《Cultivating Dungeon》Chapter 1 - I'm a what now?
Advertisement
Hello everyone this is my first time writing so please point out any errors I made and I hope you will enjoy it!
“So, this is how it all ends…”
“Can’t believe I ended up falling for something like that….”
“Oh well, there wasn’t much left to do anyways….”
“I wonder how she’s doing.…”
“How things could have gone had this day gone differently.…”
Then the darkness came and the man lost all of his senses.
He was known as the Sage Emperor. Although he wasn’t among the top cultivators, he was still both well known and respected. He reached his limit when he reached the Emperor Realm. His own talent wasn’t that good to begin with, and if it wasn’t for his own vast knowledge of cultivation and some lucky encounters, he never would have made it as far as he did. His mastery of the road of cultivation was so high that even those more powerful than him would seek him out for advice.
The Sage Emperor knew that he had reached the end of his journey in the way of cultivation, so he devoted himself wholeheartedly to his studies. Cultivators with all sorts of backgrounds, from lonely rogue cultivators, to the disciples of the largest sects, and even those who had already reached the peak, came to him. This gave him access to techniques and cultivation methods that many could only dream of.
Because of the large number of people that came to him for help, no one dared to offend him for fear of the rest of the world’s retaliation. The Sage Emperor lived in peace, teaching and learning for a thousand years. While it may seem like a perfect life, the truth was that he was very lonely. The people that came to him only came for their own benefits. The disciples that he taught were not his own disciples, and those stronger than him would never see him as their equal.
Gradually, he began to explore ruins and tombs, hoping to find some long-lost techniques or cultivation methods to study, because only when he drowned himself in learning could he discard all of his emotions. However, while exploring an unknown ruin one day, something went wrong. He had reached the last chamber and saw a giant crystal at the entrance. The crystal was shaped like two square pyramids connected at the base. What was interesting about the crystal though was that it was floating slightly above the ground. Curious, the Sage Emperor walked up to examine the crystal when he suddenly felt a powerful force emanating from the crystal. He could feel just how dangerous the power was and knew that if he didn’t leave immediately, he would die. But he could also sense that there was something odd inside the crystal, and that caused him to pause. The feeling he got was that if he didn’t see what it was inside the crystal, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
Advertisement
In that instant, he made a decision that would change his fate. Instead of using one of hundreds of methods he had to escape, he stood there and, using his divine sense, dug deep into the crystal. He knew he was racing against the clock as he had only seconds before the energy destroyed him. There were many restrictions placed around the mysterious object inside the crystal, but, with his knowledge, he easily broke through them all. His divine sense then surrounded the object.
At the same exact moment, the energy from the crystal was finally released and it exploded forth. Because he was there so long, there was no way he could escape the blast. Just as a blinding light washed over him, the Sage Emperor saw what the object that was inside the crystal was. It was a very simple book, and it was titled, “The Dungeon Master’s Manual”.
Slowly, he regained consciousness and tried to look around, but everything around him was dark. He then tried to move, but found that he wasn’t able to feel his body at all. He immediately attempted to activate his Qi, but quickly found that he had none. None of this, however, caused him to panic. It was not like his thousand years of life counted for nothing. He quickly began to cultivate in an attempt to replenish the Qi in his body and repair it. He immediately noticed that something was different. While the natural energy in the area was fairly dense, it felt quite different compared to the energy he was used to. It began to feel even stranger as he cycled it through his body.
Since he didn’t have any other plans at the moment, he continued to absorb the natural energy in the surrounding area. It felt like his body was a parched desert absorbing the water left by a rain storm. After continuing for some time, a change finally occurred. As if triggering something that had lied dormant, there was a sudden flash of blue light. The room he was in suddenly became visible. He could see that he seemed to be inside of a small cave underground. The room wasn’t very big and had no entrance or exit, much like a sealed cultivation cave. The odd thing was that he could feel the entire room as if it were a part of him.
Curious, he carefully concentrated on that feeling and then he suddenly became the room. His point of view shifted into a third person view as he looked at the entire room. What he saw stunned him. It was a small cave, as he previously felt, but what was inside the cave where his body should have been was not his body at all, but, in fact, a crystal. It was much like the one that killed him, only smaller.
It took a long time for him to recover his senses. When his mind was clear, he carefully examined the crystal and muttered, “Is this why I can’t seem to move or feel my body?”
