**[A selectable armor chest has been received. Please select one of these five armors:
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Swiftwing Leather
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Flame Armor
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Ice Platemail
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Dustmail
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Dark Assailant]**
“I need more than a name here. Could you tell me what these five armors are? From their names, they should have some kind of special effects, right?”
[Information classified.]
“Seriously? You dangled these five prizes, and you won’t tell me what they do unless I pick one?” James groaned.
[That is correct. Alternatively, you may ask other survivors once they have picked theirs. Please note that you only have 2 hours to choose one armor from these five choices.]
“What the fuck! You have got to be kidding me!” James cursed.
“James, anything the matter?” Sanders and the others asked as he cursed the system out loud.
“Nah, it’s just that the system doesn’t want to tell me what these armors’ special effects are,” James sighed. “It’s my first time getting this kind of armor too. What did you guys choose?”
“I’m going with the Flame Armor, of course!” Sanders said.
“Ice for me,” Anderson answered.
“Swiftwing sounds good. I want to be faster,” Kaina nodded.
“Well, Flame and Ice are a no-go for me since I have both my fur and my magic. But these are just names. We can’t glean too much information from them. I’ll choose Dustmail, then. Let’s see what that brings me.” James picked the Dustmail armor. Swiftwing seemed promising, but since it was leather, that meant the protection it provided would be similar to his current leather armor.
Four white glows appeared before the group. Then, an open chest spawned before James with a brown cuirass inside. Glancing at the others’ prizes, Kaina got a grey tunic with some green tint on it. Sanders got a red plate armor with pauldrons. Meanwhile, Anderson got a more humble brigandine.
James frowned as his armor looked like the worst one. Nevertheless, he decided to try it on.
[Dustmail equipped. You can use your magic to summon a pebble and launch it at the enemy. Power will increase proportionally the more of the same set of armor you equip.]
“Set?” James asked.
[Armor set includes legs, arms, torso, and head.]
“What if I equip myself with a different set?”
[The effect will be nullified. You may not use its special effect if you equip a different set of armor that has a special effect.]
“That’s a bummer.” James was thinking of equipping himself with different sets and using multiple abilities, but apparently, that was against the rules. Not that he had many armor pieces with different abilities anyway.
After equipping the new cuirass, James stood before the golden orb. He scanned the surroundings, and after ensuring he hadn’t missed anything, he touched the orb.
“Let’s go.”
“Home!!” Kaina skipped toward James, and white light enveloped them, transporting them to the waiting room.
“James, do you still have that mask?” Kaina asked.
“Mask?”
“You know, the one that gives you your old face back,” Kaina explained. James had almost forgotten, but he did still have that mask.
“Ah, thank you. I still have it.” James rummaged through his leather bag. After wearing his Mask of Identity, he felt the smooth skin of his old face again.
“Ah, so this is your face, huh? Is it real or an illusion?”
“It’s my old face. This mask cannot produce other people’s faces,” James said. The waiting room felt longer than usual. Sanders broke the silence.
“By the way, I wonder what merit is used for. The system wouldn’t tell me.”
"Hmm? Really?" James glanced toward his notification box and asked the system. "System, what is the merit that you gave us earlier for?"
[Information classified.]
"That's new. The system usually told us what something was for once we got it." James tilted his head, then shrugged his shoulders. "Well, that’s a problem for another time."
The world then flashed back, and James was sent to an empty building. However, it was different from the first floor of a dungeon. It felt right. There were no winding pathways or useless corridors. James walked toward the window and saw people walking on the street a bit further away.
Two soldiers stood guard at the gate. Their lazy attitude spoke volumes—they didn't care about their job as they lounged at the fence, eating hot dogs.
"We are back! Hurray!" Sanders hugged Anderson and Kaina. Then, like a koala, he also hugged James from behind. He opened the window and screamed at the top of his lungs as he waved to the soldiers, "Louise! Carl! I’m back!"
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
The soldiers lounging at the gate turned around at Sanders’ call. They waved back at him while holding their hands in the air, feeling whether the dungeon walls were still there or not. The group soon followed Sanders out of the building.
"Hm… I was expecting a warmer welcome," Anderson muttered as they rendezvoused with Sanders, who leaped toward the soldiers.
"Sanders! I knew it would take more than a dungeon to kill you. I guess dungeons are not unbeatable, huh? Congratulations!"
"The number had decreased a month back. I thought you were dead."
"Yeah. Andre didn’t make it. A rat as big as a car ate him," Sanders said.
"Well, I guess it would be too much to carry his corpse here. Did you bring his dog tags?"
"Yeah. By the way, here is James, a senior survivor. Thanks to him, we managed to get out of this dungeon alive," Sanders introduced James to his cohorts. Seeing James' bulky body, the soldiers took a step back.
"Is he…?"
“He is human. You know what? When you kill your first monster in the dungeon, the system gives you superpowers. I got to detect traps, while James here can steal monster skills! Well, his superpower has some drawbacks, though—his appearance,” Sanders explained. James was grateful that Sanders smoothed things out with the soldiers. Once they saw Anderson, they saluted. Kaina and Anderson saluted back.
“I have some critical information I need to give to the guild. How long were we out?”
“Yes, sir. You have been in the dungeon for a month and a week, sir!”
“Well, that proves it—the time inside and outside was different. Was any other dungeon cleared?”
“Not in America. But I heard some dungeons were cleared in China, Russia, and Japan about a week ago.”
“I see. What about the reconquest project?”
“We don't know, sir.”
