Suddenly, when they saw Lucy in Max's vision, they flipped the table and hid everything just barely before Lucy came in.
....
Looking at this, Max was confused. The crows seemed afraid of playing with Lucy for some reason.
Ignoring the matter, Max headed to the closest dungeon.
The closer one was located inside the city, whereas the other was outside on the opposite side from Max's position.
Without further delay, Max flew towards the dungeon.
And before long, he landed in front of a black metallic door situated in the middle of the street.
In front of the door, two police officers in black uniforms were standing guard.
as Max landed and approached the door, they gave him suspicious looks.
" officers, I am here to clear this dungeon. "
Spoke Max as he handed the dungeon pass.
"you?" responded one of them reflexively. He wasn't looking down on max but the opposite.
"this is just an E-rank dungeon. Are you mistaken? " spoke the second as he took the dungeon pass from Max, checking the information.
"I am currently without a team, so I thought I'd solo some E-rank dungeons. I'm peak D-rank by the way. "
"I see."
the officer just gave the papers a quick glance.
"all clear, you can go in."
The two officers nodded and made way for Max.
Max nodded back and walked forward, pushing the door.
At first it gave some resistance while judging Max, but soon it reluctantly gave way as Max walked through, finding himself in an obsidian corridor.
Normally with Max's strength he shouldn't be allowed inside an E-rank dungeon because the current him can even fight C-ranks.
But his evaluation was still at D-rank, so since he chose to solo this dungeon, it had no other choice but to accept him.
This situation was mostly because he didn't have a meditation technique, otherwise his evaluation would be at the C-rank.
....
Despite the lack of light sources, the place wasn't dark at all; it was surprisingly bright.
Max walked forward, examining the surroundings with curiosity.
The walls were smooth, without any markings or such.
The corridor was around 10 meters long before reaching an intersection.
"is it a maze or just poor design? ".
Wondered Max, but he was suddenly interrupted by a sound akin to that of vibrations approaching.
Looking in front, it was three metallic drones flying at him at high speed.
blue in color with the shape of a stingray fish. They seemed more advanced than the ones outside, so that was a good sign.
Max smirked and pulled his twin pistols.
"what a fancy shooting target."
Max Aimed with both hands and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang!.
Boom!
Three bullets and the three drones were done for, two exploded while the other one fell to the ground broken.
Before the bullet hit that one, it was able to shoot a laser beam at Max, which he blocked using his wing.
Although it wasn't necessary because this laser was too weak to cause him harm, after all, this was just an E-rank dungeon.
Max pulled the broken drone using telekinesis, examining it closely.
It's not like he actually knows what he was looking at. High tech was way out of his expertise.
Max just stored the remains and moved forward.
...….
Bang!…
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
In the next 30 minutes, Max used the drones as practice targets to get used to his new pistols.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!.
....
Standing in the middle of a pile of ruined drones, Max had accepted that there was nothing of value to be found. Instead, he chose to be optimistic, viewing this E-rank dungeon as a chance to practice his skills.
E-rank dungeons are quite straightforward, the boss room being in the center most of the time.
Thus, Max ignored the center route, wanting to explore all branches first.
Sometimes Branch roots are empty, just filled with enemies, other times it's a rewarding venture.
Max put away his twin pistols, planning on testing telekinesis from now on.
He moved his hands as two upcoming drones collided heavily, causing a deafening explosion.
BOOM!.
Next, reaching with his right hand, a drone that was ready to fire suddenly turned, aiming at the nearby drones.
Zzzzzz.
BOOM!
Explosions filled the area as Max used telekinesis to lift nearby metal junk than shoot it towards the drones.
"hmm, my maximum range should be 30m for now. "
Telekinesis' current range wasn't much, but Max didn't worry because theoretically, the skill didn't actually have a range.
It just keeps getting weaker the further it is from the user, but as the skill's proficiency increase and the spirituality Stat gets higher, it will keep expanding naturally.
Currently, Max's optimal range is 10 m. From that point, it starts getting weaker until it becomes impossible to lift anything beyond 30 m.
...
Looking around, no more drones were left in this area.
as Max wanted to head to the next branch, he suddenly stopped listening to the mental messages bombarding his mind.
" quiet down!. "
apparently his pets were bored from just watching and wanted to join the fun.
"alright, you can have fun, but stay together and be careful.
Also, bring anything that looks valuable. "
Max waved his hand, and all his pets appeared in front of him.
"you can explore right, I'd go left. "
Craw! Craw! Craw! Craw! Craw! Craw! mimi.
