The girl stood at the edge of the dungeon mist — calm, glowing staff in hand, silver hair tied behind her shoulders, and eyes that shimmered like starlight.Not brown. Not black.Silver.
Unnatural.
Her voice was low but clear, "You edited the dungeon."
Priyanshu kept his blade at his side, fingers tight on the hilt. The atmosphere felt different around her. Not dangerous, but… strange. Like a glitch in presence itself.
"And you're not from Earth," he replied slowly. "Explain."
She stepped closer, the faint mist of the dungeon reacting to her body — parting around her, obeying.
"My name is Aeris Velmira," she said. "I'm a guide. From the inner layers of the Dominion Core."
[System Alert: A Higher-Layer Entity is within proximity.][Classification: LAYER TRAVELER][Danger Level: Unknown][Relationship: Neutral]
[Your edits have triggered a branching timeline.]
Priyanshu's eyes narrowed.
"This game—this world—was always more than just code, wasn't it?"
Aeris smiled faintly, sadness hidden behind her graceful features."It was never a game," she said. "It was a filter. A simulation to locate 'anomalies' across realities. You glitched the rules… which means you're not just a player."
Priyanshu raised an eyebrow."So, what am I?"
Aeris tilted her head. "You're one of the Awakened Root Nodes. There are others. But you're… the first."
Suddenly, the ground shook beneath them.A deep vibration, like hundreds of crawling legs beneath the earth.
[BOSS PROXIMITY DETECTED][Broodmother of the Nest – Lvl 30 – HP: 45,000][Dungeon Collapse Timer: 89:45]
[Spawning in : 2 minutes.]
Crowds around the park began screaming again as more minor monsters clawed out from cracks in the dungeon gate. Black, wriggling worms the size of pit bulls began slithering between trees, their shrieks like nails on metal.
Priyanshu glanced at the dungeon log.Too many lives. Too much chaos.
He opened his console.
/summon "Party Beacon"/limit: 3 members/assign: Invite Only
A pulsing blue sigil appeared next to him.
He pointed at Aeris."You said you're a guide. Fine. Show me. Join my party."
She smiled and tapped the sigil.
[Party Formed: "Root Vanguard"][Members: Priyanshu (Leader), Aeris (Mage – Layer Traveler)]
Then a second voice called out from the crowd.
"Wait! Add me too!"It was the guy from earlier — the one who tried to fight the monster with a cricket bat. His hands were bruised, but his eyes were sharp.
"I may not be a glitch, or a god, or whatever you two are," he said, "but I'm not running. Not again."
[New Player Detected: Sanjay Rawat – Class: Brawler (Unlocked)][Level: 0 → 2 (Triggered by Real-World Combat)][Potential: High]
[Invite sent…]
Priyanshu clicked [Yes].
[Root Vanguard: 3/3 Members]
Aeris nodded. "This is it. Your first real dungeon party. Are you ready?"
Chhatrapati Park twisted.
Trees bent inward as if being sucked into a funnel. The air went cold. Mist swirled, and the center of the dungeon glowed deep crimson.
And then… she appeared.
The Broodmother.
A massive spider-like beast, bloated with armor plates and slime-coated fangs, descended from above like a god of nightmares.
[BROODMOTHER OF THE FIRST TUNNEL – LVL 30][HP: 45,000][Title: Matron of Endless Spawn][Special: Regenerates HP every 5 seconds unless silenced]
🔥 Warning: This Boss adapts to the strongest member of the party.
Priyanshu felt a pulse through his blade.Adapt to him?
He grinned.
"Then this spider's about to be very, very unlucky."
📜 [Dungeon Combat Log: BEGIN]
Aeris summoned glowing sigils around the Broodmother, freezing her legs in place. "Time locked for three seconds! Go!"
Sanjay leapt, fists glowing, striking the beast's joints. His punches weren't flashy, but they were loud — every hit sending cracks through the spider's armored limbs.
[Critical Strike x3][Damage: 207 | 221 | 245]
Then Priyanshu moved.
Or rather, the Root Code inside him moved.
He vanished and reappeared mid-air, above the boss.
[Command Executed: /set gravity -0.5]
The air bent. His descent became slow motion. He raised the Blade of Root, and the code shimmered.
"Let's rewrite your end."
He slashed downward—
A clean, impossible, perfect cut.
[TRUE DAMAGE: 9999][Status Applied: CODE BLEED]
[Broodmother: Regeneration Blocked for 15 seconds]
The boss screamed. The entire park shuddered.
It lunged. Acid sprayed. Trees melted. Civilians ran.
But the Root Vanguard stood firm.
Aeris: "Barrier up!"
Sanjay: "LEFT LEG EXPOSED!"
Priyanshu: "Executing deletion protocol."
He raised his hand, and for the first time, used the command he feared most:
/delete entity Broodmother
[Permission Denied][Core Consciousness: Blocking Direct Kill Commands]
[Alternative Accepted: /disassemble]
In a flash of light, the Broodmother exploded into 1,000 fragments — not blood, not guts, but broken pieces of code.
Then… silence.
[Dungeon Cleared.][You have obtained: "Title – Hero of the First Dungeon"][Global Notice: Player PRIYANSHU has completed the first Tutorial Dungeon]
🎁 Rewards:
+10,000 XP
Skill Unlocked: "Reality Bend"
Artifact Drop: "Egg of the Nest Queen"
Reputation: +100 with All Factions
But before they could celebrate, the ground trembled again.
A golden rift tore open in the air behind them — and a giant eye stared through.
[WARNING: A Core Fragment has entered your region.]
[This entity seeks to reclaim the Root Code.]
[Run.]