Waiting is boring. So unbearably boring.
I've been doing nothing for at least a few hours, and truth be told, I'm bored. My point counter hasn't even reached a thousand yet—barely six hundred.
Alright, that's enough! I need to do something or I'll go crazy.
My current territory measures sixty meters in diameter. In other words, about six hundred square meters. Like three basketball courts. It's a good space to start building.
Before getting to work, I quickly checked my status:
[Status]
Name: Nether
Title: Dungeon Master
Rank: F
Race: Darkness Spawn
Dungeon: Newborn
Vitality: 225/225
Mana: 435/435
Dungeon Points: 612
Nothing had changed except the accumulated points. Well, it was time to try out two skills: [Dungeon Editor] and [Dungeon Expansion] .
I closed my eyes and concentrated on expansion.
The sensation was strange. My smoke body began to fade, dissolving like mist at dawn. For a instant of panic, I thought something was wrong, but then I understood.
I was no longer inside the cave. I was the cave.
My consciousness expanded through every corner of the space. I felt every crack in the walls, every stalactite hanging from the ceiling, every grain of dust on the floor. The rock was my skin, the air my breath, the darkness my sight.
But I didn't just perceive the interior. My domain extended further, penetrating the stone, feeling the damp earth outside, small insects crawling on the surface. Until, suddenly, I hit something.
An invisible barrier.
The limit of my territory.
This was as far as my domain reached. This was as far as I reached.
Interesting. Very interesting.
Now, how did I get my body back?
The moment I formulated the question in my mind, the shadows on the floor began to move.
They swirled like water in a whirlpool, rising, intertwining. First a blurry outline, then arms, torso, head. In less than two seconds, my black smoke silhouette was complete again, floating in the middle of the cavern.
A smile appeared on my face.
I could create and dissolve my body at will. Merge with the dungeon and separate whenever I wanted. The process was strange, but this world was even stranger. Let's not dwell on it.
Now, to create the first floor.
---
If there's one thing all dungeons I've seen in novels and games have, it's space. Lots of space for their monsters to inhabit. Underground labyrinths, imposing towers, sunken temples. Each with its own style.
Mine was barely a cave.
After reforming my body and dissolving it several times to get used to the sensation, I decided to remain merged with the terrain. From this perspective, it was easier to visualize and plan.
Using [Dungeon Expansion] , I focused on the cavern's boundaries. I felt the rock tremble slightly, a deep vibration running through every centimeter of space. I tried pushing outward and, to my surprise, the wall moved a few centimeters, yielding to my will.
Interesting. I only had to think about enlarging the cave, and the rest happened by itself. As if the terrain were an extension of my own body.
Determined, I projected the intention to expand.
The cave began to grow. Slowly at first, then faster. The rock stretched like dough, pushing aside earth and sediments in its path. I could feel the system using materials from the surroundings to reinforce the new walls, preventing everything from collapsing.
The process was fascinating. And exhausting.
I stopped when I had gained about twenty additional meters. The point counter had dropped slightly during the expansion, but nothing worrying.
Now the cave was bigger. But I noticed something curious.
From the outside, the cave had first sunk before continuing to extend. Only the entrance remained on the surface, like the dark mouth of an underground beast.
I had assumed the cave would simply spread out over the terrain, not that it would sink. But this was better. An underground dungeon is harder to detect and easier to defend.
Perfect.
---
While resting from the expansion, I noticed something I had overlooked before.
Tiny particles floated in the air. Almost invisible, like star dust trapped in a nonexistent moonbeam. These particles entered the cave from outside, carried by currents I couldn't see, and a small fraction was absorbed by the walls, the floor, me.
Whenever a particle was absorbed, the point counter increased slightly.
This must be ambient mana. The world's energy that my dungeon passively absorbed to generate points.
But what if I tried to absorb it faster?
Focusing on the sensation, I attempted to draw those particles toward me. I imagined it as if I were inhaling.
I breathed in deeply. A purely mental act, with no lungs to execute it.
The particles responded.
Dozens, then hundreds, began flowing toward me from all directions. An invisible torrent that rushed against the walls and was absorbed instantly.
The counter shot up.
DP: 689... 712... 748... 793... 841...
It kept increasing, faster and faster, as I maintained that imaginary inhalation.
When I finally exhaled, the flow stopped. The particles scattered, dispersing, and the counter returned to its normal passive rhythm.
I inhaled once more, and the phenomenon repeated.
Wait, I don't have lungs? Why the hell am I imitating breathing?
Feeling like an idiot, I simply continued the process. Inhale to attract mana, hold it while it was absorbed, exhale to rest. The imaginary physical act helped me concentrate, even if it was unnecessary.
Within minutes, I had generated more points than in hours of passive waiting.
DP: 1,023... 1,087... 1,142...
This was a great discovery!
The system hadn't taught me this. I'd have to discover things on my own. Trial and error from now on.
---
Satisfied with my new method, I resumed construction.
Now the cave was about eighty square meters. Still small for a decent first floor, especially if I wanted multiple rooms and hallways. I needed to use all available terrain.
I extended the cave once more. And again. And again.
I felt the terrain reconfigure, the walls reinforce, the ceiling rise to support the new space. Until I reached the limit.
Sixty meters in diameter. All available territory, used.
Now we're talking.
With that solved, it was time to edit the terrain. I didn't just need space—I needed functional design. Hallways to channel invaders. Rooms for ambushes. Hiding spots for my future monsters.
I looked at the counter.
DP: 1,587
Over fifteen hundred points. With my new absorption technique, I could keep generating while I worked.
Good. Time to get to work.