The veil of darkness in my vision slowly fades to white, then reality comes into view.
The horrible pain that took over my body is gone. I'm sitting on the hard ground with my sword by my side and both hands in my lap.
The silver bracelet is gone.
I died...
I let out a long sigh, realizing I've been transported to the labyrinth's entrance.
"Jay! You're- uhm."
I look up to see Maria standing over me with Bruce, Abby, and Nessa behind her. The sky is dark and there aren't many hunters standing around anymore.
With a nod, I put my sword away while slowly getting up to my feet.
"I'm fine."
I stare at the floor for a moment, shake my head, then put a fake smile on my face before looking back at the lot of them.
"What are we waiting for? Let's celebrate, we made it. We're all C-Class hunters now!"
Maria stares me in the eyes for a few seconds, then a grin widens across her face.
"You're right!"
With a skip and a hop, she grabs me by the arm linking our elbows together.
Simultaneously, a flash of white light appears right next to me and Arie appears breathing heavily with eyes opened wide. He looks around at us in confusion, then lets out his own sigh of relief.
"That was.... Not an opponent I had any hopes of beating..."
He looks me in the eyes and I give him a firm nod.
"Yeah. Agreed."
I gulp.
Arie puts away his bow and takes another look at all of us before I speak up again.
"Hey, do you want to go get dinner with us? To celebrate."
With a light smile, he agrees.
The six of us head off back in the city's direction, there's a small road that winds all the way back.
My mind continues to race thinking over the immense stupidity of my actions, but Maria's arm grasped around my own as we walk keeps me mildly distracted from the self-deprecating thoughts.
Nessa and Bruce lead the way down the small road having a conversation about their guild and how this C-Class promotion will get them into new positions.
Arie is silent for a bit but starts asking Abby about all the fine details of life at the Association. I try to listen in but keep zoning out into my own world so none of the information actually sticks in my head.
Maria continues to squeeze my arm tight while humming softly to herself. We take up the rear, I stare straight ahead counting my breaths and focusing on the rhythmic footsteps as we travel to the town.
The lights of the city come into view and I can even hear the main train line nearby.
My stomach gurgles and Maria lets out a chuckle while turning to me.
"I'm starving too, how about we go to that place Rei took us last time we were here!"
She practically jumps up and down, I smile and let out a laugh of my own replying in a low tone.
"That would hit the spot."
I look straight ahead as we near the city entrance and raise an eyebrow.
"What are the odds...."
Both Rei and Jack are standing by the arching city gate. It's not a main city entrance, but it's the only one that connects to this path from the mountains. They must have heard the news that hunters were finishing up and came to meet us.
Two other groups of hunters and businessmen from the Association and Tara Guild wave down the rest of our team. It looks like no one came to greet Arie though. He follows Maria and me as we get closer.
Rei waves us down and is the first to speak up.
"Jay! Maria! Congrats! Well- I assume you-"
Maria unlatches her arm from my own and cuts her off while jumping forward.
"Yup! We did it!"
Rei catches Maria mid-air to receive her flying hug as Jack approaches with a hand lifted up by his side.
I firmly shake it and he grins.
"Congratulations. You're a C-Class now huh?"
"It seems I am."
Abby comes running over to us after talking to her group. Apparently, they're having a special celebration tomorrow for the Association's successful applicants so she's available to go out with us tonight without a problem.
Bruce and Nessa walk over to us moments later, it seems like their guild master is away so they're free to celebrate too.
I turn to Arie and nudge my head toward Jack And Rei.
All four of them introduce themselves and we begin laughing and re-telling a few interesting stories from the exam as we walk into town. Our final battle and the events that followed didn't come up in conversation.
The 8 of us get a large circular booth at a restaurant that lets us cook our own meat and vegetables on individual open grills. Each of us orders multiple entrees and enough bottles of drinks to drown a whale.
With a clink of all our glasses, the night begins. Smiles fill the room, and I slowly fade into peaceful bliss. All my worries turn into nothing but fuzzy nothingness and uncontrollable laughter. We eat great food and celebrate a huge milestone in every great hunter's journey.
We've really become C-Class Hunters...
A few hours pass and the restaurant begins to die down as parties leave. Our food and drinks diminish and Jack gracefully pays the bill.
"It's on me tonight, I've booked you all a few hotel rooms too. Rest up and we'll take the train home tomorrow."
I squint trying to concentrate on the room key he's handing me. My vision is a bit blurry, the walls, floor, and people around me are bending and distorting at random.
Maybe I drank too much...
With a sloppy hand, I grab the key from Jack and thank him with a goofy grin. He puts his arm around my shoulder and Rei helps Maria up out of her seat.
Arie laughs and finishes the bottle in his hand before standing up.
"Jay, I had no idea you were such a lightweight!"
He slaps me on the back and I hiccup. My tan-skinned teammate gives me a toothy grin.
"Hope I see you tomorrow at the Association. I look forward to working with you in the future, you're a good guy!"
With that, he gets up and leaves.
I'm left in a daze. His words definitely went in my right ear... but half of them basically fell out the other side. I mumble to myself as Bruce, Nessa, and Abby say their goodbyes and walk out the door.
