Fortitude Unleashed

In the year 2045, the world as humanity knew it was forever altered. A cosmic event, known as the Dungeon Crisis, shattered the boundaries between realms, causing mysterious gates to appear across the globe. These gateways led to otherworldly dungeons filled with untold treasures, fearsome monsters, and ancient magic. Millions of people, driven by hope, desperation, or sheer curiosity, became hunters—braving the dangers within in search of glory and fortune.

Among them was Zakir, an orphan with nothing but a relentless spirit and an ability deemed worthless by society. Ranked F, the lowest of the low, Zakir's power of Progressive Fortitude allowed him to grow incrementally stronger, but in the eyes of the guilds, it was too slow to matter. He was just a shadow among giants, overlooked and undervalued.

"Just keep moving forward, Zakir. One day, they'll see," he often muttered to himself, as he walked through the bustling streets of New Tokyo, the city that had risen from the ruins of the old. The gates had not only brought chaos but had also sparked technological advancements that reshaped human civilization. Sky-high buildings, neon lights, and automated systems contrasted sharply with the ancient dungeons lurking in the shadows.

Desperation gnawed at Zakir, pushing him to make a risky decision. One fateful night, he overheard a conversation between two high-ranking hunters in a dimly lit tavern.

"Did you hear? The Blackwood Dungeon is hosting a raid tomorrow. Only the elite are allowed," said one, a burly man with scars etched across his face.

"Yeah, I heard. They're expecting some valuable loot. I wouldn't miss it for the world," replied the other, a slender woman with piercing blue eyes.

Zakir's heart raced as he listened. The Blackwood Dungeon was infamous for its high-level monsters and rare treasures. If he could sneak in and find something valuable, it could change his fate forever.

That night, he lay on his small bed, staring at the ceiling. "This is it, Zakir. Your chance. You've got nothing to lose," he whispered to himself, determination burning in his eyes.

With a makeshift plan in mind, Zakir made his way to the Blackwood Dungeon the next day. High-level hunters and guild members patrolled the area, their equipment glinting in the sunlight. He waited for the right moment, hidden in the shadows, until the chaos of the raid provided the distraction he needed.

He slipped through the cracks, bypassing the security with surprising ease. "So far, so good," he thought, as he ventured deeper into the dungeon. The air grew colder, and the light dimmed, casting eerie shadows on the ancient stone walls.

As Zakir moved through the dungeon, he couldn't help but marvel at its design. It was like stepping into another world. Strange symbols and carvings adorned the walls, hinting at a forgotten civilization. "If only I could understand these," he mused.

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the corridors, followed by the sounds of battle. Zakir's heart pounded as he approached the source. In a vast chamber, he saw elite hunters locked in combat with a colossal beast. Its scales shimmered with an otherworldly glow, and its eyes burned with malevolence.

"This is madness," Zakir thought, as he watched the battle unfold. He knew he was out of his depth, but the thought of turning back never crossed his mind. "I need something—anything—that can help me," he whispered to himself.

As he navigated the chamber, searching for an opportunity, he stumbled upon an ancient artifact. It was a small, intricately designed pendant, pulsating with a faint, blue light. "What is this?" he wondered, reaching out to touch it.

The moment his fingers brushed the pendant, a searing pain shot through his body. His vision blurred, and his head spun. "No... not now," he groaned, as he fell to his knees. The world around him faded into darkness, and he lost consciousness.

Unbeknownst to him, while he was unconscious, the battle between humans and the powerful beast came to an end. It resulted in the hunters' victory, but it was a pyrrhic victory because only two hunters survived. As soon as they won, they checked the dungeon closing detector watch, which suddenly showed that they had 2 minutes to leave the dungeon instead of 1 hour. So they couldn't get any loot and had to leave the dungeon while Zakir was unconscious, and the pendant disappeared.

When Zakir regained consciousness, he rose to his feet. "Where am I?" Zakir muttered to himself. Then suddenly, a realization dawned upon him. He was still in the dungeon. He looked around, seeing the familiar design confused. The entrance of the dungeon was gone, and he was still in the dungeon.

Zakir suddenly heard a familiar ding, and a notification popped up in front of him.

