My closed eyes opened to see the string of words in front of me, but I ignored that and looked through it to see the walls of a cave.

I lifted my upper body with my struggling hands as support and looked around to see myself surrounded by brown rocks and darkness.

My body plumbed back into the ground as my eyes closed back to take a rest for just 5 minutes, sure to be wakened up in pain from a monster in the middle of eating me.

4 hours later ~

I woke up surprised and feeling slightly better. I sat upright and looked around me, this time properly. It seemed that I was in a small cavern of some sort. Seeing that I was not under immediate danger my eyes finally focused on the words that was ignored till now.

YOU HAVE ENTERED ONE OF THE 71 DUNGEONS IN THE AREA #9084

THE DUNGEON WILL ONLY BE RELEASED BY MEETING ONE OF THE CRITERIA:

1: AFTER THE PASSAGE OF 345 DAYS (345/365)

2: AFTER 200 INITIATORS HAVE FAILED TO CLEAR THE DUNGEON (106/200)

3: USING THE DUNGEON ARTIFACT AS THE KEY

4: BY CLEARING THE DUNGEON

“Oh fuck” I lightly muttered with my weak mouth. I got up quickly and examined the wall behind me, in search of a crease, a single rock that was out of place, an opening, anything.

Eventually, my hands stopped caressing the wall, and looked back at the cavern. It was a small space, barely bigger than a room. The ceiling also hung low, barely enough to stand up straight, with my head in danger if I lightly jump.

I noticed I didn’t have my knife or the gun at me. Both of which were dropped when I fought them or rather when they ganged up on me and left me half dead. Right, they must have purposely done that. To fill these criteria.

I sighed and covered my face with my hands. Things looked almost despairingly hopeless. I have no idea what this dungeon was, but a quick glance at the number of people who died and the requirement gave a picture that I was locked up inside a den of monsters until I could survive for a period of time, or kill them all, or obtain a key. But I doubt it would be that simple.

I removed my hands to inspect my body, it was covered with tears which also extended to my vest. My fingers prodded the different pockets, both intact and torn in search of anything.

The result - 6 bullets, 1 tape, and a single canned food. The rest were either in my bag, hidden in front of the building, or were thrown out in the scuffle. The useless bullets especially hurt, almost like they were laughing at my situation.

I took out the tape and covered the multitude of slashes in my body. Although they were not deep cuts, each of them was enough to warrant a trip to the hospital but they seemed to have already stopped bleeding, and mysteriously, I also felt a lot better than someone in this state should have the right to be in.

I remember that time when I was exhausted to death after getting those wounds from when those half-dead humans clawed my face off, was I getting used to getting injured, or was it something else? While thinking that I had already taped all the wounds over my body.

I applied small patches on the cuts of my face as well.

Being used to looking like an absolute idiot, I slowly walked over to the only opening in the cavern and saw a path that continued on with an upward incline until I couldn't see it anymore.

I felt a small wind on my face, couldn’t tell if I was imagining it, but it was true that I was wasting time and getting nowhere if I stayed here. But the problem was that I had absolutely no weapon other than the soft bony fists that the lord almighty gave me.

I looked around me and picked up a rock the size of my fist and peeked over again. It seemed clear for the moment, so, I almost walked over it, but my foot stopped before it landed.

Even though I am feeling mostly okay after that 5-minutes (4-hours) nap, the state of my body is - objectively looking, pretty bad.

My head turned and saw the single canned food. At least I could do by for half a day with that. There really wasn’t any rush to go through this right now, this place seemed safe, at least safe enough that nothing attacked me when I was sleeping defenselessly. And Gods was that rare, even when sleeping inside a house, you could be suffocated to death by a psychopathic monster that wanted to watch your life flicker away.

It's best to do this when I am at my possible best state or at least close to it. Thinking that I took back my raised leg and walked over to the end of the cavern where my stranded supplies lied.

I sighed in disappointment as I sat together with them. Wait. Disappointment?

I brooded closely as I asked myself. Why am I disappointed?

I should leave the introspections for later is what I would normally think, but the fact that I was willingly about to rush towards unknown territory, already knowing that it would be dangerous and could get me killed unnerved me a lot.

So, why was I so intent on rushing forward? I asked myself. The answer came surprisingly easily.

