Three Days Before the Dungeon Appeared…
I stared at the mountain of reports on my desk, fingers tapping the side of a half-empty coffee mug. It was well past midnight, but the hum of the vending machine and the buzzing fluorescent lights made it feel like the world was still wide awake.
"Officer Jinno, you're still here?" one of the rookies asked, poking his head in.
I didn't even look up. "These reports won't file themselves. Go home, rookie."
He gave a sheepish smile and disappeared. I sighed, finally leaning back in my chair. My shoulders were sore from hours of typing, my sidearm felt heavy against my waist, and my brain? Full of static.
I wasn't supposed to be here still—hell, I wasn't supposed to still be in the force.
"Twenty-four years old, no partner, no promotion, no life."
I shook the thought off. It wasn't self-pity. Just a fact. I chose this path.
My parents were both career officers. My mother made it to captain. My father died in the line of duty before I hit high school. The badge wasn't just a job. It was legacy. Duty. A promise I made as a little girl in a black uniform at her father's funeral.
"I'll protect the weak. I'll be stronger than fear."
That line echoed in my head every time I pulled on the blue.
But lately… I wasn't sure I was doing much protecting.
Crime was getting weirder. Reports of missing pets, strange sightings at night, weird symbols drawn on walls. I thought it was kids pulling pranks or some viral challenge.
Then came the noise complaints. Descriptions of weird hums, pulses of energy, strange lights in places where nothing should've been.
It all started… three days ago.
Two Days Ago – Night Shift
"You're not gonna believe this, Misaki," said Officer Hirata, handing me a blurry photo.
I squinted. "What the hell is that? A building?"
"No building like this exists on the registry. It's in the middle of an abandoned lot. Locals say it appeared overnight."
I frowned. The structure was… ominous. Black stone, sharp spires. It looked like something out of a fantasy novel.
"You check for illusions? Projections?"
"Already done. The structure's real. Physical. Cameras can't see through the doors. But—get this—radiation detectors spiked when we got near. Nothing deadly, but abnormal."
That was the moment the itch started. That sixth sense that tells a cop something doesn't add up.
"And when that itch starts, I scratch it."
Yesterday – Investigation
I requested a closer look. Brought in a few trusted officers.
We couldn't get in. We couldn't even touch it. It was like the air around it pushed us back. Equipment malfunctioned. GPS scrambled.
"What is this thing? A terrorist installation? Some top-secret military experiment?"
I tried calling a friend in the JSDF. He dodged my questions.
"Classified," he said. Bullshit.
That night, I had a dream.
A voice—clear as glass, but genderless—whispering:
"The Balance is Broken."
I woke up drenched in sweat.
Present Day – Dungeon Site
And now… here I was. On the front lines. The structure had become public knowledge. The military arrived, like clockwork, and pushed the cops back.
I wasn't having it.
"You're jeopardizing public safety by treating this like a warzone," I told the commander.
"You're overstepping your rank," he barked back. "Officer Jinno, this is no longer your jurisdiction."
"Then tell me what this is! Because right now, I've got dozens of civilians gathering just to stare at it—and no one knows if it's going to explode, melt us, or open a goddamn hellgate!"
He didn't answer. Just turned away.
"Coward."
And then… everything changed.
A screen appeared before my eyes—clear as a touchscreen, floating in midair.
I blinked, staring at the glowing blue text.
[WORLD SYSTEM MESSAGE]
Time Until First Event: 00:59:34
"What…?" I whispered.
I heard screams. Not of fear. Confusion. Everyone had one. The military, the civilians, the press, even the street kids on bikes nearby.
I stared down at the message, trying to make sense of it, but it felt like the world had tilted.
And then I heard it:
"LOOK OUT!!"
That voice—loud, desperate.
I turned and saw it.
A beast, half-wolf, half-man, with a rusted axe bigger than my body, charging right at me.
"No time to think."
I threw my shoulder into the old general and rolled just as the axe slammed into the pavement behind me with a brutal clang.
The monster snarled. My hand moved on instinct, drawing my gun. I fired three shots. One hit its shoulder. It didn't even flinch.
"Shit—what is this thing?!"
Panic. Screams. Chaos.
"Stay calm. Control the scene."
I stood, eyes locked on the creature.
And I heard that voice again.
The same voice from my dream.
"The Balance is Broken."
To be continue…