As the last of them stepped into the sloping tunnel, the world blinked out.

Darkness fell instantly—complete, smothering, and absolute. There was no light. Not a glimmer. Not even the faint glow of someone's UI. No stars. No walls. Not even the sensation of ground underfoot. Just pure, disorienting void.

Before anyone could panic, a soft chime echoed in their ears, and the familiar blue of the System appeared before each of them. Strangely, the light didn't blind them as it usually would. Somehow, it shimmered in their minds, bypassing their eyes altogether.

Dungeon at the End of the Beginning, Floor One

BIOM: Forested Valley (summer)

Dungeon Monsters: level 3-5

Time Limit for floor: None

Option to leave without completion: OFF

Completion Criteria: Kill all Dungeon Monsters

Reward for successful completion: Bags of Holding added to Loot Drop Table

Everyone began talking at once.

"Wait—no option to leave?" "What the hell is a 'Forested Valley' supposed to mean?" "Are we underground or what?!" "Did anyone else feel that pressure just vanish?"

"A bag of holding sounds nice."

Then everything shifted.

The weightless darkness gave way like the world had blinked. In the span of a heartbeat, they were no longer in a black tunnel but standing ankle-deep in soft green grass. The air was cool and still. Sunlight filtered down through a high canopy of deciduous trees—tall oaks and maples and something that might've been birch. Ferns and moss carpeted the forest floor, and the scent of damp earth mixed with unfamiliar flowers filled the air.

It was definitely not Australia.

A pack of red deer bounded away through the trees, startled by their sudden arrival. Zane caught a glimpse of a stag's impressive rack of antlers before the animals vanished into the underbrush.

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto," Tarni said, eyes wide and spinning in a slow circle.

That broke the dam. Everyone started speaking at once again, some marvelling at the scenery, others eyeing the treetops nervously, and at least one voice muttering about the System being a creepy voyeur.

Eventually, Bell clapped her hands and raised her voice just enough to cut through the chatter.

"Alright! Enough sightseeing—Zane, Lily, keep watch. The rest of us: gear check."

That snapped everyone into motion.

Zane turned slowly, his eyes scanning the tree line as Lily moved a few paces away and climbed up onto a moss-covered boulder to get a better vantage point.

Kai dropped his pack and began tugging at buckles and zips while Tarni immediately unslung his crossbow, checking the tension on the string.

"All accounted for," he said, grinning. "Sword's still here. Bolts are good. Feels like Christmas."

Zane confirmed his machete was still strapped to his leg, along with his own homemade crossbow slung across his back. He didn't look thrilled about the weapon but gave it a nod all the same.

Bell gave her gear a quick but methodical once-over. Her speargun was secured along her pack's side straps, and the System-drop bow rested comfortably in her hand. She checked both quivers—ten bolts for the speargun and forty arrows for the bow. "Loaded and ready," she said, satisfied.

Lily dropped back down from her perch with a pink machete in hand, her hunting bow slung over one shoulder and a matching quiver of arrows on the other. "Everything looks good, Mum," she said with a grin.

Kai, now looking significantly less relaxed, had ditched his old net-on-a-stick in favour of a solid metal baseball bat. It gleamed slightly in the dappled light. His machete was strapped to his waist, and a spare bow hung over one shoulder. "I think I'm good," he said, though he kept glancing up at the trees. "But just to be clear, how likely is it that we'll be fighting demon squirrels?"

"Depends," Zane said. "Are we talking Aussie magpie-level squirrels or American tourist squirrels?"

"Neither," Tarni added, holding up his sword like he was about to narrate a trailer. "Because we're in a Dungeon now… and everything's probably trying to kill us."

Bell gave him a look. "Thank you, Captain Obvious."

He grinned, clearly proud of himself.

Zane took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, eyes still on the trees. "Alright. We've got the gear. We've got a full party. And no way out until we finish this level."

Bell nodded. "Then let's move carefully and stick together. Watch your corners, and let's make this forest regret ever growing."

And with that, the five of them stepped off the grassy clearing and into the unknown shadows of the Dungeon's first floor.

