The usually quiet village was unusually lively. It seemed that word of Arin’s rescue had already reached the village. Arin had returned. The Minotaur had been defeated. And somehow, the boy who had ventured into the dungeon had returned with a dragon and a demon. It seemed that Arin had learned a lesson about people’s tongues not being as neat as they were thought to be. Arin walked through the village with two people following behind.
People seemed to part when they saw him and some whispered. Others turned away immediately upon locking eyes with the boy. Arin sighed. "This will be troublesome." "Your circumstances are abnormal." Ayan said, walking calmly next to him. "Indeed, I noticed that." Arin replied Saira shot a glance at a group of people whispering. "They are staring at you." "I am aware." Arin replied dryly. "They should stop." Arin shot a look at Saira. "Saira." "Yes?" "Do not threaten people." "I wasn’t going to." She said, looking at Arin. Arin sighed. They walked on toward the Adventurer’s Guild.
The moment they entered, a hushed silence fell over most of the adventurers present. A few looked up and shot curious looks at Arin.
"That’s him."
"The kid that survived?"
"I heard he killed the Minotaur."
"Wasn’t there a dragon as well?" asked someone else.
"And a demon." added someone else.
Arin kept walking. "I hate rumors."
Ayan opened the door for him. "You didn’t have to do that." said Arin. "Guess he did after all." Saira replied. "You two are getting along well." Arin said walking inside with Ayan behind him and Saira beside the wall. The Guild Master looked over his shoulder to the three and then back at Arin. "I suppose these two are staying." He said. "Indeed, for now. Ayan replied while Saira smiled. The Guild Master sighed. "Very well, now sit." Arin sat across from him with Ayan behind him and Saira to the side. The Guild Master looked over at them both and then at Arin.
"Your records need to be updated." He began. Arin blinked. "Updated?" "You entered as a novice Dungeon Hunter.
You have returned as a survivor of the dungeon’s unexplored depths, having defeated the creature that took you there and a evolved Minotaur."
Arin scratched the back of his head. "When you put it that way, it does sound impressive." "It is."The Guild Master replied. "Oh." Arin blinked. The Guild Master pushed a paper toward him. The Guild Master pushed a sheet of paper toward Arin. "Your level?" Arin froze. He couldn’t exactly answer that. Not because he didn’t know. Because revealing the System was another matter entirely. Before Arin could respond, the Guild Master reached beneath his desk and pulled out a small crystal. "There’s no need to tell me." He placed it on the table. Arin stared at it. "What is that?" "An appraisal crystal. The Guild uses them to verify an adventurer’s basic information."
Arin’s expression remained calm. "Right." The Guild Master placed his hand against the crystal. A faint blue light spread across its surface. Then several lines of text appeared above it.
[Name: Arin Rahman]
[Race: Human]
[Level: 12]
[Rank: F]
The Guild Master froze. Arin glanced at the crystal.
Level 12.
So the Guild’s appraisal system could detect his level too. That was useful to know. The Guild Master slowly looked up. "Level... twelve?" Arin nodded. "Apparently." The Guild Master stared at him. "You entered the dungeon at level four." Arin scratched the back of his head. "Yes." "You gained eight levels." "Seems that way." The Guild Master leaned back in his chair. For several seconds, he said nothing. Rayan, who was nearby, looked over. "Eight levels?" Dev’s eyes widened. "Since he entered?" The Guild Master nodded. "According to the crystal."
Arin remained quiet. He didn’t mention the System. He didn’t mention the experience notifications. And he certainly wasn’t going to explain everything that had happened after reaching Level 10.
The Guild Master looked at him again. "How?" Arin thought for a moment. "Fighting monsters." The Guild Master stared. "That’s it?" Arin gave a small shrug. "Mostly." The Guild Master sighed.
"I suppose after everything you’ve been through, I shouldn’t be surprised."
He wrote something down.
Level: 12.
Then he looked at the rank.
"Still F Rank."
Arin nodded.
"Apparently."
"Your level has increased dramatically, but your official rank hasn’t."
"Can I change it?"
"Eventually. Rank evaluations aren’t based solely on level."
Arin nodded.
