Sitting up on his bed, Mike stretched. As he came out of his room and walked down the hall, he saw his youngest sibling sitting on the carpeted floor with the scented bunny he'd bought for her.

"Misty, how is it?" he asked, sitting beside her while she played on the floor.

"You finally have time for me… I wanted to thank you, but you were never available," Misty said, puffing her cheeks the way she always did.

"Sorry, my Queen. Please bless me with your 'thank you,'" he said dramatically, sitting in front of her.

Seeing that, Misty nodded smugly. "Hm. You should be grateful like that," she said, raising her chin in what she thought was an Queen like regal pose.

Mike tried with all his might not to burst out laughing.

Before she could speak again, their mom's voice came from the kitchen.

"Misty, is that how you thank someone?" she scolded.

Misty jumped a little, scooted closer to Mike, and whispered, "Thank you…"

Mike sighed softly and patted her head. "Okay. And take care of this little one, alright?"

"Of course I will take care of Mimi!" she declared proudly, patting her own chest.

"Mimi?" Mike asked, looking at the little bunny.

"Yes! I named her Mimi. She's cute, right?" Misty asked, holding the bunny gently in her hands.

"She is," Mike nodded, patting the little bunny's head—

but the tiny creature was too busy munching on its sweet grass to care about anything else.

"Mike, your friend called," his mom said just as he was about to stand up.

"Who?" he asked.

"Lily. She asked if you're free to go on a dungeon dive with her."

"Lily… the Water Mage class awakener?" Mike nodded. "Okay, Mom."

He took out his phone and dialed Lily's number.

Ring…

Ring…

"Mike, you always take so long to pick up!" Lily's voice came through immediately.

Mike scratched his cheek. "Sorry, I was in Origin World and forgot to switch my phone back on."

"It's okay," she said. "So, are you busy?"

"No. But what dungeon is it?" Mike asked.

"It's the Skeleton Grave one—the Rank 0 dungeon near Westline Park," she explained.

Mike nodded even though she couldn't see it. "Okay, I'm coming."

"Alright then, meet you at 5!" Lily said cheerfully before ending the call.

Mike checked the time. 3 PM.

"Hm… I still have two hours," he muttered, relaxing on the couch.

He turned on the TV, flipping to the news. The World Tournament segment was on, showing two S-Rankers fighting—a level of combat that, in his previous world, would've been considered high-end wrestling or spectacle matches.

He leaned back, watching quietly.

Soon, time passed, and Mike was now standing near Westline Park.

In front of him stood a large dome—the dungeon barrier.

The whole structure shimmered with prismatic colors, beautiful yet dangerous.

It was a barrier spanning a full 100 meters around the Dungeon Gate, created in case a dungeon break occurred.

If monsters tried to escape, the dome would contain them until powerful Awakeners—or Knights and Mages—arrived to eliminate the threat.

After a few minutes, a car pulled up nearby and Lily stepped out.

"You're early," she said with a smile. She wore an airy light-blue robe and carried an elegant staff.

Mike, meanwhile, appeared to be wearing simple black clothes—black shirt, black pants—but in reality it was his Black Mithril Knight Set. After upgrading it to Unique rank, the armor gained the Transformation skill, allowing Mike to disguise it as any clothing he wanted without sacrificing defense or abilities.

"I'm on time. You're the one who's a few minutes late," Mike said.

Lily blushed. "Sorry, I got stuck in traffic."

"It's fine," he replied. "Let's go get registered."

They walked toward the registration booth set up beside the dome. There were a few applicants already sitting on the benches, waiting for their turn to enter the dungeon.

A staff member handed Mike and Lily two small tickets.

"Take a seat. Your number will be called," he said.

Mike looked at his ticket.

"129."

Lily checked hers. "I got 128. Looks like we'll enter together."

They sat down on the bench. The display board showed 101.

"It'll take a while," Lily said. "Why don't we spar a little after we're done? It's been a long time since we checked each other's progress."

Mike shrugged. "Sure. But don't cry when you lose."

Lily glared. "I won't lose."

Before Mike could continue teasing her, the speaker suddenly announced:

"Numbers 102 to 131! Please proceed to the gate!"

Mike stood up. "Looks like it's our turn."

Lily smiled. "We arrived at the perfect time."

They stood with the group—about thirty people. That was the maximum number allowed to enter the dungeon gate at once.

They walked in and stopped at a small counter where an old man sat behind a registration booth. He took their tickets, stamped them, and pointed forward.

Behind him, a door slid open, revealing a swirling blue portal.

"Alright, lads," the old man said in a bored tone. "That's the gate. Go in, fight, die—whatever. Just remember: come back before three hours. That's your limit."

Everyone nodded.

One by one, the group stepped toward the glowing portal. The closer they got, the more the world around them dimmed.

A black forest could be seen faintly through the portal—dark trees, broken tombstones, and shadowed movement.

It looked exactly like a skeleton monster zone.

Mike and Lily exchanged one last look.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Always," Mike replied.

Then they stepped into the dungeon together.

The moment Mike and Lily stepped through the portal, the world shifted.

They arrived in a dark plain—dry soil, cracked ground, and dead trees scattered across the area. Pale fog drifted low, and skeleton soldiers wandered everywhere, rattling as they walked.

Most didn't notice them yet.

But before anyone could move, one skeleton turned its skull toward the group—then another, and another. Soon, dozens of glowing eye sockets were staring their way.

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