The heart of Varona, usually a bustling tableau of commerce and arcane spectacle around its central fountain, lay strangely subdued. City Hall, the austere Mages Guild, the unopened Academy of Dark Arts, and the Towers of Torture—normally magnets for a diverse stream of visitors—seemed to hold their breath. Today, the vibrant plaza was a ghost of itself, overshadowed by a serpentine queue that snaked down High Street, a living ribbon of anticipation stretching beyond the horizon.

  The source of this extraordinary line was a peculiar cottage, a structure that defied architectural logic. Its upper floor, a bulbous protrusion, dwarfed the ground level, giving it the appearance of a mushroom after an alchemical mishap. From a chimney perched precariously on its side, plumes of thick, violet smoke billowed periodically, a signal flare in the otherwise muted cityscape.

  Inside, Lucinda, the cottage's proprietor, was a whirlwind of frantic motion. She darted between her bubbling cauldrons and the eager throng of customers, a symphony of clinking vials and muttered incantations filling the air. Her latest concoction, an energy potion of unprecedented potency, had ignited a frenzy, but the sheer volume of demand was pushing her to her limits. "An assistant," she muttered, her brow furrowed in concentration. "I desperately need an assistant. I’ll ask Master about it later. If I survive this."

  Through the grime-streaked window, she watched another customer, his face alight with satisfaction, disappear into the throng. The line remained unbroken, a testament to the potion's allure. "By the Core," she sighed, her gaze snapping back to her simmering brew. "This is insane."

  As a young farmer, his hands calloused and his eyes wide with anticipation, stepped into the shop, Lucinda adopted her practiced merchant's smile. "Welcome to Lucinda's Liquids!" she announced, her voice a touch hoarse. "What can I brew for you today?"

  "The energy drink," the farmer stammered, his gaze darting around the crowded shop. "The one everyone's talking about. Seb swore by it, said it turned his wife… Well, never mind. Do you have any left?"

  "Indeed, I do!" Lucinda's smile broadened, a flash of triumph in her eyes. With practiced precision, she ladled a shimmering, orange liquid into a small vial. "But before you partake, a word of caution. This potion is… Potent."

  "Side effects?" the farmer asked, his voice laced with a nervous tremor.

  "Yes," Lucinda confirmed, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "It grants a 400% boost to strength and stamina for twelve hours. My finest work. However, there's a 5% chance of… Temporary goblin transformation. Fifteen minutes of pure, unadulterated Goblinhood." A shudder ran through her as she spoke, an echo of some deep-seated aversion.

  The farmer's jaw dropped. "Goblin transformation? Seb wasn't pulling my leg then? He said his wife shrunk down, all green and snarling. Then she popped back to normal, and he laughed till he cried." He let out a hearty guffaw, slapping his thigh.

  Lucinda blinked, momentarily speechless. "...Right," she managed, recovering her composure. "So, do you still wish to purchase Abi's Energy Drink, despite the… Potential for goblinization?"

  "Five percent, you said? Those are good odds," the farmer replied, his eyes gleaming. "Even if I turn green, I'll just hide in the barn till it wears off."

  "Precisely," Lucinda said, her voice regaining its professional edge. "My calculations are never wrong. The chance is small, but it exists."

  "Make it two," the farmer said, his eyebrows raised in anticipation. "One for me, one for the missus. I want to see what she'd look like as a goblin." He chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

  Lucinda filled another vial, her mind racing. "That’s… An interesting application," she said, handing over the potions and accepting the payment. She watched as the farmer left, a strange mix of amusement and unease swirling within her. "I hope she gets him back," she muttered, a flicker of wicked delight crossing her face.

  As the next customer, a slender young man with eager eyes, entered the shop, Lucinda plastered on her most welcoming smile. "Welcome to Lucinda's Liquids! What can I brew for you today?" she asked, knowing full well the answer. "No rest for the wicked," she sighed inwardly, contemplating the merits of a personal dose of her own concoction.

