My eyes snapped open.
I was in a small, plain-looking bed, a thin but clean blanket pooled around my waist. The room was sparse; a wooden wardrobe, a small desk, a washbasin. This was Silvie Briar's room in the capital, Elusia. We were here for the Duke Weissberg's "Spring Garden Party," the very event Miki had described.
'When did I fall asleep?' I thought, my mind fuzzy. The last thing I remembered was my mother's vice-grip on my arm and the massive, glowing [CAMPAIGN MILESTONE QUEST] screen filling my vision. I must have conked out from the mental and physical exhaustion as soon as we got back to the tiny townhouse my father had rented.
A soft knock came at the door, followed by a creak as it opened.
"My lady?" a gentle voice whispered. A girl, not much older than fifteen, poked her head in. She had mousy brown hair and warm, kind eyes. "Oh! You're awake!"
My mind supplied her name instantly: Iris. My one and only, thoroughly underpaid, and fiercely loyal personal maid. In a house of neglect, she was the only one who ever showed the original Silvie any kindness.
Iris bustled in, her expression one of pleasant surprise. "I came to wake you, but you've beaten me to it. You must have been exhausted yesterday, my lady. You fell asleep before dinner."
She moved to the window, pulling back the heavy curtains to let in the bright morning light.
"I'll go draw your bath, shall I?" Iris said with a smile. "We have to be quick. The Baroness mentioned you'd be returning to the estate this..."
Ping.
A massive, insistent window, the same one from last night, reappeared directly in my line of sight, completely obscuring Iris.
[CAMPAIGN MILESTONE 1: Clear Floor 10 of 'The Eternal Dungeon']
[This is a mandatory tutorial quest. Begin immediately.]
Iris, who just saw me zone out and stare blankly at her, tilted her head. "My lady? Is something wrong?"
"Isn't it too early for this?" I mumbled, groaning as I pushed myself up. My Level 4 body ached. I hadn't even had a chance to feel stronger yet.
"Too early for... a bath, my lady?" Iris asked, confused.
[The Anomaly is too weak to make such decisions.] The System's reply was cold and instantaneous. [The Anomaly must exceed Level 50 before manual training schedules are unlocked. Until then, the System will dictate your training regimen.]
'What, you should have told me earlier then!' I thought, incensed. This thing was a tyrant!
As if in response to my indignation, a new, smaller box appeared.
[TRANSPORT TO 'THE ETERNAL DUNGEON' IN: 10]
My eyes widened in panic.
[9]
'Wait, what about my bath? Breakfast? Everything?!'
[8]
"My lady, you've gone quite pale!" Iris said, rushing forward with a worried look. "Are you ill? Should I fetch the Baroness?"
[7]
I waved her off, my mind racing. I couldn't just vanish in front of her!
'Pause! Halt! Abort!' I screamed in my head.
[6]
[Query Received: 'What about daily necessities?']
[5]
[Answer: While the Anomaly is inside 'The Eternal Dungeon,' time in the original world is frozen.]
[4]
...Oh.
[3]
Well. That changed things, didn't it?
[2]
My panic instantly evaporated, replaced by a grim, gamer-like resolve. Iris froze mid-step, her hand outstretched, a perfect statue of concern.
[1]
"Right," I muttered, cracking my tiny knuckles. "Let's see what this 'tutorial' is all about."
The edges of my vision pixelated.
Iris froze mid-motion, her lips halfway through a worried "my lady...".
"Oh..." I started.
[TRANSPORTING...]
The world dissolved into white light.
The world reformed around me, not as a dark, musty cave, but as an endless expanse of pristine, white-tiled floor under a high, vaulted stone ceiling. It looked less like a dungeon and more like a... divine training room. Columns lined the walls, and a set of simple stone stairs descended in the distance, presumably to Floor 2.
I looked down. I was still in my thin, cotton nightgown, my bare feet cold on the polished stone.
"Right," I muttered. "A 'Dungeon Simulator' where I fight in my pajamas. Classy."
Ping.
