“Are you sure this is the correct dungeon?”

  “What are you saying? Didn’t you read the dungeon’s name? Do you think I’d mistake it for another one with a similar name?”

  “I know, but… I didn’t expect it to look like this…”

  “Hahaha, this is what most players say the first time they come here. The good stuff comes later! Follow me, I’ll guide you.”

  After the short exchange, the two players start the dungeon invasion. They move through the dense vegetation, surrounded by silence. Or they would have been in silence, if only one of the two could stop talking for even a second.

  “Have you noticed that the grass is turning red? This is the sign that we’re almost there. Any moment now, we’ll see the cave’s entrance… Oh, and don’t worry about not bringing support mobs. This is the way real players do it! It’s a rite of passage, indispensable for fully enjoying the first dungeon dive, hahaha!”

  The two stop in front of a mouth-like cavern entrance. As the enthusiastic and noisy player practically drags the other one inside by pulling at her sleeve, the adult-looking player’s attention lands on a dark hole in the wall.

  “What’s that, JJ?” She asks.

  “That? Oh, that’s… that’s a secret! A fun secret! It isn’t good for new players, but we’ll give it a try when we come next time.”

  The woman pauses, then asks. “‘When’, not ‘if’?”

  “That’s… Well, that’s… I-I’m sure you’ll like this! It’s like an adventure, you’ll see! And there’s nothing to worry about since I’m here. So, yes. The next time we come, I’ll show what that hole is.”

  “Hmm. You’re taking too much for granted. I’ll have to reduce your play time…”

  “Noooooo! Anything but that, Miss Rika!” The other player, the boy, panics. “Didn’t you say you just wanted to take a look? And what about the other children!? They’ll think it’s my fault!”

  While the boy does his best to convince the woman, she observes the boy with a smile on her face, and the two start walking into the cave.

  The darkness quickly fades away, the passage illuminated by glowing mushrooms. Amidst them, the ‘screaming mushrooms’ especially catch the woman’s attention, as well as the giant claw marks. The boy is all too happy to satisfy the woman’s curiosity, continuing his endless explanations.

  They continue in this manner until the slope ends, leading to an enormous cave system.

  The boy protectively raises his hand and lowers his voice. “It starts here, Miss Rika.”

  “It starts? You mean the monsters? Should I be scared, JJ?”

  “No, I’ll protect you. You can rely on me!” The woman smiles at the boy, who says these words and pats his chest.

  “Ooh, how valiant. Are you my knight?”

  “Yes! I’m your knight, and I’ll make sure nothing happens to you!”

  The two players carefully step through the mushrooms lining the sides of the main path, using them to conceal their presence.

  It is at this moment that the woman truly feels like she’s been teleported into a fantasy world. The giant mushrooms, some of them glowing, and the massive turtles are both impossible things in real life.

  “Be careful, Miss Rika. You’re too low level to fight those turtles.”

  “Okay, I’ll do as you say.”

  But even though they take cautious measures, trouble still finds them. Not more than ten meters in, the woman, Miss Rika, feels an impact on her back. In the corner of her eye, she can see her HP bar being depleted, a new experience for her.

  “Aah, JJ!” She hides behind the boy. “Save me, I’m dying!”

  At first, the boy is startled, not understanding what’s going on. But he quickly notices the monster hiding behind a rock, eagerly waiting for them to lower their guard.

  “It’s a Goblimp!” He shouts in a low voice.

  “Goblimp…?” Repeats the woman. “I never heard of a monster called like that…”

  “It’s this dungeon’s specialty,” the boy happily explains. “Hybrid and impossible monsters you won’t see anywhere else! Look at this one: it has two heads, and half its body is red while the other is green!”

  The woman applauds.

  “Ooooh! B-but… But you’re going to defeat it, right? It almost killed me…”

  “Of course, leave it to me. Haaaaaaa–” With a shout, the boy suddenly jumps into the air and approaches the monster like a torpedo. “You’ll pay with your life for scaring the beautiful Miss Rika!”

  Satisfied with the boy’s reaction, the woman smiles from behind. Her act was well-received, and the boy felt important and powerful.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  After defeating the monster, the boy runs back to the woman like a dog shaking its tail.

  “It’s done! I defeated the monster that attacked you!”

  “Good job, JJ. Good job.” The woman says, patting the boy’s head.

  “Hmph! A weak monster like that is nothing. But the tunnels are too dangerous, Miss Rika is too weak… Ooh, I know! I’ll show you the garden instead! Come on, follow me, I know a shortcut!”

  “Eeeh!? Am I going to die!?” The woman acts shocked.

  “No, Miss Rika! I won’t allow it!”

  “Protect me well, JJ, okay?”

  “Yes!”

  With a smile on both players’ faces, the pair starts walking once more, aiming for the place the boy referred to as ‘the garden’.

  “...can you see that fly over there? That one is very famous! There was that player who dived into the dungeon and…”

  JJ suddenly stops talking and places a finger over his lips. He sticks his body to the cavern wall and signals towards Miss Rika to do the same. “Do you hear it? This noise?”

  “I can,” nods Miss Rika.

