Forest

Amon fell back, tired beyond belief as his hand pulsated and stung with pain, its burns evident.

"Ahh…ahh..ahhh..ahhh…ahhh…ahhh.."

He huffed and puffed for air, overwhelmed by what had just happened.

Even beyond what he'd done using his hand, the bundle of golden energy, or the peculiarity of the cat he'd just faced, he was left baffled by what he'd just accomplished.

Since when was he capable of such calm and decisiveness? Was this really him?

As soon as he'd sensed danger, it was as if he'd entered a primal state of focus.

[Master, look.]

Soon, a screen was displayed in front of him.

~~~

[Awakened Gifts; Growth (?), Decay (?).

• Growth (?): Your body, mind, and very existence exist in a state of perpetual ascendance and growth as you adapt to the world around you. May fire fall from the skies and upon you, with a thought, you will become a flickering flame. May you be plunged into the deepest of seas, with a breath, you will be its kin.

Your will and desire determine your state of being as you stand merely a step below the holders of the Gift of Immortality.

• Decay: Your body has been touched by the divinity of Thanatos as your hands were reforged in the God's Divine Blood.

What you touch WILL crumble and fade.

Note: The Tier of the awakened gifts cannot be judged.]

~~~

Reading these words, Amon's pupils widened, and his heart began to violently slam against his ribcage, threatening to jump out of it.

This second ability...

'So that's what it was...'

A bitter smile graced his face as flashes of the past filled his mind, but soon, he refocused and pushed it all to the back of his mind.

A few more seconds passed, and Amon found that his body had fully and perfectly recuperated, surely an effect of his first gift.

Sitting up, he focused.

'Mordred, what should I do? This dungeon, to escape it, I surely need to clear some conditions, right? How do I find what those conditions are? And is there a way for me to give up and escape?'

Mordred, his system, remained silent for a few moments, as if checking something.

[Master, the clear conditions of this dungeon are...undetermined.]

Before shock could suffuse Amon's face, his system continued.

[From what I am seeing, this is a reactive dungeon, meaning the objectives will be set based on your actions during the first day. And unfortunately, because it is a reactive dungeon, it is impossible to give up.]

His mood soured.

[Even if it was a normal dungeon, you wouldn't have been able to escape. You need a return stone for that, which is something that only higher-tier planets have. Those are planets that have survived all their waves and cleared all dungeons on their planet.]

Amon stood up and slicked back his hair as he grabbed his branch.

'Alright, so I suppose the game plan, for now, is to...grind? Kill as many monsters to potentially get stronger? Since this entire thing follows the scheme of books and games, it should work the same, right?'

[...yes.]

***

As Amon immersed himself in his childish dreams and fantasies of power and ascension, the world around him moved.

Unbeknownst to Amon, he'd landed in a truly terrifying place.

Beyond the fact that he was trapped in a reactive dungeon, what he didn't know was that he was trapped in a ZZZ+ tier dungeon—the highest tier possible.

At such tiers, dungeons became different.

Normally, dungeons represented small pockets of space where a sort of tale played out, and the awakener would have to clear certain objectives to leave and get their rewards.

But when it came to the Z tier and above...it wasn't a simple pocket of space anymore.

He'd been transported to an entirely different world.

***

Somewhere within that same world, within a grand—no, a gigantic hall, a singular floating throne could be seen.

It was a throne entirely made out of gold. Below it, a white fog could be seen, only adding to its splendor.

Upon this throne, a man sat.

He had long black hair, as dark as night, healthy beige white skin, and pupils of swirling black and white.

He seemed to be an immortal straight from one's grandest fantasies, his demeanor and looks worthy of the highest of emperors.

Suddenly, the man's stoic face twisted to reveal an enchanting smile.

This mere emerging smile caused the world around him to shake and twist as the atmospheric energy burst with fervor.

"Oh lord, what sick game have I been plunged into?" he chuckled. "Fate truly has a bone to pick with me, it seems."

He stood up.

"Well, I suppose I'll bite."

A portal appeared in front of him.

***

"Fuck!"

Amon ran through the forest, jumping over gigantic tree roots and using vines to zigzag around as he fled from a large group of golden-furred boars.

In his stupidity, he'd forgotten this wasn't a game. He'd gone off to face a herd of these fearsome beasts, hoping to slay them all and begin his path, but he was gravely mistaken.

Even on Earth, before the invention of guns, boars were terrifying enemies of the human race. It sounded comical, but it was a known fact that many human armies had previously suffered embarrassing losses to these animals.

But here, in this Dungeon world, filled with aether and wonder, their abilities were even more terrifying.

'MORDRED!'

[Master, you're going to have to target a tree and—]

'They can climb trees! Hell, I saw one of them with wings!'

[Master, focus and listen. You're going to have to target a large tree, then using your Decay gift in a controlled manner, you'll dig a hole in its trunk. From there, you'll make your way up, then jump onto another tree as the previous one rots and falls, attracting their attention.]

[They're powerful beasts, but their intellect isn't anywhere near yours. You can do it, master. You just need to focus!]