His surroundings shivered as Alex and Komodo both arrived inside a room. Alex’s head was spinning in circles after the transfer. Why is my head spinning this time? It was fine during the transfer to the tutorial trails. He tried getting up on his legs only to stumble to the side. A steady hand gripped him by the shoulders and straightened him up.
Alex looked up to see a gigantic man, about 7 feet tall wearing heavy metal knight armor gaze at him like an insignificant insect.
“Get over to the side. New entrants are recommended to rest for 15 minutes at the guild reception hall before venturing to the city outside.”
What… am I inside a guild hall? Alex moved to the side as instructed and glanced around the large room. The guild hall was a massive room with many portals from which he appeared. There were at least over 50 people in here resting on the row of seats provided by the guild.
Towards the side was a massive teleportation chamber where many humans and beast-kind went and came out for transportation.
“Wow…this is awesome.”
“It sure is…” said Komodo on top of his right shoulder. He drooled at the sight of new scenery, finally able to get out of the dungeon after so many years of being imprisoned.
“When did you get on my shoulders? I didn’t notice you…ugh.” Alex took a seat and rubbed his forehead. He was still feeling dizzy. “Don’t you feel dizzy?”
“Huh.. this is just a teleportation transfer, not enough to make me dizzy.” The lizard kept glancing at every object that caught his attention. Alex did the same because there was simply so much to see. Towards the far side of the room, he saw many guild receptionists attending to queue lines of adventurers. It seemed there was only one human receptionist among the several non-humanoid races.
“So fascinating…if there are guilds in here, I wonder if I’m in a city? Alex wondered out loud.
“Yes, I can’t wait to eat some delicious food after eating insects and monster meat for such a long time. Finally, some steak and soup…aah, I cannot wait to eat them.”
Alex eyed the lizard cautiously. “You are a lizard, can you eat human food?”
The lizard waved with its tiny little hand dismissing his concern. “This is just my temporary embodiment. I’m a human sorcerer, of course, I can eat human food.”
That was news to Alex. He always wondered why Komodo was able to talk but chalked it up to magical monsters being magical monsters. However, now everything Komodo did for him made more sense. Komodo, originally, being a human helped another human and protected Alex from the dungeon monsters. I am grateful, Komodo. Not many humans would help another one inside a dungeon, especially if they were strangers. Everybody cares about their own survival.
“Now, should we go to the receptionist counter?” Alex enquired the lizard with a smile on his lips.
“I think that would be the best option, given we are in a completely new region. Go to that counter.” Komodo pointed to the counter where a half-rhinoceros and half-human receptionist was attending to different dungeoneers or adventurers or whatever they were.
Alex scrunched up his face. “But I think we should go over to the human receptionist” Alex pointed in the other direction. Now that he looked more closely, he could see the receptionists attending various races, not just their native races. Still, as a human who had recently integrated into the multiverse, he was still coming to terms with interacting with different mythical beasts.
Talking to a human who turned into a powerful lizard monster is enough, thank you!
“Just listen to me, I’m hungry..” Komodo was literally salivating.
Alex strode over to the counter and noticed the other natives giving him some odd looks. The counter had only 3 people in the queue. So, it took him just over 5 minutes to get to his turn.
“State your name and purpose.” The half-rhino half-human receptionist had a bored look on their face, probably because they were used to dealing with so many people in the queue for who knows how long.
Komodo jumped over to the counter and dived into a bowl that was filled with numerous candies and fruits. After a while, he revealed his head munching on a candy with another in his little hand. So that’s what he was after! Looks like he was really hungry.
Alex decided to try a few candies for himself but the receptionist quickly patted his arms as he tried to reach the bowl. They had a cold look on their face.
“No food for adventurers, only for their pets. State your name and purpose, please.”
Hey, that’s not fair! Alex released a sigh and took a deep breath to calm himself down. It was no use fussing over such a little issue. He could simply eat something at an inn or tavern. Wait! I don’t have any money or a place to stay!
“Alex Straza. I was sent to this dungeon city by the Tutorial Manager after completing the tutorial trial.” There was no need to hide anything. So, Alex told the truth.
