The smell of gym socks and floor wax had been replaced by the stench of rotting eggs.
I stood at the entrance of what used to be the District 9 High School gymnasium. The double doors were gone, dissolved into a thick, greenish mist that swirled around our ankles. Inside, the hardwood basketball court had vanished. In its place was a festering swamp, complete with bubbling mud pits and twisted mangrove roots that clawed their way up the bleachers.
The digital scoreboard still hung from the ceiling, but it was flickering wildly.
[ZONE: SWAMP OF REGRET]23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3vk0j1LZh
[DIFFICULTY: E-RANK]23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFET1Cfh2X
[SURVIVORS REMAINING: 32/32]
"Move it, trash!"
A shove from behind sent me stumbling into the mud. I didn't fight it. I let my knees hit the sludge, splashing dirty water onto my uniform. I needed to keep my head down. I needed to look weak.
"Watch where you're walking," Chen sneered, stepping past me.
He looked different than he had this morning. The System had automatically equipped everyone with "Starter Gear" appropriate for the dungeon. For most students, that meant rusty daggers or chipped wooden shields.
But Chen, thanks to his family's money, had a slight advantage. He was holding a jagged iron spear that glowed with a faint, pitiful +2 Attack rating. He was also flanked by two of his lackeys, Mike and Jace, who were nervously clutching wooden clubs.
"Listen up!" Chen shouted, his voice cracking slightly. He spun around to face the group of terrified students huddled by the entrance. "I'm Level 4. I'm the highest level here. That makes me the Raid Leader."
Nobody argued. Most of them were crying. A girl with pigtails was frantically tapping her wrist menu, trying to log out.
"The logout button is grayed out, idiot," Chen barked at her. "We have to clear the boss to leave. And to do that, we need a formation."
He pointed his spear at the swamp. "Me and the boys will be the DPS—Damage Dealers. We need a Tank to draw aggro."
His eyes landed on me.
I knew exactly what he was thinking. In low-level dungeons, "Tank" was just a polite word for "Bait." He wanted someone to walk out there, get eaten, and keep the monster busy while he stabbed it from behind to steal the EXP.
"Kai," Chen grinned, showing yellow teeth. "Congratulations. You're promoted."
ns216.73.216.10da2
and then Add to home screen.