“Well, that's good. Get me Zwen or any of the guild representatives. We have a new and strong guild member among our ranks—ah, but he… uh… has some requirements. I need to speak to those in charge. Mr. James, I suppose recuperation is in order. Let us go back to the hotel.” Anderson glanced toward James, and James scoffed. He couldn't bring himself to like Anderson’s attitude even now. This whole guild business sounded shady.
A military jeep soon carted the group to a five-star hotel. It had been two months since James last visited the town. It had grown less dense as the transmigration had taken place, alleviating the cramped city. Homelessness always existed, but at least people didn't have to camp out on the streets anymore.
“Would you like to eat first, Mr. James? It was a shame we didn't get to eat much of the elk meat we harvested back on the eighth floor. But the steak here is fabulous,” Anderson said as he brought the menu. James almost popped his eyes when he saw that every dish served was priced in at least three digits.
“Get me whatever. Then we can talk about my job and my salary,” James said.
“Of course, I have called the guild official. The governor has also been notified. They should arrive here shortly. And here they are.” Anderson pointed toward the door as a rotund man strolled inside in a haste. Anderson smiled and waved at him.
“Greetings! Mr. Anderson, Mr. Sanders! I knew we could count on you! As expected of the best of marines, you have proven yourselves worthy. You have defeated a dungeon!” He then looked toward James. “Ah, you must be Mr. James. Greetings, I am Mayor Douglas.”
James didn't reply. He merely nodded, affirming that he heard him. If it was the old James, he would have bowed down in servitude when greeting a high-ranking official. But now, only distaste and disgust filled him whenever he saw a government official. He then glanced at Anderson.
“Mr. Douglas, this is James, a senior survivor. Not only has he cleared the dungeon trials, but he has also helped us immensely with the dungeon we just cleared. Umm, we have another person from the guild joining us soon. Please, enjoy the soda while we wait. I shall ask the waitress to prioritize us.”
“Hahaha, don't bother. Waitress! Open up the wine. The most expensive one! We have successfully cleared a dungeon! We should celebrate!” Douglas cheered. “America will finally have its first dungeon clearers!”
“Well, if you’re okay with wine?”
“Go on. I am not paying for any of this.”
“Of course not! How could I ask our hero to pay for his meals? I have been briefed somewhat on the way. You have cleared that dungeon beside that hospital, right? Was the hospital freed?”
“Yes. In fact, we were transported right inside the hospital. I am not sure how much was freed.”
“Marvelous. We could use the medical supplies there. I have sent soldiers to survey the area. The report will come soon. Ah… they said the office building and the houses two blocks out were also freed. It's about 10 square kilometers, they said. Hm… the eastern wing is still blocked, even though the shopping mall is open. Awesome. Well, now that the guild has proved its worth, the state of California shall allocate more budget to the guild. Expect more when the news hits the White House.”
James frowned at the unfairness of the world. Even though he did all the work, the guild reaped all the money.
As the steak finally arrived, another person dressed in a fancy suit came running. James was no longer interested and decided to inspect his status while Anderson dealt with the talking.
[Name: James]
Age: 35
Sex: Male
Level: 45
Coins: 1102
Merit: 1
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STR: 145
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DEX: 142
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MAGIC: 98
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MANA: 960
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Novice Axe Mastery Level 5 (Powerstrike, V-slash, Boomerang)
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Novice Sword Mastery Level 1 (Hurricane, Vorpal Lunge)
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Beginner Bow Mastery Level 7 (Quickshot)
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Beginner Dagger Mastery Level 1
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Mind Flay
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Sense Alteration
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Mana Sonar
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Attacker (Level 21) (10% bonus when attacking, STR & DEX +1 per level)
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Goblin Stomach (Iron Guts) (Stomach Slot)
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Mana Core (Water Spells: Ice Spear, Water Manipulation, Magic +60, Mana +1000) (Extra Slot)
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Minotaur Leader’s Left Arm (STR +25%) (Left Arm Slot)
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Eyes of Mana (Mana Sense) (Right Eye Slot)
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Golem Arm of Valhalla (STR +30%, Physical Resistance +30%, Negative Trait: Repairable, Mana -200) (Right Arm Slot)
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Ratking's Legs (STR +25%) (Leg Slot)
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Flaming Tiger’s Fire Lung (Fire Breathing Skill, Negative Trait: Mana -100, Magic -10) (Lung Slot)
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Golem Core (Poison Resistance, Negative Trait: Mana -250, Magic -10, Repairable) (Heart Slot)
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Orc’s Torso (Torso Slot)
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Orc’s Head (Head Slot)
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Shadow Snake Fang (Intermediate Life Leeching) (Mouth Slot)
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Jumping Spider’s Spinneret (Thread Creation) (Extra Slot 2)
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Flaming Tiger Lord’s Firefur (Fire Cloak Skill, Fire Resistance, Physical Resistance +15%, Negative Trait: Mana -100, Magic -10) (Skin Slot)
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Kraken’s Arm Tentacle (Reach: 5 meters, Negative Trait: STR -10%) (Extra Slot 3)
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Rock Crab Shell (Physical Resistance +90%) (Extra Slot 4)
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Land Shark's Ear (Echolocation: 10 meters) (Ear Slot)
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Leather Armor Set (+10 DEX)
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Lightning War Axe (x2)
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Longsword
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Crossbow (×6)
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Mask of Identity
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Leather Bag
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Sphere of Fethusiane
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Cloak of Dark Night
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Dungeon Core (x1)
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Blue Gem (x5)