Chapter 4: Building the dungeon

As soon as I touched the dungeon core, a message appeared.

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[Do you wish to build your Dungeon?]

"Yes!" I exclaimed, as I had done before.

[Which base model do you wish to use?]

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A series of models of different types of dungeon appeared before my eyes, but I knew there was only one option.

There were no nearby mountains, so a cave was not an option. A castle would not serve my purposes, and an island in the sky was impossible at this time.

Only one option, the same one I had chosen last time, stood out to me.

"I want to follow the Tower model."

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[The core room will be created along with the first floor.]

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Soon, a gigantic stone tower rose up, towering over the trees and piercing the sky.

It must have been over 300 meters tall, all made of a white stone that resembled the purest ivory.

A pair of metal gates over 10 meters high appeared, allowing for entry and exit. Suddenly, the Dungeon Core vanished like the wind.

I didn't worry about its disappearance, because I knew it was on the top floor of the dungeon. I approached the gate and it magically opened on its own.

However, it was not possible to see inside. Some sort of illusion concealed the view. Even I, as the master of the dungeon, couldn't see inside.

I walked through the portal, stopping in a dense forest. Trees similar to those outside covered my vision, creating an apparently hostile environment.

I walked straight through to the center of the forest and found a magic circle drawn on the ground. As soon as I stepped on it, I was transported to another point in the dungeon.

This time, I appeared in a large hall. There was a red carpet on the floor, the walls and ceiling were decorated with fabrics of the same color, and the hall itself was huge.

But it could still be seen in its entirety from the entrance, where I was previously.

I looked to the end of the carpet, where a throne made of simple wood stood. Beside the throne was the Dungeon Core, which had stopped floating and was now on a small metal pedestal.

I walked up to it and sat on the somewhat uncomfortable wooden throne. I felt the heat emitted by the Core and sighed, incredulous.

"I must be dreaming..."

Maybe it was because of my Clear Mind or maybe it was just my own consciousness that was too strong, but anyone who knew would go mad in my situation.

To be reborn...

I really didn't have a real life before; I didn't have friends or family who would miss me. I only had Vangloria and my monsters, creatures based on an A.I.

But now I could create true companions; servants, because this was a real world. But I couldn't believe it without proof.

"I need to create a monster..."

Touching the core, a screen appeared. It was extremely confusing, to say the least. That was the Dungeon administration tab.

As my Dungeon Creation skill was at the highest level, multiple additional options had appeared.

Leaving those new options aside, I fixed my eyes on what really mattered. Creating and purchasing monsters.

It turned out that there were many ways to create monsters and creatures. However, only three of them were the most effective at that time.

Killing monsters and letting their bodies be absorbed by the core, thus acquiring the ability to purchase the monster.

Using emblems in the cauldron, creating high-level monsters and enabling the summoning of weaker evolutions.

Or buying some monsters that the dungeon itself had available. The problem with the latter method was the strength of the monsters. They were the worst possible.

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[The dungeon was defined as a "Forest" area]

[Some monsters from this habitat were acquired]

[Goblin]

[Skeleton]

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"Only two options..."

Goblins were difficult creatures to deal with. They reproduced rapidly, were weak, stupid, and had treacherous tendencies. Messing with these monsters was a sure death wish.

Skeletons, on the other hand, couldn't get any stronger over time. They would only get stronger by evolving, which was not an easy process. But, besides that, they were loyal and would blindly follow orders without worrying about their own lives.

At this moment, I could only choose between one of the two creatures, but it was not difficult to do so.

"Summon Goblin!"

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[Summoning completed]

[Goblins available for purchase]

[Dungeon Master received 1000 points as a beginner]

[Dungeon Master received "Rare Choice Emblem" as a beginner]

[-50 points for summoning a Goblin]

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"Only 1000 points... Well, better than nothing."

Soon the ground shone a little, and, just like when the dungeon was created, something began to sprout from a magic circle.

It was a small creature. It had greenish skin, blue eyes, sharp teeth, green hair, and wore nothing but a loincloth that covered its private parts. It also carried a wooden club. Its body was disproportionate because its head was gigantic.

Surprisingly, he was beautiful and even quite tall compared to other goblins.

{Image}

In my last life, normal goblins reached, at most, my waist in height, but this one was much taller.

He was only two heads shorter than me; it scared me a little, but I remained firm and stared at him.

The creature grunted a bit, looking confused with its own appearance. It grumbled lightly and snorted at me.

"Well... I knew it wouldn't be easy."

The goblin hit the ground with its club and ran towards me, furious.

I might be the dungeon master, but not all monsters would obey me easily. If I wasn't strong enough, I could even be killed by my own summonings.

I still remember the dozens of times I died in Vangloria.

Well, it's a good chance to test out my new body.

He tried to hit me while I was still sitting on the throne, but only hit an empty seat. I jumped off the throne at the exact moment of his attack.

I jumped about two meters and landed safely a few meters away, which surprised me.

This body is so light and agile...

I smiled with enthusiasm and gestured for the goblin to try again. He snorted again and tried to attack me.

He aimed for my legs and I just took a step to the side; he attacked my arms and I just dodged again.

The little creature couldn't compare to me; I could see each of his movements, distinguish them from real attacks and wild feints, and therefore easily dodge them.

I was much faster, stronger, and smarter. The creature never had a chance.

