My Dungeon Daddy System: Raising Monsters and Waifus Underground

Reed woke up staring at himself.

Not in a mirror. In a crystal.

And not just any crystal. It was a massive, throbbing gemstone easily four times his height, jutting out of the stone floor like the earth was offering up a very expensive, very magical engagement ring.

The thing pulsed. That was the first thing he noticed. It wasn't a cold, mineral light; it was a rhythmic, biological surge of blue and violet radiance that washed over the cavern walls like a slow breath. Thump-thrum. Thump-thrum.

Reed stared at it. The crystal stared back, or rather, his reflection did.

He looked… good. Better than he remembered. His hair was mussed in that artfully chaotic way usually reserved for anime protagonists, his eyes were wide, and his mouth was slightly parted.

"…Huh," he said. His voice echoed in the cave, deeper than he expected. "That's… new."

He looked down at himself.

He still had hands. Good. He still had legs. Good. But the body attached to them felt different. Denser. More vibrant. He was wearing simple clothes—dark trousers that fit a little too well, hugging his thighs, and a tunic under a short coat that seemed designed to emphasize shoulders he definitely didn't have yesterday.

He patted his chest. Solid muscle. No phone. No wallet. No blood.

"Okay," Reed muttered, his hand lingering on his own abs for a second longer than strictly necessary. "I'm… somewhere else. Fantasy cave. Big throbbing magic rock. Either I lived, or the afterlife has a really specific aesthetic."

A small chime rang inside his skull. It felt like a notification ping, but one that vibrated right behind his eyes.

A translucent blue square snapped into existence in front of his face.

[BOOT SEQUENCE COMPLETE]

Welcome, NEW DUNGEON CORE.

Avatar status: ONLINE.

Please remain calm while we finalize your existential crisis.

Reed froze. "Oh, good. A tutorial with an attitude."

Words scrolled across the screen in tidy, smug letters.

[PRIMARY IDENTIFIERS]

Name (Avatar): REED

Core ID: #D-0731 – UNREGISTERED Status: Operational (Low-Level)

Current Objective: Do not die immediately.

He turned slowly to look at the crystal again. The connection hit him then—not as a thought, but as a sensation.

It started in his feet, a low-grade hum rising from the floor, and centered in his chest. He could feel the crystal. It felt… warm. Needy. Like a second heart beating in sync with his own, but heavier.

[CORRECTION] You are the Avatar. The crystal is the Core. Together, you are the Dungeon.

Try not to drop either.

"Okay," Reed said, scrubbing a hand over his face. "I died and came back as a basement. A sentient, magical basement."

He closed his eyes and focused on that hum.

It was intense. If he pushed his awareness out, he could feel the stone around him like it was an extension of his own skin. He felt the cold, hard grain of the granite. He felt the empty spaces, the tunnels, the pockets of air like hollows in his own body waiting to be filled.

It was a strange, pins-and-needles sensation, like a limb that had fallen asleep and was just waking up, prickling with sensitivity. It felt… surprisingly good. Like stretching a muscle that had been cramped for a thousand years.

Another window blinked up.

[INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]

You have been selected as the human avatar of Dungeon Core #D-0731.

Responsibilities:

– Developing your dungeon.

– Managing your monsters.

– Interacting with the local "ecosystem" (read: Adventurers).

Failure results in: Permanent non-existence.

"Great," Reed said. "Reincarnated as a landlord with a death sentence."

He waved the panel away. It minimized politely.

"Let's gather data before I start panicking."

He surveyed his domain. It was a circular chamber, roughly twenty meters across. The ceiling arched up into darkness. The floor was smooth near the crystal but rougher further out. Three dark tunnel mouths gaped at the edges, looking like hungry mouths.

The lighting was provided solely by his crystal—a soft, moody blue-violet glow that made everything look like it was set up for a romantic evening in a planetarium.

