After waking up, Kai got ready for the day and headed to the lobby. After reaching the lobby, he paid another 35 copper coins. Though Kai doubted he would need another week in the inn, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Leaving, Kai set off to explore the rest of the city.
Starting from the Adventure Guild, he saw a large red brick building called 'Baps Butcher.' Next to it was a wood and stone building with an emblem. The emblem had a large 'M' in the middle; around the 'M' were bags of coins.
Kai saw many people with metal and leather armor coming in and out of the two buildings.
'Adventurers? How could that building help them?' Kai thought, looking toward the large 'M' emblem.
He wouldn't know till he went inside.
Walking through the double doors, Kai was greeted with an open space, with many stalls where the walls would be.
Each stall was different; some had rocks on display, while others had animal hide spread out for show. Some even had various weapons hanging from the ceiling.
One particularly popular stall had leather armor on display.
"Welcome to the Merchant Guild. Is there anything I can help you with?"
A lady about 20 years old, wearing a white shirt with the 'M' emblem and black pants, came up to Kai. She had long black hair tied into a ponytail and blue eyes.
'A Merchant Guild, huh.'
"Do you know how he got so much leather? Sorry, I'm a new adventurer."
Kai pointed to a young man that was talking to one of the merchants. The young man held layers of leather, trying to negotiate a price.
"I could be wrong, but it's most likely he got it from the dungeon here in Anfang. The level 10-20 one."
"Are there more dungeons here? Also, do you know how he got the leather in such a nice condition?" Kai asked. If he could get materials in that kind of condition, he would make tons of coins, maybe even some gold.
The lady was slightly stunned. Did this kid live under a rock? Even beginner adventurers knew how to collect materials.
"While inside of dungeons, you can use the system ability [Collect] with this, you can collect the materials from anything you've killed. Keep in mind that the condition of what you want to harvest will apply to the collected materials. For example, if you burn monsters, the materials you collect might be burnt."
'A system ability? I never saw that looking through the system panel. I must've not looked in the right places.'
"And to answer your first question, there are two dungeons in Anfang. The first and more popular one is called 'The Ranch,' level 10-20. This is also where the abundant amounts of leather come from. The second one is called 'Tombstone.' It's a Tier 1:level 1-25 dungeon; from what I've heard, even groups of Tier 1's might not survive."
Delighted to hear there was a tier 1 dungeon, Kai thanked the lady and left.
There was no point in staying longer; he already got more than he came for. Kai did think about selling some of the weapons he got but ultimately decided to wait. Once he got some materials to sell, then he would sell the weapons.
Also, Kai didn't want to be seen selling anything. It would be best to create a false identity and use his cloak to handle selling.
Walking the streets, Kai came across many shops and even a bakery. Some shops were two stories, acting as a home and shop.
Most of the houses were on the other side of the city, near the walls and gate. While the center of the city was shops and the different guilds.
Kai continued his exploration until he stumbled upon a large crowd.
'Did something happen?' Was Kai's first thought.
Walking closer Kai saw it, although briefly, he was sure it saw it.
Portal Particles!
'This must be one of the dungeons. That lady said the tier 1 dungeon wasn't popular, so it's more likely this is the level 10-20 dungeon.'
Walking closer, he could hear some people chanting.
"You can do it!"
"He's so cool!"
'?'
'What is going on over there?'
As he got closer, Kai could tell it was primarily females praising whoever this guy was.
'Oh, are these fangirls?'
Kai now had a full view of the dungeon portal and why these girls were chanting.
Just before the portal was a tall, muscular teen with blonde, short, slicked-back hair, the late teen wore 'golden' armor.
To Kai, it looked like painted steel armor.
The teen had a charming smile and, overall, was good-looking.
Kai could somewhat understand the cheers and praise these girls were giving him.
"Alright, Ladies! Haha. Settle down. I, Vaira Starla, shall conquer this dungeon in the name of you extraordinary ladies. " Vaira said with a charming smile.
Blowing a kiss to the crowd of women, Vaira stepped through the white portal.
Shortly following him was a group of five men, all equipped with full steel armor and a longsword.
The crowd practically exploded after Vaira's stunt.
'...' Kai, dumbfounded, stared where Vaira used to be.
"EEE, When Vaira comes back, I'll ask him to marry me."
"No me."
"Step off, how could a pig like you marry someone like Vaira."
The screams of who would marry Vaira broke Kai free from his dumbfounded state.
Quickly retreating from the cat fight that would ensure, he continued exploring the rest of the city.
'Vaira, huh. Why would he state his full name, though? It must've been some kind of act; maybe he's using these women for money or something.' Kai gave up trying to figure out what he had just witnessed.
It was best to move on and not think about it.
As he continued exploring, Kai felt the mood slowly change. It was carefree before, but now it feels cold, like something was lurking in every shadow.
The number of shops plummeted, same with people. It was like he was going to a forbidden area.
'Mhmm, could it be?'
In the distance, Kai could barely make out a blue glow.
'Only one way to find out.'
Walking toward the blue glow, Kai made sure to watch his surroundings, something about this place wasn't right.
'So it is a dungeon. Must be the 'Tombstone' dungeon.'
Now at the blue portal, Kai found the very dungeon he was looking for.
From his trip to Anfang City, Kai realized he didn't know much about dungeons, currency, or even the world he lives in. Even though he wanted to walk through the dungeon portal and level up, he couldn't.
Kai knew it would be better to continue the beginner course at the Adventurer Guild. Once it was over, he would come back and conquer this dungeon.
Shaking his head, Kai checked the time.
{5:20}
'Damn. This took longer than I thought it would.'
Making his way back for the beginner course, Kai was excited. He never learned to fight; he just sort of winged it. But now, he could finally learn how to fight.
