The Worlds Strongest LV1 Dungeon Monster

My name is Sasaki, nobody really calls me by my first name Yuuichirou, but then again, nobody really calls me by any name at all. Its probable that right now Im mere moments away from meeting my death. So before I die uselessly I may as well recount the events that led me to this point, to this blasted other world…

June 4th, The date I had marked as the final deadline had already arrived, glancing around the familiar abyss of my bedroom I let out an exasperated sigh. I could feel the uncomfortable pit fill my stomach as I made my way towards the hall.

”How many years has it been, since I left this place? ”

My parents had agreed to pay my expenses until I secured a Job, but that day never came, they stopped asking about it and eventually stopped contacting me all together, outside of the monthly cheques they send me I haven spoken with them in at least 2 years.

Before you say it, Im fully aware my existence is comparable to an unsightly pile of garbage, I know that much better than anyone else. But the alluring draw of the easy way out had always made the depths of my bedroom seem so much more comfortable then the dangers of the outside world.

But today that all changes, Today Yuuichirou Sasaki is going to leave his house and get a Job.

Leaving the comforting slothfulness of my Track suit and changing into the stiff and proper Suit was probably the point of no return, as the lingering doubts in my heart seemed to quickly and rapidly fade away.

For the first time in my life, as I stood in front of the threshold that hasn been crossed for Years, I felt a sense of resolve.

Im going to do this, my life starts here, this is the day Sasaki the loser becomes Sasaki the Human.

My nerves flared up more and more as the sun hit my skin properly, it was a nice enough day to venture out, the paper I had written the interview address on was gripped firmly in my left hand.

I was reminded of the outside world surprisingly quickly as I made my way down the stairs of my apartment complex towards the already busy street below. It felt somewhat natural to be among other people again, but honestly I still felt like a fish out of water.

If I could grant one wish right now, It would be that this hell could be undone, and that I could find myself back in that uncomfortably natural exhilirated state.

8:15 AM,

crossing over the road I came to pass through a small park area, no longer shielded by the natural cover of buildings I was met with the full glare of the sun I hadn seen in so long, rubbing my eyes I proceeded.

As my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw him.

Its not like there was anything unusual or out of place about him, but my eyes were drawn to him all the same.

A high school student, probably a few years younger than me, He looked perfectly normal and yet I couldn help but spot him out as an anomaly, almost as though he was the focal point of this world.

He was standing in the middle of the park, staring up at the sky, there was a look of concern on his face. Its true that the sun was brighter than usual, however I was confused as to why this boy was staring at it so intently, as though the sky was something strange. But that wasn the reason why he caught my eye so much, rather I realized he was looking at the sky because he himself stood out to me.

The following few seconds are a blur, as though my senses had been purged of the information.

There was a flash of light, brighter than any artificial or natural light it was an oppressive wall of piercing whiteness, enveloping everything in my vision, first my hearing blew out, then my sense of taste and smell, and finally as I saw the silhouettes of other people standing in that same light my eyes began to glaze over into nothingness.

Taking one last glance at the boy who stared at the sky, I was enveloped only by a feeling similar to that of falling, as the ground disappeared beneath me and I was flung into an abyssal darkness.

somewhere between a single moment and an eternity later I awoke to the sudden feeling of my feet on the ground, one by one my senses returned to me as I found myself standing on a large platform moving throughout what seemed to be a colossal ethereal tunnel.

I wasn alone, either. I counted at least 26 other people standing with me on that strange platform. It appeared that we were being brought somewhere, as we were moving at a rapid speed, although I didn feel even the bit of wind resistance against my face, and my feet were sturdy on the perfectly flat platform.

”Is everyone okay? ”

A voice rang out above the confused silence.

Various nods and affirmations were muttered as everyones attention turned to the centre of the platform.

I wasn particularly surprised to see that guy standing there, after all its natural for a protagonist like figure to take the initiative in these kinds of situations.

I half tried to respond but my throat caught on itself, who knows how long itd been since I spoke to another person after all. Childish as it may sound I was nervous about speaking, although surprisingly I didn seem to find myself particularly afraid or panicked about the situation I was in, a sentiment that seemed to be reflected in the blank faced confusion of almost everyone except him of course, who wore a serious and on guard expression.

”Where… are we? ”

Questioned a young womans voice from the far side of the platform.

”I don know… ”

Confessed the wordlessly elected leader.

