The light was blinding.

Words... fuzzy. Smells and sounds painful.

Claws digging into dark, red wood, jaw so tight that fangs dig into mouth. Tail held body steady as mind focused.

A voice called. Not one, but many; a chorus in head. Feeling deep in gut calling out. Not instinct of race, but deeper. So loud that thoughts hazy.

Blinding light faded away, now only sunlight from large archway. Big, clear jewel on stand in center of room. It thrums and voices grow louder.

A blink and claw touches gem. The touch is warmth of something deep, and the gem lit a small spark inside.

A nod without knowing.

Haziness disappearing as the chorus of voices speak in my head. I blink as I noticed that my thoughts straightened up, that words came more easily. My senses no longer overpowered me and my body felt like my own. The script I was born with had ran its course.

I stepped back from the dark red wooden pedestal that held the translucent square gem and looked around at the large room I was in. Everything was the same wood including the floor. I held my tail to my chest with shaking claws as I hesitantly stepped toward the open archway.

An overcast sky let through bright sunlight that fell upon a massive tree. It towered a hundred times my height into the sky with its dead branches forking everywhere over the muddy brown and rich green that was my new home. So many thin trees dotted between the thick, murky swamp that surrounded me that my mind told me creatures hid in them.

I stumbled back into my hole that was the carved out inside of that huge tree and sat down with my back to the pedestal. Petting my tail with my claws soothed me before I began to laugh.

"Kekeke!"

The cube-shaped gem, the dungeon core, had chosen me! I didn't know what to do with the core or the dungeon or any of the new feelings of responsibility about either of them, yet even I understood that I was both blessed and cursed within the first few minutes of my life.

I screamed and bolted toward the archway! My clawed feet tore into the wood that restored itself in the next second and I jumped through the archway to go outside. Or is what I wished but instead I slammed into an invisible barrier and crashed to the ground.

My claws feebly raked at the barrier, at the swamp and world beyond this room that my instincts and mind longed for and I howled out all that until my throat was raw and lungs burned.

I didn't know much, or rather I didn't know anything at all, but I was conflicted already. My language was something I was granted by the dungeon much like my body was, that I knew. The world? Other creatures? Goals? Nothing except what my instincts are telling me.

That I was created by this dungeon, that I was a [Dungeon Master], and that I couldn't leave here.

I plodded back to the pedestal and took the cube-shaped core in my claws, sat on the ground, and felt my instincts guide me. I tapped on a flat side of the core and it shimmered to hold text of the language I knew on it in a listed display. A tiny bit of energy from deep inside my stomach disappeared.

>Building

>Creatures

>Items

>Status

I knew what the words meant and what I was supposed to do with them now that I had read them. Build the dungeon, put creatures in it, create items for it all and then... why? The last one didn't give me a feeling like the others did so I tapped on it.

>Dungeon

>Creatures

Oh, it came to me suddenly what this was. I chose the status of the dungeon first.

>10 / 10 MP

>2 Spirits

>Floor One: 1 Core Room

>1 Creature

More feelings about the words came to mind as if air bubbling to the surface of a swamp, slowly and with difficulty but with a burst of sudden clarity. I could barely feel it, the magical energy that the core put out. It was very faint even when I held it in my claws. The spirit thing was probably that, literal spirits. Why else build grand dungeons full of monsters and treasures if not to tempt beings into traveling inside them? It wasn't like we creatures of the dungeon could leave.

I giggled depressingly at that thought as I went back to the and chose the sole creature of this dungeon.

>Name: N/A

>Class: Dungeon Master Lv.1

>Race: Kobold

>Gender: Female

>HP: 17/17

>MP: 15/18

>STR: 2

>DEX: 3

>AGI: 3

>VIT: 5

>INT: 5

>WIS: 3

>CHA: 2

>LUK: 11

>Skills: [Dungeon Interface Lv.1], [Second Heart Lv.1]

>Perks: [Draconic Ancestry]

Was this good or bad? I knew numbers at least and that these were low numbers, but how weak was I? I had more mana than the dungeon core at least and that made me feel better for a moment, and then way worse because that meant both I and my core were the weakest.

