My bed is warm and snuggly. I pull the cover over my head to block out the sunlight peaking in through the blinds and the annoying noise of vehicle engines. Why did people have to be up at this hour?

  I move the covers slightly, barely enough to reveal my nose and an eye. The clock on my wall reads 2pm.

  I stand by my previous comment.

  Before I can return the 10% of my face to the sanctity of my bnket burrito, a pleasant smell reaches the scent receptors in my nostrils. Egg fried rice.

  My head emerges a bit further, like a tortoise poking its head from its shell. Hovering in front of me is a glowing blue panel.

  [You have the Rested status]

  [Status: Rested]

  [Passively regenerate 10% of HP and MP per minute]

  It takes a bit for it to register with me, but I immediately let out a yelp and clutch my side. Nothing. No pain either. I pull up my camisole and examine my side. There’s only a faint jagged scar where the stab wound was.

  The sound of footsteps come from the kitchen to my right.

  “Oh hey, you’re awa–HANA PULL YOUR TOP BACK DOWN!”

  I squeak and cover myself. It’s not the first time Jake’s seen my tits, but it’s not like I want him too either. Blood rushes all through my face and I suddenly wish I had died back in the dungeon.

  Jake emerges from the kitchen area, all one-eighty-cm-jacked-af of him. Prior to the dungeons appearing, he was a combat medic in the Australian Defense Force, and he’s maintained his physique for years, with biceps that threaten to burst the sleeves of his shirt and pecs so buff they’re bigger than my chest.

  He rushes at me and wraps me in a hug with his strong arms.

  “I’m so gd you’re okay! You've been out for about 16 hours.” His voice cracks, and there’s a tremor like he’s holding back from crying. “Do you know how terrified I was finding your body in an alley lying in a pool of blood with a stab wound?! I needed a mid-tier potion just to stabilise you! Were you assaulted?”

  He pulls back, gripping me by the shoulders. Tears run down his cheeks.

  “That’s it, we’re moving you out of this back alley apartment for good! It being cheap is not worth you getting jumped in an alley! Come live with me. I'm an A-Ranker, so I earn quite a decent amount. I can easily cover our costs.”

  He makes a good point. Even if I rarely leave the apartment and I'm unattractive, a back alley apartment isn't the safest for a woman. I just like that the rent is cheap and the Internet is decent. Having already known Jake my whole life, it's not like I'd be rooming with a stranger either. In fact, the only reason we didn't move in together in the first pce was because he was on deployment with the military.

  Jake sighs and lets go of my shoulders. They are a bit sore from the tightness of his grip. He takes a few deep breaths to calm himself down and looks me in the eye.

  “Can you tell me what happened?”

  This is it. Do I tell him I Awakened? I don't want to deal with this Ranker nonsense. Just let me stay inside already!!!!!

  Maybe just part of the truth is okay?

  “Umm… so I needed supplies, so I quickly went to the shop. And then I saw your text on the way home, and kinda wasn't paying attention, and… well, I ended up in that dungeon you warned me about–”

  His eyes went wide. “You WHAT?!”

  “I-I-I’m sorry,” I stutter, and turn to avoid his gaze. “It was an accident. I was looking at my phone, listening to music and–FUCK! It was scary! This lizard guy ran at me with a knife and stabbed me, soon after I ended up there.”

  My heart hammers, reliving the moment. I thought I was going to die there many times.

  “Th-this woman showed up,” I continue. “I couldn't see her face, but she had this big hammer. She told me to stay put and she'd kill the boss and g-get me out. I didn't realise my wound was that bad until I bcked out, and then woke up here.”

  I cringe slightly at the partial lie. I don't like deceiving my best friend, but sometimes a girl's gotta do what she's gotta do to maintain her shut-in lifestyle!

  “That bitch,” he mutters.

  Huh? Excuse me, that's me!

  “She leaves you alone in a dungeon, bleeding out? What if she'd taken longer to find the boss?? Every good Ranker knows to make sure civilians are looked after!”

  Okay, okay, I get his point, but also this is me he's badmouthing, even if I didn't tell him it was me??

  “M-maybe she was out of potions…?” I offered.

  He snorts.

  “Any Ranker good enough to solo a dungeon would know better than to enter a dungeon without supplies.”

  Jake looks off at a point on the wall, what he tends to do when thinking. “I wonder who she is? If she solo’d a D-Rank dungeon boss, she must be like B-Rank, surely?”

  A ping comes from the kitchen and he jumps up with a smile.

  “Oh good! The rice is ready!”