NOVEL WEB Chapter 1 - Dungeon System
"You are so useless, get out you're fired" screamed the store manager to the skinny youth working in his store who had tripped over and dropped the box he was carrying.
Lowering his head and grabbing his bag, he walked out of the store with a depressed and helpless expression.
He couldn't defend himself even if he wanted to as he knew that his body couldn't work like it used to be able to, after having abused his body through work and not eating enough.
That youth was Adam, as an orphan, he had lived with his aunt his whole life, but when his aunt became ill and didn't have anybody to pay for her medical bills, Adam left school at 15 and worked any job he could find.
It had now been 3 years and his Aunt was still in a vegetative state and was getting worse, yet Adam was still juggling between two low-paid jobs and was still barely capable of affording it.
His malnourished and skinny body was due to him only eating 2 meals a day of the cheapest can food he could find, as his rent and his aunt's medical bills used all his money.
He had long black hair which he couldn't afford to cut it at a hairdresser, so would cut it himself with scissors and was wearing a plain black top and black joggers and ripped shoes, which he had found in the trash.
Adam was extremely depressed and just wanted to give up, so he no longer had any burden or responsibility, but he wasn't willing to give up on his Aunt.
Although he called her his Aunt, she wasn't actually his Aunt and Adam's parents were unknown as she found him in an alleyway, crying as a baby.
She had no obligation to, but still worked hard and cared for the child until he was 15.
However, her body collapsed due to being overworked and living an unhealthy lifestyle.
"I didn't get this month's pay so I will either not be able to pay rent or my Aunt's medical bills," he mumbled to himself sorrowfully.
It was the end of the month and both his Aunt's medical bills and his rent was due.
He knew that he wouldn't be able to give up on his Aunt's medical bills, so knew that he would have to sleep on the streets tonight, as his landlady was very strict and unforgiving.
Staggering his fatigued body in the middle of the night, he knew it was dangerous, but he had no choice as night shift would pay more.
He rented a small room that only had a bed and a toilet in the whole room, and everything he owned was in the bag he carried everywhere.
At a nearby cash machine, he deposited all the money he had saved within his bag which was only 500 dollars.
It was just enough for him to pay for his Aunt's bills and the month's pay he should have received would have been used for food and rent.
Sending the 500 dollars he had in his account, he only had 20 dollars left which he was going to save for food for a few days.
He found a nearby dark, damp and stinky alleyway, where people would throw their trash and was tired and now homeless, as he couldn't afford rent, so decided that he would sleep there.
Walking into the alleyway he tightened his bag to his back, so that it couldn't be stolen without him being awoken, and he jumped into a pile of rubbish bags.
The smell didn't faze him, and he would only shower once a month in a public shower which he would pay a few dollars to get into anyway.
Adam's stomach was rumbling violently and he was extremely hungry, but he didn't have the money to eat.
His life was too depressing to think about and he just wanted to sleep and forget about everything that had happened to him.
As he closed his eyes, his fatigued body instantly fell into a deep sleep.
{Do you want to integrate with the Dungeon System} asked a voice within his mind.
"What the hell is going on" exclaimed Adam.
He felt as though he was standing in a dark space and he could see writing in front of him and could hear a voice around him.
"Didn't I go to sleep am I dreaming?" he said to himself, baffled by what was going on.
{Do you want to integrate with the Dungeon System} repeated the robotic voice.
"Well I don't know what is going on, or if I am dreaming, but I might as well say…. Yes", he mumbled to himself.
{You have now integrated with the Dungeon System and have become the temporary host} announced the voice.
As he heard this, he felt that his body was sucked into another space.
Opening his eyes, he looked around and found that he was stood in front of a large metal gate and looking behind him, he saw that it was a closed-off space.
Staring down the metal gate he could see an almost endless corridor behind it, made of stone.
{You are now at the Mortal dungeon and the deeper you go the more powerful the beasts become} announced to him the system.
"This is real. And wasn't I sleeping" he exclaimed, confused by what was going on as he pinches himself and realised he can feel pain.
{This is the dungeon realm that you will be transported from now onward from 10 pm to 10 am, which can be changed, but must be 12 hours} stated the voice.
Hearing the voice's words, he was surprised, but calming himself down, he knew that it could be a great opportunity to be able to do stuff in your sleep.
"So, what am I meant to do," he asked the Dungeon System.
{Dungeons are filled with different beasts at different LVLs and you can hunt them to gain EXP and Dungeon points}.
"EXP, Dungeon Points, what the hell is going on, is this a game" he exclaimed.
{Dungeon Points can be used to buy almost anything and EXP will increase your LVL}.
"So, I can buy anything I want with these Dungeon Points and I can LVL UP like a game" he mumbled to himself, digesting everything he was told.
{Yes, currently you are extremely weak, even compared to an average human, and will struggle, so as it is your first time you will be given three lives, but normally once you die here once, you return to your body} stated to him the system.
"Lives, if I die here, what the hell have I gotten myself into" he shrieked.