It was a typical day in New York City. People fought their way through overcrowded sidewalks pushing past one another without a word. They were so focused on their thoughts, worries, and problems that they couldn't spare a moment outside of their own world for anyone else. Just a little removed from the busiest streets, Solomon Andrews was sitting at a table on the side of the road.

Soloman, or Saul for short, worked at the local community college teaching history. Luckily for him, they were on spring break. At that particular moment, he was a guy enjoying a nice New York slice. He leaned down to take a bite of pizza and had to reach up with his free hand to wipe his long, black hair out of the way of the grease. The folded slice was halfway to his mouth when the ground began to shake.

Skyscrapers all around him began to shudder, visible waves running up the sides of the buildings. Somewhere up above, glass was heard shattering and moments later a downpour of debris rained onto the blacktop below. Glass shards, office supplies, even pieces of scaffolding began to crash onto the ground up and down the street. Screams sounded out amidst the chaos.

When Saul saw a car crash into a hot dog stand on the sidewalk, he jumped up and sprinted inside the pizza shop. He leaped over the counter to put as many barriers between him and the crashing cars as possible, hoping it would be safer inside than out on the streets. 'An earthquake? In New York City?' He was incredulous. Scared. The ground shook mightily and threw him from his feet. The crashing of breaking dishes and things falling came from the door to the kitchen.

He clambered to his feet as the vibrations calmed down, creeping over to a window. Looking out, the ground beneath the street split open before his eyes, and an angry orange glow emanated from within that widening fissure. Parked cars fell into the hole, which expanded until it was roughly the width of the entire street.

The earth continued to rumble with reduced intensity as something burst from the hole, massive slabs of red rock rising from within. One large slab parallel to the ground arose first. The quakes continued on as two more stones arose from the hole supporting the parallel slab, perpendicular to the ground and on either side of it.

From his vantage point in the shop, Saul thought, 'That looks kind of like a piece of Stonehenge… What in the world?'

Saul had no way of knowing at the time, but a similar event was occurring worldwide. Frantic pedestrians were filming the chaos to post to their YouTube channels or their favorite subreddit. News helicopters took flight to respond to the emerging story. The stone slabs continued to rise mysteriously from the ground, and as more and more of them emerged, Saul could see they were connected somehow.

As fast as things had started, the ground grew still, and the city fell quiet. Car alarms could be heard, as well as panicked screams here and there, but it was as if someone had put most of the city on mute. Throughout the city, deafening silence had settled over things.

'I'd better go make sure nobody's hurt...' Saul thought, exiting the door once he felt things were safe. Parked cars had been crushed under debris, and large slabs of asphalt were strewn randomly about the street. There was devastation as far as the eye could see.

He sprinted over to the car that had taken out the hot dog cart and pulled open the door to call on the driver, "Are you ok?" The woman had a pained expression on her face, eyes unfocused.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, dialing 911. He didn't address the operator. 'As far as I know, they'll come to investigate if nobody responds to their questions.' He looked around and saw that almost nobody had suffered a serious injury, at least on this street. "Help is coming!" He called to the woman, "Stay here for now."

The earthquake had been of sufficient magnitude to cause a lot of damage alone, without even considering the way the ground split. He turned to survey the street, the stone archway catching his eye once more. He walked towards the stone figure, looking it over with fascination evident in his eyes, 'What in the…?' It looked like an artifact from ancient Egypt or perhaps Babylon.

There were numerous markings on either side of the stone. Saul inspected them from what he felt was a safe distance but he couldn’t quite make them out. They appeared to be hieroglyphs.His heart pounded in his chest as he looked at the strange stones from afar. ‘Curiosity killed the cat.’ He thought, yet still, he walked a little closer. He probably should have gone the other way.

Light began to shimmer in the middle of the arch. The view of the street behind the open arch distorted, like a funhouse mirror, then the space between the stones went black. He picked up a piece of rubble from the street and threw it into the stone archway, but he never heard it fall to the ground on the other side.

