Varian wanted to ask the system about his status and visit the orphanage to investigate if he really went there.
Before that, he tried to sit up without disturbing the sleeping couple. But…
'Smack!'
Varian moved his head to the side and dodged the punch to his face. Kyle was looking at him in anger. Maya started crying.
"Dude, calm down!" Varian was now a Body Awakener and could easily dodge Kyle's punches. But he didn't want to make a scene.
"Calm down, my ass! Why did you have to act all heroic? We could've fought together! You know if we were half a minute late, you'd be dead for god's sake! Bro, dead for real!" Kyle grabbed the pillow on the bed and punched it. One punch. Two punches. Three punches. He kept punching till the pillow was torn.
Varian watched Kyle's outburst in helplessness. He didn't regret his decision. Not a bit after seeing Kyle volunteering to buy time for them by baiting himself.
If they fought together, Maya would be the first to die. Then Kyle. Varian, despite being the weakest on paper, would survive with fewer injuries.
That was why he had to make the choice. Would he kill his friend who was ready to sacrifice his life for him, or would he risk his own life?
"Did I miss something?" a rough voice sounded, and they turned their attention to the ward's entrance. Arthur stood there, grinning at their mess.
Maya gave him an awkward smile and shook her head "Nothing."
Varian observed Arthur for a second. Now an Awakener, he could feel the flow of Aura in the air much more clearly.
So he could also sense Arthur's position through the Aura. Compared to the aura flow in and out of Varian, Arthur's was much higher. Arthur's teammates…
"Even though something unfortunate happened, you've achieved your goal," Arthur looked at Varian getting distressed and said, "Don't worry, my teammates are all fine. We were occupied by the battle. All we could do was injure the Level 1s that escaped."
"No. That saved my life. Thank you." Varian bowed to Arthur and said, "I know it's early to say, but I'll return the favor one day."
Arthur just chuckled and said nothing.
"But why did Abyssals come to the Dungeon? Aren't they supposed to stay in the Abyss? You even dismissed it when I brought up the issue." Kyle brought up the elephant in the room.
Varian glanced at Arthur with an inquisitive look. Arthur reacted unnaturally when Kyle brought up the rumor that Abyssals could use Cross Tunneling to enter Dungeons.
"You're hiding something, aren't you?" Varian said in a slow and solemn tone.
Arthur looked at him in shock, then he laughed out loud "You're very good. I knew something, but I couldn't tell you since I felt it was too unlikely. But now you too will know."
Maya and Kyle looked at Arthur in confusion. Their queries were answered as the door to the ward opened and a man in a black suit entered the room.
He was a middle-aged man with an unsmiling face and looked like they owed him his wife.
"I am an Inspector from the Dungeon Bureau," He shared his ID to their comms, and continued in a monotonous tone "Due to the issue of the event, you need to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement or face treason charges."
"What?" Maya was the first to outburst. "Your incompetence put my friend's life at risk and now you're telling me we're traitors if we don't keep silent?"
Kyle too was angry, but he stayed silent, thinking why they went to such extreme means.
Varian stared at the Inspector in the eye and said. "This clearly isn't your first time doing this. So there must have been similar incidents."
He took a step forward and continued, "The government doesn't want normal people to panic. More than that, it doesn't want to affect the training of low level Awakeners"
Dungeons were the battlegrounds to hone one's skill. Entering an Abyss or fighting Abyssals on the front lines was not something everyone could do. But anyone can enter a dungeon and fight.
Since their appearance, Dungeons have remained as an irreplaceable element in the life of an awakener.
Cutting it off now would weaken humanity's low ranking strength. It could prove too costly in the war against Abyssals.
The inspector raised an eyebrow. "Regardless of the reason, you have no choice. You just awakened. So keep your head low."
The room's temperature dropped. The floor started to freeze. Maya and Kyle shivered. Varian's body resisted the cold, but he was still affected.
"Why so serious?" Arthur moved freely in the cold and patted the inspector's shoulder.
The Inspector almost fell. He looked at Arthur with surprise and fear. The ice melted, and the room returned to normal temperature in an instant.
The Dungeon Bureau didn't have strong ties to the army and was one of the weakest links in the bureaucracy. Low Dungeon Inspectors like him were usually Level 2s and were at the bottom of the pyramid. Thus, their only superiority was in front of Level 1s like Varian's trio.
Unfortunately, Arthur wasn't letting him have his way.
Varian sighed inwardly.'There are hierarchies everywhere. Level 1s boss over Level 0s. Level 2s boss Level 1s. A fair society is not equal and an equal society is not fair.'
"Sign them." The inspector swiped the comm on his wrist and they received the Non Disclosure Agreement. This time, his tone was much milder.
Varian clicked on his comm and a holographic document opened. It recorded his retina, DNA, and aura signature, finishing the procedure.
Perhaps he felt he offended Arthur, a more powerful Awakener. The inspector said, "Since you already signed the agreement, there is no harm in telling you more. There have been over 20 similar incidents in the past month on Earth alone."
'What the f—' Even though he guessed it, Varian was still surprised by the sheer amount of the incidents. This was no joking matter. There were no major wars since the Pluto war of 514. But every human was certain the next war would break out anytime. There would be no peace. Only victory or defeat. That meant life or death.
Varian asked, "Why are the Abyssals doing this?"