We walk into the Association's HQ after a long week of hunting. Maria happily carries our last Strengthening Fragments tight in her palm.
After Arie scans his ID on the door at the back of the lobby, all 4 of us make our way to the mini-market run by the Association.
Our guide Tripp left us by ourselves about 2 days ago. Apparently, breaking us in was a bit easier than predicted. Bringing the blond-haired Association lap dog around with us on our daily hunting was just keeping him from doing other tasks.
I'm glad he's not on our expeditions anymore, it makes teleporting into the mutant range much easier. Less walking and more training for all of us.
Everyone on the squad has grown past level 365. We're considered a pretty tough C-Class squad, at least for the new recruits.
As we walk closer to our drop-off point, I see the white-haired merchant lady waving to us with a smile.
Sophie was pretty outgoing to begin with, but she's gotten even friendly with the 4 of us as the week progresses. I hear her high-pitched voice ring out as we approach.
"Look who's back, does this mean what I think it does? The last one?"
Her eyes open wide as she bites her bottom lip in anticipation. Maria smiles and runs over in a half-skipping manner.
"It sure does, we got all 10!"
The cheerful blond and the excited merchant laugh together about something I decide to purposefully block out from my hearing.
I take the glimmering silver tablet out of my item storage to watch the number on it shift in front of my eyes.
____________________
[Jay Soju]
[Available Credits]: 0
[C-Class]
[Team Weekly Quota]:
[Strengthening Fragments][9/10]
[Reward]: 5 Credits
[Individual Weekly Quota]:
[NONE][0/0]
[Reward]: 0 Credits
____________________
Turns into:
____________________
[Jay Soju]
[Available Credits]: 5
[C-Class]
[Team Weekly Quota]:
[PENDING TASK][0/0]
[Reward]: [See Regional Director For Instructions]
[Individual Weekly Quota]:
[PENDING TASK][0/0]
[Reward]: [See Regional Director For Instructions]
____________________
I let out a long sigh.
"Well, this can't be good..."
I shift my gaze up from the tablet to see my other 3 team members staring at their shimmering silver plates with puzzled looks on their faces as well. At least we all got the same message, that's a good sign.
Maria flips her quota tablet around to show Sophie.
"Hey, what's all this about? Why do we have to go see the Director?"
The short white-haired woman scrunches her eyebrows and mutters something under her breath in a low tone.
"I had a feeling something like this would happen..."
I jump in after hearing this statement.
"Hey what do you mean by that? What'd we do wrong?"
I know exactly what we did "wrong" but I won't be the one to admit it. The Association gave us this quest, how could they possibly punish us if we actually carried it out...
Sophie shrugs.
"Hey, I don't know what you did wrong. It's just pretty uncommon for a group of new recruits to fulfill their first quest... Well, it's actually near impossible."
She gulps, then continues.
"The advancement teams that create quest quotas directly under the Director often give new recruits a hard time their first couple weeks. It's pretty normal for not even a single quota to be met. Yet somehow, you 4 have completed yours with ease."
She shivers slightly.
"One of the hardest ones too..."
The 4 of us stand in silence for a moment thinking over the words Sophie just uttered. Aside from my hypothesis that mutants have a 0% drop rate, there could be some truth to her statement even if these monster's rate was closer to 1%.
Without my teleportation skill and quick farming strategies, there's no way we could have killed enough mutants to even come close to meeting our quota.
This is enough to convince my other team members... Abby crosses her arms and stares at the merchant with a smug look on her face.
"Well, we're just a whole lot faster than all those other teams."
Maria jumps in.
"Yeah, no way they could keep up with us. The Director probably wants to give us an extra reward or something!"
Arie grins and nods.
"We'll just have to wait and see. I'm sure this will be an interesting meeting."
I swallow hard before adding to the discussion.
"I agree..."
The topic of conversation changes between my teammates and the white-haired merchant. I zone out staring down at my quota tablet.
On the bright side, we did complete our first mission together. Each of us has earned 5 credits, whatever that means. I'm going to have to check out a few of these shops. Credits are worth 1 gold if exchanged, or double if used to purchase any items here.