That realization made me nervous about invading monsters. The archway loomed over me letting that daylight filter in with nothing between me, the core and something far stronger than a recently born kobold. I hurriedly opened the part of the interface and felt a little bit more energy drain out of my stomach.

>Traps

>Rooms

>Hallways

>Designate Core Room

The dungeon had ten mana to use but I didn't know how much anything cost. A trap would be nice and I felt myself smiling at the thought of some beast walking in only to fall into a deep pit full of spikes. Something about that imagery satisfied a vindictive part of me. As great as that would be I was weak and if they were cleverer than me it would be horrible.

>Short Straight Corridor - 5 MP

>Short Curved Corridor - 10 MP

>Long Straight Corridor - 10 MP

>Long Curved Corridor - 20 MP

I tapped on the names trying to make the thing give me information. How long was long, how short was short? This wasn't helpful at all! I couldn't even afford one of the options because just a hallway was expensive. I stood up while holding the dungeon core and walked to the far side of the room. How did this work exactly?

I tapped the name but got nothing. Maybe if I held it? Kekeke, I see, I'm pretty smart. A pale light came from the core to envelop my claw. So if I just...

The dark red wooden wall quickly evaporated when I touched it with the light and unfolded into a corridor just over twice my height and over a dozen steps long. That was good for five mana, probably. I need a room now but do I have enough?

>Simple Round Room - 10 MP

>Simple Square Room - 10 MP

>Large Round Room - 25 MP

>Large Square Room - 25 MP

>Room Options

Well I didn't have enough for a room then. How fast did mana recharge in the core? Nothing on its status told me that. Wait, the large room options are slightly duller? I held a claw on them and nothing happened, yet when I did so on the simple square room the light from the core once again covered my claw. Did it already recharge?

I held my claw to the end of the corridor and the light began to disperse into the wood. My stomach lurched as I felt cold and hungry from energy draining from inside me. So that's the way it works. The wood fell away to reveal a new room that was as if someone stacked four of the corridors side by side.

So it takes mana away from me when the core doesn't have enough? That's good, really good, but made me exhausted in the process. Checking my status told me I had eight mana left. After experiencing the feeling enough I could tell that just using the interface cost me mana. Was it because I was using the skill?

Only thing left to do was to designate the room as the Core Room. I opened the interface again and held down on . Just like all the other times a light transferred from the inside of the gem to my claw. I touched the ground of this new room and in the next moment the wooden pedestal from earlier rose out of the ground in the center of the room.

Well it's an improvement at least. I could look through the entrance of this room through the hallway and see the archway leading outside. Maybe not too much of an improvement then? Ah, I knew exactly what was needed! As big as the cube-gem-core-thing was it was also super light. I could hold it on one claw if I had to. The familiar sensation of energy draining from that pit in my stomach as I opened the interface on the surface of the core was beginning to hurt in a weird way. Like inside but not really there?

>Weapons

>Armor

>Magic

>Furniture

>Food

>Misc.

Was a door furniture? I smiled at the thought of getting any of these other item things. Magic and weapons would make me strong. but right now I needed to hide my important things from any beast that crawled into the dungeon.

Turned out there are a few different kinds of doors, half of which didn’t sound like it. Who would want to buy a or for one mana when they didn’t sound like something that could protect me. Obviously I went with the for five mana.

It was truly simple, a dark red door made of the same wood as the tree grew out of the side of the wall. Two small blunt hooks were poking out from its middle and the frame with a bar of wood laid across it. Oh, it came with a lock! How nice, how very nice.

