I Became A Zombie Chapter 8
Chapter 8: I Tried Eating The Dungeon Core!
At the end of a long flight of stairs, I found a fountain in the center of the room, and a wooden bridge that led to a small island.
The surrounding walls and floor were covered with similar glowing plants which can also be found in the rest of the dungeon, creating a magical atmosphere.
「Is that an altar in the center of the fountain?」
As if my steps were being guided, I started walking towards the altar. Rather than a sense of curiosity, anxiety, or fear, it felt somewhat nostalgic.
A small rainbow-colored sphere floated in front of me when I arrived at the altar. As I held the sphere in my hand and looked at it, an image of a “certain person” talking to me with a smile came into my mind.
(Let’s eat ☆)
「Huh!?…Zombie-senpai…」
Confused, I looked at the small sphere again… and closed my eyes.
As before, what came to mind was Zombie-senpai smiling and giving me a thumbs up.
…Right. Senpai taught me to abandon the chains called common sense…
I am here now because of my senpai’s teachings!
Thank you for the meal!
–Gulp…
≪The absorption of the dungeon core has been confirmed. Hereafter, the dungeon master of “Foret Noir Labyrinth” will be the individual “Doumeki Aun”. Intelligence will be increased to the required level.≫
「Huh? Dungeon master?」
≪Generation of clone core begins≫
Information flowed into my mind just like during evolution. Then a sphere of light emerged from my stomach.
As the sphere of light changed shape, the light gradually subsided.
And what sat on the altar before me was… bright pink and pale green patches stitched together to form a body with a cute deformed round face with drooping triangular ears and a round nose.……
It was a Pig Zombie stuffed animal.
「A s-stuffed animal?… No! Is this zombie-senpai’s reincarnation!?」
「You foooool!!! Why the hell did you eat me! I almost became “poop” in your stomach!」
「A-Are you the zombie-senpai!?」
「Hm? Who is zombie-senpai…? My name is Ars! I’m the dungeon core!」
The stuffed animal stood up and smugly crossed its arms…
Huh? It doesn’t know zombie-senpai?
In the first place, how can a stuffed animal move and talk?
But then again, humans can become monsters. Perhaps it’s a normal thing?
「Ars? Damn, so you’re not my senpai, huh. Well then, Ars, what is a dungeon core?」
「How impudent. No matter. Dungeon core is something that manages a dungeon without a master. Fundamentally, there is only one dungeon master every few hundred years. Up until now I couldn’t speak or move, but after being eaten by you, it somehow became possible.」
「Is that so… Hmm, what can a dungeon master do? I want to leave this dungeon. Can I do that?」
「Then, let me explain the basics to you. First of all, the official name of this dungeon is ‘Foret Noir Labyrinth’. The dungeon master is ‘the ruler and administrator of this labyrinth’. The dungeon master can summon and recover monsters, design floors and rooms, and form treasure chests. Well, they can do almost anything with enough dungeon points. To answer your question of whether you can get out of this dungeon, it’s possible. However, you can’t do the things I just explained if you are not in this room, so please be careful, okay? Well, if you assign me authority to a certain degree, I can do it in your stead.」
「I see, then I’ll leave everything to you! Or rather, what is a dungeon point?」
「You sure about that? If that’s the case, just leave it to me! Dungeon points are calculated and increase depending on the total time creatures other than the dungeon master and the monsters generated in this dungeon have spent in this dungeon and the number of people who’ve died inside. That’s how you increase the number of floors, design rooms, and create items. As for how to create items…well, I’ll show it to you, so no explanation is necessary.」
「Whoa… Isn’t that unbelievably amazing? Then why don’t you try making me some clothes! If possible, something that can hide these horns.」
「Well, in that case, there are points for it, but… the truth is, I had accumulated a decent amount of points before you came. But now, there are not many points left…」
「Hmm? Ah, could it be that I am the first person to enter this dungeon?」
「You’re correct! Perhaps because it’s in such a remote area, people don’t really come here. So… I’m hesitant to say… but when I took a break from generating monsters manually and left it in auto, a Red Ogre was generated automatically. That’s why there aren’t many points left…」
「Ah… that was you, huh! And you say you were sleeping??… Hmmm, it’s fine. I’m still alive! So I’ll forgive you! So, did you absorb the Red Ogre back into the dungeon to collect back the points?」
「That’s not how it works. If you recover the dead monsters, you can resummon them again.」
I guess I can consider this a safe base for the time being?