[System Reboot Alert: System will Reboot after 365 Days] [System Basic Functions Still Available]

Zakir was taken aback by the sudden system notification because something like this had never happened to him before. His system had never notified him of anything. He suddenly became wary and checked his system. To his surprise, his system was functioning just fine.

"What the hell, whew. You got me worried there, stupid system. I thought I suddenly lost my powers," he said to himself, his voice indicating a hint of relief.

"Does that mean that my system was only using its basic function up until now? How interesting," he thought. Even though he was in a dire situation, he was happy to know that if he somehow survived for 1 year, he might get new powers. He was a child, a 14-year-old kid, and it had been only 1 year since he became a hunter. So he was very excited at the prospect of gaining new powers. After his excitement dimmed a little, he started to wonder why he was still alive. Even if he survived and the hunters killed the beast, it was still a known fact that whoever is left in the dungeon when it closes has never managed to return. So people thought that they were erased from existence. But now he found out that this theory is not correct.

"How can this be? Why am I still in the dungeon?" He looked around. There were traces of a fierce battle, blood was splattered here and there, but the strangest thing was there were no corpses, neither the hunters nor the beast.

"Looks like I am stuck in the dungeon, and the entrance gate is gone. But the strangest thing is that I remember there were a few hunter corpses, but now there are no corpses, neither the hunters nor the beast," he mumbled to himself. He looked around in search of something, anything useful or any clue. After searching the dungeon here and there, he stumbled upon an exit.

"What's this? It looks like an entrance to this place," he thought. He became wary, but curiosity got the better of him. He passed through the exit. Upon exiting the dungeon, he was shocked to see a vast forest of thick trees. When he looked at the dungeon exit, it was a cave entrance.

"What the heck! The dungeon was in a cave, and why do these forest trees look just like normal trees? Am I still on Earth?" he thought.

He ventured into the woods because he knew that if this was Earth, he would quickly need to reach a city or town. Because staying in the forest was very dangerous. He may be a hunter, but there were some animals that could be a threat to him. And he had the feeling that this was not Earth, and if that was true, then he must find ways to survive as soon as possible. He started to go straight into the woods, about a kilometer into the jungle away from the dungeon. He found something that brightened his mood a lot.

There was a deer in the jungle about 200 meters away from him.

"Looks like I am on Earth, but then where the hell am I? I clearly remember the entrance to the dungeon was near a construction site, not in some jungle," he thought. He left the deer to its business and ventured even deeper into the jungle with renewed motivation. When night came, he had crossed 20 kilometers. He still did not stop, even though it was night and he was very tired. He was huffing and puffing. His bones started to ache a little, and he was very hungry, but he didn't stop.

After 5 more kilometers, he encountered a town.

"Ah, finally a town. I should go quickly and get something to eat. We'll see about returning later," he thought. As soon as he entered the town, he thought something was very strange. Even though this might very well be another country, he never thought Earth had any buildings in this design.

"Ah, whatever. Maybe there are still unique places that are not shown on the internet," he thought. He was very hungry, so he quickly found the first person he encountered to ask about a restaurant.

"Sir, where can I find a restaurant? I am new here," he asked. The person he asked was in a blue uniform and black pants. He was around 5'11" tall. He had black hair, black eyes, and fair skin, and he looked to be around 25 years old. He was accompanied by a beautiful lady who had blonde hair and blue eyes. She was around 5'7" tall. She had fair skin and a body of perfect proportion.

{Note: *means that they are talking in a different language.}

*What the hell is he saying?* the man asked the woman. As soon as he said that, Zakir realized that they spoke a different language that he didn't recognize. He thought they looked like officers, so they should at least know how to speak English. But it looked like they didn't.

*I don’t know. Maybe he is from the Kabar Tribe that vanished without a trace a month ago, and he also looks very hungry. Judging by his looks, he is 14 or 15 years old, so he should be in the military. We should hand him over to the military academy. They will also help solve his language problem with MagiTech Information Transfer Technology,* she said.

*Yeah, you are right, let's do that.* As soon as he said it, he vanished. Suddenly Zakir was stunned. He tried to look around, but before he could, he suddenly felt something hard strike him in the head, and he lost consciousness.