Yet as nice as it was I was feeling sick. It hurt in that weird not-there way and I was extremely tired. At least I had a door now so it was feeling very safe, I opened the interface to check my status in hopes that it would tell me what was wrong with me when my last tiny bit of energy—

__________________________

Alarm shot through me, an almost physical sense of danger, and jolted me awake. That not-real hurting in my stomach was gone although the sense of exhaustion was lingering faintly. If it wasn't being fully recovered from whatever made me collapse that woke me up then what did?

The new core room wasn’t any different and I was leaning against the simple pedestal in the middle that my square gem that was the dungeon core sitting on it. Wait... wasn't I holding it before? I tried to pull it down and it remained fastened to the pedestal. No matter when I climbed up and used all my strength and weight to budge it, it smugly remained where it was. As if taunting me at how weak I was.

No, the core is my friend! It would never be smug to me like that so something must be holding it there against its will. I felt like I knew what it was at the back of my mind, knowledge that I never learned but came from elsewhere. Focusing on that feeling made it click.

My scales tingled as I warily looked toward the door leading out to the entrance room. It must be there, right?

I crawled over to the door as silently as I could, wincing each time my claws clacked against the wood floor, before holding an ear to the door. Although muffled I heard it, the same noise that I made yet softer, that sharp clacking in simple succession.

Something with claws was inside my dungeon.

I hugged my tail as I tried to think of what to do. Surely I would think of something! While I may be weak I was very smart, after all I had figured out so many things already like how to use my skill and even to make a room and door. Could I use the core to somehow get rid of the invader? Ah, maybe it would leave if I waited long enough.

As quietly as I could I crawled back over to the core and tapped on its clear surface, yet nothing happened. Did I have to focus on using the [Dungeon Interface] skill? I tried doing that and felt resistance from the gem as it refused to open that list. It took my mana for trying to use it anyway! What, how greedy.

Maybe it just needed more? I tried twice more and each time was refused by the core. Okay then, be that way you dumb gem thing. If the dungeon wasn't going to help get rid of its intruder then it was up to me!

Not. Kekeke, go out and fight? Ask someone stronger please. I am a weak kobold and am far too smart to do something like that. What if its large and has sharp teeth? I don't know what kind of beasts even exist but surely there are things far larger than me. Ah, wait, it didn't sound too heavy when I listened.

I went back to the door and waited. The soft click clacking of claws was light, although louder than my own. Perhaps it was only something about as big as me? I flexed my claws and stared at them. Were they sharp, or at least sharp enough to hurt something? I poked my scales and didn't feel as though they were that sharp.

Ah, why even work myself up to going through the door. I had a door! It even had a bar to prevent something from opening it. Yes, that's why I'll just wait for it to leave. There was nothing in my dungeon but me and the core anyway. No treasures or creatures here for you, invader! Go on and leave already, please.

So I waited, and waited, and waited some more. This was taking forever. It had been... a long time, probably. Long enough that the sounds had stopped and was making me nervous. The tingling of my scales hadn't gone away and the weird sense of alarm I had in the back of my mind told me the dungeon was still occupied.

Maybe it was sleeping? Yes, that was most likely it because it had been a very long time after all. My claws might not be the sharpest but if it was something asleep and unguarded? It would be easy. The hard part would be sneaking up to it. I didn't think I was very sneaky with these claws but should I try?

Still no sounds.

Alright, I lifted the thin bar of wood off the door as quietly as I could and nearly dropped it because of the weight. Ah, that was scary. Putting that aside it was time to see what my invader was doing. Was it actually sleeping? It hadn't made a sound in a while.

I slowly pushed the door open and made an important discovery. The door opened toward the hallway. Why this was important was because almost immediately it struck something with a dull thud. Ah, yes, it was certainly a thud that was unlike striking something made of wood. Wood of which is the only thing in the entire dungeon.

The tingling in my scales intensified.

Almost immediately the invader slammed into the door and I found out an important critical error. The door opened both ways.

