| A Step Into the Unknown

⟟ Vault Seeker II ⟟

The room was silent—so silent that Rowan could hear the faint ticking of a clock somewhere beyond his view. Both he and Alina were frozen, staring at the floating screen before him. The glowing text flickered slightly, almost as if it were waiting for Rowan's response.

Alina was the first to break the silence. "Check it out!" she urged, her voice tinged with excitement.

Rowan nodded, his gaze shifting back to the mysterious text hovering in the air. The words were crisp and clear:

Welcome to the system, User: Rowan.

A single button below the text read: Enter.

Rowan hesitated for only a moment before pressing it. The moment his finger made contact, the screen disappeared, and in its place, a loading bar materialized, pulsing softly with a message:

Loading data…

Rowan watched, his heartbeat quickening as the bar slowly filled. He had no idea what to expect, but he knew instinctively that whatever this was, it would change everything.

Alina, sitting across from him, leaned forward slightly. "It should be processing your stats now. When the bar reaches the end, you'll be able to see them."

Rowan swallowed. A few seconds later, the loading bar vanished, replaced by a new screen filled with information:

User: Rowan

Age: 19

Occupation: Explorer

Strength: 1

Speed: 1

Durability: 1

Combat: 1.2

At the bottom, a single ability was listed:

Ability: Combustion (Locked - Requirement: Kill 10 Ruinborns)

Rowan stared at the screen in disbelief. He was expecting something—anything—more than just these barebones stats. Everything except his combat ability was at a baseline level.

Alina leaned closer, eyes gleaming with curiosity. "What did you get?"

Rowan exhaled slowly before responding. "My combat stat is 1.2. The rest are all just… normal. I also have one ability called Combustion, but it's locked."

Alina's eyes widened. "Lucky!"

Rowan raised a brow. "I'm lucky?"

"Yeah, you have a four-star ability! Even if your base stats are average, an ability like that means you can get way stronger than most people."

Rowan tilted his head slightly. "Four-star?"

Alina grinned. "Abilities are rated by stars. The stronger and rarer it is, the more stars it has. The fact that you have one right away is insane!"

Rowan absorbed the information. So, not only did he have a special ability, but it was also considered high-tier? That made things even more complicated.

"But," Rowan said, glancing at the requirement, "I can't even use it yet. I have to kill ten Ruinborns first."

Alina crossed her arms, nodding. "Yeah, you'll need to go into a dungeon for that. But hey, there's a healer department at the dungeon site, so you'll be patched up before going in. And I know you have a dagger, so you should be fine."

Rowan instinctively reached for his keris—only to realize it wasn't with him. His expression tensed.

Alina noticed. "It's downstairs," she said casually.

Rowan exhaled, relieved. He then shifted to the edge of the couch, preparing to stand. Pain shot through his body, but he forced himself up regardless.

"Alright," he muttered. "Let's do this."

Alina, however, wasted no time in shoving him toward the door. "Wait downstairs," she instructed, pushing him out of her room before he could say anything else.

Rowan found himself standing at the landing. The wooden railing stretched along the upper floor, and a flight of stairs led downward. His feet felt heavy as he walked down, his mind processing everything that had just happened.

At the bottom of the stairs, he entered a cozy living room. A small wooden table sat in front of a sofa, and behind that, bookshelves lined the walls, filled with neatly arranged books and trinkets. The room had a lived-in warmth to it.

He spotted a door leading to another area and pushed through.

The scent of flowers hit him instantly. Rowan blinked as he realized where he was—a flower shop. Every corner was filled with colorful blooms, arranged in vases and baskets. Sunlight streamed through the large front window, casting a golden glow over the vibrant petals.

And sitting on the wooden counter, gleaming under the light, was his keris.

Rowan approached it and picked it up, inspecting the blade. It had been cleaned, not a single trace of blood left on it.

The door behind him creaked open. He turned to see Alina standing there, now clad in leather armor.

"I'm ready," she announced. She then reached for the store sign hanging by the entrance, flipping it over to Closed. "Let's go."

They stepped outside, met with the bustling energy of the city. The streets were alive with people moving in different directions. Men in suits rushed by, women in stylish coats carried shopping bags, and teenagers in hoodies walked in groups, chatting animatedly.

They passed cafés with outdoor seating, where people sipped on steaming drinks under shaded umbrellas. Restaurants with large windows displayed delicious meals, their enticing aroma filling the air. Shops of all kinds lined the streets—electronics, bookstores, fashion boutiques—each with bright signs and colorful advertisements.

Rowan took everything in. The towering buildings, made of glass and steel, reflected the sky. Neon billboards flickered with various ads, and cars zoomed by on the roads.

It was all so… surreal.

Was this really another universe, dimension?

As they walked, Alina suddenly spoke. "You know, my father never acknowledges me."

Rowan turned his head slightly.

"He just sends money and nothing else," Alina continued. "He and I… aren't close. But he is with my sister. She's strong, powerful, and famous, so of course, she's the one he pays attention to."

There was a bitterness in her tone.

Rowan didn't respond right away. Instead, he looked up at the sky, the clouds drifting lazily above the towering buildings.

"I know how that feels," he finally said.

Alina glanced at him but didn't press further.

They arrived at a bus stop, where a few others were waiting. A digital board displayed the estimated arrival times.

A few minutes later, the bus pulled up.

Alina stepped forward, tapping a card against a scanner. It beeped twice. Rowan was slightly confused—she didn't pay with money?—but followed her onto the bus.

They sat down near the window, and as the bus began moving, Rowan gazed outside.

The cityscape blurred past him—high-rise buildings, bridges, parks filled with people, and towering billboards. Everything felt so different yet oddly familiar.

He exhaled, leaning his head against the window.

Just a week ago, he was in a completely different world.

He had been an explorer, seeking treasures in the ruins of forgotten civilizations. And now, here he was, in a place where people fought monsters inside dungeons, gaining power through a mysterious system.

He clenched his fists.

Would he ever find a way back?

Or was this his new reality?

The thought unsettled him.

He glanced down at his keris, resting on his lap. It was the only thing that remained unchanged.

No matter what happened, he would survive.

The bus finally came to a stop. Alina nudged him.

"We're here," she said.

Rowan took one last deep breath before stepping out.

Ahead of him stood the entrance to the dungeon site.

And this was only the beginning.