Out of all people, why am I the ntred protagonist

I left the restaurant inside the supermall, finishing the last sip of my drink before tossing it into a nearby bin.

"So, when will the portal open?"

[System]: Any moment now...

As if on cue, a shrill scream echoed from the entrance of the RM Supermall.

A fissure-like portal had formed, swirling with violent blue energy, crackling like a storm ready to break loose. The crowd panicked—people sprinted away, some froze in fear, others fumbled for their phones, already calling for help.

"Speak of the devil." I muttered, tightening my stance. "Let's go."

I pushed my way through the sea of terrified civilians, their frantic voices blending into white noise. Each step brought me closer, the portal's energy distorting the air around it like a mirage.

.

.

.

[Cipher's Livestream Chat]

"Yo, what's up, guys! It's ya boi Cipher! Welcome back to the channel!"

KillerBean89: Yo Cipher! Morning, my guy!

MangoSlicer: Finally, some action. I was getting bored.

xXDarkEdgeXx: Another stream, another W!

UwULord2000: Damn, that portal looks sick!

LunaEclipse: Dungeon break live? W content fr.

GoblinSlayerFan88: Bro, imagine being near that thing.

DripKing69: No way I'd be caught dead that close.

Cipher turned his camera toward the swirling mass. "We just got word that a dungeon portal opened near RM Supermall, and we're here to check it ou—wait…"

He squinted. His camera zoomed in.

"Is that guy—?"

[Chat]

SpicyNoodles47: Wait, what's that dude doing?

DripKing69: Bro, he's getting way too close!

GoblinSlayerFan88: AIN'T NO WAY.

NotAnNPC: Bro think he in a game lmao.

SilentReaper001: Someone stop him! He's gonna get himself killed!

LemonPepe69: This is why civilians need IQ tests.

DoomBringer404: Either a hero or an idiot. My bet's on idiot.

GoldenGrillzXD: He's actually stepping in?! Nah, dude lost it.

Cipher's voice spiked in panic. "HEY! STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

I ignored him.

[Chat]

ShadowMonarch12: Nah, he built different.

BigChungus420: Main character syndrome fr.

Knightmare404: Bro woke up and chose death.

GoldenGrillzXD: 1000 kuros says he lasts 5 minutes inside.

UwULord2000: 500 says he doesn't last 3.

EclipseHunter: Watch him come out as the final boss.

MechaGoblin99: Side character #12 thinking he's the MC.

LunaEclipse: This dude got plot armor or what?

HeyItsJroch: NAH, I SAY LET HIM COOK!.

The portal crackled louder as I stepped right up to it, the space around me distorting like heatwaves.

Without hesitation, I jumped in.

The sensation was instant—like being yanked into a freezing abyss, weightless and disoriented. My stomach flipped, my vision blurred, my body pulled into an unknown space—

And then—

A second voice. A second body.

"HEY, WAIT UP!"

Before I could react, someone else had jumped in after me.

Cipher.

[Chat]

SpicyNoodles47: ???

KillerBean89: CIPHER WTF ARE YOU DOING?!

MangoSlicer: NO WAY. NO FREAKING WAY.

GoblinSlayerFan88: BRO JUMPED IN LMAOOOOO

LunaEclipse: WTF CIPHER ACTUALLY HAS BALLS?!

DripKing69: This ain't content, this is suicide!

UwULord2000: Bro went from "reporting the news" to "becoming the news."

GoldenGrillzXD: We just witnessed a streamer's last moments.

BigChungus420: DUO MODE UNLOCKED LET'S GOOO

xXDarkEdgeXx: TWO IDIOTS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE, WHAT A DEAL

SilentReaper001: This just turned into a buddy cop movie.

NotAnNPC: Plot twist: Cipher's the real MC, the other guy's his sidekick.

MechaGoblin99: Nah, other dude is gonna have to babysit him the whole time.

EclipseHunter: Can we get an F in the chat for Cipher?

As we were pulled into the abyss, Cipher's panicked voice rang out beside me.

"BRO WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST DO?!"

Too late.

The portal swallowed us both.

Samantha's POV

My family abandoned me.

After countless failed projects and endless disappointments, they finally cut me off. No more second chances. No more patience. I was nothing but a disgrace—a stain on the Nachtwald name.

Desperation clawed at me. I spent days—no, weeks—searching for a way to redeem myself. To prove I was still worthy of my family's recognition. Of their approval. Sleep became a distant memory, my world consumed by endless research, formulas, and failed attempts.

