"NOOO!!!"
Sweat drenched him as he, lying there, suddenly jerked upright, gasping for breath. Once he realized it was all just a dream, he finally exhaled in relief, closing his eyes. "Oh, damn. It was just a nightmare."
At that moment, he felt nothing unusual. Perhaps it was because his consciousness hadn't fully returned, leaving him unable to clearly perceive his surroundings.
But all that relief didn't last long, as a voice interrupted him.
"My Lord, are you awake?"
He cast his gaze around. His shock deepened as he saw a tall, thin, dark brown creature, not a single thread covering its body.
Well, although the figure didn't have human organs, being confronted by such a creature right after waking up was still startling.
"Who are you?" Xander asked, almost leaping out of bed. But he ended up just pulling the blanket over himself, covering his entire body and face—a basic reflex when scared.
The creature, resembling a dried tree trunk before him, only tilted its head in confusion. "My Lord, did something happen while you were unconscious? You never forget me or anyone else here before."
"Forget you?" The young man paused, then looked around. Only then did he realize that the place looked unfamiliar to him.
At first glance, nothing seemed odd. The place even looked luxurious despite its dark tone. Yet it was still not somewhere he recognized. And unfamiliar places always carried something strange within them.
He released the blanket he had been clutching to hide. His fear faded, replaced by a dominating sense of curiosity. "Wait, wasn't I just fighting another player? We were in the annual Apocalypse Gate match, the International VR Tournament?"
Hurriedly, he rose from the bed, which he now noticed was also made entirely of luxurious, dark-toned material. Xander quickly glanced around, opening a few closet doors and checking other entrances.
"Nothing," he murmured softly.
The three-eyed creature standing there remained silent, observing its master's behavior. It opened its mouth as if to speak, but Xander had already walked to the window and pulled back the curtains.
Instead of calming down, Xander's shock intensified as he saw the world outside—completely chaotic. Literally. Trees, land, animals, and other objects floated in the air.
"Hey, where is everyone? Is this part of the ongoing Tournament? But why am I in the Chaos Dungeon? Did they set rules to make players compete separately?"
Xander didn't care where he was. As far as he knew, he had passed through this place 117 times during successful completions of the game. He knew this area inside out, even if its positions sometimes shifted.
Yet he should not have been here now. The International VR Tournament route, held in the past few days, had a new map. There was no way it should have brought him here. So what had really happened?
"System," Xander called out.
He already felt uneasy but tried to ignore it, attempting to calm his thoughts. "Relax, Xander. Maybe you're just dreaming. Even if this is real, it must be a glitch in the game system caused by too many players using it. That might have put me here. But it shouldn't last long. I need to calm down."
Soon after, a transparent red square materialized in front of him. Xander grew even more nervous, focusing intently on the glowing object that hadn't displayed a single word yet.
"Show my status," Xander commanded. Already, he felt something strange. Normally, calling the 'system' would immediately display his personal status.
And indeed, his concern became reality as texts began appearing before him.
[Identifying...]
[Congratulations! Your new character has been successfully identified!]
[Please wait a moment, this will take some time.]
"New character?" Xander murmured.
At this point, he could no longer think positively. Identifying a new character meant only two possibilities. First, he had accidentally logged out of the game. But that was impossible—if he had logged out, he wouldn't be inside the dungeon.
Second, Xander had accidentally entered a new game. But that was also impossible because he clearly recognized this place: the castle, the atmosphere, even the monsters had greeted him upon waking.
Was it even possible for two different games to have such identical elements? Even if made by the same company?
[Name: Xylander Cascade]
[Race: Chimera Demon]
[Class: Chaos Dungeon Lord]
[Level: 350]
[HP: 782,910] [CP (chaos point): 678,991]
[EXP: 0/93,750] [STR: 631,004] [AGI: 557,109] [DEX: 559,321]
[VIT: 440,079] [INT: 667,020] [LUK: 75]
[Basic Skills: Locked Display (70 registered)]
[Advanced Skills: Locked Display (55 registered)]
[Unique Skills: Unlocked (3)]
[Chaos Hand (Low Level):
Generates black-purple energy hands from the ground or air to attack or restrain enemies.
These hands are semi-physical and semi-spiritual, able to grasp both body and soul of the target.
