Dungeon Engineer

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Engineer reborn as a dungeon core in a fantasy world.

Ike was a hobbyist clockmaker and former aerospace engineer enjoying his retirement on a habitat station orbiting Saturn. Unfortunately, his hard-earned peace was disturbed by a rapid decompression event and his resulting death.

Contrary to his expectations, Ike found himself reincarnated as a handicapped and supposedly-man-eating dungeon core in a fantastic realm of wonder, magic, dragons, and wizards! Faced with a luckless start in this hostile new world, Ike will have to employ his new-found near-perfect recall of his past life experiences along with ingenuity to survive and manifest his ambitions while struggling with morality.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:This is my first time ever writing fiction. Don't expect quality.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2019
Author: Hoophy97

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.4/ 5.0
Followers: 3,560
Views: 1,423,525

Chapters(49 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

SeratarRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Review as of chapter 11
Dungeon Engineer is a story that moves about as slow as they come. This is not a bad thing, but it is definitely directed at people who are interested in worldbuilding, and a slow progression towards becoming more powerful. If you are here for quick action and an overpowered main character, then you have come to the wrong place.
Refreshingly, I have only seen one real grammar snafu, and no spelling ones. The fact that I don't remember it enough to talk about it tells me that it wasn't that bad. The author obviously takes great care in editing his chapters. Sometimes I feel that the paragraphs are a little long, but they never descend into a wall-of-text deathtrap from which no information can escape.
The story appears to progress in arcs. I have just finished what I tentatively call "alone as a dungeon" arc. That is after close to ten chapters. As I said before, this thing doesn't move fast, but that is one of its strengths.
I am reserving most of my judgements about characters for now, as I have only met two of the secondaries. However, those two secondaries strike me as being just a bit too convenient for the MC. One is a (mostly) honest merchant who seems to be the golden boy of the town. The other is a mage who seems a little more helpful than he is first portrayed.
5/5, would read about directed evolution again.
TigerCannonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Like most people, I usually ignore 5 star ratings and rarely give them, but this one deserves it. Not because it's some masterpiece with masterful prose or genius subversion of tropes, but because it succeeds in doing exactly what it set out to do.
The story is about a scientist reincarnated as a dungeon core, who sets out to methodically determine how the world around him works, and how to make it work for him. That's the premise of a lot of stories, but virtually all of them get side tracked with the dungeon having to constantly fight off invaders, or adopting pets, or becoming human, etc etc. So far, this story has avoided all of those, and seems to have the framework set up to stay on course for quite a while.
The story has stayed on topic, Ike has stayed true to his goals, and complications have kept to a plausible level, rather than an endless string of fortune and misfortune. There are some info dumps, but they are handled well, not just the narrator explaining the world, but Ike giving his take on things he has learned off camera, or humanoids having a convenient but not implausible conversation. The dialogue is limited, but that's the nature of a dungeon core novel, and when it does occur, it flows well and seems natural enough.
It's not the most ambitious story, but it does what it sets out to do, and I'm looking forward to future chapters. If you've been disappointed by a lot of dungeon core novels, give this one a try, it's worth it.
(Also, the writing/style reminds me most of chrysalis, so if you enjoyed that style, be sure to give it a read.)
forgedRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A good take on the dungeon core cliche. Pretty baller everything honestly. 10/5
Edit: I can safely say that after reading more, the author is legit galaxybrain. 12/5
MarcBot NopeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
On book 3 and the every important character beeong female and every relationship being lesbian kinda gets old.
Just dail the "every woman being lesbian" from 12 to 4 and even Ols grump men like me could stomach it.
The world building is whats stopping me from dropping the story.
NarilRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is among the best dungeon related stories I've read. I'm really enjoying it so far. Can't wait for more.
For a first story this is amazing! This is better than many things I've read on this site that were third or fourth to the author.
patoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Aamoeba wizard
Mamoeba wizard
Oamoeba wizard
Eamoeba wizard
Bamoeba wizard
Aamoeba wizard
Wamoeba wizard
Iamoeba wizard
Zamoeba wizard
Aamoeba wizard
Ramoeba wizard
Damoeba wizard
-0.5 for lack of amoeba wizard
That's really the only shortcoming. I don't have any other complaints and I'm not going to praise the story to high heaven either, because the other top reviews already did that. Amoeba wizard.
I'm also not going to outline what the story is about, because:
- that's tiresome
- you don't give a shit about my opinion anyway
Dungeon core stories are so prolific on this site that, if you haven't read any of them yet, it doesn't matter because this one is a good place to start :')
edit: a tardigrade wizard is acceptable too
KoboldPatrolRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
(as of chapter 20)
An old space engineer (Ike) dies and is reborn as a dungeon core. Oh, how unusual, a dungeon core story, have you already stopped reading because you think you know what happens next? Well, yes and no, don't run away yet. The dungeon core indeed gains mana from living things and uses it to build tunnels and rooms and expand its domain. But the difference to the usual stories is that the science is much harder than usual, as indicated by the name 'Dungeon Engineer' (engineer stereotype: facts only, not creativity or fun allowed). No disintegrating of walls and bodies, no summoning of monsters and materials from thin air, all the matter has to go somewhere. This means the dungeon has to find a place for the excavated materials and the monsters (which so far are just modified animals) are born, not created. The other thing is that those stories usually have hordes of adventurers congregating on the young dungeons to slay and loot everything, breaking everything in the process; while here there are indeed humans building a settlement next to the dungeon, they are only there for the mana-rich environment and the strategic placement near the country's border, they haven't even noticed the dungeon yet. How long will that stay the same and what will happen then? DUN DUN DUUUN!
Style: The story is told in first-person limited style, most of it from the dungeon core's point of view. A tiny part (one scene showing one of the humans) is in third-person style. There are lots of detailed descriptions about the creatures, materials and surroundings the dungeon discovers, as well as explanations on various biological species and technical processes, that means you even learn new stuff while reading! Recurring references to the fourth wall give the reader the impression to be part of the story. The text is comfortable to read with great choice of words and a smooth flow of the sentences.
Story: As told above, there is much detail in building the dungeon and creati
UlbertRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
There is only one glaring problem with this fiction. That it is discontinued... Probably.
If someone really enjoys overcomplicated descriptions, that take whole chapters, give this a read. The pacing is as slow, as glaciers melt in comparison to an icecube in the sun.
But alas. It is a great work for a writers first try. I just wish, he'd continue.
Carson6319Royal Road
★★★★ 3.5
If you have read "release that witch" you know stories can be very technical/informational whilst still being very engaging.
This story has its strong points where the author clearly loves research and thorough logical writing to give context to the characthers actions. The sugar rush energy that often seems to be the main characthers personality is also a real blast.
That said, I got to a stage where I started to glass over with the writing at around chapter 30. Its because the writing feels more like its info linked by plot then plot linked by info.
The goal of "being safe" does not really connect. He is hiding but he is quickly discovered by the only group we have met that hes not engaging in communication. He is weak but his army of helpers and unique weapons development is embellesed with a feeling of epicness.
There is no real hooker that is dragging me onto the next point. I was hoping it would be the characther interactions. Unfortunately, even the mc points out he was dissapointed by others muted responses like what he is doing is common in a magical world.
With no emotional drive or grandoise vision I unforunately failed to engage with this outside of the humourous energy of the mc. If you can enjoy writing simply for the technicality go for it. The dungeon builder approach is very different from normal.
I would suggest when the author comes off of hiatus he considers whether he wants some kind of major antagonist or overarching clearly epic goal that will bring along people who want more then logic.
Billy32Royal Road
★★★★ 3.5
i am loving reading this every day now haha its a good dungeon story
love it keep going !