The darkness receded in a way I was all too familiar with at this point, it was unnervingly similar to how I woke up when I first got here. That was definitely something I would take into account but more importantly, what the hell was that? A dream? A memory? An [Aether] induced hallucination? The gods deciding to play a prank? This is rather...confusing and unnerving all at the same time. The only thing that I can think of is that it came with a name that, at the very least felt familiar. I think it was mine, it very much felt like it in the end, though why I am suddenly having memories of that is odd. I always knew I came from somwhere that wasn’t where I am, I have a feeling of a body, and knowledge of what that world was like. Thinking on it now though, and actually focusing in on that, there are severe gaps in my knowledge. I can’t remember people that clearly, nothing about them sticks aside from being similar to the people from this place.

  As I come to these realizations suddenly things start to fell….wrong, and a flood of panic begins to set into my mind. Questions rushing through me like a torrent I can’t comprehend, wondering who I was, why I was here, and why I couldn’t remember anything? It feels impossible to stop until suddenly, like the snapping of a wire, everything freezes and I refocus on my surroundings. Looking around at what could have caused it, my eyes are brought to an alert from the system. This one looks different, even considering how mine seems to be struggling to keep up with certain things.

  Alert, Dungeon [Alex] has

  Leveled up to level 3

  [STATUS]

  Name: [Alex]

  Race: Dungeon

  Level: 3

  Energy: [AETHER]

  Location: Forgotten Graveyard

  Class: [LOCKED LV. 5]

  Affinities: Earth Affinity: (Extrapolated from location)

  Spirit Affinity: (Extrapolated from location)

  Creation Affinity: (Extrapolated from [ASWR$#!$AFSA%#!@])

  Monsters:

  [New Monsters Detected, Defining]

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Earth Elemental: (lesser)

  Ghosts: (lesser)

  Shades: (lesser)

  Possessed Skeleton: (Minor)

  Incomplete Creation: (least)

  Guardian Crawler: (Minor)

  Gemsilk Spiders: [Moderate]

  Skeletal Spinner: [Moderate]

  Skills:

  Identification: (Intrinsic)

  Returnal: (Spirit Affinity)

  Unbound Creation: (Creation Affinity)

  Whispers From the Veil: (Spirit Affinity)

  Reanimator: (Spirit Affinity)

  Rooms:

  [New Rooms Detected Defining]

  Graveyard: (Intrinsic)

  Necropolis: (Spirit/Earth Affinity)

  [Third Level Reached, Selections Pending]

  [Please select a skill]

  Carver: (Earth Affinity)

  [Common]

  A better understanding of how to create art through

  the removal of material and intricate indenturing

  of a surface.

  Monster Maker: (Creation Affinity)

  [Exotic]

  After countless creations of new

  or rare monsters by you within

  the dungeon.

  A dungeon with this skill will find it

  easier to create new monsters never

  before seen and lower the Penalty of

  creating and commanding a monster

  of a higher level then normal for

  the dungeon.

  Font of Power: [UNKNOWN]

  [ERROR]

  granted automatically.

  Any creature that touches the core, or something suffused

  with [Aether] will find themselves

  enhanced by the power. Reducing the cost to the dungeon.

  So….i finally reach the next step in my progression. And it seems like the system is having a hard time figuring out some of what I did to give me more to choose from. And what does choose automatically mean? Hopefully I just get the extra skill and can still choose from the two available to me. Though considering it has given me one of the same choices as last time I am rather not inclined to call it a choice. Well if considering this will keep the panic at bay I am far more inclined to really deliberate it over just choosing outright. On the one hand carving more might lead to this coming to me eventually but I still have yet to see if that is a thing. But the monster making skill would just make it so much easier to do what I want, and would work well with my ideas. Not to mention It would help me defend myself exponentially more then just waiting on the monsters I have been given. Though I am curious, I have made a lot of the monsters I have, the only ones I have been given are those that come from others. Maybe I haven’t been given more monsters due to that? Or was it just how the system worked? More questions with no answers in sight. Best I just work with what I know and get back to it.

  So choices. I know beyond a doubt I am not going to take carver, weather I get it naturally or not is just how things will go in time. So the only issue is that am I going to be given this third...weird skill, for free and get my choice or not. Best to just go with it, and I can feel my instincts telling me to make a choice, the longer I wait the less prepared I am after all. So looks like my panic attack is no longer avoidable, so with a mental sigh I choose the monster creator skill and wait for the boot to drop.

  I wait and wait

  and after a minute nothing happens.

  I check the system again

  and it seems I still have some choices to make, primarily rooms, and bosses?

  But I already have something fitting that description.

  Did I get ahead of myself?