I stare down at my left arm for a moment, taking in the reality of my situation. The demon’s core just dissolved into my body….
I swallow hard, examining the tattoo-like black line running all the way up my sleeve.
The sensation of transfer magic starts to come over my body at the same moment. A white light starts to mask my vision, just like after every boss fight finishes.
Not knowing exactly where this next transfer will take me, I activate Dungeon Walker to decide for myself. Away from here…
If this is going where I think it is, I don’t want to be any part of a labyrinth’s collapsed aftermath. After every dungeon break I’ve been in, all hunters that were stuck inside get transported to the outside world together. That would only add to my pile of problems…
I focus on a very familiar dungeon in the capital, the Minotaur Dungeon. The white light around me grows even brighter as I teleport away.
“Just in time.”
Fractions of a second later, I’ve arrived safe and sound. A smile grows across my face as I walk over to the exit portal no more than 20m away.
I exhale abruptly, then stop right in front of the spinning mass of energy before returning to the outside world. Tightening my lips and scrunching my eyebrows, I reactivate Dungeon Walker out of curiosity.
“It’s gone….”
Scanning through all the dungeon layouts in my mind’s eye, not a single one from the labyrinth I just left pops up in my head. It’s completely gone, every single dungeon has vanished into thin air.
Deactivating my skills and putting away my sword, I slowly walk outside without another thought.
There aren’t any hunters in sight. I make my way back to the main hub on the train and exit without seeing anyone but a few nightshift guards. The city streets are quiet at night. A soft white moonlight shines alongside the occasional streetlamp as I make my way back to the hotel.
With a wave to the attendant in the lobby, I get into the elevator and ride it up to the 4th floor. With a turn of my key, I enter the room and fall into bed almost immediately.
I’m exhausted, but a million thoughts are still running wild through my head. It feels incredible to lie down and rest my sore muscles, but the looming fear of my meeting with Rodrigo and the Hunters Association Higher-Ups is fresh in my mind.
After seemingly endless tossing and turning, I finally fall asleep for a few hours.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t last long. As the sun rises through my hotel window, so do I. Letting out a groan, I stretch my arms, legs, and back before rolling out of bed.
“My work is never over…”
I’ve decided to see Briana. It never hurts to see your friendly neighborhood black market craftswoman before a lunch meeting with the government… right?
I have a lot of new gear and items. There’s no one who’d be better at appraising their value than her. I may even get a chance to fuse that new firestone with something…
I let out a sigh, shrug, and walk out the door. I’ll just have to head over and see what she can offer.
After drinking some of the leftover water in my inventory and grabbing a breakfast sandwich from a local shop, I make my way toward the three-story building where Briana stays.
There are two large men standing out front, one of them seems to recognize me from a distance. I wave as he looks at his friend to mumble a few words, then turns to me with a smirk.
“I recognize you, kid. What do you want with Ms. Briana? She’s busy right now.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“Busy? When will she be free?”
The muscular bodyguard crosses his arms.
“A few more hours, she has a special guest visiting this morning. Come back around noon.”
I stare at the two of them with an annoyed look while biting my bottom lip, then let out a reply.
“Well, can I at least see Bernard?”
The bodyguard rolls his eyes but nods slowly.
“Sure, sure. I heard you were a pretty high-paying customer last time you were here, so what is it this time? More business?”
I nod.
He turns and opens the door for me and I walk inside.
The bottom-floor sweatshop isn’t as jarring as it was the first time around but is still quite out of the ordinary. There are so many workers crammed into a small space with all kinds of magical items laying out on the tables.
The workers packaging and tinkering with the potions and trinkets barely bat an eye as I walk past them and begin climbing the spiral staircase.
My footsteps echo slightly as I make my way up to the second floor. The moment I do, a tall thin man greets me with a weak smile. The two twin girls on either side of his office keep their heads down as he walks over to me.
“Jay. What a surprise it is to see you here today of all days…”
I open my mouth to speak, but he cuts me off.