"No, no! Stupid door!" I cursed as I pushed against the door trying to keep it shut from whatever monstrous creature was on the other side trying to get in. Its claws raked at the door as its high-pitched bark made me shiver. I wasn't strong enough to prevent it from slowly pushing in and it finally managed to get in its snout and use it as a wedge to fit its head through the door's crack.

Its red-orange fur with white muzzle was the face of death with fangs longer than my limbs and black eyes that were darker than whatever void it spawned from. It wanted nothing more than to devour my spirit and revel in whatever dark intentions it came here with.

No, there was no way it was a beast of such incredible terror! Not with such measly strength that I could almost hold it back from pushing through the door. That was the smart me talking and the dumb me was terrified out of her wits.

But with those thoughts I felt a haze lift and the demonic beast was gone. In its place, as it pushed open the door I had backed away from in my fear, was a growling fox roughly my size. I didn't know it was a fox until I saw it and something in my head matched those words. At least this mysterious source of knowledge let me know what would eat me. It was very kind in that way.

I scrambled out of the way of the fox's lunge and got my feet under me. It ran at me without waiting and clawed and bit at me. Even the sight of such deadly sharp attacks made my tail quiver as I fled around the room for my life. While I wasn't strong with big muscles or a lot of weight I was quick on my feet! That dumb fox couldn't catch me as I ran and dodged away from its pouncing. Maybe I could lock it in this room?

Ah, that thought was worthless as the fox reminded me why I made it in the first place. My dumb core caught the eye of the fox and it changed targets to something that wouldn't run away. I didn't know how much the core could take and definitely didn't want to find out what happened to me if it was destroyed.

The fox lunged at the pedestal before I could intercept it and its fangs scraped across the core's surface without a single scratch. Except that I could feel my very real energy, not like the weird-deep energy inside my gut, be drained away to the core. Was that how it was? So it didn't have any health on its status because I was its health?

Isn't that extremely bad then!? This dumb beast could kill me without ever touching me! Dumb core, why couldn't you just move like me?

If I was going to go down it wasn't going to be for the core's sake! I charged at the recovering fox who was confused why the core wasn't knocked to the ground. Maybe it not being able to move was a good thing? There was nothing to use as a weapon except that large bar of wood but the fox was much too fast for me to use that.

Claws, I hope you're sharp.

With a yell of courage and bravery, or so I imagined instead of the fearful crying whine I thought I heard, I tackled the fox and raked my claws across its chest. At the same time its claws scraped against my scales and tore off several before kicking me off.

I tumbled across the wood floor and held a claw to my leg. It was beginning to wet with my blood and it felt like fire in my head. The fox was at least worst than I was. Kekeke, scales are much better than your fur, dumb fox. I bet you wish you were born a kobold now.

Ah, maybe I made it mad. It charged me unlike its lunges before and followed me as I tried to run away. My leg tripped me up and the fox wasn't dumb enough to miss that advantage. Its fangs bit into my other leg and went through my scales with ease. Stupid scales, why couldn't you stop its teeth?!

But with its head biting my leg I had the perfect chance to fight back. The pain hurt a lot, enough that my claws were shaky and felt weak, but the dumb fox was just a dumb fox. It glared at me as it sunk its teeth further to spite me.

Of course it didn’t know that claws were sharper than eyeballs. I plunged them deep into the fox's head and felt the entire beast go slack on top of me.

Was it getting darker in here? No, it was already dark because there was no light, right? I could see just fine in the pitch dark somehow and it should be brighter since the orange sunlight was coming through the open doorway.

Was I dying?

I tried to push the fox off of me but its maw was biting my leg and I lacked the strength to remove it. So this was how it all ended, victor in my battle of wits and skill but to die from the wounds after. How tragic a tale it must be.

The sense of alarm vanished as I guessed the dungeon recognized as every invader dead. In the next moment the fox's body faded away like slowly becoming invisible. Even the blood on the me and the floor was disappearing! Well, the fox's blood anyway.