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Steven continued exploring for another hour or so, clearing a handful of kobolds scattered throughout the maze. The fights had become manageable again now that Tippy Toes naturally blended into his movements. Every encounter felt a little smoother than the last.

Eventually he glanced down at his phone.

"...Shit."

The lock screen read 7:18 PM.

"I should probably head home..."

He scratched the back of his head.

"Don't want anyone getting suspicious."

Fortunately, Mapping made the trip back almost effortless. Instead of wandering through endless corridors, Steven simply followed the glowing route his map suggested.

One turn.

Another.

A long hallway.

A staircase.

Eventually the familiar entrance came into view.

Just before reaching it, another group entered from the opposite direction.

Five players.

A proper adventuring party.

The first was a heavily armored man carrying a tower shield nearly as tall as himself. Behind him walked a woman in dark robes with a wooden staff decorated by glowing crystals. Another wore fitted leather armor with two curved daggers at his hips, while a broad-shouldered woman carried an enormous greataxe over one shoulder as casually as if it were a broomstick.

The last member looked the youngest.

A bespectacled man wearing simple cloth robes who nervously clutched a spellbook.

They looked...

Professional.

Experienced.

Like the kind of people Steven had watched on the news.

The shield user raised a hand.

"Evening."

Steven smiled back.

"Hey."

"You heading deeper?"

The armored man nodded.

"That's the plan."

"Be careful."

"The deeper sections get rough."

Steven chuckled.

"I noticed."

The axe woman laughed.

"Good."

"If you're walking out alive, you're doing better than some."

The two groups simply passed each other without incident.

No hostility.

No intimidation.

Just Players doing what Players did.

Steven couldn't help smiling.

"Friendly."

"Nice change of pace."

The massive red Gate opened.

Steven stepped through.

Warm evening air greeted him.

Birds chirped.

Cars drove by in the distance.

The transition from ancient labyrinth to ordinary park remained surreal every single time.

He stood there for a moment simply appreciating reality.

Not because it was better.

Because...

Now...

He had both.

His old life.

And this new one.

A strange smile slowly spread across his face.

Just a month ago...

He'd been confined to a medical bed.

Now he spent entire afternoons exploring magical worlds hidden behind mysterious Gates.

Leveling.

Finding treasure.

Learning skills.

Discovering secrets.

It wasn't just exciting.

It was...

Freedom.

For the first time in years...

Steven genuinely looked forward to tomorrow.

The drive home was relaxing.

Progressive house music filled the tiny Mirage while the Kicker subwoofer happily rattled the mirrors.

Steven drummed his fingers against the steering wheel.

Life...

Was good.

His mother had already started dinner.

The smell hit him before he even walked through the front door.

Cheeseburgers.

Fresh-cut fries.

Simple comfort food.

Steven happily assembled his burger exactly the way he always liked it.

Mayonnaise on the bottom bun.

Ketchup and mustard swirled together across the top.

Fresh lettuce.

Crunchy pickle slices.

Then...

His mother's perfectly cooked burger patty.

Covered with an excessive amount of melted cheese.

Steven grinned.

"Mom..."

"You always use too much cheese."

She looked over from the stove.

"Nonsense."

"There's no such thing."

Steven laughed.

"Fair enough."

He grabbed the fries, generously dusting them with Old Bay instead of plain salt.

One bite.

"...Yep."

"Still the best."

Dinner disappeared quickly.

Later that evening...

Steven lay comfortably in bed with his laptop open for the first time in what felt like forever.

He browsed news articles.

Player forums.

Market discussions.

New Gate discoveries.

Then curiosity got the better of him.

He logged into the web version of the Player Marketplace.

Thousands upon thousands of listings filled the screen.

Materials.

Monster cores.

Weapons.

Armor.

Jewelry.

Potions.

Skill books.

Crafting recipes.

If someone had looted it...

Someone else was probably selling it.

While browsing...

One listing immediately caught his attention.

The item's image was...

Wrong.

It was a completely black book.

No title.

No decorative markings.

Nothing.

He clicked it.

Unknown Skill Book

Authentication Status: Failed

Seller Notes:

"Multiple high-level Identify users have failed to decipher this book."

"Contents remain unreadable."

"Purchase and use at your own risk."

"No refunds."

Steven frowned.

He remembered the horror stories.

The most famous one...

Had involved another unidentified skill book.

The unfortunate Player who learned it had transformed into an undead skeleton.

He technically remained alive.

But his life had been destroyed.

People screamed whenever they saw him.

He couldn't walk through cities without disguises.

Removing a learned skill required an incredibly rare purification artifact.

Single use.

Astronomically expensive.

Nobody knew how to craft one.

The last rumor Steven had heard...

The poor guy had disappeared into increasingly dangerous Gates.

Some believed he'd finally died.

Others thought he simply chose never to return.

Steven looked back at the listing.

Price.

$5,000

"...That's cheap."