`[ 'VILLAINESS SIDEKICK GEAR' ACTIVATED.]`
`[No combat gear detected. Providing basic set.]`
A blue light shimmered over my body. The flimsy nightgown vanished, replaced by a simple, practical outfit: a white linen blouse, sturdy black trousers, and soft leather boots that fit perfectly. It was a standard, unisex training uniform.
Then, a new item materialized in my hand.
It was a sword, but just barely. It was a practice rapier, with a thin, flexible blade, a blunted tip, and a simple basket hilt.
`[ITEM: Trainee's Practice Rapier (F-Rank)]`
> Damage: 1-3
> Special Effect: None.
> "A balanced blade for learning the absolute basics. Try not to poke your eye out."
I stared at the System's sassy description, my eye twitching.
"Fine. Better than a rock, I guess," I said, testing the weight. It was light, clearly designed for a child. I'd never held a sword in either of my lives, but my gamer brain (and Miki's endless rants) knew the basics: pointy end goes into the bad guy.
`[TUTORIAL: FLOOR 1 - COMMENCE]`
A blob of blue gelatin, about the size of a large dog, suddenly plopped into existence about twenty feet away. It jiggled, two simple black dots for eyes appearing as it "noticed" me.
`[MONSTER: Blue Slime (Level 1)]`
`[HP: 15/15]`
A slime. The classic Level 1 starting monster. I almost laughed.
"Okay," I said, pointing my rapier forward in what I hoped was a proper fencing stance. "Let's do this."
The slime... jiggled. It hopped forward, moving at a surprisingly slow pace.
I held my ground, my heart hammering. It was just a weak monster, but it was still real. It lunged, launching itself at my legs. I yelped and jumped back, the gooey splat where my feet had been making me shudder.
"Right. Gross."
My `[Loyalty of the Knight]` trait doubled my stats, but that just meant my base Level 4 stats were now... Level 8, maybe? I was still a weak kid, but I was definitely faster and more balanced than any seven-year-old had a right to be.
The slime lunged again. This time, I didn't dodge. I thrust the rapier forward.
The blunted tip hit the gelatinous mass with a dull thwack.
`[-1 HP!]`
The slime jiggled angrily. I... had dealt one damage. This stupid practice sword was probably dealing "blunt" damage, which was likely resisted by the slime.
'Think, Yumi, think!' I thought. 'Slimes are 99% water! You have to hit the core! It's the only solid part!'
I backed away as the slime prepared another hop. I scanned its body. Sure enough, deep in the center of the blue mass, I could see a small, faintly glowing stone, about the size of a pebble.
That's the target.
The slime leaped. I sidestepped, my new agility making the move feel surprisingly easy. As it sailed past me, I spun and drove the rapier deep into its side, aiming straight for the core.
Clink.
The blade struck something solid.
`[CRITICAL HIT! VITAL POINT STRUCK!]`
`[-14 HP!]`
The slime let out a high-pitched squeeeee as it froze mid-air. It burst like a water balloon, splattering blue gelatin all over the white floor.
A moment of silence. Then...
`[VICTORY!]`
`[+10 EXP!]`
`[ITEM DROP: Slime Core (Common) x1]`
I stood there, breathing heavily, covered in goo. A small, blue stone clattered to the floor at my feet. I picked it up, and it vanished into a `[SYSTEM INVENTORY]` that I didn't even know I had.
"Huh."
`[TUTORIAL: FLOOR 1 - 1/10 MONSTERS DEFEATED]`
Another slime plopped into existence. And another. And another.
I grinned, a real, bloodthirsty smile this time. "This is going to be fun."
I'd never been a fighter. I was a university student who liked naps and playing games. But this? This was just a game. A game I'd been watching my roommate play for years.
I dodged the first slime, thrust and hit the core. `[+10 EXP!]`. I parried the lunge of the second, a clumsy move that was just me banging my sword against it and stabbed it. `[+10 EXP!]`.
By the time the tenth slime burst, I was breathing hard, but I was getting the hang of the basic "thrust" motion.
