Ch 175.

  Stepping into the dungeon, Matt instantly recognized that this place was unlike anything he had ever encountered before. Rather than finding himself in a dimly lit cave or some familiar subterranean lair, he was greeted by an expansive white void that stretched endlessly around him. The only discernible features were the exit behind him and a solitary door shimmering faintly in the distance. As he took in his surroundings, a system message flickered to life before him.

  Notice: You have entered an unconfigured world dungeon. Each door you open will take you to the next level of the dungeon. Leaving through any door that you enter will return you to the exit, and when you return, the first door you open will take you to the last floor you were on. Rewards will be given to those who pass through the most doors once the dungeon is configured.

  Warning: The dungeon is currently raging, and more monsters than normal will spawn.

  Matt felt a wave of uncertainty wash over him; he wasn’t entirely convinced that all crucial information had been conveyed in those two messages. He walked cautiously toward the door, surprised by the eerie calmness—no monsters lunged at him from the void. Yet, as he reached for the handle, another message popped up, causing him to hesitate.

  Notice: Level 1 floor is beyond this door.

  Warning: If you enter alone, you will not be able to form a party at a later date.

  Warning: Forming a party will increase the number of monsters, and only one party can be formed. Missing members will not reduce the difficulty of future floors.

  Matt couldn’t determine whether his puppets would qualify as a party for him. Even if they didn’t, the knowledge that going solo would reduce the number of monsters made him think they might not be necessary. Besides, he could always attempt to enter with them later to see if the system recognized them as extensions of himself. With that in mind, he instructed both of his puppets to step back before he opened the door. As he did so, he was met with an expanse of pure darkness, yet he stepped through without a moment’s hesitation. Suddenly, he found himself standing in the middle of an open plain, where knee-high grass swayed gently in a nonexistent breeze, stretching endlessly to the horizon. In the distance, about a mile away, another door beckoned him, but his thoughts were interrupted by a system message flashing before his eyes.

  Welcome to the level 1 floor. Notice: The floor is raging and will continue to spawn monsters endlessly until someone reaches the door to the level 2 floor.

  As soon as the message faded, Matt noticed a group of five rabbits, each sporting one-inch horns, bounding toward him with surprising speed. Dismissing their presence, he broke into a run towards the door, knowing that they offered no value if he killed them. This decision led to a growing horde of approximately 100 rabbits chasing after him, their tiny legs flailing as they tried to keep up. Matt maintained a pace just fast enough to stay ahead of them, aware that he would need to repeat this strategy for at least 37 floors, as that was the soonest he could hope to encounter anything worth gaining experience points from.

  As Matt opened the door, he was met with yet another void, but without hesitation, he stepped forward. The familiar system notifications blinked into existence, mirroring those from the previous floor, and soon he found himself standing on a grassy plain that felt almost like déjà vu. This cycle continued for twenty-five more floors, each revealing landscapes that ranged from lush grassy fields to dense forests and arid deserts, each with its own unique climate. As he traversed these varied terrains, fatigue began to creep in, pushing him closer to his physical limits.

  Upon reaching the level 27 floor, he was greeted by a blistering volcanic environment, the air thick with heat and the scent of sulfur. Recognizing the danger and weariness settling into his bones, Matt made the prudent choice to retreat. He turned around and stepped back through the door, finding himself once again in the stark white void, where the true exit and the first door awaited him.

  Taking a moment to catch his breath, he weighed the option of diving back into the dungeon immediately. However, after some contemplation, he decided against it. He realized that while he could certainly return after a brief rest, this would entail exiting each time he reached a new floor. With each level becoming progressively more challenging and the exit not always visible from the onset, the risks associated with his strategy began to outweigh the potential rewards.

  As he made his way out of the dungeon, he found his puppets still engaged in battle, fending off any monsters that dared to emerge. A grin spread across his face as he noticed one of them nearly lunge at him, a reminder of their relentless nature. Yet, he dismissed the thought of how to prevent such mishaps in the future; he didn’t perceive his puppets attacking him collectively as a genuine threat. So, with little concern, Matt settled down and succumbed to exhaustion, allowing his mind to drift back into the collective consciousness of his being.

  Awakening with fresh insights from his puppets, Matt had to remind himself once again that only a short time had elapsed since he first entered the dungeon. However, there was a glimmer of hope: his puppet engaged in a struggle for dominance with the giant octopus had stumbled upon a rudimentary method of communication. Although their attempts were still clumsy, primarily consisting of vague images that conveyed where each wanted to move, it represented a step forward. If this primitive form of interaction could evolve—much like how Bob had learned to understand human speech and convey thoughts directly into Matt’s mind—it might eventually blossom into something far more sophisticated.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  This line of thought led Matt to consider the version of himself that was currently with the owl-man, who continued to observe the broader universe while keeping a low profile. All Matt was aware of was the widespread fighting erupting across territories governed by the Interstellar Administration, and he had inadvertently sown more chaos than he had anticipated. This realization brought no satisfaction; while it allowed his concealed allies to remain hidden, it came at the cost of countless lives caught in the turmoil.

