
eBook by Cathfach
A lonely dungeon finishes its first floor years ago — and not a single adventurer has visited. To find someone to explore its depths, or simply to find someone to talk to, the dungeon must go far off script. A story about a dungeon's journey of exploration and self-discovery in a dark and devastated world, intertwined with the tale of Peter, a reincarnated soul from another world not bound by the Law.

When a new dungeon is born, it wants vicious monsters, cunning traps, and shiny loot. But after finishing its first floor, it hasn't had a single adventurer visit. To find someone to explore its depths — or simply someone to talk to — the dungeon must go far off script. But going off script brings problems of its own, and adventurers are not the only thing this world is missing.

There was a mistake. No king ordered his summoning, no god sent him to save the world. A soul fell into the world that did not belong there — a soul not bound by the Law. When Peter suffers a near-fatal encounter with a truck, he is reborn in another world: a seemingly perfect fantasy land with magic, elves, and a System for leveling up. But it isn't long before he notices the world is too perfect — and begins to question the alien morality of its self-proclaimed protector.

Now aged seven and on the cusp of a class change, Peter wants to live quietly in his home village. But Erryn, desiring access to his thoughts and memories, has other plans. When a routine trip to the forest turns dangerous, Peter ends up where no child should be — hunting monsters in the town dungeon.

Stripped of his immunity, Peter's soul has been laid bare to Erryn — who has accepted the importance of his free will and given him permission to try to invigorate the world's stagnant civilization. As his first small steps quickly snowball out of control, Peter is left wondering what the consequences of his actions will be.

After nearly dying clearing the Dawnhold dungeon, Peter has sworn off reckless behavior. With a new brother at home and an old friend unexpectedly returned, life is busy. But while Peter finds peace, Erryn is not doing well — and the consequences will be felt across the entire world.

With Erryn having sacrificed herself, it falls to a now-of-age Peter to act when new reincarnates arrive. But without control of the System or the Law, his options are limited — and desperation can lead to mistakes. Meanwhile, Cluma's coming of age means the pair are ready for tougher dungeons, though leaving Dawnhold behind is a more complicated decision than it seems.

Strange anomalies have begun appearing across the world, each draining their surroundings of mana. The anomalies are inscrutable to System skills, and the search for answers leads to Peter's younger brother — the one person able to use magic without System interference. Peter links the anomalies to Earth, giving him his first clue to the cause of his reincarnation. But how much is safe to share — and how much can the Law even allow him to reveal?

The System has infected half a city on Earth, shining a spotlight on the link between the two worlds. With politics slowing things down, Peter has time to clear his current dungeon and take up a crafting class — discovering that new knowledge is anything but detrimental to his career as a delver.

Earth's multinational effort to trade for monster cores is falling apart, and the lead researchers have been forced to flee to Erryn's world. As a race erupts between those trying to protect Erryn's world from unsolicited portals and those trying to exploit them, the one who started the portal research in the first place finally makes his move. The final part of Peter's tale.