20 (Season 2 Start!) Chapter 18 - First Contact
Puck was at a loss for words.
He honestly wasn't expecting the auction house fiasco be the turning point in his career as an awakener....
But that's exactly what happened.
Not too long after the incident, it was found out that, not only did he defeat that kid that claimed Diablo, but he also wiped out all traces of the cult members that were behind him.
At least that's what the Awakener's Bureau told the media.
But in truth, Puck knew that right before his "Full Counter" had the chance to fully activate, in that short instance, that little brat had enough time to use the moment to open a portal for himself and his fellow agents to escape.
The whole situation was unbelievably frustrating for Puck, especially since he didn't get the chance to sell the "Lich's Great Staff", nor the chance to even fully rest afterwards since he was immediately swarmed by reporters after getting checked up by some paramedics.
Thankfully no one died, but the result of the auction was worse than anything he was expecting.
Hell, you couldn't turn on the TV without hearing his name somewhere!
Puck swore that if he hated talk shows before, he completely loathed them now.
This entire time he thought this was what he wanted when he became an awakener....
Yeah, fuck that!
This was the one time he had to admit that he was completely wrong.
Well at least a few things good came out of the aftermath.
Everyone that was involved in the auction were reimbursed and received a heartfelt apology from the auction house and Awakener's Bureau respectively, in the form of $300,000 and a free pass to a dungeon of their choosing....
That's what the awakeners involved received anyway.
He also heard that all the "normal" people involved just received an unbelievable amount of money.
Still though, that was way more money than he knew what to do with, so he decided to not think on it too hard and instead focus on leveling up and attaining new equipment....
At least that was the the plan anyway.
But who would've thought that the Mrs. Hare from the auction house, was actually Olivia Weepingbell?! The child of an incredibly power and rich family of awakeners and #1 on the awakener's list of most beautiful awakeners in the world?!
Hell, after getting swarmed by the media, Puck's image was being heatedly debated on whether or not he'd be pushed into the top ten on that list.
Which was a huge confidence boost, but also incredibly troublesome since his residence wasn't exactly that well kept of a secret.
Not like he was trying to hide it anything, but the current situation he's currently in could've been avoided if he had simply moved out of his rinky dink apartment as soon as he signed duo with the Awakener's Bureau....
But noooooo~! He just had to be sentimental and a hoarder! He couldn't moved all the shit he's got stock piled if he tried!
And he's perfectly content with where he is! Thank you very much!
Oh, and if you're curious about his current predicament, we'll have to go back to around 10 hours ago, right after he finally managed to escape the swarm of reporters that chased him away from the auction house.
After the collected his "Lich's Great Staff" and said goodbye to Leo of course!
He's not an idiot!
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10 Hours Ago~ In a Random Alleyway:
Puck was currently hiding behind a few garbage cans after finally managing to lose the ever persistent reporters.
He tested his back against the wall of the alley and tried to catch his breath.
"F-Fucking hell.... Who would've thought they'd have a few awakeners among their ranks who invested in agility and stamina?! What kinda fucking super reporters did they build?!" He exclaimed.
It was absolutely absurd! Were they that desperate for a story?!
Puck was too busy cursing his bad stats to even notice when a car silently pulled up in front of the alleyway he was preoccupying.
He only realized it when the sound of a car door opening and closing could be heard.
And before he knew it, one Olivia Weepingbell was standing over him with a amused look on her face.
She was still dressed in the same outfit from the auction, just without her mask and a white feathered boa draped over her shoulders.
Puck quickly scrambled to his feet, only to be met with Olivia's gaze from her piercing green eyes.
He had to swallow the large lump in his throat before he could even try to speak.
Not only was she beautiful, but she had a completely different air about her compared to anyone he's ever met until now.
It was like he was starring at a princess or something!
Like with one wrong move and he'd be beheaded for disrespecting royalty!
The awkward silence lasted for a lot longer than he was expecting, so after taking a small breath to compose himself, Puck finally broke the silence.
"U-Um.... Did you need something, Mrs. Olivia?" He asked as politely as he could, a small bead of sweat forming on his forehead as his nervous racked his body.
A small delicate smile graced her lips as she brought a hand up to cup her cheek.
She gave Puck's body a quick look over before nodding as if she had just confirmed something.