That made sense. The Guild Master closed the appraisal crystal. "Your records will be updated." Arin leaned back. Inside, however, his thoughts were elsewhere. Level twelve. He had entered the dungeon at Level 4. Now he was Level 12. And the System had only truly opened at Level 10. He had barely explored the Quest System and Dungeon System. There was still so much he didn’t understand. But he couldn’t exactly open them while sitting in the Guild Master’s office.
Not yet.
The Guild Master set down his quill. "You will need some time before you can go on another solo mission." Arin blinked. "What?"Because you nearly died." "I’m still alive." "That does not mean it is not a good idea." replied the Guild Master. Arin leaned back. "Fair." The Guild Master looked at him seriously. "You should also be aware of something else." Arin said nothing. "Your expedition has given us reason to be wary of certain parts of the dungeon." Arin’s gaze darkened. "The dungeon?" "The deeper parts," replied the Guild Master. Arin thought of the passages that led to the hidden depths. "There are likely more." "I am afraid so," replied the Guild Master.
"But we will not be sending anyone anytime soon," he added. "Why is that?" "We do not know what we are dealing with." Arin nodded, knowing that the Guild Master was right to be cautious. The Guild Master continued.
"There are other dungeons in the area." Arin raised an eyebrow. "Other dungeons?" "Yes," replied the Guild Master with a small smile. "This village is not the center of the world, Arin," he said. Arin chuckled. "Indeed, I am aware." "Good," replied the Guild Master, leaning back in his chair. "Some are smaller than this one, others much larger. Some adventurers travel from dungeon to dungeon their whole lives." Arin’s eyes widened slightly. It sounded exciting, but he said nothing. The Guild Master seemed to notice his expression. "Don’t get ideas." Arin immediately turned his gaze away. "I wasn’t." "You were." "Perhaps I was." The Guild Master sighed. "Take some time to recover."
Arin nodded. "Understood." He stood and Ayan immediately stepped forward. "Would you like me to carry anything for you?" Arin looked at him. "I am carrying nothing." "I see," replied Ayan. Saira walked up to him. "Then we should go." Arin nodded and they turned to leave, only to be stopped by Tara’s voice. "Arin." He turned around and saw Tara a few feet away with her bow slung across her back. "Yes?" She hesitated before speaking. "I wanted to thank you." Arin smiled. "You already have." "Not properly," she replied, walking up to him. "You saved us," she said. Arin shook his head. "Even?" Tara blinked. "Even?" "You came back for me," said Arin. She smiled.
"I suppose we did."Indeed." Tara looked him in the eye for a moment before smiling again. "Still, thank you." Arin nodded. "You are welcome." He turned to leave, but Tara watched him walk away, noting how he smiled. Something about it lingered in her mind. She quickly looked away. Why am I thinking about that? Rayan walked past her and shot a glance at Tara before looking back at Arin. Then he turned back to Tara and raised an eyebrow. Tara immediately looked away. "What?" "I didn’t say anything." "You were thinking something," replied Tara. Rayan smiled. "Was I?" Tara frowned. "You’re annoying." Rayan walked away, passing by Dev. "What did you do?" he asked. "Nothing," replied Tara. She sighed. Meanwhile, Arin had already left the Guild.
He walked through the village with Ayan and Saira by his side. For the first time since entering the dungeon, there was no direct threat. No monsters, no cave-ins, nothing else. Just the light of day. Arin stopped and looked toward the distant mountains where other towns, other dungeons, other adventurers waited. Arin smiled. "I wonder what’s out there." "Do you want to find out?" asked Ayan, standing next to him. "In time," replied Arin. "Wherever you go, I will follow," said Saira, crossing her arms. "As will I," added Ayan. Arin laughed. "You two are far too serious about this master business." "Yes," replied Ayan. "Very," added Saira. Arin shook his head. "Fine." He looked toward the mountains once more before smiling. "But not yet." He had just returned from the dungeon.
There was much he still did not understand. His System, his mark, his strange companions, and the dungeon itself. He needed answers, but for the first time, he was not in such a hurry to find them. At least, he hoped he was not. Arin turned toward home. "Let’s go."