It wouldn't hurt to take a look around the place. I'm sure there's some pretty decent gear. An upgrade or two never hurt anybody. On the off chance nothing strikes my fancy, I can just exchange my credits for gold.
I twist my head around, then look back at my teammates.
"Hey uh- I'll be back in a minute, I want to check out the shops."
Arie smirks.
"Sure, meet us back here when you're done. We'll be heading up to the top floor right after. Luckily, the Director isn't away on business, we can talk to him right now."
I gulp, then turn with a wave.
"Sounds... good... I won't be long."
Arie turns back to the merchant's stand with Maria and Abby. I'm not sure what they're looking at over on the short woman's counter, but it seems to be something that's keeping them entertained...
I shrug and begin walking leisurely through the neon flashing signs. The primarily pink and blue lights reflect off the glossy black floor.
It makes focusing on one shop pretty hard, maybe this is some form of advanced marketing tactic?
Or... maybe I just have a hard time focusing and think everything around me is designed to mess with my mind, when in fact I'm the one doing all the mental manipulation myself.
Either way, there's some pretty unique-looking gear in this market. I use Appraisal on a few interesting-looking pieces.
There are long silver swords, heavy metal armor and shield sets, huge axes, shiny black daggers, and even a few high-percentage stat-boosting accessories.
[Enchanted Silver Long Sword] +400 Strength
[Shield of Solitude] +600 Defense
[Armor Set of Solitude] +800 Defense
[High Ogre's Axe Set] +600 Strength
[Enchanted Dagger Set] +400 Speed +400 Agility +200 Strength
[Ring of Protection] +35% Defense
[Enchanted Silver Ring] +40% Mental Strength
[Amulet of Quickness] +45% Speed
[Yeti's Charm] +50% Defense +50% Ice Magic Resistance
All the shopkeepers seem nice, and their items are definitely high-grade, but nothing here gets anywhere close to my blades or some of my own stat-boosting items. I decide haggling isn't even worth my time.
I remember the Director mentioning the Association regulating the buying, selling, and use of element stones. A wielder has to have the stone bonded with their weapon. So, they wouldn't just have them out on display here... If this is all the gear they have on display then I'm not in the market for anything new.
I begin to walk back to my group, but a bundle of green and pink potions catches my attention.
20x [C-Class HP Potion] +2500 HP
20x [C-Class MP Potion] +2500 MP
I raise an eyebrow while walking over to a grey-haired older-looking man sitting behind a small counter with potions from E to C class lined up very neatly.
"Good evening, are you in the market for any potions today?"
I nod while examining them closely. This is the first time I've seen a C-Class potion. They're much more compact than the E or D-Class bottles I've purchased before. There's no need for me to buy MP potions, plundering mana from crystals is much more efficient.
During the exams, every time I wanted to get back up to full health I had to drink 2 potions. Having some higher-grade HP items may be very beneficial. Being able to heal 2500HP in a single compact potion will allow me to act quicker in the heat of a battle.
"How much for the C-Class HP potions? All 20 of them."
The man begins tapping a small tablet under his counter, then turns it toward me. It reads out: [0.6C] in black text.
"That will be 0.6 credits. Just scan your tablet here and the transfer will happen in an instant."
I nod slowly, then reach for my small silver square. Thrown off by this new technology, I don't even try to throw him a counteroffer. I'm sure I could have gotten them for under 0.5 credits if I tried...
"Uhh- Sure, here you go-"
The two tablets flash with a dim white light, then the merchant smiles and hands me a bag full of potions.
"Appreciate your business today, see you again soon!"
He waves me off before I even think of a reply. I just mutter out a quick "thank you" while continuing my walk back to my team. I place both the tablet with 4.4 credits left on it, and the 20 new HP potions into my item storage.
Arie, Maria, and Abby all stand by the merchant's counter patiently waiting for my return. Arie is the first to greet me, as the others begin walking back toward the lobby.
"Let's go, Sophie just made special arrangements for us. Our meeting with the Director is about to begin."
The 4 of us walk out of the Association market and into the narrow hallway before making it to the elevator in the lobby.
With a press of a button, the sliding doors close and we're gliding upward to see the Director. This is a spur-of-the-moment meeting, but I can't say I wasn't expecting something like this to happen.
