Nico awoke the next morning feeling soreness spread throughout his body. With the strain that [Flash Step] put on his untrained legs, and the unfamiliarity of gripping Tear properly, his forearms ached and his calves and quadriceps throbbed with sensitivity. Shifting in his bed, the weight of yesterday's many bouts settled into his muscles, causing them to tense up with each movement. It seemed as if even if he was a player, suddenly going from a mostly sedentary lifestyle to real, superhuman-level combat was not an adjustment one could easily get used to.
Though, he suspected that it would be a lot worse if he wasn't adapted via his new physiology–this could be compared to an overly intense day at the gym, where he overworked his muscles and didn't give them enough chance to rest and rebuild themselves before they kept on being used. At that moment, Nico wondered if he should utilize the communal gym that was accessible to him and the other residents of their dormitory.
Forcing himself to sit up, Nico stared at the ceiling for a second more before remembering where he was. As he looked around, he saw that Kadin wasn't in the room, apparently having gone somewhere already. Trying to minimize the soreness as much as possible, he checked the time and realized he still had a bit more until his first class of the day.
The night before, Nico had shocked his friends when it was revealed he had passed the recruitment event's first day. Though, they seemed happy for him; it turned out that being a hardcore player just wasn't the biggest priority for most people, so not making EPS wasn't the end of the world for them. Instead, it was just something to do, and most were content with balancing the player world with the normal world more than anything, an endeavor that Nico could very much understand, having been a regular person not so long ago.
Though, some of the more invested individuals, like Kadin, couldn't help but hide their disappointment at not making EPS. There was no bad blood between Nico and his roommate, luckily, as Kadin had known who Amelia was before their fight, and most people recognized that there were some barriers you simply couldn't overcome in the moment, and the Void Mage was one such wall.
Nico spent the morning truly thinking for the first time. He knew he needed to figure something out, because after witnessing how he could not stand up to the stronger tier players and merely got lucky the previous night, he would be in trouble if he couldn't make it into EPS. Without access to the exclusive club's resources and dungeons, there weren't many places he could train at to get stronger. But the issue was that he needed to be stronger to get into this society in the first place.
As he walked through the still-awakening campus to a relatively early class in the day, he noticed the usual morning rush of students heading to their classes at the same time. As a small, private university, Excelsior wasn't like the large, public college campuses he had visited in the past, like those near his home in San Francisco. Therefore, it was a little different than what he had seen in the movies or heard about on the internet.
Because their total area was smaller, it made everyone recognizable, and Nico could even see some familiar faces from either the party he went to or the event last night walking around, worrying about their own destinations. There were small groups standing and chatting, or friends running into each other, and Nico appreciated the normalcy of it all, especially since he knew the world he had stepped into was anything but normal.
After attending a shorter, small-group review class that related to their larger, overall lecture, Nico had a small lunch break alone in one of the nearby cafes. It was a short meal, consisting of a meager croissant sandwich, and it was just something to get him through the day. By the time his next lecture ended, the passage of time had crossed into the latter half of the day, and the sun was now out fully shining compared to the minimally clouded morning.
Nico had texted Ingrid back and forth a few times during the day as he took adequate notes for his courseload, his mind struggling to stay focused the more he thought about the player world. If he couldn't before, he could now easily tell the difference between a regular human and a player.
To a normal person, a night of intense combat and immense concentration would be totally draining on one's stamina, and while his muscles were sore and needed time to recover and rebuild, he didn't feel sleep-deprived or lethargic. Instead, the night's rest was enough for him to stay readily awake throughout the entire day, and the thought of training with Ingrid further made his blood pump more if anything.
Nico attributed that latter part to a mixture between his desire to raise his stats and the player physiology he now possessed.
Now that his final class of his shorter day was over, Nico returned to his dormitory to change, a text from Ingrid telling him to meet her outside her own room in a few minutes. He quickly put on athleisure wear, a pair of running shorts and a simple dri-fit t-shirt under a plain cream hoodie. Making sure to only take the essentials of what a normal person needed to carry on them, he headed over to the other resident hall where Ingrid was at and began to search for her room.
