A few weeks passed as Lance searched the wide wide web for resources on dungeons as a whole. Good news, there was a lot of info. Bad News, there was a lot of useless info.
Every Ranker And their grandma had a post about dungeons and various “useful” tips, stuff like “Aim for the head or heart” and “sharpen your weapons before use.”
In the end, there was a surprising lack of good resources for Rankers. The best sources were often the textbooks of various academies, but… they were often highly expensive and required attendance at an academy to gain access.
This line of search however wasn't entirely useless, as one Textbook stuck out like a sore thumb- The Sly Fox's Guide to Dungeons.
This book was a very popular one among many of the elite academies, but it had a key difference from the other books these schools carried. This book was ancient, 32 years old, a relic from the early ages of Rankers, and a creation of Benjamin Fox before his debut as the first Unique Rank.
The book had been updated so many times, it wasn't even funny. The new copies were created by the academies as a common tool for first years to learn the basics.
The key note here was however, the older versions of the book were NOT used by the academies, and were scattered across the general public.
Looking into the book, there were 3 copies out for sale. One was being auctioned off by a Dutch Museum that was going out of business, and another was being sold at an auction in Arlington, Texas. Although the one in Texas could probably be reached, auctions meant the people with the most money always win out.
Then, there was the last one, being Sold from Osaka, Japan. There was just one problem.
“Only to be sold in person…?”
Lance groaned as he rubbed his face in frustration, spinning around in his chair.
“How the hell am I going to get to Japan of all places?”
“Oh? You need to go to Japan?”
Lance looked up to see Colin wiping rain from his jacket as he dropped it on the floor. Water pooled on the floor, but he didn't really seem to care, more focused on Lance's response.
Lance rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
“I uh… Yeah, I do, but it's not like I can afford it anyway…”
Colin smirked.
“I got you bro.”
“Eh!?!?” Lance exclaimed, jumping and falling from his chair in excitement.
Colin smiled nervously.
“I have some… stuff… I need to take care of in Asia and Japan would make a good place to start from.”
Lance on the floor, squinted.
“What the heck are you gonna do in Asia?”
Colin grimaced a little.
“Well, my half sister is gonna be Graduating from the Hong Kong Ranker Academy this coming week, and my mom invited me.”
Lance stared at the black haired man in front of him.
‘Poor guy looks like he's gonna throw up. He must not have a very good relationship with his family.’
Lance smiled.
“Well, if you're offering, I can always join ya. I'm sure there are some cool spots in Osaka we can check out once you get back from the ceremony.”
This seemed to cheer up Colin a little.
“Y-Yeah, that'd be great. Just promise me you wont get too drunk before I come back!”
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
Lance laughed. “Hah, just for that i'm gonna drink at least 5 beers.”
Colin laughed. “Better save 6 for me.”
…
The drive and air trip didn't take nearly as long as would have been expected. What especially was beyond expectation was the first class seats Lance and Colin were Using.
It was a much fancier experience than he ever would have thought. And it only got weirder when they arrived At their hotel room, the deluxe suite of one of the top hotels in the Osaka area.
Lance gave Colin the side eye as Colin looked away nervously, his brown eyes dotting from side to side.
Lance spoke up.
“So. How long have you been a Millionaire?”
“I'm not one actually.”
“Bullshi-”
“I'm a Billionaire.”
The two sat in silence for a moment before Lance lightly punched Colin in the arm. Then again. Then again.
Lance then began violently shaking Colin while yelling, his brown hair going all over the place.
“WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL, WHY DO YOU LIVE IN AN APARTMENT WHEN YOUR FILTHY STINKING RICH!?!?”
Colin shrugged. “It's convenient.”
“Bullshit!”
Colin crossed his arms and sighed.
“I'm serious, it keeps the money grubbers away since everyone assumes you're poor.”
Lance sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“What the hell man? Couldn't you have said something sooner? I was about to have a heart attack when you got into a limo earlier.”
“It's a different country, I don't have to worry about being judged here. Well, besides by you.”
Lance sighed and put his hands up.
“Ok. Ok, not judging. How the hell did you do it?”
Colin scratched his neck and mumbled.
“I won the lottery 3 times.”
“You WHAT-”
Colin laughed awkwardly.
“W-What? Everyone gets lucky every once in a while…”
“3 times. 3. 3 TIMES!?!”
Colin seemed to go silent as he stopped protesting.
Lance just climbed into his bed in the next room over, turned off the light and rolled over, not even bothering to close the door.
“You are gonna owe me 3 Beers when you get back from Hong Kong.”
In the other room, Colin chuckled. “Fair.”
…
As the duo went their separate ways the next day, Lance noticed something odd.
Colin was in a different outfit from his normal one. It looked very expensive, but given last night, that was no longer a thing to question. What Lance did wonder about was the odd number of pockets on the pants he was wearing, And the fact all of them seemed to be full of knife-shaped objects.
As Lance knew, Knives were Colin's choice weapon as a Ranker.