It came from this instinctual hunger within me. The feeling when I reach the next level was something incomparable to the exhilaration I get when I receive the energy after killing something.

It was hard to notice it since I was living along with it for quite a bit but my body was tethering on the edge of the next stage for quite a while but unable to achieve it. I thought the illogical thirst to reach the next level as soon as possible without any care for myself was squashed when I took the 2-week rest without going to hunt anything, but it had blended within me.

I almost didn't notice this foreign thirst driving me to danger. Were there any other instances as well?

I began remembering all the things I did, the fact that I continued on even when I noticed that they were a lot smarter than I thought, the fact that I chased that monster even though it waited on running till I noticed it, probably to bait me in.

I would have normally backed off since there was no need for me to risk another ambush or risk being late in catching up and being surrounded by monsters it called. Now that I scrutinized my actions, this urge had affected me a lot more than I thought.

Like poison, it had mixed within me, influencing my actions, behavior, and feelings without me noticing. It was a good thing I nipped it in the bud so early.

I laid my head on the cave's wall as I closed my eyes. I’ll need to keep a close eye on myself, this sudden rush and ecstasy from killing things was basically a drug. A drug I can't escape from if I have to live.

It would be easy to lose myself and resort to killing whenever things get dicey or have my priorities mixed up with survival, following the need to kill just like what I did that got me here.

I took a moment, drilling this into my head. I know I'm an inflexible person, so I made sure that this lesson was properly incorporated within me.

After a moment my eyes opened along with a hint of clarity.

Now, the next problem was that I had nothing to defend myself with. My sight lowered to look at the rock in my hand. Since I didn’t use much of the fuel I had in the fight since I was one-sidedly obliterated, my tank was almost full.

But I wasn’t in a situation where I could use the rock, the way I did against the monkeys, so my aim this time was the creation of the unnaturally-sharp-knife no.2 …. or unnaturally hard-rock-no.1?

Either way, I closed my eyes as I soaked the rock with my vitality. I could see the rock scantly with my other sense as it appeared just how my knife was before. As a thin mist of energy in my hands in the shape of a rock.

I now consciously and forcefully tried to move the aura in my body towards the rock.

It moved.... but it moved at a turtle's pace and was much harder to do than I remembered. My hands shook in exertion as I held the rock that was receiving my aura.

I exerted my will for the flared aura to move towards the foreign object but it seemed to greatly resist touching the rock let alone enter inside it. I had to continuously force the aura towards it, lest it be repelled back into my body.

After a while, I let go of my breath along with the rock as I gave up. Fuck. Why is it so hard now? I did it seamlessly when I was in the snake's stomach.

After taking a few breaths and being sure that a few seconds passed I picked up the rock that fell down and throw it against the cave's wall. The rock hit the wall with a powerful sound but did not show any impressive effect it would have done if it was somehow similar to the super sharp knife I had.

Giving up I sat down and ate the canned food with a hint of dismay. After finishing the last food that I had, my brain shifted back into gear as I assessed my situation and chances of survival from 1- dead.

From what I know, 106 people had already been in my shoes and died. It's safe to assume that these were the people who were thrown into this place by those faceless creatures like I was.

Their objective would probably be.... the dungeon being released after 200 people fail.

Fuck are they that intelligent? I, again regretted picking a fight against these creatures without knowing how smart they were.

And why would they want the dungeon to be released? They seemed very smart and cooperative, almost like a pack. Maybe they have an alpha faceless or something that’s inside this dungeon?

My memory wanders to the quests I got from the big crystal, to kill 100 creatures, kill lord something among others. Maybe it's something similar to that?

I'm thinking too much about less important stuff. I chided myself. The most important thing I need to think about is how to get out of this situation. What were the conditions again?

Just as I thought that the message emerged before my eyes again.

YOU HAVE ENTERED ONE OF THE 71 DUNGEONS IN THE AREA #9084

THE DUNGEON WILL ONLY BE RELEASED BY MEETING ONE OF THE CRITERIA:

1: AFTER THE PASSAGE OF 345 DAYS (345/365)

2: AFTER 200 INITIATORS HAVE FAILED TO CLEAR THE DUNGEON (106/200)

3: USING THE DUNGEON ARTIFACT AS THE KEY

4: BY CLEARING THE DUNGEON

I was a bit bewildered as the message had always disappeared after I read it completely except for this time but shook my mental mind as I went through all the conditions again.

