Ishida Tetsuya.
An adventurer from Blackrock Town.
Ever since he was young, Ishida Tetsuya had heard the elders speak of a strange and catastrophic calamity that once struck this world.
After that disaster, the stars ceased their movement, water sources became polluted, crops struggled to grow, and the once-glorious ancient civilizations were utterly destroyed. The survivors who remained could only obtain most of their essential resources by developing and conquering dungeons.
As a result, Adventurer became the most sought-after profession in the world.
On this day,
Ishida Tetsuya discovered a newly established city known as Miracle City.
This city had just opened a secret realm called Apocalypse Frenzy.
Although Blackrock Town was merely a small settlement, it maintained nearly five hundred active dungeons year-round. Most of them failed to operate for more than three months—either because the secret realm was poorly designed and hemorrhaged resources, or because it was destroyed amid conflicts with dark creatures or territorial wars.
There were simply too many dungeons.
New dungeons struggled to attract attention.
And dungeons without reputation found it nearly impossible to produce valuable secret realms.
Ishida Tetsuya had not become an adventurer purely for fame or profit. Adventure itself brought him endless joy. He loved exploring dungeons of all kinds and was particularly enthusiastic about testing and evaluating newly opened secret realms.
Apocalypse Frenzy?
What a distinctive name.
Intrigued, Ishida Tetsuya decided to give it a try.
He immediately arrived at the dungeon via a teleportation crystal.
Miracle City was a textbook example of a newly established dungeon city. Its supporting facilities were virtually nonexistent. At first glance, it looked little more than a crude camp. At its center stood the Secret Realm Hall, containing only a single Secret Realm Crystal.
"Oh? Fellow adventurers?"
Ishida Tetsuya noticed two others already present. "You're here to experience the new dungeon as well, right? I'm Black Stone Hammer King. May I ask how I should address you both?"
Adventurers rarely used their real names, relying instead on aliases.
Black Stone Hammer King was Ishida Tetsuya's adventurer codename.
A petite girl with bright almond-shaped eyes and a ponytail spoke up cheerfully. "My name is Nekomi Momo!"
A burly, scruffy-bearded middle-aged man chuckled. "I'm Lonely Swordsman. Just call me Old Swordsman."
All three were adventurers from Blackrock Town, yet none of them had heard of the others before. This was hardly surprising—Blackrock Town alone boasted nearly one hundred thousand adventurers.
"Welcome to Miracle City!"
Boss Ren personally stepped forward to greet them warmly.
A newly established Dungeon Lord without a single subject to his name could not afford arrogance. Most adventurers were independent, placing them on relatively equal footing with Dungeon Lords—except, of course, for the most powerful among them.
Nekomi Momo immediately asked, "Lord Ren, what are the special features of this dungeon? Since we're among the first to support you, could you at least give us a few hints?"
"Apocalypse Frenzy is a dungeon unlike any other," Kanzaki Ren replied calmly. "You'll need both wisdom and courage to survive and locate a safe house. The more monsters you kill along the way, the higher your evaluation and rewards will be."
"That's it?"
"That's all I can say," Ren answered with a smile. "You'll have to experience the rest yourselves. I promise you won't be disappointed."
The three adventurers exchanged skeptical glances.
Doesn't sound very original.
Probably just another reskinned maze.
This Dungeon Lord's design skills might not be great.
This dungeon probably won't last long.
Lonely Swordsman asked, "Who wants to go first?"
"I will!" Nekomi Momo volunteered immediately. "I've got other dungeons scheduled today. I can't afford to waste too much time here."
She activated the Secret Realm Crystal and vanished from the spot, entering the dungeon.
The Secret Realm Crystal served as the gateway into the dungeon. Each crystal could only be used by one adventurer at a time. Once enough Soul Crystals were earned, a territory could construct additional crystals to increase dungeon capacity.
When an adventurer entered a secret realm,
every movement was displayed upon the crystal.
Other adventurers could observe the progress and content by watching it.
They could even communicate with the adventurer inside—much like watching someone play a game in an internet café while standing behind them.
Nekomi Momo had little expectation.
She simply wanted to finish quickly and leave.
But the moment she opened her eyes, she was stunned.
This was a city with an art style unlike anything she had ever seen—like a jungle forged entirely from steel and reinforced concrete.
She stood atop a sealed rooftop, surrounded by iron mesh fencing. There was only one door leading out. On the workbench in front of her lay a fire axe, a pistol, and a medical kit.
"…Huh. This dungeon actually has some substance," Nekomi Momo muttered. "The scenery alone is completely different. It really makes you want to explore."
She wasn't the only one impressed.
