Dragged into Another World's Apocalypse - A LitRPG Story

Soon after, all the adults in their group gathered in the living room of Cassis' parents' house. Janice had been invited too. She counted as an adult, at least somewhat. The system didn't grant her any protection anymore, so she would have to fight too. The twins were annoyed at being left out of the conversation, even though they were also old enough at 15 years old, but they took babysitting duty for the children seriously.

Now came the most important work: making plans to stay safe and to secure their community as best they could.

Luke spread a large, folded map of the surrounding area across the coffee table. "Here," he said, tapping the paper, "you can see where the dungeons have appeared near us. 10 dungeons altogether in a 100 km radius. More in the direction of Vallendale, less further away. We should definitely clear those near us, and if possible, clear more dungeons in an outward movement towards Vallendale. Not having a monster nest near us or the city should be our highest priority now. And …" he hesitated but spoke. "Due to Nadine's and my jobs, we will need to clear more dungeons in Vallendale. We can't shirk our responsibilities as heads of the Awakener Bureau."

Arianna knew Cassis had taken note of how many and where the dungeons were himself. All to keep their people safe. They hadn't been surprised by the number of them in the least. They had a bit more than the average of 6.5 dungeons per 100 km worldwide, but that was because they were in the vicinity of a big city like Vallendale. Rural areas had far fewer dungeons. Instead, they had the wild places. There should be around 40,000 F-rank dungeons worldwide, and luckily, only around 1000 E-rank dungeons.

With every wave, some new dungeons would come out, but those would be the minority. The majority of the F-rank and some of the E-rank dungeons would also evolve with each wave. Sometimes, familiar dungeons would be totally different after evolution, like some other dungeon took the place of the weaker one. Scientists in the other timeline thought that not the dungeons evolved, but the gates, which made them connect to stronger worlds. But that had all been theories and didn't help with the current problem.

For now, she agreed with Luke's suggestions. Keeping their area monster-free was the most important. But Vallendale was almost as important, since a lot of trade routes went through it and it was the seat of the local government. Additionally, Luke and Nadine needed to stay important figures for the Awakener Bureau. Cassis and Arianna needed connections there without being a part of it to best influence future decisions made by the government. Arianna nodded and saw Cassis do the same. There was no way around clearing as many dungeons as possible in Vallendale after their own community was secured.

Helen leaned forward, eyes scanning the map. "If there are this many dungeons just in our area, the military will be overwhelmed trying to clear them all over the world. Even if the special forces step in, there are too many."

Arianna knew exactly which "special forces" she meant—the Shadows of Avaria. Strong, fast, and likely even stronger than before. They'd probably been levelling steadily in secret. That would fit their organisation, from what Helen had told them.

Luke continued, "I've spoken to some of the other bureau heads. We're going to encourage civilian awakeners to clear dungeons." Then he proceeded to tell the rest of the group about Cassis' and Arianna's suggested strategies. "It will be dangerous, but the military can only do so much. They'll have to prioritise, protecting vulnerable areas like big cities, and strategic points like trade routes and big farms. Smaller towns and villages…" He paused. "…will be left to their own devices."

She didn't like the idea of normal people clearing dungeons because the military was overwhelmed, but she understood. The government had to think about the bigger picture. They couldn't save everyone; they had to save the most they could. And she wanted to support them and the soldiers. So she said next. "Then I'd like to give every team tackling a dungeon some of the recovery potions with holy water. It might save lives."

Elena thought the same. "I agree, but there won't be enough recovery potions. I think they should be given out via lottery. The Awakener Bureau will be the best to carry that out since you have an overview of who is going to enter a dungeon."

Nadine smiled. "I'll take care of it." Towards Arianna, "Try to make as much as possible, then tell me the amount. I'll see to it that it is fairly distributed."

Cassis brought the conversation back to their immediate problem. "Arianna and I aren't strong enough to take out a dungeon boss by ourselves, but if we have a few more people, it is doable. Our party can take care of most of them, and the people with us can level inside. Time moves faster in there, so it's efficient. That also goes for the scout party before us. I think Arianna and I need to be part of those, too. It is just too dangerous for low-level awakeners in a dungeon. But… some gates will have to be cleared without us. The time constraint is too short. So everybody should try to level and work on their abilities as much as possible."

Grim nods all around.

Arianna also thought about her and Cassis' conversation after the broadcast. He wanted to enter the E-rank dungeon. Some of his motives were good; others she had a hard time wrapping her head around. Wanting to prevent the dungeon break and finally evolving to E-rank, she could agree with that. But killing Bryce … she didn't know if she could do that. Still, now wasn't the time to think about this. They'd talk later.

The only reason she thought about it now was concern. "Cassis and I are going to enter the E-rank dungeon in two weeks. That means we will have to take a break before entering. We will need our full strength. And also … " she hesitated. Cassis had been against this idea, but she needed to do this. She couldn't live with herself if she had been selfish and someone died because of it. "Sapphire has a few points to buy some better equipment for some of us. It's just that better equipment costs a lot more than the basic stuff we got for now. So, she can't give equipment to everyone. Who should get it? I'd like to vote on that."

