The next morning, a sharp, insistent knocking at the apartment door jarred Raphael awake.
He opened his eyes and stared blankly at the plain ceiling above him. For a brief, blissful second, he forgot where he was and what had transpired over the past few days. Then, the translucent blue system panel flared back to life in his visual field, its sharp lines cutting through the morning shadows.
He groaned softly, rubbing his face with both hands as he re-read the glowing text outlining his Sovereign Quest.
’You couldn’t let me sleep a little longer?’ he muttered mentally.
Predictably, the cold interface offered no response. Another heavy knock echoed through the quiet living room.
"Raphael," Elena called out, her voice crisp and entirely too awake for the hour. "Get up."
"I’m awake," he called back, sitting up on the edge of the mattress.
"Then open the door."
"Why don’t you open it?"
"Because it’s your apartment."
"That didn’t stop you from barging in yesterday."
"Yesterday I had official authorization."
Raphael looked toward the bedroom doorway. "Did you really?"
"No," she admitted without a hint of shame. "Not at all."
Raphael pulled himself out of bed, rotating his shoulders. His body felt significantly better than it had three days prior, but the terrifying prospect of being dragged into an active dungeon still made his stomach knot in anxiety.
He walked out into the living room and pulled open the front door. Director Miriam Cole stood in the hallway, flanked by two high-ranking Bureau officials: a broad-shouldered man wearing a tailored dark suit and a young woman holding a sleek digital tablet.
Elena leaned casually against the far wall behind them, holding a steaming cup of black coffee.
"Good morning," Miriam said, her sharp, analytical eyes sweeping over him. "You look relatively well."
"I slept."
"That is usually beneficial," she replied calmly.
Raphael eyed the tablet in the young woman’s hands with growing suspicion. "Did something happen?"
"Your dungeon entry request was officially approved," Miriam replied flatly.
Raphael blinked, thrown off by the speed of the bureaucracy. "Already? It was only submitted yesterday afternoon."
"I told you it might take a few hours," Elena chimed in from the kitchen counter.
"A few hours is not the same as overnight," Raphael muttered, turning his head to glare at her.
"Time is flexible when government officials want answers," Elena offered smoothly, taking a slow sip from her cup.
"That doesn’t mean anything."
"It means the request went through."
Raphael looked back at Miriam, leaning against the doorframe. "Why so quickly?"
Miriam stepped inside, and the two officials followed her into the apartment while Elena closed the door behind them. Miriam placed a thin Manila folder onto the small dining table.
"Your request was fast-tracked because your situation is highly unusual. Your awakening evaluation produced no reliable classification- your mana output exceeded the measurable threshold of our standard diagnostic equipment, yet your physical baseline readings remain entirely average for a civilian. From the Bureau’s perspective, you represent both a potential national asset and a potential catastrophe."
"That sounds remarkably comforting," Raphael noted dryly.
"It isn’t meant to be comforting," Miriam replied without missing a beat. "We have no intention of locking you away simply because we do not understand your power. Developing your capabilities under direct, controlled supervision is far more practical than attempting to prevent you from growing at all."
The broad-shouldered man stepped forward, his expression severe and unyielding. "Power does not disappear simply because the government refuses to acknowledge it."
Miriam gestured toward him. "This is Captain Adrian Vale. He oversees the Bureau’s Dungeon Supervision Division. Beside him is Dr. Liana Moss, an Awakened medical specialist who will be monitoring your vitals and physical condition throughout the entire expedition."
Adrian gave a stern, calculating nod. "You will enter an F-Tier training gate alongside a four-person Bureau oversight team, including Elena and myself."
"How many people usually enter an F-Tier dungeon?" Raphael asked, looking between them.
"Three to six low-ranked Awakened," Elena answered.
"And the survival rate?"
"High enough," she replied with a sharp, dangerous little smile that did absolutely nothing to ease his fraying nerves.
Miriam tapped the folder. "There are strict conditions, Raphael. First, you will remain under strict Bureau supervision for the entire duration of the raid. Second, you will not deviate from the pre-assigned tactical route. Third, if your physical condition or mana levels become unstable, the expedition will be terminated immediately."
Raphael hesitated. If they aborted the mission prematurely, he would fail his Sovereign Quest before he even had a chance to try.
’System,’ Raphael queried privately, keeping his face entirely emotionless. ’Will Bureau supervision interfere with my quest completion?’
[No.]
’Can I complete the dungeon while under their direct protection?’
[Confirmed.]
’Can Vanessa be summoned if things go sideways?’
The response appeared almost instantaneously.
[The Host may summon a registered Knight.]
Satisfied with the quiet confirmation, Raphael dismissed the floating interface. He looked back up at Miriam. "Why start with an F-Tier dungeon?"
"Because it provides the lowest operational risk while allowing us to establish a reliable baseline," Adrian explained, resting his large hands on the edge of the wooden table. "We need to observe how you perform under controlled combat conditions. You will be allowed to fight, move, and develop, but if you display any signs of losing control or attempt to conceal dangerous abilities, we will intervene immediately."
"When do we leave?" Raphael asked.
"In one hour," Miriam answered. "The gate located in the East District Training Zone is currently stable, and the support team is already prepared. Once your official evaluation report circulates, external factions and private guilds will begin asking questions about the unclassified Awakened who managed to break Bureau equipment. We prefer to complete this initial observation before those outside pressures build."
Elena walked into the kitchen area, opened the refrigerator, and pulled out a packaged, pre-prepared meal. She tossed it onto the table directly in front of him. "Eat up. You’re going into a dungeon."
"I had coffee yesterday."
"Coffee is not fuel," she countered, crossing her arms. "Eat."
Raphael didn’t argue. He sat down and quickly finished the meal while the three Bureau officials waited in stoic, unbroken silence.
Once finished, he wiped his hands on a napkin and stood up. "I’m ready."
Adrian checked his heavy wristwatch and nodded once. Miriam handed Raphael a compact, silver communication device. "This will track your real-time location and keep you linked directly to the command team."
"At least you’re consistent about tracking me," Raphael said, slipping the cold device into his jacket pocket.
As they stepped out into the quiet hallway, Raphael glanced back at the empty apartment one last time. The system panel flashed brightly in the corner of his vision:
[Quest Progress Updated!]
[Dungeon Entry: Pending]
[Time Remaining: 6 Days, 1 Hour, 47 Minutes]
Raphael tightened his fist, taking a deep, steadying breath as he walked toward the elevator.
’Let’s take the first step.’