It was on one of the higher floors, so a quick elevator trip, which was sparsely shared by other students whom he hadn't seen before, landed him on the seventh floor of the building. Walking out, Nico made his way to the room number she had sent to him, looking at his phone to make sure he was at the correct location. After he knocked on the door, a few seconds passed.
Then, with a clicking noise, the entrance opened revealing an unfamiliar face. A petite girl with cropped brown hair appeared, and for a second, Nico was taken aback. However, he heard someone's voice coming from inside the room, saying, "Coming!" and realized that it was Ingrid's roommate who he was standing before.
The girl looked him up and down, her face not portraying any emotion before turning around without a word and disappearing behind the corner into their dormitory. With a puzzled look on his face, Nico simply opted to wait for Ingrid without saying a word.
A few moments later, and the blonde appeared from the corner, her hair tied up into a ponytail. She was wearing casual clothes as well, and Nico suddenly wondered where she had planned to show him this time. During their texts, they had only agreed to go train, and this time, she told him the difficulty would be several tiers higher than mere slimes, which were for the newest of beginners.
"Hey," Nico greeted politely as she closed the door behind her.
"I see you've met my roommate," Ingrid started, "Not talkative, is she?"
Nico simply shook his head, a slightly awkward grin on his face as he continued, "Guess not. Where are we going, by the way?"
Ingrid flashed him an amused smile, which confused him even further, "Now that I know your skill level, I think you're ready to take on a real dungeon, right?"
The Witchblade's eyes widened at this. He had suspected it, but he was also thinking that they would go somewhere to spar again, and he didn't think that entering a proper dungeon was the activity Ingrid had in mind.
"A real dungeon? Which one?" He queried. Nico was curious to see how his aptitude faired against actual monsters. He had never faced them before, which was a staple of being a player, so his first dungeon experience, real dungeon that is, would be one to remember and build a foundation upon. "I'm guessing a public one, like that slime dungeon?"
Ingrid nodded as they made their way down the elevator with just the two of them occupying the space as it descended the many floors of the building, "There are less public non-tutorial recurring dungeons, since the lucrative ones are all managed. But that doesn't mean there are none. I asked around, and I've heard there's a big one right in downtown Brooklyn that's the most popular."
Nico perked up as he remembered the topic coming up with Kadin in one of their minor conversations regarding the player world. The taller boy had mentioned about public dungeons where many unaffiliated players converged. They were vast and did not disappear once the space's boss monster, its strongest inhabitant, was defeated; instead, real-world hours had to pass before the monsters respawned.
Of course, the biggest of these dungeons were managed by not mega-guilds but semi-governmental organizations who made it so that players weren't completely dominated by monopolizing powers more than they already were.
"I think I know what you're talking about–what was it called again?"
"The Abyssal Corridor, featuring lower-to-mid-level enemies. There are also multiple boss monsters spread throughout the dungeon, and it's in the shape of a huge maze that's split into different biomes, almost. It'll be my first time there, too."
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Nico understood now a little more as to why she invited him to this raid. With these public dungeons, anyone could go in at any time as there happened to be always many players active, meaning that it was rare to not find a single person in the dungeon at any given time.
However, this still didn't mean danger wasn't apparent; these monsters were vicious beasts that could do hefty damage, such as the Shadowmaw Nico had encountered during his tutorial, and that creature was a heavily toned-down version of the real brute. Even if you're a support-class with offensive skills, it was always better to go into dungeons with teammates, and Nico was there to fulfill that role for Ingrid, but he wondered why or how she didn't get party members who were stronger or more qualified than him.
After all, a girl as social, noticed, and strong as her was bound to get attention, especially as a sought-after healer. He shook the thought off.
"Sounds intense," Nico grinned, a mixture of excitement and nerves filling him, "I need to get stronger, fast, so it sounds perfect."
With an even pace, the two of them made their way through the midday college campus, blending in as a simple pair of students meandering about. The sun was out and bright, and Nico remembered that it was nearing the end of September with each day, meaning he would have to switch his clothes from summer-oriented to prepare for the oncoming autumn season.