”But we shouldn get complacent, I don know why but it appears our reactions have been pacified, Don just blindly accept whats happening right now, we may not be able to recognize it but this situation is dangerous and abnormal, everyone gather close to me, well probably be safer in a group. ”

[GLOBAL MESSAGE]

>SENDER: ADMIN

>RECIPIENT: ALL

[IT IS AS YOU SAY ! ! ! PLEASE STAND BY AND ENJOY THE TRIP FREE OF WORRY! WE WILL REMOVE YOUR EMOTIONAL INHIBITORS NOW THAT YOU HAVE GROUNDED YOURSELVES, THANK YOU.]

I felt a long delayed jolt of anxiety and confusion as a Blue patterned window appeared in my vision. as soon as my eyes had scanned the text it disappeared, paired with the same ringing sound it had created when it first materialized.

Judging by the reactions of everyone else and how they suddenly stepped into towards the Leader was proof enough that I wasn the only one to receive such a message.

”Hey, what was with that Message thing, what was that. ”

An older man around his mid forties spoke up.

”..MO. ”

”What was that? ”

”It looks like a server message window… like, um.. In an MMO. ”

I nervously stumbled out those words, it shocked me how unadjusted I was to basic conversations.

”Hes right. ”

Mr Protagonist corroborated with my theory

”In fact this window is… well the design is exactly like that game Cursed Dungeon Online. ”

”Thats right! I thought it had looked familiar. ”

The young woman from earlier let out a gasp.

”Hold on everybody, raise your hand if you play CDO? ”

Mr Protagonist ran his eyes across the small crowd gathered around him.

One by one everyone raised their hands, some after a slight hesitation others right away after realizing the room was generally filled with Players of that game. eventually everyone had raised their hands, well everyone except for me of course.

”W-what… kind of.. game is CDO? ”

I understood well enough what that question was implying, where he thought we were going.

”An MMORPG, looks like your the only one who ain got an account on it. ”

A rougher looking student with a near cartoonish pompadour replied to my question right as I finished asking it, the loudness of his voice caused me to hesitate slightly.

”Wait, you don mean to imply? ”

A bespectacled man around my age spoke up nervously.

”Cursed Dungeon Online… ”

Mr Protagonist turned to me, beginning his explanation.

”Its a game known for its experimental world design and brutal difficulty, its been active for about 3 years now and maintains a small but dedicated player base. ”

”…And you think? ”

I frowned. half in scepticism, half in nervousness.

”I think the world from that game, Mortidia is probably… where this thing is taking us. ”

Even he struggled to maintain composure as he mumbled out his conclusion.

”Hold up, ain that a bit presumptuous, look I ain doubting somethin weird is goin on right now but we can go jumpin to insane conclusions like that. Theres a limit to what Ill believe from the mouth of someone I jus met! ”

The Yankee styled student spoke up.

”Hes right thats a bit of a leap in Logic isn it? ”

The Older man turned critically toward the leader.

This is bad

I thought to myself

I don disagree that this is a leap in logic but we should avoid infighting at all costs.

”…Wait! ”

I yelled out as a few people started to speak out both for and against Mr Protagonists theory.

Everyone turned to me.

Crap, don seize up now you bastard

”L-Listen… I get that its a leap in logic but… This guy has the right idea I think… we are Obviously in uncharted ground here are f-far as reasoning goes… so lets just hear him out okay… H-he might have some information we haven figured out yet as a group. ”

My heart was pounding as I spoke probably more words than I had in 3 entire years in one go.

Mr Protagonist nodded at me, I think he also understood how important it was to maintain order, with our emotions back with us any small spark could lead to a huge divide in a high stress situation like this.

”Did anyone log into CDO today? ”

He asked.

”No ”

”Nah ”

”Nope it was pretty early ”

”Had school so nah ”

”I see, well. I didn really think anything of it but… when I logged in today there was an announcement for server maintenance at around 8AM today… the strange part is there was no end date and the reason given was just To open the gates to the new world. ”

The platform fell completely silent.

No one really needed to say anything, while it was nothing concrete, that in combination with the inherently strange scenario alongside the message window was more than enough to drive the point home.

It was easier to accept the more we looked at the bizarre surroundings. The deafening silence was interrupted by another chime.

[GLOBAL MESSAGE]

>SENDER: ADMIN

>RECIPIENT: ALL

[INDEED YOU ARE CORRECT MR. ”PENDRAGON ” WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF MORTIDIA. YOU HAVE PASSED THE SCREENING PROCESS, YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR THIS WORLDS PURPOSES, BY THE NAME OF THE KING… PLEASE SAVE US, THE HERO PENDRAGON]

”Pendragon..? ”

Someone mumbled.

