Chapter 1- The Beginning

Alex dreamt of the worlds of novels. He wished that dungeons would descend onto Earth, he knew it would be unrealistic, that it would be terrible for the world, but he just wished the current state of the world would change. He wished he could be a hunter like in many novels, diving into dungeons, riding fame and wealth before retiring. Alex hated the idea that he had to work hard at a school for years, just to work his prime away after graduating, before finally retiring. Of course, there were other paths, but he knew he wasn't special enough to walk down them.

Even though he wished for a different world, if the world was truly like a novel, Alex knew he wouldn't be 'the chosen one'. He was just a normal person, born into a middle-class family. He would at most be a side character, diving into small dungeons pathetically just to make ends meet. But even that was a far better path to walk down than his current options.

As Alex strolled gloomily home from school, he decided to take a detour. Turning down an alley, he clambered over a poorly made wire fence.

"Haaaa...."

Alex exhaled as he made his way to the edge of a cliff. The beautiful image of the sun's glistening rays reflecting off of a lake surrounded by a forest of deep green trees imprinted itself into his eyes.

Alex slowly sat down on the ledge as he took in the view. If only his life shone as brightly as this view..... hmmm?

Alex suddenly picked up his phone as a terrifying warning flashed onto his phone.

"EMERGENCY ALERT: BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO MELBOURNE. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL."

'No way..... haha no way right?'

'This can't... be'.

Alex strained his ears. The sound of screeching tires, footsteps, and screaming instantly replaced the usual noise pollution from the city.

There was nowhere for him to go. His house was an hour away. The nearest building that would provide some sort of protection was at least 15 minutes away.

For the first time in his life, fear and despair completely overwhelmed him.

There was nothing Alex could do. Alex slowly sat back down, the clear blue sky looked even more vibrant than before. The sun looked even more beautiful than before, as its rays danced across the slow waves of the lake. The trees seemed to wave goodbye as the wind shook them from side to side.

Alex closed his eyes. Breathing in one last gulp of fresh air, he smiled as he thought of something amusing. 'Maybe this is the start of that new world I dreamt of, although a bit different from how I pictured it would start'. It was too bad he wouldn't be able to see it.

"Goodbye Mum and Dad, I hope you guys survive".

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Pain coursed through Alex's entire body over and over again as wounds that never closed continued to bleed. It felt as if he was being dismembered over and over again as despair overloaded his brain.

It had been a month, no.... a week... a year? 10 years?

Alex didn't know where he was. He didn't even know who he was anymore. He felt broken and confused. What was even going on?

After the explosion, it seemed he had woken up in an unfamiliar world. Inside a castle dungeon, being endlessly tortured by a foul devil that called itself the Devil King of Greed.

He was endlessly questioned, even though he had already told the 'King' everything. But it seemed as if the devil was the literal embodiment of the sin of greed. It wanted every. single. piece. of. information about Earth. It wanted to be the one extracting the information. It wanted everything.

Nothing was important to Alex anymore. It wasn't like someone would come to save him from this blasted devil.

As his life slowly ebbed away, a lingering thought stood in his consciousness, why him? Why couldn't it be someone else? He was a nobody.

Despair was the only thing keeping him company in this lonely world. It felt like a part of him at this point. He felt it's power slowly brimming up deep inside his body. He felt it knocking at the doors of his soul, all he needed to was let it in.

Alex suddenly laughed at himself, what was he waiting for?

He'll use this power.