Author’s Note:
Early‑arc dungeons will be short. The long runs will come with the big worlds — Marvel, One Piece, Super God Academy, Naruto, etc. (Yes, worlds with standout heroines may also go long.) This is a cool-type power fantasy, tailored to what you like reading. Relax and enjoy!
After using the Dungeon Cooldown Refresh Card, Fenric stepped toward the Samsara Tower again. This time, no barrier stopped him.
He crossed the threshold and arrived on Floor One.
The entry hall was vast—stone pillars, lacquered beams, carved screens—an architectural style straight out of an ancient fantasy dynasty, the complete opposite of the modern Safe Zone aesthetic.
As he took it in, a palm‑sized Samsara elf spirit fluttered before him.
"Hello, Samsara player ’Shura.’ How may I assist you?"
Fenric drew a steadying breath. "Queue me for a dungeon mission."
"The available dungeon world for this floor is ’World War Z’ Confirm entry?"
He already knew Floor One was fixed. Still: confirmation made it real.
"Confirm."
A red flash swallowed him.
He rematerialized in an all‑white chamber—the Tower’s pre‑deployment staging space. Each wall displayed a massive digital countdown, numbers ticking downward.
17:00 ... 16:59 ...
Prep window. Once it hit zero, they’d drop into the infected world.
He wasn’t alone. Dozens of samsara players had already arrived—and more flared in every few seconds, each delivered by a flash of light.
So this is the first wave tonight, Fenric thought. Everyone queueing for the next Zombie batch.
Tower missions weren’t like Safe Zone dungeon. Safe Zone dungeons were flexible: low risk, personal or party queue, monthly re‑entry after fail. The Tower on the other hand ran in hourly batches, and failure meant death. So everyone who queued during the hour window got pooled, staged, and dropped together according to mission rules.
Countdown: 10 Minutes
At the 10‑minute mark, a system prompt boomed overhead:
"Attention, Samsara players. Teleportation to the mission world begins in 10 minutes."
After that, the transfer stream cut off; no new arrivals blinked in.
Fenric counted heads. 41 players.
Some huddled in small groups—clearly parties who knew each other. Others, like him, stood alone: lone wolves, or confident experts who preferred solo clears.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
A young man slapped his palms together, loud enough to draw attention. Heads turned. Fenric glanced over.
The guy wore a punk‑style outfit and an exaggerated, almost comic‑hero face—obvious disguise. But what caught Fenric’s eye wasn’t the look.
It was the long blade at his waist.
Real‑world gear couldn’t be brought into Samsara Space, much less into Tower missions—so the weapon had to be a Samsara item drop.
And not an ordinary one.
Fenric stared. Something about the curve, the guard, the coloration—
Recognition hit. His eyes narrowed, then flashed.
Black Sword — Shusui.
(Transliterated Autumn Water.)
One of the Twenty-One Great Grade Blades from the One Piece dungeon world.
In that world, Shusui had belonged to the legendary swordsman Ryuma of Wano Country—considered a national treasure. After Ryuma’s death, both his corpse and the sword were stolen by Gecko Moria. Animated as a zombie soldier, Ryuma later fought Zoro, acknowledged him, and passed Shusui on.
A top-tier weapon. Enchanted lineage. Battle proven.
How does some first-time Tower rookie have THAT? Fenric wondered.
It couldn’t have come from the Safe Zone. The only explanation: someone powerful gifted it to him—family, patron, clan.
Background: heavy. Possibly second generation of a major Samsara power.
Fenric memorised the face—fake or not—and the blade.
Never underestimate someone carrying a national‑treasure sword.