I stand in the middle of Bri's upstairs office with my new Blood Bonded armor set on.
In less than a few seconds, It all magically tightens to fit me perfectly. My arms, legs, shoulder, chest, and back are all shielded by what seems to be a very strong metal.
It's the same armor set the 19th-floor boss was wearing, after all, it took quite the attack to break it open.
I smirk, leaning into the familiar sensation of a Blood Bonded item asking for mana reserves. It only feels natural, so I let a few hundred MP seep out from my stores.
The light hum of mana fills the air.
Surprisingly, it doesn't even feel like it's leaving my body. As the mana travels into the armor set, it just feels more and more like a part of my own body.
I activate my All-Seeing Eye and a wide smile stretches across my face as I watch a thin layer of mana shielding form over the surface of all the armor pieces.
Bri lets out a light gasp.
"You... still manage to surprise once again."
She smirks, looking me up and down as I goggle over my new fancy item.
It is slowly consuming MP, drawing my supplies, but the invulnerability I feel right now is worth every single mana point. I can't wait to test this new armor out on the battlefield.
The battlefield... back in the Labyrinth...
I freeze, then look up at Bri, realizing I've made quite the mistake.
I happened to use conceal to leave the dungeons, but that won't work if I try to re-enter. My ID card still has my face on it... I'd need to scan it to get back in.
Even if I put on my best disguise, it's near impossible to fake a Hunter's ID.
There's no one scanning or ID checking at the entrance of the starter dungeon back in my hometown, but that'll be a 2-3 hour wait that I'd rather not take part in right now.
I reply.
"Hey, Bri... Do you know of any open-access dungeons around the capital? One's that don't ask for an ID?"
The craftswoman walks over to the back of the room, grabbing a small black jacket off the wall and placing it on before replying.
"Of course, there's a few underground Dungeon Hubs for people that want to dodge the Association's tracking systems for various reasons. What difficulty level are you looking for? Higher ranking C-Class dungeons? Or-"
"Whatever is closest. E or D or C dungeons are fine. I'd just like to do a little extra mana crystal farming..."
Bri nods with a smile that tells me she doesn't believe a word that's coming out of my mouth but doesn't care in the slightest.
She chuckles.
"Come on, follow me."
Bri walks past me, making her way toward the stairs.
I nod, following her and taking off my armor. I put it in my item storage for safekeeping. Once I'm back in the dungeons I'll put it back on. For now, I'd rather not be seen in a full set of armor worth multiple gold coins on this side of town.
She leads me all the way down to the basement, with the large metal door that opens up to the underground market.
I haven't been down here in a while...
My only memories of this place are the first time I wielded my fire-imbued sword. It worked out in the end, but my time in the underground fight ring wasn't exactly a walk in the park.
I gulp, speaking up to Bri in a low voice as we take a left and start heading down the semi-crowded corridor full of illegal street vendors and thugs.
"So... I got chosen by the Association to be a part of the newest team of Elites. I'm not sure who else to ask about this, I guess you'd be the best one to give me advice-"
She turns her head back to me while keeping a steady pace forward, cutting me off with a strict tone.
"They chose you?"
I watch her eyes dart back and forth for a moment before she speaks up again.
"My advice? Never show the Association your full hand. What is your mission this week?"
I pause, startled by her sudden seriousness.
"It was to kill the Behemoth. The 20th floor boss..."
Bri keeps walking forward in silence for a moment, her light footsteps echo on the hard floor as passers-by turn their heads to watch her strut through the black market.
Sometimes I forget she's somewhat of a celebrity around here... Though, I'm still not completely sure why. Now isn't the time to ask either.
She finally turns back to me and responds.
"Do you think you can do it?"
I smirk.
"Of course, I think I'll be able to climb even further. This is just the first stop."
Again, Bri speeds up her pace and doesn't respond for a few seconds.
Then her voice rings out in my ears.
"Fail your mission."
"..."
She turns back to me.
"It's best not to get the expectations of the Director too high. The more he likes you, the worse off you'll be in the end. All of the regional Directors are just out to make the Association more money, in the end, nothing else. They care about power and profit, not you."
She lets out a long exhale as we continue even further down the long undergone hallway.
I gulp, thinking about her words carefully.
