Two young men walked through New York City’s bustling nighttime streets while discussing the intricacies of the modern dating scene. Smells of cigarettes, street food, and perfumes of passing pedestrians blended together to form the city’s natural fragrance–Eau de hot garbage. “If dinner is a Sarlacc pit trap, then where would you take a girl?” Ben asked. Antonio answered, “Pretend …

7 days. For the 100th time today, the voice of Samara from The Ring rang in Ben’s head… That was also the number of times he’d checked his phone’s clock since he sat down. ‘She sure is running late.’ He was sitting at a candlelit dinner table in Gregori’s, an Italian restaurant, by himself. The sound of couples chatting blended …

“Come on. We’re going back in,” the hulking man ordered Lia. Her eyes betrayed a trace of annoyance, but she put away the unsmoked cigarette. “I’ve gotta go. Bye.” She waved to Ben as she walked inside. Her boyfriend didn’t follow her. He stayed in place staring at Ben. When she was out of sight, he issued a threat. “Don’t …

‘Quit playin’ games with my points~ Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na (with my points) Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, baby (my points)… My points…’ Ben was looking down at the blue Mystery Box, singing his modernized version of Backstreet Boys’ “Quit Playing Games” to the system in his head. He figured if he tried …

‘I can’t believe this is going so well!’ Ben was chatting up one of the two hot girls that Antonio opened. The group of four were dancing and chatting. So far, everything was perfect. When Antonio opened them, they warmed up to him right away. Then he signaled Ben over and it became a two on two, with strong cooperation …

[Dungeon Hidden Zone detected] “Huh?” Ben was so excited about opening his screens that he didn’t look where he was going. He glanced at the alert. [Hidden Zone – Can explore. May house treasure or traps] ‘Interesting…’ He looked around to see what this zone contained. Ben looked at the “Dungeon gate” he passed through before triggering the alert. It …

“We’re switching to Plan B,” Antonio declared. “Plan B?” Ben asked. “You’re not ready to run groups solo, but it’s no big deal. We’ll just run groups together then. That’s Plan B. With the two of us, the way to defuse the obstacle will become simple—one of us will occupy her. That’s the purpose of a wingman!” Ben agreed. “I’ll …

“You guys look like you’re having the most fun out of anyone here!” Ben opened two women at the bar using the line Antonio gave him. “Yea! We are!” The cute one said as they both chuckled and looked at him. He chatted both of them up with jokes, keeping it friendly, not focusing on his target. Choosing a target …

[Dungeon instance detected] [Special Event initiated for user’s first dungeon run] Ben eye’s popped out as he peered around. The bass from the speakers thumped in his chest. The heat from the dancing and drinking patrons washed over him like a wave as he tried to acclimate. Yet, no matter where he looked, he didn’t see any goblins or orcs …

Ben gazed at the flashing red neon sign above him that read “Domina.” It was the name of the bar Antonio brought him to. There was a line of people out front waiting to enter, clogging up the noisy nightlife street even further. “Are you sure this place is good?” Ben asked. “Yup, this spot’s famous for chicks,” Antonio replied. …