What should have been a walk of a couple of minutes turned into a slog. Every step was a fight: trying to retain his balance, trying to move noiselessly, trying to stay alert while choosing his path carefully, as he was not confident he could handle walking across rough terrain. Eventually, he made it.

  He reached the edge of the small clearing that he had been aiming for. What he saw was definitely not something that had been in the Blue Mountain Forest area prior to the advent of the systems. In the middle of the clearing stood what he would best describe as a doorway — a massive portal that seemed to be made from white marble or a similar stone with golden veins throughout.

  Instead of a door, the portal was filled with the golden hue that he had seen from afar, glowing softly in the dark. Ben stood still and looked around the clearing for any movement. However, even after minutes of waiting patiently, he did not see a wolf, a human, or any other living being.

  Still, instead of entering the clearing, he decided to make his way around it to resume his march home. As he did, he noticed that the portal was actually only accessible from the side that he had originally approached from — the back was solid marble.

  While moving past it, he thought about the portal. The systems said that Meta was creating dungeons in the area.

  I have to assume that this is a dungeon entrance. He wasn't sure whether it was a good or a bad thing that this was close to their home. On one hand, close access to a potential area of growth.

  On the other, the systems had talked about dungeons potentially turning into risks if not handled correctly. He decided to approach to see whether there was anything else to learn. As he got closer, he started to feel a slight pressure coming out of the gateway.

  Only a fraction of — but not dissimilar to — what he had felt when the initial Energy wave had hit Earth. When he was about two steps away from the gateway, an ice blue and slightly transparent screen popped up in his vision:

  You are about to enter a dungeon.

  Theme: Wilderness

  Tier: 1

  Min / Max party size: 1 / 1

  Instances: 1

  Levels: 1

  Average days to break: 5

  Seems to be helpful information. Let's break this down. Theme is straightforward — it is probably just describing the environment of the dungeon. It is interesting that there are limits to the party size. Together with the number of levels and the tier, this probably has quite a significant impact on the difficulty of the dungeon.

  A single instance probably means that only one person at a time can enter.

  The key thing here seems to be the average days to break. Unless we very regularly clean out this dungeon, we will have to face some or all of the monsters inside coming to run amok in our home. He wondered how many of these dungeons were around and how they should ever be able to keep their home safe.

  Anyway, this is not the time to do this. Time to get home, find the others, make sure everybody is okay, and then we can make a plan.

  He was just about to move around the portal when he heard a loud snort behind him.

  Ben turned around and looked into the dark eyes of a boar that was significantly larger than any he had ever seen before, now standing at the edge of the clearing. Its head was level with his chest, thick with muscle, and its tusks — ivory white and sharp — were each as large as his axe head.

  Oh damn.

  As the beast started to charge him, he raised his axe to defend himself and quickly tried to adjust his stance.

  When it was only a meter away, he attempted a quick sidestep to evade—

  —but there was no mechanical assist, no quiet hum of support. He had forgotten the exoskeleton was still off.

  He stumbled. Lost his balance. Flung his arms out in a desperate attempt to stabilize—

  —and fell backward.

  Right through the dungeon portal.

  Sensory overload—that's how it felt to Ben. He was blinded by golden light, skin prickling from thousands of pinpricks, and felt the same hot-and-cold sensation from the initial Energy wave that had struck Earth. As fast as the onslaught had come, it ended.

  Ben opened his eyes and found himself in a forest.

  At first glance, it didn’t look too different from home, but differences quickly became apparent. He stood on a small hill, a replica of the dungeon portal behind him. A translucent shimmer surrounded the peak. On one side of the portal, a narrow path led through the shimmering barrier down to the trees below.

  The forest stretched in all directions. The trees were similar in height to those at home, but thinner and closer together, with foliage darker and almost leathery in texture. Another difference: it was daytime. The sun stood high in a cloudless blue sky.

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  Interesting. When I heard the term dungeon, I imagined tight hallways connecting dark rooms in some abandoned mine.

  He shook his head. It would be interesting to explore later, but he had more pressing priorities.

  His mind returned to the boar on the other side of the portal. The sheer bulk of the creature had been frightening, but with proper preparation, he was confident it could be beaten. First, he turned his exoskeleton back on—yet another mistake to learn from, he chuckled.

  Then he raised his axe and stepped through the portal—or tried to. A blue translucent screen appeared:

  The requirements for exiting the dungeon have not been achieved:

  Kill at least one Energy-born creature.

  His shoulders sagged. He feared the delay, anxious to return to his friends and family. He took a deep breath, shouldered his axe, and made his way toward the path leading into the forest.

  As he touched the shimmering barrier, another message appeared:

  Leaving safe zone. Reentry only possible after minimum exit requirements have been met.

  Slowly, he advanced, eyes scanning for any potential threats. When he reached the tree line, he crouched and let his eyes adjust to the dimness beneath the dense canopy.

