Experience

Steven stepped out of the government building and immediately pulled out his phone.

The first thing he downloaded was the official Player Handbook app Gerald had recommended.

After installing it, a prompt appeared.

Synchronize Player Identification Card

He slid the strange metallic card against the back of his phone.

A small pulse of blue light traveled through both devices.

Synchronization Complete

Steven blinked.

"That was... fast."

The app explained the technology in a short information page.

The Player ID contained a tiny fragment of Black Stone, allowing it to power itself indefinitely while interfacing with the System. The Black Stone essentially acted as a translator between Earth's electronics and the mysterious Player interface.

Once linked to a phone, both the card and app would update simultaneously whenever the System changed something.

Inside Gates, normal cellular signals couldn't exist.

But the moment a Player returned to Earth, the phone would reconnect to local networks and synchronize automatically.

"Clever."

He flipped the card over and typed the barcode's serial number into the app.

Normally, Steven expected some sort of authentication handshake.

A pairing code.

A confirmation prompt.

Something.

Instead...

The moment he entered the number—

Player Found

Synchronization Successful

"...That's it?"

He frowned.

"As a mechanic I know enough about electronics to know devices don't just... trust each other."

The app clearly didn't care.

It simply worked.

"Magic technology..."

"I guess."

His excitement quickly overpowered his curiosity.

Steven immediately opened the Gate Map.

Colored markers dotted the local area.

Red.

Blue.

Yellow.

Grey.

Some were marked with guild crests.

Others displayed warning symbols.

Eventually one caught his eye.

NEW

He tapped it.

Low-Level Gate

Recommended Level: 1–10

Known Monsters: Slimes, Plant Monsters

Recommended: Solo or Group

Guild Affiliation: None

Steven laughed.

"What kind of guild would waste their money and resources on a beginner Gate?"

He pinned the location into Google Maps.

Only a twenty-five minute walk.

"Perfect."

The Gate stood inside a local park.

Families walked nearby.

Children laughed on playground equipment.

Joggers passed along paved paths.

And in the middle of all that ordinary life...

Towered an enormous sandy-white gateway.

Its stone looked almost like polished beach rock.

Across its massive doors was an intricate carving depicting waves crashing against a shoreline beneath a bright sun.

It looked peaceful.

Almost inviting.

Parents kept watch over their children, making sure nobody got too close.

To everyone else...

It was simply part of the landscape now.

Steven approached.

He rested a hand against the enormous door.

"...Here goes."

The doors groaned open.

Just before stepping inside—

"HEY!"

Steven turned.

One of the children from the playground waved enthusiastically.

"GOOD LUCK!"

The boy couldn't have been older than eight.

Steven smiled.

"...Thanks."

Then he stepped through.

The doors slowly closed behind him.

The scenery stole his breath away.

A beautiful sandy beach stretched as far as the eye could see.

Crystal-clear ocean waves rolled gently onto the shore behind the entrance.

The salty air smelled fresh.

A cool breeze carried the distant cries of seabirds.

Sunlight reflected brilliantly across the water.

Ahead...

The beach continued for hundreds of meters before giving way to a vibrant forest filled with towering green trees.

It looked endless.

"This..."

Steven whispered.

"...How could this be a dungeon?"

It wasn't dark.

It wasn't gloomy.

It wasn't filled with lava or spikes.

It was beautiful.

Like another world entirely.

Then he noticed movement.

Dozens of blue slimes bounced lazily across the sand.

Each translucent body contained a black spherical core floating in its center.

Some rolled around.

Others bumped into one another before bouncing away again.

None appeared remotely hostile.

"They're..."

"...kind of cute."

Steven cautiously approached one.

The slime tilted toward him.

He reached out.

And gently patted it.

It felt strange.

Rubbery.

Cold.

Wet.

Like touching living gelatin.

Then—

The slime suddenly engulfed his hand.

"AH!"

An intense burning sensation spread across his skin.

"You little shit!"

He yanked his arm free and instinctively stomped directly onto the creature's black core.

Squish.

The slime collapsed into watery goo.

Its body dissolved into a puddle.

Floating text appeared.

+5 EXP

Steven blinked.

Then laughed.

"Just like a video game, huh?"

He killed another.

Then another.

Then another.

Five slimes total.

+25 EXP

A pleasant warmth spread through his body.

Level Up!

Level 2 Achieved

+5 Status Points

+1 Skill Point

Steven grinned.

"So that's how it works."

He remembered countless discussions online.

Veteran Players had discovered several methods for acquiring new skills.

The least reliable...

Yelling demands at the System until it eventually acknowledged one.

The far more common method involved Skill Books found inside Gates.

There were even rumors of incredibly rare Class Books that allowed Players to gain entirely new classes.

Naturally...

Those books were worth fortunes.

Steven remembered reading about a Paladin Skill Book.

One guild had publicly offered fifty million dollars for anyone who found it.

Fifty.

Million.

Dollars.

His eyes suddenly widened.

"The market..."

The Player App had one.

A global marketplace.

Buying.

Selling.

Trading.

Maybe...

Just maybe...

He could actually earn enough money to become independent.

For the next several hours...

Steven simply slaughtered slimes.

Punch.