Type: Active
Level: Basic
MP Cost: 180 MP / use
Cooldown: 10 seconds
Effects:
- Deals 50% of total STR as dark damage
-15% chance to inflict Fear effect (3 seconds)
- Can be used to drag targets to the ground (if in dungeon area)]
[Domain of Abyss (Intermediate Level):
Opens a small area filled with chaotic energy, absorbing light and reducing the awareness of enemies inside.
Within this domain, all user attacks are enhanced, while enemy strength drastically decreases.
Type: Area / Active
Level: Intermediate
MP Cost: 3,700 MP / activation
Cooldown: 3 minutes
Effects:
- Forms a 25-meter radius area for 45 seconds
- Increases user damage by +45%
- Reduces all enemy attributes by -30%
- Absorbs 2% of enemy HP every 5 seconds]
[Devour of Chaos (High Level):
Allows the user to absorb life energy, mana, or spiritual power from defeated beings—humans, monsters, or divine entities. All absorbed energy is converted into "Chaos Energy," strengthening the body, soul, and core of the dungeon.
Type: Unique Skill
Level: High
MP Cost: 15,000 MP / activation (may increase depending on target strength)
Cooldown: 10 minutes real-time / 1 minute dungeon
Effects:
- Absorbs enemy attributes and abilities (limited to what the user's body can handle)
- Each absorption increases Corruption Rate by 0.1%–2% depending on energy type
- Can reject pure energies such as "Holy" or "Life" with risk of backlash]
[Forbidden Skills: Locked Display (42 registered)]
[Hidden Skills: Unknown]
The thoughts Xander had been trying to hold onto crumbled. His legs suddenly went weak, unable to support his body any longer. If the status displayed before him was this clear, how could Xander deny it any longer?
Since when had his name changed to Xylander Cascade?
Since when had he become part of the Chimera Demon race?
Since when had he become the Chaos Dungeon Lord?
And most importantly, since when had his level reached 350, when the highest level in Apocalypse Gate was only around 150?
Xander was not stupid, nor could he deny the truth. Even though a small part of him desperately wanted to resist everything happening, reality said otherwise. And Xander had no choice but to accept it.
Seeing this, the three-eyed tree monster named Isaac—who had been standing there, watching Xander in confusion—hurried over to his master in a panic. "My Lord, are you all right? Let's get you back to bed. Your body hasn't fully recovered yet. You should rest more instead of worrying about unnecessary things."
Although Xander wanted to curse, this time he could not argue, even as Isaac helped him back onto the bed. After all, he had no choice but to comply while digesting the situation he was now in.
"Lord, is your condition worsening? Should I call your trusted healer?" Isaac asked again.
After observing for a while, Xander—or now known as Xylander—realized one thing: the horned monster with a body like a dried tree trunk was not evil.
The monster genuinely seemed concerned for him, and Xylander could see the sincerity there. Yet even so, he could not accept all of this easily. After all, what sane person could accept suddenly becoming a completely different being that had never existed in their imagination?
Then Xylander spoke, "Can you bring me a mirror?"
The question puzzled Isaac. Usually, his master never asked questions. He only gave orders. And if those orders were disobeyed, he would punish the offender with life-threatening consequences.
So why, at a moment like this, did Xylander only request a mirror?
Reflexively, Isaac asked, "A mirror, Lord? For what purpose?"
Still feeling frustrated, Xylander finally stared sharply at Isaac. Actually, he felt fine with his gaze, but strangely, Isaac immediately nodded and retrieved a large mirror hanging on the wall.
And when Xylander saw his own reflection in the large mirror, he could only widen his eyes, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Why does my appearance look like this? Why has my face changed? This isn't my face. This is not me at all!"
He tried not to panic, even though he felt like screaming. But if he did, wouldn't it only make his problems worse instead of better?
The change in his face was just one of many things Xylander found strange. The problem was, during gameplay, he had never set his avatar to look like someone else.
Even though his appearance and powers differed, Xylander had always ensured that his face remained his real-world face. Not just to preserve his original looks, but also because he wasn't very skilled at designing anything.
But now?
"I'm certain something is happening. And whatever it is, it's not good," Xylander murmured.
He tried not to scream, overreact, or panic. Because after reading his new stats, he already guessed that this wasn't the last strange thing—and the only one he would encounter.
If Xylander chose to stay calm, Isaac was different. The monster continued to watch his master, worry swelling. "Lord, you really don't want me to call the healer? She might be able to heal you."
Again, despite Isaac's repeated concern, Xylander remained silent. He didn't move. It was undeniable that, even as he tried to stay composed, a part of him rebelled and harbored countless questions.
