Zaryan was running.
Endless darkness stretched around him, yet his legs refused to stop.
"Where… am I?!"
A scream echoed through the void.
"Run, Zaryan!!"
His blood turned cold.
That voice…
It was his own.
A faint light appeared ahead. Zaryan rushed toward it—and froze.
Floating in mid-air was a body.
His body.
It was twisted unnaturally, as if something invisible was tearing into it.
No enemy.
No monster.
No shadow.
Just himself… being destroyed by something he couldn't see.
"T-That's… me…"
His mind went blank.
"RUN!!"
The scream came again.
Instinct took over.
Lightning erupted in Zaryan's hand.
A sword formed—crackling with violent energy.
Power surged through him.
Without hesitation, he jumped.
He swung.
The lightning blade struck his other self.
The world shattered.
Zaryan gasped and shot up in bed.
The alarm clock screamed beside him.
Sweat soaked his clothes. His chest rose and fell rapidly.
"A… dream?"
His hands were shaking.
But it didn't feel like a normal dream.
It felt too real.
For ten years—since the accident that killed his entire family—Zaryan had lived like an empty shell.
The government paid for his care.
The world moved on.
He didn't.
But today…
Something felt different.
Ten years ago.
That was when everything began.
A Monster Stone had appeared inside a city bridge.
Monster Stones were connected to dimensional Gates.
When a Gate opened, a dungeon formed.
And monsters came out.
The government's Stone Association controlled most of them.
They tracked them.
They sold them.
They claimed they were safe.
But that stone…
It shouldn't have been there.
Only thirty percent of Monster Stones had timers.
If the timer reached zero without being destroyed…
The stone exploded.
Forcing the Gate open.
Releasing everything inside.
That day—
The timer hit zero.
The bridge was destroyed.
Cars crashed.
People screamed.
Hundreds died.
Zaryan's family…
Among them.
Then the C-Rank Gate opened.
Monsters poured out.
The city turned into hell.
The official explanation?
A natural disaster.
Later?
A private company was blamed.
But the company owner went on live TV, shouting:
"This was the government's fault!"
No one believed him.
But Zaryan didn't fully dismiss it either.
"I'll find the truth," Zaryan muttered, fists clenched.
"And when I do… I'll take my revenge."
Suddenly—
A transparent blue screen appeared in front of his eyes.
[System Notification]
[Would you like to become a Player?]
Yes / No
Zaryan froze.
"…A system?"
He fell back onto his bed.
"A VR set? Don't joke with me…"
He laughed bitterly.
"Like I could ever afford something like that."
But his heart was racing.
This felt…
Real.
Without overthinking—
He raised his hand.
"Yes."
[Welcome, Player.]
[Emergency Quest Activated.]
[Quest: Survive.]
[Time Limit: 1 Hour.]
[You Are About To Be Transported Into A Dungeon.]
Before Zaryan could react—
The world twisted.
The air changed.
And suddenly…
A goblin stood right in front of him.
Green skin. Sharp teeth. Drool dripping from its mouth.
Zaryan turned and ran.
"What the hell?! This is actually real?!"
"One hour… there's no way I can survive this!"
More goblins poured in.
From different paths.
Surrounding him.
Then—
They suddenly stopped.
As if they sensed something.
The ground began to shake.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Something massive approached.
A huge centipede-like monster emerged from the darkness.
Zaryan's breath caught.
"I'm… dead for sure…"
Just as it closed in—
BOOM!
The dungeon ceiling collapsed.
A massive chunk of stone crushed the monster.
Zaryan dropped to the ground, shaking.
"I'm… alive…"
But before he could relax—
The goblins charged again.
No escape.
No path.
At that moment—
[You Have Obtained Skill: Death Stare.]
Zaryan didn't understand.
But when he looked at the goblins—
They froze.
Fear filled their eyes.
They retreated.
They ran.
Zaryan stared in shock.
Then—
The dungeon began collapsing again.
Cracks spread.
The ceiling started falling.
Right toward him.
[Emergency Quest Completed.]
[You Have Gained 1 Point.]
[You Are About To Be Transported Back To The Real World.]
Zaryan was back in his room.
He screamed.
"HELL NAH—!! I ALMOST DIED!!"
Another message appeared.
[Our Dungeon Has Been Detected By An External Party.]
[Objective Updated: Kill The Detector If He/She Is An Enemy.]
Zaryan's eyes widened.
"Detect? What does that even mean?!"
Elsewhere.
Government Stone Association.
"Inform the Chairman. A dungeon has opened inside a residential society," Lila reported.
The Chairman's expression turned cold.
"Find out who opened that dungeon."
Then—
"Kill them."
A C-Rank Stoner stepped forward.
"Yes, sir."
Back in his room, Zaryan froze.
"I… have to kill a person?!"