The shock of the towers still rattled the entirety of Ski-haven. Lucan sat upright in his hospital bed, heart pounding with nothing but pure curiosity.
What was that? What was going on?
Outside, the city blared with sirens and shout as just outside the hospital room, nurses and doctors scrambled.
Suddenly, the air shimmered. Right in Lucan very eyes, a panel blue in colour shimmered into view, words and shapes each etched with the color gold appearing before him. They hovered bright and clear, as if some invisible hand has written them in the air for Lucan to see.
A panel slid open out of nowhere, neat and crisp as Lucan stared heart pounding in unchained rhythm.
--------- { Life lord system } -----
Name: Lucan Farel
Age: 23
--------- { Status } ---------
Physical: Strength [8], Agility [11], Durability [8], Constitution [8]
Mental: Intelligence [12], luck [4]
———
Every 30 minutes host gains one life point, which he can use to edit his life book.
***********
What the?....
Each detail was tucked in its own section, like a trophy in display. Lucan hands trembled as he read, not from fear, no rather something bright and wild inside of him. A smile crept into his face, his eyes gleaming with happiness.
The world has changed and he was ready for it, more than anyone else.
Inside the room, some of the patients were all stood eyes signifying fear, as they looked for nurses. The nurses each one scrambling like lost dogs, tryed to appease them but the growing tension was soon to reach its peak, as a patient pushed a female nurse into the floor.
Lucan grabbed his phone, his fingers working it's way in it ,as the city feed was filled with streams. One showed a woman crying, the shining tower behind her, smoke still curling like snake at its base.
"…it just exploded down, right in the square! People are—oh gods, there's bodies—"
Another stream cut in, someone filming from a rooftop.
"Look at that! That's not possible, right? It's not possible!"
Messages scrolled by.
What the hell is going on?
Is this a game?
Someone just died in front of me.
The world's ending.
The voices mixed together, each one glowing with— fear, awe, confusion. Lucan watched it all ,feeling sweat roll down his back.
Then suddenly!
{ The first awakening will begin in 60 seconds. An ability from FF (lowest) to SSS (highest) will be initialized.
Countdown: 60... }
A digital clock began to tick, each tick downward a promise of something. People stopped in the streets, some eyes wide, most phone raised. The religious few prayed while some just stared, their mouth hung open.
The timer hit zero and then a soft chime.
{ Congratulations you have awakened!
Ability: Shield summoning
Rank: D
Summon a basic shield to protect you. Cost 10 mana to summon. Last 10 low tier hits. Cool down: 15 seconds. }
A faint blue glow, small but notheless there shimmered around his hand for a brief second, before it then faded.
D rank? To think I really got a D rank?
Lucan was quite disappointed in himself for not being able to get anything higher, but his thought was soon caught short.
{ Dungeons will be available in the system in 60 seconds. Mana will be distributed equally among everyone once entered into the dungeon
Available Tiers: FF to F only }
The last system message faded, leaving the hospital in a tense, waiting quiet. Lucan stared at his hand, still tingling where the shield ability had flickered into life. D rank—ordinary, but at least it was something. He drew a slow breath, letting the new reality settle into his bones.
Then another panel blinked into existence, overlaying the world like a digital veil only he could touch.
╔═════════════════════════╗
DUNGEONS
Available in Northcrest District: 14 [FF] Shivering Hollows – Limit: 1000 [F] Cursed Menagerie – Limit: 500
[F] Iron Maw Den – Limit: 200
[FF] Crumbling Necropolis – Limit:300
[FF] Worn Catacombs – Limit: 100
[F] Frosted Depths – Limit: 100
[FF] Echoing Tunnels – Limit: 1000
[FF] Fallen Orchard – Limit: 150
[FF] Buried Scriptorium – Limit: 200
[FF] Gutter's Maw – Limit: 75
[FF] Gloam Alley – Limit: 30
[F] Blackroot Hollow – Limit: 50
[FF] SOLO: Dust Lair – Limit: 1
[FF] SOLO: Flicker Cell Lmit: 1
╚═════════════════════════╝
Solo dungeons. Lucan's eyes caught on the final two. A dungeon meant for one—no need to fight for a spot, no need to worry about being seen. His mind spun, possibilities unfurling. If he got in first, he'd learn the rules before anyone else. He'd know what mattered before the government, before his father's reach swept the city.
He thought about his father, Lord Farel, the man who ruled Ski-haven's fortunes from his glass office in the high spires. When the city's authorities figured out what dungeons were, they'd be crawling with guards, agents, and desperate hopefuls. Northcrest District—the stretch of wide, snow-bright streets and private clinics where Lucan's hospital stood—would become a warzone of ambition overnight.
He needed a head start. Now.
But the hospital was chaos. Nurses and doctors darted from room to room, checking on patients, counting beds, calling for help. If he just walked out, someone might stop him, or worse, follow. He needed a way to slip out unseen.
Lucan's eyes darted to the far end of the hall. Emergency stairs. He reached for his phone, sending a quick message to his nurse call button—"Bathroom." When the nurse peeked in, he was already halfway out of bed, face twisted in discomfort. She rushed to help, busy and distracted.
He let her guide him to the bathroom, waited until the door latched, then turned the lock. He pressed his ear to the door, counted her footsteps fading away. Then he moved—slowly at first, careful with his ribs, then faster. He cracked the window open, letting in a blast of cold air and city noise.
A quick glance outside. Just a narrow ledge, two meters to the next balcony—a risky jump, but doable. He gritted his teeth and swung a leg out, gripping the frame. The city roared beneath him, but Lucan focused, inching his way across. The stone bit into his palms, but he made it, heart hammering.
On the balcony, he ducked behind a planter, checked his phone, and brought up the dungeon list again. [FF] SOLO: Dust Lair. Limit: 1.
He tapped it.
A ripple passed through him—like falling, like flying. The world bent, colors blurring. A new message flashed before his eyes:
╔═════════════════════════╗
[FF] SOLO: Dust Lair
Do you wish to enter?
[YES] [NO]
╚═════════════════════════╝
Lucan smiled. This world was changing fast. He would change with it.
He pressed YES.