God Core
Demi Harper
Deep beneath the earth, Corey is reborn as a God Core - a sentient crystal with unusual powers - whose worshipers are a colony of incompetent gnomes scratching out an existence in an underground grotto. Threatened by adventurers, raiding kobolds and a rival dark god, Corey must protect and guide his gnomes with the aid of a helper sprite and evolving creatures. When a greater threat rises, the gnomes must abandon all they built and brave the surface in a monumental exodus.
Progression: God-core/dungeon-core progression verified from Goodreads synopses: protagonist grows as a God Core crystal by gaining and guiding worshiper gnomes (faith/denizen-driven divine growth), evolves a menagerie of creatures (newly evolved creatures), and faces a rival dark god with a powerful avatar (explicit divine power ladder). Book 2 is billed as the second in a new generation of LitRPG and Dungeon Core stories, inspired by god sims (Black & White), dungeon managers (Dungeon Keeper) and civ builders - domain/denizen/evolution advancement is central.
Goodreads
