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

Darkness fell—total and smothering. There was no light, not even the faintest shimmer from anyone's UI. No ground beneath their feet. No walls. No sense of up or down. Just a disorienting, absolute void.

Before panic could set in, a soft chime echoed in their ears, and the familiar blue glow of the System filled their minds—not through their eyes, but directly into their consciousness.

SYSTEM NOTICE Dungeon at the End of the Beginning — Floor Two Biome: Sparse Tundra (Summer) Dungeon Monster Level: 8 Time Limit: 12 hours Option to Exit Without Completion: OFF Completion Criteria: Defeat the Dungeon Boss Completion Reward: 🛠️ Job Classes & Crafting Skill Set added to Skill Tree

Then, as if the universe had flipped a switch, the world reassembled.

They stood in the middle of a bleak, windswept tundra.

Low yellowing grasses rippled under a grey sky, broken by scraggly shrubs and shallow pools of half-frozen water. The air was still for a moment.

Then the cold hit.

Hard.

"Bloody hell!" Kai exclaimed, immediately wrapping his arms around himself. "What is this—Ice Station Zebra?!"

Zane blinked. "Huh. It's a bit brisk."

"A bit brisk?" Kai gave him a look of utter betrayal. "My bones are clattering like maracas."

Bell shuffled in place, slapping her hands against her arms. "Okay, yeah, this is no joke. It's like freezer burn in surround sound."

Lily pulled her hood up tighter. "It's not… pleasant, but it's not that bad."

"I don't like it," Kia muttered, rubbing his arms. "It's like the cold's getting inside my skin."

As they spoke, the five of them turned slowly, taking in the landscape: rolling frozen grassland stretching to a jagged ridgeline in the distance. A low wind whispered across the terrain, but no immediate threats were visible.

"Anyone else feel it more in the chest?" Bell asked, doing a little jump to stay warm. "Like it's not just on your skin, but trying to punch its way through your ribcage?"

"Now that you mention it," Kia agreed, "it's not really… wind chill. It's deep. Like it's meant to slow you down."

"Targeted cold," Tarni said. "Not just ambient temperature. It's almost magical."

Zane frowned. "You think the System's doing this on purpose? Like, environmental effects?"

Tarni nodded slowly, squinting at the frozen pools. "Could be. Each floor might have its own hazards. And we here to unlock crafting…"

"Yeah, but frostbite's a hell of a crafting tutorial," Kai muttered.

"True." Tarni blew warm air into his hands, then paused. "Hold up. Why are some of us freezing our tits off and others barely flinching?"

They all turned to Zane, who looked more like he was on a morning hike than standing in a glacial hellscape.

Zane shrugged. "I've been colder."

"That's just not fair," Kai groaned.

"No complaints here," Lily said, managing a smile despite the chill. "But yeah, we're definitely not all feeling this the same way."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "So… could it be gear?"

They all glanced down at their outfits. Same leather armour from the last floor. Nothing thermal.

"Not gear," Tarni said. "Same stuff as before."

"Then maybe…" Kai trailed off, eyes narrowing. "Maybe it's something in our stats?"

They exchanged looks, but nobody immediately spoke. The idea hung in the air, tempting—but not yet confirmed.

Zane finally broke the silence. "We'll check that later. First priority: finding shelter or heat."

"Agreed," Bell said. "And watch for anything hiding in that grass. If the cold doesn't kill us, something else will try."

Despite the biting wind, a strange kind of focus settled over the group. They had twelve hours. No way out. No second chances.

Floor Two had begun.

As they moved cautiously through the frozen terrain, their boots crunching over frostbitten grass, a quiet brainstorming session began to unfold among them.

Everyone, in their own way, was tossing out ideas—anything that might take the edge off the cold creeping into their bones.

"Could we set something on fire?" Lily muttered.

"Not unless you want to set yourself on fire," Kai replied, teeth chattering as he adjusted his jacket. "Although… I'm not not considering it."

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Bell shook her head. "We need something sustainable. We don't know how long this floor really is. Fire might attract things anyway."

Zane kept scanning the horizon but added, "Focus on basics. What do hikers do when they're stuck in the cold?"

"Die?" Tarni offered, earning a look from everyone.

Eventually, the chatter gave way to a more focused discussion. They started consolidating the tips and knowledge they all half-remembered from survival shows, school camps, and YouTube rabbit holes.

By the time they reached a small windbreak of twisted shrubs, they had three solid, actionable ideas—and more importantly, they were all things they could do right now.

First: Consume lots of calories and stay hydrated. "Your body's a furnace," Zane explained. "Fuel it properly and it'll burn hotter. We've all got snacks and water, yeah?"

They did. Everyone took a moment to down some jerky, energy bars, or whatever they'd stashed in their packs. Kai chewed fast and dramatically. "This is literally survival chocolate. I knew I brought it for a reason."

Second: Protect yourself from the wind. Tarni pointed at the bent, gnarled shrubs. "We can't build a full shelter, but we can definitely block the wind if we stop to rest. Even crouching behind this would help."

"And move with the wind at your back when possible," Bell added. "Even if it's just psychological. It feels better."

Third: Stay dry. "Nothing makes cold worse than wet clothes," Lily said, poking at a slushy puddle with her spear. "Don't step in these unless you're planning to cry later."

"Check your boots, too," Zane warned. "If your socks get damp, swap them now. Don't wait until you're half-frozen."

They all checked, shifted gear, and re-secured their armour and clothes. No one felt warm yet, but a sense of control had crept in. A plan—even a basic one—was enough to steady their nerves.

