[Congratulations on activating the Dungeon Ranking System. Please build your Dungeon and make it the world's strongest dungeon... 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 irregular walls reflected a faint glow I couldn't identify, as if the darkness itself emitted a subtle violet radiance.
I looked at my body. Or what was left of it. It was a humanoid silhouette made of black smoke, a shadow with consciousness that swirled gently with each movement.
As I stood up, a strange sensation ran through what should have been my limbs: I had no skin, no bones, no flesh. Only dark energy holding me together.
Okay. Let's calm down. First quick recap: how did I die? I have no idea. I tried searching 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 appeared floating before me. Black, approximately the size of an open book, with edges glowing faintly silver.
In the center, a blinking box invited me to write. I touched it and a virtual keyboard appeared with letters in Spanish, the keys lighting up when my smoky finger brushed them.
"Darkness," I tried with some 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 snorted in frustration as I began pacing back and forth. My smoky form left a faint dark trail in the air. I tried another fifteen names: Oscurity, Shadows, Hell, Avernus, Lethe, Styx, Tartarus... All taken. I was beginning to understand why in new games it's always hard to find an available name, but fifteen attempts?
This is ridiculous, I muttered to myself, my voice sounding strangely distorted in the cave's silence.
"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 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 spaces. 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 quite convinced me. 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" in English, 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 finally I could see my complete status. I blinked several times, processing the information appearing before me.
[Status]
Name: Nether
Title: Dungeon Master
Rank: F
Dungeon Rank: Newborn
Race: Darkness Spawn
[Statistics]
Vitality: 225/225
Mana: 435/435
Strength: 27
Dexterity: 40
Intelligence: 88
[Skills]
[Dungeon Mastery]
[Dungeon Bonding]
[Dungeon Expansion]
[Dungeon Editor]
[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 resistance, magic defense, or luck, which were usually standard in this type of game.
I supposed Strength encompassed attack capacity and physical load; Dexterity, speed and agility; and Intelligence probably influenced magical abilities, though for now I had no spells beyond basic Dungeon skills.
But something troubled me. My eyes — if this smoke form even had eyes — fixed on the race line.
Darkness Spawn.
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 Rank, and beside it some strange runes glowed faintly. They were symbols I'd 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?!
My scream 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'd just read.