The thing about anomalies, is that they're... like... their just really weird ya know? Like, sometimes I just wish when we got sent to check it out, we got there and it was all chill and... what's the opposite of weird? I'm trying to think of a word for like... not weird but also still anamolous-ish. Weird that there's no word for that. Kind of an anomaly actually... I think I might be onto something!

  - Frencessca "Jim" Whitterman, Department of Post-Human Response and Control scene investigator, shortly before their termination on account of wasting $10 billion in department resources.

  With my dungeon borders finally expanded, The Dark Crevasse was now distinctly less of a crevasse and much more room-like. Mostly in the sense that it was a room instead of the small gap between a cabinet and a floor. It's been a few days at this point, and the tube-lights installed in the ceiling panels have yet to re-ignite. Similarly it appears that the ice-chests of whatever noble owns this place had were emptied of their ice-blocks when the larder was abandoned. Based on the amount of blood seeped into the floorboards, I've come to the conclusion that whatever human I managed to wound on my first appearance lamentably survived. Thus explaining why I had no achievement for getting my first kill before establishing my dungeon. Lazy jerk, couldn't even die so that I could get an achievement off him.

  I've determined this is an aristocrats larder or pantry by the way. Everything here is far too nice to be a peasant's market. They have an entire row of shelves made out of aluminum. Aluminum! Gy great-grandfather told stories of how he sent minions to steal the aluminum silverware off a local king. They sent 3 full teams of Gold tier adventurers to reclaim it. Now there's rats eating meat sticks off of them. I've decided that my first minions will be spiders to get the roaches, and cats for the rats. Or just giant spiders. Always a classic. Draconic spiders.

  The status screen continues to be unhelpful. And insulting.

  The ice-chests. I mention them because there's a reason they typically have ice in them. Or runes for freezing. An these ones have no runes. Also no ice. For a few days now. At least the roaches are happy. Also the rats. They're very happy. Regardless, my exploration of the new environment has born some fruit. Not the bananas, those were already here. The only fruit in here actually. This was metaphorical fruit.

  After marveling at the aluminum shelves, holding all kinds of food in illuminated packaging (that is illuminated as in an illuminated manuscript not as in under light since the lights are out, the nobles here are weirdos apparently) I realized that most of the walls are hollow, and filled with coated wires and piping. Also some walls, which I've determined to be the exterior walls to the building appear to be stuffed with some kind of pink wool that the rats adore nesting in. Delightful. This is mostly important and for some reason I seem utterly incapable of expanding past the front door.

  Naturally as a dungeon core, I am loath to expand my dungeon above ground. Not because I couldn't, its just considered dreadfully gauche. Also because here I can't. I could normally. Just here I can't. So yeah. The whole mysterious force preventing me from expanding my dungeon borders. It's outside still. I get a room. And the walls. The walls filled with rats.

  So I've been expanding through the walls of the tower. And it is a heck of a tower. I'm counting 4 floors so far. I like counting. It's nice. Gets my mind off of the thinking. Like all the stuff in the no-thinky box. That I'm not thinking about. Like how rats love shiny things. And nesting. 4 floors. So far! It took me a whole day to fill the larder with my borders. My expansion is a fixed volume based on my mana income. Just like all dungeons. Although most dungeons will "save" their volume expansion as they get mana by killing things. And absorbing their mana. Like I definitely can do and am just choosing not to for no particular reason. Or rather for some very good reason that has nothing to do with the fact that every living creature I've found has absolutely not a single shred of mana, making them creatures of pure meat and chemistry, utter abominations under the System out of some crazy horror story. Like the rats. Because that isn't true. They totally have mana. Normal happy living things with mana.

  So yeah! I expand by a fixed volume, which while slow at filling rooms, is very fast at filling the space inside the walls! Which is excellent for scouting out the tower, since I can cover a lot of ground very quickly. Magic sight only works within my borders unfortunately, so I can't peep into any other rooms. Not unless I move my core and get line-of-sight. I'm definitely not going to do that though. It would be far too dangerous. Even though I've healed up nicely! Which is nice to think about. But not to think about too much, because thinking about my core healing reminds me of how long it took to heal up. And how long it's been. And how my core is shaped. Which I'm not doing. My draconic instincts are guiding me to process my trauma in a healthy and appropriate manner, so I don't need to think about these things.

