Watching his flesh regrow in real time was a very trippy sight. It both fascinated him, and disgusted him.
Well, considering I’m caked in the blood and offal of almost twenty monsters, I’m feeling a bit desensitized right now.
The potion his mysterious savior had given him had that costly look only Elixirs had, which could do anything from curing chronic conditions to regrowing limbs in higher dosages and with adequate supply - just like what Sally was receiving. It was something which would have cost him twice what he would make by selling all the loot he had gathered during his harebrained expedition, had he managed to get himself to a hospital before he died of blood loss.
Miraculously, his leg was still attached, which meant one dose would be enough to put him back on his feet, but the process was uncomfortable and painful. Still, James kept his mouth shut tight, not emitting any sound even though he really wanted to.
He had already made a terrible first impression on what was undoubtedly a professional hunter. He didn’t want to add being a crybaby to that.
“It should only take a couple of minutes to finish working. I have seen this kind of Elixir put people back in the fight whose insides had been outside.” The black-clothed, red eyed, mask-wearing woman tried to reassure him. It wasn’t particularly effective, mainly because James was busy gritting his teeth to not scream.
When the process finally ended, and his leg was left an angry pink - which he was reassured would fade within the next hour or so - he managed to gather his wits enough to thank her. “I don’t know what I would have done without your help. Thank you, you saved me.”
If there was one thing his grandfather had taught him, it was that when you received help, you needed to make it clear that you understood your debt and would try to repay it immediately. “Long-term debt can cripple a person’s mind, James. It can turn them into a shell of themselves as they work to the bone to repay it. Be it a favor or money, if you can’t help but take them, do your best not to let it hang on you for too long.” Larry Summer’s words echoed in his mind, and James rapidly thought about what he could offer the woman.
“You can take the loot from the dungeon and credit for clearing it. The prize, alongside the rest, should be worth most of the Elixir’s cost. If you tell me how much is left, I’ll cover it as soon as possible.” He said as he gingerly pushed himself up.
It was his fault he had ended up in the situation he had been in, and so he wouldn’t do his savior the disservice of thinking this was all an elaborate entrapment scheme. It was an unfortunately common tactic for the sleazier Guilds to offer new Awakeners loans of gear and provision, only to use that debt to force them to join.
The woman seemed to quickly realize where his mind had gone because she waved her hands rapidly, as if to ward off any suspicion. “I’m not doing this because I wanted you to repay me. You could say it’s my fault even, for letting it go this far. I saw you go through the entire dungeon, but I should have stepped in before the Boss.”
So, she has been observing me all along. Is she a Guild recruiter, then? This is actually making me more suspicious.
Seeing his expression closing off, the woman huffed, taking out an easily recognizable badge from the AA. It read Leila Walker, B-rank Agent.
With a gulp, James bowed his head, apologizing once again. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I didn’t mean to imply you were doing anything suspicious.”
A huff of frustration made him raise his head, and he saw the high level Awakener ruffle her hair. “I’m not trying to put you on edge, kid. I just wanted to show you I’m not one of those Guild bastards.”
At that, James relaxed a bit. His savior seemed not to be good at making herself understood, but he wouldn’t hold it against her. Still, even if she was trying to pass off giving him an elixir like that, he couldn’t accept it. His morals wouldn’t allow it. “At least take the Boss’ core and body. I wouldn’t be able to go on knowing that I owe you that much.”
Leila gave him the stink eye for a moment, before conceding with a defeated sigh. “Alright, kid. If that makes you feel better, I’ll take the Boss. We can call it even then, right?”
James nodded quickly, happy not to have put himself in debt with a powerful figure. Really, considering that he was now hale and healthy and had crossed level 5 to reach even level 6, the whole expedition could be counted as a win. Well, if it wasn’t for her, I would need to drag myself out of here, hoping I didn’t die of blood loss first. And then I’d be in debt with the hospital. Probably not a flawless run, eh?
Once James had tested his newly healed leg and saw that it had no problem holding his weight, he turned to face the Association Ranker. “Could I ask why you were observing me, then? Were you just in the area, or did I steal your dungeon?”
He had checked the AA site just before entering, and no one had claimed the squirrel dungeon, preferring to leave it to the assigned team, which would have arrived in about five hours, but with great power, people became a bit quirky. It wouldn’t be strange if the woman had simply not cared to register if she wanted the dungeon for herself.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Luckily, the answer was negative “No, no. I don’t care one whit about this place. I’m here because I recognized you from your test at the AA while walking around. Since I should have approached you in a couple of days anyway, I decided to deal with that immediately.”