The receptionist scanned Alex up and down, folding her arms over her chest.
“You from a recently integrated planet?”
Alex nodded.
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“And, you were granted access to Luxia, a high-level dungeon city?” The receptionist nodded her head from side to side. “Whatever, not my problem.” she looked apprehensively at Alex and decided to add one more thing. “I presume you are completely new to this?”
Alex nodded again but this time added a smile, which looked silly and disarming to the receptionist at the same time.
The receptionist released a sigh and ducked down under the counter to retrieve something. She handed Alex a pouch and said, “This contains the Adventurer’s Starter Pack. It includes a map of the region, a brief history and culture of the planet, and some tips on survival. It costs 50 coppers.”
It was just the thing Alex needed right now and so he really wanted it. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any money. His smile faltered.
“I suppose you don’t have any money either? Yeah, what did I expect!” She rolled her eyes and pushed the bag towards him.
Alex eyed the bag, confused.
“Well, go on take it. If you were chosen to come here, I suppose you are strong enough to do some odd jobs and earn some coppers.” She said and pointed to another receptionist. “Go to the jobs counter and select an appropriate job. I’m giving this to you in good faith. You can pay the money within the week.”
Alex felt a warm fuzzy feeling bubble up in his chest. He was a complete stranger and yet, the receptionist decided to trust in his skills and character. That meant a whole lot to him. Komodo jumped on his shoulders, rubbed his belly, and released a small burp.
“Kid, take the start kit. With me by your side, we can take on any trouble, trust me.” Komodo declared without a trace of fear. The lizard smirked again but the look suited his face. Man, how I wish I could see him with a pair of small, black sunglasses! Alex chuckled. He took the bag and bowed down to show his gratitude. The receptionist released a smile and retracted it the next moment. Looks like she is shy as well.
Alex went over the adventurer’s job queue and waited in line for his turn. Many adventurers glared at him and a few snickered at his lack of gear. Alex was a bit embarrassed. The adventurers that waited in the queue all sported professional gear. Some had large swords and shields with ornate chest armor. Some held long, sharp spears that radiated an aura of extreme power. One adventure was wrapped completely in bandages except for his nose and eye slits. Alex wondered how the fellow walked around in that state, let alone battle monsters.
The most intimidating of the group was a girl who looked like a paladin. She wore a large sword on her back and had a crossbow on her hip. Blue hair cascaded around her head and piercing crimson eyes gazed straight ahead. Something about her felt different like she was withholding her strength. For what reason, he didn’t know.
“Ohh…there are a lot of chumps here.” Said Komodo, inspecting the adventurers on the line. “That girl is decent though, well trained.”
Just as he said that the girl turned in his direction with scrunched eyebrows. Alex gulped. Shit, did the girl hear what Komodo just said? I don’t want to cause a scene here. Alex urged Komodo and nudged him to avert his gaze. It didn’t work at all. Komodo kept staring at the girl with a smirk on his face, puffing his chest. A few adventurers turned to look at the spectacle and hushed whispers spread out.
Alex heard bits and pieces of whispers and felt sweat trickling down his temple.
“That boy is crazy…challenging the snow princess like that in front of a whole crowd.”
“Do you think the boy is a challenger?”
“No way, you need to be at least level 75 to become a challenger. And, the snow princess is a high maiden. An entry-level challenger would not warrant her interest.”
“Fool..”
“Madman..”
“Dead meat..”
Just as Alex thought he would get tangled in a brawl, the paladin girl averted her gaze. She accepted something from the receptionist and went on her way. Phew! I’m saved for now. Alex glared at Komodo but what else could he do? It was not like he could train or teach Komodo a lesson on proper etiquette when surrounded by strong adventurers so that he would not be killed. The lizard - ahem, a human transformed as a lizard - could probably flick him away if he wanted to.
Komodo kept on munching on some kind of candy without any care in the world. Soon, it was Alex’s turn on the counter and he enquired about some easy jobs that he could do.
“First time accepting a job, eh? Well, wadis ur rank?” The receptionist on the job’s counter was a dwarf with a gigantic beard that reached all the way to the floor. It had numerous rings - some with shiny gemstones - attached to it which looked odd to him but beautiful at the same time.