  I have moved though! I wasn't going to stay stuck underneath a cabinet forever you know. Originally I had hoped to peak outside, through the large transparent front doors of the larder. I know they're transparent because I can see daylight streaming into the dungeon through them. That's how I've been keeping track of how many days have passed. Not keeping very close track mind you. Because I'm not worried about that. Regardless I decided that peeking outside would be much too dangerous, and relocated to a safer location, nestled - or rather not nestled because that might imply I'm in some kind of nest - so definitely not nestled inside one of the walls. One of the walls without rats. Or rat nests. The rat nests that I'm not in.

  Now that my core has healed up more though I can store more mana without leaking. I've been saving up for my first minion. A giant draconic spider-cat. Finally I'll be able to do some proper dungeon stuff! I'll create my minion, and order it to rescue me... or rather re-locate me to the highest floor of the noble's tower. Where there will hopefully be less rats. I have noticed that while the rat population of the fourth floor isn't zero, it is significantly less than that of this larder. Which does make sense. Considering the now warm ice-chest has attracted so many of them to relocate here. They've taken the opportunity to very enthusiastically establish a massive rat nest in the wall of the ice-chest. Not that I have any first hand knowledge of just how... enthusiastic their nesting has been there of course. I'm safely ensconced in a completely different wall. Far away from any rats or their love of shiny things. I know the rats love shiny things, because just now I saw a rat stumble upon a glass marble and...

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  The rat ignored the marble. And also that shiny coin. Actually now that I think about it, I haven't seen the rats pick up anything shiny or sparkly. There aren't any other shiny or sparkly things here either. In fact the only shiny or sparkly thing the rats seem to love is...

  The vermin still love me. They love me, so they stole me from my nice Dark Crevasse, and whisked me way so they could stuff me into their filthy rat nest, gorge themselves on un-refrigerated food, and make dozens of tiny rat babies RIGHT ON TOP OF ME! For four entire days, I've been stuck here, still on hold with tech support mind you, all because of some stupid afiinity granting achievement I didn't even ask for. This sucks. I hate it. I can't stop thinking about it, now matter how much I'd like to, because I have a giant napping rat patriarch spooning me at this very moment. He dies first. I've got enough mana to spare to summon a minion. One giant draconic spider-cat coming RIGHT NOW!

  Of fucking course. That would have been too easy. I can't just get to do the one basic thing that I'm supposed to be able to do! Summon Minion.

  I take my gathered energy and fling it out at the damn rat. Not even bothering to reconfigure it. While I could have reconfigured it into a mana-lance, dungeon core's are restricted regarding direct offensive use of magic, taking steep penalties on efficiency and efficacy. It was the first lucky thing to happen to me in this world.

  I can always betray him later! Hello new best friend! PLEASE LET GO OF ME!

  And the rat did... nothing. Hopefully just because he was asleep and couldn't here my mental plea. On that note, I am now dreadfully low on mana. So I guess I just need to wait this out. While on hold. They've shifted the hold music to Wails of the Dead now. They like to change the music before you can get used to it or develop an appreciation fo it. It's the little touches that really sell the whole mental and physical torture aesthetic. I think they're just trying to wait me out. It's been seven days now after all.

  #PoleJumper4596 (Assistant TO the Regional Manager)

  Hello! Thank you for holding. How may we hinder you today?

  @RealDungeonCore9753

  Great now I'm hallucinating that they've picked up.

  #PoleJUmper4596 (Assistant TO the Regional Manager)

  I'm terribly sorry sir, however per Infernal-Celestial Pact 37856 Subsection 257-AA Part 3, Regarding Altered Mental Status due to Rodent and Hold Music Related Cognitive Distress, I am unable to assist you at this time. Please hold until restored to normal mental status.

  *Click*

  It's impressive the way they can pronounce the asterisks in their sound effects.