Benny spoke up. "That's so like you, Arianna. But Sapphire is your patron. And you two are the ones going into an E-rank dungeon." He looked around at the rest of the group. "I vote that she first buys equipment for you to be safe in the E-rank dungeon, then she can use the rest of her points on us."

Danielle frowned. "You need to take better care of yourself, my dear. This shouldn't even be up for a vote. You'll be in the most dangerous fight, so you'll need better equipment."

Joseph asked. "When you were in the other dungeon, you said that it was very difficult. Why was that? You two are very strong, so was it your party members?"

Cassis responded. "Yes, it was hard because most of our team was severely underlevelled for a boss fight, and we didn't take the time to level everyone up. We were a bit arrogant back then." He seemed irritated with himself. Arianna couldn't say anything. They'd become arrogant and drunk on their success. That dungeon had shown them that they needed to be more careful.

Cassis continued. "But with how well everyone's skills and spells have ranked up, it is only a matter of levels now. Those can be earned in the dungeons, though it would be dangerous at first since the dungeon monsters are strong."

Joseph smiled. "So here you have your answer, Arianna. Those F-rank dungeons can be cleared if we just level a bit more. But you and Cassis are already level 20, and you said you would probably not be able to evolve to E-rank soon because your evolution requirements are harsh. That means we can grow, but you can't right now. Then it is only logical to give you better equipment for that fight to raise your survival chances."

The rest of the group nodded. Arianna felt that her heart was so full, she couldn't put it into words. The only thing she could say was "Thank you". Cassis had his arm around her and squeezed her to his side. These were their people.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

His father added, "We've talked with the other neighbours, but most are older, not suited for fighting right away. They'd need training. They're still eager to join the community, but they'd rather take on professions and support us that way. Two people have expressed their desire to become healers, I mean clerics, if they need to fight anyway."

Cassis had told Arianna to expect as much. Most people didn't want to fight monsters, especially if their bodies weren't up to it. The news of the two people who wanted to become clerics was welcome. There had always been too few of them.

Liam suddenly said, "What if we asked more people? Told them they could move into the neighbourhood? This new crisis just proves we need to stick together."

Cassis tilted his head. "Who are you thinking of?"

"I'm still in contact with some of the people we fought alongside during the first wave," Liam explained. "From the government building, and a few from the gymnasium."

Samuel crossed his arms. "If the houses go to people who can fight and protect this place, I'm fine with that." Then he looked very serious. "But I don't think it is a good idea to turn to strangers or acquaintances in this instance."

When everyone looked at him, he shrugged. "I'm rich. Even after buying those houses, I'm still rich. But this money couldn't buy me health." He gestured to his useless legs. "If it can buy me and my family safety, I'm not going to be stingy. So I have no problem giving the houses to people willing to fight. But right now, doing that would be like begging for help. You can't do that." He gestured towards Cassis and Arianna. "You need to be strong leaders. And those don't ask for help. They get offered help because they are already strong."

Joseph chuckled. "Damn, man. That was a cool thing to say." Samuel grinned.

Camden spoke next. "Samuel is right. Realistically speaking, we can level almost everyone here to level 20. Then the boss fights shouldn't be as hard as the one in the Rezon dungeon was. Once those fights aren't as difficult, it would be possible to clear 10 dungeons in two weeks, especially if we split up into scouting/training parties and killing parties."

Danielle looked unsure but said. "That could work. Maybe that would even save time for the party killing the boss monsters." Then she looked at Cassis. "Can parties enter a dungeon immediately after another party leaves? Will the dungeon change or stay the same? Does Sapphire know?"

Cassis smiled. "Yes, parties can enter immediately after another party leaves the dungeon, and the dungeons will stay the same. They don't reset, but are real ecosystems that recover naturally because the monsters breed. It's actually a good idea since killing all the monsters on the way to the boss means that the second party only has to kill the boss. I've already told Luke so that the military and any other civilian fighting groups can employ that strategy."

Danielle nodded. "Alright. Then I think we have a plan."

Marcus had an interesting idea. "What about the fox? She is E-rank, so quite strong. Could she enter the dungeons with us? Not only would we have a stronger fighter with us, she could also grow stronger."

Arianna looked at Cassis, but he also just shrugged his shoulders. They had no idea if she could even enter the gates. Something they would have to try, if she agreed.

Liam then asked. "When will the dungeons near us break? We need to make a timeline."

The rest of the meeting was quite productive, with them setting a concrete timeline and some preliminary parties of where and when to enter the dungeons. They were lucky. Only one dungeon was set to break in four days. The rest would break in around a week. That gave them a little bit of time. So Arianna and Cassis would take their group into the first dungeon in two days. They'd level and kill the boss.

Then they'd split up and enter one of the other dungeons to level up the weakest members of their group and to scout. Arianna could use heal spells, and Cassis had her healing potions. This made them the only two group members capable of healing. Without healing, the level 1s wouldn't stand a chance.

Later that night, Arianna lay awake.

