The city lights flickered as the rain fell in relentless sheets, washing neon reflections into the puddles on the cracked sidewalks. Inside a small, cluttered apartment, a single desk lamp glowed over a pile of unpaid bills, empty coffee cups, and a laptop displaying dozens of unfinished documents.
Dev sat hunched over, shoulders slouched, eyes bloodshot from hours of staring at spreadsheets and client messages. He was barely twenty-five, yet the weight of a life unnoticed pressed heavily on him. Weak, forgettable, ordinary—he had been labeled many things over the years, none of them complimentary.
A soft buzz from his phone broke the monotony. He ignored it at first, expecting yet another spam message. But the notification was different:
[New Dungeon Appeared – Tier D, Downtown Sector]
Dev frowned. Another low-level dungeon? The city had been flooded with these minor portals lately, a cycle of monsters and chaos that seemed designed to test only the strong. Weak hunters and civilians didn't matter—most would flee or die before help arrived. He had ignored dozens, as always.
Yet something pulled at him tonight. An unexplainable tug in his chest that made him glance toward the window at the storm-drenched streets. Rain reflected neon signs, giving the city a distorted, surreal glow.
He hesitated. Normally, he wouldn't dream of approaching a dungeon. But something inside him—a spark, maybe foolish curiosity—pushed him forward.
Pulling on his jacket, Dev stepped into the wet streets, the cold rain soaking through his thin fabric almost instantly. He tucked his hands in his pockets, trying to look casual, though his heart pounded against his ribcage like a drum.
From a block away, chaos was already visible. Civilians screamed, cars abandoned mid-drive, and in the center of it all, the ground cracked open with a low rumble. From the fissure emerged a dark, pulsating portal, edges glowing faintly red and black, like a heartbeat waiting to devour the city.
Dev swallowed hard. He had seen videos, read news reports, even heard rumors about these Tier D dungeons. But seeing one in person… it was different. Terrifying. Real.
Hunters were already moving into the portal, clad in armor and wielding swords, magic-infused rifles, and strange gadgets. The roar of a monstrous growl reverberated through the surrounding buildings, rattling windows. Panic-stricken civilians scattered, some slipping on the wet streets.
Dev froze at the edge of the scene. His mind screamed at him to turn back, to run home and forget he ever saw this. He had no powers. No weapons. Nothing. Just… himself.
Then, in the corner of his vision, something strange flickered. A translucent panel hovered before him, almost like a ghost on the rain-soaked pavement. Numbers floated in midair:
[Reader's Window Activated]
Dev blinked. "What… what is this?"
The panel solidified, displaying information he couldn't comprehend at first:
Name: DevLevel: 1Strength: 5Agility: 6Health: 20/20
Beneath it, a blinking notification:
[Tutorial: You may view and analyze the dungeon. Survival is your choice.]
Dev hesitated, instinctively reaching out a hand. The panel responded to his touch, numbers shifting and recalculating as if alive. He felt a strange tingle through his fingers, almost like static electricity.
The roar from inside the dungeon grew louder. He could see hunters struggling against a creature emerging from the shadows—a hulking, insect-like beast with glowing eyes and chitinous armor. The numbers floating before Dev seemed to whisper instructions. Weak points. Attack patterns. Timing.
He didn't understand why or how, but his instincts kicked in. Fear surged, but so did… clarity.
A movement to his left caught his eye. A child, no older than ten, had wandered too close to the portal. A monster's claw reached for the boy in a terrifying sweep.
Dev froze. The numbers indicated the trajectory of the claw, its timing, and its weak point. Without thinking, he lunged, grabbing the child and throwing him out of the way. The monster snarled, thrashing violently, but the panel gave him the guidance he needed.
He rolled to the side, dodged a swipe, and jabbed at the glowing joint of the creature's leg. Sparks flew, and the monster howled, staggering backward.
Dev's pulse pounded in his ears. He had no weapon, no real training. Just numbers, patterns, and a gut instinct he didn't know he had. And yet… the monster fell, collapsing into a cloud of black mist, vanishing as if it had never existed.
The rain poured down harder. Dev sat on the wet pavement, heart racing, lungs burning. Around him, the world seemed unchanged, but he knew it wasn't the same. He had seen something no one else had. Something alive beneath the chaos.
And then, as if in response to his unspoken thought, a soft whisper echoed inside his mind:
"Stronger… this time…"
Dev shivered, looking around. No one was there. Just the rain, the neon, and the lingering hum of the Reader's Window.
A part of him trembled at the realization: he was no hunter. Not yet. Not even close.
But for the first time in his life, he felt… possible.
Dev's body trembled as he struggled to catch his breath. The portal pulsed ominously, swallowing the faint city lights in its black void. The cold rain soaked through his jacket, chilling him to the bone, but he barely noticed. All he could feel was the hum of the Reader's Window hovering before his eyes, numbers and patterns dancing in ways that defied understanding.
He had survived. Somehow, against instinct and logic, he had survived his first encounter with a dungeon monster. But survival didn't bring relief—it brought questions, and questions always brought fear.
What was that? he thought. Why can I see… that?
The street around him had begun to empty. Civilians had fled in all directions, leaving behind overturned cars, scattered belongings, and the distant cries of those who had been too slow. The hunters, clad in armor and weapons, were deeper in the portal now, their shouts muffled by the darkness within. Dev knew he should leave, that running back home was the sane choice. Yet a strange pull compelled him forward, as if the portal itself had whispered his name.
