I breathed in.
"There, see? Just took a minute once you settle the core. Dungeon's just fine." A voice spoke, but I could barely make it out.
WRONG.
The sense of wrongness rushed through me. Where was I? What was this? My vision was wrong too clear, and too wide. My breath was wrong.
Something was inside me touching me! Like fingers scrapping on the inside of my skull!
"Is it supposed to do that?"
"Oh yeah, that's pretty normal."
I screamed without lungs as I felt like I was spinning around and moving until finally I stopped more because nothing was right, freaking out about it wasn't going to help.
My vision, which had been spinning, settled, and I looked over the room I found myself in.
It was… A cave? The room was small, just barely tall enough to stand properly, shown by the two men that had been talking.
Two men wearing weird clothing. Looming over a crystal?
No. I knew. The surety of knowledge flooded me, now that I wasn't panicking. That was me.
The crystal in the center of the cave that gave off an eldritch Greenish glow was me.
AND THEY WERE TOUCHING ME!
I roared and charged, and when I reached them, I felt myself simply bounce off the man I had tried to punch.
"Heh. This ones pretty aggressive."
"Is that okay? Do we-"
"It's fine. Relax already. She was just born. It's no wonder she's like this."
I finished spinning after bouncing off the man, and regained some control of my vision before realizing something was wrong.
I didn't have a fist?
I didn't have feet.
I didn't have a neck, or a head, or anything!
What was I?
The image floated in my mind's eye without issue.
[Dungeon Eye.]
I could see myself. All I was, was a glowing light, in the shape of an eye. No arms, no limbs, no mouth to scream…
Oh that's kinda cool actually. Could I blink?
The light shifted as it sort of blinked…
I blinked again.
Nice!
"What's it doing?"
"I don't know, never seen one do that before."
With their words I remembered they existed and shot forward. Movement wasn't like running or walking, I just willed it, and I moved. I floated right between them and my crystal and bounced threatening them off with everything I could.
"Is it?"
"I think she's threatening us off. That's weird. They usually aren't this aware. Sorry girl. Now that you're awake, we need to finish what we came here for. Don't worry, this won't hurt you." He said with a chuckle.
"Does she understand you?"
"No. Dungeons aren't much smarter than a cat when you get down to it." The older man said with a shrug. "The Gods gift them enough intelligence to grow, but not enough to become lazy, or saddened by their holy task."
I bounced even more aggressively, or at least as much as I could with how slow my floating was, but they simply brushed past me, and the smaller man, swallowed and nodded, reached out.
[Dungeon has been Cleared!]
I felt the message through my soul, I felt everything go numb. I was defeated completely helpless. I instantly wanted to scream and rage at the fact! They had done something unforgivable! I felt it in my soul!
Bully! Jerk! UGLY! DUMB DUMB! I screamed at them, without a mouth, but they ignored me.
"I got it… I got my first [Class.] I'm a [Scout]!" The man whispered to himself and then jumped up with a shout of happiness.
"Good job boy. I told you going through the trouble of getting a Dungeon to spawn here would be worth it. Now the village will have access to tier 1 classes. It'll be good for everyone."
I was still shouting curse words at them when suddenly they moved away from my Core.
I hovered back in front of it, not that it meant a dang thing since I couldn't do anything to them, but they actually started walking out.
"Alright, you remember?" The man asked, pulling something out of a pouch and holding it over to the younger man.
"Yes Uncle. I remember." The younger man said and turned. "I thank you for your challenge. An offering." He spoke and then took what the Knight-like man was holding. A small glowing Crystal.
He placed it on the floor and then walked out, and instantly my sense of them disappeared. I blinked as I looked up and realized they had walked into sunlight, and everything past that was something I couldn't see.
I felt it just then. With them gone, it was like chains wrapped around my hands were gone.
[Dungeon Menu]
The screen appeared not in front of me, but in a sense I knew it was there always.
I blinked as I realized I now had choices. Things I could do… I looked around at my tiny one room and knew that I didn't want people TOUCHING me again…
It was rude! They didn't even ask!
I looked around. The cave I was in was tiny, I had nothing in here, just… Me.
[Dungeon Menu]
I clicked the button, but then frowned. There was only one thing.
[Unnamed Dungeon]
[Mana 10/10]
[Size 0]
That's it.
I frowned. Where were my traps? Or my monsters? I needed those, I should have them right?
