Bang "Someone came out..." Just as I heard the voice of the person in front of me, I felt a cool breeze at night. "Hey!" The man approaching me was wearing a neat uniform with the Hunter Association logo printed on it. His serious expression and cold eyes exuded a majestic aura. He looked me up and down, as if evaluating me. "State your name and Hunter ID," he ordered, holding a notepad in his hand. I paused, recalled the familiar scenes in the game, organized my thoughts, and then answered. 'He must be from the Society. The others must have left and this place is being treated as a crime scene.' "My name is Morse Scott, from the Arcadia Hunter Academy. Here is my ID, you can check it out." He quickly wrote down the information and looked at me expectantly. "A student from Arcadia Hunter Academy?" He seemed to confirm my identity, and his eyes changed from suspicion to understanding. "You have been in the dungeon for a long time. We need to inquire about your experience."
They took me to a waiting area, and I began to recall what happened in the dungeon, starting with Fred's betrayal and ending with me being swept away by the dungeon boss monster's attack. I then explained how I was suddenly sucked into another portal and trapped in a different space from the copy environment. Since this incident is not yet known to everyone, I did not use the term "hidden level" or name the monsters, but simply recounted my experience in the dungeon. The officer listened carefully, writing in his notepad as he listened. "Your encounter with the creature you described is quite unusual. The initial investigation team report found no signs of such a creature. We need to conduct a thorough analysis of the area." Even though I saw him trying to cover it up as an anomaly, I knew he actually understood that it was a hidden level. "So, what about Fred Nelson? Did you meet him in there?" I couldn't possibly claim that I had killed Fred in the dungeon. I needed him to remain alive in the federal record. After all, announcing that I had killed him now would only cause me unnecessary trouble. "No. I didn't meet anyone after I was swept away by the attack of the Corrupted Tree Man." The investigator leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, deep in thought. His calm poker face made it impossible to read his thoughts, as he seemed to be evaluating my story, looking for any signs of impropriety or deception. "Your experience is indeed unique and worthy of further exploration. We will investigate this matter thoroughly," he responded, his voice calm. I simply nodded, showing no signs of doubt or nervousness. "I am willing to cooperate with your investigation. I believe that what I encountered in the dungeon is far beyond the norm." He nodded in acknowledgement. "Your cooperation is essential. We will continue our investigation further, and may need to question you again as the investigation progresses. Now, you may leave, but remain available for further questioning." "Got it," I responded, accepting his instructions. After all, for those in power, what they like most is to see people willing to cooperate. I left the waiting area for the investigation and took a taxi back to the college. We entered the instance on Saturday, a full day had passed in this world, and it was now Sunday evening. So I left this place and returned to college soon. ...... In the dim office, the two officials exchanged a wary look and watched Morse Scott leave the room. "What do you think?" Officer A broke the silence.
“I’m not sure,” Officer B responded. “His story sounds reasonable, but something doesn’t seem right.” Officer A activated a hidden device, activating a special ability. The device glowed faintly, processing the data Morse had stated. "He's not lying," Officer A announced, a confused frown on his face. "All indicators point to him telling the truth." Officer B frowned and leaned back in his chair. "Maybe he's just a very good liar who has been professionally trained to deceive these devices." Officer A shook his head and reviewed the data again. "I have honed my abilities for many years. It would be hard for a trainee to deceive me." "Anyway," Officer B said, "we need to report this to our superiors. So, where's Fred Nelson?" Officer A sighed and tapped his fingers on the table. "Fred has lost contact. We searched all known locations, but he just disappeared." "Notify your superiors of his whereabouts," Officer B suggested. "They'll have a plan for how to deal with it. As for the kid, we need to continue to keep an eye on him. I have a feeling something's not right about his story." Officer A nodded and sent a coded message to his superior. "Indeed, I feel the same way. There's something strange about that kid, as if something is vague. He's even weirder than those people in prison." A series of intricate events become more confusing, and they need to stay one step ahead. The war between the Hunter Association and the Devil Contractors becomes more intense as time goes by. As for Officer B, he slowly tapped his watch, pressed a small needle, and began writing a message to his "superior." ...... After returning to college, the first thing I did was to go back to my room, the place I missed for 30 days. Since I spent a whole month in the forest of time, I felt like a vagabond. Despite constant cleaning and a high-quality tent, nothing beats the feeling of returning home. After a long, hot shower, I was alone in my room, looking at my smartwatch. There were messages there from people I had never contacted before. [Ethan: Morse, are you okay?] [Ethan: I was worried about you. Are you okay?] [Ethan: Morse, please reply to me if you see this message.] [Ethan: I should have been with you. This is all my fault.] [Ethan: If only I were stronger, I could have stopped what was happening.] Seeing these messages, I can't help but feel that this guy is really a suitable person to be the protagonist. Even though I am just an ordinary person he met in the academy, he still showed his concern for me. This alone is enough to prove that this person has the potential to become a hero. Based on a person's feelings alone, I cannot determine whether he is a hero, but at least he meets one of the necessary conditions to become a hero. But even so, I still can't help but complain. 'What are you talking about, are you a child?' I slowly tapped away on the keyboard and began to reply to the messages. [Morse: I'm fine, don't worry about it.] Almost immediately, Ethan's reply appeared.
