Chapter 14: Wakey Wakey, Eggs and-DUNGEON!!??

Gen stared at himself in the mirror, gently pressing a bruised spot on his ribs. He flinched.

"Damn, this hurts... but I'm still handsome as fuck," he muttered with a smirk. His body ached from the fight with Johnny, but the adrenaline had kept him moving. Now, it was all settling in.

"I could kill for a recovery nap right now."

He collapsed onto his bed, eyes shutting as exhaustion pulled him under. But the warmth of sleep didn't last long. A creeping cold spread through his body, making his skin prickle. His eyes snapped open, and he found himself not in his room—but in that dark, endless void again. The same flickering light dangled above a lone chair, casting eerie shadows.

With a sigh, he walked over and sat down.

"Yo!" Crexa's voice cut through the silence.

From the darkness, the faceless man emerged, his elegant bowtie, white gloves, and fitted suit looking as pristine as ever.

"Okay, what now? I already did your stupid mission. I Can't catch a break?" Gen leaned back in frustration.

Crexa held his hands up. "Whoa, chill out, buddy. I'm just here to congratulate you on your victory. I must admit, that was definitely a creative move you went for back there. Johnny's one of the tougher guys—well, at least in terms of speed. But he's predictable. All he really did was run around in circles. You could've just stuck your foot out and tripped him. Let's be honest."

Gen shrugged. "I guess."

"Anyway," Crexa continued, "I wanted to talk to you about the next few ranked users."

Gen shot up from his seat, slamming his hands onto the table. "What?! Come on, I just took one down! What the HELL?!"

"Calm down," Crexa said smoothly. "You don't have to fight them right now, but I'm warning you—these guys aren't like Johnny. They're on a whole other level. Johnny was just a cricket. The next ones? Think tigers. And you? Well… you're the mouse. It's only a matter of time before your next fight."

Gen clenched his fists. "And what do you want me to do about it?"

"I like you, remember?" Crexa gestured to his side, and a swirling vortex of black and purple light appeared. "This is a portal to a dungeon. It's got five floors, each one harder than the last. You should be able to complete it with your current stats and abilities. If you do, you'll get to choose two new abilities."

Gen crossed his arms. "A dungeon? You're out of your mind. No way."

"Come on, Gen, use your head. You're running into the inevitable. Who knows if you'll come out alive?"

Gen hesitated, deep in thought. The fights were only going to get harder.

"Aghhh, FUCK! Alright, fine!"

"Good choice," Crexa said, tossing a sword toward him. "You might need that."

Gen caught it and nodded before stepping into the portal. Immediately, he was sucked in, the world around him twisting and shifting as he plummeted through darkness.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed until—

THUD.

He crashed onto a mound of sand, coughing and spitting out the grains from his mouth.

"Man, I hate that guy."

Before him loomed a massive stone tower with ominous double doors, each carved with eerie runes. With a deep breath, he pushed them open. The dungeon awaited.

Floor One

As soon as he stepped inside, a skittering sound echoed through the hall. He looked down.

Spiders. Dozens of them. Each the size of a football. Their hairy legs twitched as they swarmed toward him.

"Nope. Nope. Nope!"

Gen stomped down hard, crushing them beneath his boots. He swung his sword, slicing through them with swift, clean cuts. The moment the last one fell, a door creaked open.

"Phew. That wasn't so bad."

Just as he was about to move forward—

A goblin lunged at him.

Gen barely had time to react. He ducked, feeling the rush of air as a jagged dagger missed his head by inches. More goblins poured out from the shadows, their yellow eyes gleaming hungrily.

"Alright, you little shits. Let's dance."

He tightened his grip on his sword and charged in.

Meanwhile, back on Earth…

(Time passes by faster on Earth than in the dungeon. For Gen it may seem like a couple minutes but on Earth it may be a few hours.)

Keiko sprinted through the school halls, her brows furrowed with worry.

"Where the hell is he?" she muttered. Gen hadn't been in class all day. Something wasn't right.

She turned a corner too fast and crashed into someone.

"Agh, watch it!" the person snapped.

Keiko looked up. "Oh, it's you."

Taehyung smirked. "Wait a minute. You're that chick hanging around Gen, right?"

Keiko grabbed his collar. "You were picking a fight with him! Did you do something to him?! Where is he?!"

Taehyung raised an eyebrow. "That's what I wanna know too. He still owes me a rematch."

Keiko narrowed her eyes. "You better not be lying."

"Relax, sweetheart," he said smugly. "If something happened to him, then that's his problem. Not mine."

She stomped on his foot. Hard.

"OW! WHAT THE HELL?!"

Keiko stormed off. She was going to find Gen.

No matter what.

Back in the Dungeon…

The goblin bodies lay motionless on the stone floor. Gen exhaled, rolling his shoulder. "Alright. One floor down. Four to go."

He approached the stairwell, gripping his sword tighter. If this was only the beginning, the rest of the dungeon was going to be a nightmare.

As he took the first step up, the door behind him slammed shut.

"No turning back now," he muttered.

The next few floors awaited.