I felt myself stutter. I was a Dungeon. I knew that, as intrinsically as I knew anything… But why did I know about Dungeons? There was something there nagging at the back of my mind, but I couldn't touch it.
It just… Was. I just knew that Dungeons should have monsters and traps and treasure. Yep. That's the truth.
I looked at everything in the menu again and just frowned even more.
Well, frowned mentally, cause I didn't have a mouth.
I floated over to the walls. *Bonk*
Nope. That didn't work. I had Mana though? That was super awesome. Could I do spells!? I tried shouting out Magic Missile and Fireball, but nothing happened…
This… Kinda sucked.
Then I turned around and looked at the glowing crystal on the floor the one they had left behind. Its gentle blue light drew my eye.
I floated over and poked it, and it disappeared!
Success!
[Minor Mana Crystal Gained!]
[Maximum Mana increased by 1]
Nice! Amazing! I'm the best!
Now what? I floated around realizing once again I had nothing I could apparently do…
Bored. Bored. Bored.
—--
SQUIRREL! I cheered as something finally came inside! It was a little squirrel, and it came scurrying in and looked around, until it noticed my eye approach as I wanted to pet the squirrel!
Then it turned and bolted out, and I never saw it again.
I wanted to cry.
—--
My mind ended up drifting to what had happened to cause me to end up here. I had memories… Sort of? Everything was fuzzy wuzzy, but I'm pretty sure I liked anime, and really wanted some music and bird song I could faintly hear from outside wasn't enough.
But all of that deep contemplation of life's mysteries was interrupted when I heard voices.
I spun towards the core and turned to face the entrance, when humans entered.
Including the same original two.
I could feel my arm twist behind my back once they entered. As my menu disappeared. I was locked in.
I jerked at the feeling and decided I would do the one thing I could.
I screamed and charged.
*Bonk* I bounced off the first human, who screamed like a girl at my charge attack and jumped up.
The other two hadn't done that…
I did it again and this time he still flinched and moved to try and hide behind another human…
I focused in. I found weakness!
"WHY ME!?" He screamed as I continued to chase him around, despite not doing anything.
"Huh. I guess she likes you." The older man offered with a chuckle and the younger humans all laughed alongside him.
But I was too focused on harassing my intruders.
"No Monsters found the place yet? Good." The older man said and I spun to glare at him.
No Monsters had 'found' me yet?
That meant… I would have to wait for monsters before I would get any?
"Alright! You remember what I said. One at a time." The older man yelled, and the humans all lined up…
I flew in front of my Core and glared with all my mono eye might. No touch!
"I don't think it wants us to get a class." The first boy said as he was right in front of the core, and so I was glaring right into his face.
"Of course they don't. Dungeons don't like being intruded on. But that's the way things are. She'll develop traps, and monsters, and get bigger, and we will test ourselves against her to reach her core, gaining experience, and equipment, from her depths. The Gods grant us this to grow stronger." The old man offered and the children nodded. Some of them making a symbol with their fingers that looked complicated.
"Then I'm getting my class!" The boy at the front said pushing past me, and touched my Core.
[Dungeon has been Cleared!]
I once again felt the weakness take me. Defeat. Instantly without resistance… I was going to make them regret this! How dare they defeat me before I even have a single trap! Rude! Cruel! Cheater!
Yes… They were Cheaters, and I hated Cheaters!
I would remember this.
Slowly all the humans stepped forward and each time they cheered in delight at gaining something…
Okay it was kinda nice how happy they all were, but this was still cheating so I just grumbled, really wishing I could cross my arms and pout at them.
"Okay! Remember this is a Dungeon. Pay your respects." The old man demanded, and each of the humans as they walked out reached into a pouch, or pocket and left something on the floor of the entrance.
I looked over the meager offerings as the Nine humans all walked out. The original two didn't leave anything I noticed, standing to the side.
Did I only get gifts the first time? Rude! I looked over the meager offerings.
Some cloth?
Some seeds, pulled out of a bag and sprinkled on the floor.
A bit of scrap metal? Rude.
A wooden… Cat? It was so badly whittled I couldn't tell what it was.
A copper coin?
A small bit of Fur.
… Wait.
I blinked as I looked at the offerings and at the people. Seven new people.
Six offerings…
I glared at the one boy that I realized had pretended to drop something off, but hadn't actually left anything!
I floated after him, glaring into the back of his head, which was noticed, but eventually he walked out into the sunlight, and I came across a barrier, a place I couldn't pass through.
