Chapter 1: The Dungeon Call
"Ugh... What is this place?"
A sharp pain pulsed through my skull as I slowly sat up. "Ahh, damn, my head..."
I blinked a few times and looked around. Jagged rocks surrounded me, and faint light shimmered from cracks above. The air was damp, echoing softly with dripping water.
"This… looks like a massive cave."
I tried to think, but everything was hazy. How did I even get here?
Bits of memory flashed through my mind. My friends and I had been drinking at the bar after work, and since I got way too drunk, one of them drove me home.
"Wait… I went to bed, didn't I?" I muttered, rubbing my temples. "Then why the hell am I here?"
Confusion and unease crawled through me as I struggled to make sense of it all.
Ding!
A sharp, metallic chime echoed through the cave.
Before I could react, a faint blue screen flickered to life in front of me, floating in midair.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Dungeon Defense Activated
Status: You are now the owner of this dungeon.
Objective: Protect and defend this place.
Punishment for Failure: Death.
The glowing text hovered there, pulsing faintly before fading into the darkness.
My breath caught. "W-Wait… what? Dungeon defense? Owner? What the hell is this?!"
The cave around me suddenly felt colder, heavier—like the stone walls themselves were watching.
Before I could process what was happening, I heard something.
Footsteps. Slow, heavy, echoing through the cave.
My breath caught in my throat.
"Hello?!" I called out, voice trembling. "Who's there? Please, help me! I don't know where I am!"
The sound didn't stop. It drew closer, each step scraping against the stone floor.
My heart pounded harder with every echo.
Then I saw it—a wiry green creature emerging from the shadows, saliva dripping from its jagged teeth. It clutched a rusted dagger, its beady eyes locked on me like I was prey.
"What… what the hell is that thing?" I whispered, my voice shaking.
The creature tilted its head, grinning wider, then let out a low hiss before charging straight at me.
"Ahhh—you little shit!" I shouted, fury rushing through me.
I didn't even think. I drove my boot straight into its chest. The impact cracked against bone as it slammed into the cave wall with a heavy thud.
"Hagh—hagh… you stabbed me in the leg!" I hissed through my teeth, pain burning hot up my calf. "What the hell is wrong with you!?"
The little creature screeched, its eyes wild. It jumped back to its feet with surprising speed, dagger flashing under the dim light as it lunged again.
"You just don't quit, do you?" I snapped.
I sidestepped, feeling the wind as the blade missed my face by inches. Then it jumped again, straight toward my chest—reckless.
"Oh, you dumbass," I muttered and kicked upward.
My boot smashed into its head midair with a brutal crack. The sound was sickening—and the creature flew back, its skull slamming against the stone. Dust and droplets of green blood scattered across the cave floor.
It twitched, trying to get up. I didn't give it the chance. I ran forward, grabbing for the dagger—
—but it clamped its teeth into my arm.
I howled as pain shot through me, the bite deep and burning. I let go of its hand, instinctively pulling back, but its jaws only sank deeper.
It twisted, driving the blade into my shoulder.
"Ahhhh! Fuck! God damn it!"
Desperation surged. My eyes caught a jagged rock on the ground. I snatched it up, arm raised high. Its eyes met mine—pure hatred, pure bloodlust. It wanted me dead.
I had no choice.
Thwack!
I smashed the rock onto its skull. Green blood spattered across the cave floor. It shrieked, claws flailing.
Kreh—kreh!
Thwack! Thwack!
I rained blows down, smashing its head again and again. Bones cracked, blood sprayed, and its shrieks echoed like nails on stone.
Finally, it stopped moving. Its body went limp. The cave fell silent, broken only by my ragged breathing and the wet sound of blood pooling around us.
I sank to my knees, trembling, every part of me screaming in pain and adrenaline.
I was alive… but barely.
For a moment, I just stared at the body, blood dripping from my fingers, breath loud in my ears. The stench of metal and decay filled the air.
Ding!
A blue screen flickered to life, hovering in the air before me.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Points Earned: 10
Exp Gained: 10
LEVEL UP! 1 → 2
SYSTEM: Congratulations! You have unlocked your first achievement: First Kill
REWARD: Low-Grade Potion, 1 Random Gacha Ticket
Bonus: 1000 Points
The screen pulsed softly, each line of text glowing as if alive.
My first kill… and my first reward?
I stared at the notification, trying to process it. This… this looks like a game!
"Relax… I need to calm down," I muttered, clutching my head. "I need to know what's really happening to me."
I glared at the glowing screen. "System! Where am I? And why did I end up in this place?!"
Ding!
SYSTEM: You chose to be here.
My eyes widened. "What? What kind of lie is that? I never agreed to this nonsense!"
I froze mid-yell as a memory suddenly flashed in my mind.
"Oh… wait. I… I remember now!"
Last night, right before I passed out, I'd seen a similar blue screen. It had said something about me being chosen… but I'd been so drunk I thought I was just hallucinating.
I pressed the Yes button on the screen… and everything went black.
When I woke up, I was already here.
"What should I do? Please, tell me! I want to go home!" I yelled, my voice echoing off the cave walls.
Ding!
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Dungeon Defense Rules
Objective: Protect the Dungeon Core. Do not let intruders destroy it or take it away.
Punishment for Failure: Death.
SYSTEM: You can't go home until you reach Level 10.
SYSTEM: You can use the system to buy monsters, warriors, skills, weapons, armor, traps, and more. Anything you need is already available in the system store. You can also check your stats at any time by issuing a command.
