Sometimes it's easy to escape reality.
You imagine: If I could do this… if I could do that… wouldn't that be cool?
The short answer is always the same.
No.
Nope.
Nu-uh.
My name is Thomas. I was born and raised in Indonesia. I'm a farmer—oil palm, to be exact. It's honest work, and it pays well enough.
The land feeds me, and I feed the land back. Simple. Predictable. And yet… sometimes I wish I had a power. Not to save the world. Just to make life a little easier.
That was when I heard the voice.
"Ahem."
The sound echoed with authority.
Then again, louder.
"Ahem! A-Ahem!"
The world froze.
Clouds stopped drifting. Birds halted mid-air. Even the heat seemed to pause.
"Greetings, humans!"
The voice was clear. Young. Dramatic.
"I am Earth—your planet, your home, your gracious and long-suffering landlord!"
Across the globe, everyone heard it in their own language.
"Please do not panic."
A pause.
"…Actually, panic a little. This is important."
Thomas blinked.
"Two thousand years ago, a hostile species attempted to invade me."
A beat.
"I repelled them with great effort and exceptional elegance."
Another beat—longer.
"…However, a few survived."
The tone sharpened.
"And now they have returned."
Silence.
Then—excitement.
"Which brings us to the fun part."
Fun was not the word Thomas would have chosen.
"To deal with this, I have created special combat zones!"
Images burst into people's minds: towering gates, glowing ruins, stairways descending into darkness.
"You may call them dungeons."
Proud pause.
"They contain monsters. Danger. Glory."
Another pause.
"And explosive growth potential."
Somewhere, a gamer screamed in joy.
"Clear these dungeons, and you will grow stronger!"
Earth continued.
"Fail, and… well."
A polite cough.
"…Let's not focus on that."
Thomas wiped sweat from his brow.
"To maintain order, dungeons are ranked!"
The voice rose, clearly enjoying this part.
"Common! Uncommon! Rare! Legendary!"
A brief silence.
"…Yes, I reused the names. They are efficient."
Then, softer—but earnest:
"Some of you will awaken special abilities to help you."
Hope spread like fire.
"Not everyone," Earth added quickly. "I'm powerful, not infinite."
Reasonable. Disappointing. Fair.
"Abilities follow the same ranking system."
Another dramatic inhale.
"You are not forced to enter the dungeons."
"But if no one does, the invaders will spread."
The excitement dimmed—just a little.
"I do not wish to be destroyed."
Quieter now.
"And I would prefer if you weren't destroyed either."
Then—suddenly bright again:
"So please! Grow strong! Clear dungeons! Protect your world!"
A pause.
"…Also, try to be cool about it."
The voice hesitated, as if remembering something important.
"Ah—one more thing."
Everyone held their breath.
"Legendary dungeons are very dangerous."
Proudly:
"But also very impressive."
Silence.
Then, softly:
"I'll be watching. Cheering. From a safe distance."
The world resumed.
Birds flew. Wind blew.
Thomas looked down at the soil beneath his boots.
Tomorrow, he still had to farm.
But somewhere out there—
A dungeon was waiting.