  Shaking off these heavy thoughts, Matt steeled himself and plunged back into the dungeon, resuming his sprint with renewed determination. He pushed through to the level 38 floor, and for the first time, he was greeted by a notification devoid of the usual warning about the floor being in a state of rage. It was also the inaugural floor where defeating any creature would grant him experience, albeit just a single point. Yet, it was the subsequent message that truly took him by surprise:

  Congratulations on ending the raging condition in a dungeon. Awarding 100 personal merit points. Awarding 100 reputation to your organization.

  Matt grinned at the notification, finding it a welcome sight amidst the chaos. He quickly dismissed it, eager to assess his surroundings. The level 38 floor bore a striking resemblance to the instance dungeon they had cleared to establish Scattered Stars; it was a vast cave blanketed in shimmering ice, its walls glistening under an ethereal light. However, that was where the similarities ended. Matt could see clearly that all he needed to do was sprint straight ahead to reach the next door.

  In some respects, he found the dungeon rather underwhelming, as it felt like merely a gauntlet of monsters he had to battle through to advance. Yet, this realization brought a smile to his face; the ease of returning to the entrance was a significant advantage, making the prospect of essentially living in the dungeon much more palatable.

  That said, Matt had no intention of lingering on floors where experience points were scarce. Instead, he planned to shake off a bit of rust on each level until he encountered monsters that truly tested his skills. Only then would he consider progressing, waiting until the fights became too effortless. His mind flickered with concern as he thought about facing B-ranked monsters at level 65; after all, he was still gearing up to take them on while remaining in C rank. With that thought in mind, Matt shifted his focus once again, slowing his pace and settling into a steady rhythm as he engaged the creatures that dared to stand in his way.

  In another part of the world, Matt’s sole surviving puppet from before their return to Earth had finally reached its destination. Without the updates it received during each sleep cycle from Matt’s true mind, it would have struggled to navigate effectively through the unfamiliar terrain. However, thanks to this connection, it successfully arrived at the location where Matt’s mother’s home had ultimately ended up.

  As it moved forward, the puppet observed that the inhabitants of the area had established a careful perimeter around the cluster of a dozen suburban blocks that had been transported together. The sight of makeshift barricades and watchful figures made approaching them from the front less than ideal; Matt’s puppet was certain that those stationed there possessed some form of identification skill. The problem was that if anyone looked too closely, Matt’s puppet would be easily recognized, as its stats were far too low for the level that would be displayed. Nevertheless, determination coursed through the puppet’s movements; Matt was resolute in his goal to at least make contact with his mother and uncover the reasons behind her not joining Scattered Stars.

  With that singular purpose in mind, Matt's puppet bided its time until the cloak of night enveloped the world, and only then did it venture towards the fence crafted from the remnants of the backyard barriers that once surrounded individual homes. Scaling the makeshift barrier proved relatively easy, even with the trench they had dug just in front of it. However, annoyance flared within the puppet when it landed on the other side and accidentally triggered a cascade of cans strung together like a makeshift alarm system. It was a rudimentary trap, yet Matt’s puppet had been caught completely off guard, the clatter echoing through the stillness of the night. Reacting swiftly, it ducked behind a nearby bush, heart racing as shouts erupted in the air, signaling that added security measures had indeed been implemented.

  Despite the sudden surge of tension, as Matt’s puppet started to move through the neighborhood it felt a sense of confidence; even with only half of Matt's original stats, it still possessed strength far beyond that of an ordinary being. Nevertheless, it remained cautious, moving stealthily towards the familiar silhouette of Matt’s childhood home. Each step felt like a journey through a nostalgic dream, traversing streets that were both comforting and foreign, memories interwoven with the passage of time. Just a hundred feet away from its destination, the puppet's careful approach faltered when it unexpectedly collided with someone, its cover blown in an instant.

  “Matt!?” Turning, Matt’s puppet spotted Maya, the daughter of his neighbor. Instead of the teenager he remembered, who was just beginning to come into her own, he now faced a clearly grown woman.

  “Oh my god, it is you!” Maya exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief as she rushed forward and enveloped him in a tight embrace. “When did you get here? How did you get here?”

  Matt’s puppet froze, caught off guard by the unexpected affection. It had nearly reacted defensively when she charged at him, but the lantern she dropped in her excitement clattered to the ground, breaking the tension. Realizing it needed to tread carefully with its words, the puppet took a breath before responding to her barrage of questions.

  “Maya, I’m just here to check on my mom and don’t plan to stay long. As for how I found you all, it wasn’t easy, but the world isn’t quite as shuffled as it might seem. If you head about fifty miles northwest of here, you’ll come across the high school along with the neighborhoods that used to surround it.”

  “Why didn’t you use the front gate then? It was you who set off the alarm, right?” Maya asked, a hint of accusation in her tone.

  “I don’t plan to stay and didn’t want anyone to know I had been here,” the puppet replied, its voice steady despite the circumstances.

  “Why?”

  “Could we talk somewhere private? Preferably at my mom’s house so I can check on her at the same time.”

  “I’m not sure if she wants to talk to you,” Maya warned, her expression shifting to one of concern. “She has only become angrier since the integration. She really blames you for running off to the mountains and not being around to help her and your dad. She thinks that if you had been there, he would have been present for the integration and would have grown younger like she did.”

  “Younger?” Matt’s puppet echoed, confusion knitting its brow.

  “Yeah, haven’t you heard? Everyone who was over forty doesn’t look their age anymore.”