I twirl the pencil around in my hand, not listening to my English teacher as he drones on about the benefits of the latest book he’d made us read.

I doubt that anyone in the class is listening to him, most of them are probably surfing their phones for information about all the world-breaking shit that had been happening in the past few days.

Something had taken over Salt Lake City just two days ago, at the same time, cities all across the world were reporting attacks by Monsters straight out of Tolkien, or Harry Potter. And then there are the superheroes, people calling themselves Beta Testers.

Everyone in the classroom, including the teacher, probably agree that super-powers and monsters invading, are way more important than To Kill a Mockingbird.

Surprisingly enough, that isn’t what was distracting me. No, my thoughts are stuck on my older brother, he had disappeared the day that all of this started.

I stop twirling the pencil as the bell rings, signaling an end to class. I grab my stuff, take off my glasses and put all of it in my backpack. I don’t like wearing glasses except when I need them for class.

My eyes catch on two girls who are whispering as they glance at me.

Oh Carla.

I hurry to get out of the room, hoping to avoid the confession I know is coming.

I’m not stupid, I know that she has a crush on me, I was just hoping that it would pass after a little while.

It didn’t. Now I’m here, having to find some way to let her down gently.

Until I figure out a way to do that, I’m just going to avoid her entirely.

“You’re still avoiding her, aren’t you Chris?” An old friend wraps his arm around my shoulder.

James, a tall wiry basketball player, smiles down at me, his brown eyes sparkling with mischief. We had played on the same soccer team since we were kids, with the exception of the last year, when he decided to play basketball full time.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who am I avoiding?” I look away, not meeting his eyes.

James glances behind us, examining the girl I am avoiding. “I mean, I don’t see the issue. She’s kinda cute.”

“She is.” I say, nodding in agreement.

“Then why are you avoiding her Chris?” He asks as we step outside, heading towards the school bus. “The world is ending, the least you can do is find a cute girlfriend.”

I think about how to respond as we get in line for the bus. “I’ve been in love before. It’s an incredible feeling, and I just don’t feel that way about Carla.”

“Ah, the mysterious Krista, the girl of your dreams..” James responds, with a teasing smile.

“Shut up.” I say, rolling my eyes.

After a minute of continuous teasing from James, I manage to distract him from the conversation with the latest interview that one of the new superheroes, also known as a Beta Tester, had given on TV.

By the time I get home from school, I’m feeling exhausted from the mind-numbingness that is school.

I open the door to an empty house. Usually, my older brother Samuel would be here, and his absence makes me pause for a moment at the threshold of the house.

I sigh as I continue into the house. I don’t bother to turn on any lights, and instead walk straight to my brother’s room.

A soft knock on the door doesn’t get any response, but I still open his door, hoping that he might be here.

Our parents aren’t worried about his disappearance, thinking that he probably just ran off with his boyfriend. But I know that he wouldn’t just leave without saying goodbye to me.

I walk into his room, flipping the light on. I look around with nostalgia, his bed is unmade, contrasting the rest of his room which is ordered to perfection.

Another reason that I don’t think he meant to leave, my brother would never leave his bed unmade, he was too OCD to do that.

I sigh, as I fall on his bed and close my eyes. It doesn’t take me long to fall asleep.

***

The opening of a door wakes me up, which is odd, since I don’t remember closing my brother’s door.

“What are you doing in my bed?” My brother’s voice reaches me.

I hurriedly stand up to look at my brother.

My mouth opens in surprise as I take in my brother’s appearance. His face is pale from exhaustion, his clothes are practically in strips, with long cuts across his body. He gives me a small smile, obviously a little embarrassed at his appearance. He runs his hand through his short curly red hair, his blue eyes looking around him wearily.

People used to say that we look like twins, except for how much older he is. Four years older to be exact.

I stand up, pulling him into a hug. He stiffens a little at the sudden hug, before relaxing into it.

“Where the hell have you been?” I ask, stepping away from him

“I-I can’t tell you right now.” He says, sitting down on the edge of his bed. He sighs as he sinks into the mattress.

“Are you a Beta Tester?” I immediately ask.

“I can’t tell you.” He says, before purposefully giving me two long blinks. A code we used to use as kids, two blinks means yes, three blinks means no. “I don’t have long Chris. Some really evil people are after me. After something that I have, which I can’t give them.”

“I understand.” I say, not really understanding, but willing to cope as the situation changes.

“Good. I love you little bro.” He says, smiling at me with warmth. His smile disappears as he speaks words filled with a strange power. “[System, Transfer Ownership of Dungeon Core to Chris Nordstrom, non-player. Authorized by the God Thoth]”

I open my mouth to ask what is going on, when a strange blue screen appears in front of me.

I find to my surprise, that I am able to read it, even without my glasses.

Transferring ownership of Dungeon Core...

Error: new host is not a Player.

Error overridden by Thoth.

Granting NPC Chris Nordstrom Dungeon Master status.

Basic system permissions granted.

Restricted access to Mana, and other sources of power.

Restricted access to Class system

Restricted access to Inventory system

Granted class: Dungeon Master, by Thoth

Granted item: Inventory ring, by Thoth

Congratulations Dungeon Master! You have been brought into The Game Of The Gods. Due to the changes in your body as cosmic energies travel through you, and your unique circumstances, you are about to be knocked out! Thanks for joining us!

“Wha-?” I start before darkness claims me.