The crows flew in a formation, excited.
While Lucy turned into a shooting blue beam colliding directly with an upcoming drone like a tank.
BOOM!
.....
Max Just shook his head and went on his way. He didn't worry about the pets because he understood dungeons well enough.
One could say that dungeons were safer than the real world, at least normal dungeons are.
They were like a football match with fixed predictable rules. There was no danger as long as you know the rules and your limits.
Still, this was only applicable for normal dungeons such as this one.
..... …..
And just like that, Max and his pets effortlessly conquered this unfortunate dungeon, seizing every valuable item along the way.
Although, to be honest, they didn't understand the value of the things they got; they were just a bunch of chips, and what seems to be drone parts.
....
Now, Max finds himself standing before the boss' room—an expansive chamber crafted entirely from obsidian.
Within its confines, a larger drone hovers ominously.
However, because Max didn't walk inside, it was unable to get out of the boss chamber to attack him.
Behind the drone was an obsidian chest rooted to the ground.
.....
Max squinted his eyes and with a swift motion he flew up to the boss drone holding a silver mirror card in one hand, while using telekinesis to pull the Drone closer to him.
This drone looks at least 10 times more advanced than the other ones, so Max wanted to capture it and take it out. Even if he couldn't find a proper use for it, he could sell it and it would easily fetch him a few millions.
The drone was heavy and with its propellers working; it wasn't pulled by Max, but his telekinetic powers were enough to freeze it in place for him to reach it and place the card on it.
But before he could use [mirror prison]…
BOOM!…
The drone self-detonated, and Max almost fell to the ground, completely disheveled.
.....
He had some light injuries here and there, but nothing serious.
"Cough! "
Waving the smoke away, Max smiled bitterly.
The drone acted too fast.
It was obvious that whatever race Behind These drones, prepared this after they witnessed Max's strength.
"It's just some E-rank drone, you poor bastards."
For dungeon command, it's either a powerful individual from that dungeon world controlling the dungeon like a chess game, or it might be the will of that world.
Still, after the dungeon is opened, their control is limited to simple commands, not direct interference.
Max grumbled a little more, then walked towards the obsidian chest and opened it.
Glancing down, Max didn't know what he was looking at.
It was more obsidian, this time paper thin and being in different shapes and having different patterns on it.
Lucy came next to Max, pointing at the paper thin obsidian.
'this is?'
"my best guess is that there are tech chips of some kind. "
Craw! Craw!
"I honestly don't know if they're useful,"
Max felt helpless since even the simulator just shows its components and that it's some primitive tech.
The problem is that the simulator Mark every technology as primitive tech.
"Sigh."
Max just sent his pets inside the pet space, and bent down holding the chest as he lifted, uprooting it from the ground.
Crack!…
After storing the chest, Max left through the new gate that appeared inside the boss' room.
.....
Outside, Max didn't waste time and immediately flew to the next dungeon.
Soon enough, he found himself in the middle of nowhere, in front of a blue rotating portal.
There were no officers in front of the gate, just a tiny robot placed on the ground.
" civilian, please be informed: this dungeon has already been recorded.
Attempting to clear it without authorization is punishable by law. "
Max didn't feel like listening to the entire boring voice message, and just showed the little robot his dungeon pass.
"peep! All clear, you are free to pass. "
Max walked past the tiny robot going through the gate.
After the dizzying sensation of teleportation passed, Max found himself inside a rusty, broken bus.
Looking through the window, his expression darkened immediately, because the scene in front of him did not look like it was from a technologically advanced dungeon.
Max wasn't someone with a good temper, and feeling cheated out of his time he wanted to pull a certain someone inside his mirror world.
"Sigh." collecting himself, Max looked around.
He was in what appeared to be a post-apocalyptic land.
This dungeon was smaller than the previous one and was fully visible to him thanks to his [Mystic Eye].
It resembled an old train station that had weathered a hurricane, with only a handful of rusty street lamps providing dim illumination.
Max could only see a small circle around the station, as the rest was engulfed in what seemed to be black smoke.
Max tried to throw a stone inside the smoke, only to be blocked by an invisible barrier.
Apparently, the dungeon was just the train station and its immediate surroundings other than that is pass limit.
As for his enemies, they appeared to be human, which piqued Max's curiosity. They held old antique-like rifles, and donned bulletproof armor that bore a striking resemblance to the gear worn by the members of the special forces.
However, the armor lacked any visible writing or markings and possessed a deeper shade of black. It also featured a black veil that concealed the face and a flowing black cape.
