Karen didn't even flinch when I told her what happened.
"You scared off three rookie adventurers?" she said, arms crossed, one eyebrow slightly raised. "That's... unexpected."
I stood there, still a little proud of myself, waiting for the praise. Maybe a pat on the back. Maybe a glowing scroll of commendation. Something.
"They were total noobs though," she added, walking past me without ceremony. "Probably their first time in a real dungeon. I'm more impressed you didn't trip and stab yourself with your own spear."
Close enough to a compliment.
"Thanks," I muttered.
Jero, who stood at attention beside me, whispered with reverence, "Master's strategies transcend mortal comprehension."
Karen gave him a long, blank stare before sighing. "Anyway. You're alive. That's more than I expected. Keep it up and maybe you'll last longer than the last 'anomaly'."
I blinked. "Wait, the last what now—?"
But she was already walking off, humming an off-key dungeon march.
Trixia jumped onto my shoulder, flicking her tail against my face. "You're officially an anomaly now. Congrats. Want a medal?"
"Can I eat the medal?"
"Only if you want lead poisoning."
Back in my dim little cell, I collapsed on my makeshift bed and groaned.
"That was wild," I muttered, staring up at the moldy ceiling. "I bluffed my way through a raid party. With absolutely no plan. I'm going to die here, aren't I?"
"It's not death if it's character development," Trixia said, curling into a smug ball of fur.
I rolled onto my side, eyes scanning the semi-transparent System screen that hovered loyally in the air. Its icons pulsed like they were mocking me. Stats: abysmal. Skills: embarrassing. Title: Minion 001.
It was like being the protagonist of a tragic parody.
"This system hates me," I said.
"I'm sure it doesn't hate you personally," Trixia offered. "Probably just hates you professionally."
Then I noticed a tiny blinking icon at the bottom corner of the interface.
💬 [Need help? Contact Support!]
"…Wait. Was that always there?"
"Looks new," she said, peering over my shoulder.
"It's definitely a trap."
"Definitely."
I tapped it anyway.
The screen flickered.
🖥️ Connecting to System Support...👤 You are now speaking with: Agent MICKEY✨ [Status: Incredibly Busy and Slightly Over-Caffeinated]
A chat box opened up. The cursor blinked for a moment, and then—
Mickey:
Yo yo yo! Welcome, valued Minion! Having trouble dying efficiently?Wanna upgrade your "Scream While Being Stabbed" skill? 😎
I blinked. "…What."
Me:
Who… are you?
Mickey:
I'm Mickey, your assigned System Support Agent™!Here to answer questions, mock your life choices, and maybe help you out.(Depending on my mood.)
Trixia snorted. "You've got to be kidding me. Your support agent's a stand-up comedian."
Me:
Why is this system treating me like a joke?Is this supposed to be funny?
Mickey:
Depends. Are you laughing?
Me:
No.
Mickey:
Then yes. Definitely meant to be funny 😁
I could feel my jaw clench.
Me:
I didn't ask to be here. I didn't agree to any of this.Why am I the only human in this dungeon with access to the System? Why a minion? What's the point?
This time, Mickey didn't answer right away.
The blinking cursor paused.
Mickey:
…Oh. You're serious.
Me:
Dead serious.
Mickey:
Damn. Alright. Dropping the jokes for a sec.
Mickey:
You're not supposed to be here. You're a glitch.A beautiful, chaotic, fascinating error in the code.But someone upstairs decided to let you stay.
I swallowed hard.
Me:
"Upstairs" like… gods? Admins?
Mickey:
Can't say. Big protocols. Big redacted stuff.What I can tell you is this:
The chat window reshaped itself. Text scrolled slowly.
Mickey:
If you want answers—real answers.If you want even the possibility of going back to your world…You'll need to climb.
My heart stuttered.
Climb?
Me:
You mean like—get stronger?
Mickey:
Progress. Fight. Level. Complete missions.Survive the Dungeon. Rise through the ranks.Do that… and the gate might open.
I sat up slowly. The stone beneath me felt colder than before.
A way back?
After everything… there was a way?
Trixia looked up at me, frowning. "Don't get your hopes up too fast."
"I'm not," I whispered. "But even a sliver of a chance is more than I had yesterday."
Me:
And what's the catch?
Mickey:
You'll have to get your hands dirty.Real dirty.Most of the Dungeon's enemies… are human.
I stared at the screen.
Me:
So if I want to go home, I have to kill humans?
Mickey:
If you want to rise, you'll need to kill threats.And threats tend to wear shiny armor and scream about justice.
Me:
I won't kill unless I have no other choice.I won't become a monster.
Mickey:
Noted.I'll escalate that to my Team Leader.They like dramatic declarations of morality.
"Wait," I muttered aloud. "Escalate what? Who's even watching me?". Even without typing it, Mickey reply to me:
Mickey:
Let's just say… your case got some attention.From very high up.If you want in… you have to commit.
The screen blinked. A new notification appeared.
⚔️ Campaign Available: "To the Top"Progress through dungeon ranks. Complete assignments. Defy death.Glory, power, answers… and maybe a ticket home.Do you accept the challenge?
At the bottom: a glowing button that pulsed like a heartbeat.
[ACCEPT]
I turned to Trixia.
"You don't have to do this," she said softly. "We can stay quiet. Hide. Keep surviving."
"I've been hiding my whole life," I said. "I think… I think I want to do more than survive."
She nodded. "Then I'm with you."
I reached out and pressed the button.
🎉 Campaign accepted. Welcome to "To the Top."🔄 Updating character sheet…
The interface pulsed, then began shifting.
My stats. My class. My everything.
A line of glowing code hovered at the center of my vision.
"Commitment accepted. Progress acknowledged."
And beneath it, in bold:
Updating character sheet...