“Ms. Brianna can’t see you right now. She’s with a client.”
I nod.
“Yeah, yeah. I know, one of the guards downstairs already told me. I took my C-Class exams this past weekend, so I have all kinds of items I’d like to have properly appraised.”
Bernard raises an eyebrow and shows me to his desk.
“I have a good eye for these kinds of things too you know. Let’s see what you have.”
“I- uh- do you have one of those containment cases? For element stones.”
His eyes open wide.
“You managed to get another one?!”
I smile, realizing this may be my chance. Bri can’t pass up an element stone waiting to be crafted right?
I reply.
“Yeah, I have a lot of other loot with me as well, but the element stone and this here-“
I pull out the dark red demon’s horn and set it down on his desk with a thud.
“-I was hoping Bri could make me some kind of dagger with this and the firestone I picked up.”
Bernard turns to the smooth meter-long red horn on his desk. His eyes remain glued to it as he feels its surface with both hands.
“T-This is- ….”
He stutters while keeping his eyes fixated on the horn.
“You fought a Labyrinth’s Guardian… a-and beat it? As a new C-Class hunter… how is that possible?”
The thin man in glasses turns to me wide-eyed with his eyebrows scrunched tightly together. I reply.
“It was my lucky day. Long story. Isn’t your guys’ motto here something like: No questions, just pay the lady and leave?”
Bernard gulps, stands up straight, then lets out a sigh followed by a subtle bow.
“You’re right. How unprofessional of me… This is- an incredible find.”
He glances upstairs, then back to me continuing his statement.
“I don’t think Ms. Briana will mind a quick disturbance if this is what you have to show her.”
I grin.
He nods, then points to the stairs.
“Very well, just… be polite. There’s a VIP up there, one wrong move and you’re a dead man. I mean it.”
I nod while grabbing the demon’s horn, placing it in my inventory, and making my way toward the twisting stairs. I didn’t even show him the firestone, better yet, he doesn’t even know about the odd red egg-shaped rock. Maybe I should keep that a secret from everyone for now….
I ready myself to meet with Bri and this mysterious VIP client, then begin climbing the stairs. Halfway up, I hear a man’s voice.
“I did everything I could Bri. After almost 3 full days of farming, 2 wind stones may not sound like much, but it’s nothing to laugh at. That’s good money, even after I pay the team! Plus, look at all this other loot we got from the raid.”
Bri’s voice responds after an audible sigh.
“Brother dearest. One of my clients up north is relying on me to provide them with a Firestone-imbued blade by the end of the week. You assured me it would be possible to obtain one.”
The man grunts and the sound of feet getting kicked up onto a table echo down the stairs.
I’m already more than halfway up. The two of them seem to be in a pretty heated business deal, but… did I hear Bri just say, Brother?
The man’s low, and oddly familiar voice continues.
“I was certain I could get you one, there were just a few complications last night. Someone snuck into the final boss room and took out the guardian before my team and I had a chance to farm the top floors.”
He lets out a sigh, slamming his arm against something hard.
“The only reason I ever agreed to come out to this region was to get my hands on another core! That’s gone too! This whole trip has just been a damn waste of time!”
I near the top of the stairs as the man’s voice gets louder and angrier.
“Plus, I have this stupid meeting with this multi-skill brat later today. The Association’s probably going to turn him into their personal lab rat, but it’s better him, than me! I can’t wait to get it over with and go home! This plac-“
Mid-tantrum, I step up the final stair and can’t believe my eyes…
Bri stands at the back of the room with her hands on her hips, wearing a tight black dress with much of her olive skin exposed. She looks half-worried and half-amused at the situation in front of her.
I stare at the man by her side with my mouth wide open.
Surprisingly, he does the same. The tall man with tan skin, black hair, white eyes, and a bright red suit looks deep into my soul as I enter the room.
I gulp… then stutter out a few words.
“R-Rodrigo is… that you…?”