Dorian regained consciousness as the radiance from an unknown light hit his eyes, causing him to struggle to open them.
Rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands for a few seconds, he was finally able to see his surroundings.
He found himself in a small room, lit only by a lonely torch mounted on one of the four surrounding walls.
The room was comparable in size to a small living room, just enough for one person to live comfortably in.
Without anything special besides the torch to look at, Dorian rubbed the back of his head where a bullet hole should have been.
By touch alone, he noticed there was no hair to be found, meaning that for the first time in his life, he was bald.
Slumping his shoulders, he continued to check the rest of his body, which seemed unchanged, except for feeling better than he ever had in his life.
Moreover, he was completely naked and hairless.
Muscles, although not bulky, were well-defined all over this new body.
His arms were a few inches bigger, and his well-toned abs, which he ran his fingers through, surprised him.
Only a small bump had been present there before from being in the office all day.
His thoughts were scrambled, but the most important one that lingered was the location of Eva, who should have been with him.
Trying to get up, even though he was still in an out-of-bed daze, was met with futile effort, as the rest of his body didn't respond well to the orders given.
[Seems you're awake, guess my visit today was fortunate!]
A familiar voice spoke out, making him reposition his way of sitting in a hurry to cover his privates.
If he recalled correctly, it was the same tone of voice as the person or being he last spoke to, the one that said it would bring them to a new world.
[I'm wondering though, is that body to your liking?]
"Yes… Tha..nks for that…but…" Dorian said with apprehension.
[It's perfect, right? I reconstructed you at what would be the best condition in your previous life… but don't get me wrong, it wasn't an easy task to get all the right anthropometric measurements correct. There was a need to use…]
Not caring for his input, the voice kept on talking about Dorian's body as if it was a piece of art, which made him feel embarrassed.
"About…Eva?" Although scared of what the being's reaction would be, Dorian needed to interrupt its self-centered speech to ask about his most important inquiry.
He finally stopped, then, like before, the space around Dorian distorted, creating a crack. Only this time, the figure didn't appear in rags but in a totally new appearance.
Standing in front of him was a man who was the epitome of a Greek God, donned in an ivory-colored silk garment that draped from his shoulders to his feet. He had a handsome face carved to perfection, stunning anyone who looked at him. Golden curls and long eyelashes framed piercing amber eyes, all of which radiated an aura of power and might—as if he was Zeus himself!
"Guess you didn't need the details…" Gregory sighed in dejection before he continued, now speaking normally with a pleasant raspy voice instead of using the previous telepathic voice.
"I am named Gregory, the one who brought you forth from the planet Earth. But before we speak about that, let me first tell you about your current situation."
While standing, Gregory placed one hand forward. As if grasping thin air, a small marble-sized ball formed. It slowly grew bigger until it reached the size of a bowling ball. Hovering just a few inches from his outstretched hand, it had a white glow that intensified from weak to strong. At its peak, it was blinding, almost like looking at the sun, causing Dorian to cover his eyes with his elbow.
That lasted only a minute before the room, which had been filled with white, began to dye itself in a reddish color. The orb lost most of its glow, making it now visible to the naked eye.
"Nice, seems that I was correct in choosing you." Happy with the result, Gregory left the glowing orb in the air and placed both of his hands in front of him, just under the orb, as if commanding something from the ground.
A light earthquake was felt as a pillar began to form, rising from the ground until it was about three inches from the ball of red light.
Still focused, Gregory put more power into his hands while cracking his neck.
"Alright, let's make this beautiful now." The pillar, which had been solid rock, began to morph into a black pedestal with a gothic style. It ended up looking like claws were holding onto the orb.
"This is the most important thing you will have in this world… Let me explain it in a way that you will understand the meaning and the significance behind those words... This here is your soul, yes, that part of you which gives your body life." Gregory looked at Dorian, expecting some sort of reaction, only to be disappointed at his confused and probably stoic stare.
"Hmm, you know that part which keeps your body ticking?... Just how dumb are these mortals…" Gregory muttered, frustration lacing his voice.
"Yes… I understood the soul part, but why is it not inside this body?" Dorian asked, his confusion evident.
Gregory smiled after the question, rubbing his hands together like a child getting ready to tell his most prized secret. "Well, that's because you're now a Dungeon Master, and this core is also a part of you."
Dorian gulped after Gregory said that, picking himself up from the floor to inspect what was just made. With each step that brought him closer, a feeling of connection between his body and the light became apparent.
About half a meter from the orb, he tried holding onto the light, which gave him a sense of safety, warmth, and most of all, a feeling of self. It was almost like he could distinguish himself from his surroundings. It was truly an unexplainable moment for him, but he had to come back to reality and try to learn more about all this. Before he could ask anything, more information was given by Gregory.
