[Congratulations on activating the Dungeon Ranking system. Please build your Dungeon and make it the strongest Dungeon in the world... Good luck!]
Huh?
What was that?
When I opened my eyes, I was in a cave. Dark, rocky, about ten square meters with a ceiling covered in stalactites hanging like stone teeth.
The uneven walls reflected a faint glow I couldn't identify, as if the darkness itself emitted a dim purplish radiance.
I looked at my body. Or what was left of it. It was a humanoid silhouette made of black smoke, a conscious shadow that swirled gently with every movement.
As I stood up, a strange sensation ran through what should have been my limbs: I had no skin, no bones, no flesh. Just dark energy holding me together.
Alright. Let's calm down. First, a quick recap: how did I die? I have no idea. I tried to search my memory, but only found an immense void, as if my previous life had been erased. On to the important stuff.
Dungeon Ranking? A competition? Will there be a screen?
I waited a few seconds, looking around, until a metallic voice resonated directly in my mind. It sounded monotonous, robotic, devoid of all emotion or consciousness.
[Beginner's guide installed]
[Please select a name for your Dungeon]
A translucent screen floated into view before me. Black, roughly the size of an open book, with edges faintly glowing silver.
In the center, a blinking box invited me to type. I touched it, and a virtual keyboard appeared with Spanish letters, the keys lighting up when my smoky finger brushed against them.
"Darkness," I tried, with a hint of hope.
[The name "Darkness" is already in use]
"Infernus," I attempted, thinking of something more original.
[The name "Infernus" is already in use]
"Abyss," I wrote, frowning.
[The name "Abyss" is already in use]
I let out a snort of frustration, starting to pace back and forth. My smoky form left a faint, dark trail in the air. I tried another fifteen names: Oscura, Tinieblas, Inferno, Avernus, Lethe, Styx, Tartarus... All taken. I was beginning to understand why it's always hard to find a free name in new games, but fifteen tries?
This is ridiculous, I muttered to myself, my voice sounding strangely distorted in the silence of the cave.
"Underworld," I typed without much hope, almost as a last resort.
[Congratulations! The name "Underworld" has been successfully registered in the Dungeon ranking system]
Finally. A sigh of relief escaped my smoky silhouette as the tension left my spectral body. At least that worked.
[System loaded successfully. Displaying current Dungeon Master information]
The screen changed with a fluid animation. Now it showed a character sheet with multiple empty fields. The first one, at the top, asked for my personal name. I touched the box and the keyboard reappeared.
I thought of Hades, of Erebus, of names of underworld gods from different mythologies. But none of them felt quite right. It had to be something imposing, easy to remember, that sounded ancient and powerful.
Nether.
The name resonated in my mind with a strange familiarity. It meant "underworld," but sounded more direct, more forceful.
[Do you wish to register with the name Nether?]
I accepted without hesitation.
[The name "Nether" has been successfully registered]
The screen updated instantly, and I could finally see my full status. I blinked several times, processing the information appearing before me.
[Status]
Name: Nether
Title: Dungeon Master
Dungeon Rank: 1 Spiritual Core Creation.
Dungeon Rank: Inactive
Race: Spawn of Darkness
[Statistics]
Vitality: 225/225
Mana: 435/435
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 45
Intelligence: 84
[Skills]
[Dungeon Mastery]
[Dungeon Binding]
[Dungeon System]
[Dungeon Editor]
[Dungeon Expansion]
[Dungeon Shop]
I observed the numbers carefully, nodding to myself as I analyzed each section. The system was simpler than I expected: there were no stats like endurance, magic defense, or luck, which were usually standard in this type of game. I assumed Strength encompassed attack power and physical load; Dexterity, speed and agility; and Intelligence probably influenced magical abilities, although for now I had no spells beyond the basic Dungeon skills.
But something bothered me. My eyes — if this smoke form even had eyes — fixed on the race line.
Spawn of Darkness.
It sounded... descriptive. Too descriptive. I tried to remember if I'd read something similar in novels or games, but my memory remained an impenetrable blur. Then I looked at the Rank, and next to it, strange runes glowed faintly. They were symbols I had never seen, but my mind understood them effortlessly, as if the knowledge had been implanted directly into my consciousness.
I read.
And what I read...
BUT WHAT THE—?!
My shout echoed in the empty cave as the screen trembled before me, showing something I couldn't, shouldn't be possible.
My smoke form shook violently, swirling like a miniature storm as I processed the information I had just read.