Taking the metro back home was done mostly on autopilot, as James’ mind was firmly stuck on the shiny new card sitting in his hands.
Generally, he would have been more careful with something that precious. New York was a relatively safe place compared to the rest of the world, but petty theft still happened regularly. However, everyone should recognize his new treasure for what it was.
An AA ID card with his face stamped on it and a softly glowing H on the top right corner made it very clear that though he wasn’t a high ranker, he wasn’t one to be messed with.
Most gangs, these days, had reorganized into guilds and operated, at least in part, as legitimate businesses. No one with the strength to take it from him would feel it worth their time.
Still, James clutched at it like a lifeline. Everything had happened quite quickly, and though he had spent most of the past night thinking and researching, he was still finding it hard to believe what his life was like now.
Getting off at his usual stop, James briefly looked toward the bridge in the distance, where he had walked just the day before with Sally. Just thinking of her sent a pang to his heart, still raw with emotion. The image of her last look at him, as she lay groaning on a clinic's bed, her eyes desperate with pain and fear, would stick with him for a long time.
Shaking that thought off, James hurried back home, knowing that his grandparents would be waiting for him. He’d already sent a text to tell them he’d passed, but he was sure they’d want to hear him recount the whole experience.
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Having finally managed to escape his only remaining family’s clutches, James was walking on the beach, taking advantage of the overcast skies to have it all for himself.
He was contemplating his next moves, trying to give shape to the nebulous thoughts he had come up with the night before.
Becoming stronger is obviously the correct choice. I can’t really go back to my previous life now… There is nothing for me there. But how to do so is the question.
The most common thing for a new Awakener to do now would be to look for a guild. They’d have the resources and teachers necessary to guide him as he started his journey. But James had no intention to go begging for scraps at their door. Not only was he ideologically opposed to how modern guilds operated, but since his Talent wasn’t particularly flashy, he didn’t believe they’d offer him anything more than just the basic recruitment package.
A decent salary, a few training sessions and a team with whom to go on dungeon raids. It wasn’t a bad life, but the strings attached made it unpalatable. He’d be contributing to the rot overtaking the country then, and he wouldn’t be able to look at his father’s pictures if he fell that low.
Considering how poorly they had handled the whole mess with the rat dungeon, James wasn't inclined to be charitable.
That meant either going back to the AA and begging them to take him on, which he wasn’t inclined to do, given how low the possibility of them having an open spot would be, or striking it out by himself.
This last option was something he was seriously considering. It was the most dangerous of the three, meaning he'd have no backup during fights. And I’ll have to fight if I want to level up. Skills can take a long time to rise if there is no external stimulus, this much is common knowledge, so I can’t just hole up in my room and spam them like I’d do in an RPG.
Fighting monsters was a dangerous business, however, and he’d have to take as many precautions as possible before proceeding. Finding a low level dungeon would be a priority, so that he could cut his teeth on something manageable before he went after stronger prey. Being a lone wolf would severely hamper his growth, but he didn’t see any other possibility at the moment. Maybe one day he’d find others, but for now, he was by himself.
First, I need to get some experience fighting monsters, and if I can find a newborn H-rank dungeon somewhere, I’ll be able to get it without immediately risking my life.
He knew of one such place already, the sewers connected to the back alley where he had fought the rat monsters. However, the thought of going back there sent a shiver down his spine and made his stomach churn.
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It wasn’t that he was scared of what he’d find there. After all, he had managed to kill the rats without even knowing he had awakened. No, the emotional block he was feeling had a different origin.
I’ll have to go back there one day, if only so I don’t get stuck mentally. But finding a place that won’t unsettle me as much for the first dive is probably better.
‘Dungeon’ was the commonly used term to describe Mana Sinks. Places where the power that had seeped into the world during the 2012 Apocalypse would naturally pool and mutate all non-sapient life within. It was a phenomenon that could range from mildly annoying, as in the case of H-rank - where even police officers armed with small caliber guns could take care of it - to S-rank: places that had to be immediately evacuated and quarantined, where the entire might of a nation would be needed to deal with it, and that were more often than not just not worth sacrificing the best Awakeners’ lives to clear.
Fortunately, S-rank dungeons were extremely rare, and only about a dozen were active worldwide. Even better, the higher the rank of the Mana Sink, the more stable it was, meaning fewer monsters would leave it as they got used to the plentiful natural mana that was lacking in the outside world.
If that were not the case, I’m pretty sure humanity would have been doomed. We only managed to claw back as much of the world as we have because top-tier monsters generally don’t leave their territory.
