Valoria dreamed of her home.

  Unlike the seemingly endless concrete jungle of Tokyo, dominated by towering skyscrapers shimmering with dungeon-mined materials, bustling streets lined with sparkling high-end stores, and home to Japan's most famous Hunter guilds, Yamagata was a small city to the north, nestled between towering mountains. It was renowned for winter skiing, its many onsens, temples, and beautiful nature. It was quiet and peaceful, and the crisp air filled her with life.

  But, as with many rural areas in Japan, it was starved of opportunities and in decline. Her parents insisted that, before the monsters arrived twenty years ago, the city was experiencing an uptick in growth due to government efforts. Unfortunately, that all changed when the World Dungeon revealed itself, and the number of gates leading into its depths was dependent on the human population residing above it.

  Yamagata had a grand total of one gate, which opened near their central train station. Meanwhile, Tokyo had closer to fifty gates. The difference in access was undeniable, and the wealth gap between capital cities and smaller cities in all nations widened even further.

  "Valoria, you need to leave this place," her mother had said on a random late fall afternoon as they were preparing their ski lodge for the busy upcoming winter season. They had been in the storage room, sweeping the floors, when her mother had paused and broken the silence between them.

  "What?" Valoria had said, and still remembered her mother's loving smile as she glanced up from her cleaning.

  "As much as I hate to admit it, Yamagata is too small for someone with your potential. You awakened as a druid with a strong skill set and plan to study environmental sciences. I know you like it here, and we love having you around, but still..." her mother had sighed and set the broom down. "You should go to Tokyo and seek a greater life than we can provide here."

  "I don't want to," Valoria had said, adamantly shaking her head. "I can study here, and stay with you and Papa. You're both getting old now, so I will need to take care of you."

  That's where she had thought the conversation would end, but her mother was insistent, and by the end of the day, she had reluctantly agreed to study in Tokyo. Her mother had even offered to help fund her life in the capital, as the city had somehow gotten even more expensive. But she managed to persuade her that she would get a job.

  Her mind shifted. Memories and fractured dreams from the past resurfaced.

  She still remembered that fateful day she had arrived in Tokyo. Stepping off that Shinkansen and getting lost in the surge of people, she had never felt so small and alone. Later, once she had settled into her tiny apartment, she tried to interview for jobs but got intimidated and failed over and over. Quickly falling behind on rent and having to take out loans, she had gotten desperate. That's when she had turned her sights to the one place she had sworn her parents not to go—the World Dungeon. Compared to Yamagata, where the one dungeon gate was controlled by the Guild Association, Tokyo's dungeon industry was booming. Massive conglomerates fought over control of the various gates and the resources lying within. Meaning one thing—there was a lot of money to be made.

  Most had to join guilds to access the gates, but the gates under the Guild Association were technically open to the public, assuming you could gather a party of three. That's where Valoria had met Randy and Vesper—on the forums, looking for a party to join. She still remembered the gut-wrenching nerves she had experienced when meeting them for the first time and delving into the dungeon. But Randy had been so welcoming, and his intimate knowledge of the World Dungeon had made their delve a pleasant one.

  She decided to join up with him regularly.

  After each delve, they would grab food and hang out. Valoria had slowly started to break out of her shell and act more like she had in Yamagata. She had even begun to develop feelings for Randy, though she would never admit it.

  In fact, just thinking about it made her cheeks heat up with embarrassment and smile dumbly.

  The dream world she was consciously drifting through gradually fell away, and she felt herself stir awake. Instead of waking up in her dorm room, she felt sore. Her arms were wrapped around someone's neck, but they felt oddly cold.

  "Am I still dreaming?" she slurred. Her throat felt parched, and her head was pounding. Had she been drinking?

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  A sudden ear-piercing screech shocked her awake, and everything came flooding back. She was in the World Dungeon.

  "Vampiric bat to our right, three o'clock."

  That was Randy's voice.

  She turned her head to the side and saw him. He looked terrible. His arm was in a makeshift splint, and his black hair was a mess. Noticing her gaze, he turned, and their eyes met. He looked genuinely relieved.

  "Valoria, you're finally awake!"

  "What is happening? Where are we? I mean, I know this is the World Dungeon, but where exactly?" she said, half panicked. It was dark, and she could hear screeching from all around them.

  "We are currently traversing the 4th floor of the dungeon and heading toward the teleport hub on the 5th floor. You've been asleep for almost a whole day now." He chuckled. "Gerald is giving you a piggyback right now."

