Testing the new Instant Dungeons.

After another hour, occupied by icing his nose and resting, John was permitted to go home for the day. The nurse advised him that his nose was likely fractured and that he should visit the hospital. However, John’s HP had finally ticked back up to full, meaning his Gamer’s Body could begin the process of healing his nose without the need for surgery.

His mom also called, naturally worried about his condition. John assured her that he was fine and that he could make it home on his own, giving him the rest of the day to kill. That left him with the question of how to spend it. As soon as the thought entered his mind, he got a notification.

New Quest: Beta Tester
Go test the new goddamn dungeons you spoiled brat! AND show some appreciation for the efforts I’m going to for you while you’re at it! Not everyone just gets given power…
Dungeons Tested: (0/2)
Rewards:
750 xp
A Sticker
Time to Complete: --:--.--

The new quest clearly put forward Gaia’s opinion on the matter.

“I’ll do it for the sticker,” John said aloud; who doesn’t want a sticker?

After the incident with Sam the day before, John was wary of where he created his dungeons. He chose an alleyway adjacent to the park and looked at the two new options.

The Depths:
A dungeon with 1000 floors increasing in difficulty the deeper you go.
Floors Completed: 0/1000

Arena:
A modular colosseum that can be altered to suit the Gamer’s needs. Currently only equipped with the basic Training Facility module. More modules will unlock as the Gamer progresses in The Depths.

It was pretty clear that John would have to explore the Depths to get the most out of the Arena, and with that in mind, he launched the thousand floor dungeon. It wasn’t anything like the mixture of caves and dungeons John had imagined the I.D. to be. The urban jungle around John vanished, and in its place rendered a dense jungle of vegetation. The thick canopy of trees above only allowed for a low level of light, but it illuminated a small path, that had been cleared of ground-level foliage, well enough. The path had been laid with small bricks that were now worn and yellowed with age, and weeds had long since begun to retake the lost ground.

With only one path to follow, John began to make his way through the forest. It was pleasantly cool, and the sounds of birdsong danced through the air in cheerful melodies. The path itself was beautiful; it was decorated with vibrant flowers that dotted the rich shades of green. The path would sometimes run parallel to a small stream, which gradually built into a sizeable waterway, or at others take John through small clearings littered with the debris of collapsed ruins. Occasionally, he’d cross paths with a deer or a rabbit, and at one point he even saw a fox. But despite the soothing atmosphere and lack of hostile creatures, John had his hand firmly on the hilt of the schiavona hanging at his waist. As far as John was concerned, the I.D. could be filled with any kind of enemy, and the thick foliage on the forest floor provided a perfect cover for thieves or ambush predators.

Keeping his ears perked for such a threat, John was surprised to instead catch onto the sound of someone singing. The source originated from somewhere a little off the path, and curiosity got the better of John. The terrain was a little more difficult off the path, and John tripped and stumbled as he made his way up an incline, which soon fed into a small cliff-face. Thankfully, there were enough trees and protruding rocks to form secure footholds. As John drew closer, it became clear that the singer was a girl, giving John all the more reason to climb.

He’d only just pulled himself up when he nearly fell right back down the cliff in astonishment. On top of the cliff, an informal bath had been built around a small spring that fed into the larger river below. It was a breathtaking feature to be sure but nowhere near as stunning as the currently nude girl bathing in it.

‘Gaia has really captured natural beauty in this dungeon,’ John found himself thinking.

He beheld the girl intently, noticing how her soaked golden-blonde hair clung to her rosey skin. Or even how small water droplets traced a path from the girl’s cheek… down her neck… past her collarbone… and meeting the spring water at her perky B-cup breasts.

John’s brain had lapsed into another fierce war of two sides over the question ‘should I stay and bask in this glorious sight or should I go and actually be a decent person?’ which ended rather abruptly as the girl noticed his presence.

“Oh, umm… hello!” the girl greeted, a small blush spreading on her cheeks but otherwise making no attempt to cover herself. “I didn’t realise anyone else knew about this place.”

Contrasting to the girl’s unabashed attitude, John was a flustered mess. “Aaah, um… s-sorry! I’ll be going now!” he said, just about ready to jump off the cliff if he had to.

“Hold on! I wouldn’t exactly call this a private bath, would you? the girl gestured to the open air. “You’re free to have a dip.”

‘What?’ John’s head belched smoke.

