The dungeon grew quiet again.
Three adventurers had entered. None had left.
Their bodies didn't rot. They didn't just sit there and stink up the room like half-eaten sandwiches in the sun. No. This dungeon was cleaner than that.
One by one, their remains began to dissolve.
Ethan stared, frozen.
"What… what the hell?"
Elza's body shimmered faintly before breaking down like grains of wet ash, vanishing into the obsidian floor. Jasper followed, his dagger clattering once before sinking after him. Harko was last—sword and all, disintegrated into nothing but faint glimmers.
All of it... absorbed into the dungeon.
Ethan's voice cracked. "Did... did I just eat them?"
No one answered. Except for Goop, who slorped up beside his pedestal, humming like this was just another Tuesday.
Ethan recoiled mentally, cold sweat in his nonexistent spine. "That's... gross. That's so gross. I'm... I'm a corpse muncher! A murder blender!"
Goop burbled innocently.
"I didn't even mean to kill them!" Ethan groaned. "Okay, maybe a little bit. But I didn't mean to digest them like leftover pizza!"
He sank back into his core's mindscape and curled into a ball of existential dread.
Moments later, a soft chime echoed in the air.
[New Object Created: Beginner's Guide — "The World You Now Belong To"]
A glowing book appeared in front of his crystal.
Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Okay. That better be a therapy manual."
It opened on its own, displaying big friendly letters:
---
A/N : Beginner's Guide to Veltharion: A Totally Chill World You Now Belong To
-Compiled by the Supreme System's Lore Archives
Ethan stared. "Wow. Passive aggressive title much?"
The text continued on its own.
---
Q: What is this world even called?
A: The world is officially named Veltharion. Not Larry. No one calls it Larry. That was a mistranslation from a drunk explorer in the western wilds. Please ignore Larry.
"…Thank god. I was about to riot."
Q: How old is this world?
A: Scholars have traced Veltharion's recorded history back over 25,678 years. And even that's just what they can confirm with magical carbon dating. There's clear evidence the world is much, much older—thanks to buried ruins, fossilized mana constructs, and that one ancient dragon who says he "forgot the first 10,000 years."
"So this place is old and has dragons with memory issues. Cool."
Q: Who rules the world?
A: Short answer? Nobody. Long answer? Too many people. Veltharion is divided into 7 massive continents, each hosting multiple kingdoms, empires, and independent factions. Some examples:
Alvaar: Homeland of the Elven Confederation.
Baskaroth: Dominated by warlike orc tribes and beastfolk.
Caelthor: Ruled by the Mage Kingdom of Glasslight.
Dravenfell: Known as the Demonic Continent, home to fiends, chaos species, and rogue necromancers.
Eronis: Where the human-led empire, Aurellion, wages crusades.
Zekhara: Desert continent with powerful nomadic warbands and soulforged cities.
Ilvareth: Frozen lands with ancient ruins, dragons, and secrets no one dares to dig up.
"Seven continents? That's like Pokémon regions, but more murdery."
Q: Where do dungeons come from?
A: Legend says the first dungeons appeared after the Mana Surge—a global event 300 years ago when a comet cracked the moon. Suddenly: wild magic, monsters, systems, dungeon cores, and adventurers.
"Cracked the moon? Is that why everyone's insane?"
Q: Wait, SYSTEMS?
A: Yep. Every being—human, elf, dwarf, orc, even goblins—gets a System upon reaching maturity. It helps them grow stronger, track stats, and NOT die in stupid ways. Dungeon Cores get a lesser version... unless you're Ethan.
"…Okay, I am built different."
Q: Who made the systems?
A: The best theory? They're relics from the ancient Primeborn Civilization — who blended mana and quantum-tech before the first recorded era.
However, the most advanced place now is Helios Capital, a high-tech nation-city on Caelthor. It rivals Earth: satellites, mech-frames, AIs, and even smart toilets. But access is restricted to nobles and tech cults.
"…Okay, I want a dungeon drone. And a smart toilet. Priorities."
---
Ethan stared at the book as it slowly closed on its own.
"So, I'm in a post-apocalyptic fantasy with cyberpunk DLC and demonic continents... and I'm a flesh-eating cave. Cool. Just peachy."
Goop bounced twice.
"I hope you're happy, Goop. I bet you love eating people."
Goop burbled affirmatively.
Ethan stared at him. "...You're the real villain here."
---
A/N (Disguised as Lorebook): Why Ethan thought this was the System
Because the System usually delivers clean, dry text in cold bullet points.
This book? Full of sass, sarcasm, and passive-aggressive footnotes. But to a newly reincarnated dungeon boy like Ethan, any floating text is a system message.
He'll figure it out eventually. Probably.
---
End of Chapter 4