I couldn't breathe. The giant, reddish, four-armed cyclops had his hands wrapped around my neck, my back pressed hard against a tree as he squeezed the life out of me.
"I will kill you now, boy," the monster growled into my face. "I will break your bones, crush your chest, and rip your head from your body," he added, grinning down at me as he tightened his grip on my throat.
I was going to die. There was no two ways about it. I was trapped in here with this creature — no backup, no skills to defend myself, and no way out.
"Nighty night, little insect," the one-eyed beast said, bringing his face closer to mine. "You should never have jumped into the depths of an S-Class dungeon. Time to sleep and go into my belly."
"But I didn't choose to come into this place," I gasped, struggling to speak as my windpipe was being crushed. "I was pushed off an airship." My voice came out as a croak. "Please… don't kill me. Just let me go, and I will never come back again."
"Stupid insect," the monster spat. "Haven't you heard? No human who's fallen into this dungeon has ever left alive. Besides, you had me chasing you for a while back there, so I've worked up an appetite. It's only fair that I eat you now, as compensation for the exercise I never asked for. Don't you agree?"
There was nothing I could do to save myself. I was weak. Defenseless. All alone. Unwanted. I was finished.
As the life slowly drained from my body, only one thought ran through my mind in that moment. This was not the fantasy world I had always dreamed of. This was not it at all.
**********
Chapter 1.
It all started two days ago, back on Earth. We were in the middle of an afternoon class. The teacher was giving his lecture while writing on the board, but instead of listening, I was gazing out the window, daydreaming about what my life would be like in an entirely new world full of dragons, magic, kingdoms, and an array of beautiful women fighting for my attention.
You can't blame me for having these kinds of thoughts. My life as a second-year high schooler was incredibly disappointing. I had no friends, wasn't particularly good at sports, my grades were average at best, and none of the girls in my class had shown interest in me since my middle school years.
I was a shut-in who only came to school whenever my parents forced me to, and with no inherent skills to speak of, it made complete sense that I was at the bottom of the social ladder. No potential love interests, no future job prospects. Just your average background character taking up space in this cruel world.
"David, would you please get your head out of the clouds and focus on your work?"
"...! Sorry, sir."
I picked up my pen and began copying down what was on the board. My only solace in this plain existence was escaping into the fantasy worlds I sometimes imagined for myself. There, I was a hero — the center of attention, beloved by everyone. However, no matter how much I desperately wished for such a life, deep down, I knew it was never going to happen.
Two hours later, the bell hanging outside the classroom door went off. The students filed out to go eat in the cafeteria, and I was left alone soon after. I took out the snacks I'd brought in my bag and made quick work of them. With a sip and several quick munches, I was done with the lunch part of my lunch break.
I glanced at the clock and saw I had twenty-five minutes left before class resumed. "Maybe I should see if the others would willingly want to hang out with me today, rather than be forced to partner up whenever we had PE."
Outside, I tried joining the guys playing basketball in the courtyard.
"Sorry, man, we're full. Maybe some other time."
"Okay." I turned and began walking away.
"Whoa, wait. Isn't that the weird dude from our class? What's he even doing out in the sun?"
"For real, bro. I also thought he was secretly a vampire or something. Plus, he's terrible at basketball. Why would we ever let him join?"
"That's why I lied, idiots. Now come on. Let's keep playing."
Ignoring everything I had heard, I tried to go join some girls playing volleyball. Although, it wouldn't have hurt to just sit back and watch the game. The view was nice. Very nice.
"Ugh, gross. Who let the creep out of his cage?"
"Yeah, what do you want, David? We're in the middle of a game, and no, you can't join us."
"Oh, don't mind me, ladies," I said, raising my hands defensively and smiling at the angry wall of cute girls glaring back at me. "Please, carry on with the match. Think of me as just a spectator today, here to watch you play."
"Somehow, I don't believe that's all you're here to do."
The captain of the volleyball team spoke right into my face. She was bent forward as she stared daggers into my soul, unintentionally giving me a clear view of her...
"Ugh, I knew it. Creep!"
"... Wait. I'm sorry. I swear I didn't mean to—"
Before I could plead my case, several volleyballs came flying at me from all directions. One of them hit me square in the nose, throwing me off the bench I'd been sitting on.
"And stay out!"
I made my way back to the classroom, now sporting several bruises on my cheeks as well as a black eye. "Damn, those girls sure know how to throw a hard one." I was just glad I didn't lose the eye in the process.
Although, I guess I would have deserved it if something like that happened. I really was a creep for staring at their captain the way I did.
Crap, come to think of it, that behavior probably contributed to the many reasons girls didn't like me. I should look into apologizing when they all got back.
I was halfway up the stairs when something happened. I suddenly felt lightheaded and dizzy. It was as if the inside of my skull was rapidly filling up with air. I stopped for a moment, waiting to see if it would go away on its own. But when I took the next step, I lost my balance and found myself slowly falling backward.
What... was... happening... to me...?
I hit the ground a second later, unable to move a single muscle in my body. I tried screaming for help, but I couldn't speak either. The whole world felt like it was spinning at this point, quickly turning and rotating, and I couldn't do anything but go along for the ride. And before I knew it, everything went blac