He decided to get closer for a better look. He had it in mind to inspect the archway from about three feet away. He squinted, just able to see the markings in better detail. 'Is that Sumerian?' He moved a bit closer. As he took his final step, the earth shook once more, and he tripped, falling forward. He yelled out as he stumbled forward and threw his hands out to try and catch himself, but he wound up falling right into the doorway. Darkness surrounded him for a few moments. Then, he was enveloped by a strange light.

It felt as though he were floating in a pool of warm water. Soft light enveloped him, making it hard for him to see anything else. He didn't have any trouble breathing. 'What happened? Did I pass out? Am I dreaming? ...Worse?' He reached up to look at his hand. He brushed it against his face. His skin still felt warm to the touch, a good sign that he was probably still alive.

Welcome to the Dungeon.

Analyzing…

The voice was loud and seemed to come from everywhere around him. The dungeon? This has to be a dream, right?

“I don’t want to be in the dungeon! Let me out!” He cried, his voice tinged with confusion. The voice seemed to ignore him.

A translucent blue screen appeared in front of him, glowing. He turned his head to look away, blinded by the light, but the screen followed him. He closed his eyes, but it displayed itself on the inside of his eyelids.

“Character Creation…?” He read to himself, looking everything over.

Please select Class

He looked over the various options. ‘Fighter,’ ‘Mage,’ ‘Summoner,’ and a considerable number of other options seemed to be available.

“What does a class determine?” He wondered aloud.

Class determines starting abilities and attributes. Classes are flexible and may evolve into higher tiers. You can train under an expert to switch classes, but your starting attributes and abilities will remain with you.

That same voice, soothing and soft, answered. “Hmm…”

“Monk? Can I get some more info?” A text box appeared before his eyes containing the following information:

The Monk class is known for martial prowess. Monks are capable melee fighters, with talents in both unarmed fighting and staff fighting. Their mastery of close-quarters-combat and ability to infuse their attacks and body with divine energy makes them formidable opponents at close range.

+3 boost to Strength and Dexterity.

That's interesting, but it doesn't sound like my style. Not that any of this is real anyway. Scrolling through the classes, Saul’s next thought was the Summoner class. “Info,” He requested.

The Summoner is capable of calling up hordes of monsters to do the Summoner’s bidding. The Summoner can defend themselves in close quarters but is better off fighting from afar.

+3 bonus to Intelligence and +3 to Willpower

Not exactly my cup of tea. I like the idea of summoning minions, but I don't want to be reliant on something else's power. What happens if I get ambushed? I could be taken out before I can fight back.

His gaze wandered over to the Ranger class. "Info."

The Ranger is a class that can engage foes from both far away and up close. The Ranger has a weapon specialty, but due to their dexterity, they can use many weapons freely. The Ranger is a talented tracker and survivalist who relies on their skills in combat and stealth to thrive in any situation.

+3 to Dexterity and +3 to Intelligence

That sounds really cool... Very versatile.

“More info on Druid, please."

The Druid can call upon the forces of nature to assist in combat, in the form of mighty spells, transformations or even animal summons. Druids are one of the foremost defenders of the natural world and do everything in their power to protect ancient forests and their denizens.

+3 to Will and +3 to Strength

Tough choice. Druid sounds good. So does Ranger. Let me think... Both are probably pretty good at survival. I don't really like the idea of having to rely on mana, or whatever is used for spells here. What if I run out at a bad time? Rangers, on the other hand, are probably the most versatile. If it's anything like DnD then the ranger can fight like a warrior, sneak like a rogue... Maybe even cast a few spells? Who knows. They won't be dependent on magic, though. Sounds great to me.

Clearing his throat he said, "Select class: Ranger."

You have selected the Ranger Class. Please select two Talents.

A list of talents appeared before him.

Hm… Interesting. “Is this the only chance I have to pick talents?” He wondered aloud. The voice responded,

Talents can be selected at various levels. Additionally, many talents can be unlocked through training, combat, or as quest rewards. Talents level up independently of your actual level.

It’s almost like Skyrim. I can learn by doing. If that’s the case, I’ll pick a few that seem useful from an early stage. It's not like this matters anyways. He considered his options for a few moments, then asked, "Can I have a list of possible talents?"

