Lupin gripped the haft of his wooden spear tightly as he stared up at the gigantic crystalline structure before him. It had been several days since he had been trapped in this game, and he still didn't have a single lead. The only thing he could think of was to search the area where he had spawned and hope that he could find her. I will never give up. She's here somewhere and I will scour this world if I have to, he thought to himself with powerful resolve. Lupin had just been a regular guy, nothing special really. He had a good job and had generally been blessed in life. His wife, Melissa, was a gamer like himself, and they had been looking forward to tackling a new game together. Somehow, even though they literally logged into the game at the same time, they had not spawned together. He had appeared in a swampy area only a couple days journey from the base of these rocky mountains and she was nowhere to be found.

Lupin had immediately tried to open a chat window to find out where she was so they could meet up, but this world had no such feature. When the global announcement came down, he had fallen to his knees in grief. The possibility that he would never see his wife again was very real, but he would search to the ends of the universe if he had to in order to reunite with his soulmate. There weren't any cities nearby, but he had been able to spot this gigantic crystal wall from far below. Perhaps there was a city inside, or maybe it was a dungeon. He had no idea, but he had to check. If I can get to civilization, I might be able to find other players who may have seen her. It's not much to go on but what else can I do? he mused to himself.

The wall of the structure was at least 100 feet tall and even though it was made of shiny pale-blue crystal, he couldn't see through it. In the brief time he had spent in this world, he hadn't had much luck other than the fact that he spawned near a weapon, and that he apparently had been gifted with a special ability. The ability, Beast Tamer, allowed him to tame a familiar who was at his level or below. He could only control one creature at a time, but it would grow stronger as he did and he was able to send it commands telepathically.

Lupin glanced down at his companion, a level 1 green slime. "Ready to do this, buddy?" he asked the creature.

The undulating green blob didn't respond, of course, but he liked having something to talk to. It was dumb luck that he had tamed the thing anyway, and it had been pretty useful so far. The monster was a green slime whose attribute was poison. It wasn't very strong, but when it contacted the flesh of an enemy it burned like acid and poison would seep into its victim. He had learned that first hand when he had stepped on it while trudging through the marshland at the base of the mountains. He reached down and reflexively rubbed his leg before snapping himself back to the present.

A heavy looking door stood before him and he reached out and pushed against it. It was surprisingly light and swung open. Crystals sparkled inside jutting out of the ground, walls, and even the ceiling in beautiful fractals that acted like prisms creating rainbows in the light. A large crystal floated in the middle of the small room and it rotated reflecting light, just like everything else in the place. As he went to enter the building he was stopped by some invisible force and a prompt appeared.

The Crystal Labyrinth Dungeon Woe to all ye who enter here. The beauty of this place is only matched by the danger found within. There are great treasures hidden deep inside the dungeon for those brave enough to claim them. Take heed, adventurer, if you become lost here, you will never again be found.

Recommended Level: 15+

Well... that's a dead end if ever one was to smack me right in the face. Not a city, and most likely not a place where she would have spawned at level 1. Even the sadistic fucks who created this game wouldn't do that I hope... not to mention I'm still only level 3. He selected no on the prompt and the door closed on its own leaving him once again staring at the wall of the dungeon.

"Time to head in another direction," he announced to his companion. "Maybe once we find Melissa we can come back here. Just need to keep hope alive, my friend."

The slime undulated again but that would be all the response Lupin would get out of it. The two of them began the long trek down the mountain. Lupin decided that they would head in the direction he had seen that red dragon flying in a couple days back. If nothing else, maybe it was headed toward where people or farms with livestock were.

After what felt like forever, they finally made it to the base of the mountain. Lupin wished he had a good source of fresh water or even a way to start a fire, but he had to make due with what he had. He reluctantly reached down and scooped some of the murky looking swamp water up and drank it. Somehow he hadn't gotten sick from the stuff thus far. He had pushed himself hard today to get to that building and back and he felt exhausted. His stamina had reached critically low levels a few times throughout the day and he was ready to find a dry spot to rest for the night. After mucking about for a bit he found a high spot of ground in the marshland where he and his slime could hang their hats for the night. He yawned and ordered the creature mentally to stand guard.

It didn't need sleep so far as he could tell and for that he was glad. "Wherever you are, babe, hang in there. We'll be together again soon," he said aloud. Lupin was sure that she would be searching just as hard for him and so it would only be a matter of time before they found each other. If anything has happened to her, I swear with every fiber of my soul that I will burn this world to the ground. The designers wouldn't have made this place without partaking in it themselves. If I can't find her, I'll find them and find some way to make them pay. It took some time, but he finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, he awoke and stretched his sore muscles. Lupin was grateful for a good night's rest after all that exertion from the day prior, and even though he was without food and hungry, he set off through the marsh. Things couldn't go smoothly forever, though, and right before him a large head popped up out of the shallow water. The creature was something right out of his nightmares and its forked tongue tasted the air as its eyes stared right at him. The snake was enormous and he had no doubts that it could swallow him. He jumped back and held his spear point first at the thing. "I don't want any trouble, but if you come looking for it, you'll get more than you bargained for," he warned the snake.

Its only answer was that it dove in to strike him. He barely jumped out of the way as the snake's face smashed into the soft ground where he had been standing. He used the long reach of his weapon to stab at his foe but wasn't able to do much damage. Jeez... what are those scales made of? he didn't have a lot of time to think about it, though as it dove for him again. Luckily he wasn't alone and the snake had overextended. His trusty slime jumped onto the back of the snake and a searing noise could be heard as its gelatinous body oozed down the sides of the snake burning and poisoning it.

"Great job, buddy!" he loved that little slime right now. The snake thrashed around in pain unable to attack the slime as it was positioned near the back of its head. Lupin ordered the familiar to retreat and as it jumped off he stabbed the tip of his spear deep into the exposed area. This time, the blade went in easily and the creature fell silent shortly after. Lupin accessed his notification window immediately hoping that this had been enough to gain both him and his familiar another level.

Notifications You have gained 51 EXP for defeating level 5 Anaconda Congratulations! Your familiar has reached level 3! It has gained 3 attribute points.

"Better than nothing. Congrats, little guy," he opened up the creature's status screen.

Name Slimer Level 003 (307/667 EXP to next Level) Current Evolution Minor Slime HP 60/60 MP 15/15 AP 3 Attributes Vitality 4 Magic 1 Endurance 2 Magic Resistance 1 Strength 2 Luck 1 Agility 2 Dexterity 1 Abilities • Dissolve

Skills • Weak Poison - Level 2 (43% toward next level)

Lupin decided to put two points into the creature's vitality and one point into agility. His little buddy was just a basic slime monster, but he would make it the strongest one it could be. With its higher health it would at least be able to take a bit more of a beating in the future. He was a little disappointed that he hadn't leveled himself, but he was very close at this point anyway. On that note, he and his companion trudged onward toward the direction the dragon had flown. I'll find you. I swear it.