The group moved cautiously through the forest, their boots crunching softly on fallen leaves and moss. Sunlight filtered through the canopy above, casting dancing shadows across the underbrush. It had been quiet for too long. Kai finally broke the silence, his voice low and hesitant. "How big do you reckon this place is?"

Everyone stopped, considering the question. The trees stretched endlessly in every direction, and the air felt still and timeless.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Tarni squinted up at the sky. "Bigger than your average park, that's for sure. Think it's more goblins?"

Zane and Lily answered at the same time—though with very different tones.

"I hope so," Zane muttered, machete in hand.

"Shit," Lily said, suddenly blinking. "I didn't even think about it being different monsters."

That opened the floodgates again.

They formed a loose circle, weapons held casually, eyes still scanning the surrounding woods as the conversation picked up.

"What level were those goblins again?" Lily asked.

"The camp boss was seven," Kai said, still gripping his baseball bat a little too tightly.

"But the dungeon says up to level five," Tarni pointed out. "So maybe it'll be easier."

"I don't trust that," Bell said immediately. "We've all learned the System has a sense of humour."

Tarni grinned. "Could yell out, see if anything comes running. Goblin style."

"No," Bell said sharply, before he could take a breath. "We don't know what we're dealing with yet."

Tarni gave her an exaggerated wink. "So… later, then."

"Later when we're not sitting ducks," she replied without missing a beat.

The conversation began to wind down as they pressed forward again, weapons at the ready and eyes roving. Zane moved ahead slightly, ever the front-line scout, gaze darting from shadow to tree trunk and back again. It was then that he saw it.

Fifty meters ahead, about ten meters up a thick, ancient-looking tree, was what looked like a wooden platform—almost like a hunting blind or a scout's perch. And perched on the edge of it was a creature.

Zane narrowed his eyes.

At first, he thought it was a dog. Small, shaggy, upright on its hind legs. But it wasn't moving like a dog. It was moving like a person. A tiny, wiry person with too-long arms, stubby legs, and a snout. It wore a rough leather vest and was now turning to look in the opposite direction.

His heart jumped.

"Monster in that tree," he hissed, raising his hand and pointing.

The group froze.

Bell dropped into a crouch, immediately taking a bolt from her speargun quiver. Lily nocked an arrow in her bow, and Kai raised his bat, trying to angle for a better look.

Tarni moved up beside Zane, whispering under his breath. "What the hell is it?"

"Not goblin," Zane said. "Short, hairy… dog-like. Had clothes on. Looked like a scout or a lookout."

"Intelligent?" Bell asked quietly.

"Didn't look stupid, I think we are lucky it has not seen us yet," Zane replied. "Moved like it expected something."

That set everyone on edge.

"Lily, up the tree line—left flank," Bell ordered. "Tarni, with me right. Zane and Kai—eyes forward. We don't know how many of those things are around. Move quiet, no shots unless it gets noisy."

Everyone nodded. The mood had shifted. The joking and easy conversation were gone, replaced by the weight of their first real threat in the dungeon.

The air suddenly felt thicker. The forest that had moments ago seemed peaceful and green now held tension in its shadows.

Zane took a breath. "Let's see what's guarding this floor."

The group melted into the undergrowth with practised ease. Lily moved like a shadow, low and silent, her bow clutched in one hand while the other brushed foliage aside. She curved around the left flank, circling toward the tree where Zane had spotted the creature.

Zane kept an eye on her from a distance while he and Kai crept forward. Tarni and Bell disappeared in the opposite direction, taking the right flank. Years of bushwalking and their practice was paying off for now—none of them made a sound louder than a rustle or a soft crunch of bark.

Lily was the first to reach a vantage point. She settled behind a fallen log, raised two fingers to her temple, This motion helped her use her Appraisal skill.

Basic Rapid Appraisal – level up to Rapid Appraisal

(Now, who is the voyeur?)

Rapid Appraisal Target Identified: Kobold Scout Level: 3 Threat Rating: Moderate Current State: Alert

Lily's eyes widened slightly at the information, but she kept her breathing steady. With slow, deliberate motions, she returned to the group, slipping from shadow to shadow until she regrouped with Zane and Kai.

