Lucas had his legs casually propped up on the armrest of his couch, hands gripping his phone, eyes glued to the screen.
His plan for the day was simple: stay home, fine-tune his skill setup, maybe grind a few virtual dungeons, and wash it all down with a cold soda.
But it seemed fate had other ideas for him.
Just as he entered the prep screen for another dungeon run, a notification popped up, snapping him upright.
[Alert: Reality dungeon 'Rift Valley' is experiencing abnormal activity. The dungeon entrance will open soon. Please choose carefully if you wish to enter.]
"Wait, what?" Lucas's internal alarm bells went off immediately.
As a cautious player, he knew "Rift Valley" was a mid-level dungeon, and to make things worse, the Rift King, the dungeon boss, had given even the most experienced players a run for their money.
Sure, Lucas had run this dungeon in the virtual world countless times and knew the layout and monster patterns like the back of his hand, but real life was a whole different game.
In the virtual world, dying just meant hitting "respawn," but in reality, you only got one shot.
Lucas knew he didn't have any "extra lives" in the real world. Plus, as someone who had just recently mastered a few starter skills, jumping into a tough dungeon like this was practically asking for trouble.
But there was a part of him that hesitated.
The monsters in the real dungeon would sync with the virtual one, meaning he could scout things out in-game first—a strategy Lucas loved for its safety.
"Maybe I should just check it out? I could stay outside the entrance and see what's happening," Lucas thought, trying to convince himself that he could do it without actually getting involved.
Just as he was about to dismiss the notification, another one popped up.
[Urgent: Monsters are active near the Rift Valley entrance. All adventurers, please report to prevent a breach.]
"Seriously?" Lucas nearly dropped his phone. This kind of emergency message was not what he wanted to see.
Monsters near the entrance? That meant there was a real chance they could break out into the real world!
Sure, the odds of a dungeon breach were low, but it wasn't impossible—and if those monsters did get out, it wasn't just adventurers who'd be in danger; regular people would be at risk, too.
"Looks like my quiet day just went out the window," Lucas grumbled as he stood up.
He didn't want to get involved, but he also couldn't just sit by and let monsters roam the streets.
He threw on some clothes, grabbed his phone from the table, and headed out the door, albeit reluctantly.
When Lucas arrived at the Rift Valley entrance, the scene was already tense.
A crowd of adventurers had gathered—some gearing up for battle, others fine-tuning their equipment.
A few cautious types, like Lucas, lingered on the outskirts, clearly not eager to dive into the action.
Lucas kept to the edge of the crowd, doing his best to blend in as just another face in the crowd.
His plan was simple: watch, gather intel, and stay out of trouble.
Charging in alongside the high-level pros wasn't just reckless—it was suicide for someone like him, who had only just swapped out his starter skills.
As he glanced around, he overheard some nearby adventurers talking in hushed tones.
"Word is, the Rift King might be up to something. Even the officials haven't figured it all out yet."
"Yeah, that thing isn't just any boss. It can control rift monsters and summon Rift Wraiths. If it breaks out of the dungeon, we're in big trouble."
"The officials are still assessing the danger, but these monsters aren't waiting around for them to decide."
Lucas's stomach flipped. "If the Rift King really breaks through, this is gonna be a nightmare," he thought.
That boss was no joke—it had caused enough trouble inside the dungeon, and its minions, especially those Rift Wraiths, were a nightmare to deal with.
A chill ran down his spine as he tried to calm himself.
The reality of a dungeon was way more intense than the virtual world, and any misstep could end very badly.
But the more Lucas tried to stay low-key, the more fate seemed determined to drag him into the thick of things.
Just as he considered quietly slipping back a few steps, a sudden surge of energy rippled through the air.
Lucas whipped his head around, spotting the dungeon entrance as the space around it started warping.
The rift was expanding fast, and with it came a deep, menacing growl.
