"So.. How come our apartment complex is still standing? It should be in rubble while otherworldly monsters come through killing every living being they can find, coating the ground red!" I said.
Jennifer looked stunned as she responded.
"What are you talking about? That would be a horrible situation!"
"Huh? Isn't that how this usually goes?"
"What do you mean?? This is obviously the first time something like this has happened!"
"But then, why would it warn us to run away?"
"Even though we didn't know what would happen next, it didn't seem completely cruel to allow us all to die with no explanation, considering it gave us a short 5-minute opportunity to escape!"
"That—That makes sense!"
Her mouth formed the shape of an 'O'. She stared at me as if I had no clue about the situation. I felt a bit embarrassed about that. My gaming and fantasy story experiences are irrelevant now. Applying that knowledge made no sense. I still imagined the reality would not be far off, but I stayed silent.
We decided as a group to head back inside. The message from the system showed the job's completion. With no monsters in sight, the danger should be over. I entered with the other apartment tenants.
I went to my place to check for damages. Then I saw movement in my bedroom! A low humming reverberated continuously. I can't recall having anything in that place that generated noises. What caught my attention was the movement of light from the open door. A blueish hue traveled around my room. I could not perceive the source. As I moved nearer, I observed something magical! I saw ancient gray stones enveloped in lines of moss floating around the periphery of a black hole, a black and blue hole. It sucked nothing in like a vacuum, but it definitely appeared capable. The swirling motion of the gate was slow, combining the blue light and complete darkness. I didn't recognize the symbols on the stones. The composition was made up of circles and lines that intersected. I absorbed everything as I stood in that spot. So this was a dungeon gate!
Wait… In my bedroom? How am I supposed to sleep with that thing there?
I scratched my head, looking at the large gate. It severely affected my apartment's gross area. I needed to talk with my landlord about this!
Then, is it safe? Is there a possibility of monsters appearing here? Is it possible that this system isn't directly aiming to exterminate humanity? What a mystery…
I went to my neighbors and told them the gate was in my bedroom, causing them all to come and look.
"Wow! It's like something from another world!"
"Yeah, this is really unbelievable!"
"Hey be careful! The system said to be cautious, as there are dangers inside!"
"They're running a national broadcast on TV right now. They say to not enter anything suspicious and wait for the authorities to gather information on what's going on."
Many of the tenants were taking pictures of the gate. It was mind-boggling to see it. With no one knowing what to do, everyone went to their own place. Of course, Jennifer gave me a word of warning before leaving. Yet, how was I able to avoid succumbing to the temptation of being one of the first to delve into a dungeon? I wasn't.
After confirming that everyone had left my apartment, I grabbed the largest kitchen knife I owned. As someone who enjoyed sharpening knives as a hobby, all my kitchen knives were scary sharp. I didn't have any armor handy, unfortunately. As soon as I had completed my preparations, I returned to the bedroom. As I stood in front of the gate again. The only thing I felt was excitement. This was the world I wanted! What would I see on the other side? Fluttering butterflies filled my stomach. I could not wait any longer. My eyes closed, I stepped through the swirling gate.
A warm summer breeze gently brushed against my cheeks. I caught a whiff of a pine forest in the air. My eyelids opened. It was a beautiful grassland scenery. Grassy plains stretched ahead. A forest of trees surrounded the plains. In the distance, the tall mountains reached towards the sky, creating a majestic backdrop. The forest trees blocked my view. I couldn't see any monsters.
*Ping!* *Ping!*
[BEGINNER]
- Welcome to your first dungeon.
- Since you have not yet awakened, you have permission to leave the dungeon.
- If you can kill a monster from another world, you will become awakened.
The gate was still swirling with its glowing blue hue and floating stones behind me.
How nice, at least one can change their mind! Close.
I read the [DUNGEON] prompt next.
[DUNGEON]
- Goblin Camp.
- Level: 0-5.
Goblins! And it's a beginner dungeon, no less! This seems like something I can overcome.
As I took in the scenery for a minute, amazed by how this world connected to my bedroom, I pondered how to move forth. The grass plains seemed safe, but right now I wasn't looking for safe. I experienced a sense of anticipation as I moved towards the forest. The sound of the humming gate grew faint, overshadowed by the soothing rustle of the leaves. The scent of pine and earth growing stronger with each passing moment. I entered the forest, ready to find my first target.
Inside the forest, I didn't notice any movement. The only movement in the stillness was the gentle swaying of the leaves, stirred by the breeze. The forest appeared darker, allowing only a few scattered rays of light to enter. I delved further.
*Grrrr* "Ke-huk Keke-huk!"
That must be a goblin!
I continued, making my way closer to the origin of the sounds.
"Ke-keuk!"
That's when I spotted it, a genuine goblin in its small, green body! The creature was wearing a loincloth to cover its modesty and had a small dagger that it used to skin a rabbit. It appeared to be around one meter tall and had a slender physique. Its face was far from appealing, with a few strands of black hair scattered sparsely across its head.
I hid behind a tree, thinking about how I should approach this. Despite not feeling scared, I had to be cautious because it was holding a dagger. I have no prior combat experience and have never been in a physical altercation. I didn't want to end up in a dangerous situation this early in my new life.
The goblin was skinning a rabbit. I didn't want to make any mistakes before I awakened, so I waited. Eventually, the goblin would move, and I might be in a better position. Given the fact that there were no goblins near the gate, I was certain that the goblin camp would be located deeper in the forest. If I were able to wait until it started moving in that direction, I would be able to approach it from behind.
About a minute passed, and the goblin finished. The goblin stored the dagger in its loincloth strap around its waist, then held the skinned rabbit in one hand. It started heading further into the forest. Everything was going as expected.
I was closing the distance. My movements were silent. All my life I've been walking silently, rolling my feet with every step. I never stomped my feet. It was a habit of mine. It seems to have paid off now, as I didn't even have to think about it.
*puuuuuuuut* "Kehhehek!"
The goblin let out a sneaky fart; it seemed to enjoy that. To avoid being poisoned by the toxic gas in my general direction, I side-stepped the fumes.
Only 10 meters behind it now. I ceased moving between trees and increased my speed while maintaining a quiet approach.
Just as I was an arms-length from the monster's body.
"Krrrr?"
The goblin must have noticed my presence, but I swiftly and cleanly struck the back of its neck with a wide sweep of my knife before it could defend itself.
*Swish!*
I felt the knife open up a large wound in its flesh. Knowing that wouldn't be enough to kill it immediately; I continued my rotation from the arc of my slash, all the way to a 360 degree spin. Swinging my foot with the hardest kick I could to its head.
"KWEUK!!"
The impact of the kick widened the wound even more as it fell over to its left side. It struggled to get back on its feet, pushing itself off the ground. I stabbed the kitchen knife through the back of its throat. It stopped moving. I got the confirmation I wanted soon after.
[CONGRATULATIONS]
- You have awakened!
- You now have access to menus.
- You will gain a starter talent and a skill book as your first awakening reward.
- You can no longer exit the dungeon.
- Kill the boss to open the dungeon gate.
This is when everything changed. I could feel it in my body. Something was different. I knew what I wanted to see next.
Stats!