Luke Wellington's apartment was a mess. Empty ramen cups crowded his desk, stacked precariously beside his glowing desktop screen. A half-empty energy drink fizzed weakly on the floor, forgotten hours ago as Luke focused on his gamepad. The curtains were drawn tight, shutting out the light of day and leaving only the neon blue glow of his monitor to illuminate the room. The air was thick with the smell of instant noodles and stale air—the kind of scent that clings to a person's clothes if they have used too much perfume.
Suddenly, Luke slammed his gamepad down with a victorious grin. "Yes... I have finally cleared the evernight dungeon! Did you see that, guys?" he exclaimed, speaking to his audience with a smile plastered on his face.
It turned out he was streaming a MMORPG called Dungeon Online. It was the most trending fantasy game, packed with stakes and action. Today, Luke was the first person to clear this game.
"Faji: This guy has been at it for ten years straight. Here's your $500 reward." A viewer sent five hundred dollars, which immediately popped up on Luke's monitor.
"Thank you, Faji much appreciated," Luke commented as he picked up his game console from the floor. The community kept commenting, some showing love for his consistency, while others mocked his success.
"Sam: Bro, you play so clean. I wish you were my brother."
"Daniel: Come on, guys. He's not even that big. A million followers after ten years? Lame."
"Christopher Sile: Lame? And what exactly have you done in the last ten years, Daniel?"
The comments started heating up, but Luke wasn't bothered. He lifted his gaze towards his apartment and sighed in disappointment. "It seems I need to quit gaming now. I'm 27, and I haven't achieved much in my life, but at least I have $30 million in my account. That's enough to start a new business."
Luke was lost in thought when he was interrupted by a new commentator. This commenter's name and message were very different from the others.
"Developer of Dungeon Online: Luke Wellington, you have conquered all the dungeons of the Tower Nelphimer. You have received $30 million for this additional achievement. However, how would you like to become something greater than just a game streamer?"
Luke was stunned. Thirty million dollars wasn't small change in the year 2050; that was a lot of money. He didn't hesitate to reply. "Thank you, developer. I would like to listen to what you have to offer."
His comment was short and simple, but Luke didn't know that this particular reply would change everything he knew about reality. As he waited for the developer's response, he carried his energy drink, took a sip, and returned it to the floor.
After ten minutes of anticipation, the developer replied with a link.
"[*Click the link below, and you will receive the gift I sent you. Be sure to survive until the end, Luke.*]"
"Survive to the end? What does that mean?" Luke questioned inwardly, his hand carefully placed on his chin. Then, with a smirk, he clicked the link. What could possibly go wrong? He told his viewers goodbye and shortly ended the stream. This was a big opportunity for him. Or was it?
Suddenly, a blue status window popped up inches from Luke's face.
[Congratulations!!]
[Luke Wellington, you have been granted the unique opportunity to become Earth's guardian hero.]
Luke was startled and stumbled to the floor. "W...what is this?" He wanted to scream, but he couldn't; it was as if he had lost his voice all of a sudden. Something out of his wildest imagination—a status window. However, the notifications didn't end there.
[You have been granted the unique opportunity to experience Dungeon Online in reality.]
[Note that if you fail and are conquered by challengers or monsters, you will die, and the Earth will be opened to the Tower of Ascension, resulting in monsters invading.]
[You have become the boss of the nameless Dungeon.]
Was this what the developer was talking about? The text about "be sure to survive until the end, Luke" was not just a kind gesture; it was a warning.
"Shit!"
Before Luke could take in his surroundings, a portal opened up in his apartment. This felt like something out of a horror movie, but unlike the actors in those films, he wasn't going to sit around and wait for something to happen. Luke Wellington slammed the chair aside, trying to leap toward the door.
Unfortunately, the scattered clothes on the floor tangled his legs, causing him to lose balance and fall. "Ouch! That hurts a lot."
When Luke squinted his eyes open, it was already too late. The portal behind him had begun to suck him in slowly.
His body shook with discomfort, and he felt an unbelievable amount of pain. His head throbbed as if he had been struck by a two-meter giant hammer. A few minutes passed by as he was absorbed into the portal, which closed behind him permanently.
When Luke opened his eyes, he was welcomed by silence. He stood up, cleaned his black and white stylised pants, and asked, "Where am I?" But no one answered.
As he stepped forward. He could smell the foul odour in the air coming from the dungeon.
"It's dark, too dark," he thought. Of course, it was dark. However, as he took his first step, fire torches lining the walls suddenly lit up one by one.
"Oh! A light. Well, I'm not going to get home if I just stand here," Luke said to himself. He removed one of the torches and began his journey into the tunnel ahead of him, moving step by step into the dungeon, unaware of the dangers that lay ahead.
Strangely enough, he felt composed and logical instead of panicking. After a few minutes, another status window popped up, and suddenly a new quest appeared.
[Welcome to your nameless dungeon]
[Name: Luke Wellington]
[Dungeon: Nameless Dungeon]
[Core: F]
[Dungeon Essence: 0]
[Unique Quest: Reach the top of the tower]
[Reward: You will be granted three wishes]
[Please kindly say 'status window' for full status]
[Failure: Death and the right for the tower monsters to invade Earth]
As he read this, Luke was shocked. Why would monsters invade Earth if he failed to protect the dungeon? Was he chosen for this because of an online dungeon game? Questions flooded his mind like an ocean tide, but no one was there to answer them.
Annoyed, Luke waved his hand in the air, trying to dismiss the status window that kept blocking his view while he walked. Just then, he heard noises coming from the tunnel—shush, shush, shush! Upon closer inspection, he realised these weren't human voices.
Suddenly, as the status window cleared, short, green, humanoid figures emerged, baring their teeth, each holding what looked like a knife. Another system prompt appeared before Luke, but this time, it was a side quest.
[Side Quest: The infamous goblins have crossed the line and entered your new home, trying to find its core to synthesise with. Defeat the goblins and declare your rightful place as the Nameless Dungeon Lord.]
[Failure: Death]
[Reward: Dungeon Title]
"Goblins!?" Luke yelled as he lifted his torch, casting light on the goblins' grotesque faces. His eyes widened in shock as the torch fell to the floor.
That's when Luke realised it wasn't just a question of whether he would reach the top and escape home, but rather... the question was always about survival, can he really survive to reach the top? Or will he be killed by goblins ahead of him?