Era’s First Dungeon Diver

Braving danger and the unknown, you hold within you the spirit of an adventurer! Go forth and unravel this world’s secrets.

Effect(s):

Improve rate of skill acquisition.

Improve rate of experience acquisition while in a dungeon.

Title can be further evolved.

I reflexively narrowed my eyes as I read over the window panel.

It had two effects in total. My attention focused in on the first one.

“This… it should be a good thing, right?” I murmured half-heartedly to myself. On paper, it seemed useful. In a videogame, increasing your pool of skills was definitely beneficial. It not only allowed for a wider berth of player mobility, but it also opened up previously closed story/progression possibilities.

Still, having a lot of skills also had its own fair share of drawbacks. For one, more skills meant that the player’s attention would inevitably get divided. Compared to a specialist with only one skill, a man with ten skills would find himself lagging, especially during crucial situations.

As for the second effect, it was equally as self-explanatory, if not slightly vaguer. At the very least, it fit the theme of the title.

Still…

Honestly, for a title with as grandiose a name as [Era’s First Dungeon Diver], the effects were just a little lackluster.

I breathed out a sigh.

Maybe I was just being too greedy. I can’t really expect anything good from this type of shitty system.

Well, either way, for the me whose only other skill was [Penmanship], this new title was definitely something I surely needed.

With my new title out of the way, there was really nothing else for me to do. I had already checked up on all the relative information that this system had to offer. Unfortunately, despite scouring the whole interface, I did not manage to find a tutorial. Those Earth-wide pop-ups also stopped appearing. For now, it seemed like the gods above had finished giving out all the information that they wanted to give out.

What’s more, I also couldn’t use [Eyes of the Observer] to further investigate the situation. After all, I was currently running low on mana. I felt that it was probably unwise to deplete the whole thing in its entirety. Who knows what sort of backlash might result from such reckless actions?

For now, I left all the foolhardy experimentation for when I reach a more safe and secure location.

“Speaking of which, what do I do now?”

My gaze briefly surveilled the surroundings.

The forest was empty, but not in an eerie way. Even though it was quiet, I could still hear the sounds of birds chirping in the distance. The wind was still blowing and the animals were still here. For all intents and purposes, this forest was still just a forest.

Unfortunately, I knew the truth. This valley was not the same as it was before. It had transformed into a bonafide dungeon. Arcadia’s Lost Hearth. Although it was only a D rank dungeon right now, it would only be a matter of time before it turns into an S rank hellhole.

Right now, I needed a game plan. A place like this, dungeons were bound to contain all sorts of monsters. The last thing I wanted was to run into that mantis from earlier. Regardless of what the future has in store for me, blindly staying here was dangerous and quite possibly life-threatening.

The gears in my head started churning. All the survival shows that I ever watched flashed through my mind.

For now, I decided to take inventory of my current equipment.

After rummaging around in my pockets for a while, I fished out four items. A bent ballpoint pen, car keys, a wallet, and my broken smartphone.

Basically, I was screwed.

No matter how positively I tried to view things, I simply could not see how this random assortment of items could possibly be of help to me. At most, the smartphone might be a little useful. I knew that these things had something inside them that could be used to start a fire. I think it was lithium or magnesium, the stuff inside the batteries.

Unfortunately, the fall had inadvertently flatted my phone into a pancake. As it was now, it seemed nearly impossible to pry it open.

I shook my head. After some consideration, I put away my items and stood back up. Since they might be potentially useful, I decided to keep them, at least for now.

After I finished sorting everything out, I decided to continue moving. I did not want to stay stationary for too long, especially in a place this dangerous.

I picked a random direction and began walking.

Truth be told, I did not know where the exit was. Heck, I wasn’t even sure if this ‘dungeon’ even had an exit! Still, I kept walking.

Usually, it was possible to use the sun in order to identify the cardinal directions. After all, the sun always rises in the east and sets in the west. I’m sure it wasn’t as simple as that, but that was the extent of my knowledge. Unfortunately, there was no sun within this valley.

Well, I didn’t stress over it too much. My only goal was to escape this dungeon. Despite the danger of the task ahead of me, I still decided to give it a shot. Fortunately, I was inside an enclosed valley. As long as I pick a direction and stick to it, I should be able to find my way to the edge of the valley and hopefully, the exit.

Of course, this plan of mine was predicated on the possibility that the dungeon was only limited to the valley. Hopefully, it did not extend all the way to the rest of the park. Even though that risk already put a hole in my plans, that wasn’t even the worst of it all.

There was also the possibility that the dungeon superimposition process somehow altered the valley’s geography. If that actually happened, then all my prior knowledge and planning would go flying right out the window.

I shook my head.

Worrying about such details would do me no good. After all, I really didn’t have a lot of options right now. Even if I did not want to do it, I still needed to do something. With that sort of mindset, I pushed aside my concerns and kept walking.

****

I don’t know how much time had passed.

It’s not like I had a watch on me or anything. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours, I don’t know, just that, I kept on walking throughout it all.

Time passed in a blink of an eye. Considering the chaos of today, I expected it to feel longer, but strangely enough, it was a lot quicker than I originally anticipated. At some point, the light had begun to dip. Even though there was no visible sun anywhere in sight, the sky still changed color. It had taken on a murky, orange luster.

If the world was still normal, then I would have reasonably guessed that it was already afternoon. Maybe somewhere between three or four.

Of course, the reality of the situation was different. It was difficult to properly distinguish. Most importantly, it felt as if time barely moved at all.

I kept my guard up throughout my journey. Fortunately, I did not stumble into anything.

