"Survive... I can do this..."
Izuku's heart thudded like a war drum, each beat echoing in his ears as his feet sank into the treacherous sand. The desert seemed alive, pulling him down with every desperate step as if it craved his surrender. Sweat streamed down his face, stinging his eyes, mixing with the grit that clung to his skin like a second, suffocating layer.
The dunes stretched endlessly, a golden wasteland shimmering under the merciless glare of the sun. No landmarks, no shade—just an infinite expanse of despair. Behind him, something ancient and malevolent closed in, its presence a weight pressing on his very soul.
SCREEEEEEEECH!
The sound tore through the air, a metallic scream so piercing it felt like knives slicing through his brain. Izuku flinched, his instincts warring with his terror. Against his better judgment, he glanced over his shoulder.
His breath caught. "No... no, no, no..."
It was worse than he imagined. The centipede loomed, its monstrous form undulating with an unnatural elegance. Its segmented body glowed like molten metal, each joint reflecting the sun in blinding flashes. Hundreds of legs moved in flawless unison, a nightmare of precision and speed. Its mandibles clicked, dripping with a yellow ichor that hissed and bubbled as it burned the sand black where it fell. The air seemed to grow heavier, fouler, with every step it took.
Izuku snapped his head forward, panic surging through him. His eyes darted frantically over the dunes. A rock, a crevice, a shadow—anything. But there was nothing. Just endless sand and the promise of death.
"Think, Izuku!" he gasped, his voice barely audible over his ragged breaths. "There has to be... something..."
A sharp, searing pain stabbed into his side, stealing his breath. His stride faltered, his rhythm broken. His right foot plunged into a soft patch of sand, and he stumbled forward, arms flailing.
Behind him, the air shifted a cold, predatory warning.
"No—!"
The centipede struck. A razor-sharp claw slashed across his back, not deep enough to kill but enough to tear flesh. Warm blood soaked his shredded shirt, the coppery scent mixing with the acrid tang of fear. The pain came a heartbeat later, white-hot and electric, almost blinding in its intensity.
Izuku choked back a scream, his body moving on sheer instinct. "Keep moving... keep moving..." he whispered, his voice trembling but resolute. He clawed his way up the next dune, his fingers digging into the loose, shifting sand. Each grain felt like fire against the fresh wound on his back, grinding into the raw flesh with every movement.
"SCREEEEEEEECH!"
The centipede's cry was closer now, too close. The sound reverberated through the dunes, a promise of inevitable doom. Desperation clawed at Izuku's chest as he reached the crest of the dune. There was no time to think, no time to plan. He hurled himself forward, letting gravity take him.
"Come on!" he shouted, his voice cracking.
He slid down the slope, sand pouring into his clothes, his ears, and his mouth. As he gained speed, the world became a blur of gold and grit. Behind him, the centipede crested the dune, its massive body silhouetted against the blazing sky. For a moment, it seemed to hang there, a grotesque monument to terror, before it surged after him, its weight sending an avalanche of sand tumbling in its wake.
Izuku hit the base of the dune hard, the impact jarring his already battered body. He scrambled to his feet, his lungs screaming for air, his back slick with blood. The centipede was relentless, closing the distance with terrifying speed.
"I won't die again," he growled through clenched teeth, his voice raw with defiance. "I can't."
As if mocking his determination, the desert shifted beneath him. The sand rippled and churned, alive with malice, threatening to swallow him whole. The centipede screeched once more, its cry a harbinger of the horrors yet to come.
(Notification)
[Penalty Quest: Survive!]
• Objectives: Survive until the timer runs out. Required time: 4 Hours; Time remaining: 7 Seconds
Izuku stared at the notification panel floating before him, its blue light casting an eerie glow across his sand-caked face. His cracked lips parted as he read the words again.
"Okay... 7 seconds left," he whispered, voice trembling with a mixture of disbelief and desperate hope. Just seven more seconds and this nightmare would end.
"CLICK... CLICK... CLICK."
The sound cut through the desert air like a knife—deliberate and methodical. Izuku's blood turned to ice in his veins as he slowly turned around.
There it was—the centipede, now eerily motionless except for its mandibles that clicked together with mechanical precision. Its segmented copper body glistened with an oily sheen under the harsh sun, casting a monstrous shadow across the sand. Dozens of milky, pupilless eyes fixed on him with predatory intelligence, tracking his every shallow breath.
