Five years ago, dungeons began appearing all over the world without warning.

  From snow-capped mountains to bustling cities, from quiet villages to scorching deserts, massive stone structures erupted from the ground—bringing with them chaos. Monsters poured out from their gates, attacking indiscriminately and claiming countless lives. In a matter of days, the world changed forever.

  Nations with strong militaries scrambled to contain the disaster. Some succeeded, building barriers and defense systems to slow the invasion. Others were less fortunate. Entire countries fell. Regions were transformed into lawless no-man’s-lands overrun with creatures beyond imagination.

  But the world didn’t end. It adapted.

  Soon, people discovered that those who entered a dungeon and survived their first exposure to its energy would awaken something extraordinary—a system interface, like something out of a video game. It granted stats, levels, and a personal skill. Some could conjure fire or enhance their senses. Others gained healing, detection, or reinforcement abilities. It was strange, surreal, and terrifying.

  At first, people avoided the dungeons. Who wouldn’t, after witnessing the carnage?

  But as stories of survivors gaining power began to spread, everything changed. That long-forgotten hunger for adventure stirred awake. Especially among men, the idea of becoming strong—of earning riches, fame, maybe even heroism—proved irresistible. Dungeon exploration quickly transformed from suicide into opportunity. A profession. A lifestyle. A dream.

  Ray had once shared those dreams.

  If it had been his old self—the one who still had his family—he probably would’ve been the first to jump in.

  Eager to get stronger. Ready to chase glory. Maybe even imagining himself as a hero who could save the world.

  But reality had other plans.

  On the very day the dungeons appeared, Ray was supposed to attend his cousin’s wedding. His entire family went—parents, siblings, uncles, aunts. Ray, however, didn’t make it. He was stuck at work, tied up with a project at his company.

  The dungeon appeared right at the ceremony grounds.

  No one made it out.

  Monsters tore through the crowd before anyone even knew what was happening. The joyous occasion turned into a massacre in seconds. And just like that, Ray lost everything.

  For weeks afterward, he drifted through the days in a numb haze. His workplace—the only thing anchoring him—shut down just a few months later, crushed under the economic chaos following the global dungeon outbreak.

  Ray tried to live quietly, away from the madness. He moved between cities, picking up odd jobs, avoiding dungeon zones. For a time, he clung to the idea that he could still live a normal life.

  But the world didn’t allow for that anymore.

  The economy rebuilt itself around the dungeons. Cities near dungeon entrances turned into booming hubs of commerce, training, and trade. The Dungeon Explorer Guild was established to manage exploration rights, crystal trading, and licenses. Specialized businesses popped up like mushrooms: equipment shops, survival gear outlets, training schools. Dungeon exploration became the most lucrative—and dangerous—job on the planet.

  Eventually, Ray gave in.

  Not because he wanted to. Not because he dreamed of becoming a hero.

  But because it was the only way forward.

  ***

  Ray glanced at the streamer briefly before turning his attention back to the number display. He silently hoped the guy would just sit quietly and not bother him. Ray wasn’t used to being the center of attention and didn’t enjoy it.

  “Hey, bro! How’s it going?!”

  Of course, the streamer spoke up—loud and full of energy. And to make it worse, the camera turned toward Ray.

  The man beside him had a flashy look—short, spiky dyed-orange hair, a sleeveless black hoodie with a glowing neon-blue logo on the chest, and a chunky pair of white sunglasses pushed up onto his head. He wore fingerless gloves and had a small mic clipped to his collar, clearly used to streaming on the go. His expression was wide and animated, always shifting like he was constantly performing.

  Ray gave a faint smile. “Good,” he said, then quickly looked back at the display screen, silently wishing his number would be called soon.

  He didn’t know the streamer’s real name, but he recognized him. The guy was known online as TinCanThink, or just TCT. He was loud, always full of energy, and popular enough that even Ray, who didn’t watch many streams, had heard of him.

  "So, how much you got today?! Mind if I taking a peek?!"

  Ray reluctantly agreed and opened his bag, showing the crystals inside. He hoped TCT would just glance at them, find nothing interesting, and move on. But deep down, he knew that wouldn’t happen—not today. Not with what he found.

  “Damn, bro! Was that a red crystal?!” TCT leaned in closer, voice rising with excitement. “Look, guys! This champ right here got a red crystal!”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  The camera zoomed in on the inside of Ray’s bag. Ray let out a quiet sigh but didn’t say anything.

