We changed the subject quickly. Neither of us wanted to sit with our fears, so we did what most people would do — we pushed them aside and focused on something else.

  The conversation drifted after that. We talked for a while longer, but nothing serious. No talk of the System. No families. Nothing heavy.

  Just normal things.

  As normal as anything could be now.

  “Good luck tomorrow and come back. I am going to try and level up, or get as close to levelling up.”

  “That is good but be careful.”

  I walked back, avoiding the Kobolds. I just wanted to go home and sleep. The next day was going to be hectic. I had four floors to complete, and I also had no idea what Monters would populate the dungeon.

  Logically I thought it would be Kobolds. They are the only monsters we faced, except for the things in the night.

  Please don’t add them to the dungeon…

  I fell asleep, stressing…

  I woke too early. Far too early.

  While eating, I checked the address of the dungeon entrance on my mapping bracelet. The location resolved into a school — a multi-story building. I assumed each floor would line up with a corresponding dungeon level.

  Just after dawn, I headed out, deliberately avoiding every Kobold along the way.

  The school itself was nice.

  It was old, built from solid brick and stone, the kind of structure meant to last generations. Tall windows lined each floor, dark and silent, and decorative stonework framed the entrance.

  I took a deep breath and stepped inside.

  Immediately, a System screen materialized in front of me.

  Of course it did.

  I climbed the stairs feeling a bit apprehensive, even a bit panicky. I could not understand why this quest is stressing me out so much. It was a dungeon, but it was adapted to not be fatal.

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  I was going to die but it would not be permanent, and I already knew how it felt.

  Why am I so nervous?

  At the top of the stairs, the space opened into something that definitely wasn’t a school.

  Stone walls surrounded me on all sides; rough-cut blocks stacked with careful precision. Moss crept along the seams between the stones, soft green against cold gray, as if the place had been underground for centuries. The air felt cooler, heavier, carrying a damp, earthy scent that had no business existing inside a modern building.

  The floor was laid with worn stone tiles, uneven underfoot, polished smooth by time rather than use. A single torch burned along the wall, its flame steady and unnatural, casting flickering shadows that stretched and twisted across the corridor.

  I shrugged and began walking forward when another screen stopped me.

  I read the options once… then again.

  The first two were easy to discard. There was no real benefit in fighting monsters from the old world — things that no longer existed outside this dungeon. Mutated beasts fell into the same category. Useful maybe, if there were no other choices, but not now.

  Game monsters crossed my mind briefly. Familiar patterns. Predictable behavior.

  If the last two options weren’t there, I might’ve picked them.

  But they were there.

  Choosing current-world monsters would give me a glimpse of what was still to come. We already knew Kobolds — so what was next?

  This dungeon wasn’t just a challenge. It was a preview. And the knowledge I’d gain here could mean the difference between life and death later.

  “I choose current-world monsters,” I said aloud.

  Night-class monsters, though…

  That was a step too far. Not yet.

  Maybe by Floor Four.

  I walked to the door and opened it, not expecting a Kobold to be right there, aiming a punch at me.

  Luckily, I had Fleetstep and made good use of it. I ducked under the punch and moved past the Kobold. I felt the extra movement speed, and it was only with this perk that I managed to get past the Kobold’s claws.

  I was not sure what level this Kobold was, but it carried no weapons and it was a bit taller than the Level 6. It was not a Level 7 either.

  I used the time left on the spell to put some distance between me and the monster and followed up with Mana Slashes. My aim had improved so much that I was able to kill the Kobold with carefully placed attacks.

  The Kobold fell and did not move.

  Is it dead?

  I waited a bit and moved closer, pondering if it would really be that easy. That was a big mistake. You never say that… Never.

  I was thinking that getting loot from this dungeon would be highly unlikely. The System only gave a food and water package for lost time. It was sad but… such is life.

  A small, wiry shape burst out of the shadows — then another… then more. I barely had time to register details: lean bodies moving too fast, flashes of mottled green and gray skin, large pointed ears snapping back as they ran. Sharp teeth caught the light for a split second, bright, watchful eyes locking onto me with unnerving focus.

  They were quick. Coordinated.

  And right on top of me.

  Pain flared—

  And the world tore itself away.

  I was back at the dungeon entrance, stone cold beneath my feet, the System having reset everything in an instant.

  “A fuck,” I breathed.

  Whatever those things were…

  They weren’t kobolds.

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  first Royal Road chapter of each pair. The second one won’t have pictures. If you want to see all the art together (or earlier), it’s on Patreon with the combined chapters!