In Nexaria, the primary way of levelling up was through constant grind in dungeons. It was pretty simple: you enter a dungeon, find monsters to kill, take their loot and get out.
Once outside, you could either sell the goods or keep them for yourself. Either way, the loot would come in handy and was a bonus for killing the monsters, but the primary objective remained the same: gaining levels.
After all, the higher one's level was, the stronger they were, and one often had access to a plethora of skills unless one had a singular skill-focused class such as an Analyst.
While the workings of a dungeon were pretty simple, getting alive out of one was a challenging task. Even if one survived the monsters within the dungeon, there were other dangers one had to consider.
But to understand that, one had to be aware of different participants in a dungeon.
First came the Divers. These were the 'official' participants allowed inside a dungeon through legal means, either by paying a fee or being commissioned for specific quests, such as exploration or subjugation.
Porters were the group that followed the Divers inside the dungeon. While they lack combat capabilities, they more than make it up in other sectors, primarily resource management and as an information broker.
As long as the Porters were with the Divers, the latter did not have to worry about anything other than fighting the dungeon monsters. Before dying, this was the role Adrian primarily filled for his guildmates.
In rare cases, there would be another support unit following the Divers called Extractors. Their expertise was in uncovering rare resources and minerals in some dungeons.
Their contributions mainly extended beyond combat, adding an economic dimension to dungeon exploration. These units were responsible for making the most out of a venture inside the dungeon, and they were so important that not every guild had access to such units.
Unfortunately, not everyone who enters a dungeon has pure intentions, and that's when Invaders and Plunderers come into the picture.
As the name suggested, Invaders were a group comprising of bandits and murderers. They slip into dungeons without proper documentation or passage, seeking not only to loot but also to hunt Divers.
Similar to Invaders, Plunderers also trespass into dungeons through illegal means. However, their goals were different. Rather than targeting Divers, they hunt monsters and claim their loot. In other words, they were illicit Divers.
While it may seem cunning, Plunderers often faced disdain because they infringed on the rights of legitimate Divers, who have paid entrance fees to access the dungeons and must recover spent fees through exploration.
Adrian had planned to become a Plunderer to hunt monsters, gain levels and attributes, and hopefully some organs for himself. It wasn't a noble way, but given his condition, it was the only way to get stronger without killing random people.
"I guess beggars can't be choosers after all," Adrian shrugged and got to his feet, looking around. "Before leaving, I should protect what little dignity I have left and find some clothes."
While Adrian would have preferred his previous gear, thanks to the brutal bashing the assailants gave him, they had become practically useless. But even if his gear were intact, he wouldn't have used it since it could give away his identity.
What he needed was some basic armour and clothing that wouldn't gather much attention, something that would seamlessly blend in with the crowd outside.
"Considering how stingy that guy I killed seemed, there has to be something useful lying around here."
Adrian's eyes first fell on the countless jars around him, each containing preserved monster organs. Neat labels marked the jars, detailing the origin of each gruesome specimen.
Since most of the organs were illegally obtained, there wasn't much scope for Adrian to sell them outside without being suspicious. So he decided to leave them until his curiosity got the better of him.
He slowly reached for a jar labelled "Banshee Heart." He hesitated momentarily before attempting to absorb the organ, using his absorption ability as he would use his [Analysis] skill and expected to gain some insight or power. However, a system prompt flashed before him.
[The User can only absorb fresh organs of monsters defeated by themselves.]
"I should have known," Adrian sighed, placing the jar back on the shelf. "It'd be too broken of a skill if I could absorb random organs like that."
Still, he felt a bit down, but he quickly dismissed the idea of absorbing organs. After all, he needed clothes, not monster powers.
Adrian's eyes darted around the room, hoping to find something more suitable. It was then a peculiar button, cleverly hidden behind a cabinet filled with organs, caught his attention.
Since Victor didn't operate any legal business there, Adrian was sure the deceased doctor would have a few hidden rooms in his workshop for storage or other purposes.
"Let's see what you got for me," Adrian mumbled, pressing the button.
The button revealed a secret passage below, with a metal door blocking the path ahead. The door looked sturdy, so Adrian was hoping it was unlocked, or else he wouldn't be able to check it out.
Thankfully, his wishes came true as the door wasn't locked. A blast of cold air greeted him as he stepped through the door. The temperature in the morgue was freezing, but surprisingly, Adrian felt nothing despite being naked.
"I can feel the cold, but it isn't as uncomfortable as I'd expect," Adrian said and got to work.
Upon first glance, he realised it was some corpse storage facility, like a morgue. With nothing else to do, Adrian began pulling them open one by one. However, his hopes of finding clothes and armour dwindled as each drawer revealed only naked bodies.
Some of the corpses were covered in white stains, mainly the female corpses and the discovery disgusted Adrian. But it didn't surprise him. After all, it was obvious someone like Victor, who was fascinated with corpses, was a necrophile.
"Suddenly, I felt like I should have tortured him more. Fucking bastard..."
After that, Adrian stopped looking inside the drawers, not wanting to accidentally stumble upon something even worse.
But he was still hopeful to find something useful. There was no way a hoarder like Victor would throw away anything. Just then, his eyes landed on another cabinet tucked away in a corner.
"Bingo!"
Opening the cabinet, Adrian discovered a disorganised pile of clothes and armour. It was just the thing he was looking for. Though most things were beyond saving due to negligence, he managed to find some helpful stuff.
By the time Adrian was done going through the cabinet, he had managed to get a tattered hooded robe to conceal his deformed face, a decent chest plate, bracers, and a pair of worn pants.
While Adrian's attire looked more like a beggar than a warrior, it was the perfect disguise for him as he looked homeless, so no one would bother him.
Secondly, it was perfect for him to blend in with the beggars often found around the dungeons, hoping to gain a shard or two from the Divers.
However, his find didn't end there. Hidden behind the clothes, he discovered a small chest. Eager to uncover its contents, he forced it open and revealed a treasure trove of currency – coins, shards and notes from various realms.
Adrian's eyes widened in disbelief, and he pocketed the money, storing it inside the system's inventory. Getting money was one of his main concerns, and now it was solved... for a while at least.
It seemed that Victor's dealings extended far beyond Nexaria, and Adrian was a bit worried about it. Someone who had relations with realms outside Nexaria would be a big shot, and he had killed someone like that.
"I just hope no one comes after me while I'm weak," Adrian sighed and decided to get out of there as soon as possible and make it look like there's been a burglary.
The best way to do that would be to steal some of the organs and cause a ruckus everywhere. With a plan, Adrian moved to action, destroying most things he could get his hands on while storing some in his inventory.
While on his rampage, Adrian stumbled upon another chest. But it was bigger and sturdier than the one he had found earlier. Since he was staging a burglary, it would be weird for a thief to leave a chest untouched.
So, he got to work and pried open the chest with his newfound strength. Opening it revealed a collection of rusted and blood-stained weapons. Most of them were far beyond any hope of restoration.
"Hm... since I'll be going to a dungeon, I would need a weapon regardless," Adrian shrugged before dumping the contents of the chest on the floor.
After carefully scavenging through the pile, Adrian managed to find some small throwing knives and a usable crossbow. He had never used such weapons before, but it wasn't like he had a choice but to adapt to the cards he had been dealt.
After equipping the clothes and securing the weapons in his inventory, Adrian took a final look around Victor's workshop. He had thrashed the place as much as he could. So, there should be no signs leading anyone to him.
Satisfied with his findings, Adrian made his way toward the exit. Unbeknownst to him, someone was already on their way to the workshop.