No, I lied. I did see a few rabbits and the occasional sparrow, but that was it. Fortunately, I had yet to encounter actual monsters.

I tried to catch the rabbits. I figured that I’d need them for later. After all, I was eventually going to get hungry. It was better to prepare for it now, then have to deal with it later. Maintaining my strength was important.

To my misfortune, I failed to catch a single one. The rabbits were simply too fast for me to catch. Although I didn’t use my skill on them, they probably had a higher dexterity than I did. What’s more, rabbits were small and naturally nimble. While on the forest floor, they were as slippery as an eel.

I despondently shook my head.

My stomach let out a low growl. I could feel the hunger rearing its head. Although it was still bearable, it wouldn’t stay that way for long. What I wouldn’t kill for a hamburger or a bucket full of fried chicken.

While thinking about food, I couldn’t help but recall the party from before. Even though it tasted like shit, I was starting to miss the barbeque from earlier.

“Speaking of which, how are those guys doing?” I silently wondered to myself.

I didn’t really talk to them all that much, but regardless, they were still my former classmates. Were they also affected by this whole thing?

No, that was a stupid question. Obviously, they were. I mean, this entire mess was something far larger than what one individual could handle. The entire world was probably affected.

It was a bold claim to make, but for some reason, I did not think I was wrong.

Like me, those guys were probably still inside the park. I don’t exactly know if the part of the park that they were staying at was a part of the dungeon, but that hardly mattered. Whether it was inside or outside, it was still dangerous. After all, the mud hounds were still out there. Back then, I had encountered one quite close to the Park’s visitor’s center.

Even though I didn’t really interact with any of them, it would still be a shame if those guys were to just die like that. After all, despite how asocial I was, at the end of the day, we were still classmates. Even that rude girl from earlier, I’d probably be a little sad if I were to see her die right in front of me.

“Amanda, would she survive?” I thought back to the girl that had originally persuaded me to come here. Amanda, even though she was a bit athletic, in front of those crazy monsters, her strength was all but inconsequential.

But, if all she cared about was surviving, then she doesn’t actually need to rely purely on herself. Considering how popular of a person Amanda is, tons of guys would probably volunteer to protect her, right?

Then again, the opposite could happen.

I’ve read plenty of apocalypse-survival style stories. In almost every story, the unsavory side of mankind makes an appearance. A girl as beautiful as her was bound to attract trouble.

Then, there were my parents.

Truth be told, I was part of a dysfunctional family. My father, my mother, and I lived in the same house but we barely spoke to one another. We were more like roommates than an actual family. Sometimes, I wondered why they didn’t just break up.

I don’t really know what started this silent cold war, but there’s been no signs of it stopping anytime soon. What’s more, because of their feud, I somehow got thrown into the mix. As a result, my relationship with both of them deteriorated beyond recognition.

Still, I loved them.

Maybe because I’ve been desperately looking for any sort of silver lining, but I hope that this incident can bring us closer together as a family.

I suddenly paused. After a short second, a bitter chuckle leaked out from my lips. “If mortal danger isn’t enough of an incentive, then maybe my death will do?”

Such a self-deprecating thought invaded my mind. I tried to sweep it aside, but it was difficult. I couldn’t help it. After all, my prospects of surviving were slim to none.

Stuck within the middle of a dangerous dungeon, what could I possibly do with my meager skills and even worse class?

I really didn’t want to think all these self-defeating thoughts, but unfortunately, they invaded my mind regardless of what I wanted. The truth of this matter, the reality of this situation, it all suddenly came crashing down on me.

I, I was probably going to die here.

No matter how much I tried to deny it, the thought hovered over my head like a gloomy fog.

The sky was already starting to set and I was getting hungry. More monsters were bound to come out at night. If I don’t die now, then I’ll definitely die come nighttime.

“…”

Pathetic. Utterly pathetic.

It’s unfortunate, but… like with my life, my death will probably be one mired in loneliness.

Yes, that’s right. I could finally admit it now. I was lonely. I’ve been lonely for the longest time.

Even now, on the eve of my death, I still wanted to talk to someone. I wanted to hold someone’s hand. I wanted them to tell me that I had nothing to worry about and that everything would be okay.

I was a needy coward, but in truth, I simply did not want to be alone anymore, especially not in the face of death’s cold embrace.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard I wished for something, nothing would change.

I didn’t have it. My hands were still empty. The warmth that I wanted was nowhere to be seen. I couldn’t even call my parents to say goodbye one last time.

I had nothing.

I was alone.

I hated it.

I hated it. I hated it. I hated it. I hated it. I hated everything about it.

Something hot flowed down my cheeks. It blurred my vision, but I did not stop walking. A quiet sobbing echoed throughout the forest. The noise complimented the ambient sound of crunching footsteps.

I should probably stop. Unnecessary noise would only attract danger, but… I couldn’t. I couldn’t stop.

At some point, the sky’s orange luster gave way to a hot pink haze. It took even less for it to change into a deep purple blur. As the non-existent sun slowly set, a myriad of colors came and went. The sky was like a glorious kaleidoscope of beautiful colors.

After a while, darkness descended.

I was a bit lucky. After wandering the forest for a while, I eventually found a hollowed-out tree trunk. The space inside was small and I had to chase off a rabbit for it, but I quickly crawled into the hollow.

Once inside, I then barricaded the entrance with some bushes and old leaves that I randomly picked up in the forest. Unfortunately, I knew that this barricade would not last long. At most, it could provide cover, but that was the extent to its usefulness.

I quickly settled into the cramped hole in no time. With my legs pressed against my chest and my head resting on a small bump on the trunk, I tightly closed my eyes.

On that night, I quietly cried myself to sleep.