"Fancy mood lighting," Reed muttered. "Ten out of ten, would brood here again."

Another chime.

[BASIC INTERFACE UNLOCKED] Commands available:

– Status

– Map

– Construction

– Summon (Locked)

"Status," Reed said.

The window expanded.

[STATUS – AVATAR] Name: Reed Level: 1 HP: 100 / 100

MP: 50 / 50

Role: Dungeon Avatar

Traits:

– [Human Perspective]: Increased empathy.

– [Linked to the Heart]: If you die, you respawn at the Core. It will hurt.

– [Hands]: You have them. Use them.

He ignored the snark about his hands and focused on the map. It showed him the layout: one room, three stubs of corridors, and a lot of blank "unformed area."

"Minimalist," he noted. "Very chic."

He tried to expand a corridor. A new tab slid in: [CONSTRUCTION]. But the cost—Dungeon Mana (DM)—was sitting at a big, fat zero.

"Right. Need mana to build. Need intruders to get mana. Need a dungeon to attract intruders." Reed sighed. "The classic bootstrap paradox."

He focused on the [Summon] tab.

[SUMMON]

Dungeon Mana (DM): 0

Available templates (Locked):

– Goblin (5 DM)

– Slime (5 DM)

– Wolf (8 DM)

– Skeleton (10 DM)

"So I'm broke and alone," Reed summarized. "Is there a starter pack? A login bonus?"

The blue interface flickered. It paused, as if the universe was considering whether he was worth the effort.

Then, a progress bar appeared.

[TUTORIAL EVENT – INITIAL SEED] Condition met: New Core.

Proximity to human settlement confirmed. Reward:

– Starter DM: 10

– Monster Template Adjustment: APPLIED

Reed blinked. "Wait. Adjustment?"

The Summon panel glitched. The text blurred, pixelated, and then snapped back into focus with a new, slightly sleeker font.

[SUMMON – TEMPLATES UPDATED] Dungeon Mana (DM): 10

Available templates: – Goblin Girl (5 DM) – Slime Girl (5 DM) – Wolf (8 DM) – Skeleton (10 DM)

System Note:

– All humanoid-compatible templates have been standardized to Monster Girl variants.

– Reason: [ERROR – COSMIC FLAG: "THIRSTY AUTHOR"]

Reed stared at the screen. He blinked once. Twice.

"Monster… girl," he repeated.

The System helpfully popped a small info bubble over the first entry, complete with a silhouette that was definitely not a standard fantasy goblin. It had curves.

[Goblin Girl]

Role: Basic melee/trap assistant.

Temperament: Volatile, high energy.

Additional Note: Clothes are minimal by default to facilitate cooling in underground environments.

Recommend… supervision.

His mouth opened, shut, then opened again.

"Is the System roasting me?" he asked the empty room. "Or is it trying to sell me something?"

Silence. The crystal just pulsed its warm, rhythmic beat, which now felt a little more… suggestive than before.

"Okay," Reed said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "So. I died, got reincarnated as a dungeon, and my army of darkness is going to be… waifus. With personality issues."

He looked at the DM counter: 10.

He could afford two basics, or one wolf. But he needed hands. He needed a builder.

"Goblin Girl," he muttered, reading the stats. "Engineer archetype. Rude gremlin energy."

It was the logical choice. The fact that the silhouette promised "minimal clothes" was purely incidental. Obviously.

"I'm doing this for the infrastructure," he told the crystal.

He selected the template.

[CONFIRM SUMMON]

Monster: Goblin Girl

Cost: 5 DM

Proceed? Y/N

"Proceed," he said.

The mana counter dropped. The air in front of the Core thickened.

A circle of faint, yellowish light traced itself on the stone floor. It sizzled, smelling of ozone, hot metal, and something musky and wild.

The light surged up—not a holy beam, but a jagged, energetic column of power. Inside, a silhouette formed. It was short—maybe four feet tall—but dense. Reed could see the outline of powerful thighs, the curve of a compact torso, and a messy mop of hair.