And it’s pretty nice to have someone to talk to. Though, it’s a stuffed animal…
Oh, come to think of it, there is a fountain. Let’s go check my appearance.
「I see! I understand to a certain extent! I’m just going to go check the fountain, so please create the clothes for me!」
「Understood!」
Now then, what do I actually look like? It’s a little scary, but I’m looking forward to it!
The fountain water was pretty clear, and thanks to the glowing plants, the area was bright. Time to check my face…
「Wow… This face… is completely unexpected…」
My face was reflected in the water. Like my hands and legs, it was fair-skinned and well-groomed.
My hair was a shiny silver overall, with a green gradation towards the ends.
There were two cool horns on my forehead, but if I can hide them with my hair or a hood, I’ll have no problem entering the city.
「This face looks like it’s about 16 years old. I look rejuvenated, or rather, like a completely different person… Hmm, no trace of my old face at all… Not that I have any lingering attachment.」
「What are you looking at…? Nununu… I-Is this me??」
「Oh, right… this is, err…」
「H-How adorable! I look so prettyyyy!」
「Oh! I’m glad you liked it… Ah, more importantly, where’s my clothes?」
「Oh! Right! It’s already done. Here you go!」
Ars handed over a set of clothes for adventurers, all black, and a black cloak with a hood.
「It looks flawless. Thank you.」
「Don’t worry about it! So, what are we going to do now?」
「About that…Actually, I know the location of another dungeon. I’m thinking of challenging it after a short rest.」
「Oh, right! Come to think of it, I forgot to mention something about the Dungeon Master’s ability. Do you wanna hear it?」
「Ability? I still remember everything you explained previously, so just go ahead.」
「Alright. The Dungeon Master’s abilities are roughly divided into two. The first is teleportation. You can teleport to anywhere within the dungeon, and if you’re outside, you can teleport to the dungeon.」
「I understand. Please continue.」
「The second is a subordinate contract. To put it simply, it’s a “talent scout”. If you scout someone and the other party accepts it, a contract is established. Some of your magic essence will flow into the subordinate and a connection between the fellow magic essences will be formed. And you will be able to use “Telepathy”. Even if we’re apart, we can still have a conversation without using words.」
≪Something like this.≫
「Wow! That surprised me!」
「Since I was absorbed by you once, a connection has been established between us. By the way, even subordinates are also able to teleport within the labyrinth and return to the labyrinth.」
「I just learned an incredible amount of information all at once… Erm, I’ve become able to do “Teleportation in the Labyrinth” and “Return to the Labyrinth”, and then “Subordinate Contract” and “Telepathy”. Alright, I’ve got it. But I don’t think I can remember any more than this…」
「It’s okay. I’ll teach you the details later.」
「Alright, thanks. I’ll quickly change into these new clothes, check my status and catch some sleep.」
「Then I guess I’ll make a bed with dungeon points. Good night!」
Thus, I finally got a safe base and the first sleep in several days.
Even in my dreams, I was smiling, thanking Zombie-senpai…
Status
【Name】Doumeki Aun
【Race】Kijin
【Condition】-
【Level】25
【HP】1000/1000
【MP】610/610
【STR】47
【VIT】20
【DEX】10
【INT】61
【AGI】65
【LUK】35
【Title】Labyrinth Ruler
【Skill】
・Iron Stomach
・Pain tolerance
・Martial Arts (Lv.2)
・Gluttony
・Strong arm
・Nimble
・Appraisal
――――――――――――――――――――
Equipment
・Red Ogre’s Iron Rod
・Labyrinth Explorer’s shirt
・Black Bison Leather Pants
・Assassin’s Cloak
・Black Combat Boots
――――――――――――――――――――
So, the only downside is that he isnt human anymore, other than that he got everything anyone could ever wish for and more, and as soon as he learn to stop talking about every single thing he does or think, he will transcend into godhood or something?
Ive had enough, i can already imagine whats gonna happen from now on.
Kinda boring that the author couldnt break the trend and be a bit more original here, it is rare to find a good undead-MC story..