Haruto's chest heaved with each breath, his body trembling as he stared at the glowing crystal
on the ground. The voice still echoed in his ears, reverberating in his mind. Trapped? The words
felt like a weight in his gut. The realization was suffocating.
For a long moment, he couldn't move. He simply stood there, staring at the crystal, trying to
comprehend what had just happened. But the words were clear: there was no escape. Not
unless he fought—unless he survived.
The ground beneath him quivered again, and a distant sound, like the heavy tread of something
massive, reached his ears. It sent a cold shiver down his spine. He wasn't alone. He wasn't
safe.
Haruto took a step back, his mind racing. The dungeon. He was in a dungeon. He had been
isekai'd, just like the characters in those anime he watched, only this wasn't a fantasy world
where he could level up and become a hero. This was real. No respawns. No second chances.
He wasn't sure how long he stood there, lost in thought, but the pulse of the crystal in front of
him finally dragged him back to reality. With trembling hands, he reached down and grabbed it
again. The warm glow filled his palm, and something strange pulsed through him. For a fleeting
moment, it felt like power—pure, untapped potential—but then it faded.
He stuffed the crystal into his pocket and looked around the cavernous hallway. The dark,
oppressive walls seemed to close in on him. The air was heavy with dust, and the smell of
decay lingered in the corners of his nostrils. His heart thudded in his chest. There was only one
way forward.
I need to find answers. Maybe this... this dungeon holds the key to escaping.
His mind, still reeling, clung to that sliver of hope, even if it felt fragile. He had no other choice
but to push forward.
Hours passed. Or maybe it was days. Time didn't seem to matter here. Haruto kept moving, his
legs aching with each step as he navigated the labyrinthine corridors. The dungeon seemed
endless, stretching far beyond what his eyes could see, as if it existed in its own reality, beyond
the rules of the world he had known.
He hadn't seen any other people since his arrival—only the looming shadows and the faint
sounds of movement in the distance. The deeper he went, the more alien the world became.
Strange markings were etched into the walls, ancient symbols that flickered with a faint, ghostly
light. He could feel something watching him, but whenever he turned to look, the shadows were
empty.
The labyrinth was testing him. But Haruto refused to let it break him. He had no choice.
Eventually, he found something unexpected—a small, crumbling alcove. It was tucked away in a
corner, almost hidden, but the faint light from the ceiling illuminated something strange inside: a
pedestal.
The pedestal was simple, stone, covered in dust. On top of it lay a weathered book, its pages
yellowed with age. A faint hum seemed to emanate from it, as if it was calling him.
Haruto hesitated. A book? He had no idea what it might be, but he approached it slowly, his
instincts screaming at him to be careful. The book seemed important—like it had a
purpose—but what that purpose was, he had no idea.
He reached down and picked it up, feeling a strange energy pulse from its cover as his fingers
brushed the worn leather. There was no title, no indication of what it was, but as he opened the
first page, the words seemed to shift before his eyes, forming into something readable.
"The Dungeon's Guardians are its will. They will test you, break you, but if you survive,
they will grant you passage."
"No one who has entered has ever left."
The words burned into his mind. He quickly flipped through the pages, but they all seemed to
say the same thing: test, break, and grant passage. The further he read, the more unsettling it
became, as if the book itself had been written by some ancient force that had witnessed
countless others like him try and fail.
But then, at the very end, a single line caught his eye.
"To survive, you must become more than human. You must become a part of the
dungeon itself."
Haruto slammed the book shut, his heart racing. Become more than human? The thought sent a
shiver down his spine. Was that what was happening to him? Was this what the dungeon
wanted?
Before he could think further, a low growl echoed through the corridors, breaking his
concentration. Haruto's head snapped up. The growl grew louder, closer. His eyes widened as
the shadows around him seemed to twist and shift.
Something was coming.
A massive creature burst from the darkness. It was unlike anything Haruto had ever seen—a
grotesque, hulking monstrosity with jagged limbs and glowing red eyes. Its body was a mix of
organic and metallic parts, as though it had been cobbled together from the remains of different
creatures. It moved with terrifying speed, its jagged claws scraping against the stone floor.
Haruto froze for a moment, paralyzed by fear, but the moment the creature lunged, his instincts
took over. His body moved before his mind could process it.
Extreme speed.
The words flashed in his mind, and suddenly, he was moving—faster than he ever had before.
His feet barely touched the ground as he darted to the side, narrowly avoiding the monster's
claws. His breath came in ragged bursts as he adjusted to the sudden surge of speed. His heart
hammered in his chest, but something inside him—something primal—began to awaken.
The monster snarled in frustration, its massive form turning to face him again. Haruto's pulse
raced, his mind calculating the next move. He had no choice but to fight.
Without thinking, he reached for a rusty sword that lay discarded nearby, its blade covered in
grime. It was crude, but it would have to do. He gripped the handle, feeling the cool metal
beneath his fingers, and lunged at the creature with all his newfound speed.
The sword slashed across the monster's side, and it howled in pain, retreating momentarily. The
wound bled, but the creature seemed unphased—more enraged than anything.
Haruto's hands shook as he prepared for the next strike. His thoughts were blurry, but one thing
was clear: if he didn't defeat this thing, he would die. And the dungeon would continue to claim
him as its next victim.
The battle felt like it lasted hours. Haruto's body was pushed to the brink of exhaustion, but
somehow, the strange new ability kept him moving faster than the monster could track. Each
time it struck, he was already gone, a blur of motion, barely dodging its blows. But every time he
slashed, it was only a small cut—a minor injury to a creature that seemed almost invincible.
Finally, with a final, desperate move, Haruto darted around the creature's side, driving the rusty
sword deep into its back. The monster let out a deafening roar before crumpling to the ground,
lifeless.
Haruto stood over it, breathing heavily. His body ached, his vision blurred, but somehow, he had
done it. He had defeated the first guardian of the dungeon.
He dropped to his knees, the sword clattering beside him. His body trembled from exhaustion,
but something else surged within him—a strange power, a strange sense of satisfaction.
For the first time since he had arrived, Haruto felt a glimmer of something that might be called
hope.
But deep down, he knew it was only the beginning