  I wonder what kind of creatures live here.

  It felt more like a jungle than the temperate forests he was used to.

  He followed the winding path, pushing through limited undergrowth. About twenty minutes later, movement to his left caught his attention. He raised his axe, stepped back, and used the nearest tree for cover. His eyes locked onto the source—a pair of squirrels racing toward another tree.

  He relaxed and resumed his march—but stopped after two steps.

  What are the squirrels running from?

  He raised his axe again, the way he had done it a thousand times before, but somehow felt that it was wrong. He slightly adjusted his grip, relaxed his arms to be more flexible, and made minute changes to the height of the axe head.

  His eyes narrowing, he squinted into the shadows the squirrels had come from but saw nothing. After a few minutes of focused observation, he took a final look around and moved on.

  He had barely made progress when movement caught his eye again—not on the ground this time, but on a branch two meters above him. A huge black cat—a panther—crouched to pounce.

  Ben reacted instantly. Using every ounce of strength his legs and exoskeleton could offer, he dove to the side, narrowly evading the cat as it soared through the air. He turned his fall into a roll. It hurt—metal limbs digging into his back and legs—but it was far better than being skewered by claws.

  The panther was already preparing to strike again.

  Ben rose to one knee, axe ready. The cat jumped.

  He swung with all his might—only to hit air. The cat hadn’t attacked. It had leapt above him, vanishing into the dense canopy.

  His anxiety surged. Calm yourself. Breathe. Think.

  Without taking his eyes off the shadows above, he inhaled deeply, held his breath, then exhaled, trying to steady his racing heart. He had lost sight of the cat, and standing still made him a sitting duck. Slowly, he moved from tree to tree, axe raised, always facing the direction the cat had disappeared.

  More sensed than seen, movement flickered to his left.

  The same two squirrels darted past him—this time in the opposite direction.

  Instinct kicked in. Ben ducked, turned, and swung his axe upward, in one smooth, flowing motion—right where his head had been moments ago. The blade connected with the panther’s front paw, knocking it off course. The cat howled in pain and crashed to the ground.

  “Got you,” he muttered, stepping back to create distance.

  The cat tried to rise, but its left paw was nearly severed.

  Let’s end this, he murmured, adrenaline surging.

  He crept forward, axe raised, never taking his eyes off the wounded predator. With a shout, he brought the weapon down.

  But the cat wasn’t done.

  Instead of staying down, it lunged forward, biting into Ben’s calf. Pain exploded in his leg, causing his swing to go wide. The axe buried itself deep in the cat’s back. Blood sprayed from both.

  Ben wrenched the axe free, preparing to swing again…

  But it wasn’t necessary.

  The cat released a final, ragged breath. Its jaws slackened and fell away from his leg.

  Using the axe for leverage, Ben pushed the body aside and clamped down on his wound.

  Damn, this is painful.

  Keeping one hand on the injury, he pulled a bandage from his shoulder. The old wound there had healed well, no longer in need of care. He poured water over the new gashes and reused the bandages for his calf.

  He scooted back until he sat with his back against a tree.

  I hope this one was alone. I’m in no shape to fight another.

  For the first time, he examined the panther closely.

  What had seemed like a monstrous beast, through the haze of adrenaline, was actually a young specimen. Knee-high at best, less than a meter long.

  Almost killed by a baby black panther. That would’ve been embarrassing. He chuckled.

  This should count as an Energy-born creature. I can probably leave the dungeon now.

  But walking wasn’t an option yet. He guessed his [Resilient Body] perk would have him mobile in an hour and a half—assuming no more surprises.

  Okay. Rest, recover, then leave.

  He drank some water, ate an energy bar, and reflected.

  He’d learned a lot.

  First: always check up—not just left and right—for potential threats.

  Second: never assume an enemy is defeated until they’re dead.

  Third: don’t let fear or adrenaline distort reality. Always properly analyze…

  He paused.

  Analyze… isn’t that a perk I got? Damn, I never even tried it. Does it work?

  He opened his status screen and read the description:

  [Analyze] – Grants insight into objects, creatures, and sapient beings.

  This animal should count as a creature, right?

  He stared at the cat’s body.

  Nothing.

  “Analyze,” he said aloud.

  Still nothing.

  He paused, then focused on the corpse while concentrating on his desire to understand it.

  Slowly, golden letters appeared above the body:

  Black Panther – Young – Deceased – Tier 1

  Progress, he thought. Not much, but it’s something. He wished it showed strengths and weaknesses, but nothing else appeared. He wasn’t sure if that was due to the creature being dead or if such details were simply unavailable.

  He leaned back and passed the time using the breathing technique Barry, a key member of their community, had taught him after his accident.

  He came to with a jolt.

  Probably not the best place to fall asleep.

  His watch showed he’d been out for nearly two hours.