“I don’t know my rank but I’m level 10.” said Alex. He was not sure how the levels granted by the system and the rank designated by the adventurers guild correlated but he figured his rank was probably not high.
The dwarf just stared at him, perplexed. “You're a bronze rank until level 15. How the hell did you end up in this dungeon? You are not kidding with me, are you? ” The dwarf looked irritated, probably because he thought Alex was lying to him. Just how high of a level should you have to be in this high-ranked dungeon?
“I swear to God, I’m not kidding. The Demon..err, Tutorial Manager sent me here after the tutorial trial.” Alex did his best impression of puppy eyes. Hey, if that trick worked with the previous receptionist, it would probably also work with this one.
The dwarf slammed the table, laughing out loud. “You are a funny one, human. Okay, I believe you.” He put a hand on his chin immersed in thought and then reached into a drawer to take something out. “Let me see if I have some bronze-ranked jobs for you..oh..here is one.” He handed Alex a paper parchment.
Alex looked at the paper which seemed to include the details of the job. Ding! Alex heard the system sound a little notification and a message icon blinking in his field of vision in the lower right corner. He decided to mentally open the message.
Bronze Rank Job Details:
Mr. Abernathy needs cerulean pea seeds to make delicious soups for his diners. However, due to his old age, he cannot climb the Cerulean Peak Mountains anymore. Gather as many cerulean pea seeds as possible but collect at least 1 pound to get completion reward.
Time limit - 7 days.
Completion reward - 20 copper per pound.
Job difficulty - Bronze (One-star)
Accept the job offer - Yes/No.
Alex read the job offer and considered the pros and cons. It seemed like an open-ended offer but the task seemed fairly simple if all he had to do was collect some pea seeds. But, he would have to climb a mountain and who knows whether there were any monsters in the regions. Well, it’s not like I have any other options. He mentally clicked on the yes option.
Alex decided to complete the job immediately. Since he didn’t have any money, he could not afford to eat or stay at an inn. So, his first course of action was to get some money. Komodo gave a thumbs-up to show his support. Alex went through the exit and looked around the street. There were numerous people lining the street, some busy managing their stores, some attending to customers, and some simply walking to their destination.
The sky was painted a bright blue with a bright orange sun hanging overhead. So, it was around noon time, he guessed. There in the distance above the multistorey buildings, he saw a mountain range zigzagging through the sky. The mountain range was streaked in the hues of the rainbow starting from a deep violet on one side to crimson red on the other end. Amidst the mountain range, he spotted cerulean peaks melding with indigo and yellow-streaked mountain caps.
Marvelous! So beautiful… The beauty of the scenery captivated Alex. He believed it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. A feeling of gratitude washed over Alex. Back on Earth, he wanted to visit hill stations and mountainous regions but the closest he got to experiencing them was looking at their beauty through his computer screen. He loved watching travel vlogs during dinner and lunch and this scenery reminded him of his time back on Earth.
Suddenly, he felt his mood shifting. The realization that nothing would ever be the same again finally hit him. He would never be able to see his parents, his friends, or pet cats. Sure, he was not satisfied with his life back on earth. Not really. He was buried under the weight of financial burden and the responsibility of taking care of his parents. Being in this fantasy world destroyed the shackles that bound him and freed him from those obligations.
Now, he would simply have to take care of himself. Live or die, he would do it for himself and at his own strength. Still, there was a void in his heart that refused to be filled with the adrenaline he experienced when he killed those horrible scorpions. He wanted to see his parents and friends once again. He wanted to feel the unconditional love of his pets.
It could not be helped. There were greater forces at play here that made him dance to their rhythm and he couldn’t do anything about it, at least yet. Alex squeezed his fingers in defiance and vowed to find a way to meet his loved ones again.
No matter how long it takes, I will do it. No matter how strong I have to become or how many monsters I have to kill, I will not hesitate. Just you wait, I will find you! He wiped a tear at the corner of his eyes with the back of his hand and smiled to hide his own sadness.