The light snapped inward.

Thump.

Something landed on the stone in a crouch.

Reed stared.

The System hadn't been kidding about the "minimal" part.

Standing in the circle was a girl with vibrant green skin and messy dark hair chopped into a bob that framed a sharp, angular face. She wore a pair of brass goggles pushed up on her forehead.

Her outfit was… technically clothing. It consisted of a battered, oil-stained leather top that was little more than a bandeau, struggling valiantly to contain a chest that defied goblin biology. Her "pants" were denim shorts so distressed they were practically begging for mercy, held up by a heavy tool belt slung low on her hips. Leather straps crisscrossed her torso, drawing the eye to the toned, sweaty definition of her abs.

She smelled like a workshop—grease, iron, and honest sweat.

She stayed in her crouch for a second, one hand on the floor, looking up at him with bright yellow eyes. Then she stood up, dusting off her knees.

She planted her hands on her hips, which popped the leather straps across her chest with a faint creak.

"Well," she said, her voice rough and surprisingly husky, like she'd been smoking gravel. "About damn time someone turned the lights on down here."

She looked at the crystal, then turned her gaze on Reed. She looked him up and down—slowly. Her eyes lingered on his shoulders, then dropped to his waist, then came back up with a smirk that was entirely too confident for someone standing in her underwear.

She stepped closer, invading his personal space immediately. She jabbed a thumb at her own chest, the motion causing a fascinating amount of bounce.

"Name's Grika," she declared. "Goblin engineer. You the idiot rock that summoned me, or just the pretty face they stuck on the front?"

Reed's brain stalled. He had three thoughts:

She is very green.

That top is a structural miracle.

Did she just call me a pretty face?

"I, uh," he stammered, trying to keep his eyes above her neck and failing. "Yes. Both. Dungeon core and… pretty face, apparently. I'm Reed."

Grika squinted at him. She reached out and poked his arm with a calloused, green finger.

"Solid," she muttered. "Not a hologram. Good."

She looked up at him, grinning. Her teeth were sharp.

"Well, Reed-the-rock," she said. "Congratulations."

She turned and slapped the side of the summoning circle with her bare foot. The sound echoed loud and wet against the stone.

"You just hired yourself the best damn goblin this side of the bedrock. Try not to get us both killed in the first week, yeah?"

She stretched, arching her back. Her spine popped audibly. The leather straps across her midriff tightened, digging into green skin. She groaned in satisfaction, totally unaware, or perhaps fully aware, of the view she was presenting.

"Man, being corporeal feels good," she sighed. "Everything's so… tight."

Reed felt a flush rise up his neck.

Behind him, the crystal pulsed, sending a warm buzz through his bones that felt suspiciously like approval.

Another window chimed gently at the edge of his vision.

[FIRST MINION SUMMONED]

Goblin Girl – Grika

Role: Engineer / Basic Melee

Loyalty: 15 (Curious)

Morale: 12 (Relieved to exist)

Trait: [Shortstack Energy] – Underestimate at your own peril.

Reed stared at the notification, then at Grika, who was already wandering off toward the wall, bending over to inspect the floor in a way that put her denim shorts on full display.

He exhaled a laugh that came out a little hysterical.

"Right," he said under his breath. "Dungeon Daddy, day one."

He rolled his shoulders, trying to regain some composure.

"So," he called out, his voice cracking slightly. "Grika. What's the first order of business?"

Grika looked back over her shoulder, winking a yellow eye.

"First order, Boss?" she grinned. "We make this place livable. I can't work if I'm sleeping on cold rock. My back needs support."

She gestured to her chest.

"And clearly," she added, "I need a lot of support."

Reed rubbed his face.

"This," he whispered to himself, "is going to be the death of me."

He followed his first monster girl into the dark, trying very hard to focus on the architecture.