The ruined building ahead looked ordinary at first, just another pile of concrete and steel. But the glow from Kael's suit cast shadows that moved strangely along the walls. His eyes narrowed. Something about the building felt alive, pulsing beneath the debris like a heartbeat.
"Kael, what is it?" Lyra whispered.
Kael crouched at the entrance. Numbers flickered faintly above the cracked floor: Dungeon Detected. Level 1. The word Dungeon hovered like a warning, but he felt a surge of excitement. This was new, dangerous, and it promised rewards.
He stepped inside. The air was thick, metallic, and faintly electrical. Panels flickered all around him, mapping out his surroundings in lines of neon-white light. The suit responded instantly; the circular core on his neck pulsed faster, as if it was urging him forward.
A low growl echoed from deeper within. Kael tensed. Monsters appeared from the shadows, their forms twisted and jerking unnaturally. Their eyes glowed red, reflecting the neon-white light of his suit. Numbers appeared above them: Level 2, HP 50/50.
Kael gripped a broken pipe and moved on instinct. Swing, strike, dodge. Numbers appeared above him too: Dodge +3, Strength +2. The creatures attacked in jerky, predictable patterns, but they would be lethal if he made a mistake.
One by one, he took them down, each strike feeding into the suit's energy. The static circle on his neck glowed brighter with every hit, and lines pulsed along the seams of the suit. With every victory, Kael felt the anomaly in the System working in his favor.
Lyra stayed close behind, learning to duck and move in rhythm with him. She wasn't as strong yet, but she was quick, clever, and observant. Kael noticed the System rewards for teamwork: Companion Coordination +2.
The dungeon was small but dangerous. Broken staircases, collapsed walls, and twisted metal created obstacles at every turn. Kael had to calculate every step and anticipate every monster's move. The System, for all its errors, provided feedback, nudging him to adapt and learn faster than any normal survivor could.
By the time they exited, Kael was panting, his suit glowing faintly in exhaustion. The monsters lay in broken heaps, their numbers fading as XP accumulated in his logs: XP 58 gained. Level Up: 2.
Lyra let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "That… that was insane."
Kael flexed his fingers, feeling the energy from the suit settle and the static circle humming gently. "This is only the beginning. Every dungeon, every monster… it's training. And with this glitch, I'm ahead of everyone else."
The city outside seemed smaller now, its familiar ruins transformed into a playground of potential. Kael Ardyn had taken his first real step into the new world.