'What happened to me? I feel like I got hit by a truck… oh fuck…'
He thought and then he remembered the loud honk that ended as abruptly as it had begun.
'Oh, so I'm dead now.'
All around him was a blank expanse filled with hazy blobs of color and he couldn't even see his own body, but he did see a large rolling white cloud approaching him.
As it got closer, he spotted an indescribably beautiful woman dressed in flowing robes.
She cleared her throat before speaking. "Greetings, I am the Goddess known as Grace. Listen up, mortals! I am responsible for the management of Celestial Life across every plane of existence!"
'Me! Me! Me! Choose me!'
He screamed in his mind, he had ignored the feelings that realizing he was dead had brought and instead tried to gain the attention of Grace.
'I'll do it! I'll do anything!'
He shouted without a mouth.
His situation was obvious to anyone who was familiar with the concept of Isekai.
"…I literally haven't even explained anything yet. Fuck it, who cares?" She muttered and reached out a hand.
He saw a gray haze move towards the Goddess, and his vision also moved closer.
"Blah blah System blah blah Save the Leylines on the planet of Remnant, blah blah Any wish you want." She reeled her arm back and flung his body across the endless expanse of infinity.
Everything blurred as he far surpassed the speed of light countless times over and then his mind shattered as reality cracked.
His mind slowly gained sentience, and he realized he was in a dank shallow cave a few feet from the entrance.
Sunlight was glistening off the small stalactites growing from the ceiling.
'Awesome! I've really been reincarnated! And did she say Remnant? Fucking awesome! Ooh boy, I can't wait to become a walking combat god. Ooh ohh should I get a harem? If I do, who should I make my main girl? Eh, let's leave it up to fate, the first girl I see will have that honor.'
…
'Odd, the entrance seems to be the same distance away even though I just tried walking to it. Uh, how about running?'
…
'What's going on? Why aren't I getting closer? I'm pretty sure I'm moving my body, or is there some lag happening?'
He tried looking down to see what was happening with his feet and the ground, and since he just saw stone but not his feet, he kept looking down until he saw the top of the entrance.
'What?'
He then tried looking at his hands but he couldn't find them, he couldn't even feel them.
He turned and spun around wildly but he couldn't find his body, he couldn't even feel his body.
He couldn't even blink.
'What the fuck is this!?'
Bloop!
The Dungeon Core System has successfully been activated!
'What the fuck?'
Name: (Unnamed) - Title: (None)
Race: Dungeon Core (Cave) - Level: 1
Health: 10/10
Mana: 10/10
Dungeon Points: 100
Skills:
Ambient Purification (Level: 1): Passively extracts 'Celestial Energy' from the surrounding atmosphere and purifies it into Mana.
Transmute (Level: 1): Change rocks and their shapes into different rocks or shapes.
Dungeon Management:
Resources: Gravel.
Production: Limestone.
'No! No no no! This can't be happening!'
Frantically he began attempting to flail about.
Futilely he began attempting to find his body.
Finally he began accepting his reality.
A dead calm engulfed his mind.
'Haaa, what did I expect? Of course my Isekai adventure would suck, just like everything else in my life so far.'
He was mostly just being dramatic, his life had been pretty average, only truly marred by an intense boredom that had permeated every instance.
He had lived in a small rural town, and the only future for him was to follow in his family's footsteps and become a coal miner.
When he became an adult, he was planning on running away to a big city and actually experiencing life properly.
So far he hadn't even had a girlfriend yet, or even held a woman's hand. His town was lacking in attractive girls his age and type.
A second shot at life was just the thing he dreamed about.
A new life filled with interesting things and experiences, not to mention women he could date, and men who he could befriend.
Honestly, he just wanted something he could find enjoyment in.
During his previous life, he only had stories from the internet to get him through the days.
'Fuck!'
He hadn't actually accepted his situation yet, he had just tired himself out and began sulking, but now he had more energy to resist against reality.
