The forest clearing buzzed with quiet activity as the group prepared to leave. Bikes stood propped up, their metallic frames gleaming dully in the pale moonlight. Jason adjusted the straps of his pack, muttering under his breath about the wear and tear the dungeon run had inflicted on his gear. Nearby, Nick secured a rifle to his saddle while Brick made a show of inspecting his gloves with deliberate nonchalance.
Little Red and Madi stood off to the side, their expressions pensive. The events of the dungeon lingered in the air like a phantom, unshakable and heavy.
“Helmets on, folks,” Little Red called, her voice cutting through the quiet. “We’re burning moonlight.”
Jason grabbed his helmet and began to slip it on when he froze, his fingers hovering mid-air. His eyes widened as something flashed across his vision.
“HOLY SHIT!” he blurted, the helmet perched awkwardly atop his head.
Every head turned toward him.
“What is it now, rookie?” Brick drawled, striding over with his usual swagger. “You step on a squirrel, or did your helmet turn into a pumpkin?”
“No, no, no, you guys don’t-!” Jason stammered, pointing wildly at the space in front of him. “Do you see this? Tell me you see this!”
Nick stopped what he was doing, his expression shifting from mild annoyance to genuine concern. “See what, Jase?” he asked cautiously. “What are you talking about?”
Jason jabbed at the air, his voice rising. “The notification! It’s -it’s right there! Don’t tell me I’m the only one who sees this!”
Brick crossed his arms, clearly unimpressed. “Kid, you’ve officially lost it. There’s nothing there.”
Madi, still standing near Little Red, furrowed her brow and activated her HUD. Her eyes widened as a system notification filled her vision.
“Wait,” she said sharply, stepping forward. “He’s not crazy. I see it too.”
Little Red blinked, her own interface flickering to life as the same notification appeared. She read it carefully and her pulse raced as the details came to life.
Global Announcement:
WORLD’S FIRST ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED
History has been made! The Party of the Unchained Phoenix has achieved the first recorded dungeon conquest. Titles and achievements are now available.
Participants: Jack, Little Red, Madi, Big Red, Nick, Jason, Brick, Molly, and Rando.
Bonus rewards applied: Titles, achievements, and exclusive bonuses unlocked for classed members. Restricted rewards for unclassed members until class selection.
Full interface available upon class unlock.
Little Red’s breath caught as the implications hit her. The words “World’s First Achievement” blazed in her vision like a neon sign, impossible to ignore. Her gaze darted to Madi, whose expression mirrored her own mixture of awe and disbelief.
She was relatively sure that whatever this was, not everyone was seeing the entire message.
“What the hell does this mean?” Nick asked, his voice slicing through the silence. He looked at Jason, who was still gaping at the notification, then at the rest of the group. “Someone please explain what’s going on.”
Brick raised an eyebrow, his skepticism giving way to cautious curiosity. “Okay, I’ll bite,” he said, stepping closer to the brothers. “What are you seeing that the rest of us aren’t?”
Jason waved frantically. “The system! The freakin’ system! It just gave us all a notification. A world announcement, or whatever. Look!” He said pointing into the air at the invisible message.
Madi exhaled, her voice calm but edged with excitement. “It’s the system acknowledging us as a party. We all get some benefits for being the first to defeat a dungeon, but…” She hesitated, glancing at Little Red.
“Benefits, like what?” Brick asked, narrowing his eyes.
Madi swiped through her interface, scrolling quickly before pausing. “It looks like stats, mostly.”
A wave of murmurs swept through the group. Brick scowled. “What the hell does that even mean?”
“C’mon Brick, you’ve played games before,” Nick offered. “Think about it.”
But Brick waved him away. “Not that kind-”
Jason’s face lit up as he explored his limited system. “Wait, wait, there’s more! It says something about titles being linked to achievements. Like, we all get boosts, based on our achievements.”
Madi and Little Red exchanged a glance, their group chat flaring to life in a ripple of sub-vocalized communication.
Madi: “This is huge. If this system’s gone global, people everywhere will be waking up to what’s out there.”
Little Red: “Yeah, but why now? And why us? Why not immediately after we cleared the dungeon? What triggered it?”
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Madi: “It’s got to be tied to the dungeon collapse. Who knows, maybe Jack did something, too.”
Little Red: “We need answers.” Once again she found herself regretting not asking for Jack’s number. She wondered if he had seen the same message. For that matter, she wondered who else had seen it.
The telepathic exchange lasted only a heartbeat before they returned their attention to the group. Brick’s frustrated voice carried over the others, but before he could say more, Rando let out a low whistle, his face illuminated by the faint glow of his limited system interface. He leaned against his bike, scrolling through his display with a mix of awe and disbelief.
“Okay, okay,” Rando said, holding up a hand. “Listen to this! I found the bonuses section. Says here: ‘Title Awarded: Ascendent Vanguard (Limited). Bonuses: +1 to Primary Attributes, +5% increased resistance to environmental hazards.’” He looked up, a smug grin spreading across his face. “I’m practically indestructible now.”
“Don’t get cocky,” Nick muttered, though he leaned closer to peer at his own bonuses.
“Let me enjoy my moment, man,” Rando replied, still scrolling. “Oh, wait, there’s more! ‘Bonus granted: Beginner’s Luck – 2% chance of mitigating critical damage.’ Boom! I’m basically a walking cheat code.”
Brick rolled his eyes. “Congratulations, you’re slightly less squishy.”
Rando ignored him, his grin widening. “What’d you guys get?” He glanced around the group, and everyone echoed his gains, with minor variations.
Jason was pouring over his own bonuses and whistled as he read them out.
“Bonuses:
* Primary Attributes:
* +1 to Mind
* +1 to Body
* +1 to Spirit
* Skill Buffs:
* Vanguard’s Resilience: +5% health regeneration outside combat.
