Dungeon of Trials (1)

The next day, Hans packed his things and quickly grabbed himself a meal. Having money in his account, he planned to spend most of it for the dungeon trial. 

Sunlight shone on his face as he wore his baggy shoes and stepped out of the door. Seeing a glimpse of himself on a store window, Hans tidied his gray jacket. 

"Good morning Hans, early?" 

The voice of an elderly woman rang to his side. The burbling of water constantly splashed towards the small garden. 

"Yeah, I have a lot of stuff to do so…" 

"Must have been tiring huh?" 

Hans lightly chuckled and scratched the side of his cheek, "Haha, I guess?" 

The lady displayed a playful smirk as she gestured with a nod, "Woman?" 

"Pfft…cough—, I don't have one yet."

Even as he denied it, Hans struggled to hide the smile on his face. It's good to have a friendly neighborhood even though the ghost-like streets weren't crowded. Houses were several times more expensive every year. So even though he had money in his bank, Hans decided to stay here nonetheless. 

Shortly, a yellow cab honked at his location and stopped by his house. After confirming the cab was for himself, Hans cast a glance towards the old lady and waved goodbye, earning a smile from the old lady. 

"Where is your destination sir?" 

Hans pulled the strap and buckled it to his chest, his brow furrowed, "Is it near the association?" 

"What sir?" 

"Dungeon of trials."

"Oh!..." The driver displayed a surprised face, "... It's near the 'Underground'."

"Take me there."

"Alright." 

Brrrooomm—

Soon, the taxi drove down the streets. Hans leaned his head towards the rear window, later closing his eyes as he took a short nap. 

.........… 

It's 6:48 in the morning. The trip was quite far, even costing him 30 minutes. Hans paid the driver before he got out of the taxi. Fortunately, the weather today wasn't too cold, or else his jacket would have ice flakes all over it. 

'Where is the dungeon?' 

Hans swept his gaze around the vicinity. The place looks more like a bustling market rather than a place for dungeon trials. Awakeners built their own stalls and placed them on the sideways. For Hans, this is more marketer than the actual awakened market. 

As Hans strolled around, with a strap bag hanging on his shoulder, he saw Awakeners leaving a large shop ahead. They were certainly prepared for a raid, proven by the armored suit they wore. 

"Henry, is the dungeon really that hard? I mean…" 

"No need to worry. I got you, alright?" 

"Ohhhh, these two lovers won't kiss here, right? Hey Henry, kiss me too." 

A man with short faded dark hair and a rather good-looking appearance was chatting at his other four teammates. One of the females should be his girlfriend, based on the intimate actions they showed. 

Hans passed by towards them and halted towards a nearby stall.

'So I can join a party for the trial dungeon?' 

Keeping it in mind, Hans focused his ears back towards the 5. Perhaps, he could gather more information about this dungeon. 

The man named Henry, patted his chest, flaunting his gear which seems rather expensive based on the intricate designs. Another guy to his side stepped forward and explained various things.

"Well, if you go solo, the rewards will be tremendous for sure."

"Pfft, you're really bringing that here?" 

"It's not like that. I mean, it's just… it's been 20 years since the dungeon of trial was cleared solo and…" 

"... And?" 

"The rewards for solo-clear. I always wonder what it was."

Everyone quickly glanced at the guy, eyes narrowed, before breaking into laughter. 

"Man, in case you don't know. The guy who solo-cleared the dungeon of trial was already one of the world's strongest. Stop daydreaming."

"I'm just wondering what the rew—" 

"You don't have to care about that. We're not in that same realm, man… we're not."

"Alright, alright stop that."

Seeing the increasing tension of his teammates, Henry immediately intruded. It wouldn't be good if the two of them fought. Not only would it affect the team chemistry, but it might also lead to disobedience. Henry raised his hand and signaled others to prepare. Soon, the five left, not noticing someone eavesdropped on their conversation. 

Meanwhile, Hans leaned on a small bench, fingers held under his chin. Based on the information he heard, it seems soloing the dungeon of trial would be the best move. If he wants to maximize his reward, he has to take a great risk. 

'Since my level is basically an E-class… can I do it?' 

Well, he'd never know if he doesn't try. But once he did, of course, there's no turning back. 

'Sigh—, what a headache.'

........

For Awakeners, there's a term called 'Wall'. It's not the literal wall that can be seen in houses or infrastructures. This 'wall' existed at every Classes maximum level. 

'What was it again?' 

Hans tugged off his jacket's sleeve and raised his left hand to under his neck. He browsed through forums until he found the pinned post on the top. 

'Ahh, here.'

[Classification of Levels:

E-Class — Level 1 ~ 20

 D-Class — Level 21 ~ 50

 C-Class — Level 51 ~ 99

 B-Class — Level 100 ~ 150

 A-Class — Level 150 ~ 200

 S-Class — Level 200 ~ 250

 SS-Class — Level 250 ~ 300] 

The potential of an awakened person will determine the peak of the power they can acquire throughout their lifetime. And these 'walls' will block their path each time they reach the max level of that class. 

Once an E-class reached level 20, further leveling wouldn't be possible anymore. Temporarily, it will be blocked, not unless a certain condition is met. 

… And that condition, required to clear the dungeon of trials. It's the same quest for all E-class Awakeners hoping to advance to a higher level. 

As he continued strolling around the area, Hans eventually ended up in a fast-food stall. Much like a restaurant, the interior has wooden chairs and tables plus various menus and delicacies. Even if it's 7 in the morning, the restaurant's already crowded. Fortunately, he's alone so he wouldn't need to wait that long. 

