Chapter 22: Jurisdiction

"That's right. We were so unprepared. It was a massacre. Too many people died that day. The armies proved to be useless against some of the monsters. Fortunately, that was when Variants joined the fray with the army. We managed to kill all the monsters, but the losses we suffered were too much," the dark-haired man declared as he sighed deeply.

"Yeah. But that again placed the focus of our manpower on the Dungeons. It's amazing how efficient humanity is when we're at the risk of extinction. The scientists that couldn't discover anything for years started making big discoveries right after this event. The cause was found. Why the monsters were able to come out was blamed on the Monster Index of the Dungeons," Jamison let out softly.

"Monster Index, huh… the population of the monsters inside the dungeon," the dark-haired man remembered the Monster Index.

"Yeah. Whenever the population of monsters inside a Dungeon crosses a certain threshold, the energy inside the dungeon becomes unstable. The barrier that stops monsters from coming out stops working, and monsters come out. This gave us an idea on how to stop the events of 2028 from happening again," Jamison chimed in.

"That's right. If I'm not wrong, the Hunter Union was established after that discovery to keep the Monster Index inside Dungeons below the threshold. Since humans and their weapons were less effective against Monsters, the Hunter Union was made mostly of Variants. It's their duty to keep the dungeons in control now," the dark-haired man muttered.

"That's right. Our Awakened Protection Force was made to stop Dark Variants who misuse their powers. As for Hunter Union, it was made to hunt monsters inside the Dungeons," Jamison replied.

"It's good to remember the History again, but what does all of this have to do with Zale Azarel's death five years ago?" the dark-haired man asked as he squinted.

"It has something to do with that. That's how this thing started. A level four dungeon is one of the strongest Dungeons ever discovered. It is said to possess monsters that could flatten cities with ease. The events of 2028 happened because of a Level 2 Dungeon. Just imagine how bad it would be if a level four dungeon allowed monsters to leave."

"Anyway, five years ago, the Hunter Union realized that this Level Four Dungeon was awfully close to reaching its Monster Index Threshold. To make sure that this didn't happen, they not only sent their strongest members to hunt inside the Dungeon, but they also asked the help of the Strongest Warlock, Zale Azarel, and his Wife." Jamison replied.

He took a deep pause before he continued, "Zale Azarel entered the Dungeon with one of the strongest Warlocks of that time. The Monster Index of the Dungeon decreased. They managed to decrease the monster Index by more than eighty percent to make us safe for years to come."

"Unfortunately, they never came out. It was concluded that they died. Search teams were sent inside, but those people weren't ever found. Everyone believes that they all came face to face with some strong monster, and they were killed. Since no one survived, we can't verify it." Jamison further said.

"What about the footsteps? That's the only thing I want to know about. If the death is caused by monsters, the jurisdiction of this investigation will stay with the Hunter Guild. But if we can prove that it was the work of a Dark Variant who schemed to kill Zale Azarel, we'll get the jurisdiction. That's why I told you to investigate," the dark-haired man said.

"Stop wasting my time and tell me about that," he further added.

"That's right. There are reports of finding footsteps coming out of the dungeon. These are human footsteps which raises the question. If everyone had died inside, then how can the footsteps of a person be traced exiting the Dungeon?"

"And if someone came out, why didn't they go to the Hunter Union? Moreover, why weren't they seen if they came out? There was heavy security outside the dungeon. Both things contradict each other and make this whole event more complicated. That's why I said there is no convincing evidence."

"I talked to everyone and searched every place. I even saw the footsteps and investigated that. Unfortunately, there is no witness who claims to verify anyone coming out. It could be that the people who went inside the dungeon came out and then went back. But again, there is no evidence. If only we could have a witness, everything would be solved." Jamison let out with a deep sigh.

"So, in short, you're saying that five years of investigation was a waste." The dark-haired man muttered as he squinted.

"If I want to investigate more deeply, we'll need complete jurisdiction of the place," Jamison answered with a sigh. "With the little amount of clearance I have there, I don't think I can find anything."

"That's why I told you to find me the evidence. Without proving it to be a scheme of a Dark Variant Organization like VU, I can't get the jurisdiction approval," the dark-haired man muttered as he shook his head.

"Can you really not get the jurisdiction? You're Varant— the Leader of APF and the Alpha Squad. You're said to be even stronger than the Hunter Union leader and someone who was even compared to Master Zale Azarel when he was alive. If you talk to the Hunter Union and insist, they should allow us," Jamison exclaimed in disbelief.

He didn't believe that Varant couldn't do it. He was someone who was one of the Strongest Variants at the moment. As for his powers, they were said to intimidate even the Hunter Union Master. Why did he need an excuse? He should be able to take over easily.

"It's not as easy as you think. There's a system in place for everything…" Varant muttered as he picked up the file in front of him and started reading it.

"Anyway, I'll try to see what I can do," he added. "If things go right, I should be able to get you unrestricted access."

"That would be better," Jamison acknowledged.

"You may leave now. I'll read the file you prepared." Varant told Jamison.

Jamison nodded as he stood up, turning around to leave.

"Jamison!"

As soon as Jamison reached the door, he heard Varant's voice.

"Yes, sir?" He responded while turning around.

"I'll give you unrestricted access, but if you still fail to find something concrete, you should be prepared for the consequences," Varant warned Jamison grimly.

Jamison felt his heart skip another beat as he heard the warning. He could only do his best, though.

He nodded as he left.