The journey to the mysterious green dot on their maps was filled with banter and jokes, most of which revolved around clenched butt cheeks, impending doom, and who was most likely to cry first if the dungeon turned out to be a giant mimic.

"Maybe it's a library," Kai said dryly. "Full of books that eat you," Tarni added with a grin. "Well, as long as they don't go for my eyebrows again," Zane muttered, brushing at them protectively.

The laughter kept the tension at bay as they made their way through the low scrub and across the gravel toward the location the map had marked. As they crested a gentle rise, everyone stopped walking all at once.

There it was.

Roughly the size of a two-car garage, a massive black structure loomed in the clearing. It was like someone had carved a perfect box out of obsidian, smooth and impossibly dark. It drank in the light, its edges sharp and unforgiving. There were no seams, no doors, no markings—just solid, ominous stone.

"What the hell is that?" Bell asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Looks like a boss fight," Kai said.

Tarni, of course, was the first to walk up and place his hand on the surface.

Then he froze. "Ah… guys? I think my hand's stuck."

Bell gasped. Lily took a panicked step forward. Zane's entire body tensed.

"Tarni!" Lily snapped. "Are you serious?"

Tarni turned around slowly… then grinned.

"Gotcha."

It took a full five seconds of stunned silence before the chewing out began.

"What the hell, mate!" "You think that's funny?" "You absolute numpty!" "I was two seconds from throwing a rock at your face!"

Tarni backed up with both hands raised, trying not to laugh as everyone vented their stress. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry! Bad timing, I get it!"

The collective scolding was only broken when Lily spotted something on the north side of the cube.

"Hey… what's that?"

Set into the black stone was a smooth half-sphere of white marble, about two feet wide, protruding slightly from the surface. It sat around head height and stood out starkly against the jet-black stone.

Everyone gathered around it, staring.

"Is it… a doorbell?" Bell asked.

"Maybe it's a retinal scanner. But, like… for hands?" Kai offered.

"Maybe it's the door and we've gotta crawl in," Tarni said, then immediately received a chorus of NO from everyone.

"No one let Tarni touch anything," Lily said firmly.

"Agreed," Zane added.

There was a pause as they all looked at one another.

Eventually, it was decided—Zane would be the one to touch it.

He stepped forward, eyeing the smooth surface like it might bite him. First, he gently touched the very tip of his index finger to the marble dome.

Nothing happened.

He glanced back at the others, who were watching like hawks. He placed the rest of his fingers on the surface.

Still nothing.

Tarni tapped his foot impatiently. Lily was biting her lip. The tension in the air was thick and crackling.

With a steadying breath, Zane placed his whole hand firmly on the white half-sphere.

A low, resonant click echoed from deep within the black cube. A pulse of soft white light rippled out from under his palm, circling the dome once before fading back into the stone.

Everyone held their breath.

Ding!

Dungeon Found NAME: Dungeon at the End of the Beginning Level: Unknown Type: Unknown Highest Level Completed: 0 Party Members: 1 of 5

Do you, Zane Rider, Level 5, wish to enter the Dungeon at your highest level reached (0)?

Stolen novel; please report. Yes / No (Mate, you might want to get the rest of your party. Just a thought.)

Zane blinked, reading the message to himself a couple of times before reading it out loud to the others. As he did, he realised something unsettling—his hand was stuck. Like really stuck. It wouldn't budge from the surface.

"Uh… guys?" he said slowly. "I… I can't move my hand."

Everyone snapped their eyes to him.

"What do you mean you can't move it?" Lily asked.

"I mean stuck, like glued to the bloody thing."

Bell looked worried. Tarni stepped closer. Zane, trying not to panic, decided to select No and see if that would free him.

He mentally confirmed No.

Ding!

By selecting NO and removing your hand, you will be banned from entry for 24 hours. Do you still wish to select NO? Yes / No

Zane's heart skipped a beat. "Oh come on," he muttered under his breath.

The others could see something was wrong again.

He told them what the second message said, and immediately:

"Select No!" said Bell. "Select Yes!" said Tarni.

Zane didn't press anything, freezing as they both stared at him.

Tarni turned to Bell, exasperated. "It's a second question. If he picks Yes now, he confirms the first No, and gets locked out for 24 hours."

