Morning came with a bitter taste. I logged in, and the lobby was flooded with players, all talking about me. RivenShadow—the kid who beat the Abyssal Warden solo—was trending in every region. Guilds were sending invites, strangers were sending friend requests, and whispers of betrayal floated through the chat like poisonous smoke.
I sat at my desk, VR headset hovering above my eyes, trying to ignore the chaos. My hand hovered over the login button. One push, and I'd enter the world where death was real, where every step could be my last. But I had to. I couldn't hide. The dungeon hadn't ended, not really, and now the world was watching every move.
I dropped into the game. The lobby shimmered green, players buzzing around, mounts flashing, skills tested. Then I saw them—my supposed allies for the next dungeon run. A group of three: MiraShade, a rogue-looking assassin with glinting daggers; KaelStorm, a heavy armored warrior whose stats screamed power; and LyraDawn, a healer whose smile seemed too polished to be sincere.
"Glad you could join," KaelStorm said, voice echoing in the voice channel. "Didn't think you'd actually survive the Warden."
I swallowed hard. "I did. But don't expect me to carry you."
MiraShade snorted. "We'll see about that. Don't get too cocky, newbie."
Something in her tone set off alarms. I couldn't shake it—the way her words slid between friendly and biting. I checked their stats quickly. High, but nothing insane. Still, my instincts screamed that someone here wasn't just a player. Someone had plans for me, and I wasn't sure who.
The dungeon portal glimmered before us. A massive fissure in the ground, darkness pulsing from within. Special boss-level monsters waited deeper in its depths, rare drops that could make or break careers. The system pinged as we approached:
[Dungeon Level: Infernal Labyrinth]
[Special Boss: Shadow Tyrant detected]
My heart sank. Another boss. Bigger than the last. More dangerous. And now… I had humans watching, moving, maybe plotting.
LyraDawn's voice came over the comms, smooth, calm, "We need to trust each other if we want to survive."
I frowned, gripping my weapon. "Trust is earned."
The moment we entered, the labyrinth swallowed us whole. Twisted hallways stretched into darkness, glowing runes marking traps, and shadows moving at the edge of my vision. Each step I took, I scanned for the boss, for enemies, and… for betrayal.
The first ambush hit suddenly. Shadow minions, fast and ruthless, attacked in packs. KaelStorm raised his shield, taking the brunt, while MiraShade darted forward, blades flashing. I fought too, weaving shadow energy into every strike. Together, we held them off—but only barely.
Then I noticed it. MiraShade's health bar dipped suspiciously slow compared to the damage she should have taken. Her movements weren't just skilled—they were calculated. Deliberate. My chest tightened. Was she testing me? Or plotting?
[Special Boss Alert]: Shadow Tyrant awakened.
The walls shook, and a low, bone-rattling roar echoed through the labyrinth. My vision blurred as adrenaline surged. This was no ordinary fight. The boss would test everything—strength, skill, trust. And in this moment, I realized that survival wasn't just about defeating monsters. It was about reading humans too.
I whispered to myself, "Alright… let's see who's really on my side."
The dungeon had begun, but so had the game within the game—the one where betrayal could kill faster than any monster.