“Hey, hey, Andreu. Is that true?”

  “True? What’s true?”

  I need more details. There are plenty of true things, and also plenty that are false. If I’m to understand what Clara means, I’ll need a bit more detail about what thing she's talking about.

  “The TV program thing!” Clara starts shaking my arm in protest. Her shaking is so wild that my whole body follows my arm’s movement, and I start to get dizzy. “Why didn’t you tell me first? Why did you tell Ricard but not me!?”

  Ah, she’s talking about ‘that’…

  “We live in the same house! Why didn’t you tell me first!?”

  “Ahaha, sorry about that... I’ll tell you first next time…” if there’s a next time, of course. I keep the last part to myself, because I’m sure that if I were to say it, Clara would grow even angrier.

  Also, there’s a reason I only told Ricard: because I was sure he would know what all ‘that’ was about. With his obsession with everything related to the game, I was sure he would know what ‘that’ was about.

  And I was right. As he explained everything I needed to know, as well as a great deal of additional information that wasn’t required, Ricard showed both happiness and envy at ‘that’ opportunity.

  What I don’t understand is how she found out about it, because I haven’t told anything to Clara and Laura yet. Ricard must have blabbered about it… Realizing the truth, and slightly annoyed due to my body’s constant shaking, I glare at Ricard.

  He turns his head away. I knew it was you!

  “What are you talking about? A TV program?” Asks Laura, slightly confused.

  Right. She’s the only one who doesn’t know anything yet. Well, I might as well explain it properly to the two girls, even if I do it just to calm down Clara. My surroundings are starting to spin…

  I escape Clara’s grasp and start explaining before she can grab hold of me a second time. Thank god we’re outside the game right now.

  “Yesterday, not long after the match, I received a message from someone who said he was representing a TV show called Dangerous Dungeons or whatever–”

  “He’s wrong,” Ricard intervenes, “The TV show is called Mystical & Dangerous Monsters & Dungeons. Also called M&Dx2 to abbreviate. In case you haven’t heard of it before, M&Dx2 is the most famous show about DMA. They showcase the most beautiful and special dungeons to the world, including players and fantasy fans.”

  Ricard accusatorily points his finger at me.

  “The show is so famous! I hate that it’s him who got their attention! But even then, this guy is incapable of saying the name properly!”

  “Hmm? Is that so?” I grin, trying to provoke him. “But it’s such a hard name to remember… Don’t you agree?”

  Of course, it isn’t like I can’t remember the name at all, it’s just that it’s too long and I’m too lazy. It might also have to do with the fact that Ricard gets angry every time I say the name incorrectly, which makes me want to keep ‘failing to remember’ the name properly. But the latter has little influence on why I keep taunting Ricard...

  …Okay, maybe it has a bit more influence than I want to admit.

  “So yeah. That… Mystical Dungeons or whatever TV show–”

  “It’s Mystical & Dangerous Monsters & Dungeons, for god’s sake!”

  “That M&D square thingy…”

  “It’s M&Dx2! Pronounced with the ‘X’ as in the letter, not square! Are you doing this on purpose!?”

  Oops, he got me. Maybe I should stop provoking him… Nah, it’s too much fun to keep poking where it hurts him. Especially when it requires so little effort from my side.

  “...The Magic & Dungeons, Monsters not Included…”

  “Aaaagh!” Ricard starts biting the tip of his shirt. As expected, everyone else completely ignores him as I continue with my explanation.

  I’ve tormented Ricard for long enough. I should stop by now.

  “I can’t explain if you keep making weird noises every time I say something,” I say, glaring at Ricard, who has been continuously interrupting me. To be more precise, he has been interrupting me every time I said the wrong name on purpose. He makes a rude gesture, but I ignore him and resume talking. “So, as I was saying, that R&Dx2 TV show–”

  “It’s M&D! ‘M’ and ‘D’! Not ‘R’!!!”

  Don’t look at me like that! I swear this is the last time I’ll do it!

  It’s time to stop wasting time and focus, so I stop fooling around and, without mentioning the TV show’s name to avoid any more interruptions, I tell Clara and Laura the full story.

  Yesterday, I got a message from that TV show saying they’ve been keeping an eye on my dungeon and that, after a recent dungeon invasion they’ve done, they’re interesting on showing my dungeon in their program.

  It must be due to the recent popularity rush thanks to the tournament.

  It’s been less than a full day, but I’ve noticed a sudden increase in the number of players invading my dungeon after yesterday’s two matches. I’m sure Mystical & Dangerous Monsters & Dungeons’ message is related to it.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  See? I can remember the full name when I want to. The problem is I don’t want to. At least, not aloud.

  “And this is why I told Ricard first. To make sure it wasn’t a scam.”

  “Hmm… fine. I’ll forgive you if you pat me.”

  I roll my eyes at Clara’s sudden change of attitude. “Sure…” If this is all it takes to calm her down, I’m happy to oblige.

  “But then… What about the tournament?” Asks Laura. “You won’t be able to focus on the two at the same time, will you?”

  “That’s why I won’t give them an answer until the tournament ends.” Or at least, until we get eliminated.

  This time, it’s Ricard’s turn to be surprised.

  “You’re going to ignore M&Dx2’s message!? Are you crazy!?”