"About the red light, that's your soul's normal color. Each person has their own, but red, huh? Guess you're a lustful man... But never mind that for now," Gregory said. "You are now responsible for this area. This room is the start of the trial I tasked you with before coming here. You will need to add one hundred floors to this dungeon."
"But what about Eva?" Dorian interrupted, his concern for her overriding everything else.
Dorian almost grabbed Gregory by the collar, stopping himself in the nick of time.
"Easy there, the one hundred floors are your assignment. Finish it, and you will be able to see her again, I promise," Gregory said, looking at Dorian with a piercing gaze that left no doubt he was speaking the truth.
"Well, you see… a dungeon is merely a place to maintain the flow of mana in this world. By having a larger one, you will be able to not only maintain your body, which is a product of magic, but also that lass as well."
"Is that to say there is too much of that so-called mana in this world?" Dorian asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Yes and no," Gregory replied. "But the correct answer to that is more complicated. You see, I have lived for almost ten thousand years and I want to finally rest. I am also a Dungeon Master, and the original one, mind you! When I am gone, all the mana in my dungeon will flow back into the world."
"So, am I your replacement?" Dorian asked, uncertainty in his voice.
"A replacement? For me? Hahaha, heaven's no," Gregory chuckled. "You should know my dungeon has over six thousand floors, so you won't make a dent in the world's mana after I am gone, or at least not for a few hundred years."
Gregory continued to chuckle before creating two seats and a table from the ground, gesturing for Dorian to use one. After being seated, a fine jug of red wine and two golden goblets appeared out of nowhere.
Shocked by the sudden appearance of the items, Dorian suppressed his questions and got up to pour wine into both goblets, passing one to Gregory as calmly as he could.
Closing his eyes, Gregory inhaled the fragrance from the wine before taking a large sip. Dorian followed suit, breathing in the sweet aroma of the vintage wine with a heavy scent of alcohol that permeated his lungs and helped soothe his nerves. The taste was comparable to the most expensive liquor he ever had, one he drank a year ago during one of his first dates with Eva.
"No matter what world you're from, a good cup of wine eases the mind, right?" Gregory commented.
"So, what exactly was I brought here for?" Dorian asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"In three years, I plan to leave this world, or any other world, to finally rest as any mortal should. For that, I needed someone not to replace me, but to fix this world in preparation for my departure," Gregory explained.
Taking a few more sips, they both continued enjoying the strong but very well-flavored liquor.
"You know, Eumans are this world's version of you guys from Earth. But there are also beastmen, the so-called demons, elves, dwarves...well, you get it, more races than just normal humans."
"So, in short, just like any fantasy world in our literature?" Dorian asked, intrigued.
"Exactly, just like those I introduced in your world's literature. But as you know, conflict is bound to arise with such a variety of races," Gregory replied.
Gesturing for a refill, Dorian quickly gulped what was left of his drink, then poured another for both goblets. Oddly, he didn't get drunk, even with the strong reek of alcohol this drink produced.
"You know in your world, power comes from the economy, right? The more money, the stronger a man becomes, even if he is but a small individual. Well, here mana makes the man, but the difference is that one person in this world can have the power of a nuclear weapon at any time." Gregory explained.
He then changed his position, sitting sideways with both feet stretched out, one crossed over the other.
"Of course, these mages are rare, but imagine amplifying that power with all the mana my dungeon is going to release when I am gone." Gregory noted.
Noticing that Dorian still didn't grasp his role, Gregory leaned forward and pointed at him.
"You will cause events to happen; these are already underway, and there is no stopping them now that you are here. My advice is to go with the flow. Maybe listen to me to make things go smoother, but in the end, whether you make that choice or not will not change much." Gregory tilted his cup towards Dorian as if to make a toast, then raised it and let the red liquid fall into his mouth, finally shaking the goblet to get any remaining drops.
"In the end, everything is for the best. You get your woman back, this world will reach an era of peace for a good long time, and finally, I will rest," Gregory concluded.
With the assurance that he would have Eva back while doing some good for this world, Dorian raised his goblet to finish the heavy talk.
In a fraction of a second, Gregory cleared the table and seats, then snapped his fingers to create a book. "I am no teacher or like spending time doing such a chore… and as I want you to get more hands-on experience, this book will be your aid and inform you of that which you seek," Gregory said.
He passed Dorian the book that was thin, which gave Dorian little confidence in it providing much of the information he would need. However, upon opening it to any page, words would shine and then be replaced with new ones as soon as he finished reading the bottom of a page.
"Well, that would be it for today. Just read and practice, and try getting a hang of using magic before you step outside. Oh, and... sorry, I should have given you this earlier." Gregory handed Dorian a cloth just like his own, and with a wink, he left the Dungeon just as he had come.