Darian gulped down his saliva as the man before him spoke, his voice steady but with an edge that made his skin prickle.
"Who…who are you people?" Darian stammered, his gaze shifting between the two strangers. He couldn't recall ever seeing them before.
The woman beside the man chuckled, crossing her arms over her chest with a playful smirk. "Forgotten us already? Well, considering you've been asleep for a week, I suppose that's excusable."
"A week?!" Darian's voice rose with shock. The surge of power he had used must have taken an unimaginable toll on him. But if he had been unconscious for so long…
"What about my team? Are they okay?" he asked, his tone tight with worry.
The man leaned back in his chair, his piercing gaze locking onto Darian. "They're fine," he said, his voice calm but firm. "They were discharged two days after we brought you in."
Relief washed over Darian, the tension in his chest easing slightly. His teammates were safe—that was all that mattered.
But the relief was short-lived as the man straightened, his expression hardening. "Now that we've got that out of the way," he began, folding his arms over his chest, "I've got a question for you, kid. How did you make it out of there alive?"
Darian's throat tightened as he felt the weight of the man's gaze. Beads of sweat formed at his temples, and he swallowed hard. "W-well, we slayed the final boss, of course," he said, forcing a weak smile. There was no way he could reveal the truth—that he had encountered an ancient dragon who had granted him powers beyond his wildest imagination. They'd probably dissect him or turn him into some weapon against the beasts. And that was the last thing Darian wanted.
The man's lips curled into a smirk that didn't reach his eyes. "Really?" he asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Kid, let me tell you something. That dungeon you were in? It's what we call an Anomaly."
"Anomaly?" Darian repeated, frowning.
The woman, who had remained silent for a while, spoke up, her tone now devoid of playfulness. "An anomaly is when a dungeon distorts and shifts its rank. It could become weaker—or stronger. In your case, it became much stronger."
"Exactly," the man continued. "The dungeon you entered was classified as C-rank. But based on what we found, it spiked to an S-rank anomaly. The monsters inside became far more powerful. So tell me, kid—how does a greenhorn like you survive an S-rank dungeon?"
Darian's mind raced as he tried to think of a plausible explanation. The truth was out of the question. If they found out about the dragon…he didn't even want to imagine the consequences.
"Well, we worked together," he said, feigning confidence. "It was tough, but we pulled through."
The woman snorted, her eyes narrowing. "Pulled through? An S-rank dungeon isn't something you just 'pull through.' Either you're lying, or there's more to the story." Her voice grew colder, her fists clenching. "Are you going to talk, or do I have to make you talk?"
Strangely, Darian didn't feel intimidated by her glare. If anything, he found her fiery demeanor oddly…cute. He shook his head, dismissing the thought. Focus!
"Calm down, Bianca," the man said, raising a hand to pacify her. She huffed but relented, her playful smirk returning. The shift in her behavior baffled Darian.
"What my colleague is trying to say," the man continued, "is that we're here to understand how you got your team out of that hellhole. That's all."
Darian hesitated, his mind churning for a convincing lie. Then, an idea struck him. "I'm a summoner," he said, his tone steady. "As you know, summoners can channel their beasts' abilities. That's how I managed to fight."
The man raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying you summoned a beast capable of defeating S-rank monsters?"
"Yes," Darian replied, forcing a confident nod.
Bianca's eyes narrowed. "And what kind of beast would that be? Judging by those scale-like marks on your arms, I'd guess something in the reptilian category."
Darian cursed inwardly. He hadn't thought that far ahead. But there was no turning back now. "It's a White Fang Chimera," he blurted out.
"A dragon?!" Bianca exclaimed, her disbelief evident.
"Yes," Darian said, trying to sound nonchalant, though his heart pounded in his chest.
The man—Drake, as Darian now recalled—rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm. An SSS-rank summoning skill could explain that. But your mana levels don't match up." His eyes flickered with suspicion but softened as he stood. "Well, kid, your story doesn't entirely add up, but it's not impossible. Rest up. I'll be in touch."
As Drake turned to leave, Darian called out, "Wait! One more thing."
Drake paused, glancing back over his shoulder.
"Have you ever heard of a beast that can regenerate and has a core?" Darian asked.
Drake frowned. "Regenerate? No. A core, maybe. Why?"
"The monsters in that dungeon could regenerate. The only way to kill them was to destroy their cores," Darian explained. He figured the least he could do was warn them about the new threats.
Drake's expression grew serious. "Thanks for the intel, kid. We'll look into it." With that, he exited the room, Bianca following behind him.
Once they were gone, Darian exhaled deeply, sinking back into the hospital bed. "That was close," he muttered. The last thing he needed was the government tracking his every move. Now, he could finally focus on understanding the powers that dragon had granted him.
"System," he whispered.
---
Outside the Hospital
Drake and Bianca sat in a sleek black car parked by the curb. The hum of the engine filled the silence as they processed what they had just learned.
"Do you think the kid was telling the truth?" Bianca asked, her gaze fixed on Drake.
Drake stared ahead, his expression unreadable. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "But if he is, we're dealing with something far more dangerous than an anomaly. We need to prepare for the worst."