Talent Name:

Talent Description:

Limitless Quiver

You will never be without arrows. Each arrow is considered a normal, non-magical weapon.

Rapid Reload

You are able to nock and fire arrows at an extraordinary pace.

Uncanny Agility

You are more adept at feats of grace and dexterity.

Befriend Animals

You are able to establish a connection with an animal companion who will aid you throughout your adventures.

Cultivate

You are able to use the energy in your surroundings to fuel your growth in power.

Light Fingers

Your soft touch and deft fingers allow you to lift items from people's pockets without them being any wiser.

Winning Smile

Your natural charisma helps to sway people to your line of thinking more easily.

Fast retreat

You have the ability to escape more easily from combat. Your enemies have a harder time pursuing you.

Strong Constitution

Your strong constitution makes it harder for you to feel sick, or to suffer the effects of poison.

Down at the bottom right-hand corner, he saw a box that suggested there were more pages to choose from. He flipped through several of them and found himself paralyzed by all of the choice. Let me just think through a couple of these.

Let's see... Light fingers? Not really my style. I'd prefer not to steal if I can avoid it. Winning smile? I've got that already. Cultivate - harvesting the energy in the air to fuel my own power? That sounds strong.

His gaze continued to move along the list. Strong constitution seems good, and maybe it's the optimist in me, but I don't think I'll be getting poisoned. Limitless quiver... That sounds really great, but if this is anything like the games I've played, normal arrows are useless after a while. Rapid reload seems good... But if this is genuinely like Skyrim, that's probably something I could learn to do just by using a bow and arrow a bunch.

He continued to skim the options until one caught his attention. Hm... Befriend animals... An animal companion to help keep me company. An animal companion who can help me in battle. That's a winner.

He spoke clearly: “Select Talent: Befriend Animal. Select Talent: Cultivate.” A blue light enveloped his vision, so bright that he had to close his eyes to avoid being blinded.

When he next opened his eyes he found himself looking out onto a wide-open plain. He looked up and smiled as his eyes took in the sky. There was hardly a cloud in sight, and it was the kind of blue you only see on the clearest days. Surrounding the plain far off in the distance were cliffs, some jagged and some topped with flat plateaus.

The blue sky contrasted heavily with the green grass and golden wheat that dominated the plain. Breathing in deeply, Saul didn’t detect any of the grime or pollution that he was so used to smelling in the city. In fact, the clean air almost smelled wrong to his nose.

"Where am I?" Saul asked himself, and the voice answered once more.

This is the Prairie. It is the first level of the Dungeon. As the introductory point, questions will be answered here, but no further help will be offered at deeper levels.

He looked down at himself and found his clothing was the same as before: A t-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts. I know this is all a dream... Still, it wouldn't hurt to ask questions. He drew in a deep breath to help steady shaking hands, trying to quiet the part of him that was wondering if maybe this wasn't just a dream, "I don't want to be here. Let me out, please." The response was swift and final.

Exit is not permitted at this time. You must reach the fifth level of the Dungeon in order to travel between to the outside world. The only way to proceed is forward.

Saul sighed to himself and looked around once more, What should I do? I'll wake up before too long, I hope... But what if this is real? I'd better clear my head.

He sat onto the ground with his legs crossed, and his hands closed over one another in his lap. A familiar position. It's been years since I started meditating... It's always helped me figure things out before. Let's try it. He focused on his breathing. In, and out. He achieved a steady rhythm, his mind feeling calmer and clearer with each breath.

Another message appeared:

By assuming this position and having the Cultivation ability, you have begun to cultivate to gain deeper wisdom and understanding. This ability will deactivate when you break this position.

As he drew breath, he felt the way the air moved into his lungs. He felt the way his blood was infused with oxygen, the way it moved throughout his body. He felt the air suffusing his lungs, bringing him peace of mind. Clarity. It was almost as if he could feel the energy. Exhaling slowly, he felt the energy leave his body, then he drew in another nice, slow breath. Energy seemed to flow into his body again.

After an hour of meditation, he opened his eyes. He felt as though he had more focus.

He stood and stretched and prepared to get started. "Status."