***

I wake up on my brother’s bed, darkness surrounding me as it had fallen to night during the time I was asleep. I glance over to my brother’s clock, which tells me that it is three in the morning.

Was everything that I had just experienced a dream?

I get up and walk over to the light switch, flipping it on.

I frown, unable to remember ever having flipped it off.

Glancing around the room one more time, I notice a little piece of paper sitting next to where I fell asleep.

I walk over to the note and pick it up, grabbing my glasses along the way.

Sorry that our conversation was so short. The people that are following me are close on my heels and I didn’t want to lead them to you.

First; say Status.

Once you’ve done that, bring the dungeon core out of your ring by “willing” it to happen, and say “Activate Dungeon Core.”

You can thank me for how awesome all of this is later.

Love you lil bro.

P.S. Lay low. The thing that I just gave you is SUPER powerful, and people will be looking for it.

P.P.S. People might be watching you, because you are connected to me. Don’t do anything too obviously magical. You’re supposed to be an NPC after all.

I read through the note, my frown deepening. So my brother really did come to say hi. I knew that he was a Beta Tester.

“[Status]” As soon as the word leaves my mouth, a blue screen appears in front of me, kind of like a video game.

General Info: Chris Nordstrom, Age:17, Lvl:1, Class: Dungeon Master, Mana:XXX, Health: 150 DP:0, Gold: 0

Sponsor: Thoth

Titles: Chosen Of Thoth, Dungeon Master, NPC, Master of Dexterity, Card Shark,

Special conditions: Normal

Physical Condition: Impaired Vision (minor)

Physicality: Athletic 50%

Brilliance: Genius 90%

Equipment: Inventory Ring (unique)

I chuckle when I see my titles, still a little unsure about what all this means. I may have spent a large part of my childhood learning how to “earn” money from my parents’ friends at poker, but I wouldn’t exactly call myself a Card Shark.

Towards the top of the screen is a little “x”, which I press to dismiss it.

I sit down on the bed, my mind racing with what this means, and all of the questions I will need to ask my brother the next time I see him.

At least I just learned the answer to one of the world’s most asked questions. Where are these Beta Testers getting their powers? They are literally playing a game to earn powers from gods.

I don’t think that is the answer that most people are expecting.

I glance down at the note, reading what my brother tells me to do one more time.

Holding up my hand, I look over a silver and gold ring with intricate markings all over it. Hieroglyphs, if I remember correctly. They are what the ancient Egyptians used for writing.

I hold out my hand, and following the instructions of my brother, I will the Dungeon Core into my hand.

It takes me a few seconds to get the feeling right, but when I do, particles gather into the form of a cube and solidify in my hand.

I look at the cube closely, curious at what was so important.

The cube is see-through, except for a green mist that swirls inside of it.

I look at the note one final time, then back at the dungeon core.

Rubbing my eyes, I take my glasses off and put them into my pocket.

Here goes nothing.

“[Activate Dungeon Core]”

The world shifts around me, as colors flow into each other, creating a rather psychedelic effect. After a moment, the world solidifies into a white nothingness, and a blue screen.

Choose the starting race for your dungeon:

Goblins

Imps

Zombies

Twiglings

Slimes

Bunnies & Wolves

Kobolds

I stare at the screen for a few seconds, surprised. “Um. Hello? Is there anyone here that can help me with choosing a starting race?” I ask the emptiness, knowing that it is rather unlikely that anything will respond. “Maybe a cute little fairy?” I add, remembering a story I’d read a while ago.

No one responds, and I’m left staring at the screen, unsure what to do next.

“Time waits for no man.” I say to myself, slapping my cheeks to pump myself up. If this Dungeon Core is so valuable to such powerful people, that probably means that it should be valuable to me. Plus my class says “Dungeon Master”, which sounds way more inappropriate than I’d like, but also implies that I am somehow tied to this dungeon.

After I feel sufficiently ready, I turn my mind to the choice ahead of me.

The screen says “starting race” which likely means that there will be other races after that, which hopefully means the choice I make now won’t be too irreversible.

The next question is will I be fighting this race, as is normal for dungeons in video games? Or controlling them somehow, as the title Dungeon Master implies?

I don’t know. Which means I’ll have to act as if either one could be true.

Starting from the bottom, Kobolds are a lizard-esque people if I remember correctly. But they are also people, which implies intelligence. I don’t want to fight intelligent creatures, which means that they are out.

Bunnies and Wolves. Bunnies sound nice, but I wouldn’t last a second against one wolf, let alone wolves. So they are out.

Slimes? I don’t really know much about them, except from the occasional video game where they are the weakest of enemies. I might be able to fight them, except from what I understand, they usually require magic to defeat, and I am manaless according to my status, which likely means no flinging spells around for me. I’ll put them in the “maybe” pile.

Twiglings… I have no idea what they are, which means no.

Zombies are easy to run from, and I know their weakness. They’re only really powerful in hordes. But anything in a horde will kill me if I have to fight it. In the “maybe” pile then.

Imps are evil, so they’re out.

Goblins have the same problem as Kobolds, in that they might be intelligent.

Between zombies and slimes then.

Dungeons usually have a theme right? Which means, whatever I pick, the dungeon will follow that theme.

I’ve always been a sucker for dark color schemes.

“[I choose Zombies as my starting race.]” I say, that strange power filling my voice as I give a command to the system.