Ring Ring
"Hello?" I said groggily as I woke up to my watch ringing.
"Hello, Vernon. It's President Kim. I'd like to meet you today. Are you available?" the president of the F.C.F. was calling me directly.
"Huh? Uh, yeah, sure. I'll be right there," I said as I pulled myself out of bed.
"I appreciate that. Take your time, and see you soon," he said as he hung up.
"Ah, what now?" I said to myself and began to get ready. I showered, ate a quick meal with coffee, gathered my things, and left. I arrived shortly at the headquarters of the F.C.F. and was led to the President's office where I saw a familiar face.
"Ah, you're here, Vernon," said President Kim. "I'd like to introduce you to someone. This is Ghislaine, the daughter of Gerard." He introduced the person I had seen from afar at Gerard's funeral.
"I see, nice to meet you, and sorry for your loss," I replied.
"Thanks, nice to meet you," she said somewhat coldly.
"So why have you brought us both here, Jun?" the woman spoke to President Kim.
"Heh... Well, take a seat, Vernon, and I'll begin," he said as I promptly took a seat. "So, I plan on assigning the both of you to a dungeon. Vernon, I know you said you wanted to work alone, but it will be impossible to clear this dungeon alone," he said. "As for Ghislaine, she's an A-Rank Guardian and very experienced with clearing dungeons," he explained.
"I see, if there's no other way, then I'm okay with it. I'd like to try clearing a dungeon soon anyway," I replied.
"Couldn't I just do it solo?" Ghislaine replied abruptly.
"You could, but we would like to give Vernon some experience since we will eventually send him on solo missions to clear dungeons," President Kim replied.
"I see... if that's the case, it's fine," she retorted.
"So, with that out of the way," he said as he pointed to a screen behind him. "This is the dungeon 'Beasts of Prey.' It's a B-Rank dungeon to the south of the city. The fields around it have become hectic, swarming with beasts from the dungeon. We believe whichever monster created that dungeon is planning some sort of attack. We'll be sending the two of you to clear the dungeon while the guilds clear the fields. The dungeon is comprised of three levels. Unfortunately, we've never actually seen the 'Boss' of this dungeon. We believe it must be at least A-rank due to the number of beast-type monsters it controls. Expect a tough fight and prepare accordingly. You have a week to clear it; that is all," he finished.
"Got it. I'm ready to leave whenever," Ghislaine replied in short.
"Same, I can leave now if possible. I came prepared to receive a mission, to be honest," I replied.
"Perfect, we have a vehicle ready to depart whenever," the president replied. Ghislaine got up, gathered her things, gave me a short glance, and began walking towards the exit. I quickly gathered my things and followed suit. We found the car and departed immediately. After a forty-five minute drive, we arrived at the fields surrounding the dungeon. Ghislaine didn't spare a single word throughout the ride.
"If you hold me back, I won't think twice about leaving you to die," she said coldly while walking past me.
"Likewise," I replied as I quickly caught up to her; she did not respond.
We began walking through some barren fields. Every now and then, some monsters would show up, and we would quickly take care of them. Eventually, we made it to a small forest. Past this forest was a cave that would be known as the dungeon. The forest was teeming with monsters. We would routinely be attacked by packs of strong monsters. Many of the monsters resembled felines like tigers or lions. There were also some canine-type monsters like wolves and foxes mixed in. The closer we got to the cave, the thicker the packs of beasts became.
"Let's make camp here and then clear the monsters up to the entrance of the cave," Ghislaine commanded.
"Sure, sounds good to me," I replied. I quickly set my things down; we put down some magic items that automatically set up tents and supplies.
"You watch the camp; I'll clear monsters for the next few hours," she said and disappeared before I could refute.
"Ugh, just what is her problem with me," I sighed to myself. "If it was going to be like this, I would rather just try it solo," I thought to myself.
After three hours, she returned with the remains of some monsters and switched roles with me. For the next few hours, I would hunt monsters, and she would rest. We continued this for about sixteen hours until most of the monsters were cleared.
[Vernon]
Rank - C-
Level: 16
Strength - 40
Intellect - 20
Luck - 25
Dexterity - 40
Attribute - Light, Fire.
EXP To next level 1000/12000
Thanks to the strong monsters I hunted, I was able to gain a level. It looks like the amount of essence it requires to level up increases exponentially. It may take a bit longer to hit level twenty than I thought. "I really am thinking about this too much like a game," I said as I worried to myself. There was a part of me that was becoming detached from everything around me. It was as if I was just an observer of the world, rather than a participant. "I'm sure it's all in my head, maybe a way to deal with all the trauma," I tried to assure myself.
"Alright, looks like you can hold your own at least. Once we get inside, it will be much more difficult. Stay alert," Ghislaine said to me as we prepared to enter the dungeon.
"Got it," I replied while I took account of all my belongings. "I'm ready," I told her. She began to walk towards the cave without a response.
"I'll take the vanguard; you support," she replied without even knowing my abilities.
"Would you like to know my abilities, or share yours?" I replied.
"Unnecessary. Just don't get in the way, and we can clear this quickly," she replied rudely.
With those words, we began to descend the dungeon. "This is going to be a pain," I thought to myself as I followed behind her. The next moment, the sound of a large explosion resounded in the area. The entrance of the cave collapsed, and the roars of monsters could be heard.
"A trap," she said. "We're surrounded. Get ready," she commanded.
"Hm? What are humans doing in my domain?" the sound of a deep and raspy voice could be heard from deeper in the dungeon. There was an unbearable pressure coming from its direction, and confusion on Ghislaine's face.
"Why is the 'boss' at this level? It should be deeper..." she said bewildered. "Something's off, Vernon. That monster is much stronger than the reports. It also shouldn't be here right now; it should be much deeper," she stated.
"Understood, what should we do? I might be able to blast the entrance open," I replied.
"No, we can't let this thing leave," she replied.
"It seems I'm being ignored," the monster said softly. Within the blink of an eye, the monster was in front of me and grabbed me by the neck. The monster was around seven feet tall, with a large humanoid appearance. It had stripes like a tiger lining its body, as well as fur along its back and legs. The monster also had well-defined muscles, fangs coming from its mouth, and sharp predator-like eyes. The next thing I knew, I was thrown against the wall of the dungeon.
"Pitiful. Humans truly are... pitiful," the monster said as if it was mourning us.
Ghislaine quickly jumped in front of me as I picked myself up from the ground. "Sorry, I should have been quicker. It won't happen again. Support me," she stated.
"Got it..." I said, clasping my throat.
With monsters at every corner of the dungeon and the boss in front of us, we were at a heavy disadvantage.
"Don't worry, I don't need these children to take care of bugs like you," the monster claimed. "Come at me," he smirked.
As I was gathering mana to support Ghislaine, my senses were in disarray. Mana forced its way to my forehead, and all of a sudden, my System skill activated. This time, it was much different. What I saw shook me to my core.
"Quest: Defeat the S-Rank boss. Demon Beast King Baal defeated (0/1)."
"S-rank..." I said aloud as Ghislaine charged forward.
"Reward: Hidden".
***