History Literature / TheDivineDungeon

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: The leaders of each nation also tend to be the highest ranked cultivators of that nation.

So far the series contains three books: Dungeon Born, Dungeon Madness, and Dungeon Calamity.

** When Dale witnesses a robbery of a small store and decides to steo in all he can think to say is "[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Stop, criminal scum!]]" And immediately [[TakeThat feels stupid that it was the only thing he could think of.]]

The debut [[RPGMechanicsVerse LitRPG]] series from Dakota Krout.

* CastFromExperincePoints: The description of enchanting says that it does this in story terms. It takes away a part of the cultivation pool of the enchanter, which functions as the stand in for EXP in this universe, instead of just using essence which the cultivation pool holds which would otherwise refill itself as time passes. It's described as being an unpopular choice for this reason.

* OurElvesAreBetter: They come with the standard mix of cultural and physical traits. Oddly, their long lives are the result of each of them being powerful cultivators instead of an inherent part of their race. There are 5 types.

* OurGoblinsAreDifferent: They are the end result of mixing all of the sentient humanoid races and are the main reason half-breeds have such a hard time. They are typically small misshapen things that are treated as slaves when they aren't killed off as a matter of course.
** A small band of them eventually finds Cal and start worshiping him as their Great Spirit. He makes copies of them and alters them into Dungeon Goblins with the best features of each race instead of the worst.

Cal has all of the answers to these age old questions, for a very simple reason. He is a Dungeon Heart, a soul forced against his will into a magical stone. After several lonely years, Cal was able to regain sentience, allowing him to form new memories while slowly growing a dungeon around himself. With help from a friend, Cal learned how to create monsters and traps, increasing his power and size quickly.

* InsistentTerminology: Evan the half-orc/half-dwarf is a Dworc, thank you very much.

* {{Deuteragonist}}: Dale. About half of each book focuses on the trials and tribulations he goes through setting up and developing a city around Cal.

* IKnowYourTrueName: Bonding with an Ideal's True Name are requirements of the mage ranks and above.

* SoulJar: Cal was turned into a dungeon by his soul being forced into high quality beast core.

* OurGoblinsAreDifferent: They are the end result of mixing all of the sentient humanoid races. They are typically small misshapen things that are treated as slaves when they aren't killed off as a matter of course, and are the main reason half-breeds have such a hard time. A small band of them eventually finds Cal and start worshiping him as their Great Spirit. He makes copies of them and alters them into Dungeon Goblins with the best features of each race instead of the worst.

* Really700YearsOld: Cultivating essence purifies and heals the body. Someone at the top of the F rank will be healthy and fit well into typical old age, with lifespans only going up from their. Mages can be several hundred years old, and people S rank and above are essentially immortal.

* TheCorruption: A more benign example than most. Here corruption is the term for essence with a muddled imprint of its previous existence that can't be incorporated when cultivated. High levels of it are the usual cause of the negative effects of old age and can prevent someone from raising their cultivation rank. There are ways to purify absorbed corruption, but they are either slow and require advanced techniques or quick but dangerous and unpleasant, so smart cultivators are very sure to purify any essence through their chi spiral before they absorb it.
** Cal's ability to purify his own core and manipulate corruption are just another thing that makes him unique.

* Checkov'sGun: [[spoiler: The Beast core Dale gets from the celestially charged golem.]]