"Holy sh*t... F*cking hated that bastard... Since when did dolls have the capability to shoot wind slashes?" Soren yelled out, as his body collapsed on the ground and exhaled all of his air slowly, as all of the tension left his body, leaving him in a weakened state. While his body was laying on the ground, a panel appeared in front of him.

Beginner Sword Proficiency has leveled up. (+1 Strength)

"Level 7... 3 more to go... How grindy have you turned this game everyone? Seriously, if it takes eight hours of grinding for a single level... I'm already starting the dread the late-game grind."

"Don't whine so much you whippersnapper. You've been spending half the day fighting critters that are way beneath you. If anything, I'm surprised you haven't gone any deeper to fight something on your level." Dr.Vale chided him, as Soren was slowly lifting his body from the ground.

"Honestly, I didn't even know I had to go this deep to fight something even remotely challenging. Is it normal for more difficult areas to be so far away?"

"Hmm... I don't know much about that. I suggest you ask one of the actual game testers or something. Anyways... It's the end of the shift, so I suggest you to exit the game immediately."

"Got it doc. Coming out." With that last sentence, Soren logged off the game and upon seeing the Nicolas stretching his body, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Good work for today. I'm expecting you three here tomorrow at the same time in the morning. Nicolas, once you're done going through the data, send it to my personal account. Good evening and don't go causing any trouble." Once Dr.Vale finished speaking, Nora, Nicolas and Soren were left by themself, as she slowly walked away, with Nora and Soren following right after.

"So, mind if you explain to me how you got involved into this mess? How'd you end up dropping your coffee house gig in the first place?" Nora asked first, as the two of them entered one of the floor's elevators by themselves.

"Urgh... Let's just say it was both bad decision-making and bad luck. Do you want me to go through the details?" Soren stated tiredly, as he pressed the B3F button, while Nora nodded with a serious expression. Seeing that nod, Soren inwardly sighed and started going through the important events that led to his current predicament, including how his entire mess started in the first place. By the time he finished, the two of them had already reached floor B3, but had kept the door closed, since they didn't want their conversation to be overheard.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"Sheesh... That's one hell of a mess you got yourself into. What kind of luck do you have to get yourself into that crap?" Nora asked incredulously, as she believed this kind of luck only existed in fiction.

"Don't ask... I'd rather not jinx myself any further than I already have done."

"I see. So, how long will it take you to finish your contract here? Four years?"

"More or less. By the way, where's Lucas? Has he returned or not?"

"Nope. Haven't heard much for him either, ever since he went to Kanera City." Nora answered with a shrug, as the two of them engaged on a more casual conversation, while making their towards one of the recreational rooms.

...

"And finally done... Finally managed to compile all of the data..." Nicolas stated tiredly, as he had been working on the computer for nearly eight hours straight and hadn't had a break, ever since lunch time. Once all of the files were sent to Vale's account, he slowly stretched his body and closed the computer, before making his way towards the cafeteria on floor B1 to grab some dinner for himself and rest, as his shift was over and didn't have any other tasks for the day.

After finishing a hearty meal, Nicolas decided to jog a bit on the way towards his own room, before his phone started ringing all of a sudden, causing him to stop his jog and answer the phone.

"Hello? To who am I speaking?" Nicolas asked, as he heard a male voice in response.

"Who do you think, you moron? Didn't you see the number?"

"Relax Lucas, I'm just messing with you. Of course, I know it's you." Nicolas stated casually, as he continued speaking in the same manner. "So, how's the job in Kanera branch treating you? Have you checked the restaurants there? I've heard their food is the best."

"Wish I could. It would make my trip here a lot more bearable. Anyways, is anyone nearby?"

"Not really, but there are still some people who have either started their shifts, or haven't finished them yet. Besides, I've almost made it to my dorm room, so we can continue talking there. Just give me a second." With that statement, Nicolas started sprinting and within a minute, he arrived in front of his own dorm room, which was on the ground floor.

"Alright, speak. What's the update on your side?"

"Seven successful dives into the city. We got plenty of data for starters, but not even remotely close to enough. Aside from confirmations to some pre-existing theories, there hasn't been anything new for now. It also doesn't help that it takes nearly four to six hours, for a single hour or two of data."

"At least you're making progress, not fast progress, but progress nonetheless. So, what kind of progress have you managed to make? Is there any confirmation of intelligent life in whatever that place is?"

"Multiple accounts of intelligent lifeforms, mainly humans or humanoid creatures. Most encounters have been brief, for the most part, but are capable of reasoning. None of them have been confirmed as hostile up until now, but that's subject to change. As for hostile creatures, only the shadow creatures have been confirmed as hostile. Unfortunately, it's currently impossible to explore beyond the exit, as the subject will be forcefully ejected from the city. I'll be sending a more documented report upon my return to Glaxion City."

"Thanks for the info, I'll be passing this to them. Speaking of which, remember the guy you told me before, how you were working with for a couple days, before being sent to Kanera City? Well, I just started working with him."

"Soren? That's pretty neat. I was afraid I had to leave him with Neil and Dr.Morgan, especially Dr.Morgan. Knowing that you're working with him is certainly a relief. So, who're you working with? Leslie? Vanessa? Nerissa? I know you've been keeping an eye on Nerissa for a while now, so have you asked her out?" Lucas asked curiously, as he wanted to talk about something less serious.

"You- Shut up Lucas... It's just a one-time thing with the fake date! I only did it to help her deal with her stalker boyfriend, so there's nothing else going on between us. Absolutely nothing else." Nicolas explained in a flustered manner, before attempting to compose himself to answer Lucas's initial question. "Anyways, I'm working with Nora and Dr.Vale."

"Ah, I see. Good to know she's working with you. Wait, did you just say Nora?"