"Are you kidding me?" Izuku muttered, heart hammering so violently he could feel it in his throat. After hours of relentless pursuit, the creature had chosen these final moments to toy with him, to savor his fear.
5... 4...
The countdown pulsed in his vision, each number seeming to take an eternity to change. Sweat dripped from his chin, cutting clean lines through the grime on his face.
Panic surged through him, primal and overwhelming. "Am I really going to die!" The words escaped as a ragged shout, torn from somewhere deep within his chest.
3... 2...
The centipede's body coiled suddenly, its front segments rising high above the sand. Its mandibles spread wide, revealing rows of needle-like teeth arranged in concentric circles, dripping with the same black ichor that had scorched the desert floor. At that moment, Izuku saw his reflection fragmented across dozens of gleaming eyes—a small, broken figure alone in an indifferent hell.
The creature lunged forward, its grotesque form closing the distance in a blur of chitin and malice. The air displaced by its massive body created a whistling sound, the last thing Izuku would hear.
His muscles locked, body betraying him when he needed it most. Izuku froze, paralyzed by a fear so pure it transcended rational thought. He shut his eyes tightly, bracing for the agony of being torn apart.
1...
Heat and fetid breath washed over him. He could feel the creature's presence, could sense the imminent tearing of flesh—
(Notification)
[You've completed the Penalty Quest.]
A sudden burst of light engulfed him, blinding and pure white, starkly contrasting with the endless hours spent under the brutal desert sun. The terrifying presence of the centipede disappeared as though it had never existed, taking with it the suffocating heat and the gritty sensation of sand clinging to his skin.
When Izuku finally summoned the courage to open his eyes, he returned to his hospital room. The sterile white walls and the sharp tang of antiseptic were jarringly ordinary compared to the nightmare he had just escaped. The steady beeping of monitors echoed beside him, tracking a heartbeat that was anything but steady. His chest rose and fell heavily as he struggled to catch his breath, the cool air-conditioned breeze brushing against the damp fabric of his sweat-soaked hospital gown.
A soft chime interrupted his disoriented thoughts.
[Notification]
[Your Penalty Quest rewards have arrived.]
[Check your rewards now?]
[Yes/No]
Izuku's gaze flicked up to the glowing panel. "Ye—" The word barely left his lips before his vision blurred, and he collapsed into unconsciousness.
Izuku's narration.
It has been four days since I woke up, and during this time, I've discovered several important things. First, the panels I see in front of me are not illusions—they are real and interactive. Second, completing the daily quests presents me with three reward options: Rejuvenation, Bonus Stats 3, and a Random Box. I usually choose Rejuvenation because the daily quests leave me physically drained.
However, the other options are quite valuable too. Choosing Bonus Stats allows me to increase my strength, agility, or other attributes, while the Random Box contains unpredictable items that could be useful. I can allocate the stat points I earn through the "Status Screen" into specific areas I want to improve, such as strength, speed, or intelligence. The more points I invest, the more powerful I become.
This system also includes features like stat points, unique skills, an item inventory, and item storage. It feels as though I've been thrust into a real-life video game, and I'm certain that as I continue to level up and unlock new abilities, I'll become even stronger. But I can't get the unselling feeling that there are some strange forces to the work here.
[Player status]
Name: Izuku Midoriya.
Level: 1
Class: None
Title: None
Fatigue: 0
HP: 100
MP: 0
Strength: 19
Dexterity: 10
Perception: 10
Vitality: 10
Intelligence: 35
Scene Change. Hapjeong subway station.
Izuku stood at the entrance of Hapjeong subway station, shoulders hunched against the evening chill. The fluorescent lights overhead cast harsh shadows across his face as commuters brushed past him, each locked in their world of mundane concerns. He glanced around furtively before slipping his hand into his pocket.
With a thought, he summoned the green key into his palm. Its surface gleamed with an otherworldly luster that seemed out of place among the concrete and steel of the station. Examining it closely, Izuku traced his finger along its unusually ornate teeth.
"It's time to figure out what this thing does," he murmured to himself. "Those random boxes appear every time I complete a daily quest. Usually, they drop useless crap like bandages and pens, but..." He turned the key over, watching how it caught the light. "I get a feeling this one's different."
As if responding to his scrutiny, a translucent panel materialized before his eyes:
[Item: Dungeon Key]
Rarity: E
Category: Key
A key to an Instant dungeon. Use at exit 3 of Hapjeong subway station.
Izuku's breath hitched. "A key to an Instant Dungeon, huh?" The words felt strange as if they didn't quite belong to him—both alien and oddly familiar. His gaze flicked toward the sign for Exit 3, his pulse quickening.
