Chapter 1

Carl, a 27-year-old marine technician in Seattle, is caught outside in extreme cold while retrieving his ex-girlfriend's prized cat, Donut, from a tree. At 2:23 AM on January 3rd, a cataclysmic event destroys all indoor structures and kills nearly everyone sheltered inside. An alien AI voice announces that Earth has been seized for mining and transformed into an 18-level dungeon; surviving humans can attempt to reclaim their matter by entering the dungeon before the first-level entrances close in one hour.

Carl wakes at 2 AM needing a cigarette and cracks his bedroom window. Donut, the fluffy Persian show cat he's been watching for his recently ex-girlfriend Beatrice, impulsively jumps outside for the first time ever despite the freezing weather. Unable to retrieve her easily, Carl puts on only a leather jacket and his ex's pink Crocs and rushes outside to rescue the cat. While he's coaxing Donut from a tree, his neighbor Mrs. Parsons emerges to complain. Suddenly, at approximately 2:23 AM, all buildings with roofs—including the seven-story apartment complex—are instantaneously crushed flat. Carl watches the destruction occur and finds Mrs. Parsons's severed head at his feet. Donut jumps into his arms. A robotic, alien voice then speaks directly into Carl's mind, appearing as floating text, explaining that Earth has been seized by the Borant Corporation under Syndicate rules for mining. The planet's interior has been destroyed and converted into an 18-level dungeon where surviving humans can attempt resource reclamation. The first-level dungeon entrances will open in 18 seconds and remain open for exactly one hour. Carl, nearly hypothermic and desperate for warmth, sees spotlights marking dungeon entrances appearing throughout the city. He runs toward the nearest light, carrying the struggling Donut, as the first dungeon entrance materializes.