It was very relieving for James to know that he hadn’t inadvertently stolen her dungeon, especially since he wouldn’t have any recourse, since he hadn’t requested it for himself either. Well, they wouldn’t have accepted the request. A newly Awakened H-rank taking a dungeon in Central Park all to himself? No way.
The last part of her statement, however, pulled him away from his relief “What do you mean you would have approached me anyway? And why would a high-ranking Hunter like you remember me?”
James was skirting a dangerous territory here, as more than one person online had warned that the more powerful the Awakener, the less they enjoyed explaining themselves to weaker people. Still, this Leila Walker had been nothing if not polite and approachable, so he dared to ask.
“Your examination went pretty well. So well, in fact, that Marcus recommended you for a new team we are building from the ground up. I was meant to come to your house in a couple of days, after you had the time to acclimate to being an Awakener, but since I saw you here, I thought it’d be easier to just get it over with now.” She answered easily, shocking him even more.
She then continued, not giving him the time to elaborate “I have your email on file, so I’ll send you the contract to review soon. You have four days to think about it, since the official offer starts in forty-eight hours. I’ll attach my number so you can ask me questions at any time. I might not respond immediately, but I’ll do my best.”
Somewhat bamboozled by all the information being dumped on him, James seized on one thing “What do you mean a new team?”
The woman squinted her eyes, somehow conveying that she was smiling even though her mouth was covered. “We are trying something new. Rather than taking in established hunters, we want to build fresh ones from the ground up. That way, you’ll be less likely to be immediately poached.”
“Do you even have the money for that?” As soon as he said it, James realized it was a very rude thing to say to an AA Agent, but it was the truth. Nurturing new Awakeners into something useful was expensive, and those resources generally went into other, more immediately helpful programs.
Luckily, she didn’t take offense, instead seeming amused at his concern. “Well, normally, you’d be correct, but my bosses seemingly managed to get a small budget exactly for this kind of thing, arguing that in the long term it would save us money. So it’s pretty important that you are committed if you accept.”
That said, she brushed herself off, even though not a speck of dirt had touched her. “Well, I really need to go. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of things on my end so that you can claim the prize for clearing this dungeon without it becoming a red flag.”
Before he could answer, thank her or defend himself, the woman disappeared before his eyes. One moment, she was there and the next, suddenly not.
“Wait, the Boss…” James trailed off, noticing that even that carcass was gone without him seeing anything. Even when he activated Thakinetic Awareness to sweep his surroundings, nothing pinged. She had vanished without a trace.
----------------------------------------
Since he had no intention of taking all the squirrel corpses back home, James gathered them all up in one large garbage bag and, helped by his newly gained strength, easily hauled them to the closest appropriate shop.
I kinda want to put all four points in STR; it’d be even more of a breeze then. But I need to seriously think about what I’ll do in the future before I do that, and there is no pressing need that requires me to get stronger immediately.
The man at the shop, just off the 104th, sniffed imperiously at his bedraggled appearance, but those dealing with Awakeners coming back from dungeon runs could rarely expect clean clothes and pleasant smells, so he didn’t say anything.
The price he offered was a bit less than James would have gotten had he removed all the mana stones and dressed the corpses himself, but he couldn’t be bothered at the moment. It still was more than he had ever made in a single setting, and the promise of getting the prize for clearing the dungeon also put him in a good enough mood that he didn’t waste time haggling.
Dragging himself back home was a weird experience, as his body was completely fine, helped by the expensive elixir and his higher stats, but mentally, James was done for the day.
He could easily keep going physically. Hell, he could have gone on a run with how energetic he felt. But the psychological toll of having to fight for his life was significant, and though he had been saved from any consequence by the AA Agent, it had still left him scared shitless.
When he finally got home, his grandparents only had to take a look at him to realize he had gone through the wringer, but luckily, they decided to let him clean himself and have a nap before they started with the interrogation.
As he was falling asleep, he gave one last look at his status, smiling in satisfaction at what he had accomplished.
STATUS WINDOW
Name
James Summers
Age
19
Awakening
1st
Talent
Thakinesis
Title
Level
6
MP
29/30
STR
7
VIT
5
AGI
7
SENSE
6
MIND
7
STAT POINTS
4
SKILLS LEVEL DESCRIPTION Thakinetic Empowerment 2 (Active): Utilize your Willpower to temporarily raise STR - VIT - AGI. Thakinetic Awareness 1 (Active/Passive): Expand your SENSE to feel other’s wills. Thakinetic Resistance 1 (Active/Passive): Empower your MIND to defend yourself against foreign influences.