"Sign here," the bank's dungeon recruiter said with a comforting smile, "but be warned, the dungeon has lost many... experienced runn—"
Kenzo impatiently tapped the counter. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Incompetent, I get it. Where do I sign?"
TB.15 was the bank in charge of the dungeon; they paid Runners to delve into the depths and collect valuable resources like Kinetium, used for weapons and equipment, and Voltaic, a powerful energy source. The delvers also explored the dungeon further to unlock its ancient secrets.
"You may now enter the dungeon," a jingle chirped as the heavy doors groaned open to reveal the dungeon's global portal. The Staircase had the same entrance globally; anyone entering from any corner of the world would teleport here. Kenzo grinned, stepping through the portal as the blinding light triggered a rush of memory.
Eighteen years ago, people gained abilities that seemed to shift based on their emotions. Two years ago, the world's only dungeon appeared: The Seventy Year Staircase. In this new world, superpowers were a birthright, and the emergence of this singular global Dungeon made running the quickest path to wealth. Kenzo, one of the first humans born with these gifts, possessed the power to create clones.
***
The otherworldly transition lasted only a moment before he emerged to an unexpected, inharmonious roar of sound. He heard the rhythmic clang of blacksmith hammers, the distant murmur of a busy street, and the shouts of vendors. Massive hotels and the TB.15 branch office lined the cavern walls.
The scent of damp earth gave him a strange sense of comfort.
"Beginner hunters! Assemble at the front for your official guide of the dungeon!"
Kenzo casually placed his hands behind his head, ignoring the call. He watched a group of nervous beginners fumbling with their oversized shields and scoffed at their amateurish demeanor.
After purchasing a pickaxe, Kenzo marched toward the Level 2 entrance. The dungeon was split into descending levels; the deeper the descent, the deadlier the challenge. Level 1 was safe territory, but Level 2 was "unclaimed", the domain of monsters.
Before he could cross the threshold, a young man stepped into his path. "Hey you there, are you a beginner by chance?"
Kenzo gave a slow, condescending nod. "I just signed the waiver, yes."
"Awesome! My name is Ren. Can we team up to—"
"Stop right there, buddy," Kenzo said smugly. "I'm already set. Go find some other friends."
Kenzo walked away, his chin held high. Ren sighed, shaking his head. "He's going to die. Arrogance kills in this place."
The sounds of the hub vanished as Kenzo entered Level 2, replaced by a thick, damp silence. Lanterns lit the path for only a short distance at a time. Most of the Voltaic near the entrance had been stripped, but thin veins of the ore still shimmered in the darkness, casting a weak, cold glow.
Kenzo pulled a glow-lamp from his pouch to check for traps. Soon, the low, creeping sound of whispers overpowered the rhythmic strike of his pickaxe. He grew alert, drawing his metal dagger.
"Let the fight begin," he grinned.
He spawned a clone in the shadows, tossing it the dagger. When the first monster stepped into the lamp's light, Kenzo scoffed at its hunched back and jagged teeth.
"Goblins? Seriously? They don't even need my next clone."
The mob charged in a messy onslaught. Kenzo met them with contempt, executing a low slide that knocked the lead Goblin off its feet. Before it hit the ground, his clone stabbed it through the skull. The clone then hurled the dagger past Kenzo's ear, burying it in the neck of a second monster.
Kenzo snatched the returning blade and slashed the throats of four more monsters in a single, sweeping arc. He tossed the dagger aside as the clone rushed in with a fury, slicing down the remaining two.
"I'm so cool," he grinned, satisfied.
"Hmph. He's a decent fighter."
Somewhere else in the darkness, a dark, inhuman voice rasped. "Let's send in a bigger threat to hurt him enough so we can capture and eat him. A weaker version of us."
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
"Finally," Kenzo muttered, his smile widening. He focused his mana, and four clones shimmered into existence. My limit is four clones, so I'll just go all out just in case, he thought.
The creature stepped into the light: a seven-foot-tall beast with a heavy club. It looked starved and broken, its empty eyes and malnourished frame suggesting a creature without a soul, yet it carried an undeniable, lethal weight.
"Go!" Kenzo shouted.
Kenzo circled behind the beast. Wait, isn't this a rare monst—
BOOM!
The monster didn't flinch. It delivered a monstrous kick, sending one clone crashing into the cavern wall. Kenzo's pause was fatal. Isn't that a High Or—
BOOM!
A second clone was shattered against him, sending Kenzo tumbling hard against the cold rock. The last two clones tried to scatter, but a swipe of the club caught one. The mana splattered everywhere like cold, glowing blood before the clone dissolved into nothingness.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
The beast stepped toward the real bleeding Kenzo with a twisted grin, raising its club for the finishing blow.