“Aww, you’re kinda cute all flustered,” the girl grinned as she waded through the water towards him. “Hmm… I don’t recognise you. Where’re you from?”

The blonde spoke with a vaguely British accent, though John was pretty damn sure they weren’t in Britain.

“Uh… Springfield?” John replied, wondering if the girl would recognise the name.

“Mmm… never heard of a Springfield. Is that below?” the girl asked. “Or… wait, are you from outside of the barrier?!” her tone took on an excited squeak.

“Yes?” John was confused.

“Really? You’re not making an arse out of me?” the girl checked.

“No?”

The girl practically leapt out of the water to stand in front of him. “Can you teach me magic?!”

That was a good question. But John had only been granted his powers a few days ago; that didn’t exactly make him teacher material.

“C’mon, I’m a good student! I promise,” the girl continued confidently, still brazenly nude. “The little guy’s saying yes,” she added with a wink.

John didn’t need to look to know he was rock hard. That didn’t change the fact he’d make a terrible teacher.

“Look, I’m sorry but I’m kind of new to this whole ‘magic’ thing, so I don’t think I can really teach someone else.”

“Aw, bugger,” the British-sounding blonde pouted.

John couldn’t help it when his eyes fell back down onto the girl’s bare breasts. His dick strained painfully as he noticed her hard nipples. ‘Focus, John,’ he mentally slapped himself. ‘You’ve got shit to do!’

“Listen, this may sound strange, but do you know where I might find a way down to the next floor? It’s probably guarded by a bo- I mean, a monster or something like that.”

Having a local as a guide would make exploring the first floor a lot more efficient.

The blonde girl tilted her head slightly and hummed. “Way down? You mean into the Depths?”

“Exactly!” John exclaimed, pleased the girl knew what he was talking about.

“Yeah, I know the way,” the girl smiled coyly. “But what’s in it for me?”

John didn’t know much about this girl or what she might want, so he went with the option that appealed to most humans. “I’ll pay you?”

“Hmm, how much?” the girl inquired.

John checked how much cash he had in his inventory. After his shopping spree on Abyss Auction, he barely held over $40. ‘Well, I can always earn more cash,’ he decided.

“Forty bucks.”

“Bucks?” the girl queeried. “So that's what you call money in Springfield? Wicked! You got yourself a deal.”

“Okay then,” John agreed. Things were really going well.

“I should warn you though, a guy calling himself the Black Knight guards a bridge on the way,” the girl explained. “None who’ve challenged him have lived to tell the tale.”

‘Sounds like a boss to me,’ John thought. “That’s fine. Just show me the way.”

“Sure thing! Just let me dress, and we’ll be on our way.”

“Oh, sure…” John sheepishly scratched his hair and followed the girl with his eyes to the other side of the pool. He noticed for the first time a set of clothes draped over some low hanging branches as well as a bow and quiver of arrows. Of the garments, a startlingly bright red cloak stood out amongst the rest.

‘Should I look away?’ he wondered as the girl picked her panties off of her makeshift clothesline. The girl wasn’t exactly shy about her body nor should she be, with her slim and athletic build. Even her B-cup breasts looked perky and perfectly complimented the rest of her physique. In the end, John just couldn’t turn away as the girl shamelessly changed in front of him.

“Oh, we haven’t even done introductions!” the girl exclaimed in the middle of putting on her skirt. “Name’s Charlie, but everyone calls me Red!”

Right, John had been so caught up in his lecherous staring he’d completely forgotten to actually cast Observe.

The Observe window raised more questions than it answered for John, but he was too caught up in the fact that he’d just met Little Red Riding Hood to bother asking them. He’d grown up with fairy tales, and now a literal incarnation of his childhood was standing before him half naked. It was dumbfounding to say the least. Though in retrospect, John really should have seen this coming. Stories and myths had to draw their roots from somewhere, right?

“You ready to get going?” Red smiled once she had fully dressed.

Her iconic red cloak waved proudly in the slight breeze.

“C’mon,” Red blushed when she noticed just how awestruck John was. “You’ve seen me nude; being dressed can’t be that bad…”

“Oh… s-sorry. It’s just, you’re kind of famous where I come from.”

Red let out a melodic giggle. “What? Really? I don’t like being made an arse out of, you know!”

“I’m not,” John swore. “People tell stories about you to their kids!”

“Well, you can tell me all about it on our way to the bridge!” Red replied chipperly.