care of their people's needs, or they will revolt against you. ]

[ Spirit - Spirit Dungeons are dedicated to a particular deity or cause. This serves a two-fold purpose. Followers of your chosen deity will come to worship or to gain blessings. Those who oppose it will visit in order to wipe you out. Are you up to the challenge? ]

I blinked at the array of options. Okay. Dungeon.

There didn't appear to be any way to get out of this right now, so I read through the options again. I knew a fair amount about dungeons from the games I used to play and the novels I used to read, but actually becoming one? Never thought THAT would happen!

I was torn between the Mine Dungeon and the Spirit Dungeon. A mine dungeon would be interesting because I always enjoyed mining and collecting items in games, and I could build up new and harder levels with rare ores for the bravest miners. Incorporate some traps, a few monsters, even some hidden passageways. Ideas flowed into my mind quicker than I could take stock of them. The idea of powering a little town was appealing as well. It was my own little chance to play god.

Then again, the Spirit Dungeon sounded like it afforded a lot of interesting possibilities. I didn't particularly like the idea of being tied down to a particular deity, but depending on what sort of boons they provided, it might be fun. That, and smiting anyone who got in my way.

[ Show available deities ] I thought, and a list appeared.

[ The Pantheon of Vice ]

Lust

Greed

Sloth

Envy

Gluttony

Pride

Wrath

Okay, that was unexpected. I thought there would be your usual pantheon of war, knowledge, balance, and so on. Maybe some elemental types. But this just had a listing of the "seven deadly sins." What was that about?

I looked over the Mining Dungeon descriptor again. It was so hard to choose, especially when I liked elements of both. After all, no one ever said a Spirit Dungeon had to be all righteous might all the time. I could add a mining area and some other crafting stations in the dungeon as well, so that people from all walks of life could come and explore, not just the ones who favored my deity.

Even though the list of deities was fascinating, a Spirit Dungeon would paint a target on my back from the get-go. I was nowhere near ready for adventurers, much less righteous paladins or clerics. The thought put a bad taste in my mouth.

But what was life without a little risk? My curiosity overwhelmed me on this one. How could any level-headed guy look at a list of the seven deadly sins and NOT be tempted to try them out?

I was already getting ideas for traps and areas to build out in my new fortress, and I hadn't even finished the tutorial yet. With a smile, I selected 'Spirit Dungeon'.

[ You have selected Spirit Dungeon as your Dungeon Type. Your actions and deeds will align you with a deity once your dungeon has been formed. ]

[ Confirm: Fluffy the Spirit Dungeon ]

I still grumbled at that, but there didn't seem to be anything I could do to change it now. I'd show them who was fluffy! I nodded and the message went away, then the ground began to rumble under my rock.

The room was changing. I was changing. Time to become a proper dungeon.

[ Launching Dungeon Store...please wait... ]