Amid dark, winding corridors, someone's footsteps alternated between running and limping, as if fleeing from death itself. Sweat poured down his face, and his clothes were torn, reflecting the chaos of the moment; mud stains covered the fabric, strips of cloth dangled, and his face was marked with scratches that told the story of his escape from those wicked creatures. Behind him, the sound of roaring shook the walls, as if the monster chasing him was only a step away from devouring him.
"Please! Just give me one minute!" Alex shouted as he rounded a tight corner, trying to catch his breath. But the monster responded only by increasing the pace of its pursuit. Alex's muscles tightened with exhaustion, but he didn't dare stop.
Just when Alex thought he might have escaped, he felt a powerful force pulling him back. "Ah! No, no, no!" he screamed as he rolled on the ground, tangled with the massive monster that now had him in its grip. As the creature lifted him high, preparing for a deadly strike, the motion suddenly stopped, as if time had frozen.
Alex turned to look directly at the reader, ignoring the foul breath of the beast on his neck. "Oh, hey there! You're probably wondering how I ended up here, right? I mean, why is a huge dungeon monster chasing me and... is that a smell of fish?" He took a quick breath, then continued with a forced smile, "But never mind, I'll explain everything to you, just give me a moment."
The scene rewinds, as if Alex is replaying a tape of his memories, back to the moment he woke up that morning. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and Alex barely opened his eyes when he felt the warmth of the sun on his face. "Ah, a new day, finally a chance to relax." But before he could enjoy his laziness, the tattoo on his arm began to glow and vibrate annoyingly.
"Wait, what's going on now?" Alex muttered as he tried to ignore the tingling that began to spread through his body. But the tattoo wasn't about to leave him in peace. Suddenly, a strange list of challenges appeared in front of him:
"Required daily exercise: 10 km run, 100 push-ups, 100 squats, ... Time remaining: 24 hours."
"Oh, of course, of course!" Alex mocked, "What's next? Do you want me to fly to the moon?"
As time passed, Alex continued to ignore these instructions, preferring to lie on the couch and watch episodes of his favorite show. He never realized that the countdown was a warning of dire consequences.
And the moment the deadline passed, he felt something strange happening. The air around him began to change, as if the universe had decided to punish him for his laziness. Suddenly, without any warning, Alex was pulled to another place, as if he had slipped through a black hole. "Oh, what a mess!" Alex shouted as he found himself in the middle of a dense forest, surrounded by dungeon monsters on all sides.
In an unimaginable moment, Alex found himself surrounded by piles of giant rocks, while the huge beast tried to shake off some of them with frantic movements. "Okay, I get it now, I didn't do the exercises!" Alex shouted as he tried to get out from between the rocks. "But why can't the punishments be less terrifying? Like, why isn't there some incentive, like a reward instead of monsters?"
And now he stands before the reader, the monster holding him by the neck. "Okay, I should have run, I know! But who would have thought that ignoring a simple exercise would lead me to this?" Alex sighed as the monster's grip tightened around him. "You know what, let me get back to this fight. Promise, I'll try not to die!"
As the beast prepared to bite Alex, the mysterious power of the tattoo suddenly pulled Alex away from the creature back to his room, where he lay breathing heavily and feeling dizzy.
Alex woke up to find himself back in his bed in his room. He lay on the bed, looking at his arm where the tattoo glowed faintly. He slowly lifted his head, then sat on the edge of the bed, angry, his features distorted with fatigue and frustration.
"Punishment period is over."
"You... you bastard!" Alex shouted, pointing his fingers at the tattoo, "What were you thinking? Transporting me to a place full of monsters just because I didn't do my exercises?! I could have been killed there!"
Alex began pacing in his room, talking to the tattoo as if it were a real person, "You know I was about to become dinner for a dungeon monster, right? Is that what you want? To kill me in a horrible way? Why can't you be like any normal tattoo, just a beautiful decoration?! Do you need some cream to be less evil?"
Then Alex sat on the bed and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "I know, I know... I should have done the exercises. But, you know what? I can negotiate. How about five extra minutes of sleep every morning?" he said, grinning sarcastically, "And no more monsters, okay?"
But the tattoo remained silent, indifferent to Alex's sarcastic offer. Alex forced a smile and said, "Alright, I'll do the exercises next time... maybe."
Then he lay down on the bed, but mumbled softly before closing his eyes, "I hate you, I hate you so much." And despite everything, he couldn't help but feel a bit grateful that the tattoo had brought him back to his room before he became monster food.
While Alex was lying on his bed, he suddenly recalled the school day he was supposed to attend. He slapped his forehead and said loudly, "Oh god, I can't forget that!"
Alex jumped out of bed quickly, frantically gathering his scattered clothes. He grabbed his phone quickly to check the time, opened the app to check the date and hour. "No, no, no!" he screamed as he stared hard at the screen, "It can't be! I only spent a day in that dungeon?! I thought I spent seven days there!"
The reality began to sink in. "Wasn't time in that dimension moving faster than real time? Wasn't it?" he said, looking around in confusion, realizing that time in the dimension the tattoo had transported him to moved slowly compared to reality.