"You've got to be kidding me. Are the monsters actually coming out?" Lucas's heart pounded in his chest.
Panic set in as he instinctively stepped back, but by then, the adventurers around him had already begun prepping for battle, and some were even rushing forward.
Before Lucas could react, several dark figures darted out of the rift—Rift Hounds!
They looked even more terrifying than the ones in the virtual dungeon, moving faster and with a palpable sense of menace.
"Nope, nope, nope. No way am I fighting those things head-on!" Lucas's mind screamed as he instinctively tried to back away, but just as he turned to bolt, one of the Rift Hounds lunged straight at him.
"Are you kidding me?!" Lucas's palms were sweaty as he quickly activated Wind Dash, narrowly dodging the hound's attack. It slammed into the ground, snarling, its eyes locked onto him.
"Stay calm, stay calm," Lucas whispered to himself, forcing his nerves to settle.
He repositioned himself, created some distance, and then, with a quick flick of his fingers, fired off a Fire Blast.
The flames hit the hound directly, causing it to howl in pain, but it wasn't enough to bring the beast down.
"Yup, real-world monsters are way tougher," Lucas thought, grimacing.
He didn't have time to mess around—he quickly activated Frost Shield, throwing up a shield just in time to block the hound's next attack.
The hound swiped at him again, claws scraping against the barrier.
Lucas took the chance to retreat further and launched another Fire Blast, finally taking the creature down.
He was panting hard, shaken by the close call.
No matter how familiar he was with these monsters in the game, fighting them in real life was a whole different ballgame.
"I knew it—real dungeons are way more intense than the virtual ones," Lucas muttered, relieved he wasn't torn to shreds.
But before he could fully catch his breath, a deeper, more sinister growl echoed from the rift.
Lucas turned to see a massive figure emerging—a Rift Wraith.
This one was even bigger than the ones he'd seen in the game, shrouded in dark mist with glowing, eerie eyes. Clearly, it was some kind of mutated version.
Lucas's heart sank. There was no way he could take this thing head-on.
His Frost Shield might've been enough for the Rift Hound, but it wouldn't last against something like this.
"Okay, this is bad," Lucas thought, racking his brain for a plan.
The wraith moved faster than he expected, lunging at him without hesitation.
Lucas quickly activated Wind Dash, dodging out of the way just in time.
"No close combat—it's way too strong," Lucas reminded himself as he put more distance between them.
He tried firing off a Fire Blast, but the wraith was even quicker than the hound, easily dodging his attack.
"Great, can't even land a hit!" Lucas felt panic bubbling up but forced himself to stay calm.
He'd faced Rift Wraiths in the game before—they were fast, but their speed and invisibility drained their energy quickly.
If he could keep dodging, he could wear it down.
"I'll just have to outlast it," Lucas thought, forming a plan. He kept his distance, dodging the wraith's attacks, forcing it to keep chasing him. As predicted, the wraith's movements started to slow.
When it made another lunge, Lucas seized the opportunity. He aimed carefully and hit it square in the head with a Fire Blast.
The flames consumed the wraith, and with a final, haunting screech, it disintegrated into the air.
"Got it," Lucas exhaled, his legs feeling wobbly.
He glanced around and saw the other adventurers fighting off more monsters, with some even charging toward the rift to stop more creatures from spilling out.
"I'm really not cut out for this," Lucas thought with a sigh. But he knew today had taught him a valuable lesson—real dungeons were far more complicated and dangerous than the virtual ones.
He needed more than just skill mastery; he had to stay calm and adapt quickly to the chaos.
"Looks like I've got a long road ahead," he muttered, already thinking about how he'd review this fight and learn from it.
While he was relieved to have survived, Lucas knew this was just the beginning.
Real-world dungeons were only going to get tougher, and he'd have to be even more prepared for whatever challenges came next.
But that was a problem for future Lucas. Today? He had enough on his plate just making it out of this mess in one piece.