I felt my body be put on the cold hard ground. I laid there for a few minutes enjoying my sleep. Then I awoke calmer than I had been for weeks. I now had beaten my first obstacle and I was going to enjoy it. My body feels different, all my wounds were healed, but there was more. The system has accepted me. My body is still my body it’s just connected to something now.
I open my eyes and get up. My shirt is basically gone with only a few scraps left. The life band is still on my wrist no worse for wear. I’ve been deposited at the start of the dungeon the stairs going back up to the world.
I take no look back as walk up the stairs. They seem shorter now as I walk up then. I push open the giant metal door. The guards seem shocked to see me, I’ve probably been the only one to come back up for a while.
A hand rest itself on my shoulder. The same guard as before looks at me, his helmet off. He’s an older man with pure white hair. His smile is the biggest I’ve ever seen.
“Congratulations young man. You’ve survived.” All the guards come forward to shake my hand and congratulate me. When I walk past the lady at the desk she gets up and hugs me. Tightly I thought she would crush me.
I walk back to my hotel immediately taking the curious glances of people wondering why my clothes look like crap. When I finally step into my room, I show my true emotions. Tears of joy run down my face as I relish the feeling of being alive.
I take a long shower then dress myself. Itching at where the band had been. It’s only been two hours since I left so I have enough time to go to the office to get my first official screening. I skip to the elevator where a family has just got on. I don’t mind and squeeze in with them.
“Well that stick that has been up your butt finally been removed I see.” Says I boy my age grinning. I guess I was a little sour the last few days.
“Alexander!” His mother screeches.”You don’t tell people that.”
“Sorry mother, but it’s true,” he says. Then turning back to me.”What was your problem anyway you looked mad stressed out.”
“Oh I just cleared Kid Killer.”
The mother gasp and the father who has been quiet this whole time looks at me.
“You beat Kid Killer!” Alexander ask loudly, the sound bouncing off the elevator walls.”What is the dungeon like? Is it true that you get into the system once you clear it?”
“To answer your second question first yes. I’m going to the office right now to get my first reading. Now to answer your first,” I have to think for a moment. It was scary as hell, but it was also exciting. The door opens before I come up with a answer. The mother grabs Alexander and pulls him out the door saying they have urgent business. The father looks at me walking behind his family. I don’t really think about it my mind preoccupied with the future and the sights of Megalopolis.
Megalopolis is the city built completely around the dungeon. The dungeon is what I just beat or part of it. There are several entrances to the dungeon these are called side dungeons because they are not connected to the main dungeon. The main dungeon entrance is at top of Megalopolis. The dungeon is shaped like a mountain with a plateau on top. Megalopolis is the city built on top of the dungeon and around its base. There is a total of 1,200 side entrances to the dungeon and only one main entrance. The lower levels of the dungeon are considered the easiest, though I wouldn’t call Kid Killer easy, while once you start going higher the dungeon gets much more challenging.
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I walk inside the office. Hundreds of people are packed in here moving around doing their own thing making a deafening combined noise. The office is the bank, the guild and basic equipment shops all in one place. I have a vague idea of where to go, the administration. I just need to locate it. I push into the crowd heading for the center thinking somebody there will be able to guide me.
It’s like fighting a tidal wave that’s moving in every direction. When I try to rush forward someone bumps into me almost knocking me down. Which in this mess can be lethal. So I move with the crowd until someone hits be in the back nocking me to the ground. No one stops to assist me just to step on me. The breath gets knocked out of me repeatedly, then someone steps on my head making me go dizzy. I cup my hands around my crotch protecting the all important groin.
I try to push myself back up but can’t. Then I feel myself rise into the air being placed back on my feet. Standing next to me with their hand gripping the back of my shirt is a tall knight dressed in plated armor with a yellow color scheme.
“I’m going to take you with me for the time being. I do not want innocent blood staining these floors,” he says in a deep voice muffled by the helmet he is wearing.
“Okay that sounds like a plan to me.” I yell over the noise.
The knight moves quickly half dragging me along, his hand never leaving its place on my shirt. People move around the knight making its pase much faster than mine. I look at the walls trying to see if there are any name plates. Yes right in front of us is the administration door with people walking in and out orderly.”I’m heading to the administration room,” I yell to the knight.
“Good that is where I am heading. The lord has blessed us with this meeting,” he says stoically.”And please refrain from shouting the mask does not hinder my hearing.” I nod wondering if he can’t hear the noise in the room. We make it to the door the knight basically cutting in front of everybody trying to enter. The inside is much less chaotic than the outside. With people actually forming rows and organized sitting.
“Is this your first time being screened?” He ask finally letting go of my shirt.
“Yes,” I say adjusting my shirt.”Just past Kid Killer a few hours ago.”
The knight seems to straighten more.
“I see,” he says walking to one of the lines this time not cutting. I follow seeing how he’s helped me so far.”I shall worn you now to keep you from attracting the wrong crowd. Restrain from mentioning you went through Kid Killer the usually patch that comes from that dungeon are sociopathic in nature and tend to die in a sword fight with guild law enforcement.”
Oh, that would explain the family in the elevator. I nod thanking him. The line moves slowly with people being sent off in every direction. When it’s finally the knights turn the person at the desk ask him to take off his mask for clear identification. I thought he would look like the essence of a hero with short hair with mabey a scar going down the side of his face which was weathered by years of battles. The real person under the mask had a few years to them yes but not so much that I would call them old, they had no scars and long black hair. And he’s a women. A she. She says her name which is Zenobia Artimisia a paladin and her coordinator is Mr. Johna. The person behind the desk tells Zenobia to take a seat and wait till Mr. Johna arrives. She walks off leaving me to face the person behind the desk.
“I just got the system today,” I say.
“That means you’re going to wait for a while until a coordinator gets chosen for you. A coordinator is your assigned guide and advisor. The usually wait time is forty minutes. In that time please fill out this form” I nod turning around running into the plate armor of Zenobia.
She looks at me funny.”Are you a sociopath?” She ask bluntly.
“No I’m just cold,” I say walking over to the chairs. That isn’t the first time someone has ask me that. People who met my father thought I’d be just like him so they stayed away from me. Others saw my eyes and were scared. Honesty I never mind munch, it kept people from talking to me. But now I don’t think I have a choice.
Zenobia followed me to a seat forcing someone to get up for her. I feel slightly uncomfortable with her gaze, but I don’t say anything. No way someone who can walk with that armor on is someone I can take in a fight, not yet.