I am once again alone in a black void, but there is no pain, no suffering, no guilt. I float in the nothingness, feeling completely calm in the truest sense of the word. I don’t feel happy that I died, but I am okay about it as all my regrets fade away.

I am then showered with a blinding blue light illuminating the darkness as a notification window appears before me.

“You have cleared the dungeon of Mother Earth solo and have failed to escape with your life. And you have succumbed to the dungeon.”

Just as the window closes, another red broken window appears.

“ERROR - Can not consume.”

as another broken red window opens

“Mind and body, you are always in full control of yourself. Making you immune to being controlled by the dungeon.”

My eyes fly open, and I feel a warming heat coming from within where my eyes are and the cold, shiny black stone below me. I look around, unable to turn my head, and realize my head is just off the ground.

I stand and hear the sounds of bones rattling together as I smoothly rise on my feet. I look around the dim cavern lit by the orange glow of the sunset coming from the entrance.

I reach down to pick up my sword and see a charred, boney hand where it felt like my hand was. Surprised, I look at myself, and all I see are my charred bones where my body should be. 

“AAAAhhhh”

I yell in shock, as I doubly surprise myself as I hear my own voice again. I tap my chest, and some of the char falls off my bones, and I notice I still have that hole in my chest. I hear a scurrying coming closer; I turn around to see that same rat holding half of the glowing mushroom scurrying towards me.

It jumps onto my cape and scrambles up it with a sound like scraping metal and jumps up into my skull.

“HEY! GET OUT OF THERE!”

I yell as I try to shake my head to get it, not wanting to reach inside my head. I stop and think momentarily, trying to feel what it's doing, but it just curls up and sleeps. I turn what used to be my eyes around into my head, and I see the small rat or mouse curled around the glowing mushroom sleeping.

The creature gives off a pleasant warmth, and It’s not as bothersome as I thought it would be. Remembering the rat's strange sound on my cape, I put it in my hands, and it felt like the feathers melted and created some kind of flexible metal.

I pick up my sword again and consider going back for my shield. But I never used it anyway, so I start to the exit. The sound of bones against stone every step I make will be hard to get used to.

Exiting the tunnel, I am met with a bright sun directly in front of me. I raise my hand to block it, but it still shines through the many gaps in my bones. I turn back to the dungeon, flip it the middle finger, and yell.

“FUCK YOU! I FINALLY MADE IT OUT!”

Just as I yell that, a broken red notification pops up, saying

“Surviving being eaten by a dungeon means you have climbed above them on the food chain.

New Skill acquired:

Dungeon Eater

You can now consume dungeons and their powers when they are defeated.”

“Huh?”

Escapes my mouth as a gray wisp comes from the dungeon and flies into my chest, and I instantly feel stronger. When I look back up where the entrance was, it is now just a grassy field with no memory of the dungeon that was just there.

I turn around and see the road that brought me here, and it reminds me of that damn Archbishop. I need to get a lot stronger if I want to be able to take my revenge. I would need to get through his guards, and he might have someone above him who is stronger than him.

If I can get more strength from eating dungeons, then all I have to do is eat more. In no time, I should be able to reach his level. I start down the opposite direction that we came from, hoping to find another dungeon or a town to ask around in.

I walk for the night, and a day before, I see a town in the distance. It should be dark enough that I won’t stand out too much if I cover myself with my cloak. Not wanting to draw attention by holding a sword, I place it in between my ribs.

I get into town as night falls, and I make sure my head and arms are hidden, and I tiptoe not to rattle my bones. Most people are going into houses lit with a warm orange glow, but some stalls are still open as they organize their sales for the day.

I walk up to a scruffy, short man with short, dirty hair and a long, poofy beard who sells armor and swords and asks.

“Do you know of any dungeons nearby?”

He startles at a customer after sunset, and he looks me up and down as I hide just out of light.

“I know there is one down the road where you came from. But if you want another, the Adventures Guild could help you with that. It’s just down there. Might still be open.”

He points down the road to a building with a sign that has an image of crossed swords on it.

“Plan on buying anything?” He adds

“Maybe later. No coin.”

“Then what’s clanking around under your cloak?”

I realized my sword had been rattling around in my ribs as I walked, making a noise that sounded like coins. I rush off to the adventure's guild building to avoid conflict with that merchant.