[Ethan: I'm relieved that you're okay. If you need anything or want to talk...] I didn't want to drag out the conversation, so I interrupted him. [Morse: I'm busy. Don't bother looking for me.] It was a cruel remark, but I didn't care. Even though Ethan was nice, that didn't mean I didn't mind him entering my personal space. Ethan didn't know me well enough to understand this, and I didn't have the energy or interest to explain it. [Ethan: Well, if you need...] I put my phone away, cutting off further messages. This message was enough, as Ethan would contact the rest of the team and Emily soon. I would get paid for the raid and the exploration, and a small note would be added to my profile. The Hunter ID and profile website are like resumes. Putting your previous dungeon experience into your Hunter profile will allow others to see it, and it will also improve your overall score in the Hunter rankings. This is how hunters are ranked around the world, based primarily on their accomplishments rather than their individual prowess. After sending the message, I lay on the bed for a while and soon fell asleep because I was exhausted and the battle with the Guardian of Time had exhausted my physical strength. ...... After a good night's sleep, I woke up very early. It's not quite right to say it was morning, because it was more like midnight. The sun hadn't risen yet, and there weren't too many people around, so I went straight to the training ground and started my daily training as usual. Thanks to the past month, my muscles and body have become stronger, but it cost me a lot of money because in the absence of a college cafeteria, I have been eating the food I bought myself. After some physical training and archery training in the club room, I finished my morning routine and returned to my room to get ready for the day's classes. If I remember correctly, there will be a dungeon exploration soon, which will be on Monday. So, it's better to prepare in advance. After a hearty breakfast in the college cafeteria, I headed towards my first class. However, the corridor felt different this time, the whispers were louder than usual, it was as if there was a strange heaviness in the air, and most importantly, I felt many eyes on me as I walked past. 'What's going on?' I had actually been feeling the strange looks for a while, but now they seemed to be coming more and more. Since I'm very sensitive to the looks of people around me, I knew something was wrong. As I approached the classroom, the usual chatter became louder. I couldn't ignore the whispers, which were far more intense than usual. Gossip was spreading. "He must be a criminal." "I heard he was involved in some very shady stuff." "...He is an adulterer, do you believe it?" Their words were full of surprise at me, and to be honest, I was more surprised than they were. 'Why did this happen suddenly?' It's not hard to understand that someone is spreading rumors about me. It's a very common bullying tactic. People will always take advantage of this universal human trait. We are curious, jealous, selfish, proud, attention-seeking, entertainment-seeking beings, so drama like this always attracts attention. "I heard he has a criminal record in another city." "...He is connected to some suspicious underworld organizations."
"…He has a background, that's why nothing has happened to him until now." "That's right, how could an orphan get into this academy? He must have connections." The rumors were spreading. I listened to their conversation, but at this moment, there was nothing I could do. 'From the way they said it and the tone they used, it was clear that most people didn't believe me.' This is normal because most people do not have the necessary reasoning skills to confirm facts, and they just accept something as a fact after it happens. "......" "......" "......" I walked to my seat and sat down, with several looks and hushed conversations passing by. This is not the first time I have faced such rumors and looks. I am quite familiar with this kind of thing. Now, the best way to deal with it is to ignore it. Trying to clarify will only backfire. 'Those who are against me will not sit idly by when I try to clear myself. I have to find out who they are first.' Currently, the individuals responsible for spreading these rumors are unknown, and fighting an unknown enemy is one of the most difficult things to do. So I simply focused on preparing for the upcoming classes. The rumors faded from my sight like a distant storm.