  This is Gerald?!

  She abruptly pulled her hands away in shock and reeled back, almost falling backward.

  Gerald glanced back at her, yet all she saw was Ghostwire's mask and appearance.

  Is this really Gerald?

  "Don't be so scared. He has assumed Ghostwire's identity, but I can promise you it's Gerald," Vesper assured her from the other side. He was limping forward using a walking stick and looked exhausted.

  "You can rest longer if you wish," Gerald said as he returned to looking ahead.

  "T-Thank you?" Valoria blinked and glanced around. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. They were trekking along a narrow pathway with a cliff face to the left and a seemingly bottomless chasm to the right. That's when she noticed a swarm of darkness rising up to meet them, exactly in the direction Randy had just called out.

  Vampiric bats. Native monsters of the 4th floor. She had only read about them online and seen videos, but she had never delved further than the third floor before because their trio lacked someone with a scout class, which was practically required to traverse the 4th floor safely.

  Wait, how are we making it across then? Has Gerald been leading the way like he had through the Clay Goblin caves?

  "Hold on a little tighter, Valoria," Gerald said, as he turned on his heel and peered over the cliff edge at the incoming swarm of bloodthirsty bats. Valoria also peeked over his shoulder and winced in disbelief as she caught sight of the one leading the swarm. Just like she had heard, it possessed an impressive wingspan of three meters, which was double that of the largest bats residing on Earth. Apparently, this size gave them the strength to pick up humans and hurl them down into the chasm.

  Valoria, still feeling incredibly weak, sheepishly looked away and clung tightly to Gerald like a koala. That's when he did something she had not expected.

  "Threadwalk," Gerald said, and Valoria yelped as he stepped off the cliff edge and began walking vertically.

  Valoria was scared shitless.

  "W-What are you doing?!" she stammered while scrambling to secure her hold.

  "I can feel your pounding heart against my back," Gerald said calmly. "Relax. I've handled multiple swarms like this while you were still sleeping without a problem." Withdrawing a short mithril sword from his inner suit pocket, he casually approached the rising swarm with confidence.

  "But," she began, wincing in fear at the sound of their shrieks and beating wings. The bats were closing in, fast. "Aren't there too many of them? How are you going to fight so many at once—"

  Gerald raised his free hand and pointed at the monsters.

  "Chains of the Damned," he commanded, and the wall below them erupted as dozens of ghostly, stone-like chains shot out and wrapped around the bats' bodies or limbs. They all let out confused shrieks as the chains abruptly retracted as quickly as they had shot out, forcefully pulling the monsters into the wall and pinning them.

  "Who said I would fight them all at once? Now, close your eyes," Gerald said, crouching down and pointing his sword. "Orbs of Light." As the skill name suggested, three orbs of glowing brilliance shot forward, blinding Valoria as she hadn't listened, and by the bats' pain-filled howls, he had likely burned a hole into the retinas of the monsters as they had lived their whole lives in the dark.

  However, Gerald wasn't done.

  "Windveil Agility."

  Valoria felt a gust of wind envelop them, making her feel oddly light as Gerald suddenly rushed forward. His mithril sword gleamed a cold silver under the light as he began his slaughter. Blood flew everywhere as he unceremoniously chopped up the blinded bats, but none of it reached her as the wall of wind provided by the Windveil Agility skill kept her safe.

  Not that she really had time to appreciate Gerald's efforts to shield her from the bloodshed as she burrowed her head into his back and held on for dear life.

  After a few minutes, Gerald executed the last of the bats with a sword through the skull. "All killed," he mused, looking off to the side. "Level 42. I'm getting close." He then unwrapped the chain from around the monster's neck and tore off its head with a grotesque crunch.

  Huh? Valoria blinked. Had she heard that right? Level 42?!

  Gerald dismissed the invisible status screen, checked she was alright with a quick glance, and then began to retrace his steps up the cliff face with the bat's head cradled in his arms. Funnily enough, he had to walk backward to stop her from falling.

  Once he reached the top, Valoria finally felt her gut fall back in place as she was set upright.

  "I... think I can walk now," she said, shakily climbing off Gerald's back.

  "That's good," Gerald said, helping her get off. "Because the monsters up ahead won't be as easy to deal with."

  "What are they?" Randy asked.

  Gerald glared at him and then back at the road ahead of them. "Gnolls, and a lot of them."

  to read ahead!