I stepped through the portal and found myself in the center of a small Town Square. I only noticed a handful of people among the pristine buildings but assumed more must be hidden within. It was also entirely possible that the majority of the current floor’s residents were outside the village.

I suspected the buildings were dungeon creations, given their uniform construction and well-maintained appearance. I’d need to keep that in mind, given the warning about privacy only being guaranteed within artificial constructions. If the buildings were dungeon-made, they might not count.

A few people eyed me curiously from the other side of a semi-translucent barrier, and Lisa informed me of several uses of identification spells. I was no longer trying to hide my status, so the notifications were just for situational awareness. Considering I was on the third floor of the dungeon, falsifying my status wouldn’t make much sense.

Most of the people I could see seemed a bit ragged, and I guessed most, if not all, were from Earth. Figuring I was safe enough for the moment, I turned my attention to an oddly styled notification that had just appeared.

Welcome to the 3rd Floor of the Realm Dungeon!

The rules remain unchanged:

Do not attack anyone within the village.

Do not restrict another challenger’s access to the kiosk.

Upon reaching Tier Four, you have 100 hours to exit the floor.

Reminder: the Accords still apply.

Ascend swiftly, Challenger!

Master Kairos had warned me that I would start on the third floor since I was Tier Three. He’d also mentioned there were a few restrictions in place, and violating the restrictions more than once would cause you to be ejected from the dungeon.

Without a strong enough [Mana Barrier], that would be a death sentence for anyone without special resistances – like those born on high-tier planets. Conversely, elites with such advantages could use the loophole to exit the dungeon whenever they wanted. Most probably had sycophants waiting for them in the town outside the dungeon.

I wasn’t sure where rule-breakers would be transported, only that it was outside the town. Master Kairos made it clear that the dungeon had its own system that was practically sapient, and the dungeon took offense to its rules being broken. Consequently, it was not inclined to make things easy for anyone who dared violate one of its few simple rules.

I didn’t think I’d have any issue complying with any of them, except maybe the last one. Depending on how the exits between floors worked, it might pose a problem. If we didn’t have to sleep to apply levels and the exit was near one of the bosses, it would be simple. Unfortunately, I didn’t think that was the case.

Sir Eri’Non certainly hadn’t needed to sleep to ascend, but that was probably different.

“Hey! Are you from Earth?” someone yelled from behind me.

I turned and found a man with an uneven beard standing just outside the barrier. Curious, I used Assess.

[Frank Lovett – Level 26 – Brewer/Harvester – Ice]

The upgrade to Identify not only gave me the name listed on the individual’s status, but it also showed the person’s profession(s). Both were welcome additions.

Not seeing the point in hiding my origin, I said, “Yes. I’m from Earth.”

“Why are you dressed like that?”

I glanced at my pristine white robes. They did draw quite a bit of attention. “I joined a sect before getting sent here,” I answered. It was a little evasive but not untrue.

“Yeah? What date was it when you left? People have said time runs faster here,” Frank asked. A couple of people nearby moved closer, likely to hear my answer.

“It was the end of June 2034 when I left, and I just arrived,” I said, trying not to think about everyone I’d left behind. I’d wanted to say goodbye to everyone one last time, but maybe it was better this way. I’d figure out how to send messages once I got settled in. Hopefully, nobody would be too upset about my abrupt departure.

“That’s impossible,” one of the new arrivals said. He was short and stocky and looked like he invested almost all his points into Strength. “There’s no way it’s only been a year. And how are you Tier Three already?”

“I already said I joined a sect before I left. That comes with some benefits,” I said, not directly answering the question. “And my Master—” because it was pointless to call him anything else “—said time goes five times faster here than it does anywhere else.”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“I told you we’re on Sira,” the new arrival said to his companion as he shoved the other guy’s shoulder. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“And I told you this isn’t a game,” his companion grumbled, putting more space between the two of them. I wasn’t sure what kind of relationship the two had, but they didn’t seem all that friendly with each other.

Interjecting, I said, “No, he’s right. We’re on Sira. Earth was reintegrated into the Alliance, just like the intro of Atlas Online described.” The massively popular Deep Immersion Virtual Reality game had been a primer meant to train the people of Earth for what was coming. Now that the reintegration was effectively complete, the equipment still provided skill training and entertainment.

I’d even brought my kit with me, just in case it worked within the dungeon. Given the added time dilation and the obvious spatial shenanigans I could sense, I somehow doubted it would work the way I’d hoped.

“It figures the aliens would take over. It was only a matter of time,” someone grumbled, but I didn’t see who it was.

“How’d you get stuck here if you’re part of a sect?” Frank asked conversationally. With the rules against attacking others within the village, I wasn’t overly concerned for my safety, so I slowly made my way toward the edge of the slightly elevated platform.

“The elf took my brother. My Master made a deal with him to let me come instead,” I replied.

