The following days passed in a steady rhythm. John found himself settling into a routine within the Investigation Department. After finishing the monthly report, he began learning from Felix and Harper how to read real-time data sent by field agents and how they determined whether something was abnormal.
Today, he visited BMI's inner hospital for a checkup to confirm his full recovery and ensure there were no lingering effects from his injuries. He entered the sterilized white reception area of the hospital and moved to the nurse at the reception.
"Hello. I am here for the checkup. Where should I go?" John said as he stood before the reception desk.
"What is your name, sir?" The nurse answered.
"John Howard."
"Please wait a moment, Mr. John." After inputting his name in the computer before her, she said. "In a few minutes, a nurse will come to lead you to a doctor. You may have a seat at the resting area in the meantime."
After a short wait, he was led to undergo various tests, including an X-ray scan, blood tests, and a urine sample, before being directed to the doctor's office. Entering the small room, he was met by a doctor in his mid-thirties with short black hair. After reviewing the reports delivered by the nurse, the doctor spoke without looking up. "Take his pulse."
After taking his pulse, the doctor stood up and walked to John. "Lift your shirt, please," the doctor instructed, placing the stethoscope on John's chest. "Deep breath in… and out."
The doctor asked all kinds of questions as he moved the stethoscope to the stomach area and back. After a while, he finished and sat at his desk again.
"Everything looks fine. You've fully recovered, and in fact, your body seems stronger than before. There's nothing to worry about—you're good to go."
After thanking the doctor, John visited Toby and Maxwell before leaving the hospital with a sigh of relief. 'Now that I'm fully healed, I would need to start taking a field mission again. With my current attributes, I could solo normal dungeon. Should I start doing that?'
John pondered as he walked to the investigation department building. Just as he settled in his chair, a notification on his comm got his attention.
(Agents in the Investigation Department are required to complete a minimum of four field missions per month. Exceptions apply in cases of emergency. Missions must be within an agent's capabilities—neither too simple nor beyond their limits.
Additional missions beyond the minimum grant bonus wages and points. Agents should avoid overburdening themselves at the cost of their primary duties.)
"Damn, they don't waste time. As soon as I healed, they didn't waste time asking me to do more missions." John clicked his tongue as he muttered. Cracking his knuckles, he chuckled. 'Well, it is time to test Echoform in an actual fight.'
Opening the map, He zoomed in different places he marked earlier and needed to be investigated. He sent these locations to the planning department, asking to investigate one of the locations. Within ten minutes, his request was processed, and he was assigned a task near the highway. And so John took the necessary supplies before driving a BMI car to the location.
.......................
John stepped out of the car onto the gravel shoulder of the highway. The distant hum of passing vehicles quickly faded as he faced the dense forest ahead. The air was thick with the scent of pine and earth, mixed with an unsettling silence that shouldn't be here in the middle of the day.
Taking with him a backpack, quiver strapped to the side of his waist, and Echoform. Changing Echoform from a small knife to a bow was still a novelty to John, as in mere seconds it shifted its whole shape and weight to become a balanced composite bow with more power and range than a normal composite bow could ever be.
He moved slowly to the general area needed to be investigated while activating energy detection plus AR (augmented reality displays). John shifted his attributes to agility as he stepped on the uneven forest ground. (Agility: 14 --> 19)
According to the reports, unusual sounds of distressed animals had been heard, and there was a sudden mass movement of wildlife from the area for an unknown reason. In the last few days, the number of animals crossing the highway had spiked dramatically.
Frightened animals and birds abandoning their habitat without an apparent cause was never a good sign. There had been no earthquake or forest fire to explain this kind of displacement. It was John's job to investigate the cause. Was it mutation due to dungeon energy, or was something else?
John glanced around, trying to discern a starting point for his investigation. The forest floor was a mosaic of fallen leaves and gnarled roots, each step releasing the scent of damp earth. He kept his senses on high alert, wary of any movement. As he ventured further, the forest seemed to come alive with whispers and rustling leaves.
The Echoform runes pulsed in his hands as he kept his pace moderated—neither hurrying nor slowing. He could hear the distant calls of animals in distress. John changed his course to the cries of animals. A sudden rustle in the underbrush made him pause; he nocked an arrow, ready for any unexpected situation. The bush parted as a rabbit darted out, bolting away the moment it spotted John.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he lowered the bow as he continued in his way. John increased his speed as the load cries of animals were now silent. After a few minutes, his attention was captured by an unbelievable scene.
"What the hell!" John exclaimed as he drew the string.
A swarm of beetles, each the size of an arm, was tearing into a deer carcass, their grotesque mandibles clicking in a sickening rhythm. Just a casual look sent a shiver down to his spine at the unsettling sight. Releasing the string, the arrow cut through the air, flying at unimaginable speed. In less than a second, the arrow pierced a beetle, pinning it to a nearby tree.
A flurry of arrows followed, tearing through the beetles. John let out a breath as he let go of the last arrow. Changing his echoform to a short sword, he moved near the fallen mutants. Recording their data, he continued his search for other mutants.
'Mutants mean a dungeon. That settles it.'
The following hours were spent on John tracking the mutants and taking care of them. After he finished, he reached the dungeon entrance and let the smart-lenses work their magic. A ten minutes later, John muttered, "A normal dungeon, huh... I think I can take it solo. Let's do it."
John sent a message to Henry asking him about letting him clear the dungeon. After a few more board minutes of waiting, Henry sent the OK as his quest got updated. Taking a deep breath, John jumped into the portal.