Oh I would remember this one. A cheater and a poor tipper! Tip Culture might be insane, but I was still an amer-
I blinked. What was I? I couldn't remember the rest…
Oh well. Tip Culture was annoying, but you still had a duty to follow through! I roared after him, but no one heard me.
Finally as they walked out my limbs gained feeling again.
I hurried over and grabbed at the offerings.
As I took the cloth it was actually two things!
[Spurrel spun Cloth.]
[Pressed Omi Flowers.]
I don't know what either of those things were, but the pressed flowers were sweet! I would remember that girl.
Plus she gave a big tip!
The Seeds were interesting too.
[Omi seeds.]
[Quirrel Seeds.]
[Carrot Seeds]
Wait, I recognized that one!
Carrots were… Good for your eyes? No wait, that was propaganda… But I liked them well enough. I wonder if I could farm them?
[Iron] Oh! I actually felt that one, it was a good offering after all!
[Morel Wood]
[Copper]
[Currency]
I blinked at the double message. That was possible? To get more than one thing?
[Horned Rabbit Fur]
I looked at all the messages and nodded. That was nice. Lots of stuff, but I couldn't do anything still, right?
I looked at my [Dungeon Menu]
[Unnamed Dungeon]
[Mana 11/11]
[Size 0]
[Resource Menu]
Oh! Something new!
[Wood]
[Metal]
[Fur]
[Seeds]
[Cloth]
I blinked at the menu and then at the options unlocked inside…
There were no numbers, or anything by the options.
I selected wood.
[Wood]
-Morrel
That was it. Hmm. Clicking on the wood, highlighted it, but didn't really seem to do anything.
I checked the other options, and it wasn't until I hit seeds that something happened.
[Generate Omi Seeds 1 Mana.]
I clicked it and felt something leave me and then with a small flicker of green energy a seed appeared and then flopped onto the stone…
Cool! How fun! I could do something now! I looked around and noticed there wasn't really a dirt patch that I could plant them in, but I could figure this out. I reached down to pick up the seed.
I blinked.
Pick up the seed.
I slumped over. I couldn't actually touch the seed. It just lay there on the stone… It was probably cold.
I realized I was kinda glad I couldn't cry because all I could really do was stare at the seed that would definitely not grow and that made me sad.
I did see that my one mana spent regenerated after about ten minutes. So that was nice.
—--
GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT! I screamed as something new stepped into my dungeon. I was having a moment! I glared away from my pile of seeds that I was trying to create a seed pyramid out of and glared at the something that entered my room…
Oh that wasn't a human.
Green and tiny it looked like someone had bashed a feral cat and a particularly naughty child together and then given them a pointy stick.
I slowly came forward, red eyes practically glowing in the dark glared out from it's dangerous looking face, and it stopped instantly as it saw me stick pointed.
We stared at each other for a while before slowly lowering the stick, It took that time to look around before seemingly noticing my core. Then in a rush it screamed, startling me enough to have me jump straight to the ceiling as it raced for my core and jumped. Grabbing it with all four limbs and holding onto it like it would never let go.
[A Monster has reached your Dungeon Core. Accept its service?]
I blinked. Then I felt my own grin grow feral.
[Yes.]
A new menu popped up asking how much mana I wanted to give to my new monster to empower it…
I blinked a bit nervously towards my seed pile as my current mana was a great big honking zero…
I entered that and it confirmed.
[Ugehsh Female Goblin Lv1]
It was what was hovering over her head.
She shivered and shook but the feeling of something wrong inside me was gone.
Ugehsh was meant to be here now. My control returned and I felt nice, better now that I had a Monster.
She instantly relaxed and started looking around, poking things with her sharp stick that she recollected from the ground. My seed pile was eventually noticed and she walked over smashing it over…
I glared but she didn't seem to notice. Then she just ignored it.
THEN WHY SMASH IT!? Do you have any idea how long I've spent making that!? I roared at her, but eventually she just walked over to my Core and slumped over. Nearly instantly a snot bubble came out of her nose as she snored away.
She was… A filthy little creature, small. More curvy than a human child her size could ever be. Covered in tattered furs. Her head had green hair and her ears were super long. Her teeth were a mangled forest of sharpness…
She was kinda cute, in a tear your face off kinda way.
Yes. This was my Goblin, and I think I was already in love with her. I'd forgive her for toppling the seed pyramid… In an hour.