A friend of mine wrote this story on Wattpad, but since he won't be continuing it anymore, I decided to do so on his behalf here on Webnovel instead. Alongside my own story, I'll also be writing this, first editing and perhaps rewriting a few of the chapters he's already written.
This fanfic and my own are vastly different, so if you're interested in taking a look at my own work, make sure to check out my profile. Also, it'd be best to tell you that this is a semi-crack fanfic, so expect half-serious and half-comedy.
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The Herta Space Station.
A gathering place of nerds aiming to achieve great things, but let's be honest here, most, if not all, of them will fail in the end. Being accepted and arriving here full of expectations for a bright and fulfilling future, only to have it crash down together with their despair.
Trying so hard yet achieving absolutely nothing with their lives.
After all, considering the celestial structure was made by a member of the Genius Society, becoming accomplished was no easy feat. However, since it was a place where researchers from countless worlds gathered to hone their craft and learn the mysteries beyond their own, it was a dignified location.
Where fun and excitement were never on the agenda, only science and new knowledge could interest these textbook addicts. In other words, the Herta Space Station was a serious, calm place that helped upcoming researchers expand their horizons.
Well... if it wasn't currently under attack!
"Mayday! Mayday! This is a code red!" An energetic male voice echoed through the halls of the space station. "These Kamen Rider wannabes aren't playing by the rules! This is supposed to be a turn-based game!"
The one who was shouting was a young male no older than twenty, with a neat, straight head of white hair and a pair of sharp red eyes. As for clothing, the male was the definition of a modern dude. With a simple set of clothes that weren't anything special.
These clothes consisted of a pair of sleek, long, black pants, white and grey running shoes, and a hooded dark grey jacket over the top, which he was currently fully zipped up with the hood down.
Though something really stood out amongst his clothes, and that was a black, red, and gold half-mask he had hanging on the side of his head. It was similar in design to a typical masquerade mask, but with only one half shaped like a metallic wing, and the eyehole was sharp, displaying a clear nature of mischief.
"Yeah, this is unfair!"
"What turn-based game?! Take this seriously!" This time, the voice of a young girl followed after a second male. "And don't go along with him!"
The second male who spoke up had somewhat messy grey hair, yellow eyes, and a grey, yellow, and black outfit. As for the female, she had a head of vibrant pink hair, pink and blue eyes, and an outfit in pink and blue, as vibrant as it was flashy.
You might be wondering, who were these three idiots who were currently beating down the incoming tokusatsu-looking ass villains calling themselves the Antimatter Legion?
Starting with the last two, the girl was called March 7th. No kidding either, her name was a literal date, and she was a member of the Astral Express. As for the grey-haired male, his name was Caelus, and he was an amnesiac whom they had found collapsed here in the station not long ago.
Protagonist looking-ass scenario right there.
As for the last character, well, his situation was more than a little complicated. Let's say, for now, that he was found and picked up by March and her companion, who was not present for special reasons.
"Stop messing around, Zean!" March cried out as she shot down one of the reavers with her bow. "Use that speed of yours and take them down!"
"Okay~!"
With a small salute, the one known as Zean smiled before his body seemed to flash to the side, leaving behind a trail of red light. Both March and Caelus watched as the rapid form of Zean dashed from one enemy to another, with each enemy soon finding themselves blown back or outright destroyed.
It didn't take long before that flashing figure rushed back over before skidding to a stop next to them, a call smile on his face.
"Mission complete!" Zean gave them a casual thumbs up, which Caelus returned as March sighed heavily. "I'd say that was an S-Rating."
"It drops down to a D-Rating with how much time you wasted." March deadpanned as she said this. "There is something wrong with you two..."
"What'd I do?"
Caelus blinked as he pointed a finger at his face.
"You're just as bad as Zean!" March yelled as she turned to face him. "You can't just destroy anything you want when you see it!"