There was only one reason.

Nobody wanted to gamble.

Steven leaned back.

"...Well."

"I'm already gambling my life every time I enter a Gate."

He looked through his Inventory.

The Forest Strider Boots.

They were nice.

But...

He no longer owned them for long.

He listed them.

$25,000

They sold almost instantly.

His Player balance updated.

Steven immediately purchased the mysterious book.

The package materialized inside his Inventory.

He withdrew it.

Held it in his hands.

"...Identify."

The System responded with complete nonsense.

A title made of impossible symbols.

Letters twisted together with strange glyphs that hurt his eyes if he stared too long.

"...Yep."

"Still useless."

He only had one Skill Point remaining.

"This is either the dumbest thing I've ever done..."

"...or the smartest."

He opened the book.

Dark light—not bright, but strangely shadowy—flowed into his body.

The book vanished.

Unknown Skill Learned

"..."

"...That's somehow more ominous."

He immediately opened his Skills page.

There it was.

A line of incomprehensible symbols.

Its description...

Was equally unreadable.

Just gibberish.

Steven slowly walked over to the wall mirror.

Nothing.

His reflection looked perfectly normal.

No glowing eyes.

No skeleton.

No horns.

He flexed.

"...Feel fine."

He jumped once.

Nothing.

"Huh."

"Maybe it'll reveal itself later."

Slightly unsettled, but relieved he hadn't immediately become some eldritch abomination, Steven returned to the marketplace.

After the purchase, he still had just over twenty thousand dollars remaining.

That was when another listing caught his attention.

Monk's Shirt

Price: $18,000

Armor: +10

"Only ten armor..."

Steven muttered.

"Pretty low."

Then he scrolled to the enchantments.

The seller had listed two magical effects.

Effects:

1. +10% Attack Speed

2. Every successful unarmed hit grants +1% Movement Speed while in combat (Maximum +10%).

Steven's eyes lit up.

"...Oh."

"Now that fits me."

The bonuses were almost tailor-made for his current fighting style.

He already had Tippy Toes, which rewarded staying light on his feet.

His Luck milestone had given him a reason to chase better loot rather than raw survivability.

His Strength and Dexterity were perfectly balanced.

Now this shirt would let him throw punches faster while rewarding him for staying aggressive.

The longer a fight lasted...

The faster he'd become.

"I'll take it."

He clicked Purchase.

His Player balance dropped to just over two thousand dollars.

A small System notification appeared.

Purchase Complete. Item transferred to Inventory.

Steven opened his Inventory and withdrew the shirt.

"...Huh."

It was actually nicer than the tiny auction picture had suggested.

The fabric felt like an expensive linen blend.

Soft.

Breathable.

Lightweight.

Perfect for moving around.

The shirt itself was mostly white with a relaxed V-neck collar.

Across the shoulders and down one side ran embroidered floral patterns in soft sky blue and pale orange.

The flowers weren't tiny either.

They were...

Noticeable.

Very noticeable.

Steven held it out at arm's length.

"..."

"This looks like something an old man would wear to the horse races while betting on ponies."

He turned it over.

"Gaudy as fuck."

Another look.

"..."

"...But..."

"The colors are actually kinda nice."

The white background contrasted well with the light blue and orange stitching.

It somehow looked both ridiculous...

And stylish.

Steven laughed.

"...Suits me, I think."

He folded it neatly and placed it back into his Inventory beside his translucent blue Slime Gloves.

Then another feature from the handbook came to mind.

"Equipment Presets."

He opened the menu.

Preset Slot 1

He selected the Monk's Shirt.

Then the Slime Gloves.

Saved.

The preset icon updated.

A simple confirmation appeared.

Dungeon Loadout Saved.

Steven nodded in approval.

Most Players apparently used presets exactly like this.

Walking around downtown wearing glowing magical armor, monster hide boots, giant swords, and enchanted gauntlets tended to frighten ordinary civilians.

With a preset...

The moment he entered a Gate...

Everything would automatically equip.

The moment he exited...

It would all return to his Inventory, leaving him dressed in normal clothes.

"No changing in parking lots."

"Convenient."

Satisfied, he closed his laptop.

The room had grown quiet.

Outside, crickets chirped beneath the warm summer night.

Steven lay back in bed and stared at the ceiling.

Barely a month ago...

He couldn't even stand.

Now he had explored two Gates.

Closed one of them.

Learned several skills.

Bought magical equipment.

Owned an Inventory that ignored time itself.

And somewhere inside him...

Lurked a mysterious skill that not even the System seemed willing to explain.

Instead of frightening him...

It made him curious.

He couldn't wait to find out what it did.

A grin spread across his face.

"...Tomorrow's gonna be fun."

With that thought lingering pleasantly in his mind, Steven drifted off to sleep, already looking forward to diving back into another dungeon, chasing stronger monsters, better loot, and whatever bizarre surprises the System still had waiting for him.