I sat on my bed, tablet in hand, before setting it down with a huff and looked to the ceiling. "UGH, another day, another failed attempt to finish. Why is it so difficult to write these stories? I'm almost done with the chapters, but I just can't get the ending right!"

"Creation can be a rather tricky venture, but so satisfying a reward when finished."

I jolted the moment an unfamiliar voice rang out, just barely stopping myself from kicking my tablet, and turned to look at my door. Leaning against the doorframe was… something. A pure white figure in a simplistic caricature of humanity. Honestly, it looked a lot like Truth from FMA. That was the only reason I hadn't gone for one of the various proplica weapons I had while it was talking. I realized whatever it was, a dull sword or resin stick would do nothing. The figure smirked, a small line of black manifesting for the mouth, and I blinked. Had it read my mind?

"Of course I read your mind. I'd be a rather pathetic pseudo-omnipotent being if I could not perform such a simple skill."

Blinking at the rather blunt confirmation, I focused on another detail. "Pseudo-omnipotent? Isn't that a contradiction? You're either all-powerful, or you aren't."

"Hmph. Normally, you would be correct. But you are thinking on a simplified level. Tell me, could Hephaestus fight equally to Ares? Could Sekhmet best Thoth in a battle of wits? Most higher beings are not truly all-powerful in the sense you mortals define it. Rather, we are unmatched within our respective fields. It's why gods have domains. It is what defines us, in every sense of the word. We are omnipotent in what we put our minds to, but it is rare for a god or higher being to do everything."

I worked my mind around the explanation and nodded. "Alright, I guess that makes sense, but why are you here?" I then frowned as a thought came. "Wait, you're a R.O.B., aren't you?"

The figure slowly clapped. "And there's one of the questions I was waiting for. Indeed, I am of that variety. And while I can certainly be bad enough to add the extra B, I've only ever done so to those who deserve it. You are not one of them. Though do understand, I will mess with you. I find enjoyment from watching you mortals squirm as I upend your lives."

"And I assume one of the other questions is why me?"

"Nope, there is one other, and I expect you to figure that out. As for the why, it's because you will be my new source of entertainment. I have a few projects that have temporarily stalled, so I need something to keep myself occupied until they start back up. There is nothing more dangerous than a bored god."

"So I'm being isekai'ed then? I trust you are going to be more detailed than just dropping me in to sink or swim."

The figure scoffed. "Of course. It wouldn't be as amusing. I'm sending you into a new world as a dungeon core. I'm sure you're more than familiar given your recent readings. You won't be having arbitrary values on all your purchases, as it would be tedious and boring for me to set a price for every single thing. Also, I'll let you take what you can to be included into your starting knowledge base, though I'm restricting you to all the limitations of a starting dungeon. And no, you won't have internet if you bring any tech. I'm not letting you get around things that easily. Besides, you've already planned what you'd bring."

I had indeed. One of my problems with writing was that I have too many ideas, always getting more and more details. It's why I had trouble focusing on a single thing. In fact, my recent love for dungeon core stories had me planning various strategies for how I would run them. In fact, I had been putting plans for a story...wait. The entity grinned wide, the black line becoming a gaping hemisphere. "And so the thought comes to life. Took you long enough."

I stood up and approached the being. "You're me. Or at least, an alternate version of me. I'm nothing more than a story character, one that you're probably typing about in the real world right now."

The figure flickered into a perfect copy of me, before returning to the caricature. "But does that make you any less real? We are the same entity, and yes, my newest project is your story, but given the multiverse and infinite worlds theories, does it really matter? Even if you are a fiction where I'm from, that doesn't mean this isn't real somewhere. Besides, who's to say I'm not just another part of the story for another version of us. I could keep going, but we both know this leads nowhere. And before you ask on the whole 'higher being thing', I am the author of this story. That automatically puts me above any god or otherworldly entity you may or may not encounter by default, as I dictate their actions. So, shall we continue on?"

He was right. As much as I would love to argue philosophy and the like, this was a discussion that could never be truly solved. Best to get on with things. "Fine. So what are the exact terms of this? What is my goal, if I have any, what am I getting into, and what exactly are my options?"

"That's simple. Your goal is to survive and amuse me. I haven't fully decided where I'll send you yet, though I'm sure you'll figure it out quickly. As for conditions, I already told you that you can take items, though the internet will be inaccessible, and any knowledge will be added to your start, but you will have access only to the basics. You'll be given the most basic start like everyone else. Also, you can only take items in this room, no gathering everything you can carry in the house. As for restrictions, you won't be able to name non-boss monsters until your 5th floor, and you won't be able to experiment directly with monsters until the 10th. Obviously that won't count Unique and self evolutions, but no direct monster making. You won't be able to make creatures from other franchises at the start. Finally, be whatever type of dungeon you want, but know that the minds of others will be varied. Some will enjoy the presence of a dungeon, and others will not. Also, you aren't getting a good start like Delta did. No safety net of OP retired adventurers for you. I'm putting you away from civilization. Finally, as I said before, you won't have to deal with the numbers game, keeping track of mana generation, item and upgrade costs, the whole deal. You'll be working with a general pool of mana that you can do things with. It will grow as you develop, but there will be no arbitrary value. You'll know if you start to get low or full, or don't have enough for something."

I nodded at the conditions before gathering what I would consider useful. First were my proplicas. As useless in a real fight as they are, the actual material is more important. Having a starting knowledge on metals and such will be valuable. I grabbed some clothes for the same reason. Next, my D&D books, official and unofficial. Even if I end up in a different world, these will give me at least a basic understanding on what I can make or may face. Also, the information within will help me guide my creatures down paths, even if I can't use the class mechanics. Also, the magic item lists will be useful. Under the same logic I grabbed my collection of Yugioh, Pokémon, and MTG cards. All the creatures, items, and spells will be valuable to reverse engineer. My Nerf guns were next. The mechanisms will give me a head start on firearms, especially if I end up somewhere low-tech, and some special traps will keep me safe. Finally, my Nintendo Switch and games, phone, and tablet. Even without internet, my notes will be a good spot to build from with the rest of my knowledge, and more of everything else was useful. Plus, potential reverse engineering for the win. I stuffed all the items into a pair of suitcases just in case I had an extra caveat to only bring what I can carry.

The other me nodded with a grin, either knowing what I went for via mind reading or because he himself would have done the same, and snapped his fingers. The suitcases vanished and I began to softly glow. "Now then, to send you off. I've decided where to put you. I'd ask if you would want to know, but I already have the answer to that."

As I felt myself begin to disintegrate from the light, I gave a fanged smile. "Of course not! Finding out is the fun part!"

The world went white, then black. After what felt like an instant and eternity, the world restored itself into a pitch black room, a dim tunnel leading off into the distance. Before me was a glowing green box.

Please choose your starting race.

So, as you can tell, I'm starting a new story. My other two are still going, and the chapters are close to finished, but I'm just running into a dead end for Shining Jewels, and my co-author has some life issues preventing us from completing Patchwork & Clank. I've also been on a binge read of dungeon core stories. I was introduced by There is no Epic Loot Here, Only Puns by Stewart92 over on Space Battles. Glorious story, highly recommend it and his other stories. I actually referenced it here. Sorry about the lack of action and mild philosophy, but these first few chapters will mostly be setup. There will be timeskips, and if you want I could try some PoV changes when I start having delvers. Hope to see you all in the next chapter, either this or my other stories! JA NE!