Him and Ingrid chatted casually and their conversation flowed smoothly as always. It was hard to think that they had only met a few days prior, since the words endlessly streamed out of one another's mouths, not an awkward silence or uncomfortable pause in sight. Nico felt lucky that out of anyone, it was him and Ingrid walking side by side currently, enjoying the final weeks of summer with one another.
But the break from their wild lives came to an end as Nico and Ingrid walked to the nearby subway station on a street parallel to the school. New York City's public transit system, no matter one's opinions on it, was one of the country's highest-tiered, outmatched by not many if none at all. Therefore, there were underground trains that took passengers all throughout the five boroughs, and Brooklyn possessed no shortage of transportation options. As any Big Apple resident, Nico had come to realize that he would be relying on the trains to get to other parts of the city whenever he had a free day to explore the vast metropolis.
Descending into the subway station's underground interior, the rhythmic clatter of trains in the distance combined with the voices of strangers echoed throughout the narrow stairway. A faint saxophone could be heard playing jazz in the distance, even in the middle of the day; Nico led Ingrid lead, as she knew the way to this location.
Reaching the platform, Nico felt a small rush of excitement course through him, but tamed the feeling–he didn't want to get carried away. However, knowing his abilities now, he wanted to test his limits fully instead of being scared to go all out. A tingling sensation coming up his spine, Nico couldn't help but glance at the others on the platform, each going about their mundane days while mentally, he was preparing himself for combat with paranormal monsters.
The thoughts of two inextricably different worlds combining raced through Nico's head when he suddenly felt a warm hand grasp his for a brief moment before letting go.
"Fighting other players is much harder than fighting monsters in my opinion," Ingrid offered quietly, though her voice could still be made out through the background buzz, "I know the first time I entered a dungeon, I was extremely nervous, too."
The words calmed him down just a tad, and Nico offered her a thankful smile–he knew that every single other person who had ever been a player had to go through the same experiences, so it was a universal rite of passage in a way.
Nico watched silently as the subway train came roaring from out of sight into the platform itself, coming to a screeching halt. The doors opened simultaneously, and Nico and Ingrid stepped inside after other passengers shuffled out, finding themselves standing as the crowded car hummed with life and noise.
On the second day, he meets Minho Kim, and they talk and become fast friends. On the final day, Nico has a one-on-one match with Francisco and barely loses due to still having a lot of his skills sealed. Ingrid leaned back against the wall of the cabin as the train began to move, momentum building as it blitzed through the underground corridors.
"Here's the plan," Ingrid began to speak, "The place is huge, so we'll venture off just a little from the main pathways until you're comfortable taking on the monsters there. Once we're warmed up, we can move a little deeper into the dungeon where the difficulty picks up."
"Sounds good," Nico replied, absorbing her words, "Can't wait." The grin came out a little more nervous than he would like, but it was not every day that it was your first time in a non-tutorial, real dungeon. Still, he had confidence from having dueled with fellow players, even if he was mostly carried by Amelia, who was a totally different beast in her own right.
By the time the two of them had reached the surface after getting off at their stop, the early afternoon sun was beating down on New York City, casting few shadows upon the street of Brooklyn. There were people walking to and from shops, restaurants, and apartments, and Nico continued to allow Ingrid to lead the way.
Looking around, Nico saw a few question marks appearing above people's heads, signifying their player identities; he thought to himself about how there must be players hidden all over the world from every background, and how many people he knew from San Francisco were also players.
Leading the way through the crowded streets, Nico and Ingrid eventually reached a quieter street, separated from the rest of the busy roads. They stood in front of a tall, brick building, which looked unassuming and abandoned. It was weathered and worn, giving the appearance of a decomissioned factory in the middle of the metropolis.
However, it was undeniable; the energy radiating from the unobtrusive plain black door was irrefutably supernatural, and Nico could tell this was the entrance to the dungeon. He half-expected to see a crowd of players nearby, but there were only a few people walking up and down the street, like it was purposefully secluded from the rest of the world.
"Ready?" Nico asked her, anxious to see what the inside of a dungeon would be. He knew how the player world worked to the extent that he was sure no one else would see what they were doing if they weren't players themselves, and he hadn't seen any people with question marks above their heads walking by.