I'm certain that the only way to farm Strengthening Fragments is to defeat Titans. The older members in the Association must be pulling some kind of newbie C-Class hazing tradition. The only other option frightens me a bit to think about... Maybe the Director himself set us up to fail...
He is the most powerful person in the entire Vice Region. I'd have to be pretty stupid to think I could pull a fast one on him.
I gulp while activating my conceal skill and watching the numbers on the elevator display screen increase quickly.
*Ding*
We make it to the top floor, and the penthouse office suite comes into view as the doors slide open.
Brutus, the tall old man, sits at his desk sifting through a pile of neatly stacked papers. His deep voice echoes as we step forward into his open room overlooking the entire city.
"Welcome back. This is the first time I'm seeing you 4 all together. Please, sit down, make yourselves comfortable."
We approach.
Maria is grinning while hopping light on her feet, Abby is keeping a straight back and a professional smile, and Arie walks over with an emotionless gaze.
I manage a combination of all 3. With quick steps, I smirk but keep my emotions in check. I'm both excited to see what new tasks we have next week, but also anxious to hear what the old man has to say about us completing this impossible quota.
There are 4 comfortable-looking chairs in front of his desk in a perfect half circle. They match the white theme of the room with black accents on their arms and undersides to go along with the darker shade of his desk.
We sit down and the Director begins.
"First of all, I'd like to congratulate all of you for making it this far. You've completed your first week as C-Class Hunters contracted with the association. I'd like to celebrate. It's not every day a team of newcomers passes my entrance test."
He grins, then looks over to one of the empty white walls while pressing a small button underneath his desk.
To my surprise, a large section of the wall slides forward in the shape of a door. The tall pale-skinned, blond-haired assistant comes out from a secret room. She's holding a circular metal tray.
I take a peek in before the wall slides closed. It looks pretty similar to this study. White walls, a wide open glass window view of the city, a large desk sitting in the center, and even a long couch near the corner with all kinds of artwork hanging on the walls over it. It looks like she's added a little flair to her office.
The Director's voice rings through the room again.
"Some of you haven't met Samantha yet, this is my lovely assistant."
Both of them lock eyes and smile as she brings over the mysterious platter.
The woman places it on the desk before us, and my anticipation crumbles. I realize it's just 6 tall glasses with fizzling sour liquid.
Letting oh an exhale I mutter under my breath.
"More alcohol..."
I didn't realize how much people really drank until I couldn't drink myself. It seems like everyone just finds any excuse to get drunk.
The old man smiles and Samantha passes out glasses. He brings his forward and we all do the same.
"To growth, adaptability, creativity, and collaboration. I have full confidence that all of your partnerships with the Association will pave the way for remarkable achievements in the future to come. Cheers."
*Clink*
Our glasses come together, then I bring the drink to my lips. My mana stores begin to slowly drop as I finish the drink due to my poison resistance burning away the alcohol before I can feel a drop. It's not much, just a little over 100MP, but it's still annoying...
The Director speaks up again.
"Now, let's get down to business. There are a few things I'd like to talk to all of you about privately, it'd be best to split up into one on one meetings. You'll be receiving two tasks this week. One that you will complete as a team, and another that is specialized for each of your training."
I raise an eyebrow and glance at the others as the old grey-haired man continues.
"I'll start with Abby, then Maria, followed by Arie, and finally Jay. If the 3 of your could wait in the other room while I conduct a private meeting with each one of you that would be wonderful. Please, follow Samantha, she will keep you company."
Arie, Maria, and I stand up as the rectangular-shaped door comes sliding out of the wall seamlessly. We wave Abby goodbye and follow the pale-skinned assistant into her study. I hear the director's words trail off in the distance as the sliding door shuts.
"Well, Abby. How's the city life treating you? Big move from where you were located with the Association prior, how's the-"
*Click*
The white door shuts.
We all enter the secret side study and walk over to the long couch in the corner. The tall woman speaks up.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable. The Director likes to ramble, this may take a while."
She grins.
Maria chuckles and Arie jumps onto the couch in a dolphin dive manner to lightly shake the brightly colored paintings that contrast the white walls above. The professional mood of the evening has definitely shifted.