They finally had a plan, a good one, an effective one. And yet, she couldn't shake the nerves twisting in her stomach. Entering a dungeon without Cassis, surrounded by so many weaker awakeners, was terrifying. But she had to do this. It was efficient. And with time running short, efficiency mattered more than comfort.

They needed to clear not only the ten dungeons in their region, but also beyond that. Every dungeon they defeated would save more people and push danger farther away.

Her thoughts drifted back to the only fight she'd ever faced without Cassis, back when she needed CP to buy a healing potion for his father. She had fought the hyenas alone and had come far too close to dying. Every other time, Cassis had been at her side. His presence had been her shield, the reason she'd never felt too afraid.

Now she would have to be that presence for others. She would have to be the one who made them feel safe. But how could she, when she felt so nervous herself? She shook her head. She couldn't think about that right now.

To distract herself, she wondered about a different question: Why was this happening? Why had the dungeon timers suddenly sped up? She had no explanation, but maybe the deities did.

She slipped into the patron chat.

The chatroom, however, gave her nothing useful. The deities were abuzz about the coming dungeon dives, thrilled to be able to watch mortals fight again for free. They discussed which awakeners might make interesting avatars later. Nothing about the accelerating timers.

Arianna scrolled back through the messages, searching, but there was nothing. Disappointed, she realised the lack of alarm meant only one thing: this had happened before.

Next, she turned to the forums, but there, too, she found no answers.

With a sigh, she opened the chat interface. There was one more option. She could message Timeless Waterfall.

The price made her wince. Writing a message herself cost 1000 CP. Last time, she had only replied to them, which had been free. Was answering free, but starting a conversation expensive? Apparently. Still, this was too important.

She carefully worded her message:

Greetings, Timeless Waterfall. I would like to ask if you know about the phenomenon of the dungeon timers accelerating. Could you tell me the reason?

She pressed send.

Time was strange in the patron chat. Real time outside stood still, and yet time here moved forward. She had never understood how that was possible, but she felt it again now, waiting for their reply.

The answer came swiftly, startling her. Timeless Waterfall invited her into their private domain. Arianna accepted.

She found herself once more by the crystal-clear lake, her body slipping effortlessly into her elemental form. The rolling waves beneath her feet no longer made her sick. She was getting used to it.

"Hello, child," came the voice, deep and resonant, like the steady rush of water over stone.

"Hello," she replied softly.

Timeless Waterfall smiled. "It is almost time. But that is not your question." Their eyes, ageless and fluid, studied her. "You are young. You have never lived through this before. But it has happened… a few times."

Arianna leaned forward eagerly.

"Whenever time is disturbed on the mortal plane," Timeless Waterfall continued, "it creates ripples."

Her chest tightened. Ripples from time… Cassis's wish. My arrival. This is our fault.

They did not notice her dismay, or chose not to.

"At first, the ripples are small," the deity said. "A dungeon boss or monster stronger than expected, gluttons appearing more often and earlier than they should. Oddities mortals dismiss as chance."

Arianna thought back. The glutton during the first wave. The frogman chief, who had been far stronger than Cassis had predicted. They had blamed their own arrogance… but was this the ripple instead?

Timeless Waterfall's gaze lingered on her, calm and implacable. "Those are the small ripples. Then come the larger ones. The dungeon timers accelerate. The gates are delicate, sensitive to any violation of time or space, for they are born of both. This is always the second stage."

"And after that?" Arianna whispered.

The deity tilted their head, as though listening to currents only they could hear. "After that… the great ripples. What form they take is impossible to predict. The first two stages always occur, but the last? Each time it is something different. We will only know when it arrives."

Arianna hesitated. She knew she should not say it, should not trust a deity so easily, but she needed to. "Could this be because of… my avatars?"

Interest flickered across Timeless Waterfall's features. "I have sensed strangeness in their time-flow. Tell me."

So she did. "Cassis lived once already. He wished for time to turn back, and awoke again on the first day of the System's arrival. And… my other avatar, Arianna, is not of this world. She was pulled into it when Cassis returned."

The deity's expression deepened into something like satisfaction. "I suspected as much about your Cassis. But the second avatar… ah, that is intriguing. Her mana flow is unusual. Very unusual." They smiled. "Yes. Then they were the pebble that caused the ripples."

Arianna's guilt must have shown plainly on her face, because Timeless Waterfall added gently, "Do not worry. The System allows such things. Time is part of the natural mana, and so it will be used. It is not evil. It is not unnatural. Every action has a reaction, that is all. Your avatars are strong, and their strategies are fascinating. Cassis's knowledge of another timeline makes this inevitable."

Still, Arianna's heart sank. "But many people will die because of the dungeon breaks."

Timeless Waterfall nodded once, their voice as calm as ever. "That is true. But those mortals were not strong enough. It has been three weeks since the System's arrival. The time should have been used to grow stronger, like your avatars, like others have done. Those who did not, will fall. That is the nature of things. No one is at fault. Survival is never given. It is earned."

The words were merciless. But what else could she expect? To an ancient being like Timeless Waterfall, mortals must have been no more lasting than droplets striking the surface of a lake, falling, vanishing, and being forgotten.