Dungeons Online

For Tom, returning from the dungeon was always the most relaxing part of the experience of the game. With all monsters on the way defeated long ago, nothing was stopping him from cashing out his spoils and enjoying the effects of his hard work. Be it the increased level of his avatar or the raw money he could earn from the 'data' stones.

Yet, this time was different. This time, it was the return that Tom was most stressed about.

"Would you like to cash out, or would you prefer to level up your avatar?" the mechanic voice of the AI asked when Tom approached the counter in the lobby.

"Just log me out today," he said in a surly tone. Even if the AI couldn't care less about the way he spoke, the operators that would potentially saw the entire scene would definitely pay attention to details like that.

"Right away, sir," the AI voice sounded before Tom's entire vision fluttered. The entire lobby disappeared, only to be replaced by the sight of the standard capsule's cover.

The relief that Tom felt when the liquid started to drain away was one of the greatest he experienced in his entire life. With his consciousness back in real world, he was no longer burdened with the technique that this strange, sage-like monster taught him.

"How could you fake your strenght?" Tom recalled the question the monster asked when he poured all the mana stones in its face.

"Yes, that's exactly what I need." The young man didn't falter in the face of the question. After all, that's exactly what he asked about.

"And why would I tell you that?" The monster countered, looking at Tom with a weird grin.

"Because a certain girl at the bottom of the other dungeon brought back my memories. Because the same girl invited me to reach the bottom of the dungeon with my real flesh. Because," Tom stopped his lips from moving before turning them into a wicked smile, "because I believe it is in your own interest to not push me in a situation when my... friends would ask too many questions," Tom explained his stance.

To be fair, his words were nothing more but a gamble. 'I don't even know if that's really what that monstrosity back in the city wanted,' Tom thought, lightly tightening his fists.

A silence ensued after Tom's question. For a short moment, which in Tom's perception stretched to infinity, the monster refused to say a word.

Then, with a deep sigh, it lowered its massive head on the palm of its head before shaking it to the sides.

"Fine. In order to rein your strenght, you need to understand what the strenght really is," it started its explanation as it sat down cross-legged directly on the floor.

'It felt as if it was actually some sort of sage,' Tom thought when the liquid fully drained out of his capsule, announcing the end to his leisure time.

'I would kill to get some time to rest.' Tom tensed and relaxed his body in succession to drive away those vile thoughts. No matter how tired he was, no matter how much he wanted to just take his time to sort out all the new knowledge he obtained, he had no time for that.

With no reason at all to stay in the capsule, Tom pulled himself out of it. 'According to that monster, one's power is all just a state of mind. I hope it will really work that way,' he thought. After all, if the technique he learned only worked while he was in control of the avatar, his ruse would be exposed the moment he disconnected from the 'game'.

Yet, before Tom could even finish dressing back up, a small alert came up on the screen beside the capsule.

"What now," he muttered in annoyance, pressing the button and pulling his phone out of the safe shelf where he hid it previously.

"Tom speaking," he said to the phone after confirming that the number calling wasn't in his dialing list.

"Hey, it's Claudia again." Tom tightened his hand over his phone when he heard the melodic voice of the girl. "How was it going on your end? Any troubles adjusting to your new-old place?" the girl inquired.

"I'm sorry, but this isn't really the best moment for me to talk," Tom attempted to cut the talk short, given how he was still in the middle of the playroom. Surrounded by countless rows of capsules and many people yet to log in or already logged out, he wasn't comfortable talking freely.

"The last time we talked, you didn't have time either!" Claudia protested. While it was just a voice call, Tom could imagine her hitting her delicate hand against something in frustration.

"I'm in the middle of the playroom right now. You should understand..." Tom stopped his explanation in the middle when his phone vibrated. One look to the screen was enough for the blood to freeze in his veins. "Claudia, I'm really sorry, but I have another call. Let's catch up a bit later!" he said to the phone before ending the call and accepting the new one.

"Tom, you need to get your ass over here right now," Cleo's voice sounded in Tom's phone. While it appeared to be calm, the situation had to be really dire for her to use wording like this."

"Where do I need to be?" Tom didn't waste his precious time trying to dig out more details of the situation. If Cleo said he had to hurry up, then nothing in the entire world could stop him from rushing with all his might.