Finally after several minutes, Peter lifted his face out of both of his hands. “Man have some sympathy. You can’t even imagine how embarrassing it is… That’s how I’m going to be remembered…”

  What Peter was speaking about was the fact that he had died likely drowning in water that was less than knee deep. That was assuming that he had not already been killed when his head hit the rock as he climbed down the rocky embankment. Regardless, it was embarrassing.

  “Worrying about how others perceive you when you are gone is illogical…” The voice was male but not close to what could be considered natural. It was more like it was run through a voice synthesizer or perhaps a radio station with a bit of static. Quite fitting based on the being using it to communicate with him. “I’ve already told you, your past life has no bearing on your new one, so focusing on your new one now is only…”

  “Logical… Yes, yes. But if you say that word one more time…” Peter said, pointing a finger at the strange being. For all intents and purposes, the guy was a robot, but he looked more like an unfinished version without the skin. Just visible bearing joints, half dollar thick appendages, and an upside down tea kettle for a head. Then there were visible gears that would rotate under the armpits and where the legs met the oval-like torso that looked like a smooth piece of sheet metal rolled in on itself. The colors of the various metallic parts were all bronze or various shades of silver, yellow, and brown. The two of them were alone in what Peter could only describe like a half sphere or snow globe of complete whiteness.

  Instead of finishing his threat Peter buried his hand back in his hands. “But why did it have to be drowning? I’m pretty sure these sorts of things are supposed to start with getting hit by a truck, or something. Then at least my nerd friends could have had some high hopes for me and you… You are all wrong. My guide is supposed to be a hot girl or something.”

  “I don’t understand… You are not being...lll-practical. Now can we get on with things, time is a factor. We have already wasted 8 minutes and 23 seconds on settled matters. There is no specific way this is supposed to be done.... Yes, you could have had a female mentor of your species as your guide, but we were paired together. That is a matter that also cannot be changed. Although there will likely be other human and other humanoid females for you to encounter later if that is what is important to you. Now can we press onward…?”

  “What good will that do, I’m now an oversized marble!” Peter snapped.

  “Your current avatar is indistinguishable from your past self. Looks, feeling, taste…”

  Peter took in a deep sigh. As frustrating as it was, he should really focus on what was ahead. If time really was limited, he should at least make sure he got a good start at whatever this next life was. As a healthy 23 year old guy, the prospect that there would indeed be women took the edge off things. It was a more concerning factor to him than say his family or even friends. He did not know what that said about him. “Fine, go ahead.”

  “Finally,” his guide said, clasping its slender human hand like digits together. Then once again he started what could have been a pre-recording. The robot had started it earlier, but had stopped after it was clear that Peter was not really listening.

  “Greetings new dungeon core and welcome to Terra, world of dungeons, I am Clockwork, the clockwork core, a senior core of 480 years and your guide. You are one of 100 new dungeon cores. You must build a dungeon, gather life essence, and battle other dungeons to ensure your survival. You will start with 10,000 life essence and will get 50 E tier type cards and 5 support cards to start your dungeon. I will supply you with the guide minimum of 5 type ‘cards’. You will choose your own type and specialization which will determine the other 45. You have one day of preparation before the next dungeon core congregation, where you will fight one of the other new dungeons in a tutorial battle, which you should endeavor to win. This adequately explains your situation. Now I will move on to your interface.”

  “Wait before that,” Peter spoke up. There was a faint buzz, or robotic sigh. It was the only indication that Clockwork was frustrated since the robotic eyes and features of its face were unmoving.

  Peter took another moment dwelling on everything the robot said. Despite the present circumstances, he was actually quite focused now. Things were too bizarre for him not to be. “Can you explain to me more about the dungeon battles, the cards, essence, you know pretty much everything?”

  Clockwork buzzed, but his guide did what it was asked as expeditiously as possible. “Essence is a currency that you will gather from the ambient environment as well as from living beings who enter, struggle, and occasionally die in your dungeon. You should seek to get as much of it as possible. You will use it to buy ‘cards’ or make dungeon upgrades. You will be able to see when you open your interface. Is this explanation adequate…?”

  “Uhh… well not really but I guess we can move on for now. If I can ask more questions at the end?”

  “Very well… Now you just need to think about bringing up your interface,” Peter did so. What showed up was basically a computer screen with multiple tabs. The first of which said home page. All the while Clockwork blazed on describing what Peter should be seeing. Although Peter quickly realized that his interface was slightly different from Clockworks' own, it was close enough for Peter to figure out after a brief moment of confusion.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  His first tab was labeled his home screen. It had various information, starting with his name. Then it looked like a list of his inventory. He saw that he had 10,000 life essence. Under type cards it showed that he currently had 5 E tier clockwork cards. Most of the other rows were currently blank.

  Peter was starting to understand. Every time Clockwork said cards it was like something was voicing over changing it to cards, but Peter could also hear the undertone gears each time. Apparently the cards were not standard between different cores. Other cores would have something else along with a slightly different interface based on how they could best perceive the information. Peter did indeed play multiple various card games… or he had. Guess he would not be playing them anymore. Still what lay before him was exciting enough for him to mentally move on dismissing the regrets for now.