"Strawberry cakes?" 

"I would like to order pork ribs…" 

"Table 21, your order please."

Hans spread his senses around the area, trying to find a vacant seat. At the very least, there seems to be one at the far-end corner. He walked towards it and tapped the wooden table with his finger. 

Clack—, clack—

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Hans politely asked, unbuckling the bag on his shoulder as he put it above the chair. 

The woman sitting on the other side didn't seem to mind as she gave Hans a nodding response. 

"Thank you." 

Hans removed the bag from the seat, put it under the table before he sat down opposite from the woman. In front of him was a half-eaten burger and fries. 

"..." 

"..." 

"..." 

Cough —

Due to the awkward atmosphere, Hans shifted his gaze towards the counter and raised his hand. Fortunately, the waiter was quick to respond as just a few seconds later, he walked towards Hans. 

"Order sir?" 

"Uhm… I'll take a burrito and egg sandwich."

"I'm very sorry sir but our egg sandwich is unavailable anymore." 

Hans nodded before looking back again at the menu. Perhaps the eggs were already out of stock. Just as he was about to look at other breakfast menus, he was interrupted. 

"How about you try our newly added egg fried rice?" 

"Haah?..." Hans raised his eyes, "Say it again!?" 

"How abo—" 

"No, no…" Hans shook his head and continued, "... you have eggs, but don't have egg sandwiches?" 

"Yes, kind of…" 

"How come? Are you out of bread or something?" 

"I don't know sir…I'm just a waiter." 

"..." 

Hans alternated his gaze between the menu and the waiter before letting a light sigh. 

"Fine, just add poach egg instead."

"Thank you, sir."

Seeing the waiter leave, Hans leaned on the chair. He was about to open his stats when he was interrupted by a soft giggling noise across his chair. 

It was the woman. 

"What's funny?" 

"No, it's just…" 

The woman stopped giggling and slightly bowed her head. Due to the hood covering half of her face, Hans couldn't see her appearance. Well, if he used his enhanced senses, perhaps he could peek but that would be rude. Almost all people here were pretty much awakeners. Even this woman might be one. 

"Are you here for the trial dungeon as well?" 

Hans steered the conversation elsewhere. 

"No, I'm waiting for someone."

"Boyfriend?" 

The woman shook her head and smiled. 

"My brother."

Maybe it's because Hans' spent his life working at an early age that he forgot how to socialize. 

"I'm Mikaela by the way." The woman introduced herself, stretching her hand on the table. 

"Hans."

Hans responded with a smile, accepting Mikaela's handshake. 

"So what are you here for Hans?" 

"Uhh, trial dungeon."

"Ohh…" Mikaela giggled after, "So you're an E-class?" 

"Uhuh, but I can be considered a half step to D-class."

"Pfft… seriously?" 

Their conversation began going into the flow but soon was interrupted by a loud voice. 

"Ela!" 

A guy wearing a gray trench coat suddenly approached their table. 

"Oh, you're here. How's the trial?" 

"Meh, easy as fu—" 

The guy didn't even get to finish his words as his eyes went wide after he saw Hans sitting across the table. Of course, Hans noticed his gaze and also raised his head. 

"You are…" 

As if they were twins, both spoke in unison. 

"Hans?" 

"Gab?" 

Yes, that's right. It was Gab. 

.......... 

"So you're my brother-in-law?" 

Gab started the conversation off with a straightforward topic, earning a fistful bonk from her sister. Hans stared at these two, followed by a soft chuckle as he recalled memories of his past. 

"How are you, Hans? Didn't think we'll meet soon."

"I'm doing just fine." 

".. —" 

Gab immediately closed his mouth seeing the waiter deliver the food to the table. 

"Here's the burrito and the poached egg, sir. Enjoy your meal." 

Hans straightened his back, grabbed the burrito, and took a bite. He turned towards Gab and signaled him to go on. The three talk towards each other for around 20 minutes before Hans finally excused himself to leave. 

It would be too bad if he's delayed. He only has 14 days to prepare after all.

After he left the restaurant, Hans went straight towards where the dungeon entrance is located. Fortunately, he got quite valuable information from Gab and Mikaela about the trial dungeon. 

'Looks like this will be a quite easy raid.'

According to Gab, the dungeon trial consists of 5 layers. Unlike a normal dungeon, this one didn't have a boss monster and normally the enemies are just mobs. Of course, there's a catch. These 5 layers needed to be cleaned up of monsters to be cleared which sometimes took a whole day for a 10 man team, excluding their rest. 

So basically from a certain point of view, it's nearly impossible to clear it alone. 

Shortly, Hans arrived at a seemingly dilapidated place. From the center, stood a massive whirling gate enough to top a 2 story building. 

"It's larger than I expected." 

The cold breeze meandered against his skin, sending cold shivers down his spine. Just standing in front of this massive thing, Hans can tell that it's dangerous. 

But… 

'Not enough for me.' 

Hans closed his eyes and took a deep breath. To fight for the Ruined King's treasure and all enemies he would cross in the future, this will be his first step. 

'Hah, I got this.'

Steeling his will once again, Hans stepped inside the massive gate, leaving a trail of red aura before it vanished into the air. 

........... 

Venice, Italy. 

"The final key already appeared?" 

"Yes, my lord."

"I see…" 

The man, who's laying on the soft couch, lightly smirked, showing his fangs as he closed with a hint of amusement.