Another 10 seconds pass before I respond.
"If... I fail, then how will I get more hard missions? The only reason I signed with the Association was to get stronger. I want to prove to the Director and everyone else in there that I'm not just some newbie Elite recruit they can push around."
She sighs, responding in a low tone while turning toward one of the small shops up ahead.
"Unfortunately, you are. No one likes a showoff either. Defeating the Lower-Floor Boss on your first week of Elite training is going to turn some heads. Only Nobles have enough time and money to train their youth to be that proficient in mana control at such a young age."
I stare at Bri blankly as this truth begins to hit me all at once. She continues.
"I assume you didn't show Brutus your full skill list. If you did, they'd surely have a much tighter leash on you. It would take 4 or more days to safely make your way up to the 19th floor and back, that would-"
"Yup... I get it. You're right. I need to be more careful."
I stare at the ground, biting my bottom lip and thinking about the new predicament I've gotten myself into.
She's completely right... I've consumed almost 5000 gold worth of mana in the last few weeks of real-world time. Although it was free to me, that's a fortune even for the lifetime's savings of a seasoned C-Class Association Hunter.
It would be near impossible for a 20-year-old that just awakened months ago to run through that much MP without a special unknown skill...
Even if I had the money, normal people can't absorb mana like I can. Thanks to my plundering and self regeneration abilities I can train many times longer, and my perception skill along with my elemental abilities allow me to train much more efficiently.
Not to mention... My contract with a Dragon. Being able to dive in and out of hyperbolic training chambers is a perk I'm sure many do not have. Probably none...
Sometimes I forget how special my abilities really are.
I gulp, shaking myself out of it, and seeing Bri talk to a store vendor. We've come to a halt.
A short and skinny old man speaks up. He's sitting on a small wooden crate in front of a heavy iron door. There's an assortment of magical trinkets in front of him, but I can only assume this isn't his real business.
"Oh, Ms. Briana, long time no see. You're always welcome here."
Bri smiles.
"Good to see you again too, Silas."
She turns, pointing at me.
"This one gets the green light from now on. Let him in if he ever finds his way back here."
The bald-headed merchant stands up and bows before walking over to the door.
"Certainly, I never forget a face."
With a light metal clicking sound, the heavy door swings open to reveal a narrow hallway in front of us that goes deep into the side wall of the black market. It's dimly lit, and there isn't a single vendor or person in sight. It's empty.
"Have a good hunt you two!"
Bri starts walking forward and I follow after her with a shrug.
The door closes behind us with another click moments later. Our footsteps are the only sounds in this narrow passage. About 30 meters or so in front of us there's an opening, that shines with a dim blue light.
"Is that... what I think it is...?"
I squint, trying to make out exactly what's back there, but it's too dark. All I can do right now is follow Bri and find out once we make it to the end.
About 20 seconds of silence pass, then my assumptions are confirmed to be true.
We walk through the opening and I look around me to see a wide open dome-shaped cavern. The ceiling is high and the air is damp. There are 3 large bright blue spinning portals in front of us just waiting to be jumped through.
I whisper under my breath.
"Underground Dungeons..."
I stare, eager to hop inside one of them.
Bri speaks up as she points to the portals.
"These two here on the left, they're E-Class Dungeons. This one on your right side is a high D-Class, possibly a C. Whichever you chose, have fun, it's none of my business."
I nod as she continues.
"There are plenty more of these scattered throughout the underground market. They're all pretty stable, they've been here for decades."
I turn my head toward the higher D-Class portal.
She grins, then turns to walk away.
"Always a pleasure Jay. I have a feeling I'll be seeing you soon again, so, until next time."
With a wave, and the echo of disappearing footsteps, Bri walks back down the narrow tunnel behind me.
I respond as she leaves.
"Thanks. Appreciate it. You're right, I'll see you soon."
Without another thought, I reach into my item storage and pull out my Blood Bonded Armor.
It tightens around my body, and I let MP flow into the set as I jump through the spinning blue portal. The second I enter the dungeon, I take in the rocky mountain environment to set a Dungeon Walker point here for later.
Fractions of a second later, I teleport away.
I transport myself in front of the large stone arching entrance of the abandoned courtyard on the 20th floor.