"Gyahhh—!"
I woke up screaming.
Again.
That dream.
It's been ten years… and it still comes back everytime to remind me of something.
I don't even remember it clearly anymore. The details are blurry, like fog over broken glass. But I always wake up with the same suffocating feeling in my chest. Something happened back then. Something bad. I just can't remember what it was.
I pressed a hand against my forehead, trying to steady my breathing, then glanced at the right side of my bed.
Oh shit.
7:00 AM.
If I don't get my ass moving right now, I'm screwed.
I jumped out of bed, rushed to wash up, threw on my formal work clothes, and grabbed my suitcase. I didn't even comb my hair properly. My tie was crooked as hell, hanging like it gave up on life before I did.
I ran to the nearest station, already out of breath, only to be swallowed by the usual sea of bodies. The crowd was massive. The train was packed so tight the air felt damp and disgusting. Someone's elbow dug into my ribs. Another person's shoulder shoved my face against the wall.
God, I hate this.
This is my shitty everyday life as a corporate slave in some average, forgettable company.
When I finally arrived at work, my manager immediately called me over and started nagging before I even had the chance to sit down.
"Why are you late?"
"Why is this unfinished?"
"Do you even take this job seriously?"
Then he dumped a whole mountain of files onto my desk and told me to edit and arrange all of them today.
Today.
Damn old bald bastard. How is this not considered abuse? Seriously, why the hell is this allowed?
But what can I do?
If I quit, how am I supposed to pay rent next month?
When my coworkers saw me getting scolded, they just snickered from the side. Not even subtle about it. Just laughing like it's a goddamn comedy show.
This always happens.
I don't know why people treat me like this.
I've tried being friendly. I tried starting conversations. I even bought snacks once to share.
They just laughed it off. Then treated me even worse.
There was even this girl my family set me up with on a blind date once. She took one look at me… and left.
Just like that.
Later I heard it was because of my appearance.
Which makes zero fucking sense.
Ugly? Me?
I grew up being praised for my looks when I was a kid. Teachers, neighbors, even strangers would say I was handsome.
And I'm not saying this because I'm some narcissistic freak. I'm just stating facts.
I'm tall. Sharp jawline. Obsidian-black hair. Defined eyes. Straight nose. I could stand next to celebrities and not look out of place. Hell, maybe I'd even outshine some of them.
Because of this whole mess, I started thinking maybe I was the crazy one.
Maybe my eyes were broken. Maybe my brain was.
So I went to opticians. Psychologists. Anyone who could tell me if something was wrong.
But every single time, they said the same thing.
"There's nothing wrong with you."
What the fuck does that even mean?
I swallowed my frustration like always and went back to work.
I'm already nearing my thirties. Twenty-seven years old to be exact. And I still don't have a stable life, let alone having the thought of getting married.
Am I doomed like this forever?
God… sometimes I wish this entire place would just get hit by a nuclear bomb or something.
The moment that thought crossed my mind—
The ground shook.
The building trembled violently.
"An earthquake?!" I panicked and ducked under my desk, covering my head.
Then—
The floor cracked.
No.
It collapsed.
The ground gave way beneath us, and everyone started falling. Desks, chairs, people—
Including me.
"What the hellllll?!"
Why does this day have to start so fucking shitty?!
We kept falling.
Falling endlessly into darkness.
At some point, I stopped screaming. I just… accepted it.
This is it. I'm going to die.
I braced myself, waiting for the impact to crush every bone in my body—
But suddenly—
The scenery changed.
It was like reality glitched.
One second we were plunging into a bottomless abyss, and the next, everything shifted. The darkness shattered like glass, and we were no longer that high above the ground.
We dropped.
But this time, it was only a short fall.
Thud!
I hit the ground hard, but not hard enough to die. Pain shot up my legs, but nothing felt broken.
I quickly checked myself.
Still alive.
Around me, my coworkers groaned and pushed themselves up from the dirt. Even my boss was on his knees, panting, touching his arms and face as if confirming he was still in one piece.
Relief washed over everyone.
Then I looked around.
My stomach dropped again.
We were in a forest.
A gloomy, suffocating forest. The trees were tall and twisted, their branches tangling together and blocking most of the light. The air felt damp and heavy, like it hadn't been disturbed in centuries while a faint, rotten smell lingered around us.
This wasn't normal.
"Oh no…!" one woman suddenly screamed.
"Did we get sucked into a Gate?!"
Silence fell.
Then panic exploded.
Newly opened Gates sometimes do that. They swallow everything in their surroundings before stabilizing. It may either be buildings, cars, or people.
And I think that's exactly what happened.
A Gate must have opened right inside our company building.
Which means—
We're inside a dungeon.
The realization spread across everyone's faces.
"What level is this dungeon?!"
"What if it's high-ranked?!"
"There's no awakened among us! What happens if monsters show up?!"
"How long will it take for Hunters to find and save us?!"
"What are we supposed to do?!"
People started shouting over each other, voices cracking with fear. Some were already crying.
It was the first time I'd ever seen them like this.
Their usual smug expressions were gone. The arrogance and their condescending looks were no longer found.
Now they just looked… human.
Terrified humans.
A few people suddenly bolted, running blindly between the trees.
"We have to find an exit!"
"Standing here is suicide!"
Branches snapped as they disappeared deeper into the forest.
I stayed.
Running blindly felt like the fastest way to get lost or die alone. At least if I stayed with a group, our chances might be slightly better.
A handful of others made the same choice. We huddled together, glancing nervously at the dark spaces between the trees.
Minutes passed.
The forest was too quiet.
And that silence was worse than any noise.
Then—
I saw movement.
Someone was running toward us.
It was my boss.
His face was pale. Sweating and had a face twisted in pure horror.
"Get out of my way!" he screamed, shoving one of my coworkers aside as he sprinted past us.
"What happened?!" someone shouted.
But then I saw it.
Behind him.
A horde of wolf-like monsters burst through the trees.
They were huge, at least twice the size of normal wolves. Their fur was dark and matted. Their eyes glowed an unnatural red. Saliva dripped from their jaws and strings of it swinging as they ran towards.
There were so many of them.
The ground trembled under their paws.
"That brainless bastard…!" I hissed.
He didn't just run back.
He led them straight to us.
And now—
We were completely screwed.