A notification flashed in midair — in the real world.
[QUEST ALERT: WORLD EVENT - TUTORIAL DUNGEON #001 HAS APPEARED IN YOUR ZONE][Location: Chhatrapati Park, Zone 9, India][Time Remaining Before Dungeon Activates: 02:00:00]
Priyanshu's jaw tightened as he stared out the window. His street looked normal, but the sky was bleeding red like a silent storm. In the distance, the green trees of Chhatrapati Park shimmered with an ominous purple glow.
"Two hours… until the first real-world dungeon?"
He looked down at his glowing sword — still vibrating with faint static. Its presence distorted the air around it, as if reality was trying to reject it… and failing.
The console blinked again.
[New Ability Unlocked: Game Editor]➤ You can now modify environment rules within dungeon zones.➤ Note: Each edit attracts Core Fragments.
"Fragments again... what are those things watching me?"
He opened the Root Console, typed:
/summon item "Beginner Set – Reality Compatible"
And poof—
A long black coat, digitized armor plates, boots with weight reduction, and a HUD-compatible eyepiece appeared on his bed.
He suited up.
📊 [Updated Player Stats]
Name: PriyanshuClass: Glitched SovereignLevel: 1HP: ∞MP: ∞STR: 999AGI: 750INT: 800WIS: 700Skills:
Blade of Root
Code Armor
Reality Shift (Passive)
Edit Dungeon Rules (NEW)
As he stepped outside, he felt it—People were already gathering at the edge of the park, their phones buzzing.
Some thought it was a prank.Others livestreamed.And a few had already begun seeing floating markers just like him.
[You are now entering DUNGEON ZONE #001]
[Tutorial Dungeon: "The Buried Nest of the Nightcrawlers"]
🐍 Danger Level: C🔥 Objective: Eliminate the Broodmother within 30 minutes🎁 Rewards: Dungeon Coin ×100 | Rare Drop (Random) | +100 XP
"Wait," Priyanshu muttered, "people can actually gain XP in real life now?"
Just then, a shout echoed.
"Monster! It's real!"
A massive, centipede-like creature — 12 feet long, pulsating with black mist — lunged out of the glowing mist inside the park. Its mandibles snapped as people screamed and scattered.
[Nightcrawler – Lvl 5 – HP: 800]
"Stay back!" a guy with a cricket bat yelled, trying to protect a kid.
He swung — the bat shattered.
The crawler screeched and reared up—
Slice.
The beast froze mid-air… and fell in two perfect halves.
Everyone turned.
Priyanshu stood there, eyes glowing faintly gold, Blade of Root humming in his hand.
"You shouldn't play tutorial content like it's a casual match," he said flatly.
The crowd gaped.
A notification appeared across the sky for all present:
[World Notice: First Blood Achieved by Player "Priyanshu"]
[Global System Calibration Accelerating…]
[Hidden Mechanic Triggered: Leaderboard Activated]
📈 [Global Leaderboard – Top Players]
1️⃣ Priyanshu (Glitched Sovereign) – Level 1 – 1 Kill2️⃣ ??? – Level 0 – 0 Kill3️⃣ ??? – Level 0 – 0 Kill…
The number of people who could see the board… kept increasing.
Whispers erupted. "Who is he?" "How did he get powers already?" "Was that a sword made of light?" "Is he… the chosen one?"
But Priyanshu ignored them all.His console blinked again.
[WARNING: DUNGEON ZONE WILL FULLY ACTIVATE IN 90 MINUTES][Monsters will spill beyond containment][Recommended: Clear the Broodmother before that]
[Dungeon Rule Editor: Online]➤ Do you want to customize this Dungeon?➤ Choose: [Yes] / [No]
He hesitated.
If he edited the dungeon too much, he might draw more attention from the Core Fragments—those unknown entities behind the game.
But if he didn't edit anything, hundreds could die.
He sighed.
"Let's break the rules, then."
He chose [Yes].
🧬 Edit Panel Activated:
Dungeon Enemy Cap: 200 → 50Boss Spawn Timer: 30 min → 10 minLoot Quality: Uncommon → RareEnvironment Darkness: 90% → 50%Add Hidden Room? → ✅ YESAdd Special Title Drop: ✅ "Hero of the First Dungeon"
[Changes Applied. Dungeon Reacting…]
Just then, a young woman stepped forward from the crowd — her eyes wide, holding a glowing staff.
"You edited the dungeon… didn't you?" she asked, almost in a whisper.
Priyanshu narrowed his eyes.
"How do you know that?"
The girl's lips curled into a half-smile.
"Because I'm not from here," she said. "I'm not from Earth."