* Beginner’s Luck: 2% chance of mitigating critical damage.
* Experience Gain: +5% bonus experience in dungeons.
* Achievement Tracker (Limited): Allows viewing of pending achievements and limited progress tracking.”
Nick whistled, “That experience bonus is no joke.” There was a rumbling of agreement as everyone looked over their own stats and bonuses.
Then Rando glanced toward Madi and Little Red who had remained silently non-committal, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. “How about you, Madi? Boss?”
Madi minimized her HUD, exchanging a brief glance with Little Red. “Oh, you know,” she said vaguely, “same ole’ same ole’.”
Little Red nodded, her expression unreadable. “Nothing too exciting.”
Rando squinted at them, clearly suspicious. “Uh-huh. Sure.”
Little Red: “Can you see what I’m seeing?”
Madi: Yup. “Interesting development, to be sure.”
Little Red: “Yeah, it doesn’t seem as if the others can see what we see.”
Madi: “Maybe it’s because we’re both classed, and we have full access to the system?”
Little Red: “That’s what I was thinking.”
She looked at each of the members of her party, and when she focused on them, she was able to see their titles on display. Just like a game, she thought. Including their nameplates.
She wondered if it was something that could be turned off, or if their achievements -or at least their titles- would always be on display, forever marking them as dungeon divers. That’d be rough if it were true.
She looked at Madi’s title, and thought it was fitting.
Title: Shrine Blessed Mendicant.
She wasn’t able to see the details of it. What it granted or possible flavor text. But if her own title was anything to go by, Madi was benefiting greatly from the dungeon clear. She made a mental note to go over with Madi what they had gained when they had a moment to spare.
She considered her own title, and found herself wondering what Jack’s was, as she read the details.
Title: Breaker of the Eternal Heart – granted for the destruction of a high tiered dungeon’s core with the use of Crescents of the Veil blades.
Bonuses (Classed):
* Primary Attributes:
* +7 to Body
* +5 to Mind
* +5 to Spirit
* +15% bonus to Primary Attributes when in proximity to a dungeon.
* Skill Buffs:
* Veilbreaker’s Edge: +15% damage with dimensional or shadow-based weapons. Increases critical strike chance by 10% when attacking dungeon cores or entities linked to dungeon cores.
* Shadow Walker’s Insight: +10% perception in low-light or obscured environments. Grants temporary True Sight (5 seconds) when activating a dimensional ability.
* Dimensional Riposte: Gain a reactive skill that allows instantaneous movement up to 10 meters when taking damage. Limit once per encounter. When in dungeons, limit removed.
* Eternal Resonance: Shadow and dimensional abilities cost 20% less energy when used inside dungeons.
+10% Experience Gain in Dungeons.
* Title Effect:
Breaker’s Authority: When leading a party in a dungeon, all party members receive +3% damage resistance and +2% attack power. Additionally, enemies linked to dungeon cores suffer -5% to all defenses against the party’s attacks.
* Special Unlock:
Dimensional Rift: Grants access to a one-time-use ability that opens a portal to a safe location from a dungeon. Cooldown: 14 days. Dimensional Anchor must be chosen prior to use. Range limited by Class Circle.
Other Perks:
* Achievement Aura: Others can sense the aura of your achievement, leading to a boost in reputation and charisma-based interactions.
* Achievement Tracker: Gain access to a special system tracker for monitoring future achievements and unlocked titles.
Before Rando could press the issue, Molly chimed in, her brow furrowed as she addressed the group. “Did anyone else notice how the notification was worded?” she asked. “It said, ‘Titles and Achievements now available.’ Not just for us. What if… it’s a system - world-wide thing?”
Big Red, sitting against his bike with his arms crossed, gave a slow nod. “Makes sense. If it was just for us, why make such a big deal out of it? ‘World’s First Achievement’ sounds like it’s setting a precedent.”
Madi and Little Red exchanged another glance, this time more serious. The implications were enormous.
Little Red’s voice was measured as she finally spoke. “If that’s true, and achievements are now globally unlocked by whatever we did… then everything changes.” She crossed her arms, her gaze distant as she considered the possibilities. “People will be scrambling to grab every title, every bonus they can get their hands on. It’ll be a race. A dangerous one.”
“More like the Guinness Book of World Records on crack,” Rando quipped, earning a few chuckles despite the tension. “Except now, everyone’s got a shot at it. Even normies.”
“Except it’s not just bragging rights,” Molly pointed out, her tone sharp. “We’re talking real power boosts. Stat increases, resistances, maybe even skills. People won’t just be chasing achievements -they’ll be fighting for them.”
Big Red rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. “And not everyone’s going to play fair.”
Little Red nodded grimly. “We need to be ready. Whatever this unlock means, it’s going to draw attention. From everyone.”
Madi’s voice was softer but no less serious. “And if people start realizing what we’ve done… they’ll come looking for us.”
A heavy silence fell over the group, filling the air as they considered her words, the weight of their newfound status settling in. It wasn’t just about surviving dungeons anymore. They’d stumbled into something far bigger -and it was only a matter of time before the world caught up.
Finally, Big Red let out a low chuckle, breaking the tension. “Well, at least now we know we’re not crazy,” he said, his voice dry. He looked over at Jason pointedly, “Mostly.”
Jason grinned, his earlier excitement returning. “Hey, if this means I can get a title like ‘Badass Extraordinaire,’ sign me up.”
Brick groaned, rubbing his temples. “God help us all.”
As the group prepared to mount their bikes, the notification still lingered in their thoughts. They might not have all the answers yet, but one thing was clear: the world had changed. And whether they were ready or not, they were at the center of it.