The 3 of them are a bit tipsy, that usually doesn't fail to lighten the atmosphere.
After about 10 minutes of cheerful conversation and watching the sunset from the top floor, the wall slides open and Maria steps out for her meeting as Abby comes in.
The green-haired girl is grinning ear to ear holding a small white diamond-shaped crystal. It glistens with rainbow accents and isn't more than 2cm long. She places it into her item box as she comes to sit down on the couch next to Arie.
Another 10 minutes go by and Maria comes back with the same little white stone in her hands. Arie gets up to leave, and Maria takes his place on the couch.
Finally, Arie returns. He doesn't come back holding anything in particular, but a wide smirk is plastered across his face.
It's my turn.
I walk through the open wall and make my way over to the large desk in the middle of the empty room and sit down on the chair that one of my previous teammates pulled forward to sit in front of the other 3.
The old man smiles while placing both of his hands in the center of his wide-open desk.
"Good to see you again, Jay."
I sit down and respond.
"Good to see you again too, Director."
He leans forward
"Let's address the elephant in the room... It seems you have been keeping an important detail from your teammates. Am I correct?"
The old grey-haired man lifts a small black crystal from under his desk.
"I design the first week of tests for new recruits to be nearly impossible, yet the 4 of you cleared it with ease. All of your teammates seem to be in the dark on the true nature of these Fragments."
I gulp as he continues.
"Based on your expression, I'm going to guess you're not so clueless when it comes to these item drops. There's no harm in telling me, it's not like you did anything wrong. I'm just a curious old man."
The Director leisurely spins the small obsidian-colored stone on his desk. Mesmerized by its rotations, I become lost in my own thoughts, observing it for a few seconds.
I reply in a low unwavering tone.
"I'm unsure what you're talking about-"
"Don't give me that."
He slams his hand down on the table to stop the spinning gem. It breaks me from my concentration. I shake my head, blink a few times, then sit up straight as the old man brings the shiny crystal closer to my face from across the desk.
"You and I both know these Fragments only drop from Titans. I don't care how you did it, but I know you defeated at least 10 of those anomalies. Your teammates were clueless to the fact, and Arie was scared straight at the mention of a Titan. So, my guess is you went in alone."
Feeling a lump in my throat, I swallow nervously and nod as he continues speaking.
"Good, good. As I said, there's no need to be on edge today. You were just following orders, how could I punish you for doing exactly what I asked?"
He pauses and the two of us are left in a room full of silence for a moment. I take a deep breath before replying with a blank, yet serious expression across my face.
"You're right. I farmed the Titans to fill this week's quota.
Director, I am grateful for your kindness, but I don't appreciate being lied to on my very first day of work in the Association."
He nods slowly and replies.
"I like to think of it as an entrance test, not a lie... Please hand me your assignment tablet. I'd like to update the data, the tasks will be much more straightforward this week. I hope that this is more to your liking."
I hand him my shimmering silver tablet and he begins to tinker with it. I reply as my quotas are being updated.
"What do you mean by an entrance test? Entrance to what?"
He grins.
"Now you're asking the right questions. Let me explain..."
".... Alright."
"Your extraction team passed my first test. I'd like to send all of you off on a very important mission next week... To the Dark Continent. You'll need special training to prepare yourselves."
The old man hands me back my tablet and I stare down at the updated tasks.
____________________
[Jay Soju]
[Available Credits]: 4.4
[C-Class]
[Team Weekly Quota]:
[Mana Crystals][0/200,000MU]
[Reward]: 5 Credits
[Individual Weekly Quota]:
[Horn of The Behemoth][0/1]
[Reward]: 5 Credits
____________________
"Your team's weekly task has been set to a reasonable mana crystal farming goal and I've assigned each of you a special Individual task. Yours is to obtain the Horn of The Behemoth. Defeating this monster will be an important step in furthering your training to become an Elite of the Association."
My eyes dart across the silver tablet taking in all this new information. Looking up, I start to reply, but the Director continues.
"The Behemoth is found on the 20th floor of the Vice City Labyrinth. I hope you're ready for a new challenge."
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