I opened the door and froze at the sight of the room. It was… disappointing, the room was small only about three feet wide, two feet deep, and 7 feet tall. The only thing in the room being a kind of brick pedestal with a purple and white fist-sized sphere sitting on it that I can only assume is the dungeon core. This sight goes against everything I’ve ever been told about core rooms before. My father used to tell me stories of the different core rooms he’s seen, and they were always described as being wondrous and in most cases magical. Like the Rainbow Fairy Dungeon who’s core room apparently gigantic forest that makes you feel like a small fairy walking among the toadstools, or shrunk you down with magic in a standard sized forest my father wasn’t sure which, with the core sitting in the middle of a pond surrounded by a fairy ring. There was also the dungeon that my former families home was built upon, The Sky Fire Dungeon, that I’ve been told has a colossal magma dragon statue that holds a large red core in its’ claws. But this is the first, and probably last, core room I’ve ever been to so this may be how they normally look and the ones I’ve been told about are the exceptions.

While I’m busy gawking at the core room in disbelief at how underwhelming it is, Notch is sliming his way over to the brick pedestal and starts to climb up it. When he gets to the core, he climbs on top of the Core and then wiggles in impatience and stretches out to wave me over. With a small laugh at the weird little slime, I make my way over and touch the core.

What the fuck was that, Is all I can think as I jump back away from the Core and stare at my hand. Was that a screen? Did I just see a screen? That can’t be right I’m a zero, I’m blind to God’s will and the system, I couldn’t have just seen a screen. But unless I’m hallucinating, and I’m not ruling that out, that was a screen, but there is only one way to find out. I finally look up at the core and Notch, who is wiggling at me with exasperation and laughter. Feeling a little sheepish and a little embarrassed but excited I approach the pedestal with some fear and excitement. I reach out and touch the core, and the screen reappears.

Glub blub gurgle gargle plop.

“Really!?! I finally see a system screen and a dungeon core only speaks Slime…” I start with a shout and end saying this in a whisper of depression.

I just messing with you human, I’ve never talked to anyone other than my Slimes before so thought I would have a little bit of fun. Hope you don’t mind.

“Uh… It’s uh… no problem…” I say bewildered about what’s going on.

Good, didn’t care either way honestly. But anyways, I wanted to talk to you because well you interest me.

“O...kay,” now even more confused why is a Core interested with me?

You see the reason you have sparked my curiosity is that all my Slimes except Gloop and Ooze out there are what I think you humans call abandoned, or as I have started calling it soul torn. This has caused a lot of them to mistrust or even hate humans, but for some reason, they seem to like you. Why is that?

“The only reason I can think for them to like me is that I feed them some of my food most days. But why do you call it Soul Torn? That sounds a little harsh. They have just been released after their Tamer became strong enough to tame a new monster. That doesn’t seem to bad,” I say while thinking about it I have to ask. “If anything wouldn’t the monsters rather be abandoned or released so they can return to the wilds?”

Not so bad. NOT SO BAD! Do you understand what taming does to monsters?

“Makes it so the Tamer can control and harness their powers?” I state now unsure of the what I always been taught.

It makes their soul only wish to serve and protect their Tamer. When the Tamer breaks this bond for any reason, like taming a stronger monster, an emptiness is formed in their soul. This causes one of three things happen to the monster, they start to crave for another Tamer, they grow to hate humans for hurting them so, or they lose all sanity attacking themselves and anything around them. Monsters are rarely ever able to recover from the third option. This Slime here is one of the few that I have taken in that has been able to recover from madness, but as you can see, he didn’t come out of it unscathed.

“That sounds horrible. I’m sorry… I, I didn’t know. I never even thought about it to be honest…,” I say with a look of horror and sadness on my face as I look at Notch’s cracked core.

But if what the Core says is true, and I have no reason to think it’s lying, then this explains so many different things. Like why the monsters in the ‘used’ monster stores never try to attack the customers, they are trying to fill this emptiness in their soul with another bond. Then there are the cases of abandoned monsters becoming more aggressive after being released, these are usually sold to the arena’s to be used for different events. But there have been cases of monsters that seem attack everything with no concern for its’ life or body, in these cases they are put down as soon as possible before they do to much damage. I have never even considered this from the monsters point of view. I have always just seen them as a kind of tool for Tamers to be used then discarded if something better comes along.