He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, then began preparing frantically. "Okay, I need to move fast!" he said, running to the bathroom in his torn clothes from the dungeon adventure.
The process was completely comical: he found a mismatched jacket and wore it inside out, while wearing ripped jeans in a way that made his steps stumble. He threw his school bag over his shoulder haphazardly, and grabbed a shirt from his closet in the wind, while trying to be ready as quickly as possible. While trying to tie his shoes, his school bag fell to the floor, then he discovered it contained a huge amount of old books he didn't know were there. He also forgot to wear socks, causing him to trip with every step.
While preparing, he shouted to himself, "I hope no one notices my appearance! This is not the best time to look like a clown!"
After finishing the preparation as quickly as possible, Alex hurried out of the room. As he closed the door behind him, he looked at the phone again to make sure he wasn't too late. "I only have a few minutes left to get there!" he said as he headed toward the dormitory door, ready to face an unexpected school day, but took one last look at the tattoo on his arm, contemplating the course of events.
Alex entered the lecture hall late, panting from the run that hadn't stopped since he left the dorm. He was dressed in torn clothes, having made a hasty attempt to fix his appearance, which made him stand out awkwardly among the neatly dressed students. Everyone looked at him in surprise, and some laughed openly.
Alex stopped at the door, standing there for a few seconds as he tried to catch his breath before making his way to the professor who stood behind the desk.
"Welcome, Alex! It seems you've arrived at an inconvenient time!" the professor said loudly, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "Can you explain why you're late and why you look like this?"
Alex tried to smile despite his embarrassment and answered nervously, "Sorry, I was caught in an unexpected situation. I'll try to be on time next time."
"Well, since you're late, we need to find a seat for you," said the professor, pointing to an empty seat next to Simon, who was sitting in the far corner of the hall. "Sit next to Simon over there."
Alex moved to the seat beside Simon, a weak-looking student with large glasses and a wrinkled shirt. Simon looked at Alex with a mix of curiosity and sympathy.
Alex sat down next to Simon, who seemed unaccustomed to being the center of attention and gave Alex a shy smile. "Hi, Simon. Sorry I had to sit here."
Simon, feeling at ease with the situation, responded gently, "It's okay, Alex. I'm here all the time, so don't worry about it."
The professor began the lecture, ignoring the students' mocking glances and light comments. "Alright, let's continue with today's topic on the basics of statistical analysis."
As the lesson began, Alex tried to focus but felt uneasy under the continued stares and laughter from some students. While the professor continued with the explanation, Alex pretended to be interested and looked at Simon for some notes, trying to ignore the sarcastic atmosphere around him.
---
As the professor continued his lecture, he decided to pose a question to stimulate thought and discuss an important topic. The professor looked up at the students and said, "Let's take a short break from the lecture and discuss an important topic. How do the superpowers of dungeon hunters and adventurers work, and why do these powers vary from person to person?"
The room fell silent as students began to think about the answer. After a moment, Tom, the bully student, raised his hand confidently and said, "I think superpowers depend solely on physical strength. The stronger a person is physically, the stronger their powers are."
The professor smiled kindly and said, "Thank you, Tom. But your answer isn't complete. Does anyone else have a better idea?"
Attention turned towards Simon, who sat in the corner next to Alex. Simon looked nervous, and it was clear he needed a moment to gather his courage to raise his hand. But he finally mustered up the courage and raised his hand slowly.
"Yes, Simon, go ahead with your answer," the professor encouraged.
Simon, looking very shy, cleared his throat and tried to speak with confidence. "Actually, superpowers are not just a result of physical strength. They depend on several factors, such as genetics and heredity, which give a person certain traits. Additionally, training and conditioning play an important role; some people can develop their powers through special training techniques. Environmental and psychological factors, like willpower and personal experiences, can also affect the quality of superpowers."
The professor smiled and said, "Excellent answer, Simon. That's the correct explanation. Superpowers are influenced by a variety of factors, not just physical strength."
The students in the room began to laugh quietly, with some focusing their gaze on Tom, who looked visibly frustrated. Tom scowled, clearly expressing his anger, and glared at Simon, muttering to himself, "Damn you, Simon."
Tom then sat back in his seat sulkily, refusing to interact with anyone else, while Simon tried to hide behind his glasses, embarrassed by the attention his correct answer had drawn.
The professor remained calm and resumed the lecture, saying, "Alright, let's move on to how to enhance superpowers through training and conditioning. We'll cover various strategies for developing and improving the abilities of hunters."
As Alex tried to focus on the new topic, he felt some relief that Simon had managed to give a correct answer despite his shyness, and he looked at Simon with appreciation.
As Alex left the university after a grueling day, his steps were heavy, his feeling a mix of deep exhaustion and the longing to return home. But all those feelings vanished in an instant when he heard a noise coming from a nearby alley. It was a mix of faint crying and pained groans, like the sound of someone being harmed.
Alex stopped suddenly, his senses jolted. He turned towards the alley to witness an unexpected scene:
To be continued..._