....._........_........_

Yeah... ‘unless clear the dungeon’ means clearing a game or puzzle, it probably means clearing this cave of every single monsters. A big out. But may be doable if this entire place was filled with something on the level of those monkeys or those thin street dogs.... maybe even more of those faceless creatures.

Next possible way, was to find the key? But since I have no information or clue on what it was... that’s also temporarily out.

The final possible condition was the passage of 345 days. Which is probably the best chance I got in surviving this whole thing. To concentrate on surviving until the time runs out.

“Yeah...That is.... the best option available to me.” I choked out those words from my mouth.

Just the thought of spending an entire year in this cave constricts my chest with an unseen weight. I know I have to change my priorities and my perception to survive in this new shitty reality, but spending one entire year inside this dark claustrophobic cave, just makes my chest cave in.

There is also the issue of food that I have to worry about as well.

Well, I don’t have to decide that right now. First ill need to understand the whole situation inside the cave to see what's doable and what's not.

Thinking that I started walking the inclined path with the rock I threw before in hand. I slowly trudged forward while checking the whole area of anything, but disappointingly the path seemed empty of anything but hard rocks.

I continued on upwards as my calf burned in exertion as the incline started to get higher and higher. After 10 minutes of walking, the incline got so high that I had to use my hands to go forward.

After a minute of this, I decided to give up and go back.

This was not ideal, not one bit. I would be helpless if something attacks me now. I gave up and looked back and almost fell down in panic.

Before I knew it, the slope way back almost looked like climbing down a steep cliff. The rock that supported my legs broke off as it fell down the black hole which looked like a chasm.

My legs quickly found purchase as I stabled my body and my heart.

When the hell it get so vertical!?

Fuck. Fuck I got no confidence to climb down. But I can't just keep on going and fall to my death when it gets even more vertical. I found myself in a life-or-death situation long before I encountered any monster. Just as I noticed the chasm below, my hands and legs quickly began to get tired out of nowhere like uncooperative brats.

I got no choice; I have to climb back down. But just as I thought that a cool but strong wind blew on my face, I turned my sight away from the rock wall in front of me and from the long way down below and looked slightly up to see a somewhat illuminated cave wall

... I think?... I wasn’t sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me or if that was simply a lighter rock.

But I resolved myself and climbed further up. The climb wasn’t actually steep enough to make me fall down with how strong my body was nowadays, but the trembling legs and hands sure made me feel that way.

Eventually, my hand extended hand grabbed a flat surface and my body was pulled along with it. I breathed hard as I lay down on the good old flat ground.

Thank God. I thought under my ragged breath. That would be a stupid way to go after surviving all that I survived.

I looked at the new place I found myself in and almost fell back in again. In front of me was the unbelievable sight of a lush green forest!

I stared at the beautiful green trees, the white-blue sky, and the open-wide ground with my mouth open.

It was the outside!

I looked at the open woodland in amazement. There were no light showers that were constantly pouring in the city nor was there the beautiful multicolored rainbowish sky that I've grown to hate. I laughed and almost cried as I walked into the forest.

So, that whole thing was only restricted to the city and not the whole world.

And I was somehow transported outside of the city when I was thrown into the cave. My mind thought as it tried to make sense of what I was seeing. I should thank those creatures who threw me out of the city.

I don’t have to kill anymore, I thought in elation. I don’t have to think about death anymore until I turn old and was in my deathbed!

“I can go back to my life!” A loud boulder crashing beside me interrupted my happy moment.

I looked at the large boulder in shock to see that it wasn’t a boulder at all. It was two giant creatures locked with each other in a struggle to kill the other.

The creature on top pressed its large legs towards the neck of the other but paused as it saw me. The creature who looked nearly identical to the faceless creatures had they been the size of a truck and had red eyes, looked at me with definite surprise.

It instantly dashed over to me, ignoring the other giant saber-tooth-like creature under it.

Of course, this was all too good to be true, I thought as I looked behind me to see the giant creature chasing me vehemently.