  In the weeks that followed, Varona experienced an unprecedented surge in goblin sightings. Whispers and tales spread like wildfire, adding a peculiar, if somewhat chaotic, chapter to the town's already colorful history. And somewhere, a certain potion-maker, though overwhelmed, couldn't suppress a small, satisfied smirk.

  Dungeon Stories Volume 2

  Now that Hana and Mira are in charge of keeping Varona safe, I barely put any attention into watching the comings and goings of people crossing my borders. Unless they've got a certain amount of strength or malevolence that is.

  For example, the man loitering in the alleyway across from Ali's has a corrupted soul, even if his gear gives off the impression of a well-seasoned adventurer. However, it isn't his strength that I noticed, but his aura. The evil emitting from him was more than enough to alert me of his presence.

  Just as I was about to spend some points too. Hmm, Me, you're about to get a visitor, I think.

  Through the eyes of Soul Guide, the well-armoured man's entire body is clotted in a deep red. Without a doubt the scummiest scum that ever did scum. His armour even looks a little dark now that I decide to take him seriously. However, as I'm pondering on who to send and what to do with him, Scumbag A makes the choice for me and dashes across the street. Faster than the eye can see and in full-plate armour, he barges into The Chef's restaurant.

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  Of all the places to go...

  Why did he choose Ali's?

  Ali doesn't like to leave the dungeon's proximity, but in no way does that mean she's weak. The Rogue-turned-Chef should still be considered deadly, especially when it comes down to small, bladed weapons.

  However, Scumbag A doesn't know that fact as he kicks the door of on his way in. He also doesn't know that a certain dungeon resident, one who has only just acquired a body, is not feeling the best that he can right now. He has eaten far too many sugary treats and is regretting the decision completely as the door booms open. The contents of his stomach threaten to erupt and Me pulls his first death stare at the intruder interrupting his inner turmoil.

  I almost feel sorry for Scumbag A now. I was just thinking about eating him, but Me looks like he wants to blast him into oblivion. Mr Red-Soul couldn't look more petrified as he quivers like a leaf. More so, it would appear that the gravity seems to have increased as his body won't take that listen to his command to retreat. His eyes are looking a the exit, but that's as far as he gets.

  It almost looks like time's slowed down. Not to Scumbag A's benefit, however. A dozen sous chef, all armed with differing sizes of kitchen knives, mallets, skewers, one of them even has a whisk, I'm not sure what she's going to do with that, burst out of the kitchen in slow motion.

  His eyes go wide in horror as everyone seems to be aiming for a different vital part. One in particular that should never be aimed for. What... Is the only word his mind can produce before Scumbag A is disintegrated, along with the front half on Ali's and roof on the building across the street.

  "What the hell, Me!? Why didn't you just let the girls take care of him?" Ali screams in a horror of her own, voicing my thoughts perfectly without even having been told too, the front of her establishment now non-existent as bricks drop to the floor here and there.

  I was actually thinking about reformation when Me let off a power attack unlike anything I've ever seen. Not for Scumbag A mind you, he's already been erased by a flick of Me's finger, but the lesser-gone orange and yellow souls maybe. I was thinking about how we'd go about it.

  "I-I'm sorry. I didn't... Did I do that?" Me is more shocked than Ali and myself at the level of his own power. As a dungeon system bestowed with knowledge, no one knows more about the powerful creatures a dungeon can summon to aid itself on its quest to complete objective A and B. After his own accidental display, he's struggling to think if anything would be a match for him. He is an existence, in all rights, that shouldn't exist.

  "Well... It's certainly not cool, but I suppose Abi can fix it. It's OK. I'm sure you didn't mean to. You have to be careful though, Me. You don't want to accidentally destroy Varona, do you?" She asks and his Core-coloured eyes meet hers.