Bell opened her mouth to argue—then sighed. "You're right. I didn't think it through. I'm just… worried about Zane."

That sparked a new round of debate—should Zane confirm and leave the dungeon, or should everyone risk touching the white dome and possibly getting stuck too?

After much discussion, it was agreed: with only five days to progress, they couldn't afford to lose 24 hours. And since the System asked what level to enter at, it likely meant they could exit between levels and resume from where they left off.

Tarni stepped up confidently, ready to place his hand on the white dome—until Bell stopped him with a firm hand on his chest.

"I think we need more gear," she said. "And I'll go next. Just in case."

"Yeah, great idea, Bell," Zane agreed.

After a quick discussion, it was decided: Bell would stay with Zane—his hand still glued to the white marble half-sphere—while the other three dashed back to the house. They grabbed more arrows, a bow for everyone, spare armour, food, and water, all packed into or strapped onto five backpacks.

On the way back, Tarni insisted on carrying three of the gear-loaded backpacks at once. He made it about twenty steps from the base of the ladder before collapsing to his knees and groaning dramatically.

"I am overcucumbered," he declared. "Help me before I perish!"

Kai and Lily burst out laughing, eventually relieving him of his burden before he could injure his pride any further.

Back at the black stone cube, it was a bit of a mission getting Zane's backpack onto him with his hand still stuck. In the end, they unbuckled one shoulder strap, then while Kai and Tarni held the bag in place, Bell secured the strap back across his chest.

With everyone now geared up as best they could be, Tarni once again made a move toward the white dome.

"Nope," Bell said, smacking his hand down mid-reach.

She stepped forward confidently and placed her palm on the marble surface beside Zane's.

Ding!

Dungeon Found NAME: Dungeon at the End of the Beginning Level: Unknown Type: Unknown Highest Level Completed: 0 Party Members: 2 of 5

Do you, Isabelle Rider, Level 5, wish to enter the Dungeon at your highest level reached (0)? Yes / No (This is not a great place for a date. You might want to get the rest of your party. Just a thought.)

After a tense couple of seconds, Bell snorted and let out a chuckle.

"I was just thinking that if Zane and I ended up stuck in the dungeon together, it'd be like going on a date. The fact that the System knew that… is terrifying."

Lily smirked. "I don't think it's reading your mind, Mum. We all saw you thinking that when you stopped Uncle Tarn."

"So it's watching us right now?" Kai asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I think it's been watching since we got access to the System," Lily replied calmly.

Zane started to respond, but Tarni interrupted by slapping his hand onto the dome without hesitation.

Ding!

Dungeon Found NAME: Dungeon at the End of the Beginning Level: Unknown Type: Unknown Highest Level Completed: 0 Party Members: 3 of 5

Do you, Tarni Walker, Level 5, wish to enter the Dungeon at your highest level reached (0)? Yes / No (This is looking Bettera.)

With a snicker, Tarni repeated, "This is looking Bettera."

Lily rolled her eyes and gave Kai a shove. "Go on."

Kai sighed and walked forward, placing his hand on the dome.

Ding!

Dungeon Found NAME: Dungeon at the End of the Beginning Level: Unknown Type: Unknown Highest Level Completed: 0 Party Members: 4 of 5

Do you, Kai Rider, Level 5, wish to enter the Dungeon at your highest level reached (0)? Yes / No (There are some Scooby snacks in it for you.)

Kai didn't say anything. He just glanced at Lily and gave a tired nod.

Lily stepped forward, placing her hand beside the others.

Ding!

Dungeon Found NAME: Dungeon at the End of the Beginning Level: Unknown Type: Unknown Highest Level Completed: 0 Party Members: 5 of 5

Do you, Lily Rider, Level 5, wish to enter the Dungeon at your highest level reached (0)? Yes / No (The Party is full 😊, are you going to be last to everything?)

"Well," Lily said, frowning at the last part of the message "the party's full."

With a shared glance, everyone selected Yes—except Zane, who selected No, then, when the message changed back to the original message, selected Yes.

Suddenly, with a deep grinding sound, the front face of the cube—the wall they had all assumed was solid—began to slide down into the earth.

Behind it, a wide, dark tunnel sloped downward, vanishing into shadow.

Kai whispered, "I guess that was the doorbell after all."

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