Late Night Visit

Just like all the previous times, the moment Alex stepped inside the arena, the Infernal Lizardman shot in his direction like a wound-up spring that was suddenly released.

Crack!

The lizardman's spear collided with the [Sanctuary Sphere]. Web-like cracks spread along the surface of the protective barrier. The skill barely held one strike, but it also killed the lizardman's momentum.

Immediately, the lizardman opened its mouth and released the fiery breath upon Alex.

The barrier formed by [Sanctuary Sphere] finally broke down. Then out of the cloud of flames, a figure dashed forward. The [Guardian Barrier]'s protective film glittered softly as it resisted the flames as Alex rushed forward with a glowing dagger in his hand, aiming for the lizardman's throat.

The lizardman took a step to the side, allowing Alex's attack to pass by it without ever being hit. It swung its spear, intending to sweep Alex's feet. But Alex stomped onto the ground with his fire boots, and the resulting explosion pushed him upward.

"Damn, I didn't think this through. I have no reliable way to maneuver in the air." Alex cursed inwardly, but then an idea arose in his mind.

"Better to try something than just wait while I fall!"

Alex extended his hand and a rope of fire condensed out of thin air. Obviously, it was the [Fiery Whip] he obtained not too long ago.

He flicked his hand and swung the whip in the direction of the lizardman, aiming to catch its spear. The fiery rope flashed through the air between them and caught onto the shaft wrapping around it tightly.

The lizardman immediately tried to pull its spear away, but that was exactly what Alex wanted.

With his fall trajectory now aimed at the place where the lizardman stood, Alex quickly prepared his dagger for a strike. The cold-looking dark steel shone brightly.

Of course, his actions did not go unnoticed by the lizardman, and as soon as it realized what Alex was trying to pull off, it tried to ready its spear to meet Alex head-on, but Alex's timing was better.

The dagger pierced the lizardman's skull right between its eyes and Alex's body fell forward.

Alex winced, waiting for the pain caused by hitting the floor, but the lizardman's corpse absorbed most of the damage.

"Call me a madman, but this is... fun?" His heart was beating like a jackhammer. But this adrenaline-filled state seemed to be the times Alex felt much more alive than usual.

Soon enough, the thrill subsided, giving way to more rational thought.

"While fun, it was also extra stupid. If I was late just for one second, I'd turn into a shish kebab."

Alex got up and looked at the loot the Infernal Lizardman left after its death. Since it was likely his last run for today, he hoped to see something good. After all, not even talking about how his backpack was already almost bursting at its seams, the mental fatigue was starting to get to him. Even if Alex could replenish his magic energy with crystals, there was no such way to deal with mental energy, aside from some proper rest.

Alex quickly identified a sole intermediate skill shard lying among the stat crystals. He picked it up, and it turned out to be yet another defensive skill, named [Arcane Aegis]. Unlike his other defensive skills, this one was not an omnidirectional one. Instead, the skill would create a shield in a particular location around the caster's body, chosen by the caster himself.

In fact, even though this skill was ranked an intermediate one, from the info Alex read before, the defensive property of this skill was stronger than the similarly ranked [Guardian Barrier] or even superior level [Sanctuary Sphere], simply because of the fact that it was not spread thin like the other skills.

The concentrated barrier of [Arcane Aegis], if mastered, was even able to hold up against some of the 2-Star skills. Of course, there was a tradeoff. The less the area of the shield - the better it is at defending, but the harder it is to defend simply because it does not cover a lot of space.

Still, it was a great find. One can barely complain about finding ways to stay alive.

Alex stuffed the last stat crystals for today into his backpack and prepared to leave. He was done with this dungeon since the drop rate seemed to finally lower down to the level of more popular dungeons.

Furthermore, he had at least three hundred stat crystals in his backpack already, and certainly enough magic crystals to max out his force. For now, the plan was to return to the hotel and absorb the crystals. After that, he could go and sell whatever he couldn't absorb and shop for some good skills or equipment. Maybe he should visit the black market and find a deal if his luck was still not wrung dry.

The moment Alex stepped out of the dungeon, he was met with the gazes of the outpost personnel.

An awkward silence hung in the air. Alex felt anxiety slowly creeping out of the depths of his being, but he kept his face straight and began walking toward the main gate.

The captain opened his mouth and was about to ask Alex to stop, but ultimately didn't. He wasn't sure if there was any reason for him to actually do so. For sure, Alex seemed somewhat suspicious but were there actually any grounds for the captain to stop him?

Thus, despite feeling like he was a game about to be shot by a hunter, Alex safely walked out of the outpost and jumped into a taxi. Only then he could relax.

"Captain, sir, why didn't you stop him for questioning?"

"Was there any sense to do this? Judging by his reserves, he's probably a 3-Star at least. His permit is brand new but legitimate. Even if he is a criminal, he has enough connections in the government to get one. Plus, he didn't do anything illegal."

"Yeah, I guess I got used to almost nobody clearing this one."

"Maybe son. Maybe."

***

Alex swung by a pizza place on his way back. He could have ordered himself a fancy steak through the room service, but he felt like sitting down in the quiet of an already empty night street.

A lot had happened in the last couple of days, he almost felt like his old life of working in mines was already weeks behind him.

"I figure it will be like this from now on." Alex mused.

He still had a lot of stuff to sort out today, but for now, he was indulging in the simple pleasure of the refreshing breeze on a warm summer night.

***

The moment Alex returned to the hotel, he dropped his backpack and dived onto the hotel bed before realizing that someone was sitting on the chair in the corner of his suite.

Alex quickly got up and activated the [Guardian Barrier].

"No need for such caution, Mr. Anderson." A male voice sounded in the dark.

Alex quickly switched the lights on to see a man, roughly five to ten years older than himself, sitting on the chair. The man was dressed sharply, the suit he wore probably cost at least as much as an inferior 1-Star skill.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Alex asked right away.

The man smiled slightly and answered.

"My name is largely irrelevant, but I think not introducing myself would be simply rude." The man stood up and extended his hand. "Wolfgang Holt, nice to meet you."

Alex looked at his hand but did not dare to shake it carelessly. He only had managed to spot the guy thanks to the fact that he was sitting beside the window in the pretty obvious spot with the moonlight clearly defining his silhouette.

Seeing Alex's reaction, the man smiled wryly and retracted his hand.

"You don't have to be this cautious, Mr. Anderson, if hurting you was in my plans, I'd surely strike you the moment you had entered the suite."

The man's words seemed genuine enough, so Alex relaxed a little. Still, he didn't dare to get close without a good reason. The man gave him quite a dangerous feeling.

"So, Holt. Why are you here?" 

"First, congratulations, Mr. Anderson. I heard that you had successfully awakened, and even got yourself a pretty good talent."

"Well, I just happened to be lucky enough for that. I assume that is not the reason for you being here?"

"Indeed. But it also so happens that you owe some money to my employer, Mr. Anderson." The man fixed his tie. "One million and one hundred seventy-four thousand dollars, if we include the interest, to be exact."

Holt picked up his briefcase and put it on the table.

"Now, Mr. Anderson, it is time for us to discuss the reason I had to make such an urgent visit." The man grinned. "I have a proposition you'd find hard to refuse. A chance to clear your debt in one go. Are you interested, Mr. Anderson?"