  “This is the Monster Train. We must be careful so they don’t see us…”

  “What’s a monster train? A train special for monsters?”

  “That’s, uh… It’s when a bunch of monsters get together and… I-it’s hard to explain. We must run away.”

  “Okay,” she agrees. “But… but my body won’t move?”

  “What!?”

  “Yeah, I haven’t been able to move since that wolf-like monster appeared…”

  “Wolf monster…? Ah!” JJ exclaims, as if suddenly understanding something, “It’s the Nightmare!”

  “What nightmare? Isn’t this a game? Why would I be having nightmares…?” Ignoring Miss Rika’s confusion, JJ approaches her and lifts her off the ground. “W-what? What are you doing, JJ! I’m too heavy!”

  “Hehe, this is a game, Miss Rika. This character’s stats are what allow me to lift you!”

  “Ooh, is that so?”

  “Yes. Anyway, we’re running, hold onto me!”

  “B-but there’s nowhere to hold!?”

  Holding her like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder, JJ sprints away before the wolf-like monster can release its howl. Affected by the passive fear and immobilization effect, Miss Rika’s character starts to run away uncontrollably in the middle of the sprint, but thanks to JJ holding her, and her low stats, her Champion can’t get free, and they safely run away.

  The duo finds a few traps and mushroom patches on the way, but thanks to JJ’s experience and his torpedo-like jump, they safely avoid or skip most of them and reach the entrance to the Rabbit Paradise in one go.

  “Haa… we’re safe now, Miss Rika.”

  “It was fun, but can you release me now, JJ?”

  “Ah, right. I-I’m sorry!”

  “It’s fine. I’m not angry,” Miss Rika calms him down, patting his head. “You kept your promise and kept me safe from the big bad wolf.”

  “Yes!”

  His happy smile makes the woman imagine a tail spinning behind him, like a dog.

  After the short exchange, the boy proceeds to explain the mountain valley they find themselves in. He repeats several times that the rabbits are dangerous and that Miss Rika must follow his instructions if she wants to survive.

  “Miss Rika, um… do you want me to hold you like before?” JJ asks, fearing that despite his advice, his companion will suffer.

  “No. I can run too. I’m an adult!”

  “Okay, then. Follow behind me and remember: ignore the rabbits.”

  “Yes, yes! Ignore the rabbits! But they’re so cute…! O-okay, I’ll ignore them.”

  JJ looks around one last time. He checks the distance between the rabbits and them, and then plans a course that will allow them to run between them, avoiding any major cluster. Having decided on their path, JJ signals Miss Rika, and the two sprint towards the glass dome above the mountainside.

  “Hey, JJ. How do you know so much about this dungeon? Did you come here hundreds of times? Maybe I am giving you too much time to play after all…”

  “N-no! I-I’ts because of a guide I found in the forums,” JJ quickly answers, fearing the worst. “It isn’t because I’ve played too much!”

  “Hehe, if you say so…”

  With a mix of hope and despair on his face, the boy shakes his head. Followed by Miss Rika, he climbs the mountainside, never stopping to take a breath until they reach the sky-reaching glass dome.

  “Hmm… It’s surprising. We’ve run so much, but I’m not tired at all…” Miss Rika examines her body, turning her arms and legs around.

  “It’s because we’re inside a game,” JJ rolls his eyes. “Look, look! The trees inside this glass are enormous! There are so many different plants! Look at that flower! And that other one too!”

  “It reminds me of the botanical garden near our city… JJ, you like this kind of thing? I’ll bring everyone to that place one day, okay?”

  “Yes!”

  As they talk, the boy fiddles with a metal door, opening it. He opens the door, and hot and humid air comes through the gap, bringing the inconfusible smell of wet earth and plants with it.

  They walk inside and close the door behind them. Both JJ and Miss Rika eagerly look around as they walk, closely observing every plant that catches their attention. They feel overwhelmed by the sheer diversity of plants.

  “I don’t think we can go too much further because your level is too low, but if we’re lucky, we can find a Treant!”

  “What’s a ‘treant’?” Miss Rika curiously asks.

  “A treant is a giant tree, but…”

  “W-whooaaa!” The woman shouts as the ground below her suddenly splits. “W-what’s going ooooon?”

  “Miss Rika! O-oh, no! It’s the hydra plant!”

  Fleshy green and red walls rise from the ground around Miss Rika, separating the two players.

  Watching the boy’s face, the woman quickly understands the situation, “I’m going to die, right? Let’s meet outside the game, JJ. I’ll prepare delicious food as thanks for showing me this place…”

  With a loud *chomp*, the plant’s mouth closes, devouring Miss Rika whole.

  “Y-yes…!”

  JJ instinctively clears the tears from his eyes, though there are none, and proceeds to fight the hydra-plant monster.

  “Miss Rikaaaaaaaaaa! I… I’ll try to avenge you, so… So can you make hamburgers? I love them!”

  “Hahaha, that was fun,” Miss Rika says to herself, in her phantasmal form. Her stats were so low that she died almost immediately and is now watching JJ fight the monster from outside its body.

  “JJ’s reactions were so funny… Maybe I should play with the other kids. Do they play this game, too? I wonder how they will act while playing…”