Name: Solomon Andrews

HP: 20/20

Class: Ranger

Level: 1

Talents:

Cultivate

Befriend Animal

Cultivation Level: Foundation

Abilities:

Attack

Shoot

Track

Strength:

17

Intelligence:

19

Dexterity:

20

Willpower:

12

Endurance:

12

Experience:

0

He didn't know what any of these numbers meant, but he assumed the baseline was somewhere around what his endurance and willpower stats were set at. I knew I shouldn’t have skipped Cardio in the gym. Still, my stats seem pretty high. Must have gotten a lucky roll. I'm sure there's a limit to base stats. He considered his next move. He thought carefully about what he should do. I should wait. If this is all some concussion induced dream, then nothing matters.

He remained seated for a long time. Enough time passed that the sun began to sink over the horizon. Saul sat there. Waiting. Centering himself. He alternated between meditating, cultivating, and simply relaxing. He was a patient man. He'd sat through countless hours of history lecturers that managed to make some of the most exciting events in all of human history boring. He could wait until he snapped out of this delusion.

As the sun set over the warmly glowing fields, and the prairie began to cool he started to consider that maybe he wasn't going to wake up from this situation. The moon, 'A moon', rose. It was bigger than Luna. Brighter. It was better than the biggest full moon he could recall. He could actually make out vague details on things several meters away from him. Most of what surrounded him was...

Wheat. As far as the eye could see, wheat.

Maybe... Maybe this is real. A weight settled on his chest. The kind of weight that felt like it was suffocating. He struggled. Breathe. Calm yourself. A breeze stirred. Cool. It was the kind of thing he could focus on. The kind of thing he could use to center himself once more. If this is real, then you need to act like the consequences are real. He reached into his pocket. Treasures.

He extracted what he found within. Multi-tool. My favorite survival aid. Lighter. Always good to have a lighter. Burger wrapper from earlier. Oops. I forgot to throw that away. Okay, two of his items were super useful. One of them was trash. He stuffed them back into his pocket, including the burger wrapper. Like the park rangers always say, leave no trace.

He shivered. He looked down at his outfit: a t-shirt and athletic shorts. Inadequate. He reached up to his long hair, tied back in a ponytail, and removed the hair tie to let his mane fall around his shoulders. It was long, black, and thick enough to help keep his ears and neck warm. I need food, water, and shelter. But first, I need warmth.

He searched around for anything he could use to light on fire. He did find several sticks nearby, lucky enough to find a variety of different sizes. Kindling. Now I need some logs. He stood. Surveyed. He thought he saw the faintest hints of a tree rising up against the night sky, leafless branches indicating it was likely dead.

He gathered up his sticks and walked over to the tree, moving through golden grass that came up to his chest. It didn't take long for him to reach the tree; it was an island in a sea of gold. Dead, just like I hoped. He reached up and grabbed at some of the lighter branches, just low enough for him to reach.

They didn't give. He jumped and grabbed at one branch with both hands. He let his weight hang there. It snapped. They fell. It hurt his tailbone a bit, but he had a decent size stick to work with. One end of the branch was pretty pointy.

He went about halfway between the tree and the surrounding grass before using his stick to dig a hole there. He was lost in his thoughts. It was hard to believe any of this was happening. Maybe I'm in a coma. I could have hit my head. Maybe I'm dead. The cold would remind him that he was probably alive. Best to do what I can, then.

Before long, he had a nice hole to build fire in. It was close to a meter deep. "Let's see... For an in-ground fire, I need to dig another hole for ventilation" Talking to himself felt good.

He worked on a secondary hole, then dug a tunnel that connected the two. He moved back to the dead tree and walked around its trunk while looking at the branches. He picked a few other pieces that seemed good and jumped up to grab ahold of them one at a time.

Three more short falls to the ground. Three more loud cracks and he had three more nice branches. One of them was nearly as tall as he was and seemed to be pretty straight. I can carve a point on this for defense. Save that for after the fire.

He moved over to his soon-to-be-firepit. None of his branches would fit. He picked the weakest looking one and tried to break it over his knee. It snapped after a struggle. He repeated that a few times, then lined the pieces up in the hole. On top of that, he threw the smaller sticks. Finally, he threw a bunch of dead wheat he'd found nearby on top. 'Now, it's a good thing I have this handy, grease-soaked trash.