After arriving at the Adventurer Guild, Kai still had 15 minutes. Sitting down, Kai began to think about how he should handle the combat practice.
'I can't use much strength and definitely don't want to attract attention. I'll have to hold back a considerate amount, though if everything goes well, I might get the best partner to help me.'
"Beginners course, over here!"
Getting up, Kai headed over to the instructor. And just like last time, the instructor made the group wait an extra few minutes in case someone was late.
"Alright, We'll be going out to the field again; follow me."
Once they were out in the field, the instructor spoke.
"Today, I will watch as you try to fight each other. This isn't about winning or losing. I just want to see where everyone is at. From there, I will give instructions to each of you on what and how to improve."
Nodding, everyone separated themselves and got into pairs of two. And, of course, Kai was left alone. This is precisely what Kai wanted. If he could spare with the instructor, he could learn the most.
Seeing everyone get into pairs, the instructor nodded, "Keep in mind, this is focused on improving, not winning. Alright, Start!"
Walking up to Kai, the instructor told him to wait while he observed the others, then he would come and personally spare with kai.
In the meantime, Kai also observed the other pairs fighting; if he could learn a thing or two before, it would be beneficial.
The two elf twins had partnered up together, which wasn't surprising to Kai. While the girl who asked about forming a party was partnered up with a girl, Kai saw her talking. Her partner had shoulder-length blue hair and green eyes.
'It would be nice to know any of their names.' Kai thought.
Watching the pairs spare, Kai figured the twin elves would be able to give him the most pointers, as they seemed to be experienced with adventurers, or at least the information.
The girl elf ran toward her brother, bringing her arm back. Just as she was about to punch, she shifted her body, aiming for a kick instead.
The boy elf was able to react and block it before pulling her leg and aiming a punch toward her stomach. Twisting her body, the elf was able to flip her brother before retreating.
'The girl twin is very flexible and uses her small size, twisting and turning at the last second to catch her opponent off guard. While the boy twin is slower, he seems to have more power. Firstly he got a hold of his sister before throwing a punch. Making sure he would hit his target.'
Watching the twins spare, Kai managed to pick up a few things. Mostly what the boy elf did, as he wasn't small like the elf girl.
If you can stop the opponent from moving, you can get a full-power attack almost guaranteed to hit.
If Kai could immobilize an opponent, he could use his claws with full power without worrying it wouldn't hit.
"Alright, let's see what you can do, lad."
It was finally time for Kai to test himself.
The instructor walked in front of Kai and signaled for him to fight.
Limiting his stats, Kai charged at the instructor. Bringing his fist back, Kai aimed for the instructor's stomach. Blocking the punch, the instructor wasn't impressed.
"You'll have to do better than that." He roared.
Kai knew the instructor would block it; this was all a part of his plan.
Jumping back, Kai flung his legs, kicking at the instructor's left leg.
The instructor only raised an eyebrow in reaction; grabbing Kai's leg, the instructor flung Kai across the ground.
'Good.' Was the only thing Kai could think of.
Getting up, Kai rushed at the instructor again. With the same strategy, Kai pulled back his arm, readying for a punch. Just as Kai was about to punch the instructor, he put his arms out in an 'X' shape, blocking where Kai was going to hit.
Instead of punching, Kai grabbed the instructor's arm, holding it still. Kai brought back his other arm.
Seeing Kai's plan, the instructor's eyes widened. He never thought someone would have the guts to grab their opponent like this.
Blocking Kai's other punch, the instructor grabbed Kai's fist.
Smirking, the instructor spoke, "Did you think that would work on m-ack."
Having the instructor grab his hand was all a part of Kai's plan; this way, the instructor wouldn't be able to block. After catching his hand, Kai smirked. Lifting his leg slightly up, Kai kneed the instructor straight in the gut.
Although he didn't use near full strength, taking a knee to the gut wouldn't be pleasant.
Wrestling his arms free, Kai jumped back, waiting for retaliation.
But instead, he got something else.
"Haha, that was pretty good. Alright, let's call it here for now."
All the other pairs stopped their sparring and came toward the instructor.
"I've got a few things you all can work on. I'll speak with each of you personally. Tomorrow we will cover evolutions and classes. Once I talk to you, you may go. First Elsana and Elsante come with me.
The instructor led the elf twins over far enough to where the rest of the group couldn't hear them.
After a few minutes, the elf twins left, and the instructor called another person over.
"Kai!"
Walking over to him, Kai was eager to learn. It didn't matter to him if the instructor told him he was trash; he would just work hard to improve.
"To start, I'm surprised by your guts, but if I were taking that seriously, you would've died. Holding on to your opponent wasn't a good idea. You'll understand everyone has a trump card when you get an evolution and class. It was careless, but at least you weren't scared."
Nodding, Kai knew it would work well if it were a fight to the death; it could have quickly gone bad.
"I want you to work on using your hands and dodging. I recommend you pick up a martial art. It will help you a lot."
A martial art didn't seem bad, even better if Kai could implement his claws into it.
If he learned a martial art, he might not need his werewolf transformation. If that were the case, Kai would have an ultimate trump card.
"Despite that, you fought well, and your strategy certainly caught me off guard. Train hard, and I know you'll be just fine in the dungeons."
With that, Kai left, going back to the inn. And just like last time, Kai picked up some new food he found while exploring.
'I should try that bakery tomorrow.' Kai thought it would be fun to try, and if it were good, he would have a place to go after each beginner's course.
Arriving in his room, he got undressed and hopped into the metal tub.
Closing his eyes, Kai was happy.
'Tomorrow should be interesting; I wonder what other people get for evolution.'