”That is… my username in game… hes talking to me. ”

Pendragon gulped. before turning his head rapidly.

”YOU THERE! Stay close to me okay! You don know how this game works so stick with me and I can explain it- ”

[GLOBAL MESSAGE]

>SENDER: ADMIN

>RECIPIENT: ALL

[WORLD GATE CREATION COMPLETE, INITIATING INSTALLATION OF ”STATUS FUNCTION ” PLEASE STAND BY FOR INSTALLATION AND TELEPORTATION IN T-MINUS 50 seconds.]

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

System installation initiated

Location: Player ???

Progress: 2%

The percentage slowly began to rise as a sudden loud bang echoed throughout the tunnel, and the white misty walls began to morph into jet black storm clouds, harsh wind began to hit my face as the world began to spin.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

Progress: 17%

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

You may now access the [GUIDE] function

suddenly a flash of red struck across my vision causing me to stumble backwards, a red message popped up among the blue ones.

[ERROR]

Error Notice 777: [SYSTEM;rootInstallLEVELLER] cannot be launched, Player information invalid.

[ERROR]

Error Notice 465: [Function: Activate_System_Terminal] failed, Player information invalid.

Error messages began to flood my vision as I stumbled backwards, I could hear the muffled yelling of Pendragon over jolts of pain and constant ringing.

[ERROR]

Error Notice 2224: [GetWorldSpawnPlayer] failed, Player information invalid.

[ERROR]

Error Notice 05: Cannot connect player ”??? ” To [WORLD SYSTEM]

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

System installation initiated

Location: Player ???

Progress: 66% {FAILURE}

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

You can now use the function: [Skill On]

The pain stopped and my vision cleared, in front of me was an outstretched hand.

”HEY GRAB MY HAND THATS DANGE- ”

And then I fell, all my senses cut out, only the ringing of more Error messages blared in my mind as I fell into the abyss.

There was a flash of red light. And then Darkness again, but not empty darkness, like a void of nothing. A tangible darkness, the absence of a light source.

I could hear the sound of water, and a myriad of crawling and shifting noises. I tried to sit up, dragging my upright body of the ground and bending my right leg, but as I tried to move my left leg…

”AAAAAAGGGGH ”

It felt like thousands of small stone needles were tearing into my leg, I quickly dropped the attempt to move it causing myself to fall back on my back, facing toward the invisible ceiling. the pain subsided and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Okay, so lets gather what we know here, If Pendragon and those messages are to be believed, then Im in the world of a game right now? It certainly doesn feel like a game but… anyway where am I.

I patted myself down, my clothes were still intact, arms, torso all was in order, aside from my left leg, reached down I felt something strange, my left leg was there, but rather than lying on top of the rough stone ground it was…

I stifled a scream.

My leg was melded into the stone floor.

It mustve been one of those error messages, I thought to myself. Indeed I recalled seeing something about failing to get my world location or something, if thats true, along with the fact I fell off the platform its possible that…

I spawned somewhere random… and my leg clipped into the ground.

In that case I was surprisingly lucky, just a few meters in the wrong direction and I might have been trapped deep underground and suffocated to death. Compared to that possibility, this predicament was almost trivial, so I can curse my luck too much. but the question remains… How the hell was I supposed to get myself free.

I glanced around me, a futile effort as all I saw was endless darkness, aside from a dim blueish light from somewhere around a corner from where I was, it was total unrelenting darkness.

I patted my hands around rapidly until it fell on something, A loose stone.

It was smooth but well shaped into a long triangle. Placing it onto the edge of a hard bump in the ground beside me, I struck the stone along it, then again, and then a third time. I choked back tears.

My leg was stuck… melded into the ground, it had fused directly into the floor… in order to move…

”Damn it… some other way… come on. ”

I muttered to myself as I struck the rock again and again, slowly sharpening the smooth edge.

It wasn really the only way was it? I wasn really going to have to cut my own leg off in order to survive… was I?

I bit my lip until it bled. and steeled myself for the long and painful process that awaited me once this rock completed its transformation into a weapon.

after about 40 strikes something strange happened. The rock began to glow, and swell slightly, a bright light rang out from it.

Though I was curious about what was happening I didn miss my chance to glance rapidly around the room. I was in a cave for sure, there was only one passageway to my right where the blue glow from earlier was coming from, to my left front and side there are no passageways. Okay, useful information.

The blue light flared up one last time and then popped, into glowing shards, I stared quickly down at my leg, it seemed only from the top of the shin was submerged into the rock, okay it could be alot worse, now about that rock.

as the darkness returned I ran my finger along the rock and… Huh?

A