I stared at the floating screen, my hands shaking.
"Monsters… warriors… skills… weapons… traps?" I muttered, reading the list over and over.
It sounded insane. This had to be a joke, right? It sounded like a game… there was no way this was real.
But the dagger wound in my shoulder and the pain in my leg told me otherwise.
I took a deep breath and focused. "Okay… first things first… I need to know my stats."
Ding!
[SYSTEM: STATS]
Name: Rowan
Race: Human
Level: 2
Health: 70/100
Mana: 50/50
Strength: 12
Defense: 8
Agility: 10
Stamina: 10
Luck: 3
Skills: None
Points: 1010
"This is my stats? Why does it look so weak?" I stared at the numbers in disbelief. "Nah… I'm really gonna die in this fucking cave! I'm sure of it!"
I clenched my fists. "Well… whatever. Let's see the store then."
I tapped the Store button, and a grid of glowing icons appeared:
[SYSTEM STORE]
Summon: Monsters, warriors, elves, and more
Equipment: Weapons, armor, relics
Items: Potions, rations, tools, scrolls
Skills: Combat, survival, magic, and more
Structure: Traps, walls, defenses
Gacha: Rare beasts, weapons, Guardians, Skills, scrolls, and more
"Wow… that's a lot," I muttered, eyes widening at the glowing menu. "So I can summon beasts, guardians, warriors—and even different species like elves and demi-humans? This is crazy!"
My laugh came out shaky, half disbelief and half hysteria. "This system wants me to defend this massive cave? Do you really think I'm capable of that, huh? Ha?! System!?"
Ding!
SYSTEM: No...
That's an ERROR [Yes.]
"Now you are just mocking me, right?? RIGHT? You bastard!"
SYSTEM: Yes. You are capable of defending this dungeon.
I froze, my jaw dropping. "You've gotta be kidding me…"
So you were mocking me! You absolute text-box menace!
I wanted to scream, but all that came out was a frustrated sigh. I'm just a regular dude—nothing special about me!
My voice echoed through the cave, but no answer came this time. Only silence… and that damn glowing screen floating in front of me.
I sighed, shoulders slumping. "Fine! If you really want it, then fuck it! I can't get out of here unless I'm level 10 anyway!"
"Okay, let's see…" I muttered, scrolling through the glowing interface. My eyes stopped on a small icon near the corner. "What's this? Inventory?"
I tapped it, and another window popped up, displaying a grid filled with faint silhouettes and a few glowing items.
"So I also have this, huh?" I leaned closer, squinting at the text. "Low-grade health potion… oh, this is the one from the reward! And wait, a gacha random ticket too?"
Curiosity prickled at me. "How do I even take this out? Do I just… touch it?"
I hesitated for a second, then reached out and tapped the glowing potion icon.
Plop!
The glass vial materialized in midair and dropped onto the ground with a small clink.
I froze, blinking. "Holy shit… it actually worked."
The red liquid inside shimmered faintly, swirling as if alive.
I picked up the potion, staring at the faintly glowing red liquid inside.
"Do I… have to drink this?" I muttered, turning the vial in my hand. The glass was warm, almost pulsing like it had a heartbeat.
I sighed, bracing myself. "Okay… I hope I don't die from this."
I uncorked it and tilted it back. Glug-glug-glug.
"Ahhh!" I gagged, face twisting. "It tastes bad! Like rotten fruit mixed with metal!"
The aftertaste burned my throat, but then warmth spread through my body. My muscles loosened, the pain in my shoulder and leg faded away, and I felt… lighter.
I stared at my hands, flexing them slowly. "Whoa… it actually healed me."
I frowned at the glowing ticket floating in my inventory. "Hmm… what about this ticket? How do I even use it?"
I scratched my head, then shrugged. "Never mind, let's just take it out."
I tapped it, and the ticket materialized in my hand—thin, glowing faintly gold, humming softly with energy.
The moment my fingers brushed against it, a message appeared in front of me:
SYSTEM: Do you want to use the [Random Gacha Ticket]?
Yes / No
"Hell yeah! …Oh, I mean, yes, please."
The air around me trembled. A burst of golden light flared, and before I knew it, a massive wheel appeared in front of me, its surface divided into glowing sections filled with beasts, items, warrior-looking figures, and question marks.
It spun fast, the air whistling around it as lights streaked across its rim. Each click echoed like thunder in the cave.
My heart pounded. "Holy shit… it's really like a game…"
The wheel spun faster and faster, glowing symbols blurring into streaks of light. Then, slowly… it began to slow down.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Each click echoed through the cave, my heartbeat matching its rhythm.
Finally, it stopped, landing on a glowing symbol shaped like a claw mark. A flash of light burst out, and a card floated up from the wheel's center, shimmering in the air.
Ding!
SYSTEM: Congratulations! You've won a [Beast Summon Card].
"A summon card? A beast at that?" I muttered, staring at the glowing card floating midair. "Let me see it!"
The card stopped spinning, hovering right in front of me. I grabbed it carefully, and the surface shimmered as an image formed on it.
My eyes widened. "Wait… I know this beast. Yes… yes! This guy is strong as fuck!"
Ding!
SYSTEM: Summon Beast Card detected.
Do you want to use it?
Yes / No
I grinned, excitement rushing through me. "Of course I want it! Yes!"
The card shone brighter, blinding light flooding the cave as the air began to tremble
To be continued…