Conversely, that meant it was common for low-level dungeons to have monsters go outside, causing death and destruction. It made identifying and dealing with them quickly a priority for any surviving nation, and means had been implemented to promptly alert the populace when they were found.
Looking through his phone notifications, James easily found the one he was looking for. He’d have to retake the metro, but if he left immediately, he was pretty sure he’d be able to get back before mid-afternoon.
“!ALERT! H-rank Squirrel Dungeon found within a grove in Central Park. All Citizens are not to approach it and wait for a dedicated Awakener Team to Clear it. ETA 7h 53m.” The message read.
Considering all the more dangerous dungeons outside the city limits, or even within them, that could spawn powerful monsters ready to destroy entire blocks, this specific one was only given a high priority, because it was sitting inside the heart of the Big Apple.
The ETA meant that the AA was estimating it’d take almost eight hours for an adequate team to tackle it, giving him more than enough time to try his hand at it.
If, for any reason, he thought he couldn’t actually do it, he’d retreat immediately. He promised himself he’d be careful, as he didn’t want to have to be subjected to his grandmother’s worried expression more than he needed to.
With a grunt, James pushed off the sand, his path much clearer now. He’d hurry back home, put on his father’s old ballistic vest and gloves, and hunt some squirrels.
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He had ended up not putting the vest on immediately. Not because he didn’t want to be caught by his grandparents - he had clearly told them what he was up to and held strong under their combined questioning. But he didn’t want to look weird while walking around the city. James knew most Awakeners wore gaudy and peculiar armor, made with high ranking monsters’ materials, but he felt uncomfortable at the thought of being stared at.
Therefore, he put his father’s vest in his backpack, alongside the lunch his grandma had forcefully shoved on him, and set off, giving one last nod to his stoic grandpa.
It probably would have been easier not to tell them anything, but if I started lying to them now, I would never stop. This is my life, and it’s important they understand it immediately. Also, I don’t intend on getting hurt at all this time. Really.
During his first fight with a monster, he had been entirely unprepared, mentally and physically.
Now, however, he was stronger than before. Thanks to the System, he had access to Skills and was looking for a fight knowingly. That alone changed everything.
Getting off at 103 St, James looked around, noticing how few people seemed out and about in this part of the park. Still, even just a few hundred feet away, the usual hubbub resumed, New Yorkers going about their day as if there wasn’t a nest of murderous squirrels sitting next to them.
Huffing a laugh at the weirdness of his city, James quickly walked over the Great Hill, passing the quiet brook with his Thakinetic Awareness fully on.
I’m not about to get ambushed again. This time, I’m the hunter.
Soon enough, he got the first sign that the regular Central Park fauna had been replaced with something more dangerous.
A squirrel the size of a cat was resting on one of the top branches of a tree, guarding the path leading to the center of the hill. It had seen him already, James noticed, but seemed uninterested in attacking him. That would surely change the moment he tried stepping foot into its territory.
He took the time to gear up. Putting his backpack down, he quickly opened it and took out the vest, gloves and face-mask he had decided to use.
Unfortunately, it made him look like an edgy teenager trying to cosplay as a villain, but the protection afforded was not something he could say no to. The face-mask, the kind robbers would use, would not defend him from direct hits, but at least should allow him to avoid getting scratched up if he had to drop on the ground and roll.
His gloves, also from his father’s old gear, were reinforced with titanium, lending his blows a little more oomph. James had briefly contemplated taking more weapons, his father’s tactical knife being the first thing that came to mind, but he had never been trained in their use, and since he still wasn’t a master of his Skills, he preferred using them in ways he was sure would work.
Trying to Empower his baseball bat would have probably led to him exhausting himself immediately rather than any positive outcome. Therefore, he decided to go with what had already worked once before.
James took a deep breath and put his backpack under a bench, hiding it from view. This was an essential step for him, as the results would determine exactly how viable this lonely path forward was.
If he managed to complete the dungeon - he didn’t consider this a realistic possibility, as the Boss monster should still be beyond his capabilities, and it would mean risking himself in ways he wasn’t comfortable with - it’d be a green light.
He'd consider it a yellow light if he trounced several monsters but was forced to retreat before the Boss. It would mean he could go through it, but he’d have to be careful. This was the most likely result.
A red light would mean running away at the first or second encounter. James sincerely hoped this wouldn’t happen, as it’d be a death sentence on his career. He’d be forced to rethink his approach and possibly even bend his morals and accept a guild's offer.
Yeah, let’s make sure that doesn’t happen. I’m gonna show these squirrels who the real boss is.