Tired of playing around, I just dodged again, kicked one of his legs, and immobilized the creature on the ground.

"Domination!" I proclaimed the name of the skill as I put my hand on his head.

Soon a reddish energy covered my fist and penetrated the little one's mind. He tried to fight back a little, but my strength was much greater, and he easily gave in.

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[Successful Domination]

[Goblin Dominated]

[Now it's possible to see his information]

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The goblin stopped fighting. I smiled satisfied and released my new servant. As soon as I let go of him, he stood up and looked at me. This time, he didn't look angry, just kept his ugly face looking at me.

"Get the club for me," I pointed at the wooden club that had fallen during the fight.

He quickly ran to the club and brought it to me.

"Good boy. Now stay quiet there."

The goblin sat down on the ground and began to scratch his nose.

Despite the situation, it was still incredible. I could really create monsters and creatures. The only bad part of Vangloria just ceased to exist.

There was still, however, something to be tested: The Cauldron.

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[Cauldron uses: 1]

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The Cauldron could only be used once a month. It seemed to work randomly, but there was a way to control it.

By putting a certain amount of mana into it, it was possible to put some materials to create monsters, with emblems being the best material and the main base for monsters.

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[Do you want to use the Cauldron?]

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Without thinking much, I said:

Yes!

Suddenly a huge literal cauldron appeared in front of me. Then, I looked for the item I was given a short while ago: the Emblem of Choice.

All monsters had at least one primary characteristic; this characteristic was the emblem.

Within the game, nothing was informed about the origin of this thing, so players just thought it was a way to categorize monsters.

There were a considerable number of different emblems. About 100 of them. Each one had a rarity, just like all other items.

However, at this moment, I could only see one option, considering I was in a forest and needed to survive above all.

I choose the Bestial Emblem!

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[Bestial Emblem] Acquired

[The Dungeon Master will receive 1 Bestial Emblem Monthly, along with the Cauldron Use]

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A small medal appeared in the palm of my hand, with the face of an uncontrollable beast on top. As an item, it was also divided into grades.

The Emblem I received was Rare, meaning that I could create a monster of the same rarity.

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[Information]

Name: Bestial

Type: Emblem

Rarity: Rare

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Monsters created by this emblem had incredible adaptive abilities. They were like wild beasts, with great reproductive capacities and animal instincts.

Goblins, although much weaker, were in this category of monsters.

I put my hand on the emblem and, before throwing it into the cauldron, started making deep wishes.

I need someone loyal; a lifelong companion, someone who will never betray or leave me behind; a true friend.

I threw the small emblem into the Cauldron. Soon, a message resonated in front of me, indicating success.

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[Monster Created]

[Cauldron Uses: 0]

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From inside the huge cauldron, a magnificent creature emerged. It had thick white fur, sharp teeth, huge paws, and its eyes shone under the magical lights of the hall.

{Image}

As soon as it appeared, it let out a very loud howl.

Auuu!

As soon as he finished howling, the gigantic wolf observed me. He slowly approached me. I was prepared to enter another fight, but that didn't seem to be the case.

The wolf looked at me with its big eyes and then lowered its head, seeming to bow to me; it was submissive.

I put my hand on its head and proclaimed:

— Domination!

Again, the energy leaked between my fingers and covered the animal's head, creating a connection between us.

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[Successful domination]

[White Wolf Dominated]

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I stopped for a second, possessing a silly smile on my face. The wolf's quirks, its movements and sounds, were all too real.

A machine could never reach that level of intelligence.

I really reincarnated...

I started laughing like crazy until my stomach hurt and I was already on my knees on the ground.

Excited, I looked at the status screen of the two monsters I summoned.

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[Information]

Name: None

Race: Goblin | Level 1/10

Rarity: Common | Grade: 1

Emblem: Bestial

[Statistics]

Strength: 2/8 | Speed: 2/8 | Stamina: 3/9

Dexterity: 3/8 | Intelligence: 1/5 | Mana: 1/10

[Abilities]

[Active]

None

[Passive]

Reproduction | Calm Mind

[Special]

None

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Huh?

It looked like a common screen, but I noticed something strange. The Calm Mind ability. I tried to see more information about it, discovering that it was a weaker version of Serene Mind.

The abilities were divided into three types:

Active: Abilities that needed to be used by the user and consumed some form of energy, whether it be mana or the user's own stamina.

Passive: Abilities that activated automatically when certain requirements were met or that were always active.

Special: Abilities limited by Class or that had special characteristics.

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[Information]

Name: None

Race: White Wolf | Level 1/10

Rarity: Rare | Grade: 1

Emblem: Bestial

[Statistics]

Strength: 6/30 | Speed: 8/32 | Stamina: 5/25

Dexterity: 8/32 | Intelligence: 6/30 | Mana: 6/30

[Abilities]

[Active]

None

[Passive]

Calm Mind

[Special]

None

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The same thing...

The Calm Mind ability also appeared in the white wolf. While for me, this ability was Special, for the monsters it was only a Passive.

This had never happened in Vangloria, which is why I was so alarmed. However, it wasn't such a terrible thing that they possessed this additional capability.

I looked at the goblin still scratching its nose and the white wolf and finally, after so much struggle, I accepted my unhappy, or perhaps not, fate.

— I received a second chance... I will make the most of it!