I opened the door and froze at the sight of the room. It was… disappointing, the room was small only about three feet wide, two feet deep, and 7 feet tall. The only thing in the room being a kind of brick pedestal with a purple and white fist-sized sphere sitting on it that I can only assume is the dungeon core. This sight goes against everything I’ve ever been told about core rooms before. My father used to tell me stories of the different core rooms he’s seen, and they were always described as being wondrous and in most cases magical. Like the Rainbow Fairy Dungeon who’s core room apparently gigantic forest that makes you feel like a small fairy walking among the toadstools, or shrunk you down with magic in a standard sized forest my father wasn’t sure which, with the core sitting in the middle of a pond surrounded by a fairy ring. There was also the dungeon that my former families home was built upon, The Sky Fire Dungeon, that I’ve been told has a colossal magma dragon statue that holds a large red core in its’ claws. But this is the first, and probably last, core room I’ve ever been to so this may be how they normally look and the ones I’ve been told about are the exceptions.

  While I’m busy gawking at the core room in disbelief at how underwhelming it is, Notch is sliming his way over to the brick pedestal and starts to climb up it. When he gets to the core, he climbs on top of the Core and then wiggles in impatience and stretches out to wave me over. With a small laugh at the weird little slime, I make my way over and touch the core.

  What the fuck was that, Is all I can think as I jump back away from the Core and stare at my hand. Was that a screen? Did I just see a screen? That can’t be right I’m a zero, I’m blind to God’s will and the system, I couldn’t have just seen a screen. But unless I’m hallucinating, and I’m not ruling that out, that was a screen, but there is only one way to find out. I finally look up at the core and Notch, who is wiggling at me with exasperation and laughter. Feeling a little sheepish and a little embarrassed but excited I approach the pedestal with some fear and excitement. I reach out and touch the core, and the screen reappears.

  “Really!?! I finally see a system screen and a dungeon core only speaks Slime…” I start with a shout and end saying this in a whisper of depression.

  “Uh… It’s uh… no problem…” I say bewildered about what’s going on.

  “O...kay,” now even more confused why is a Core interested with me?

  “The only reason I can think for them to like me is that I feed them some of my food most days. But why do you call it Soul Torn? That sounds a little harsh. They have just been released after their Tamer became strong enough to tame a new monster. That doesn’t seem to bad,” I say while thinking about it I have to ask. “If anything wouldn’t the monsters rather be abandoned or released so they can return to the wilds?”

  “Makes it so the Tamer can control and harness their powers?” I state now unsure of the what I always been taught.

  “That sounds horrible. I’m sorry… I, I didn’t know. I never even thought about it to be honest…,” I say with a look of horror and sadness on my face as I look at Notch’s cracked core.

  But if what the Core says is true, and I have no reason to think it’s lying, then this explains so many different things. Like why the monsters in the ‘used’ monster stores never try to attack the customers, they are trying to fill this emptiness in their soul with another bond. Then there are the cases of abandoned monsters becoming more aggressive after being released, these are usually sold to the arena’s to be used for different events. But there have been cases of monsters that seem attack everything with no concern for its’ life or body, in these cases they are put down as soon as possible before they do to much damage. I have never even considered this from the monsters point of view. I have always just seen them as a kind of tool for Tamers to be used then discarded if something better comes along.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “I honestly don’t know then. All I ever did was feed them and talk to them. That is except for Notch there I did give him a name and saved him from Bur,” I say while trying to think of anything that makes me special. “I’m a Zero, there’s nothing special about me anymore.”

  “It means I have no Spirit level and so can not see God’s will, system screens, or at least any screen that isn’t a Dungeon Core speech screen apparently,” I explain with a deadpan voice. I still don’t like to think about it even after all this time.

  “Don’t you think I have tried that, every minute of every day that I have found out I was a Zero. It doesn’t work and unless Niwrad, the one true God, forgives humans for our weakness I will continue to be a Zero for the rest of my, most likely short and miserable, life!” I shout at the core with the beginnings of tears in my eyes.

  After about a minute a new screen appears.

  This… this is my status screen. I can see my status screen! And my name it says Nox not my old name. How did the system know I have forsaken my old name? I guess it doesn’t matter I guess. This also proves that I do have zero Spirit Levels... but don’t Dungeon Cores have the ability to give Spirit Levels?

  “Huh?” I just noticed the Core was trying to ask if I could see my status screen for the last few minutes. With some trepidation and a whole lot of hope, “Yeah, it worked… but I was wondering… could you give me a Spirit Level?”

  “What? Why? I’ll do anything for you please just take this curse away from me! Please…,” I cry out and clutch the core with both my hands with my head on the pedestal now.

  This news broke me. I collapsed onto the floor into a ball and just cried. I don’t even know why I allowed myself to hope that I could change my fate. I saw what I thought was the light at the end of the tunnel, that is my life, only to find out it was a Angler Behemoth, a giant monster with a light on its head that lives underground. This is worse than when I first found out I was a Zero. I stayed there on the floor crying in a ball for what must have been an hour. Completely unresponsive to Notch, who must of slimed his way down next to me and tried to get my attention. I would have stayed that way for who knows how if it wasn't due to my soul itch, that has been building since I woke up here, was becoming so unbearable that I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I need to head back to the kennels and back to reality. This is when I finally notice Notch trying to get my attention by tapping me on the back.

  “I’m sorry little guy, but I have to go can you show me the way back?” I ask Notch.

  Notch just shakes his slime body back and forth as if to say no and then points up at the core.

  “Oh, Gloop did say he would probably teleport me out of the dungeon,” I say while I get up and put my hand on the core again.

  “No, I do not. I had hope for the first time in months only to see it crumble in front of me. Now I have to go back to being a slave in this godforsaken sewer. Gloop said you could send me out of the dungeon? If you can please do,” I snarl.

  “Please, don’t… I couldn’t go through gaining hope again only to lose it. I… I think it would destroy me. Just please send me back,” I say with tears still making tracks down my face.

  I just stare at the Core, which Notch has climbed back on top of, and finally nod my head numbly.

  “Consent to what?” I ask with unbidden hope starting to build in my chest again.