Darkness. Not the kind of darkness you feel when you turn off the lights at home. This was a darkness that seemed to swallow even thoughts. No walls, no sounds. Only his breath, slow and uncertain. Then, a message lit up before him, suspended in the void.
***
Do you accept to be followed and observed in order to access the Tower?
***
'Followed and observed? By whom, by what? And what kind of interface is this?' Nik exhaled softly, still confused but also strangely intrigued. "I accept." The message vanished. Immediately after, another appeared.
***
To become a Climber and have free access, you must prove yourself worthy through your actions.
Are you sure you want to continue?
***
'Two confirmation messages... If this turns into a 56-page government PDF, I'm out.'
"I accept." He said again, with a more resolute tone. A hint of impatience in his voice, more theatrical than real.
***
Good luck.
***
The darkness began to dissolve, like fog swept away by a breeze. A dim light filtered on the horizon, and Nik found himself standing in a vast grassy plain. The air was fresh and clean, with an earthy smell that filled his lungs. After years spent breathing smog and metal sweat, that breath felt almost unreal. The sky above him was clear, but there was something strange: the sun seemed distant, almost shy. No civilization on the horizon, only tall grass, low hills, and an almost absolute silence. He looked around and noticed a few dozen meters away a small ruined tower, built with rough grey blocks, without windows, with a single half-broken door.
But before he could move, something caught his attention. In the distance, almost on the horizon, towered a colossal structure. It seemed hundreds of meters tall, and even though the distance was vast, maybe a hundred kilometers, he could still distinguish the dark, irregular, almost mountainous silhouette. 'What the hell is that? Looks like a cross between a cathedral and a foundry…'
For now, though, it was too far. And the nearby tower seemed to offer a better vantage point. He decided to enter. The tower was bare and silent, made only of rough blocks and a stone spiral staircase. Nik climbed slowly, resting a hand on the rough wall to balance himself. Once at the top, he looked around. Hills, fields, and probably about twenty kilometers away, a dense wooded area, large and dark, almost forming a wall on that side. 'If this were a manwha, there'd be a dungeon in there. And probably a deus ex machina saving me from some major screw-up.'
He smiled faintly, then began walking in that direction. He walked for hours. He wasn't hungry, nor thirsty. Just a slight tingling in his legs. From time to time he stopped, listened to the wind, to the beat of his own heart. Every step took him farther from the life he had left: the workshop shed, the smell of burned metal, the half-smoked cigarettes with silent coworkers. 'And now I'm following an instinct toward an alien forest. Must be all those nights spent reading novels instead of sleeping.'
When he reached the forest, the treetops seemed to block out the sky. Between twisted trunks and protruding roots, he glimpsed a square, rusted structure. An abandoned factory. He entered cautiously. The silence was sharp. Old machines covered in rust, hanging cables, a staircase broken halfway. Dust everywhere. An old crane hung like a forgotten guillotine. Then, a new message.
***
You have entered:
Abandoned Factory – Minor Dungeon
Difficulty: Very Low
Boss Status: Alive
***
Nik stood still. 'I quit a workshop… and now I find myself in a factory. Makes perfect sense.' Still incredulous, he turned around. But the system didn't let him think too long.
***
Tip! By using the word "status" or synonyms, you can view your status window! Same for inventory!
***
"…Status," He said, not too convinced.
***
Name: Nicholas
Lvl:1
HP: 100/100
MP: 100%
Skills: --
Titles: --
***
'Well, at least I'm full of HP and MP. Even though there's something alive in here, and I already know it's not a cat considering that in the previous interface it was written that the boss is still alive.
And if there's one thing that the dungeon crawlers game have taught me is that if the boss is still alive there will be some enemies.'
He decided he had to find something to defend himself with. Searching through scrap and broken crates, he gathered a few items.
***
You found:
Piece of iron pipe.
Rusty chain (2m).
Carpenter's hammer.
Scattered nails.
***
He stuffed the nails into the pipe, using a piece of rubber and hitting them with the hammer. He cut his finger and sighed, but eventually managed to secure them. A very makeshift nailed club.
***
You have created "Wanderer's Thorn"!
Damage: Blunt/Piercing
***
'Well at least it seems useful.'
"Inventory."
An empty screen appeared. He brought the hammer close to the projection: it was sucked in and appeared in the list. He selected it.
«Take»
After clicking on that word the hammer reappeared in his hand. His expression lit up.
'That's cool. Maybe I'm really in this now…'
A smell of iron and dust hung in the air. But there was also something subtler, a vague presence, which seemed to float invisibly among the metal sheets. A cold breeze passed behind his neck. From a side corridor came intermittent metallic sounds.
The interface lit up again.
***
Objectives Updated
Current mission: Defeat your first enemy
***
Nik tensed. He could hear footsteps, slow but steady.
***
Scrap Golem – HP: 100%
***
A shapeless mass of metal and wires, a broken mechanical eye blinking like a crazed siren. It walked with a strange limping gait, but with a sinister intent.
Nik grabbed the chain and, holding his breath, threw it to entangle the golem's legs, blocking it for a moment. He lunged with the mace and struck, aiming for the exposed wires. The blow echoed like a dull thunder. The monster staggered, nearly destroyed. With a surge of adrenaline, Nik switched weapons and drove the hammer into the metal skull. The golem collapsed.
***
Congratulations on your first kill!
Experience gained.
Title "First of the First" obtained for the first global kill.
***
Nik stood still, breathing hard, hands trembling. 'So it's all real. And I was… the first?'
***
Dungeon Status:
Abandoned Factory – Minor Dungeon
Difficulty: Very Low
Boss Status: Alive
***
He looked at the weapon. Then at the interface, still glowing. 'This is all exciting.'