  “Of course I am. The team comes first.” It isn’t like I actually know what that M&Dx2 thing is. I don’t see a reason to abandon my friends over a TV program I know nothing about. “Also… Ricard, do you think Marta will be happy if we were to lose the next match because we got distracted by this opportunity? How do you think she’ll react if she were to discover the truth?”

  “...Let’s focus on the tournament and forget about the TV show,” Ricard immediately changes gears.

  “Yes. The tournament comes first,” Laura agrees.

  “But I’m sure our sister won’t mind? I don’t think M– Mnng, mmmph!”

  I cover Clara’s mouth before she can say our sister’s name. Shht! Clara, don’t say her name. Haven’t you learned that if you say the devil’s name, you’ll summon it?

  I anxiously look around, but luckily, it seems I stopped the summoning in time.

  “Mad Rat, here they come!” Laura warns from above.

  “I know, I can see and hear them too…” though I wish I didn’t.

  If you’re afraid of spiders, then this dungeon is your worst nightmare. A dark and damp cave, covered in spiderwebs everywhere. The dungeon itself is built differently than most others- It’s built around a central cliff containing an enormous spiderweb that makes the dark hole look like it’s covered by a silk carpet. Even when it’s impossible to move horizontally, and there’s no path, multiple platforms and rock protrusions provide infinite ways to climb.

  But contrary to us, this dungeon’s inhabitants have greater mobility. It’s all because of the spiderwebs creating bridges everywhere. If we touch them, it’s GG, but the hordes of spiders are immune to them and can use them to approach us from all sides.

  Like right now, as Laura warned me.

  Hundreds of black eyes bore into us, and an equally enormous number of hairy legs clack on the rocks. The spiders rush at us from behind, giving me the chills. They’re trying to crash into us to throw us off the ledge.

  But I won’t allow it.

  “Chain Lighting!”

  I fire my spell at the giant spiders, burning them to a crisp. Or, to be more precise, sending them packing toward the abyss below us, stunned. But instead of dying, either by falling into the abyss or getting crushed by hitting the ground, most spiders safely land on the spiderwebs. They’ll soon come back to cause more trouble for us.

  “Should I finish them?”

  “No,” I shake my head. “Save MP for now. Only kill those you can reach with your whip.”

  Unlike me, Laura has no way to recover MP effectively. Wasting it by killing worthless mobs would be a waste. Furthermore, she needs to conserve MP to use Blink. We’re doomed if she wastes her MP and can use Blink when required.

  Suddenly, the rock under Laura breaks down, and she starts falling. “U-uaah!”

  “I’ll catch y– Ugh.”

  She lands on my head, pressing down with force. See? This is the reason why she needs Blink, as well as why only she and I are here. She needs Blink to relocate to a safe position in case of emergency, which allows her to find a safe path, and I’m here to deal with the unending swarms of spiders.

  Yes, you’re right. Clara’s skills would have been invaluable here. With her climbing and extendable tentacles, the climb would have been a joke to her, but… But she’s scared of spiders.

  She’s scared of spiders, but finds those aberrations from the Abyss faction ‘cute’? It makes no sense. I guess I’ll never understand her.

  Laura climbs down my head, landing on the same rock. “Sorry…”

  “Nah, it’s fine.”

  Better this than dying. Also, I was ready to take the hit, so there’s nothing to worry about.

  The clattering noise grows closer once more, signaling another spider wave, surprising me. “So soon? They should have taken longer to climb back up…”

  From what we’ve seen in the replays, the spiders aren’t completely brainless. The other team uses them very smartly and never sends a new wave until the previous one is defeated. This way, they can achieve maximum results with minimum losses.

  I sent the previous wave packing down with my spell, so they should have taken a while to climb back to our position. How did they climb back so fast?

  “Mad Rat! Above us!”

  “Above?”

  Above is the dungeon core, our destination. Of course, we have to climb up, but why is she telling me to look up now, when the spiders are coming from below?

  I follow her warning and look up, only to realize we’re screwed.

  Pouring down like a torrent, an enormous amount of water is destroying everything on its path.

  “Shit! Where did this water come from!?” As far as I know, this dungeon has no such gimmick. Unless… “A player!”

  A player must have used a skill to create the water. That’s the only explanation possible. But knowing and avoiding it are two completely different matters. The water is like a curtain, occupying a large section of the cavern’s wall.

  “T-there! Lily, let’s hide in that hole!”

  Without waiting, I start jumping laterally, using the uneven rocks as footholds. My target is a large hole in the rocky wall. This is the only safe spot within sight that’s large enough to fit us both, and that’s also safe from the water.

  “Wait, Mad Rat! There is where…!”

  Laura’s warning comes too late. You see, the giant spiders aren’t this dungeon’s real danger. They’re but a distraction. A mere nuisance. The real danger lies elsewhere.

  The ‘real danger’ lies in front of me.

  From within the dark hole, an eye as large as my head greets me.

  *Hiss!*

  “Shi– Ugh!”

  The car-sized spider runs me over, sending me flying. The force of the impact sends me packing down, towards the massive spiderweb at the bottom.

  Mom, look! Look! I’m flying!

  “Lily, don’t wait for meeee! I’ll manage somehow! You go and find the coreeee!” I shout as I fall.

  Due to the falling water, making a loud noise, and the destruction brought by it, I don’t know if she can hear me.