The bunch looked menacing, but Max didn't give a damn.
He was already in a bad mood, so without wasting time, he punched out, breaking the bus's roof and flew up.
Bang!. ... Wooosh!
The noise attracted the attention of the armored guys as they aimed their guns.
But looking at the flying Max. They were stunned for a moment, but one of them regained his senses quickly and shouted in an unknown language that Max instinctively understood because of the effect of the dungeon.
"open fire…"
The others came to their senses and fired without hesitation.
Ta ! Ta Ta TaTa…
...
The guns looked old, but they weren't weak and functioned perfectly.
However, the guys in bulletproof armor didn't have the time to be impressed by their own weaponry, because they all shared the same horrified expression looking at the smirking Max with all the bullets frozen in mid-air in front of him.
Max snapped his fingers and all the bullets were sent back to their owners.
Woosh!. Vr!
"ahhhh. "
"Nooooooo."
"what the heck is that?"
Looking down, Max was surprised because a good number of them survived, although with heavy injuries.
"hmm, well, that's not bad since I have some questions. "
Max flew down, and all others flew up, being suspended mid-air by his telekinetic powers.
"let me go..you. bastard.. ."
Max waved his hand. The guy started choking, waving his legs wildly while trying to grab something invisible on his neck.
Up until now, Max still finds it hard to use telekinesis, or some other skills without hand gestures.
This was because humans didn't have that natural instinct for Supernatural Powers, but it wasn't a big deal, just something he'd get used to over time.
The group was silent, afraid that they would have to suffer the same treatment if they spoke, while Max calmly took the veil off one of them, and as expected, a perfectly human face was behind it.
' another world with humans! Huh? '.
Looking at the veil, it was pitch black on one side and see through from the other.
Max inspected it a little, then stored it.
Looking up, Max was speechless because the guy he choked died.
"honestly I didn't want to kill him. "
Max just looked at the others and shrugged.
The bunch were frightened, and even though they were war veterans, being held like this, weak and helpless in the hands of a madman, broke them a little.
Not all though, since some of them were glaring at Max hatefully.
Max just smiled.
"don't give me those looks. I might get scared and snap your necks."
Snap ! Thud.
A body with a broken neck fell to the ground in front of everyone.
"you monster. "
Snap! Thud.
And a second one…
...
After clearing all nuisances, only three were left.
"alright let me make myself clear.
I want to know more about where you came from. If I judge any information to be useful enough, I might even take you out of here alive as payment. "
The three looked at each other, and their expressions hardened.
They were willing to die before giving informations about their homes and their situation. One of them even spat at Max.
Spit!
However, the spit just left his mouth, just to be thrown back at his face.
The guy's fierce attitude disappeared immediately.
"you…! "
Only now did Max felt that the money spent on telekinesis was completely worth it.
"meh, well, it's not like weaklings in an E-rank dungeon would know anything useful to me. It's just curiosity since I like history. I was going to let you out if you told me something interesting.
But since you tried to spit at me, then you and your friends will have a painful journey to the afterlife. "
Before they could respond, their limbs started twisting slowly.
"ahhbhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." three screams echoed, as Max walked towards the station's entrance.
Inside were 8 more people as the boss of this dungeon. Their armor had a red skull on the back, symbolizing a higher rank, while their guns were slightly more advanced.
And even though they heard the screams, they didn't go out but stayed in ambush, not knowing that Max could see them through [Mystic eye].
He just had to throw a tiny piece of wood inside, being unnoticeable.
Max stopped walking, not wanting to play games with them, and pulled his twin pistols.
This bunch looks disciplined and well trained, but sadly they didn't have the chance to show it, as Max aimed and shot through the walls since he could see them through Mystic's eye.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!…
Seven headshots and seven dead bodies.
After that, Max just strolled around looking for any good loot, not finding much since he looked down on the armor and guns of those bunch.
In the section where they buy train tickets from, Max found an old rusty robot wearing a blue uniform behind the counter.
It had a gun in one hand and a ticket in the other.
"piiiiiiiiiiiick oone pleasee."
Spoke the robot in a mechanical broken tone.
This should be the reward of the dungeon, and since Max was told to pick one reward, it means if he picks both, a challenge would appear or the difficulty will be raised slightly
Still, E-rank dungeons were too basic. Most probably he would have to fight the robot if he picked both, so without hesitation he aimed and put the poor machine to rest.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With C-rank fire power, the golden bullets went straight through without hindrance.
...