March couldn't help but wonder if dealing with these two was what Dan Heng felt when dealing with her... no, these two are definitely worse!
Caelus, as she had just stated, destroyed pretty much anything that could be considered... loose, for lack of a better word. May it be a stack of random storage crates, or anything that may have been placed on the ground for whatever reason.
He'd use his new baseball bat to smash it to pieces!
As for Zean, the guy tended to get incredibly distracted by anything he'd deem interesting! Not only that, he was unbelievably carefree. Perhaps that's the reason why Zean had that mask on him, was he maybe a member of the Masked Fools or something?
His personality would certainly fit.
Overall, they were both chaotic as heck!
Zean, even more so than Caelus, mainly since he was the initiator. Caelus had some focus on the current objective, as did Zean. However, when the latter himself gets distracted by something and goes to explore, the former would be caught up in the flow and follow behind.
"Okay, no more distractions!" March stared firmly as she placed both hands on her hips. "We need to head to the Master Control Zone, Dan Heng may already be heading there with Arlan! We shouldn't keep him- where are you going?!"
March felt a vein pop on her head as she saw Zean suddenly walk off to the side, but she was very confused when she saw him staring at the wall. Curious, both she and Caelus walked over and watched as Zean had a bright and excited look on his face. Blinking, March stared at him weirdly.
"...What are you doing?"
"Can't you see it?" Zean asked, his eyes clear with joy as he pointed ahead. "If we enter, we may get unbelievable treasures!"
"Treasure?!" Caelus also gained Zean's look as he stared at the wall as well. "Will this really give us treasure? Like gold?"
"That and even better!" Zean nodded as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm talking new powers, and items far more valuable than your wildest imaginations."
"Whoa...!"
Caelus had no idea how it worked, but Zean was someone he knew he could trust. Indeed, this wall must be something truly incredible!
As the two males engaged in their exchange, March stared at them as if they were insane. No matter how she looked at it, it looked like an ordinary wall... "That's just a wall..."
"How dare you...! Oh, right!" Zean seemed to gain a look of realization. "I haven't invited you guys to my dungeon team yet!"
"Huh?"
With confusion and curiosity, they watched as Zean seemed to fiddle with something in front of him. Soon enough, a surprising sight flashed in front of them.
『You have been invited to the Dungeon Master Team』
『Do you wish to accept?』
『Yes/No』
March stared blankly at the holographic words in front of her, while Caelus blinked before tapping onto 'Yes' without hesitation.
"It says I joined the tea- woah! Cool!"
March snapped out of her funk when she soon saw Caelus staring with even brighter eyes at the wall that Zean had been staring at. With hesitation in her movements, March raised a shaking finger before ultimately pressing onto the 'Yes' option as well.
『Welcome to the Dungeon Master Team』
After this message disappeared, March soon noticed a small but noticeable interface in the corner of her peripheral vision. On Zean's side, after the two accepted his invitation, he received a few notifications as the UI in his vision automatically updated.
『'Caelus' has joined the team』
『'March 7th' has joined the team』
『'Caelus' has been added to your Contacts』
『'March 7th' has been added to your Contacts』
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『Dungeon Master System』
➣ System Level: 1 - (EXP: 10/100)
➣ Dungeon Master Team (3/4)
➣ Contacts (2/10)
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『Dungeon Master Team (3/4)』
➣ Zean - [Dungeoneer Rank: Novice]
➣ Caelus - [Dungeoneer Rank: Novice]
➣ March 7th - [Dungeoneer Rank: Novice]
➣ None
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"What is all this...?!"
March rubbed her eyes as if doing so would clear a possible hallucination, which, naturally, had no effect, since the new UI in her vision was still clear as day. Holograms and such were nothing new to her, such technology was quite common.
Even so, she still had to question her sanity.
Especially when she turned to look at the previously normal-looking wall, the keyword in this sentence is 'previously'.