  “This is from a boar, right? Man, you must be, like, at least level 20 to beat one of those!”

  Ray didn’t respond.

  He knew that when a boar’s crystal turned red, it became much more dangerous. Faster, stronger, and tougher to kill. He remembered how the creature’s hooves cracked the hard dungeon floor with each stomp. That alone was enough to prove how much its power had increased.

  But he had no idea what level someone was “supposed” to be to handle one.

  He only knew that he had survived—and won.

  TCT grinned, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

  “Yo, what’s your Dungeon Explorer ID? I gotta check your stats, pal. No way you’re walking around with a red crystal at, like, level five or something.”

  He pulled out his phone and leaned in slightly, camera still pointed at Ray, waiting for a response.

  Reluctantly, Ray muttered, “Ray4653.”

  “Re—what?” TCT leaned in closer, cupping a hand around his ear. The crowd noise had picked up, making it harder to hear.

  Ray repeated it, a little louder this time. “Ray4653.”

  He had to say it twice more before TCT finally caught it and started tapping it into his phone.

  “Got it... Alright, let’s see—whoa! Bro! You’re level six!”

  TCT’s eyes went wide, and he immediately started tapping around the screen like an excited kid. His body rocked with energy, barely able to sit still.

  “And you’re not even in a party!”

  He whipped his phone around to the camera, showing it off to his viewers. “Look at this, chat! Solo run, level six, and he got a red crystal! This guy doesn't even have a skill!”

  Ray slouched slightly, avoiding eye contact, wishing he could melt into the chair.

  Suddenly, TCT fell silent. His grin faded into something more serious as he looked at the camera, then turned to Ray.

  “Look, pal…”

  He reached over and casually wrapped an arm around Ray’s shoulder, lowering his voice like they were old friends sharing a secret.

  “I know—you’re a solo player,” he said, nodding sympathetically. “I respect that. I really do.”

  Ray blinked, unsure where this was going.

  “But at least update your status, man. Come on,” TCT continued, giving him a light shake. “What’s your real level, brother?”

  His tone was playful but insistent, like he was sure Ray was hiding something.

  Ray gave him a tired side glance. “That is my real level.”

  TCT blinked again, then stared into the camera like he couldn’t believe what he just heard.

  “You hear that, chat? Level six. Still swears it.”

  He pulled away dramatically and let out a laugh, shaking his head.

  “Man, either this guy’s the luckiest hunter I’ve ever met, or he’s a dungeon monster in disguise.”

  TCT paced in front of the camera now, waving his hands like he was in the middle of an argument with himself.

  “He doesn’t even have a skill!” he exclaimed, pointing dramatically at his phone.

  “No skill, solo run, level six, and he’s carrying a red crystal! Nah, this has gotta be a false level. You gotta be hiding your skill.”

  He spun back toward the camera. “You guys seeing this? I mean—come on!”

  Ray just sighed and leaned back in his chair, trying not to meet anyone’s eyes as more people nearby started watching with interest. Some were whispering, others chuckling quietly.

  TCT leaned in again, pointing a finger at Ray with joking intensity. “If you tell me next that you cleared the second floor solo too, I’m filing a bug report to the devs!”

  Ray didn’t respond. He just stared at the number display above the counter.

  925.

  Almost there—just one more before his turn.

  But the commotion had clearly slowed things down. The staff looked distracted, some even glancing over at the little crowd forming around TCT.

  Ray’s phone started vibrating nonstop. Message after message, notification after notification—all from the moment TCT had spoken his ID aloud. But he didn’t even bother to check. Right now, he just wanted to get this over with and leave.

  He shifted in his seat, clutching the strap of his bag a little tighter.

  Please just call my number already.

  And finally—his silent prayers were answered.

  Beep.

  926.

  “It’s my turn,” Ray said quickly, already rising from his seat. “I need to go.”

  He didn’t wait for a response. He slipped out from under TCT’s arm and walked straight toward the counter.

  The small crowd, now fully aware of who he was, instinctively parted to let him through. Their eyes followed him, some curious, others whispering, and a few holding up their phones.

  TCT called out from behind with a grin, “Be safe out there, pal!”

  Ray didn’t look back. He just wanted to finish the exchange and disappear.

  After completing the transaction, Ray finally left the guild, feeling completely drained. Social interaction wasn’t his strong suit—and being the center of attention had left him mentally exhausted.