Then, when I was on the verge of breaking, he appeared.

A knock echoed through my dimly lit lab. When I opened the door, a man with piercing blue eyes stood there, a calm yet confident expression on his face.

"I have a proposal you can't refuse."

Curious—and honestly, too exhausted to care—I let him in.

At first, I thought he was just another opportunist, another smooth talker looking to exploit my desperation. But then, he placed something on my table.

Two bottles.

The moment my eyes landed on them, everything changed.

Mutated Great Wolf Blood.

A rare, near-impossible-to-acquire alchemical ingredient. One that could elevate my research—no, my entire career—to another level.

My breath caught in my throat. My hands trembled as I reached for the vials, my mind already racing with possibilities.

With this... I can rise again.

For the first time in years, my heart pounded with something other than dread.

Hope.

I can't let him down.

For the first time in forever, my passion burned brighter than ever before.

Lukas POV

The dungeon entrance loomed before me—a cavernous maw of jagged rock, exhaling a cold, damp breath that sent a shiver down my spine. The eerie glow of the portal behind me cast long shadows against the cave walls, flickering like dying embers.

I clenched my fists. This was the source of the problem. The dungeon break waiting to happen.

And just as I was about to step inside—

"Yo, hold up!"

A voice rang out behind me, laced with a mix of excitement and sheer stupidity. I turned my head just enough to confirm my suspicion.

Cipher.

The rising star of reckless streaming, the guy who built his whole reputation on having zero self-preservation.

The chat on his stream was blowing up.

[Chat]

KillerBean89: Bro really ran straight into a dungeon like it's a side quest.

MangoSlicer: Is this dude suicidal or just dumb?

xXDarkEdgeXx: Nah, he's got that main character energy.

UwULord2000: Someone start a death counter.

LunaEclipse: CALL THE RAIDERS! SOMEONE STOP HIM!

SpicyNoodles47: 10 bucks says he screams like a little girl in 3 minutes.

DripKing69: My man just built different.

GoblinSlayerFan88: IF THERE ARE GOBLINS, PURGE THEM.

Cipher: Relax, chat, I got this.

Cipher: …probably.

NotAnNPC: ominous cave noises intensify

I sighed, rubbing my temples.

A variable I didn't account for.

Cipher's whole deal was diving headfirst into danger for content, and now, thanks to his terrible survival instincts, I had a reckless idiot charging straight into MY dungeon.

Great.

Now I had a liability to deal with.

The moment we landed, my boots hit solid ground with a dull thud. The air was damp, and the only source of light was the faint glow of the portal behind us. Jagged rocks surrounded us, stretching into what seemed like an endless cave system. A distant drip... drip... echoed in the darkness.

Cipher stumbled beside me, panting. "WHY did I just do that?!"

I exhaled sharply. "Better question—why did you follow me?"

Cipher threw his hands up. "I have a great question too! WHY are you going into a portal ALONE?!"

I ignored his outburst and turned away. No way I was explaining myself to some rookie streamer.

Cipher squinted at me, stepping closer. "Bro, that's so creepy. You just—poof—made yourself anonymous? How the hell did your face just blur?"

I smirked. "Privacy is key."

[Cipher's Livestream Chat]

SpicyNoodles47: BRO WHY DID YOU FOLLOW HIM?!

KillerBean89: Ain't no way Cipher really jumped in.

MangoSlicer: We got front-row seats to a live death speedrun.

UwULord2000: This is actually insane.

LunaEclipse: No respawns, no save points. Good luck, my guy.

GoblinSlayerFan88: This better not turn into a horror movie.

DripKing69: Bro went from content creator to missing person in 5 seconds.

NotAnNPC: Watch this man unlock his protagonist arc fr.

GoldenGrillzXD: Did my guy just ask for a face blur in real life?!

DoomBringer404: Nah, how did his face actually blur though? Some kinda tech?

Knightmare404: Bro got some FBI-level privacy settings.

xXDarkEdgeXx: Nah, that ain't normal. You ain't just blurring your face like that without some serious gear.

FrogLover99: You guys are focused on the wrong thing—WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?!

Cipher glanced at his chat, then back at me. "You… you got some kinda crazy tech or something? 'Cause my camera is LIVE and my chat is saying your face just blurred itself."

I shrugged. "Just focus on surviving."

Cipher gulped. "Point taken." He quickly jogged to my side.

The cave stretched before us, a vast darkness swallowing the faint light from the portal behind. Whatever was waiting ahead—it wasn't going to be friendly.