Seraphina’s question hung in the air, heavy with unspoken implications. “What are you?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper, her grey eyes searching his face. John, offering a reassuring smile, replied gently, “It’s not ‘what,’ but ‘who.’ I’m John.” He paused for a moment, a hint of apology in his voice. “I apologize, but I feel as though I shouldn’t be down here just yet. There are…things I need to take care of on the surface. I have a promise to fulfill with a couple of…birds up there.” He offered a wry smile, hoping to lighten the tense atmosphere. Seraphina’s expression remained unchanged, her gaze unwavering. “I don’t like the light,” she admitted, her voice flat, devoid of any discernible emotion. John nodded understandingly. “Okay, then come up when it’s dark,” he proposed, his voice warm and inviting. “If you wish to continue this conversation—and I hope you do—it will have to be up there.” Seraphina’s lips twitched slightly, a hint of something akin to a smile playing on her lips. “I don’t hate the light,” she clarified, her voice softening slightly. “It just…makes me uncomfortable. It feels…exposing.” She paused, then met his gaze directly, a flicker of determination in her eyes. “Okay, then,” she conceded, her voice firm. “I will find you tonight.” With a faint shimmer, John vanished, returning to the surface world, leaving Seraphina alone in the depths of the dungeon, her thoughts a swirling mix of curiosity, apprehension, and a strange, unfamiliar anticipation.

  Upon reaching the dungeon’s threshold, John was met with an almost oppressive silence, the air thick and still. Then, Will’s voice pierced the quiet like a sharp blade, cutting through the heavy atmosphere. “You’re back? Why didn’t you stay longer?” John responded smoothly, a hint of weariness in his voice. “The time wasn’t right. Besides, I’ve come across some rather…intriguing information that requires some thought. We’ll discuss it later.” He then turned his attention to the two girls, his expression becoming more serious. “Take it easy,” he cautioned them, his voice low and firm. “After you’re done here, come see me in my quarters; we have matters to discuss.” With that, John turned and made his way towards his quarters, Will falling into step beside him, his footsteps echoing softly on the stone floor. “Encounter Seraphina, did you?” Will probed, his voice carefully neutral. “Indeed,” John confirmed, his tone clipped. “And her lineage?” Will pressed on, his gaze fixed on John’s face. “A mix of human and vampire,” John replied, hesitating mid-stride, a flicker of unease crossing his features. “Why are you tailing me?” John queried, his voice hardening slightly. Will’s response came with a distinct hint of concern, his eyes darting nervously around the surrounding area. “Just…notice the stares you’re drawing.” It was then that John became acutely aware of the numerous eyes fixed upon him, their gazes intense and curious, some even bordering on hostile. A shiver ran down his spine. “See?” Will explained, his voice low and urgent. “I’m just ensuring your safe return.” John, despite the unsettling attention, arrived at his quarters without further incident. Upon entering his courtyard, John mused aloud to Max, "I believe I'm beginning to grasp the essence of this realm. What sets us apart? Why is it that our former world lacks spirit energy? There, we focus on cultivating the mind until death, after which we arrive here, where spirit energy abounds. In death, we exist as spirits. So, considering this perspective, what makes me unique? I have you, Max. As an AI, you're immune to death; it cannot affect you since you're of a mechanical nature, whereas I am of a biological one." "Now, when I arrived here, I was younger. Why? Because death seized me but could not take away the part that was you, so I became younger and remembered my former life."

  This power allows me to manipulate time, to a certain extent. When I catch and consume a fish, I effectively truncate its timeline, ending its existence prematurely and absorbing the temporal energy released in the process. Furthermore, with magical assistance, I can decelerate my own perception of time, stretching moments into seeming eternities. My domain, you see, is time, while yours, it appears, is space. Consider the acquisition of your stat sheet. Upon receiving it, you gained an additional spatial slot, a clear indication of your affinity. Neither death nor life, in their traditional senses, can truly influence the fundamental forces of space or time. They are beyond such simple manipulations. Currently, my stats remain enigmatic, obscured by question marks. This signifies my incomplete understanding of this particular realm, this place we find ourselves in. Envision the dungeons themselves as domains of death, physical manifestations of the afterlife. In death, we are interred, confined to a specific location, and the dungeon, teeming with the remnants of countless deaths, mirrors this confinement. It could even be construed as a form of hell, each descending level a deeper circle of torment, where the trials become ever more arduous and the challenges more demanding. With each level surmounted, a measure of strength is gained, a perverse reward for enduring such suffering. And indeed, it must be a personal hell, at least by my reckoning, for there are no rivers, no lakes, no streams to fish – a truly personal inferno, a torment designed specifically for me.