  He received 500 D-Coins from the exchange.

  D-Coin, short for Delver Coin, was a digital currency created after the world changed. It was now used globally, especially by dungeon explorers. One D-Coin was roughly equivalent to ten cents, making 10 D-Coins about the same as 1 USD.

  Ray had earned 200 D-Coins from the four blue crystals, and 300 D-Coins from the single red one.

  Outside, the evening air felt cooler, quieter. He took a deep breath and pulled out his phone.

  A wall of notifications immediately flooded his screen.

  He opened the Dungeon Explorer app, and his eyes widened.

  Over 50 messages.

  More than 500 new followers.

  Ray stared at the screen, frozen. A nervous chuckle slipped out as he dragged a tired hand down his face.

  'Why?! Seriously… why?'

  The little red dots just kept popping up—likes, comments, DMs. Notifications piling on faster than he could even process.

  He let out a long, defeated sigh.

  ‘Whatever... people will probably forget about this by tomorrow.’

  Ray turned on the “receive messages from friends only” and “reject all friend requests” features.

  He never expected there would come a day when he’d need those kinds of settings.

  With a sigh, he turned off the screen and slipped the phone back into his pocket, as if that would somehow make it all go away.

  Still feeling mentally foggy, Ray figured he needed to recharge—badly. His feet began moving almost on instinct, carrying him toward his usual spot.

  It wasn’t exactly close. The café was tucked away a good distance from the guild, hidden beyond a handful of winding side streets if you came from the gate. But maybe that was exactly why he liked it. It was quieter here—secluded, calm, familiar.

  And today, more than ever, he needed that kind of place.

  When Ray finally reached the café, the familiar warmth of the old building wrapped around him like a soft breeze. The comforting aroma of roasted beans and faint traces of cinnamon drifted through the air.

  Behind the bar, like always, stood a familiar face. A composed middle-aged man, dressed sharply in attire more suited for a bartender than a barista—black vest, white shirt, rolled-up sleeves, and a neatly tied tie. He polished a cup with practiced ease, glancing up only when the door chimed.

  Ray remembered the first time he came here. He had paused at the door, confused, thinking he’d walked into a bar by mistake.

  But now, this was one of the few places where he could just breathe.

  “Ray.”

  The man greeted him with a warm smile, his voice calm as ever while he continued polishing the cup in his hands with practiced ease.

  “You’re quite late today. Did something happen?”

  “Ah, no. Nothing to worry about, Master,” Ray replied, rubbing the back of his neck with a tired smile. “Today was just a little harder than usual. Took more time to find a monster on the first floor. Not to mention, the guild is quite cramped at this hours.”

  The man nodded knowingly, setting the polished cup down behind the counter.

  As Ray glanced around, he noticed the café was almost empty—just one other person seated quietly at a corner table, eating alone. The soft hum of the overhead lights and the faint clink of utensils created a peaceful, almost sleepy atmosphere.

  “You must be tired. Go take a shower first,” the café owner said, giving Ray a gentle nod.

  “Yeah.” Ray returned the nod and made his way to the staff room in the back.

  Inside, the cozy room was lit by a warm ceiling lamp, and a faint smell of detergent lingered in the air. Sitting on the bench, half-curled over her phone with a wide grin on her face, was a young woman in a waitress uniform. Her ponytail bounced lightly as she giggled at something on the screen, completely unaware that Ray had entered.

  Her name was Rena. Her shift was supposed to end an hour ago—but for some reason, she was still here.

  Ray glanced at her but said nothing. He quietly made his way to the lockers, intent on getting changed and washed up. He had just opened his locker when her voice suddenly rang out.

  “Oh! Ray! I saw you on Glitch!”

  Ray froze.

  He knew exactly what she was talking about. Glitch was the streaming platform that TCT used for his broadcasts. And today, unfortunately, Ray had somehow ended up in one of them.

  “Y-yeah… that was quite an experience for me,” Ray murmured, a little embarrassed.

  "I never knew you had to be level 20 just to beat a red crystal boar!"

  Yeah, I’ve never heard of that either, Ray agreed silently, barely holding back a sigh.

  He’s probably just exaggerating for the views, he thought,

  “Well, I’ll go take a shower.”

  Ray tried to dodge the topic and immediately headed to the bathroom after putting his things inside the locker.

  “Ah, wait!”

  She still had something to tell Ray, but he had already vanished into the bathroom.

  https://ko-fi.com/notrix