"I....just wanted to say thank you for saving me."
Puck was taken aback by this.
Her voice was smooth, seductive even, and there wasn't an ounce of sarcasm at all!
She was being purely genuine and it was the complete opposite of what you'd expect from someone with enough money to buy and sell your entire family tree a million times over.
And because of this, Puck didn't know how to respond.
"O-Oh! U-Um.... S-Sure! Yeah.... It wasn't a problem really....!"
He fumbled over his words for a moment trying to find the proper words to respond.
Only for a small giggle to break his nervous ramblings.
Puck paused as he watched her snap her fingers, a man in a black suit and wearing sunglasses to hide his eyes from view suddenly appeared and handed Olivia a suitcase before disappearing as quickly as he came.
She slowly opened the case before presenting Puck with the contents, revealing over 1000+ A Ranked magic stones and what looked like a contract.
Magic stones are the remnants of a high ranking monster's mana and we're extremely valuable. Hell, even a D Ranked one could be considered as finding a small fortune!
So seeing such a huge amount of A Ranked ones....
Well, let's just say that if Puck was at a loss of words before....he sure had a hard time picking his jaw up off the ground now.
Seeing his confused and astonished look, Olivia decided to have mercy on him and simply explain what it all was for.
"These magic stones are a gift from my family to show our appreciation for not only saving my life, but the lives of those present at the auction. You not only saved my life, but my reputation as well. And for that, we would like to personally offer you these A Ranked monster stones and contract to a newly formed dungeon that appeared in Alaska as a token of our gratitude and future cooperation." She says evenly in one breath.
Puck immediately something was off at this.
Not only was the Weepingbell a large and powerful family with the backing of several high ranking guilds and countries.
But they were also a huge conglomerate that looked at profits first, and everything else second.
Even their self image came second.
So the only reason why they'd send their well known beauty of a daughter to give these things to him as a sign of "thanks"....
Was to really try and win over a potentially powerful and future high ranker.
Especially with that contract.
Puck didn't say anything yet, he simply picked it up and looked it over.
There weren't any hidden objects or words that would sign his soul over to them.
But it was incredibly suspicious.
The magic stones were understandable since you could easily buy those if you had the money....
But a contract to a dungeon pretty much gave you ownership over it.
Not even the Awakener's Bureau had the power of right to sign a contract to a newly formed dungeon until it's investigated first.
And even then, if it's too dangerous or has the potential to be of a high rank/risk.
The government would take priority and simply send in a few guilds to preemptively destroy it.
So this....
This wasn't just a contract or a show of power....
This was....
"A threat." Puck immediately thought to himself.
He glanced up from the contract to look at Olivia's face, a small bead of sweat sliding down his cheek.
He was smet with the same kind smile as before and he couldn't help but let out a small amused huff from nose.
Puck gave Olivia a wide grin before suddenly snatching the suitcase from her grip.
"Tell your family I said thanks! And if they ever need anything, don't be afraid to call! Okay?" He said before giving her a two fingered salute and disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Olivia was left there, alone, in a daze.
She blinked before letting out a small sigh of defeat, a small smile gracing her lips as she looked up towards the orange sky, showing signs of the sun beginning to set.
"I hope I didn't come off the wrong way...." She mumbled to herself before a hand on her shoulder suddenly shook her from her thoughts.
"Milady, your mother's on the phone. She was wondering if you had successfully made contact with your savior." A woman dressed in the same way as the man before says with holding a phone to her ear.
Olivia simply smirked and elegantly wiped a strand of hair out of her face and behind her ear.
"Tell my mother.... That I found the one...." She says mysteriously, only for her assistant to smirk.
"Roger, I'll inform your mother that you found a suitable partner." The woman says before disappearing.
Olivia immediately realized her mistake as a huge blush appears on her face. "W-Wait a second! That's not what I meant and you know it!" She screams to the empty alleyway, only to be met with silence.
"COME BAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!"
Olivia's scream fell on deaf ears.
For it was already too late.
The hands of fate were already set in motion....
And Puck's destiny....
Was about to come to light.
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End, Chapter 18~
Author's Note: Next chapter we'll be taking a look at Puck's first "official" solo dungeon! Get ready for it! Cause I'm pulling out all the stops! ÒwÓ