Kick.

Stomp.

Repeat.

Whenever fatigue set in...

He sat cross-legged in the sand.

Activated Eternal Breath.

Meditated.

Recovered.

The passive slimes paid him almost no attention.

Then he'd stand back up.

And continue.

Eventually...

The entire beach fell silent.

Every slime had been eliminated.

Steven brushed sand from his pants.

"...Now what?"

The answer came immediately.

The ground trembled.

A heavy impact shook the entire beach.

BOOM!

Sand exploded upward.

Steven spun around.

A gigantic slime had crashed onto the shoreline.

Whether it had fallen from the sky or leapt from somewhere beyond the forest...

He couldn't tell.

It stood taller than Steven himself.

Its enormous black core floated proudly inside its massive blue body.

By now...

Steven had reached Level 4.

Three unspent Skill Points waited patiently.

He looked at the giant monster.

"It'd sure be nice if I actually knew what I was fighting."

Immediately—

A System prompt appeared.

Learn Skill: Identify?

Steven blinked.

"...Seriously?"

Without hesitation—

"I accept."

-2 Skill Points

Skill Learned: Identify

He pointed at the giant slime.

"Identify."

A blue window appeared.

King Slime

"...That's it?"

He stared.

"No level?"

"No HP?"

"No weaknesses?"

"No resistances?"

"...Fucking system."

Apparently Identify was just as vague as everything else.

He sighed.

"Guess I'll figure it out the old-fashioned way."

The battle was exhausting.

King Slime moved surprisingly quickly for something so enormous.

Its body compressed before launching itself like a cannonball.

Steven barely rolled aside.

BOOM!

Sand sprayed everywhere.

Then came acidic water bullets.

Sharp jets blasted toward him.

One struck his shoulder.

"HAAAGH!"

His shirt immediately began dissolving.

Another clipped his thigh.

Pain burned through his skin.

Steven clenched his teeth.

He couldn't afford hesitation.

Punch.

Kick.

Jump back.

Dodge.

Counterattack.

Every strike pushed the giant slime backward.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Finally...

After what felt like an eternity...

Steven landed one final spinning kick directly into the creature's core.

CRACK.

The black sphere shattered.

The massive slime quivered.

Then collapsed into an ocean of blue liquid before evaporating into sparkling particles.

Steven dropped to one knee.

Panting heavily.

His clothes were covered in holes.

Acid burns dotted his arms and legs.

His HP hovered at exactly half.

50 / 100

Then...

Another System window appeared.

Congratulations

Title Acquired

Slime Bane

"...A title?"

Steven opened his Status.

A new tab had appeared.

Titles

Inside...

Only one entry.

Slime Bane

Curious, he tapped it.

A description expanded.

+10 Acid Resistance

Steven smiled.

"...Well finally some good fucking news."

Something glimmered where the King Slime had died.

A pair of translucent blue fingerless gloves.

Steven picked them up.

"They're... actually gloves?"

The moment he equipped them...

They tightened around his hands.

Perfect fit.

"...Okay."

"That's cool."

Then a horrifying thought crossed his mind.

"...Wait."

"What if they're cursed?"

He hurriedly pulled one glove off.

It slid off effortlessly.

Steven visibly relaxed.

"Thank God."

He equipped it again.

"Identify."

Slime Gloves

+10 Acid Damage

Steven burst into laughter.

"So if I punched myself..."

"My title would cancel out the gloves."

He shook his head.

"Hilarious system."

"Absolutely hilarious."

The King Slime's experience pushed him up another level.

Level 5

He now possessed two Skill Points.

Twenty unspent Status Points.

First...

Skills.

He invested both points into Eternal Breath.

Immediately, the description updated.

Healing Speed Increased

The first point dramatically boosted the healing rate, nearly cutting his meditation time in half.

The second improvement was less dramatic.

Still...

Healing was now roughly seventy-five percent faster than before.

Steven shrugged.

"Better than nothing."

Then came his attributes.

He looked over them one last time.

Strength: 14

Dexterity: 6

Constitution: 10

Intelligence: 12

Wisdom: 14

Charisma: 6

Luck: 4

"I know exactly what I want."

Eight points into Dexterity.

His body immediately felt lighter.

More responsive.

His movements became noticeably smoother.

Dexterity: 14

The remaining twelve points...

All into Luck.

Luck: 16

Steven admired the finished spread.

Strength: 14

Dexterity: 14

Constitution: 10

Intelligence: 12

Wisdom: 14

Charisma: 6

Luck: 16

He nodded approvingly.

"You can never have too much luck."

Still wounded, Steven sat cross-legged on the beach.

He activated Eternal Breath.

Warmth spread through every acid burn.

The enhanced healing worked exactly as advertised.

By the time boredom finally pulled him from meditation...

His health had already climbed back to 90 / 100.

"Good enough."

He stood, brushed the sand from his pants, adjusted his new Slime Gloves, and looked toward the forest beyond the beach.

The cheerful shoreline was behind him now.

Ahead lay towering trees, dense undergrowth, and shadows that concealed whatever plant monsters the government scouts had documented.

Taking a steady breath, Steven crossed the line where sand gave way to grass.

His first real dungeon had only just begun.