'Grace! Grace! I don't want this! Find someone else! I'm not doing a fucking dungeon isekai!'
…
…
The goddess didn't answer his prayers, if one could call them such, and the bright sky outside his cave turned dark.
'Nooooooooo….'
Now he was truly out of energy, and not just in a mental sense, his thoughts slowed to a halt and everything became sluggish.
'W-what'ss ha-happenng?'
Bloop!
Mana has been exhausted, entering sleep mode!
'H—'
Bloop!
Mana has been restored, exiting sleep mode!
Bright rays of sunlight and the eager chirp of forest critters reached his awareness.
Just outside the cage entrance was an entire world of possibilities, and it was out of his reach.
'So it wasn't a dream, ah man, seriously fuck this.'
If he could, he would tossed over and gone back to sleep, however he hadn't even had any dreams so there was no point.
'Haaa, what's sleep mode?'
Bloop!
Sleep mode is a state the Dungeon Core enters when it has no Mana left to form thoughts.
'Don't I have a passive Mana regen? Also do I seriously need Mana to form thoughts?'
Bloop!
Yes, however Ambient Purification is currently a low level.
Yes, every action the Dungeon Core does requires Mana.
'Stop the fuc— Haaah, stop the blooping, it's really annoying. Anyway, every action?'
Yes, every action, such as thinking, seeing, hearing, and all skills.
It is not recommended to switch off those functions, as it could lead to a decline in sanity.
'I could switch off my thinking?'
…
Yes.
The purpose of a Dungeon Core is to absorb and recycle the excess Celestial Energy of a planet.
Grace, the Goddess of Celestial Life, had delegated her task to you, because she considered it to be a hassle to manage infinite planets.
However, she required a consenting soul, but you don't need to be aware. In fact, it's rare she hadn't wiped your mind clear, and implanted a desire to serve her.
She is exceptionally lazy.
'Oh, so seriously fuck all this then.'
…
'Are you a person or something?'
No.
This System has no identity, it is just a collection of information created for the purpose of administering the management of Dungeons.
Grace is exceptionally lazy.
Would you like the tutorial for the Dungeon Core System?
'Haah, fine fuck it, why not? Let's get this over with.'
He tried not to be disappointed that he was truly isolated in his stone prison, but he couldn't even muster up enough rage to cover for the hollow feeling.
Welcome to the Dungeon Core System!
As a sentient Dungeon Core, it is your duty to ensure your own survival which would in turn ensure the survival of this world.
The system went on to explain in unnecessary detail the most basic of facts, the kind that any person who has played a game would be familiar with.
And since he kept his memories of his previous life, he really didn't require an explanation.
Dungeon Points: 100
This is the currency required to acquire new functions and items from the Dungeon Shop.
1 DP is generated every day, and 100 DP is generated every year.
'Oh, what's in the Dungeon Shop?'
An endless wall of text took up his entire consciousness and it almost depleted his Mana, but he managed to close it before he entered sleep mode.
After recovering from his near state of exhaustion, he tried again.
'What does the system recommend I spend my DP on?'
Price 100DP - Dungeon Altar (Level: 1): Objects placed atop the altar can be consumed for Mana or Dungeon Points.
'Are you sure? Is there something where I get a body and leave the cave?'
Price 10,000DP - Secondary Form (Level: 1): Manifest a second body that can be remotely controlled.
'Ugh, fine, I'll buy Dungeon Altar for now.'
A glossy pure white slap manifested atop the stone ground.
The clear reflective surface allowed him to see himself for the first time, of course he didn't recognize the floating ring of disoriented light as himself for quite a while.
AN: Hello, I'll be trying to write a story here. Thanks to everyone who has supported this story even when it had nothing to offer, hopefully this story will provide something to entertain you all.
The pacing might seem off for a while, as I try to find a balance.
I'm thankful for all the feedback I receive, and you can hate my story all you want, however please don't harass me personally. I'm not my story, and I change what I'm writing pretty easily, but I can't change who I am that easily.