You know what? I''m not even gonna question it.


    Actually, this whole thing feels like a shitty novel that I know from somewhere? My memory is as organized as a high schoolers career plan, not sure about that one either.


    I have two boars now, they used to be mice, but now they''re boars. How does it work? I have no fucking idea.


    I planted Stone Mauler seeds in random spots in the solid rock, far away enough not to be connected to the artificial forest. Why? I don''t know, why is anything here?! Nothing makes sense!


    I actually do know, acting dramatic is like the only thing I have left. The Maulers will create testing chambers for future experiments.


    I carved a few runes into the dire wolf statue, my pink spiritual finger leaving behind what I like to call "liquid mana". I condensed mana just before it reached its ignition point, or I think it is, and then wrap it in a mold of flavored mana which I ran through some wolf hounds. I was tempted to call it "solid mana", but in the grimoire I found spells like "mana blade", "mana lance" and "mana shield" which made me feel un-creative.


    Once the four fangs from each of the alphas was placed into the statues maw it would finish the mana mold of a dire wolf which will cause a domino effect and spawn an entire pack of dire wolfs.


    Each of the dire wolfs would appear with a rune on them. Once the last one has died it would open it would open a hatch at the bottom of the well, effectively draining the water.


    Or, at least, it should if I did the runes right.


    I should at some point put stairs in the well but until I''m finished with the second floor it stays a drop of certain death... as long they don''t pull some unexpected bullshit.


    Now, the second floor...


    I placed a cluster of stone mauler seeds a good distance from the forest floor and pumped them full with mana. As expected they grew rapidly, too rapidly. Roots grew into each other not bothered by the fact that they''re tearing into their own flesh.


    Though I''m unsure if plants can even be bothered. Unlike animals, plants don''t feel pain, they are simply aware of every bit of damage done to their bodies. Doesn''t mean they care though.


    They just turned into a knot of roots constantly sucking nutrients out of each other, quite disappointing actually.


    You still haven''t summoned a companion?


    "Why are you still here?"


    You are ironically a great excuse to do less work than I''m supposed to.


    "Whatever, what did you mean by companion?"


    You would have known if you wouldn''t have skipped the tutorial.


    "So..."


    Usually the system would handle the entire process.


    "... but?"


    Ugh... I will make you work your share though. Basically I will open a door, then you have to extend yourself through it and pull yourself back here again once you feel something pull at you.


    "A door to where?"


    Nowhere and everywhere.


    Am I about to be Schr?dingers cat-ted? An unopened door has the potential to lead nowhere and everywhere until it is opened. Wait, how the hell do I extend myself?A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    At the bottom of the well a vortex came to be. It was unlike anything I have seen, it is as if the very fabric of space was being folded in front of me over and over and over again.


    To be honest, I expected a pond of darkness at first. But this, a violent torrent of space and time leading to everywhere at once, is a whole lot more imposing than an empty dark void.


    I won''t do this a second time.


    Now... I have to extend myself through it? Perhaps I can change my spiritual shape to make it easier...


    Is that a fishing rod?


    "Yes, now be quiet."


    I pulled back, pressing my right thumb against the string of the rod, and swung forth with as much force as I can (theoretically) muster.


    What was that?


    "A practice swing."


    I''m closing the door.


    "Okay okay, fine, I''ll do it."


    I let the string simply fall into the vortex as I can''t really generate force, being a spiritual being and all that.


    "Now, the waiting game."


    I feel like you should use more of yourself than... that.


    "You said extend and pull, those are the two steps of line fishing."


    You can''t just... we are trying to summon a mana being, a child o the Goddess of magic, not a carp.


    "You don''t need a fishing rod to catch carp, you can just hold the bait in your hand for them."


    My point stands, you shouldn''t act like we are fishing here. A Dungeons companion is the Dungeons most trusted ally, a friend who you tell no lie, the only one with whom you''re supposed to share all your weaknesses with.


    This will be kinda a big deal for the rest of your life in this realm.


    "So forever? As a mana being am I not eternal?"


    You are, unless your core shatters. Then your soul will join the river of souls again.


    "Again? You guys put me here?"


    Not exactly, your soul probably was just the closest while this dungeon was forming.


    "So it sucked me in?"


    Oh no no, a newborn dungeon is far too weak to overpower the immortal soul.


    Once you die your soul takes in your core nature. You seem to have a curios nature, curios souls wander the realms without interfering simply observing, remembering, learning.


    You probably approached the dungeon on your own, not recognizing what is before you, you most likely wanted to see the insides of the core to further understand and in the process became the dungeon itself.


    "So I put myself here by sleepwalking after death?"


    Pretty much.


    "Great, I''ve been cursing the air for nothing."


    I suddenly felt something pull on the fishing rod, it wasn''t a strong pull at first but it steadily became stronger with each passing moment.


    I pullet the fishing rod up and started reeling in whatever I caught. It took quite the effort... oh, oh shit. I tried to plant my feet as I was being pulled into the vortex before me.


    I threw my left arm behind me and dissolved its shape. Instead of an arm a beam of pink energy took its stead connecting me to the core and gaining "solid" ground beneath me.


    I loosened the shape of the fishing rod and my right arm, instead a beam of energy connected me to whatever I caught on the other side and I started to pull.


    I was hit by a snail shell and my form was knocked into my core, temporarily disbanding my shape.


    The vortex disbanded, as if we just didn''t break a number of the laws of physics,


    Congratulations, you quite literally pulled a snail spirit.


    "From one headache to the other."


    I manifested before the shell that knocked me back. I''m not sure why but I''m the most comfortable at a height of 165 cm, I''m very exact with my avatar, my body seemingly took its shape on its own, probably how I looked like before my death.


    The snail shell is pretty big, probably 3 m in diameter, but such shells aren''t perfectly round so whatever.


    Some weird noise came out of it and- is that a woman?


    "... rude."


    "What?"


    "You''re rude."


    "We just met."


    "I''ve been summoned before... once, was a lot more comfortable than what you did."


    "Maybe they just did it wrong? You can''t judge the norm from a single experience."


    "I can judge that the experience was a lot better than what you did."


    "What would you know of summoning- what are you doing?"


    The spirit looked like a woman sticking out of a large snail shell but she was unnaturally pale, the only color on her is a magenta light that sometimes pulses through her body in a unevenly manner.


    Long colorless hair covered her face like a ghastly veil, her entire body covered in a layer of mucus that even I could somehow smell, she reeks.


    Her hands rested on my cheeks for a reason beyond me. Then she started to do something.


    "Hey hey HEY, what is this supposed to be?"


    "Hold still you fool and let do my thing!"


    What unfolded was the dungeon lord, he who held command over this domain and was worlds more powerful than most dungeons his age, being smacked on the head by a snail lady who was trying to kneed his face.


    After a rather comical looking struggle Leon was left with a shorter stature and overall tad more feminine appearance, his pink hair was tied to a bun to keep the front of his face clear and the hair at the back of his head was left flowing open.


    "There, you look better now."


    "I didn''t ask for your input."


    "You should have."


    "What do you even do, snail?"


    "My name is Ushinatta, stone, and I can create cunfusion in the minds of people."


    Oh shi- that''s actually very useful.