“Dungeon Master 07, are you still with us?” one of us asked.

  “Yeah, I’m still here,” I replied.

  “Oh, I see. I thought you were gone. Sorry.”

  “Yeah, I can’t blame you. Do I do a countdown before I go, or…”

  “Yeah, do a countdown. It’ll definitely be more suspenseful.”

  “Okay, I guess… 3… 2…” Just as I was about to reach one and use Greed and Resurgence, I heard Dungeon Master 04 say, “Don’t die out there, okay?” That would be the last thing I heard. “Why would you say that?” I wanted to complain, but before I could, I fell into a strange and eerie silence.

  Huh? What happened?

  Ah, right, I used the authority as I reached “1,” so is this it?

  I tried to summon the interface, but nothing showed up. I tried to move what I imagined would be my limbs, but nothing moved, and at the same time, nothing was felt.

  “Did I make it to the other side?” I couldn’t help but wonder, a little more nervously.

  This has to be it. This didn’t seem like anything else than that. Now that I think of it, what else would it be other than the other side? What would it be? Death?

  At that moment, at that thought, I couldn’t help but laugh self-deprecatingly.

  No, this isn’t. This clearly isn’t? My situation was, compared to the experience from back then, nothing in comparison. A cold but rejuvenating shiver ran down my spine, reminding me that, after all, I still existed, dispelling any hint of worry from my heart. Bathing in a newfound confidence, I felt veiling upon me a familiar dull weight that, at first contact, I assumed to be mere exhaustion. But as it came to envelop me through and through, I finally came to realize it for what it was: drowsiness. I wanted to sleep, and it took me a long time to be completely overwhelmed by it into a complete slumber.

  ***

  Falling into a deep slumber. I slumbered; for how long exactly? I couldn’t tell, and it was not an "I couldn’t tell" like it was back then but more like I couldn’t simply tell because I’d slumbered far too long to be able to. Fortunately or perhaps unfortunately, I finally broke free of that slumber, but not on my own. Instead, I was woken up by something, something rough, so rough that I couldn’t help but wonder what the hell was happening to me.

  Slowly, I woke up feeling absolutely confused. Everything was fuzzy, and I could barely make out distant sounds, like a muted lullaby. I felt like I was in a snug cocoon, and I sensed a gentle pressure all around, like whatever it was just tight and weird.

  I started to notice myself, but I felt floaty, like I had no weight. Moving was a distant idea, and I, much like I did that day when I awoke as a Dungeon core, was still figuring out what my surroundings, edges were like.

  Then, something changed. I felt a pull, like I was being carried somewhere. The muffled sounds got stronger, and there was, alongside it, a steady beat—one that I couldn’t help but notice more than anything else.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Suddenly, warmth surrounded me, so cozy and inviting. It felt like a friend's hug—how I imagined a friend’s hug: warm and reassuring, drawing me closer to something reassuring. Even though I couldn't see anything, I sensed a shift, like I was moving from an open space to somewhere more enclosed.

  In that warmth, reality became clearer. In that surge of clarity, I heard another sound that I immediately came to associate with a heartbeat. It synced with my own rhythm, for yes, the rhythmic beats I’ve been hearing were that of my own heart.

  Somehow, I found myself in a snug spot, safe and cared for. It was then that my eyes, which had been closed tight, opened for the first time. And in the arms of someone gentle, I saw the world with fresh eyes.

  As my eyes adjusted to the newfound light, shapes and shadows began to take form. I could make out the silhouette of a woman, a figure with curves and warmth. She emanated a soothing presence, and her touch was tender, cradling me in a cocoon of safety.

  Her face, akin to a blurred mosaic, gradually became more distinct, but not to an extent that I could see what she really looked like. Soft features framed by strands of hair, and I sensed a gentle gaze that seemed to peer into the very core of my being.

  Returning the stare she locked me into, I gazed back into her yet-to-be-unblurred eyes. I couldn't shake the feeling that this woman, who held me with such tenderness, was likely the mother of the body I now inhabited.

  Remembering why I brought myself into this side of the world, I conjured the little mental energy I felt like having and called forth the interface. To my first command, nothing came out. Instead, everything that I felt was a strange surge of fatigue; no drowsiness, I felt like sleeping right then, but nonetheless, I pressed on.

  I was very much aware that I, in this form, was no longer a Dungeon Core. Nonetheless, I was aware that I, as a human, should at least be able to conjure an interface like other humans do. And, fair enough, as I tried some more times, it appeared before me.

  _____________________________

  Name: Dungeon Master 07

  Level: ???

  Race: HighBreed

  Class: N/A

  Title: N/A

  Experience: 0 / 150

  [Status]

  - H.P: 1 / 1

  - M.P: 1 / 1

  - S.P: 1 / 1

  - Fatigue: 49%

  - Defense: N/A

  - Offense: N/A

  [Skills]

  [Abilities]

  『Expand』

  _____________________________

  Staring at the status screen in front of me, as a Dungeon Master who’s seen what a top dog is truly about, I felt like a multi-billionaire getting to experience the bidonville life, seeing my very miserable stats.

  “I guess that’s just how it is and should be for a baby,” I thought to myself, reassuring myself by thinking that “he,” having used Greed and Resurgence countless times, most likely went through a similar step in the past. However, I overlooked the fact that today I, unlike him, was missing something very essential: the authority itself.

  In that moment, staring at my status screen, I saw my level of fatigue rising alarmingly. With a mental command, I dispelled it, thinking to myself, “I guess this journey of mine is just beginning. For now, I’m wasted, that’s enough for today, I’ll do better tomorrow.” I closed my eyes, allowing drowsiness to claim me into a deep slumber.