He took a cautious step toward it. The Reader's Window pulsed gently, almost like it was encouraging him.
[Analyze Dungeon?]
Dev's finger hovered in the air. Could he? Should he? His mind raced. He was weak, untrained, and utterly ordinary in every way. And yet… a part of him wanted to understand, to see what this strange, new world held.
He took another step, then another, until he was at the very edge of the portal. The air inside was thick, tinged with something metallic and faintly burning. Numbers appeared in the Reader's Window, outlining shapes he couldn't quite identify—monsters, pathways, hazards.
[Warning: Dungeon instability detected. Proceed at your own risk.]
A cold shiver ran down his spine. Instability? What did that mean? He glanced back at the empty street, the puddles reflecting neon signs in distorted patterns. Nobody was coming to help. He was alone.
Yet the more he stared into the darkness, the more the patterns in his Reader's Window began to make sense. He could see movement, predict timing, and even faintly "feel" the shape of the dungeon. It was as though the numbers were not just information—they were guidance.
He took a deep breath.
"I… I'll try," he whispered, voice barely audible over the rain.
The moment he stepped into the portal, the world shifted. The city noises faded, replaced by a low hum that vibrated through his bones. Shadows stretched unnaturally, walls of stone and twisted metal rising from the ground as if the city itself had been rewritten.
A low growl echoed, and Dev froze. From the darkness, two monsters emerged, their forms writhing and flickering in ways that defied reality. One was humanoid but with jagged limbs and glowing eyes; the other was more beast-like, four legs moving too fast for him to track with the naked eye.
Numbers danced across his Reader's Window, highlighting weak points, attack ranges, and danger zones. Dev's instincts screamed at him to run, but something deeper whispered strategy.
He moved. Slowly at first, testing the monsters' responses. The humanoid creature lunged, and Dev rolled to the side, guided by the panel's precise timing. He jabbed at its leg with a steel pipe someone had abandoned on the ground, the numbers confirming the exact spot to strike. Sparks flew, and the creature shrieked, staggering backward.
The beast-like monster charged next. Dev barely had time to dodge, sliding along the slick floor as its claws scraped the stone walls. The Reader's Window pulsed again:
[Critical hit opportunity in 3…2…1…]
He followed the prompt, striking at a glowing joint with the pipe. The creature fell, dissolving into mist, leaving a faint trail of light in its wake.
Dev's heart raced. He had survived again, but barely. The adrenaline buzzed through him, sharp and intoxicating. He realized something then—he was not just witnessing this dungeon. He was participating in it. Every dodge, every strike, every calculation the Reader's Window suggested… it was him doing it. Not some god, not some random chance. He was the agent, the variable that mattered.
A faint vibration in his mind drew his attention. Numbers appeared along the edges of his vision, forming a sequence that pulsed in rhythm with the dungeon's heartbeat.
[New Skill Unlocked: Pattern Analysis Level 1]
Dev stared, blinking. Skill? Level? What does this mean?
The Reader's Window explained, wordlessly, that he could now anticipate movements with greater precision, calculate trajectories for attacks, and even detect hidden traps. He felt a surge of confidence, mixed with awe. For the first time, he realized that he was not powerless. Not entirely.
He pressed onward, deeper into the dungeon. The passage narrowed, walls lined with strange, glowing runes that pulsed as he passed. Each step triggered a subtle vibration in the Reader's Window, guiding him toward an unknown objective.
Then he saw her.
A girl, no older than himself, huddled in the shadows. She was shaking, soaked to the bone, eyes wide with fear. She hadn't noticed him yet. Dev's heart pounded—not from fear, but from instinct. He couldn't just leave her.
"Hey!" he shouted, voice echoing unnaturally in the chamber. The girl flinched, eyes locking on him.
"Please… help me…" she whispered, voice trembling.
Numbers danced again, highlighting the safest path, the weak points of monsters nearby, even timing to avoid sudden attacks. Dev moved instinctively, guiding her behind him, dodging attacks, and striking with precision. Every movement was a blend of human instinct and the Reader's Window's calculations.
They reached a small chamber, barricading the doorway with broken debris. The girl gasped, tears mixing with the rain on her face.
"You… saved me?" she stammered.
Dev shook his head. "I didn't… I mean—I don't know yet. But we're not dead, are we?"
She nodded, clutching his arm. Dev realized then that fear wasn't weakness—it was awareness. And he had survived by listening to both fear and instinct, guided by something greater.
The Reader's Window flickered again, a message appearing in faint golden letters:
[Survival: 1/∞ — This is only the beginning.]
Dev's pulse quickened. Infinity? He swallowed hard, realizing that the dungeon, the monsters, the Reader's Window… none of this was normal. His ordinary life had ended the moment he stepped into this storm-soaked street.
And as he looked back at the faint city lights visible through the portal, he whispered to himself:
"I don't know what's happening… but maybe… maybe I can survive this."
A faint whisper echoed through his mind again, soft and almost melodic, like a memory not his own:
"Stronger… this time…"
Dev shivered. Somewhere deep inside, he understood. This dungeon, these monsters, this new power—it was a test. And he was going to see it through, no matter the cost.
With renewed determination, he stepped deeper into the darkness, the Reader's Window guiding his every move, his pulse steady, his fear sharpened into focus.
The city outside continued its indifferent rain, unaware that an ordinary young man had just awakened to something extraordinary.
And for the first time in his life, Dev felt… alive.