The Queen sat peacefully in her chambers, her hands gently resting on her round belly. Three moons had passed since the discovery of the mysterious rift beyond the palace—what they now called the Royal Abyss Dungeon. She was only three months pregnant, but the whispers of unusual vitality in her body had already begun to spread.
She didn't know the true reason.
Inside her womb, nestled beneath layers of muscle and magic, a mind far beyond human was evolving.
[Inside the Fetal Mind – Arden]
"Three months in this world… and I'm already stronger than I ever was back on Earth."
Arden floated in a dreamlike space of neural impulses and glowing data. Through his quantum soul, he was constantly analyzing, copying, and building.
"Time to begin the real plan."
He had already sent one clone into the dungeon. Created from his Creation and Clone skills, it looked like a young hunter—hooded, anonymous. No one suspected a thing.
His first experiment.
[Dungeon Raid – Clone #001: Kael]
Kael's footsteps echoed through the crystalline corridors of the Royal Abyss. Monsters still roamed inside—low-level beasts left unchecked. Perfect test subjects.
Each kill sent experience directly to Arden's core. But something more interesting appeared at the dungeon's heart.
A Dungeon Core Prototype.
Glowing with runes and still half-formed, it pulsed with primal energy. Arden's clone reached out, and the moment his fingers brushed it—
DUNGEON ACCESS GRANTED
"A personal dungeon?" Arden muttered within his mind. "So the system's still patching in…"
The core connected to him directly, and unlike normal dungeons, this one could be reshaped. Reprogrammed. Owned.
He smiled, but then froze.
ALERT: Celestial System Is Scanning
A ripple of foreign energy brushed over him. The Architect. Watching.
But Arden's Unique Skill—Digital Existence—masked his energy. Every anomaly he caused was interpreted by the Celestial System as a "natural awakening protocol."
"You'll never know I'm here," he whispered.
[Back at the Palace – LINK Protocol: Online]
In a quiet alley by the garden, a guard named Revan sat nursing his wounds. He was just a palace protector—strong but unremarkable.
Until a message appeared in his mind.
You have been chosen by the Awakened System.
LINK Request Pending…
Accept? [Y/N]
Revan gasped. It felt divine. He accepted.
A new interface bloomed before his eyes.
Status Window Activated.
Class: Guardian Initiate
Task: Slay 3 Abyss Spiders – Reward: EXP & Skill Fragment
As Revan rose to his feet, filled with new strength and purpose, Arden smiled. He had just gained:
300 EXP
1 Celestial Coin
Minor Skill Fragment: Hardened Nerves
"Even low-tier awakenings give rewards. That means I can turn every loyal subject into a path toward godhood."
[Within Arden's Mind Palace – Awakening Protocol]
Arden linked two more clones to begin scouting deeper parts of the dungeon. One would train in swordsmanship, the other would focus on magic.
If they awakened new talents, he would awaken those talents too. And when one of them leveled up…
"So do I."
[Unknown Realm – The Architect's Throne]
A massive eye opened in a starless void.
"...A faint anomaly… Dungeon Core access without trigger event. Strange."
But the protocols checked out. The awakened data matched the SSS+ Unique Skill: Digital Entity.
"A rare awakening… but still within parameters."
The eye closed. For now.
[Back in the Palace]
The Queen hummed as she walked beside her King. No one could see the twin souls within her glowing faintly—one burning bright with potential, the other already alive with intent.
Arden whispered from within:
"Let the world believe it's their destiny. But I am the source. The system, the god, the one behind the curtain."
And the real game had just begun.