He introduced his lighter and the wrapper to each other by way of flame. Once it was burning, he tossed it into the ground. Ignition. His fire burned low and hot, and over time, more of the fuel caught. He fanned it along through the ventilation hole when he needed to, but before long, he was warming himself by the fire. The light was limited, and there wasn't much smoke.

Perfect.

He settled down with the stick he'd picked for defense and his multi-tool. Picking up the end he'd snapped off, he began to sharpen it, careful to work his knife away from his body. The knife won't last long, but it will get the job done. Maybe I'll find a place to buy another one... Or maybe I'll just wake up. By the time he was satisfied, the moon was high in the sky and he had a decent primitive spear. "Okay, time to get some sleep."

He knew his fire was safe. Nothing will burn underground but my fuel. He lay down near the hole on the ground, which yielded nicely to his body. Tucking his arm beneath his head and wishing for a pillow, he tried to use a deep breathing exercise to bring on sleep. His mind was still racing as he considered the possibilities. Maybe this all is real… If it is, what do I do? Am I still alive? Anxieties ran uninvited within countless thoughts until eventually, blessedly, sleep came.

When he opened his eyes, he wasn't alone. He heard movement in the clearing. It sounded big. He looked around for the source of the noise but wasn't able to identify it at first. He tried to play dead, or asleep, moving as slowly as possible. Eventually, it came into sight. It was a large rodent. Like a capybara. It was sniffing around by the base of the tree. Spear's right here... He reached forward to grab his weapon. He moved as slowly as he could. His fingers felt the wooden shaft and found it comforting.

He decided to try and sit up. I hope it's not aggressive. He moved slowly to show he wasn't a threat. The animal didn't seem bothered. He reached for his multi-tool and pocketed it. Then, using his spear as an aide, he stood up. It didn't like that. The beast charged him with a vicious snarl. It opened its mouth. Saul saw its teeth. They weren't the teeth of a herbivore. He yelled and raised his stick. Scare it off! Like a bear! The beast seemed emboldened by the move if anything. Forget it. Plant your feet. Stick it with the pointy end.

He tried to stab the monster but he didn't know how to use a spear which made his awkward attempt ineffective. It leaped at him, and he was just barely able to get the sturdy branch between the animal and himself. He turned and pressed as the animal caught on the stick, using its momentum to fling it away from him.

That'll teach it. Surely he'll run aw-... Okay, it's coming at me again. He jabbed at the beast, but the motion was awkward and slow. He managed to land his blow, but with the force he used, it was more of a poke. The monster barreled into him and knocked him down. He rolled as he fell to reduce the damage, his vision flashing red momentarily as he took notice of a red bar in the bottom right that read HP: 18/20. 'No time for that. He's coming again. Be firm. Brace this. Stick him with the pointy end!'

He did just that, bracing the stick against his body. The beast's momentum impaled it on the stick, which stuck gruesomely through the back of its head.

It let out a pitiful noise. The life left its eyes and then light filled Saul's eyes:

Through your use of a two-handed weapon in self-defense, you have unlocked Two-Handed Weapons! Your Two-Handed Weapons skill is now Foundation, Lvl I.

You have gained experience: 13 Exp!

His stomach rumbled. He looked between the firepit and the beast he'd killed.

You've gotta do what you've gotta do... I hope I wake up soon. He extracted his multi-tool from his pocket once more. He foraged about for sticks and kindling. He snapped one of the other branches into several pieces for fuel. I am Prometheus, for I bring fire to this land.

He lit another fire, then sat down and began to skin the large rodent as it heated up. Let's see... I guess... The back would be the tenderloin? He did what he could with the small pocket knife, carving a chunk of meat, which he promptly impaled on his stick and held over the fire.

Before too long, it was beginning to roast nicely. Crackling. Delicious fat dripped from it into the fire. Flames leaped higher. More, they said.

I hope this thing is safe to eat... He took a bite.

Maybe I am dead. Maybe this is heaven. Maybe, in heaven, the rats all taste like Wagyu ribeyes.