I woke to complete silence. No birds chirping, no distant traffic, no sounds of a city awakening. Just pure, unbroken quiet. For a moment, I lay there in the darkness of my quarters, trying to orient myself. How long had I been asleep?
"System," I called out, my voice cutting through the stillness. "How much time has passed?"
The familiar blue screen materialized above me, its glow casting soft light across the room.
*YOU HAVE SLEPT FOR TWO DAYS IN DIVINE SPACE TIME, WHICH EQUALS THREE HOURS IN REAL-WORLD TIME. YOU ARE NOW WELL RESTED. WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTINUE WITH THE TUTORIAL?*
Two days here, three hours there. That time dilation was going to take some getting used to, but I could already see the advantages. I could spend weeks perfecting a dungeon while barely any time passed in the real world.
"Yes," I said, sitting up and stretching. My muscles felt good, energized in a way they never had in my old life. "Just give me a minute to get back to the throne room."
I took my time getting ready, willing myself into my god form as I walked through the corridors of my temple. The transformation was smoother now, almost instinctive. My height increased, power flooded through my limbs, and the golden armor materialized across my body. White hair fell past my shoulders, and I could feel the tribal tattoos warming against my skin.
The throne room was breathtaking at night. I'd programmed a day-night cycle into my divine space without really thinking about it, and now I was glad I had. Moonlight—artificial but no less beautiful—streamed through the high windows, casting silver patterns across the marble floor. Stars glittered in the sky above, constellations I'd invented myself. It was peaceful in a way I'd never experienced before.
I stood there for a few moments, just taking it in. This was mine. All of it. Not borrowed, not temporary. Mine to shape and control.
"Alright, System," I said, settling into the throne. The stone was cool against my armor, perfectly sized for my larger god form. "I'm ready. What's the third task?"
The screen expanded, filling more of my vision.
*TASK THREE: CREATE YOUR DUNGEON SERVANTS.*
I leaned forward, interested.
*A DUNGEON SERVANT IS SOMEONE YOU, THE DUNGEON GOD, USE TO ASSIST IN MANAGING YOUR VARIOUS DUNGEON WORLDS OR ACT AS YOUR ENVOYS TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD. THERE ARE THREE METHODS TO OBTAIN DUNGEON SERVANTS:*
*METHOD ONE: CREATE ONE FROM SCRATCH, DESIGNING EVERY ASPECT OF THEIR BEING.*
*METHOD TWO: RECREATE SOMEONE OR SOMETHING FROM YOUR MEMORY. NOTE THAT THEY WILL NOT POSSESS THE MEMORIES OF THE ORIGINAL, ONLY THEIR FORM AND PERSONALITY TEMPLATE.*
*METHOD THREE: SOMEONE FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD SUBMITS TO YOU AND AGREES TO SERVE WHETHER IT'S OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL OR NOT WELL THAT'S BETWEEN YOU AND THEM. THIS IS THE MOST DIFFICULT METHOD DEPENDING ON WHO YOU TRY TO RECRUIT.*
The screen pulsed, and more text appeared.
*UNDERSTAND THIS: ONCE CREATED OR BOUND, YOUR SERVANTS ARE ETERNALLY LOYAL. REGARDLESS OF THE METHOD OF CREATION OR BONDING, YOU ARE THEIR MAKER, THEIR GOD, THEIR PURPOSE. WHEN THEY LOOK AT YOU, THEY SEE THE EMOTIONAL EQUIVALENT OF PARENT, SPOUSE, SIBLING, AND CHILD ROLLED INTO ONE BEING. THE IDEA OF DISOBEYING YOUR ORDERS ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPREHEND TO THEM. BETRAYAL IS EVEN MORE IMPOSSIBLE.*
I absorbed that information carefully. Absolute loyalty. No chance of betrayal. It should have felt wrong, creating beings hardwired to serve me, but I'd learned a long time ago thanks to more then one fake friend that trust was a liability. At least with servants bound by divine law, I'd never have to worry about being stabbed in the back.
*YOU CANNOT CREATE SOMEONE SIGNIFICANTLY STRONGER THAN YOURSELF, AS IT IS YOUR ENERGY THAT GIVES THEM FORM. HOWEVER, FOR THIS FIRST CREATION ONLY, THE SYSTEM WILL SUPPLEMENT YOUR POWER. CHOOSE WISELY.*
A new window appeared, labeled "Dungeon Servants," showing a big zero.
I considered my options. Creating from scratch would take too long, and I didn't have the patience to design every detail right this second. Method three was out for now—I had no one to recruit nor did I want to recruit someone from outside right now at least. That left method two: recreating someone from memory.
The question was who.
I thought about all the fictional characters I knew, all the manga and comics and movies I'd consumed over the years. I needed people who were capable, intelligent, powerful enough to be useful but not so powerful they'd drain me and the system completely trying to make them. He knew without asking that at this point that trying to make another God was out of the question both because that would be to easy so he doubts the system would let that fly and he didn't want someone a lot stronger then him that close to him right from the get go especially another god even if the system claimed betrayal was impossible let's test that first. People with diverse skill sets who could handle different aspects of managing dungeons but that if something happens I could probably take them if they broke free of their bonds.
Then it hit me. The Eternals from the MCU. They were perfect. Each had unique abilities, they were designed to work as a team, and their personalities were distinct enough that they could handle various tasks. Plus, they were designed to follow orders already and I'd always thought they were underutilized in the movie.
I stood from my throne and walked to the center of the room, closing my eyes. I needed to focus, to picture each of them clearly. Sersi with her matter manipulation. Ikaris with his flight and energy projection. Thena, the warrior. Gilgamesh, the strongest. Makkari, the speedster. Druig with his mind control. Phastos, the inventor. Sprite, the illusionist. Kingo with his energy blasts. Ajak, the healer and leader.
