Over several days, I found myself in long conversations with Arl, the sentient dungeon core. The more I learned, the more fascinating—and heartbreaking—its story became. Unfortunately for us, Arl had no intention of remaining a dungeon any longer. This was a blow to our village, as a friendly dungeon could have become an endless source of rare materials and training opportunities. Yet, I couldn’t begrudge its determination. After all, it had been trapped in isolation for hundreds of years. I, too, knew the madness of being stuck, helpless in a body, waiting for time to pass. Arl's desire to change its fate resonated deeply with me.

  Arl’s affection for Elza, its beloved floor boss, was both endearing and tragic. The cat wasn’t anything magical to begin with—just a lost kitten that had wandered into the dungeon long ago. Arl, having never seen another living being before, had become enamored with her. When the kitten succumbed to illness, unable to survive without its mother, Arl had refused to let her go. Using its dungeon powers, it bound her soul to itself, making her its eternal companion. Elza didn’t mind; like most cats, she lacked any sense of time and seemed content so long as someone cared for her. In fact, Elza’s calm acceptance of immortality might be the secret to feline superiority—they simply don’t care enough about the past to mourn it.

  To grant Arl its wish of leaving the dungeon, we needed to perform a series of magical feats that would have seemed impossible for anyone else. But, as usual, the universe had conspired in my favor. Arl required a mage who could manipulate life force—a skill exceedingly rare—and here I was, the exact puzzle piece it needed. Coincidence? Hardly. Arcway or that meddling goddess of fate probably had their fingerprints all over this situation.

  When the time came, the plan was straightforward but fraught with complexity. First, we had to merge Arl’s core with Elza, turning it into a magical beast core. Then, to keep its new body from fading away without the dungeon’s leyline energy, Arl needed to form a familiar contract. Emma was the natural choice as its master. Arl flat-out refused to bond with me, claiming, "I’m not binding myself to a dude forever—that’s homo!" I let it slide, though I did mutter something about its fragile masculinity.

  The process was a success. The system still recognized Arl as a dungeon, but now it had a physical body and could leave the dungeon entirely. Even better, Arl discovered that it could metabolize matter and transmute it into useful materials over time. It was essentially a living, purring gold refinery. I made a mental note to stay on Emma’s good side; I had a feeling she’d make me clean the magical litter box when Arl started producing precious materials.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  With the dungeon behind us, Emma and I decided to scout out one of the other dungeons Zotherg had discovered. This gave us some much-needed alone time—away from the village’s endless questions and nosy onlookers. Half a day’s hike brought us within a few miles of our destination, and we decided to pause for lunch. Emma had packed sandwiches of black bread, spiced potato slices, and soft cheese. As simple as it sounded, the combination was divine, especially for someone like me, who hadn’t tasted meat in years.

  The peace of our meal was shattered by a distant roar. We both turned our heads sharply toward the sound, our instincts already on high alert. A massive creature emerged from the forest ahead, and my heart sank. It was a bear—or something that might have once been a bear. The hulking beast had eight limbs: six powerful, clawed arms in addition to its hind legs. Two enormous, bat-like wings extended from its back, and its metallic black fur glinted ominously in the sunlight. It wasn’t just a bear—it was a nightmare given form.

  I quickly activated [Soul Analyze], and the results made my stomach churn.

  

  
• 
  
    Name: None
  
    


  
• 
  
    Level: 2,083
  
    


  
• 
  
    Traits: Razor Claws, Unpierceable Hide, Hardy, Goliath, Flight
  
    


  
• 
  
    HP: 63,415 (+100,000)
  
    


  
• 
  
    MP: 32,500
  
    


  
• 
  
    Strength: 6,510
  
    


  
• 
  
    Endurance: 1,008
  
    


  
• 
  
    Agility: 1,211
  
    


  
• 
  
    Constitution: 2,894
  
    


  
• 
  
    Intelligence: 255
  
    


  
• 
  
    Wisdom: 205
  
    


  

  The moment the analysis finished, the beast let out another earth-shaking roar and charged at us. My brain short-circuited as I stared at the numbers.

  I swore. Loudly. Repeatedly.

  “This thing is LEVEL TWO THOUSAND?!” I shouted, my voice cracking in panic.

  Emma’s eyes widened as she grabbed my arm. “We’re so screwed!”

  Before I could respond, the beast’s massive form barreled closer, its wings creating gusts of wind that almost knocked us off our feet. I scrambled to think of a plan, but all I could see was the massive wall of fur, claws, and teeth coming straight at us.

  We were outmatched. Severely. And there was no escape.