“Why would you do that?” another man asked scornfully. “You know we’re all going to die here.”

Glancing toward the angry man, I used Assess once again.

[Landon Torres – Level 23 – Hunter – Magma/Air]

After verifying my [Barrier] talisman was still working – just in case – I stepped off the platform. “It’s a challenge dungeon. The point is to grow stronger.”

“The elf is probably watching us right now, laughing,” the man scoffed.

I glanced at the village around me. All of the buildings were built using a similar style. It reminded me of some pictures I’d seen of quaint medieval villages. Everything looked pretty cozy. It was hard to believe we were in a dungeon.

“He’s not watching, but others are,” I said distractedly. I was tracking the people around me through Spatial Sense as I looked more closely at the surrounding buildings. One had the Alliance emblem for ‘tavern,’ and I headed that way. It had been a while since I ate, and seeing the sign made my stomach rumble in anticipation.

I brought my MealMaker and a backup recipe crystal, but it didn’t seem like a smart idea to expose my advantages, especially not among a group that seemed pretty solidly anti-alien. I didn’t blame them, really. Had I been kidnapped and tossed into a dungeon after being tested on, I’d have issues with the group responsible as well.

“Why do you say that?” a new voice asked, drawing my attention to a middle-aged woman.

[Susan Tomlin – Level 27 – Healer/Herbalist – Water/Life]

Good, they have a Healer, I thought before saying, “Because Sir Eri’Non – that’s the elf’s name – was in the process of ascending when I got sent here. Also, I was told the dungeon is not private. Anyone in the town outside could be watching.”

“Like one of those live-streamed dungeon crawl stories?” a younger voice asked. By this point, I’d started to draw a bit of a crowd, and the number of eyes watching me was making me quite uncomfortable. It was like every human in the village had gathered to question me.

“No,” I said. “I don’t think it’s like that. It’s not being broadcast to everyone. Only people in the dungeon town can watch us.”

“So, someone is probably watching me when I’m taking a crap—” the Strongman’s companion said.

“Or jerking off,” the stocky guy joked, elbowing the taller man and nearly knocking him over.

“If you’re doing it outside, then, yeah,” I said bluntly. “I’m not sure about inside the buildings, though. The Gatekeeper said only artificial structures were protected, but these might be dungeon-made.”

“Wait. Who is the Gatekeeper?”

I explained the individual I’d met moments before – someone none of the other challengers appeared to have interacted with. It made me wonder exactly how they’d entered the dungeon if not through the Gatekeeper’s portal.

My curiosity about the Gatekeeper and how the others had arrived was sidelined when I entered the tavern and noticed a golem standing behind the counter.

“A new guest! Welcome to the Third Floor!” the humanoid golem said enthusiastically. “The first drink is on the house, and rooms are available for rent if you’d like to sleep within the safety of the town. I accept credits or trade in payment.

“Meals are available since your fellow challengers have been bringing me ingredients. I have stew and grilled rabbit. No, I do not provide special vegetarian or vegan options, even if you do provide the ingredients. If you have personal dietary restrictions, I advise you to obtain a culinary skill or two since your demands will not be catered to by dungeon staff.”

The last part surprised me since most taverns I’d been to were very accommodating to their patrons. Then again, they essentially had the market cornered, and it wasn’t like there were any alternatives available for those unhappy with the services provided. Also, I was pretty sure any legitimate food allergies or sensitivities would have resolved by the time someone reached Tier Three.

“Has that been an issue?” I asked hesitantly.

The golem twitched a few times. “Not beyond the second floor, but you are new, so I wanted to ensure you were aware.”

I was intrigued to learn the golems could communicate across floors, and I mentally noted the fact in case it became relevant later. Hopefully, none of the arrivals from Earth had caused too much of a problem for the golems. I wasn’t sure if they could develop grudges or not.

“You’re acting an awful lot like an alien lover,” Landon said, having followed me into the tavern.

My eyes narrowed. “You got the part about Earth being a colony planet, right?” I asked. “Our ancestors came from Alliance planets.”

“That sounds like alien propaganda to me,” he said before spitting off to one side like a barbarian. Who did something like that inside? It was gross.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

“Challenger Landon, you have been warned several times,” the golem began. “If you cannot keep your bodily fluids inside your body, you are no longer welcome in the Third Floor Tavern. Please exit the building, or I will be forced to remove you.”

“I’d like to see you try,” the man said as he spat again, this time toward the golem. “Fucking aliens.”

I could sense the movement of mana within the man and instantly cast a Time Barrier snuggly against my skin. While I trusted the talisman version well enough, the one I was wearing had already taken a hit, and there was no reason to risk getting a serious injury.

Before the man’s spell could fully manifest, Landon disappeared.

“Challenger Landon has violated the rules. He has been removed from the dungeon,” the golem said neutrally before its voice shifted to a friendlier tone. “What would you like to drink? As I mentioned before, the first drink is on the house.”