(First POV)

[Would you like to enter?]

“Yes”

[Teleporting into interdimensional space]

As my vision turned to black, I felt the space around me distort and shift.

It was like being caught in a whirlwind of darkness . And then, suddenly, I woke up. My surroundings were unfamiliar - it resembled something akin to a grand throne room from those VR games.

The walls were adorned with intricately carved patterns and the ceiling was draped with luxurious fabrics. I looked around desperately, searching for any signs of life. But there was no one else here. Where did Jack go?

The only sound that echoed through the vast chamber was the faint rush of wind. My heart raced as I tried to make sense of this strange place, wondering how I had ended up here and where Jack had gone to. A dungeon wasn’t supposed to separate people into different places.

My thoughts scattered as my eyes swept across the opulent, golden room. Everywhere I looked, intricate murals adorned the walls, each one was a masterpiece with lots of detail and skill. But this was strange, it was far too elaborate and lifelike.

Dungeons were meant to be mere replicas of ancient ruins from a time when humans weren't the only ones in the universe. They were supposed to contain only the essential information needed for testing.

These murals went beyond that, depicting images with astonishing precision.

It was almost as if they were more than just decorative pieces. Unless, they were important for the test?

I tried to make sense of this strange place, searching for answers in the surrounded me.

As I moved further into the room, my eyes were drawn to the elaborate murals that covered every inch of wall space.

After several minutes of careful observation, I noticed a lock on one wall at the end of hallway that seemed to require a password.

Without hesitation, I approached it and examined the lock. It seemed to have numerical keypad, but I had no idea what the password could be. It was also impossible to just guess. If this was a test, then simply guessing would most likely bring about consequences. After all, the creators of the test wouldn't make it so simple that one could just input random numbers and get the right answer.

“Think, Teron.” I muttered to myself.

I continued to study the murals for any clues.

And then it hit me - one of the paintings depicted an important figure, maybe an emperor. After all, they were very prominent the ancient ages.

He was conducting research in his chamber.

I glanced at the wall next to it. It adorned an image of him gazing up at the stars.

Then, on the one after that, he was pointing upwards at the 4 zodiacs drawn.

Looking at the 4 constellations in the sky, I came to a realization. Could that be the answer? The number 4?

Excitedly, I punched in "4" on the keypad and waited for any sign of progress.

Nothing seemed to happens for a minute.

Vroom*

‘What’s happening?’

Suddenly, the entire room began to shake violently, causing me to stumble and fall to the ground. Before I could make sense of what was happening, a deafening buzz filled the air and strange symbols appeared before me.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

[פלינק! ינטרודער]

I didn’t understand what it said, but it didn’t sound good.

The ground beneath me began to vanish, a gaping hole appearing at my feet with each passing second.

I watched as the ground around me crumbled and disappeared, leaving nothing but darkness below.

‘Shit! ’

Swearing under my breath, I frantically searched for a way out, but the disappearing ground seemed intent on swallowing me whole. My heart hammered in my chest as I contemplated jumping into the unknown depths below, but I probably won’t survive the fall.

In a panic, I frantically searched for a solution and realized that my only chance of survival was to solve the same puzzle that brought me to this. My mind raced as I surveyed the murals once again, searching for any clues or patterns that could lead me to safety.

My hands shook as I stared at the intricate murals once more, trying to decipher their meaning. The figure depicted was definitely important. He gazed up at the stars with an intense focus, like those in history who were known as astronomers..

My gaze followed his fingers pointing up to the four constellations painted on the mural.

He was pointing upwards at the four constellations.. Upwards!

A bolt of inspiration strikes me and I look up. I gazed up at the ceiling to find that it was adorned with zodiac symbols. But the strange thing was, there were 12 of them in total!

Was the answer 12? Why 12? Regardless, I needed get out for the time being.

The ground continued to disappear. There was now a huge hole between me and the lock, leaving a gaping chasm. I wasn’t sure if I could cross it.

‘Fuck it!’

My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest as I desperately calculated the distance, praying that one misstep wouldn't send me plummeting to my death.

Adrenaline coursing through my veins, I took a deep breath and launched myself forward, barely managing to grab onto the opposite edge with shaking fingers.

Pant* Pant*

Gasping for air, I crawled towards the lock.

“Here, finally.”

I punched in the code with trembling hands, every second feeling like an eternity as exhaustion piled onto my body.

‘Please work.‘

I stood there, waiting anxiously, see if there was any effect.

The room suddenly stopped shaking.

I let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily. My heart raced as I tried to catch my breath.

A gasp escaped my lips, this was unlike any dungeon I had ever heard of. Was this a new type of test?

Whatever it was, I didn't wanna experience it again.

For now, I made my way towards the door. The lock seemed to have disappeared. I slowly opened the door.

Creek*

With a deep breath, I stepped through the door.

What awaited was another room.

‘That wasn’t the end?’ Realization dawned on me.

As I entered the room, I was struck by its sheer size. Unlike the previous chamber with its colorful murals, this one contained only a single stand in the center.

Intrigued, I approached it and noticed ancient text inscribed on its surface.

“אויב איר לייענען, די שטערן זענען אַליינד פֿאַר אונדז.” It read.

Though it was written in an ancient language, I had luckily learned enough to understand how to read some of it. With careful scrutiny, I translated the message.

It read: "When you… reach end… of path, you will… bestowed great… power."

I didn’t understand what path it was talking about. Perhaps I read it wrong? I did skip some words as I didn’t understand them. Could I exit this place through a path?

Confusion clouded my mind, I scrutinized every inch of the object in front of me, trying to decipher its secret. And then, driven by curiosity, I extended my hand towards it.

But in an instant, my vision went black for the second time today.

————————————

“Hey, Teron! There you are!” a voice called out.

I looked to where the voice was, and there stood the missing Jack.

I was now in a place like a town, the nearby was all made of stone and wood.

In the distance, I could see a huge stone tower, its spires reaching up into the thick gray clouds that perpetually hung low over the landscape. The ground beneath me was a mixture of dirt and stones.

Jack approached me.

"Teron, you good?" he asked.

"I don't know," I said with a bit of confusion.

"I was in a big room with a stand in the middle. It was covered in ancient text. Then, one moment I was there, and the next, I'm here." I gestured around, taking in the desolate town.

What had happened? I was clearly in the room just now? Did everyone else get similar tests?

"Jack, where were you?" I asked, my voice trembling with confusion.

He looked at me dumbfounded. "What do you mean? Didn't you also get the message that we teleported into the interdimensional space?"

I nodded, still trying to process what was happening. "Yes, but I ended up somewhere completely different. It was like a mural room."

Jack's brow furrowed in confusion. "That doesn't make sense. We were all supposed to be teleported here, to the starting town. I've been looking for you for a while." He gestured around us,

I scanned my surroundings. He was right. Everyone who had entered the dungeon with me. Was I hallucinating? It felt too real to be an illusion. Even if it were, why would I suddenly have something like that? There must be a way to confirm.

"Jack, how long did it take for you to find me?" I asked, trying not to sound unnerved.

"Huh?" He chuckled, thinking I was joking.

My serious expression made him pause.

“Around ten minutes, why?”

“…”

“Hello?”

I snapped out of my thought.

“No particular reason, just asking.”