I could feel the System's energy joining with mine, amplifying what I had. It was like standing in front of a dam that had just opened, power rushing through me in torrents. I channeled it all into the mental images, giving them form and substance. Every detail mattered—their faces, their voices, the way they moved, the core of who they were.
The process was exhausting. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I ate through my enhanced stamina. I kept pushing, kept focusing, pouring everything into the creation. Minutes stretched on, each one feeling longer than the last.
Then, finally, I felt something shift. The energy snapped into place like puzzle pieces finding their homes.
I opened my eyes.
Ten figures stood before me, arranged in a semicircle. They were exactly as I'd pictured them—Sersi in her elegant dress, Ikaris in his blue and gold suit, Thena with her golden armor and white hair, all of them perfect recreations. For a heartbeat, they simply stood there, taking in their surroundings.
Then, as one, they dropped to their knees and bowed their heads.
The sight was surreal. These beings who had seemed so powerful on screen, now kneeling before me like I was their entire world. Which, I supposed, I was.
"You may speak," I said, trying to keep the uncertainty out of my voice. This was new territory for me.
Ajak lifted her head first, her warm brown eyes meeting mine with something that made my chest tighten. Devotion. Complete and utter devotion.
"My lord," she said, her voice steady but filled with emotion. "We exist to serve you. Command us, and it shall be done."
The others murmured their agreement, still not daring to look directly at me without express permission.
I gestured for them to rise. "Stand. Look at me. I'm not going to have you waist my time groveling every time we talk."
They stood, though their postures remained respectful. Ikaris looked like he wanted to argue about the groveling comment but thought better of it. That brought a slight smile to my face—even without the originals memories, his personality was intact.
"Do you know who you are?" I asked. "What you are?"
"We are your servants," Druig said, his accent just as Irish as I remembered. "Created by your divine power to assist you in your divine work. Beyond that..." He glanced at the others. "We know you dubbed us the Eternals, but the details beyond that are fuzzy."
"You don't remember nothing else?"
Thena shook her head. "We remember concepts, skills, abilities. I know I am a warrior. Phastos knows he can build anything. But specific events? No, my lord. You have only just created us beyond what knowledge you gave at our creation we know nothing else."
Interesting. So they had the personality templates and capabilities but not the actual memories just as the system said. That was probably for the best—I didn't need them confused about which reality they belonged to.
"Alright," I said, pacing in front of them. "Here's the situation. I am the Dungeon God Amir, tasked with creating dungeons across multiple worlds to help their inhabitants grow stronger. You ten are my first servants, which means you're going to be helping me design, manage, and oversee these dungeons. Each of you has unique abilities that will be useful for different aspects of this work."
I pointed to Phastos. "You'll help design the mechanical and technological aspects of the dungeons." Then to Sprite. "You'll work on illusions and aesthetics." I went down the line, assigning general roles based on their abilities.
They listened intently, absorbing every word like gospel which as their god it probably was.
"For now, familiarize yourselves with this space," I continued. "I will provide you with quarters and anything else you need. We'll have a proper planning session once I've completed the rest of the tutorial."
"As you command, my lord," Ajak said, bowing again.
I watched them file out of the throne room, their footsteps echoing on the marble. Gilgamesh paused at the doorway and turned back.
"My lord? Thank you. For creating us. For giving us purpose."
Before I could respond, he was gone.
I stood there for a moment, processing what had just happened. I'd created life. Actual, thinking, feeling life. These weren't simple constructs or puppets—they were people, with personalities and thoughts and emotions. The weight of that responsibility lightly settled over me.
The System screen appeared, breaking my reverie.
*CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING TASK THREE. YOU NOW HAVE TEN DUNGEON SERVANTS.*
*TASK FOUR: FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE DUNGEON CREATION SYSTEM CONTROLS.*
A new interface opened, this one far more complex than anything I'd seen so far. It looked like a video game development suite mixed with reality-bending controls.
*AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE ARE MULTIPLE DUNGEON TYPES AND SETTINGS AVAILABLE. OLD SCHOOL DUNGEONS WITH MONSTERS AND TRAPS. PUZZLE SOLVER DUNGEONS THAT REQUIRE INTELLIGENCE OVER STRENGTH. ELEMENTAL THEMED DUNGEONS THAT TEST SPECIFIC RESISTANCES. STORY DUNGEONS WHERE DIVERS MUST FOLLOW A NARRATIVE TO COMPLETION.*
I scrolled through the options, my mind racing with possibilities. Each dungeon type had subcategories, difficulty settings, reward structures, respawn rates. It was overwhelming and exciting all at once.
*YOU CAN ALSO CUSTOMIZE EVERY ASPECT: MONSTER TYPES, ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS, TREASURE DISTRIBUTION, BOSS ENCOUNTERS, EVEN THE VERY LAWS OF PHYSICS WITHIN YOUR DUNGEONS.*
I spent the next hour exploring the interface, testing different combinations. A fire-themed dungeon with phoenix bosses. A puzzle dungeon based on chess mechanics. A story dungeon that recreated famous battles from history. The options were limitless.
*TAKE YOUR TIME LEARNING THESE CONTROLS, AMIR. YOUR SUCCESS AS THE DUNGEON GOD DEPENDS ON YOUR ABILITY TO CREATE BALANCED, CHALLENGING, AND REWARDING EXPERIENCES. TASK FIVE WILL BE GIVEN TOMORROW. FOR NOW, EXPERIMENT.*
I grinned, already pulling up plans for my first real dungeon. This was going to be fun.