"Quests, stats, rewards... is my life turning into some sort of game?" he murmured, trying to steady his racing thoughts. "Could this be a sign of a second awakening? Or maybe just a step toward it?" The questions swirled in his mind, feeding his unease.
His grip on the key tightened, its sharp edges digging into his palm. The discomfort was grounding, a tangible reminder that this was real.
"If that's the case, it's worth the risk." He inhaled deeply and began moving toward Exit 3, weaving through the bustling evening crowd. The unknown that lay ahead tugged at him, quickening his pace despite the apprehension curling in his stomach.
"Imagine the world's weakest hunter getting reawakened..." A bitter smile tugged at his lips. "Yeah, I'm sure everyone would laugh at that."
When he arrived at Exit 3, it looked like any other nondescript corridor in the station. Nothing about it stood out, and no one else seemed to notice anything unusual. Izuku hesitated memories of his last encounter with the supernatural flashing vividly in his mind.
"If things get as bad as last time, I'm out," he muttered to himself. "If there's one thing I'm good at, it's running away."
Scanning his surroundings to ensure no one was watching, Izuku slowly extended his arm. The key hovered in what seemed like empty air—until he felt resistance. His breath caught again. An invisible keyhole had been waiting for him all along.
He turned the key.
The faint click was barely audible, but the reaction was immediate. A thin seam of golden light split the air, widening into a door-sized portal. The light swirled and condensed into a shimmering blue gateway, pulsating with an energy that seemed to hum in tune with his very heartbeat. It appeared right in the station's entryway, impossible yet undeniable.
Izuku stared, transfixed, the key now warm in his hand. He stood at the edge of something incomprehensible, a threshold to a world he couldn't yet fathom. He stepped through the threshold and immediately felt a subtle shift in the air—heavier, charged with an energy he couldn't quite name. As soon as both feet crossed into this new space, a notification materialized before him, its blue glow casting eerie shadows across his face.
(Notification)
[You've entered an instant dungeon.]
The soft hum of the subway station behind him suddenly changed pitch. Izuku spun around just in time to see the shimmering gateway beginning to contract, its edges folding inward like a closing iris.
"No, wait!"
He lunged toward the entrance, fingers outstretched, but the portal sealed itself with a quiet hiss, leaving only solid air where the exit had been moments before. His palm met invisible resistance—not quite a wall, but an impenetrable boundary nonetheless.
"What the... Did that just seal the entrance?" Izuku pressed both hands against the invisible barrier, panic rising in his throat. His eyes widened as he noticed a businesswoman walking directly toward him—no, through him—passing through the space where Izuku stood as if he were a ghost and exiting through what appeared to be the normal subway exit from the female's perspective.
The realization hit him like a bucket of ice water. "I must be in an entirely different dimension..." He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. "My guess is this is like a red gate, although I've never seen one myself. This isn't like the other dungeons hunters talk about."
Izuku scratched his head on the left side in frustration, his fingers digging into his scalp. The familiar gesture did nothing to calm his mounting anxiety. The subway station around him appeared identical to the real one, yet subtly wrong—the lights a shade too blue, the shadows a touch too deep, the air carrying a metallic tang that hadn't been there before.
"Shit..." he muttered, pacing in a tight circle. "I was planning to haul ass if things went wrong... but now I can't even get away with the entry sealed!"
Almost in response to his frustration, another notification panel materialized before him, its message unambiguous:
(Notification)
[You cannot leave this dungeon unless you defeat the boss or use the teleportation stone.]
Izuku read the message twice, then a third time, hoping the words might somehow rearrange themselves into something less terrifying. They didn't.
"So, I'm basically stuck here unless I clear the dungeon," he whispered, his voice echoing strangely in the altered space.
He turned away from where the entrance had been and faced the subway tunnel that stretched before him. What had seemed like a normal passageway in the real world now extended into darkness far beyond what should have been possible, the tiles giving way to rough stone, the fluorescent lights fading into an oppressive gloom that swallowed everything beyond a certain point.
A sudden chill ran down his spine as he stared into that endless abyss stretching into nothingness. His hands shook slightly as he balled them into fists at his sides.
"I've gotta do this all by myself without a party?!" The words came out higher-pitched than he'd intended, broadcasting his fear to the empty station. He bit his lip, trying to regain composure. "Some 'reawakening' this is turning out to be..."
To be continued...