`[FLOOR 1 CLEAR!]`
`[+50 BONUS EXP!]`
`[LEVEL UP! You are now Level 5!]`
The familiar golden light washed over me, stronger this time. The aches in my small body vanished, replaced by a surge of new energy. I checked my status.
> Name: Silvie Briar
> Level: 5
> HP: 50/50
> MP: 0/0
> Stats: STR: 3, DEX: 5, VIT: 3, INT: 2, AGI: 5
> Trait: [Loyalty of the Knight] (Doubles all stats when protecting Amaryllis)
My Dexterity and Agility were already surprisingly high. This body was clearly built to be a fencer, even if the original owner had no idea.
A glowing blue portal appeared where the stairs were.
`[PROCEED TO FLOOR 2?]`
I looked at my practice rapier, slick with slime goo.
My campaign milestone was to clear Floor 10. This was just the beginning.
"Right," I said, wiping the blade on my trousers. "Let's grind."
I stepped into the portal.
The white light of the portal faded, and the world reformed. Floor 2 was... identical to Floor 1. Pristine white tiles, high vaulted ceiling, stone columns. It was disappointingly sterile.
"Well, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, I guess," I muttered, raising my practice rapier.
There was no splat this time. Instead, a guttural snarl echoed from the far end of the room. A small, greenish creature, no taller than my seven-year-old self, materialized from thin air. It was hunched over, holding a piece of sharpened scrap metal that looked suspiciously like a prison shiv.
`[MONSTER: Goblin Grunt (Level 3)]`
`[HP: 30/30]`
`[ITEM: Rusty Dagger (F-Rank)]`
My blood ran cold. This wasn't a mindless blob of gelatin. This was a thing. A small, ugly, humanoid thing with beady black eyes that were locked right onto me.
It shrieked and charged.
"Crap!" I yelped, sidestepping. The slime was slow. This thing was fast. It lunged, and its rusty dagger sliced through the air where my arm had just been.
I felt the whoosh of air. This was real.
It recovered, much faster than the slime, and lunged again. I tried to do what I'd seen in Miki's games, a parry. I slapped my flimsy rapier against its dagger.
Clang!
The impact sent a painful vibration up my entire arm. My `STR: 3` stat was pathetic. The goblin stumbled back, but I staggered even more.
This was bad. I couldn't trade blows. My only advantage was my `AGI: 5` and `DEX: 5`.
The goblin charged again. I didn't try to block. I just dodged, pouring all my concentration into my feet. The dagger grazed my sleeve.
`[-2 HP!]`
A sharp, stinging pain flared on my arm. It hurt. Not "game" hurt, but real, stinging, pain.
"Okay, so that's how it is," I hissed through my teeth. This wasn't a game. It was a simulator, and the pain was part of the curriculum.
As the goblin raised its dagger for another stab, I saw my opening. It was overextended, its chest wide open.
'No core to aim for,' I thought. 'So aim for the next best thing.'
I thrust the rapier forward with all my strength, aiming for its throat.
`[Critical Hit! Vital Point Struck!]`
`[-29 HP!]`
The goblin froze. A look of complete surprise crossed its ugly face. It gurgled, then dissolved into particles of blue light.
`[VICTORY!]`
`[+25 EXP!]`
`[ITEM DROP: 10 Rusted Coins]`
I stood there, breathing heavily, my arm stinging. My HP bar now read `[HP: 48/50]`.
`[HP regenerating slowly outside of combat. 1 HP recovered.]`
Good to know.
I killed the other nine goblins on that floor. It was ugly. I got cut three more times, ending the floor with `[HP: 35/50]`, but I learned a vital lesson: Don't get hit. Ever.
Floors 3 through 9 were a blur of pain, repetition, and grinding.
Floor 3 introduced `[Giant Rats (Level 4)]`—disgustingly fast, forcing me to learn how to thrust accurately at a moving target.
Floor 4 had `[Goblin Skirmishers (Level 5)]`, which were smart enough to throw rocks at me. This was where I was "killed" for the first time. A rock hit me in the temple, my HP dropped to zero, and my world went black.
No pain.
No sound.
Just a single message flashing in the void
[YOU HAVE DIED.]