The ticket was a dungeon key, although Max wasn't sure which kind it was or what it does exactly, nor did he care much.
This kind of items should react when the specific dungeon opens or when Max meets a certain condition, but he decided to just ignore it for now.
As for the gun, it was just an E-rank with good firepower and no skills, so Max just stored it in disappointment.
Looking at the black smoke that surrounded the place, Max immediately left through the gate that appeared next to him.
For most people, this was just a normal dungeon, however because of his passive, Max could feel the malice of countless creatures gazing at him from beyond the smoke.
This malice was not that of hatred or such, but more like the hunger of a predator.
In all honesty, Max wanted to undo the invisible barrier and teach whatever is behind a good lesson for being a creep, but sadly he couldn't, thus there was no need for him to stay any longer.
.....
Outside, Max just sent Lucy back to her post to keep watch for new dungeons, ignoring her reluctance.
In such a big Mountain Max didn't believe no dungeon gates will open, and if he get to it before the agents responsible for recording dungeons, by law he would be free to clear it.
After Lucy took control over the mountain, Max went back to the city.
Unlike Kain-city, which was a dangerous place where only shops with deep backgrounds operated.
Rusead-city was a safe place in which people didn't fear doing business and getting in trouble because of it.
Thus, there were more shops and some professionals even placed the goods they found inside dungeons on the side-road to sell them.
So Max wanted to stroll around before calling it a day.
As he walked through the bustling streets where vendors shouted their prices and buyers haggled with fever, Max couldn't help but wonder why they were left to ruin the peace of the street.
"I guess since it was good for money flow, they let it slide."
As Max walked, he heard a widespread rumor that made his expression strange.
"Have you heard the news about the Biohazard close by?"
"Idiot, it's an environmental problem and doesn't concern us "
"You don't care about the environment? "
"Who cares? They can fix it with superpowers."
"you…! "
" meh, what is it, by the way?"
"In less than a full day, some strange black trees spread like the plague, killing all vegetation around it and sipping the Earth dry out of nutrients.
I even heard that an A-rank had to intervene and burn 2 kilometers of distance before it spread further. "
"That bad?"
"yep"
"where did it come from?."
"most probably a dungeon break."
A normal police officer on the side jumped into the conversation.
"No, the scanners didn't pick any dungeons. Most probably it's someone who had a strange item from a dungeon and didn't know how to use it.
And they caught a suspicious person on the scene.
They're 90% sure that suspicious person is the cause. "
.... ..
Max stopped listening, since he knew the real cause.
He silently took out a silver mirror card from his pocket, with the black Bonsai sealed inside.
"hhh,"
'I still have two seeds!… And I thought it was useless! '.
As Max was lost in thought, he suddenly noticed a grumpy individual with metallic parts placed in front of him on a piece of cloth.
A little surprised, Max approached the guy, ignoring the matter of the bonsai for now.
"That golden shimmer!, could it be Orkin metal? "
Looking at Max's natural domineering style, the grumpy guy was no longer grumpy.
"you have sharp eyes sir, yes it is. "
Orkin metal wasn't something used for forging or making equipment, although it was as tough as B-rank metal.
But its conductivity is the worst recorded ever.
It couldn't sustain any runes nor forging arrays, or any type of mystical energy, thus its left as an industrial metal used for heavy industry such as trains.
Because of that, it's almost never sold, even though it was super cheap.
Picking up a piece, Max examined it slowly. It wasn't metal ingots or raw ore but seems to be broken parts of something.
The seller jumped in to explain before Max could ask.
"it was part of a Golem-like statue, just a decoration in front of the boss's room.
My share was low, so I thought I'd take it to make something extra."
"hmm. "
Max had a vague idea at the back of his mind since he read the map of the simulation world, and this metal might just prove useful.
"how much?"
"hmm sir, how about you take it all for 50k?"
Max just threw the useless gun he had just got at him.
"E-rank, excellent firepower, no skill. "
The guy started nodding hurriedly in agreement, afraid that Max will change his mind.
Although the metal was worth more than the gun but it had no buyer, while no one would say no for a useful gun.
Max stored all the metal parts and kept strolling.
.....
However, after almost 2 hours of fruitless window shopping, he gave up and left for a certain restaurant.
There he ordered some well-cooked wyvern eggs and some other famous dishes than left to the mountain with the food package.
Since he technically was the reason for the black trees incident, he wanted to stay out of the city, and hide within Lucy's range, just out of cautiousness.
Little Lu, should be happy hearing the news anyway.