"Alright," Zane said, tightening the strap on his shoulder guard. "Let's keep moving. Eyes open. Gear dry. Bellies full."

"And if anyone sees a magical winter jacket," Kai muttered, "dibs."

The others chuckled as they pressed on, just a little more confident than before.

They hadn't gone far before Lily froze mid-step, her hand shooting up to halt the group.

"Movement," she whispered.

The others dropped into a crouch instinctively, spreading out slightly as they scanned the uneven tundra terrain.

There, about fifty metres ahead, grazing near a slushy depression, was a massive, shaggy creature. It stood almost shoulder-high to Zane, its long curved horns glinting faintly in the daylight. Its dense fur hung in thick, matted clumps, and steam puffed from its nostrils with each breath.

Tarni narrowed his eyes. "What the hell is that? Looks like a walking woolly tank."

"I got this," Lily murmured, activating her skill. A pulse of cool blue light flickered behind her eyes as Rapid Appraisal kicked in.

Her eyes darted over the beast as she read the system overlay that appeared.

Name: Musk Ox Level: — Classification: Passive Creature Status: Healthy Threat Level: Low Loot Drop: None Hostile: No

Lily blinked. "It's… a musk ox."

"A what-now?" Kai asked.

"A musk ox," she repeated, surprised. "Not a monster. The System says it's a passive creature. No loot, not hostile, and low threat."

Everyone looked at each other with shared surprise.

"So, not everything in here is out to kill us?" Bell asked, lowering her Bow slightly.

"Looks that way," Zane said, rubbing his chin. "Maybe it's part of the ecosystem. Or maybe the System's giving us resources, not just enemies."

Tarni, already crouched low, whispered, "Well, I'm gonna sneak up, see if it's tame enough to get close. Might be a good source of fur or meat."

He crept forward slowly, using the low scrub as cover. The others watched with bated breath as he moved expertly, quiet and deliberate. But the moment he got within 5 metres of the creature, he stopped and reeled back.

"Oh—bloody hell!" he hissed, covering his face with one arm. "That smell! I think I just tasted it!"

The musk ox looked up, unimpressed, before casually trotting away with surprising grace for such a bulky beast.

Tarni returned a moment later, gagging and waving a hand in front of his face.

"I've been around cattle yards, mate. I've lived near camel farms. But that thing? That's a whole new level. I think it melted my nose hair."

Kai laughed so hard he almost dropped his spear. "Did the System say low threat, or bio-weapon?"

Lily smirked. "Well, I guess now we know why they're called musk oxen."

Bell pinched her nose, chuckling. "Could be worse. Could be charging us."

Zane pointed in the direction the ox had gone. "Still, might be worth noting. Passive or not, that's a lot of fur and meat on four legs. If we get desperate, I vote Tarni wrestles it."

"Not unless we bring a gas mask," Tarni grumbled, still fanning his face.

With the beast gone and the group's spirits lifted by the moment of levity, they resumed their march. The tundra stretched ahead—bleak, open, and full of surprises. But now they knew the Dungeon wasn't just monsters and bosses. There were wild creatures here, too.

And some of them really, really needed a bath.

Sergeant Barry Smith arrived at the truck stop behind the local pub a full thirty minutes early.

The place was quiet—too quiet for someone wound as tight as Barry. The familiar scent of diesel, the low groan of distant road trains, and the occasional squawk of magpies made the silence worse. He parked his unmarked sedan in the far corner, engine off, and sat there with the window cracked just enough to let the stale morning breeze roll in.

His fingers tapped the steering wheel. A familiar tension clawed its way up his spine. The kind that only came when you knew—knew—you were crossing a line you'd never be able to uncross.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Should he be doing this?

Absolutely not.

He was stepping outside the chain of command, going with a civilian to investigate something that—at least officially—didn't exist. No warrant. No backup. No radio support. No jurisdiction, even. If something went wrong, the brass would hang him out to dry before he could say "procedural error."

Should he leave? Maybe call the local constable instead? Let someone else handle it?

Absolutely.

There was a strong argument to be made for walking away right now, before the world changed around him and he couldn't ever go back.

But would he?

Absolutely not.

Because Barry's gut was screaming at him. Not whispering. Not suggesting. Screaming. And Barry had learned a long time ago—back when he was just a rookie on his first domestic call—that ignoring your gut could get you or someone else killed.

There was something out there on that property. Something the reports didn't explain. Something no one was talking about. When he had asked for clearer satellite images, it felt like bureaucrats weren't just slow—they were dodging. Even the federal guys he called had been weirdly cagey. One had even asked if he believed in "anomalous zones." Whatever the hell that meant.

Something was happening out at the Rider property. Something worth covering up. Something worth lying about.

And Barry Smith? He didn't like being lied to.

He reached over to the passenger seat, checking the small duffel bag one more time. Inside was a body-worn camera, a compact mic kit, a spare battery pack, and a notebook. Nothing flashy. Nothing that would look out of place on a curious local or a nosy construction worker.

He wasn't going as Sergeant Barry Smith today.

He was going as "Barry from compliance," tagging along to check a few serial numbers and maybe get a quick look around.

Out of uniform. Out of bounds.

But not out of his depth.

At 9:57 AM, a flatbed truck rolled into the lot and parked beside him. Dave gave a nervous wave from the driver's seat.

Barry took a final breath, then opened the door.

"Alright," he muttered to himself. "Let's go stir up a hornet's nest."

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