Advertisement
He began to carefully examine his new crystal body and noticed that it still felt empty somehow. He pondered for a bit, then began to cultivate. He quickly noticed that the surrounding energy entered the crystal and the crystal began to fill up. After analyzing it for a while, he came to the conclusion that whatever his new body was, it lacked this mysterious energy. He also noticed that his cultivation technique seemed to speed up the natural absorption process a lot. He thought about how he couldn’t see or feel anything before, but after absorbing enough of this energy, he was suddenly able to see this small room.
“Maybe once I completely fill up the crystal, something will happen….” With that thought in mind, he calmed himself down and began to cultivate again. The energy swirled around the room before rushing toward him. The crystal began to slowly fill up.
When the crystal was full, another change occurred. He suddenly felt like he had control over both the crystal and the entire room. This was a strange feeling, so he decided to test it out by attempting to use the newly gathered energy to dig into the wall. He could feel the energy leave him as he dug one meter into the wall. What shocked him was that he could feel that the space he was in control of had increased as well. Then he tried moving his own body, and, to his delight, the crystal moved as well.
“So, my guess was correct. After gathering enough of this energy, I seem to be able to unlock abilities, though I still have no idea where I am or what exactly happened to me.” Thinking that, he suddenly realized something. “Hmmm, this view almost feels similar to when using divine sense. I wonder if I can examine things.” With that, he focused on the crystal and was surprised when information popped into his mind.
Status
Name: ???
Race: Dungeon Core
Mana: 74/100
Level: 0
“What is this!?”
The information shocked him. In the past, he was able to use divine sense to scan things and people, but the information resulting from it was never this clear and was up to himself to interpret.
“The information in my head is so clear, though I have no name and I’m a what now?” Startled, he scanned himself again, double checking the information appearing in his head. “A Dungeon Core? Well, this sure took an interesting turn. I seem to have reincarnated, but not as a human. Instead, I’ve become a Dungeon Core…”
“Well, ignoring the race for now, this mana thing seems to be an indication of how much of this strange energy I’ve absorbed. From what it shows now, around 50 was when I gained sight, and at 75 I gained control of this room. If this trend continues, then something else is bound to happen when I reach 100/100.”
“I have no idea what this level thing means, but the zero is a clear indication of how weak I currently am. No matter what, I must gain enough strength to at least protect myself. Guess the only thing left to do is gather this mana for now.” He then began to cultivate. He could feel the mana surge toward his new “body” as he cultivated.
He could tell that the crystal hosted his soul and that he would die if it were to be destroyed, but he also had this odd feeling that the room was also part of his body.
80, 85, 90, 95, 99...100!
Right as he hit 100/100 mana, a voice entered his mind.
“You’ve reached the requirement to level up!”
“You are now level 1!”
Status
Name: ???
Race: Dungeon Core
Mana: 100/150
Level: 1
“Now forming your dungeon fairy!”
Suddenly, a ball of light appeared before him and he felt all the mana he had gathered drain from him, making him feel weak. He knew that if this continued until he was back to zero mana, he would fall unconscious. Considering the situation, it wouldn’t be very good if he did. He also knew that he couldn’t stop it, so he immediately calmed his mind and began to cultivate like crazy to absorb enough mana to counterbalance this mana drain.
This went on until what he felt was about 100 mana had been drained away. It seemed like it was about to be over, but the light suddenly intensified and the mana drain intensified with it. He was shocked at the sudden turn of events, but considering how long he had been alive for, he didn’t panic and continued to absorb mana by cultivating. This lasted for a long time. After what he determined to be a total of 500 mana had been drained, it finally stopped.
The intense light faded and the shape of a little person appeared from within the blinding light. Once the light was completely gone, he could see a girl. She was a bit small for a normal human. She wore a red dress and had long, red hair. She was beautiful. Her looks alone would have definitely attracted a lot of attention in a crowd. When taking into consideration her very small stature and the wings on her back, the attention she would attract would cause a riot.
“According to the voice, this should be my dungeon fairy? I wonder what that is… I hope I’ll finally have some answers,” He muttered as he stared at the little fairy
The fairy slowly opened her eyes. She stared at the crystal before her and said, “Hello, my name is Alice, and I’m your dungeon fairy!”
Edited by: mossclaw64
Edited by: The super secret and mysterious masked editor... from space!