  The second tab was the dungeon tab. It did not show much yet, but he currently had a single floor unlocked. Peter flipped to the next tab, so that he did not fall too far behind. Clockwork was giving him a bit of extra time. For the robot, it was probably quite generous, However, Peter could not even begin to dwell on the various prospects.

  The third tab was the unit tab. It also showed that he had the 5 clockwork cards. Then it had a synthesizer button. Clockwork said that was how he could build dungeon units. There were other modules on this screen, but clockwork said he did not need to worry about them at least for tomorrow. If Peter was interested he could read them in the dungeon core manual on his own time.

  Peter only had two more tabs. Resources, which he did not have any, and the upgrade or store tab. This was the most filled out tab. Peter could unlock more dungeon floors, buy resources, and even more type cards or card packs, although the former was currently grayed out since he had not selected a card type yet. Peter did not have time to dwell as Clockwork completed his explanation. Basically Peter could make as many tabs and adjust the ones he had to suit his purposes. All he had to do was will it.

  Finally, before once again asking whether his explanation was adequate, Clockwork showed him how to summon the dungeon core manual. A hardcover book flickered into view, right in his hand. Once again it took its form based on the dungeon core. Clockwork just read his own interface. Peter flipped through the volume. There were a good 300 plus pages. They were filled with mainly lines of writing, but there was the occasional picture or diagram as well. Great this thing would take a good 5 to 6 hours just for him to read, and that was reading without stopping or taking time to digest the information.

  “How much time do I have before this dungeon core… whatever is happening tomorrow?

  “25 hours and 44 minutes until the next congregation begins,” Clockwork said matter of factly.

  “As a dungeon core will I have to sleep?” Peter's mind was practically spinning. He would need to read this rule book or manual, and create a dungeon all in the next day.

  “Well how you currently perceive yourself is your avatar. We are actually inside of your core right now,” Clockwork said looking around the white semi sphere. “Not much to it right now, but you can design it with a thought… but your avatar is currently human. One and both… If you don’t like it, you will be able to make adjustments later. Think of the core as your heart or another vital organ. If it is destroyed, your avatar will just cease to be.”

  “So will half the new dungeons die tomorrow?” Peter asked, slightly alarmed.

  “No, tomorrow is a tutorial. However the dungeons who do not win their initial bout will be at a disadvantage. The winners get resources that will put them ahead of the losers. I would do everything you can to ensure victory.”

  Peter nodded. He felt both a bit of panic and some excitement despite having no clue still how any of this works. Still he was fairly used to card games and had played hundreds of board games over the years, figuring out the rules should not be too hard. Even if he still had to sleep, he should be good at figuring everything out given a whole day.

  “Is there anything that I need to start sooner than later to ensure it is completed for tomorrow?” Peter asked.

  “Negative, right now your dungeon core is in a stasis and I am just visiting in accordance with my duty as your guide. Dungeon or unit creation will all be near instantaneous when you make a decision.”

  “What about my core type and specialization? I saw where I could pick them. Can you explain them… or do you have any advice? Is it something I should keep secret or will everyone already know.”

  Cockwork stared back for a long moment, clearly thinking on how best to answer Peter’s question in the most judicious manner. “When you are at the dungeon core congregation you will be able to analyze the other dungeon cores and see their core type as well as what year group they belong to. Your specialization however will not be shown, although some core’s specializations can be figured out. You may be able to guess others based on what you observe, so read through the specializations carefully even if you do not select them.

  “When I picked, I categorized them into 3 tiers. The first tier are specializations that would give an early lead, giving the best shot at winning the first dungeon battle. The second tier specializations will provide a moderate benefit that will help you as you develop. The third tier specializations will be extremely helpful further along, but will not help to win your first battle. Like I said, recovery from a loss can be a difficult prospect, so I recommend something from the second tier.”

  “As far as your dungeon type, it is purely up to you, However, perhaps I should explain something that may affect your decision, since your dungeon type may affect your ability to survive later.”

  Good, this was what Peter needed. An inside scoop on the competition.

  “There are various factions that dungeon cores fall under. There are six that have leaders that are millennials. All other dungeons are destroyed prior to the completion of their first millenia. These political lines will always affect you, sometimes they will hinder you completely.”

  “So, if I want to survive past 1,000 years I should join one of those six factions?” Peter asked. The prospect of living a 1,000 years was nearly inconceivable, but of course he would pick a path that would allow him to go on as long as he wanted to.

  “Negative, only the 6 millennials are more than 1,000 years old. They themselves will cull those in their faction once they start getting close. For those in the other factions, they can be culled by any one of them. The millennials are the enemy of all new dungeon cores, although some chose to grow under their protection.”

  “I see, it's not all pleasant in paradise,” Peter said glumly. It sounded like it was a dog eat dog world, or well a core destroy core world, he amended. Clockwork tilted its head slightly perhaps in confusion, but did not say anything in response.

  “Can you at least tell me a bit more about the factions and how I can get other core’s type cards?”

  “Affirmative!”