Watching through the crystal, Black Stone Hammer King and Lonely Swordsman were equally struck by the scene. The dungeon felt entirely unlike anything they had experienced before—fresh, novel, and strangely immersive.
Nekomi Momo immediately picked up the pistol, axe, and medical kit.
She had never seen a firearm before, but the instant she touched it, relevant information flooded her mind, teaching her its basic operation.
It was a shooting weapon known as the P226 pistol, with a magazine capacity of fifteen rounds.
There was no unlimited ammunition. She started with only one magazine.
"This weapon is pretty interesting!"
With the axe strapped to her back and the P226 in hand, Nekomi Momo pushed open the door and descended the stairs into the corridor. The floor was in chaos, and the walls were smeared with grotesque bloodstains. Ahead of her stood a human figure with its back turned.
A person?
A guide NPC?
Some dungeons created neutral or friendly characters to guide adventurers.
Gripping her pistol tightly, Nekomi Momo approached cautiously. She noticed the figure crouching on the ground, devouring something hungrily. A sense of dread crept over her, and she stopped short.
"H-Hello… excuse me…"
The figure spun around.
Its face was deathly pale, veins bloated with decay. Its eyes bulged, cloudy and swollen. Half of its face was completely ulcerated and unrecognizable, while its gaping mouth continued chewing flesh and blood.
It let out a feral, hysterical growl and charged.
This was a deliberate opening kill placed here by Kanzaki Ren.
A tribute to the iconic 'over-the-shoulder smile' from Resident Evil.
In such a dim corridor, within such an unfamiliar city, under fully immersive conditions and without any mental preparation, Nekomi Momo's reaction was inevitable.
"AHH!"
Not only Nekomi Momo inside the dungeon—
Black Stone Hammer King and Lonely Swordsman outside were startled as well.
What the hell was this?
This dungeon was unbelievably aggressive.
The zombie was frighteningly agile, no slower than a normal human, closing the distance in an instant.
Panicking, Nekomi Momo fired three shots. All struck the chest, one even piercing the heart, yet none managed to stop the crazed monster.
The next moment, she was pounced upon.
[Adventurer 'Nekomi Momo' has died. Soul Crystal +1!]
Nice.
Already opened for business.
Kanzaki Ren was thoroughly pleased.
"What's going on?! Why won't that monster die?!"
Nekomi Momo was automatically ejected from the dungeon, her face pale with lingering terror.
Lonely Swordsman analyzed calmly, "Judging by its appearance, it resembles an undead corpse—but far more frenzied and brutal. Next time, try aiming for the head."
"My turn!"
It was now Black Stone Hammer King's turn to enter the dungeon.
Lonely Swordsman continued watching anxiously from before the crystal.
Nekomi Momo, who had intended to leave early, stayed behind as well.
She desperately wanted to know—
What exactly was going on in this dungeon?
Could that insane monster actually be killed?
After selecting his character, Black Stone Hammer King descended onto the newly generated rooftop. He immediately grabbed the pistol, axe, and medical kit.
"The scenery is insanely detailed!"
"Just this environment alone makes it worth playing!"
After marveling briefly, he entered the stairwell with pistol in hand and encountered the same 'over-the-shoulder smile' zombie. He aimed at the back of its head and fired.
Bang!
A perfect hit.
The zombie collapsed, killed by a headshot.
"Haha! These undead look terrifying, but they're actually weak!"
Black Stone Hammer King clicked his tongue in amazement as he examined the weapon. "This pistol's like a crossbow—but ten, no, a hundred times more precise. Way more convenient too."
Soon after, he encountered two more zombies.
He raised his gun and fired six shots. Four missed or failed to hit vital areas, while only two resulted in headshot kills.
"Awesome!"
"That's two more down!"
"With a weapon like this, even my grandma with a cane could blow these undead apart!"
Black Stone Hammer King shouted gleefully.
But before he could celebrate for more than a few seconds, five zombies suddenly rushed out from around the corner. Panicking, he fired wildly, but after emptying the magazine, he had only managed to kill three.
"Damn it!"
Black Stone Hammer King panicked.
"Use the axe!" Lonely Swordsman shouted.
Right!
The axe!
Black Stone Hammer King grabbed the fire axe and hacked it into a zombie's skull. Black, foul-smelling blood splattered across his body. Before he could pull the axe free, another zombie lunged and knocked him to the ground.
[Adventurer 'Black Stone Hammer King' has died. Mental Power +1. Soul Crystal +1!]
Another one dead.
Not only had Kanzaki Ren obtained a Soul Crystal—
he had also gained one point of Mental Power, something even more precious.