"It's a kobold," she whispered. "Level three. Scout class. It looked like a dog-type"

Kai blinked. "Wait, dog-type? I thought kobolds were lizard-like."

"Some are," Zane replied, crouching beside a tree. "Depends on the mythos—or the system. You get lizard kobolds, dog kobolds… even rat ones in some versions. This one was definitely dog-type. Looked like a terrier that learned to walk upright and do taxes."

Kai gave a dry chuckle, but then frowned thoughtfully. "You know… what if we tried talking to them?"

That earned a pause.

"I mean, yeah, we're in a dungeon," Kai continued quickly, "but we just jumped straight to kill it before it screams. What if there's another way to do this? These things wear clothes, they build platforms, they're organised. They might have a language. Maybe even some kind of society."

Tarni opened his mouth with a grin, but Bell held up her hand before he could throw out a sarcastic comment.

"You've got a point, Kai," she said, "but let's not forget—" She turned slightly to face the group. "—the dungeon message when we arrived."

She recited it by memory:

"Completion Criteria: Kill all Dungeon Monsters." "Option to leave without completion: OFF."

Her tone was calm but serious.

Zane gave a slow nod. "We're not here to wipe out a village of weird dog-people for fun. But the system gave us the rules. We don't complete this floor unless they're dead."

Kai let out a slow breath. "Right… yeah. I get it. Just… doesn't feel great, that's all."

"Means your conscience is still intact," Tarni said, slapping him gently on the back. "That's good. Just… try not to use it too much in a kill-or-die forest."

"Look at it this way," Lily added gently. "If there's any chance of talking or negotiating, we'll know when we see it. But we're not the ones who made the rules here. The System did, and we need to get as many upgrades as we can, before the system finishes initialising."

They all nodded in agreement, and Lily moved back into position.

She crept forward again, bow raised, breath slow. The kobold hadn't moved far—still pacing along the edge of its platform, scanning the forest below.

Lily drew the bowstring, lined up the shot—

Thunk.

The arrow flew true, striking the kobold just below the neck. It let out a soft choking sound and tumbled from the platform, limp before it hit the forest floor.

Zane and Tarni were already moving, rushing in to confirm the kill and check for signs of other enemies. Bell and Kai scanned the surrounding tree line, weapons ready, but the forest remained eerily quiet.

"Clear," Zane called a moment later as the kobold's body began to dissolve into smoke, sinking into the ground. A small glowing item remained where it had fallen—a loot drop.

Zane picked it up and used his skill to identify it. "Common Item – Basic Leather Vest. Plus 2 to Defence."

Tarni took the vest from Zane and held it up, inspecting the stitching. "Nice. Proper craftsmanship. These things know what they're doing."

Bell nodded thoughtfully. "This isn't going to be a dungeon full of mindless goblins. These ones might work together—patrols, structure, maybe even tactics."

"That's not good," Zane muttered, sliding his machete back into its sheath. "But it'll make beating them more satisfying."

With a tap to her chin, Bell glanced at Lily. "Hey, Lil—think that vest would fit under your leathers?"

"Yeah, that's a great idea, Mum," Kai said, taking the vest from Tarni and holding it up to Lily's back. "Even if it's a tight fit, plus two Defence is worth it."

After some quiet grumbling, Lily slipped off her reinforced biker jacket and reluctantly tried on the vest.

To everyone's surprise, it shimmered slightly and shifted shape, adjusting itself perfectly to fit her frame beneath her gear.

"Holy Elf Butt Cheeks! That is a giant game changer," Tarni half-shouted.

Everyone couldn't help but laugh—and agree.

Lily turned to look at the fading smoke where the kobold had been with a small ache in her heart. Picking up her arrow. "Still can't believe that was a kobold, and we have to kill them."

"Welcome to the System," Zane said dryly. "Where the monsters have HR departments and dress codes."

They shared a forced, quick laugh, the tension not easing. Then they returned to formation, eyes sharp and weapons ready.

The first blood was drawn, but the dungeon had only just begun.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.