“You're not going to secretly fight someone are you? Is your sister dating someone you don't like or something?”
Colin laughed. “No, I just want to be prepared. Just in case. That's all.”
Lance looked back at his friend. He was going to ask what, what he was preparing for, but the expression on Colin's face made him reconsider. The black haired man's expression held pure determination in the form of a smile.
Lance waved.
“See ya tomorrow?”
Colin nodded.
“See ya.”
Colin began walking before stopping. He tossed something to Lance before turning around, much faster than Lance had expected.
In Lance's hand was a debit card. He looked up.
Colin spoke one last time. “In case of emergencies only.”
Lance smiled. “Right.”
As his friend walked away, Lance turned around. Tomorrow he would meet the seller of The Sly Fox Dungeon manual. As he left though, something felt off. It was like the air itself shifted.
Looking back, Colin was gone. The energy was gone too.
…
Lance approached the location of the seller, a random house on the outskirts of Osaka. He, logically, bought a car using the card and had it delivered to the hotel overnight so he could use it to get to his destination on time. He was sure Colin wouldn't mind, not at all.
It was some sort of Japanese brand Sports Car, though that didn't matter to Lance. Lance wasn't the best driver, but he'd get to His destination, no matter how much it banged up the car in the process.
Arriving at the seller's house and nearly hitting the mailbox, Lance parked on the side of the road. Oddly enough though, there was some car Already blocking the driveway.
Walking up to the open garage, he could hear a conversation taking place.
“So, I got the money, why won't you give me the damn book?”
“I told ya, the Book's sold. I don't know how you got my address, but I'm telling ya, get lost!”
The first voice scoffed.
“You have any idea who I am, old man?”
Lance could now see the man speaking, a greasy teenager with a black pompadour looking like he should have a star birthmark somewhere.
He leaned back.
“The names’ Tetsu. Tetsu Midai of the Midarai gang! And if you don't give me that stupid book, I'm gonna kick your ass!”
The old man, who's gray hair was covered with an old hat, was frowning.
“I already sold the book, I'm just waiting to give it to the buyer, punk. Unless you want to mess with an E Ranker, you best get lost bub.”
Pompadour pointed directly into the old man's face and laughed.
“E Rank? Don't make me laugh. Hell, I'm an E Rank myself. They call me the Batter because I Strike out anyone who gets in my way.”
Lance finally spoke up.
“Shouldn't you be the pitcher then?”
Both of the men in the garage turned to face Lance. The old man smiled in relief While the ‘Batter’ frowned in disgust.
“The hell are you, smartass?”
Lance smirked.
“Me? I'm just a guy here to buy a book.”
Tetsu smiled in fury.
“Ever heard of a library?”
Lance smiled.
“Of course. They just don't carry the kind of stuff I'm looking for. More Lazy Dog's than Sly Foxes. Like you.”
Lance closed his eyes for a second.
“By the way-”
*SMAAAAASH!!!!*
Lance ducked down as a Metal Baseball bat nearly collided with his head, instead hitting the wall of the house. The impact left a large crack in the side.
Lance felt sweat roll Down his cheek, but kept smiling.
‘Ok, I forgot I didn't bring any gear. No weapons, so I gotta rely on my fists.’
Lance dodged another swing.
‘If I make him even more angry, he'll probably tire himself out flailing or burst a blood vessel. Well, whichever comes first-’
Lance laughed.
Tetsu frowned.
“What's so funny?”
Lance grinned.
“Your hair sucks.”
The two stared at each other for a moment.
Then, Tetsu began bawling on the ground, crying his heart out.
“You don't know anything about hair! My mom is a pro hair stylist, and I am a pro myself! Im great, im telling you, i'm Tetsu!-”
Lance just awkwardly watched.
“Jeez, I didn't mean to upset you that much, it was just a comic reference…”
Lance rubbed his neck and sighed.
‘Do I comfort him? Wait, what the hell am I thinking, this guy tried to hit me with a metal bat!’
Lance walked up to the old man from before, who silently pulled out and handed over the book before shutting his garage door.
Watching the crying man on the ground, Lance just backed away and got in his car to leave. With no resistance, he drove back to the hotel.
…
Once Lance arrived back at the hotel, he immediately opened the book.
To his shock, it was just as useless as the online posts. All it really did usefully was give some perspective into the kind of man Benjamin Fox, the first U ranker, was.
There were 3 main traits That made up the man. Determined, Clever, and Ambitious.
He was a man who always strove to find the easiest way to the top, the fastest available route. Above all else, he never stopped trying, no matter what.
“So. If I want to become like him, I need to learn to stand my ground more, be clever, and always aim for a higher position. That shouldn't be too hard for me, I don't think.”
Lance sipped some wine he bought using the card as he turned on the flatscreen in the living room.
Quickly, the contents of the glass fell to the floor in shards of glass.
The wine poured between the cracked glass, coating the floor red.
On the screen, a banner was announcing a handful of words.
[SSS Rank Dungeon Break at Hong Kong!]