"Whenever you are." Ingrid replied with an excited grin, motioning towards the door.
Without glancing back at her, he faced the door and took a deep breath, already having made his decision. Nico swung the door open in one motion, revealing a similar glow to the entrance of the slime dungeon he had entered. The metal of the black door almost seemed to be bioluminescent, giving off a flicker of light.
Nico felt an invisible string pulling him into the dungeon, instantly recognizing it; it was his player instincts. They were meant to go inside dungeons and combat the beasts within them–it was the calling of every player. The light from the door didn't make any sound, simply existing and taunting the individual to enter it.
"Let's do this," Nico stated. And with that, he put one foot in after the other, stepping into the luminescence.
The corridor was cold and damp, the air heavy with the smell of old stone and wet earth. Walls enclosed Nico's vision from all sides, putting him in an subterranean space. Unlike a maze, it was expansive, almost like a path through the woods, except surrounded on all sides by a mystic, hard stone tiling.
The only light existed as faintly green-glowing crystals on the side of the walls and from the ceiling like torches illuminating a cave. They cast an eerie bright-green hue over the dark-gray slabs, adding to the creepy atmosphere of the environment. This was it–a real, dangerous dungeon filled with actual monsters.
Nico soon heard Ingrid's footsteps behind him as she stepped through the portal as well, the dim light of the rectangular shape of the portal continuing to glow behind them.
"Welcome to the Abyssal Corridor." Ingrid whispered, readying herself for anything that might come at them as well. "Since this is the entrance, it'll soon lead to a common hub area where we can find other players. There will then be many different paths we can take, so we'll decide where to go from there."
Nico merely nodded in response, and the pair walked deeper into the cavernous environment. Not too long after, the large corridor opened up into an expansive underground hollow in the shape of an massive semi-circle. It was reminsicent of a grotto in a cave, only several times larger.
Ingrid was correct about finding other players, as there were people, mainly around their age with a few exceptions, gathered in this common space, chatting to themselves. Nico could hear someone yelling out that they were looking for a final member to complete their party to form a well-balanced group in the distance, but he focused on the many different hallways that this chamber was connected to.
Each pathway was illuminated like the corridor they just came from, and therefore led into the unknown. Suddenly, the worry of getting lost in such an immense space worried him.
"Don't worry, all of these hallways have been explored thoroughly over the years." Ingrid reassured, almost like she read his mind.
"Which one should we go into, then?" He asked, not sure he could tell which seemed safer or more dangerous, though he assumed that all of them came with a certain degree of danger as it was a dungeon, after all.
"That one," Ingrid pointed at one to the left of the three main hallways–it was another unassuming entrance, identical to all the others. Nico shrugged, trusting in the girl's judgement; after all, she had helped him all this time and continued to so far. Agreeing with her assessment, the pair of them ventured into the untaken path, as there were not many players coming in and out of the corridors in that moment.
After what felt like an eternity of walking, the passageway finally began to change; going from the repetitive slabbed walls of cobblestone, the corridor expanded, growing in size into a bigger, grander hallway that was reminscent of the inside of some ancient temple of worship. Rising to the ceiling were towering pillars made of the same, stony material as the walls. Nico and Ingrid had remained quiet, their guards up.
The moment they took a step past the threshold, Nico could see a flicker of movement to his left, barely noticeable by the faint green light. It was followed by a screeching howl that echoed not too far into the spacious interior. Movement continued to flit around one of the pillars and he could feel his heart pounding.
This wasn't a simple slime whose movement was beyond predictable, this was a living, sentient monster whose purpose was to attack the players that raided these dungeons.
"All yours, Nico." Ingrid whispered softly from the back, her calm voice serene in a situation where he felt increasingly tense. Closing his eyes for a brief second and letting his senses take over. And then, he tensed his muscles.
The creature, what he later went on to identify as a Carrion Bat, appeared in the green hue, its leathery, rotted wings flapping loudly in the silent air. In an instant, his right hand felt the familiar grip of Tear, his now-trusty magical scimitar.
And then, Nico moved.