I can tell that you at least partially understand what monsters have to go through due to the treatment humans give them. But this leads back to my main point. Why do my slimes, who for the most part hate humans, like you enough to bring you into their home and even heal you? I do not believe it is because you fed them some food when there is plenty of that to go around. What makes you special?

“I honestly don’t know then. All I ever did was feed them and talk to them. That is except for Notch there I did give him a name and saved him from Bur,” I say while trying to think of anything that makes me special. “I’m a Zero, there’s nothing special about me anymore.”

Zero? Ah, Notch here tells me that’s what you humans that work in the sewer are called but he doesn’t know what it means. Is it a title or something?

“It means I have no Spirit level and so can not see God’s will, system screens, or at least any screen that isn’t a Dungeon Core speech screen apparently,” I explain with a deadpan voice. I still don’t like to think about it even after all this time.

What God? These are just system screens every being should have access to it. Just think status or something and it should work.

“Don’t you think I have tried that, every minute of every day that I have found out I was a Zero. It doesn’t work and unless Niwrad, the one true God, forgives humans for our weakness I will continue to be a Zero for the rest of my, most likely short and miserable, life!” I shout at the core with the beginnings of tears in my eyes.

I don’t know what all that stuff about a God means but I can see your stats just fine. I will admit it is weird that you don’t have any Spirit Levels but let me try something.

After about a minute a new screen appears.

Name: Nox Spirit Level: 0 Skills: None Magic: None Tamed Monsters: None Monster Skills: N/A Soul Bound: Nars Quikslev

This… this is my status screen. I can see my status screen! And my name it says Nox not my old name. How did the system know I have forsaken my old name? I guess it doesn’t matter I guess. This also proves that I do have zero Spirit Levels... but don’t Dungeon Cores have the ability to give Spirit Levels?

Hello??? Human, did it work?

“Huh?” I just noticed the Core was trying to ask if I could see my status screen for the last few minutes. With some trepidation and a whole lot of hope, “Yeah, it worked… but I was wondering… could you give me a Spirit Level?”

Finally, I’m glad it worked. As for gifting you a Spirit Level, well you are correct as a Dungeon Core I can use some of my power to give a Spirit Level to Tamers or Monsters… But I can’t give you any.

“What? Why? I’ll do anything for you please just take this curse away from me! Please…,” I cry out and clutch the core with both my hands with my head on the pedestal now.

You don’t understand. When you first said you couldn’t see your screen I thought that might be the problem so I tried to give you a Spirit Level but it didn’t work.

This news broke me. I collapsed onto the floor into a ball and just cried. I don’t even know why I allowed myself to hope that I could change my fate. I saw what I thought was the light at the end of the tunnel, that is my life, only to find out it was a Angler Behemoth, a giant monster with a light on its head that lives underground. This is worse than when I first found out I was a Zero. I stayed there on the floor crying in a ball for what must have been an hour. Completely unresponsive to Notch, who must of slimed his way down next to me and tried to get my attention. I would have stayed that way for who knows how if it wasn't due to my soul itch, that has been building since I woke up here, was becoming so unbearable that I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I need to head back to the kennels and back to reality. This is when I finally notice Notch trying to get my attention by tapping me on the back.

“I’m sorry little guy, but I have to go can you show me the way back?” I ask Notch.

Notch just shakes his slime body back and forth as if to say no and then points up at the core.

“Oh, Gloop did say he would probably teleport me out of the dungeon,” I say while I get up and put my hand on the core again.

Back to the land of the living? Don’t you think that was a little overboard?

“No, I do not. I had hope for the first time in months only to see it crumble in front of me. Now I have to go back to being a slave in this godforsaken sewer. Gloop said you could send me out of the dungeon? If you can please do,” I snarl.

Well, I could send you back, but I thought you would want to hear an idea that Notch and I had.

“Please, don’t… I couldn’t go through gaining hope again only to lose it. I… I think it would destroy me. Just please send me back,” I say with tears still making tracks down my face.

One last try but I need you to understand something.

I just stare at the Core, which Notch has climbed back on top of, and finally nod my head numbly.

I am only trying to do this because Notch asked me too, and this will only have a chance of working if you both consent to it.

“Consent to what?” I ask with unbidden hope starting to build in my chest again.

For Notch to be your partner.