Edited by: The General
Advertisement
- In Serial27 Chapters
Milton
A Cyberpunk Coming of Age Tale The Apocalypse is ugly. The only lights that work are battery powered or neon. Scroungers kill your neighbors and take control of their bodies. Gang wars run rampant in the perpetual night, as usual, except now, most members have magical spells to defend their turf. Life certainly changed once the Rainbow Letters came. For Milton, things changed for the better. The world became familiar. He could find loot, learn skills, and equip weapons and armor. It was all much easier to understand than the perils of pre-Apocalypse life with its grocery shopping and going outside. Then he discovers Ragnarok, Orchestrator of the Rainbow Letters and all of Milton’s problems. The race to figure out why is on. If Milton is to survive long enough to find answers, he must first be strong enough to confront his worst enemy: himself. * This is work in progress and NOT professionally edited. * ** This story is humorous in the begining, but gets very dark around the turning point. Reader discretion is advised.**
8 235 - In Serial51 Chapters
The Warrior
The Warrior was a legendary man who possessed all four God-given gifts and fought in the great battle that brought peace for many generations. That was the story Indenuel’s mother told him when it got too hard to hide his gifts. No one else had all four God-given gifts anymore, and being different was a sin in his village. However, after his mother’s death, a visiting High Elder of the church told him the Warrior wasn't a mythical person of history. He was a man prophesied to come save the people of Santollia now. Someone who grew up in such humble conditions that even though everyone in Santollia knew the Prophecy of the Warrior, the man himself would not know it. Indenuel had been discovered! Now Indenuel must grapple with strengthening his four God-given gifts, learning to navigate the highest social class, and train for a battle he is not prepared to fight while a question plagues his mind. His mother knew the prophecy of the Warrior. Why did she lie to him? *Updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
8 269 - In Serial28 Chapters
Who Killed My Body?
When college freshman Anna Tran is murdered while jogging home one night, an alien lifeform body-snatches her corpse and tries to catch her killer, all while attempting to keep Anna's fate a secret from her classmates, friends, and loved ones. Prologue webcomic: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/who-killed-my-body/list?title_no=466937 (This comic depicts the first two chapters of the web novel. Reading the comic isn't necessary for understanding the story, but may help with visualizing the main character.)
8 163 - In Serial9 Chapters
The New Mythology - The Wright War
A Dark Age has fallen over the world. Psychic monsters hide from guardian gods and prey upon the suffering of mortals. Two wrights, divine craftsmen, arise to save mortals and gods, but their ensuing mythical arms race threatens all the realms.
8 368 - In Serial66 Chapters
Devourer of Destiny
A wise old grandpa in a ring. An ancient weapon to unleash one's true potential. An unorthodox teacher who emerges from obscurity to provide heroes with enlightenment. In a cultivation world, those who would rise to the top usually have some sort of advantage that propels their rapid ascent. Things that many would offer their souls to obtain. Ebon Dirge, a fallen devil descended from the highest realms of the divine, is more than happy to accept their payment. Thwarted by the machinations of the mightiest beings in the universe, he is forced to begin anew in the lands of the weakest mortals. To prepare for the ultimate confrontation, he has hatched a plot to steal the best weapon of all: destiny. Whether it is a downtrodden youth in the savage wilds, a prince driven to desperation by the royal web tangled around him, or the students and staff of an illustrious magical academy... all should beware what they wish for. They just might get it. For a price, of course. --- PROGRAMMING NOTE This is a wholly rewritten version of the novel that originally began in 2018, not a copy-paste of those original chapters. ABOUT THE NOVEL Devourer of Destiny is an exploration of cultivation story tropes and foibles. It features: - Cultivation stuff. The story is a satirical take on xianxia and xuanhuan staples and tropes.- An irredeemably evil central character.- Multiple POVs. A lot of them, although the central character remains central and will always have the lion's share. POSTING SCHEDULE TBD. Still working it out.
8 129 - In Serial10 Chapters
The Incarnation Cycle [Indefinite HIATUS!]
A new life, a new world, and a little bit of magic. Nat is reincarnated into a new world as a baby cat-girl after an incident on a plane, follow her as she grows up and explores this new world. This is going to be a long-running series that I have some plan for but will be mostly discovery writing.Chapter Titles - Each chapter is titled By chapter number then whos POV it's from then the chapter title, here's an example.Chapter 1: Fitz - Reborn AgainAuthors Notes: This is my first ever work of fiction so any advice and critique are welcome. If you see any grammatical errors feel free to tell me in the comments and I'll try my best to fix them in a timely manner. Any advice on how I can improve is also welcome. Lastly, my main goal in writing is to hopefully bring all of you a story you can lose yourself in and forget about your worries in the real world so, I hope you enjoy!
8 140

