Next day
Jasmine and Keshav arrived at the dungeon entrance, their minds focused and their bodies ready for battle. Jasmine felt a thrill of excitement course through her veins - this was their chance to gain some serious experience and level up.
They entered the dungeon.
Chilly mountain air brushed their faces. A verdant valley stretched below. They now stood at the center of an ancient stone summoning circle, glowing with runes neither of them recognized—but both instantly knew were fake. Decorative.
Before them stood a robed king with a glimmering crown, flanked by a silver-haired princess and a dozen armored knights. A line of priests chanted in the background.
> [System Notification]
You have entered a Plot Dungeon: [Heroes of Eldoria]
Objective: Defeat the Demon Lord Varaxis.
Restrictions: You may not leave until the narrative arc completes. Death is temporary unless the Demon Lord dies.
Jasmine and Keshav glanced at each other upon reading the system notification, both of them realizing the implications. This was no ordinary dungeon, it was a plot dungeon, a special type of dungeon that forced players to complete a specific story arc before they could leave.
Keshav blinked. "What… is this cosplay?"
Jasmine didn't answer. Her eyes narrowed, scanning the landscape. The air felt scripted. Even the birds sang on beat. The magic circle beneath her feet pulsed with familiar energy—dimensional residue. This dungeon was fabricated from collective clichés, stitched together by players' expectations of "hero summoning" tropes.
The king raised his arms solemnly.
"Great heroes from another world! We have summoned you to save our kingdom from the clutches of the Demon Lord!"
The princess stepped forward. "Please… lend us your strength. Our people suffer every day!"
Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest, her expression skeptical. She could see the predictable narrative unfolding before them — the hapless locals, pleading for help in the face of evil. It was a tired cliché, but the princess's pleading gaze made her heartstrings twang.
Jasmine stepped past them without a word, her boots clicking against marble tile that shouldn't exist on mountaintop terrain. She didn't bow, didn't ask questions.
Meanwhile, Keshav looked toward the edge of the hill. Beyond the castle's massive walls, a dark sky churned unnaturally over distant lands.
"I guess we can't cut our way out yet, huh?" he muttered.
"Seems we're in it for now," Jasmine agreed, her mind already racing through possible outcomes. "Let's play along and see what happens. There might be more to this than just cliché heroics."
"But this is cliché even by cliché standards," Keshav complained. "Fake king. Cornball summoning. The princess and the damsel in distress. How much more cliché can you get?"
"They're not clichés until they're subverted," Jasmine said, her eyes narrowing. "And judging from the amount of dimensional residue, this plot is going to defy every expectation."
They checked levels of surrounding living beings.
The minimum level even of small birds is 170
Level of king and princess is 213 and 210.
While keshav and Jasmine's level is only 208 and 205 respectively.
Keshav's jaw dropped, staring at the numbers in disbelief. "Their levels are insane. We're significantly lower leveled than them." But then with confidence he said "With our cheat skills, We will easily defeat the demon lord"
Jasmine's lips twitched at Keshav's overconfidence. "You're probably right," she agreed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But don't get cocky. We're still underleveled and they have home field advantage. We need to play this smart."
She turned, voice cold. "Where's this Demon Lord?"
One of the knights stepped forward, dramatically pointing his sword toward the horizon. "He dwells in the obsidian fortress of Dreadmourne, beyond the cursed forest."
She barely refrained from rolling her eyes. A dark forest? Check. Obsidian fortress? Check. These people were laying it on thick. But beneath the predictable tropes, a shiver of excitement ran through her. This dungeon was designed to put on a show. And she loved a good show.
Then princess said "You are just summoned, so come to capital with us there we will train you so you can complete your mission of killing demon lord."
Jasmine nodded, accepting the princess's offer. "Lead the way," she said, her voice steady. "We'll need every advantage we can get."
Keshav said to Jasmine in a low voice "But we need to complete this dungeon fast so that we can level up faster."
Jasmine nodded, keeping her voice hushed. "I know," she murmured, her gaze scanning the surroundings. "But we can't rush in blindly. We need intel, resources, allies. We'll do this right."
They started walking toward the capital. King and a few gaurds went ahead of them. Keshav and Jasmine followed princess.
As they walked behind to capital, Jasmine studied the landscape. The land felt… different. The grass seemed too green, the air too clean. Everything felt staged, like a film set.
She turned to Keshav, whispering. "This place feels wrong. Like it's not real."
Keshav nodded, his expression grim. "I feel it too. Like everything is a little too perfect. It's giving me a headache."
The they reached the capital. They were shocked to see the capital. All perfection of cliché they encountered on the way disappeared. The capital was a MishMash of buildings from different genres. Some typical fantasy like, some modern, some looked like they are out of sci-fi
Jasmine's eyes widened, her mind struggling to process the chaotic architectural landscape. The city was a dizzying blend of pastiche — a true "best of" list of pop culture. It was like someone had copy-pasted iconic locations in the most haphazard way possible.
"What even is this?" she murmured, her eyes darting from a medieval-era tavern to a gleaming high-rise next to a neon-lit cyber-punk market.
Princess said "This is capital of our country Arlindor"
Jasmine's skepticism reached new heights. "Arlindor," she repeated, struggling to keep a straight face. This place was a walking cliché parade.
Jasmine let out a soft whistle as they approached the royal palace. It was a grandiose structure that looked like it had been inspired by a dozen different cultures – a mash-up of Greek columns, Italian arches, and Asian rooftops. It was gaudy, over-the-top, and utterly unapologetic.
Keshav couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "This is something else," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Did they just grab inspiration from every architectural style and slap them together?"
Jasmine said "Its just chaotic mixup"
Keshav raised an eyebrow. "Maybe they're going for a 'chaos chic' aesthetic," he mused, a smirk on his lips.
Soon they reached throne room. Many nobels were present there.
The throne room was equally eclectic — a hodgepodge of opulence and dissonance. A throne that would make any medieval king envious sat at the back of the room, but the area was filled with high-tech control panels and LED screens. It was, in short, a complete nightmare.
Keshav coughed, trying to suppress a laugh. "It's like they couldn't decide on one aesthetic and went for everything," he whispered to Jasmine, keeping his voice low. "I can't believe we're supposed to take this seriously."