Finally, Xylander looked at Isaac, who stood by the bedside still holding the human-sized mirror. "Leave. Let me be alone."
A hint of doubt appeared clearly on Isaac's face. His three eyes even blinked several times upon hearing the order. "Are you sure? Lord, your condition hasn't fully recovered. If I leave you—"
"I said get out! Or you'll face the consequences."
Xylander didn't know when he had become so emotional and good at threatening someone. He was not a kind or pure-hearted person. Of course, in certain situations, he could act selfishly and cunningly for his own benefit.
But this time felt different. Even when his life wasn't threatened, his emotions suddenly surged uncontrollably. Inside him, Xylander could feel a tide of anger ready to explode at any moment.
Fortunately, Isaac only nodded slowly after hearing the outburst. "Your orders are a sin for us to disobey."
For the monster, Xylander's anger was an everyday occurrence. It would have been odd if his master acted kind and gentle as before. This reassured Isaac that Xylander would recover soon, as his temperament had returned to its usual self.
So the monster bowed in respect before leaving him in the room, which Xylander himself had no idea belonged to whom.
But one thing was certain. As soon as Isaac left, Xylander called the system again. Of course, the system owed him many explanations. Even if he had to stay here in this new body, shouldn't he at least know why he had been transferred here?
"System."
Moments later, the red panel appeared before him. But this time it was no longer rectangular, slowly transforming into a baby dragon.
Yes, you read that correctly. It was indeed an adorable baby dragon—for a dragon, that is.
[Master, I am your system from now on. You have activated me, and now you are my Lord. I will work under your command.]
"Y— you?" Xylander's words caught in the air, deliberately left unfinished.
He blinked several times at the sight. How many more oddities would he have to face? But this time, Xylander tried to focus. He cleared his throat briefly to dispel the confusion creeping into his mind.
"Where's the log-out button?"
[Log-out? What do you mean by that?]
"Something you can use to exit the game. There's no way you don't know it—you are the system!" Xylander's anger flared again as he spoke to the creature floating in the air.
Hearing the shout, the system remained silent. The tiny dragon blinked a few times at Xylander, causing the gray-haired man to grab his face roughly. "Oh, great. Isn't being trapped here bad enough, and now I also have to take care of a baby?!"
Frustrated, Xylander buried his face under the pillow and screamed as loud as he could. His intent was clear: he didn't want anyone to hear how frustrated he truly was.
He was so frustrated that thinking about screaming or getting angry again didn't even occur to him. Just imagining it made him feel sick.
"Why did I end up here? What am I supposed to do now? Should I go out and look for other players? Are they suffering the same fate as me? How can I exit this game? What if I get hungry and—how am I supposed to inform my girlfriend?!"
Alright, let's ignore that last question. Honestly, Xylander was also a bit reluctant to discuss it right now.
There were countless questions in Xylander's mind, which he wasn't even sure he could answer. After calming himself a bit, he finally got up and looked around, only to find the system had disappeared. "Forget it. If the log-out button exists, I should have been able to find it when I read my status earlier."
In the end, he could only take a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Moments later, he got off the bed and approached the mirror, looking at his own reflection again.
"Oh, look at how different the color of my eyes is. How can someone have eyes this bright?" Xylander remarked, noticing one ruby-red eye and the other sapphire-blue.
The man spun around to examine the details of the clothes he was wearing. "This really looks like a villain, truly."
There was nothing wrong with his outfit. It was simply clothing typically worn by nobles or other important members of the kingdom. But what made it appear "slightly" terrifying was the cloak with a high collar draped over his shoulders.
The worst part was that the cloak was red and black, truly like a vampire's cape!
Xylander took a long breath afterward. Ah, it seemed he had lost the energy to even rebel. "Besides, what did I expect? I might have been transmigrated into the body of a Dungeon Lord. But unfortunately, I have no memories of this Dungeon Lord, even though I've gone through it 117 times. Did they erase my memories too?"
The only thing Xylander could be grateful for was his haircut and handsome face. Look at how his hair was styled messily, cascading down his neck in an attractive dark-gray shade. Oh, and don't forget how the sharp facial lines were beautifully etched there.
Most importantly, Xylander hadn't been transmigrated with zero power or forced to start from scratch. He then took a deep breath while staring at the mirror. "Well, at least I'll live here in a high position with a lot of power. That should help me survive until I find a way back to the real world."
At that exact moment, a loud knock echoed on his door. "Lord! There's a great danger!"