  "What!? No! I'm just... How did she even make me this powerful? It doesn't make sense." Me looks through his dungeon information log and finds out that I invested 10,000DP in order to strengthen his body. I also added the elemental properties that I was originally going to use to create a body for him afterwards. The multiplication of strength that he went through during his creation is unfathomable and his jaw drops open.

  Not going to lie. I did the same thing. I didn't realise that I used so many points in the process, but afterwards... I certainly noticed when placing those benches. It's why I left Me alone and went for a lonely walk. So I could chat shit to myself openly and not in my head. Although, I'm surprised I haven't been called upon yet.

  "Did you find out why you're so strong?" Ali asks after seeing Me's face turn white. Which is quite hard since he's already pretty pale. If he wasn't a System-created system, I'd think he might be coming down with something.

  "Y-Yes. Although as usual it makes no sense because Abi is involved. The 10,000DP she used on me was multiplied by four." What? "Probably because of the tier bonus. That's understandable. What's not, is that number was then multiplied again by the amount of elemental blessings she gave me!" Well... Shit. Ali looks at Me blankly. She's not the best with figures surprisingly and rarely handles taking payment because she's got Sous Chefs A-to-Z to do that for her these days. "I'm sorry, Me. I don't understand what you're saying."

  I, on the other hand, understand his math perfectly. Which means I didn't understand what I'd done in the first place at all! I was hoping he'd get a little boost to his stats but I was expecting a tier bonus and and elemental bonus. How strong does that actually make him then?

  "Basically. It means that I'm the monster now. That's all. I didn't intend to attack that person yet so much energy was discharged. You're right, Ali. I will have to be careful" Staring at his hands, Me looks really serious. All I can think though is, that's his first serious face, cute.

  I watch Me as he tries to come to terms with his own power, whiles still thinking about how reformation would work. There has got to be a better way than just eating everybody. I'm not against easy XP, but making them go through the reincarnation cycle means nothing if they're just going to be reborn again into the same scummy societies that are guaranteed to corrupt them again.

  Some cities are overpopulated and there are a lot of people struggling out there. Those type of people, who are only trying to survive in this already fucked-up world, end up screwed over by The System's flawed logic. Stealing a loaf of bread to feed your starving family should not get you bumped up a colour on the soul scale. According to her shitty logic though, it does.

  So when you think about it, how is killing people and sending them through the reincarnation cycle going to help anyone? Especially when they're spat back out into a similar situation to their prior one. Hell, if they were allowed to keep their memories they might try to take a different approach to life.

  There are too many variables to think about when it comes to this skill and what it wants from me. Awkward-as-fuck doesn't do it justice and I need to try and raise the bar somehow.

  The next time a lost soul enters Varona, I'm going to try to reform them instead. It makes more sense to correct their behaviours, instead of having to start them fresh. Even if I have to scare the hell out of them with Samantula to get them back to neutrality, I'll do it. Plus, having the start fresh is a much longer process and the years can't just be skipped.

  There's also the green-to-purple souls to think about. I've already stated that I won't kill any one good, but again this fucking skill says that I should. So that they can ascend to somewhere I'm not allowed to know about?

  Grr.

  Already in a sour mood over dodgy descriptions and requirements, I teleport to the Shimmering Stable. A single one of these features can hold a hundred horses and I have three of them. They're not why I'm here though. I'm hoping, against all hope, that this is going to be the time when the Hay Bale shines.

  With no one around on the land out here, that means I don't need to use Divinity's Creation. Which is quite rare on it's own. There's normally always someone out here and I wonder what I did to earn this type of luck. Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I spend 1280DP on the solitary and rubbish feature's sixth upgrade.

  It begins to shine and I can't help but feel the same excitement that always comes with upgrading. Even though I know I being optimistic, the fact that it hasn't changed ever since I placed it has been a plague on my mind, a knife in my heart and smear of embarrassment against my name.

  The light recedes and the smile is washed off my face. What am I feeling right now? Humiliation? Disappointment? No. Rage.

  "Fucking shitty System and your stupid shitty dungeon feature! Why won't you change!?"