"What the...?!" March stepped back in astonishment before holding her shaking finger ahead. "When did this get here?! What is it?!"
Unlike before, the ordinary wall was now replaced by an extremely fancy silver door with black metallic accents, and in the space where one would walk through it, a spiralling white-and-gold rift of energy.
"This is a dungeon," Zean answered nonchalantly. "Only people in my team can see, let alone enter them. If we complete the task given to us, we can get rewards!"
"Treasure!"
"Exactly!" Zean nodded as he pointed a finger at Caelus. "The one I entered before was full of puzzles, nothing too difficult."
"You just entered one without any regard for danger?" March asked in disbelief. "Did you not hesitate at all when looking at a literal portal before running in...?"
"If there is treasure to be found, I shall venture forth. I will not let something as trivial as fear stop me from claiming the rewards within!"
"I admire your courage, yet also am speechless at your recklessness..." March held her forehead as she said this. "Was that mask of yours a reward?"
"Not at all. I got this thing when I woke up, and the next thing I knew, I was zipping and zooming with super sanic speed. Totally awesome."
"Right..."
"What is inside this dungeon?" Caelus wondered as he stared curiously at the door. "Do you know what kind of rewards are inside?"
"I can't know that." With a shake of his head, Zean answered. "Though, if I were to hazard a guess, the rewards may have a connection with the contents of the dungeon."
Without saying another word, Zean walked closer to the door before a new holographic screen flashed in front of him after he got close enough in range.
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『Dungeon』
➣ Description: Awakening in the depths of an ancient tomb, you are full of confusion and uncertainty. With no other choice but to continue forward, you begin your journey to find a way to the surface
Dungeon Details:
➣ Difficulty: Medium
➣ Type: Monster
➣ Current Cooldown: 0
➣ Special Conditions: None
Reward(s):
➣ 25 System EXP (First-Time Clearance)
➣ Common Gift Box (x5)
➣ Rare Gift Box (x1)
Team Members (3/4):
➣ Zean
➣ Caelus
➣ March 7th
➣ None (Contact Ticket: 5 | Roulette Ticket: 5)
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"Unfortunately, unlike the dungeon I went through before, there is no specific dungeon-related reward for an initial clearance."
As he said this, March and Caelus walked up behind him and peeked over, their eyes curious as they looked at the screen Zean was watching.
"Does that mean there isn't anything good to get from here?"
"Not at all."
With a shake of his head, Zean answered Caelus, who had a bit of a disappointed look on his face after hearing the former's initial words.
"These gift boxes, if I'm not mistaken, can contain literally anything. On top of that, whatever we may find inside can be taken out as long as it isn't something alive."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Caelus brightened up immediately as he summoned forth his baseball bat. "The treasures await us!"
"H-Hold on...!" March quickly intervened as she held Caelus back after the latter started walking. "We don't have time right now!"
"March? What are you still doing here?"
"Huh?"
Hearing the new voice, the trio turned to see a tall, black-haired male walking over, his expression dull, with a hint of confusion. On top of that, he seemed to be supporting a shorter, white-haired male who was also confused about what the initial trio were doing.
"Dan Heng?" March said with surprise in her voice. "What are you doing here?"
"As you can see, I managed to find Arlan." Dan Heng responded as he glanced at the male in question. "Shouldn't you three have made it to the Master Control Zone by now?"
Dan Heng asked with doubt as he looked at each of them. Hearing this, March blinked a few times before glancing at everyone. She then shook her head before pointing at the dungeon door.
"W-We were, but these two keep getting distracted! Not only that, Zean has some strange ability, and now there's this weird door here!"
"...?"
Hearing this, Dan Heng just stared at March in silence as the girl continued trying to explain the situation. In the end, he could only shake his head. Turning to look at the two newcomers he had met here on the station, Dan Heng opted to see if they could give him a better explanation.
Zean exclaimed with passion. "Dungeons!"
Caelus followed suit. "Treasure!"
"..."