I wake up sporting a black eye and a throbbing head. A new blue screen awaits me.

WARNING! A dungeon is forming!

Hemsworth Graveyard has transformed into Dungeon Of Second Chances.

Dungeon Of Second Chances: Due to the accumulated death energy that has saturated the land, all monsters will respawn as zombified versions of themselves after being killed once.

Dungeons form when large amounts of pure Mana are left unchecked in an area, eventually spawning a dungeon core. These cores then mutate nearby creatures and warp the environment.

WARNING! Dungeons grow in power the longer they exist. Locate the dungeon core and destroy it. Be careful for time works differently in dungeons. With greater risk comes greater reward.

Waving away the screen, I try to process the information I have. So levels and mana exist like in RPGs. Maybe classes exist as well? Getting up off the muddy ground, I realize my hoodie is wet. I take it off for now and put it on the desk. The shed is a mess, but at some point, during my forced nap, the door shut itself. Looking through the broken window, I can see the storm has stopped even if the sky is still completely dark and overcast.

Looking around the shed, I see that the minifridge had fallen on its side and was wide open. Searching it, I find seven bottles of water, two cans of cola, and a box of apple raisin granola bars. Not my favorite flavor, but it will do. I open a can of cola and eat one of the granola bars to get rid of the rumbling in my stomach. I spot a backpack in the corner and stuff the remaining snacks and drinks into it. I remember the blue screen saying something about monsters, so I should maybe try to find a weapon of some sort. I spot a trowel and hedge clippers on the floor and put those into the backpack as well. Searching through the metal cabinet, I find a shovel inside, and it’s heavier than I imagined it would be.

I pick up my shovel and leave everything else behind. Trudging out with my weapon in hand, I’m in awe of how much everything has changed. The cracks that scored the ground are gone, all the mud has dried, and giant trees have sprung up around me. Yesterday the gate was about 20 feet from the shed, now I can’t even see it anymore, and a forest has popped up around me. Picking a random direction, I march on into the unknown.

Getting closer towards the trees, I realize they look different. The trees are a dark shade of blue with bark that feels smooth to the touch and warm somehow. I’ve never felt something like this before. Waking me from my stupor, I hear a clicking noise coming from above. Slowly moving my head, I look up and see a living nightmare. Slowly crawling down the tree is an insect that resembles a centipede, except it’s the size of a golden retriever. Its mandibles are striking each other, and it looks like it’s drooling.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WHAT THE FUCK, WHAT THE FUCK, WHAT THE FUCK?

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My scream alerts the creature, and it springs off the tree at me. My body moves faster than I could even process, and I’m sprinting as fast as I can away from it. The things pointed legs are carrying it farther and more quickly than you would think possible. I get out of the forest and realize this bug is faster than me. I have no choice. I’m going to have to fight it. Spinning around and pointing the shovel at it, I see just how gross it looks. It’s light orange-colored, long as a car, and thicker than my arm. At the end of its body is a curved black stinger. It’s gnashing its mandibles at me and even has fangs inside of its mouth. Four long antennae are on top of its head, with no eyes, but it can sense movement.

Think Greg think. Indecision and nerves leave me unable to act. I feel nauseous and can taste bile in my throat. I’m scared, and I don’t want to make a mistake that costs me my life. I don’t want to die. Fear is freezing me up, but the monster has no such qualms as it lunges straight at me. I narrowly dodge out of the way. When in reality, my dodge is just me falling out of the way. Scrambling back to my feet, I take what I believe is a defensive stance—time to nut up or shut up Greg. I got lucky the first time, but I can't place my life in the hands of Lady Luck. Like a viper, it shoots itself at me, aiming for my face, and I manage to smack it headfirst into the ground. It stops moving except for a few twitches, and I slam down my shovel into its head. The shovel buries itself in its head, and a purple liquid is starting to pour out of the hole. My breathing slows as the adrenaline goes away. My body's fight or flight response is deactivating. I pull the shovel out and fall on my ass, laughing. I did it. I fought a monster and beat it!

"HAHAHAHA Holy shit, that was scary.”

I hear a sizzling coming from the shovelhead and notice that the parts that touch the purple liquid are corroding rapidly.

"Great, the scary nightmare bug has acid blood. Fuuuuuuuck me".

I get up and wipe the blood off the shovel into the ground. The shovel is now warped and missing a chunk out of the left side. Luckily I didn't get any on the wooden handle, or it would’ve ruined my improvised weapon. Distracted by all this, I don't notice the rustling behind me before something crashes into my back. I'm knocked off my feet and feel a slight burning sensation on my back. I manage to hold onto the weapon during my fall, so I turn around and see the same nightmare bug I just killed facing me.

It hasn't attacked yet and seems to be swaying slowly, its head still sporting a giant wound with blood coming out of it. I don't know what comes over me, but I strike first, swinging my shovel sideways at it. The damaged part of the shovel sliced into the bug, a little below its head, decapitating it. The head rolls off to the side. I rush closer and start chopping into the bug's body like a lumberjack splitting firewood. A blue screen appears in front of me, but I can feel rage and anger, so I ignore it. I don't stop into the bug is almost mincemeat, and my shovel doesn't even have any metal left on it. I started just stabbing the body once that happened. Little more than a stake remains in my hand, so I head over to the head and shove the stake into it, nailing it to the ground and then stomping it in further.

The blue screen is back, but I ignore it. I'm tired, angry, and upset as I head back to the shed. I jam the door shut when I return and fall to the floor on my back, causing pain to shoot up my back. I roll to my side, start feeling around and find a giant hole in my shirt. Carefully touching my back, I can feel bubbles and bumps along my back. The bug's blood must have got on me.

This wound is the straw that breaks the camel's back. Anger fills me, and I start slamming my fists against the shed floor. I'm taking huge breaths as I sob. I want to scream, but I'm afraid it'll attract another bug, and I hate that I'm still scared. I hate that I killed another creature today, I hate that I stupidly forgot the rules of this dungeon, but mostly I hate myself. Self-loathing is something I'm no stranger to, but it's never been this strong before. I'm weak, pathetic, and useless. I ALMOST DIED TO A FUCKING BUG. My rage keeps building, and I'm punching the ground now. I'm hyperventilating, and the tears are still pouring down my face. All I can taste is salt, and my mouth is dry. Even in my belligerent state, I recognize this as a panic attack. My body finally hits its limit due to exhaustion, and I hit the floor, passing out.