I stumbled forward.

Bloody and traumatized. The previous events sinking in slowly. As I come to realize all that happened.

I started to gag and shiver from killing someone.

But I swallowed the vomit coming up my throat. I looked around. I'm alone on the street it all started.

I spot the dead body of the guy who was the buyer in the deal and vomit creeps up my throat again.

I look away and run off in another d direction.

My paycheck should've finally been transferred today. I finally have money.

I quickly go to town. And finally find an ATM after more than an hour walking and looking around.

I take out all my money from the ATM with some holidays left over I get some 1073.22$ but can only take out 400$ out the ATM.

I take out the money and go buy new clothes from the supermarket. Having clean clothes I can take out the rest from the bank.

No one will let me even get inside the bank with worn out clothes covered in dirt and slightly bloody sleeves.

It wasn't too difficult thought to mix in the crowd at the supermarket hiding the bloody spots and walking out with new clothes on me throwing the old ones in the bin.

Getting out of the bank with all my cash I look around for a cafe. I got a charger on me for my phone.

I can recharge my dead battery and catch some WiFi over a drink. Doing so I find a cheap place to stay a bit out of my way.

I text the agent and go sign off the deal. It's a one room small apartment that costs a flat 500$ a month. Luckily no agent fees.

I finally get to lie down on a soft bed. After all this shit. I take a shower, shut the curtains and go to sleep.

*Inside a guild building hall's Pub*

"Hello Party Leader Mathew, do you still have that sample of the Level D Crystal you had extracted from your last dungeon dive?" asked the guild messenger amongst the people in the pub.

Mathew had just ordered a cold beer to relax from the last exhausting expedition. He felt annoyed but looking at the badge on the messenger he was very high ranking. ' I can't pass this up... Can I?'

He asked himself knowing he couldn't ignore this person.

The messenger continued saying. "I just got back with some routine samples of that particular crystal and I was ordered by the Guild Head to come and collect the rest of it for research."

"Hello. Umhh. That will take some time." I responded a bit annoyed. While sipping on my cold beer. Before continuing.

"You see we only got a small amount of it. It was actually handed down to us from the party Mr. Kamizawa was in on the 32nd floor recently."

'Ahhh that bast*rd media lover. I hate working with that a*shole. The media should just paint him as a Demon King considering all the requests he has to even move a finger to help another human being' I reminisce for a bit and continue.

"But after they examined it they just threw it away like trash. We were the bag carriers and picked it off. Then I gave it to George since he seemed to want it the most." responded Mathew in a cold tone as if speaking about some terrible experience he had in his life.

The messenger couldn't imagine why working with the great Mr. Kamizawa's party would be an unpleasant event.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"So can we call up George, hopefully he still has it on him. Our researchers were very excited about what they found while examining it." the messenger said gleefully. Thinking of how much their guild could gain if what their scientists said was confirmed.

"Yeah I'll call him and give him a heads up. I'm sure he couldn't have done anything with it only a day after that expedition. But can I ask what makes it so special to have the Guild Head himself give the order. Isn't it only some Level D Crystal?" asked the party leader as he took out his phone and dialed George.

The messenger thought about it for a while. It wasn't like the Guild Head said this was top secret information after all before he responded. "Well the researchers don't know the exact effects since they didn't have enough to do live experiments."

The messenger stayed silent for a bit to make sure Mathew was listening so he could see his expression on what he said after this.

"But apparently it could be used to awakened some dormant potential in humans. They said it's composition is vaguely similar to the 30th level Boss Monster."

Mathew stared at the messenger the phone in his hand almost slipping from his grip into his beer.

"What?!?" asked Mathew face in disbelieve.

"Are you certain????" asked Mathew again.

"Yes." replied the messenger.

Mathew thought. ' About 0.1% of the power can be stored by the body after consuming a crystal raw. Maybe 1% if used with proper herbs and rituals to process it.'

'And the messenger said it's composition resembled the level 30 boss monster. That thing would constantly regenerate and absorb our magical attacks to strengthen itself. Even the ambient mana in the air wasn't spared from it's ability. Even that Kamizawa kid almost died fighting that monstrosity.' Mathew thought of that life and death battle shivering.

"Where exactly did you get it from?" asked the messenger pleased with Mathew's expression.

Mathew needed a whole minute and a few drinks of his beer before he could continue talking with the messenger. Before replying to the messenger.

"We found it with some epic grade equipment on the last floor. But it was just some trash stuck with the rest of the stuff Kamizawa's party took."

The messenger thought about it for a bit and said. " Nothing on the 32nd level of that place would be ordinary..."

Mathew looked at the messenger." George isn't picking up."

*Inside a gym's training room*

It was quiet in the morning. With few people working out. In one corner of the room 3 guys gathered around to talk.

"Spencer, have you seen Brook today." Asked one of the guys huddled together.

"Naah Poxy. He's been out for his meds last night like usual. You know how he is." said Spencer.

"But he's usually back for his routine exercises the next day. Working out and getting your adrenaline pumping is the best way to make use of that stuff." Said Poxy

"James bud you know what Brook's been up to recently. He's got that tournament coming up. He's gonna lose it if he keeps back tracking like this." Poxy said to the guy still bench pressing.

"Ughhh. Poxy. Yer gonna get your as*ess handed to you if you keep on using that stuff. They're introducing new tests specifically for taking stuff like that this year." replied James practically ignoring his friends.

Brook was James's big brother. And person who introduced him to the gym. He didn't approve of what Brook was doing to get stronger. But he was his brother.

Taking crystal from the dungeon wasn't exactly doping. The military and Dungeon Divers did it after all. But it wasn't exactly legal in sport either.

Tournaments are a place to prove humanity's fundamental strength with nothing but their fists. Taking supplements isn't exactly fair play.

After all lifting giant boulders and fighting monsters is quite different than fighting other people. And such spectacular strength can't be achieved naturally without depending on some special abilities.

"James grow up. Strength is all that matters. The only disappointing thing would be that we're just ordinary people and we can't actually fight monsters or display the prowess of enhanced people or magicians." said Spencer.

Spencer always admired Brook for his strength. And would charge in head on in any fight he could get himself into.

Obviously he would reject James idea of fighting with people just by working out in the gym all day and depending on your instincts.

"The world is more complicated than that. It is a childish idea of giving up an opportunity to gain power on the precursor that it might not be fair to the other guy. Life is not fair and you should grab every chance to advance to be on the top." Spencer said yet again, admonishing James as he had done before.

While this common dispute between the two was happening. Poxy just stood on the side smirking at them finding the whole thing hilarious after having to go through it hundreds of times.

"Guys. Look Brook hasn't been answering us for quite a while. Let's go check up on his place. If he's not there. We'll go check out where the deal happened." Poxy spoke in a lower volume then before.

"And if something happened to Brook all of you should be prepared. You know these things can get out of hand on some occasions" Poxy continued. Lowering his volume even further making sure no one else in the gym heard them.

Poxy has always been a bit distant. But he was very close to Brook. And Brook always shared some of the crystal he got with him. Sometimes he'd even accompany him on his deals.

And if anything happened. He'd be the first one to look for Brook. And if anyone tried to mess with them. He'd be ready to shoot them dead.