  The surface world, as I understand it, serves as the initial point of arrival for souls entering the spirit realm. I believe that when individuals pass away in this realm, their souls return to our former world, thus perpetuating a continuous cycle of life and death, a cosmic wheel of rebirth. One realm, the surface, serves to train and hone the mind, while the other, this spirit realm, nurtures and strengthens the spirit. With that being said, Max and I exist outside of this cycle. We are not bound by the traditional laws of life and death because, as we’ve established, time and space cannot be directly affected by these forces. However, there must be a form of balance, a sense of fairness in the grand scheme of things. Therefore, I can experience something akin to death, but for us, it’s more like taking two steps forward and then one step back, a temporary setback rather than a true end. Upon completing the first ten floors of the dungeon, I was awarded titles as rewards. These titles, much like names, hold a certain degree of power, a resonance that affects the world around us. Since time, in this context, measures growth, the passage through each floor grants me a maximum increase of ten points to all of my core stats. This represents the highest possible growth per level, a significant advantage. Initially, everyone’s stat sheet begins with a base value of ten in each stat. While other individuals receive additional bonuses from achievements and other accomplishments, I consistently attain the maximum increase with each floor because death, in its traditional sense, holds no sway over time, and therefore cannot judge or limit my growth.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Beast cores, harvested as spoils of battle, allow individuals to gain a portion of the slain beast’s experience, a transfer of power from one being to another. However, these cores are inherently unstable, containing impurities—or perhaps, more accurately, traces of time magic—that can have detrimental effects on the user. Therefore, they are typically processed into refined pills using specialized methods designed to purge this volatile time magic, leaving behind only the usable spirit energy. The more beasts I slay, the more of this raw time magic I accumulate within myself. To prevent this accumulating power from twisting my mind and turning me into a deranged, indiscriminate killer, I have chosen to confine my battles to the dungeons. These subterranean labyrinths, as I’ve come to understand them, are akin to hell itself, places of trial and torment. My ultimate goal, however, lies far beyond these infernal depths. I aspire to fish in the heavens, a pursuit that can only be undertaken above ground, in the open air beneath the sky. It’s a simple truth of the natural world that animals kill for sustenance, for survival. They would kill me just as readily, if given the chance. Therefore, I must always be prepared to defend myself, if necessary, not for the sake of gaining more power or accumulating more time magic, but simply for the sake of self-preservation. The pursuit of power is reserved for the struggles of hell, for the trials within the dungeon’s depths.

  Now I understand. My magical affinity lies with time, while yours clearly resides within the realm of space. I believe I could potentially execute a maneuver similar to a blink step, a rapid traversal of space, especially with your assistance, given our respective influences over these fundamental forces. However, the crucial consideration, the primary obstacle, is the question of how much raw time and space magic my physical body can actually withstand. This is the root of my hesitation, the reason for my cautious approach. I am simply not yet equipped, not yet strong enough, to safely handle such formidable power. It’s essential to progress incrementally, to build my resistance and control gradually. I must begin with perceiving time at a decelerated rate, training my mind and body to adapt to this altered perception, and only then gradually move towards actually traversing time itself as my capabilities expand and my control strengthens. This understanding could also help elucidate why certain items or abilities are described as “soul bound.” They are, in essence, tied to a specific space within your spirit, a personal dimension unique to each individual. It’s much like a stat sheet, a mere reflection, a quantifiable representation of an individual’s personal development and growth.

  Max then spoke up, confirming that his independent research within the dungeon’s systems aligned perfectly with our own conclusions. He revealed a crucial piece of information: upon reaching the 80th floor of the dungeon, an individual is transported to an entirely new realm, a reward for proving their worth through the trials they have endured. Additionally, the dungeon itself confirmed the accuracy of the stat growth increment of plus ten to all stats per floor. This enhancement, this significant boost to one’s abilities, would occur during sleep, commencing tonight with the effects of the first level’s completion, and subsequent updates would follow as one’s capacity to absorb and integrate the power increased. Furthermore, the dungeon proposed a barter, a mutually beneficial exchange. It desired to utilize Max’s unique musical compositions to enhance the overall dungeon diving experience for all who dared to enter its depths, adding an extra layer of atmosphere and challenge. In return for this invaluable contribution, Max would be granted administrative rights over the dungeon, allowing him to introduce new elements and modify existing features, such as the introduction of fish into its subterranean ecosystem. However, there was a significant stipulation attached to this agreement: for any new creature to be brought into existence within the dungeon’s confines, it must first perish there, its essence becoming a part of the dungeon itself. Thus, in order to establish a population of fish within the dungeon, a specimen would first have to be brought in and sacrificed, its life force becoming the seed for future generations. Any further suggestions for changes or additions would be subject to the dungeon’s final approval, its ultimate authority over its own domain. John, after considering the implications of this unusual arrangement, agreed to the terms, suggesting that his new identity, as a being no longer entirely human but something…more, could be appropriately named after this unique role, a title that also seemed to provide a logical explanation for some of his previously inexplicable, innate talents. On that day, John officially became the first member of the newly established race, the ‘Admin,’ a being intrinsically linked to the very fabric of the dungeon. 'Additional, Dimension, Made of, Intelligent, Nano's'