Pain.
That's all I felt when I opened my eyes.
My body ached like hell. Every breath reminded me of yesterday—the fists, the boots, the broken dream turned to ash.
I didn't even know how I got home. I must've stumbled in like a ghost. My face was sticky from dried tears. My clothes were torn. My knuckles bruised.
I stared at the ceiling, too hollow to cry again.
What was the point?
The journal was gone. My life's work—years of drawings, systems, storylines, all destroyed. My one shot at escaping this world…
Snatched away.
By them.
By him.
Takeshi Kuroda. That smug bastard with his perfect life, fake smiles, and real hate.
"Why…? Why do I keep fighting?"
I muttered to the empty room.
I should've gone to school. But I couldn't face it.
Not after that.
Instead, I lay there. Eyes unfocused. The TV flickered in the background, playing some early morning news.
I wasn't paying attention—until a single word cut through the fog in my head:
"—massive structure appeared downtown—"
I sat up, wincing.
The news anchor's voice was shaking.
"Authorities are unsure what to make of the appearance. Witnesses say the building wasn't there the night before. Some are calling it a miracle. Others… a threat."
And then the image appeared on the screen.
I froze.
No way.
That gate. That obsidian. That symbol—the emblem of the Twin Goddesses.
It was…
"That's my dungeon."
I whispered.
The screen glitched for a second—and my phone buzzed in my lap.
At first I thought it was another text. Maybe more bullying. Another insult.
But no.
This wasn't a text.
It was… a system message.
A black screen with glowing silver letters.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]
Welcome, Creator.
World: Light and Darkness Clash – Loading into Reality…
Dungeon #001: Abyssal Shrine Emerged.
Cycle Begins Now.
My heart stopped.
I stared at the screen, not breathing.
"Wh… What is this?" I whispered.
Another message popped up.
You are recognized as the Original Architect.
Your knowledge is the key.
Your story is now the world's story.
I swallowed hard, hands trembling.
"Who… who are you?" I asked aloud. "What the hell is going on?"
No response.
Only silence.
Until one final message appeared.
[Head to the Dungeon.]
The world will never be the same again.
The screen faded to black.
I stared at my reflection in it.
The loser. The nobody. The outcast.
But now… maybe not.
My hands clenched.
They tried to burn my dream to the ground.
But it didn't die.
It became real.
And I was going to find out why.
Even if it killed me.