"Working together? With Arie? Why would I-"
My heart skips a beat as my facade of happiness crumbles. The drunk bliss I'd been indulging myself in spirals into quite the opposite.
My breathing gets heavier and faster. I concentrate on my echoing footsteps as Jack helps me to the hotel.
My mind is spinning and it's even harder to form clear thoughts with these toxins running through my system. It feels like hours have gone by, but I've counted my footsteps to stay calm, we've walked 3 blocks at most....
Jack's voice rings out in my ear.
"Hey, take this, I hope you feel better by the morning. Great nights tend to end like this anyways, right Jay?"
He hands me a bottle of water and gives me a concerned smile as we enter a building. He speaks again.
"You're on the 4th floor, room 407."
I nod and lean against the hotel lobby's wall.
"I-uhhh- I- give me a minute, I think I'm going to take a walk before I sleep."
Jack lets out a sigh.
"Alright, don't wander too far."
"I won't, I won't."
Rei, Maria, and Jack all get in an elevator to their rooms as I stand with one arm holding me up against the wall drinking as much of the bottled water as I can manage.
I take a few deep breaths, then walk out the front door.
Wobbling back and forth, I take a stroll. The water did help a bit, but my mind is far from straight right now... Being out here is better than a small closed-off room.
I sigh, thinking back to that final boss fight...
"I never even stood a chance."
It was faster than me, stronger than me, and even had a Dungeon Walker ability just like mine. It's the same as that odd monster I fought before the exam too.
A Demon.
Are they the ones that run the dungeons? Demons? Do they feed off the power of mana absorbed in labyrinths? That would make sense...
As labyrinths are left without being defeated, their guardians would only grow stronger. They would add floors and gain levels...and...
My mind races with paranoia and creativity as the walls of reality and fantasy twist in my head. I hear a ringing sound, and my head beings to ache pretty badly.
With a grunt of pain, I sit down on a bus stop bench and chug the last of my water.
It helps, but it's far from solving all my current issues.
I open my status for the fun of it and let out a drunken laugh.
"All these skills and I still can't fend for myself!"
I scroll, then decide to activate my All-Seeing Eye and do some leisurely intoxicated reading.
"Let's see here... How about my fire magic, what's the description on this one?"
____________________
Combat Magic [Fire Summoning]
Info: A powerful combat magic skill with an aptitude for fire. The caster is able to summon flames from their body and even imbue them into weapons. Residue may be left behind to deal extra damage to an opponent even after the initial attack.
Grade: [Fire Summoning]
[Upgrade]
____________________
My eyes open wide and a goofy grin comes across my face as I click upgrade without hesitation, another screen pops up.
____________________
Upgrade: 100PP
[Fire Summoning] -> [Advanced Fire Summoning]
All fire magic attacks will increase in proficiency by 100%. Magic residue will burn indefinitely until put out by a magic spell of equivalent or greater proficiency.
____________________
"Woohoo! Look at that!"
Without another thought crossing my mind, my fire magic is upgraded on the spot.
I continue scrolling, thinking about that demon I had no chance of defeating... I grit my teeth and click on Dungeon Walker.
____________________
Dungeon Walker
Info: An ability solely found in demonic entities. It allows the caster to form warp portals within dungeons they have traveled to in the past. The caster may bring along passengers via physical contact.
Grade: No Grade
[Upgrade]
____________________
I click upgrade faster than I could read the skill's description.
____________________
Upgrade: 50PP
[No Grade] -> [Special Grade]
Dungeon Walker may be performed instantaneously. No warp portal lag time will be added while using the [Special Grade] option. Any dungeon the caster has seen, or stepped foot in, is available for instant teleportation without the use of warp portals. Mana requirements for non-portal travel will be double.
____________________
My eyes and mouth open wide.
"Now this one, I gotta have this!"
I click upgrade and continue the scrolling spree.
"What do I need... what else could I- oh-"
I raise an eyebrow and click on Self Regeneration.
____________________
Self Regeneration
Info: An ability that allows the caster to convert mana into physical matter. Lost limbs and broken bones can be healed in an instant, allowing the caster to continue their battle. This skill does not replenish HP and may have heavy side effects including fatigue and drowsiness.
Grade: No Grade
[Upgrade]
____________________
I let out a laugh while clicking upgrade.
____________________
Upgrade: 50PP
[No Grade] -> [Special Grade]
Self Regeneration will now heal poisons and curses up to a [Special Grade] rating. This is a passive skill. If any harmful foreign matter enters your body, it will be immediately expelled, allowing you to finish your battle.
____________________
"Poison resistance! Nice!"
I click upgrade and immediately feel mana being sucked out of me at an alarmingly quick rate....
"H-Hey What's going on here!"
I try to deactivate all my active skills, but MP continues to leave my body. I grab a few mana crystals from my storage and plunder the energy to bring myself back to full, but my bar keeps falling...
"What is...."
The city lights around me come into clear view, they're not blurry white and red blobs anymore. The street under my feet stops wobbling and even the bench I'm sitting on becomes an actual flat surface.
The world comes back into clear view and my sober mind returns to me.
"Did I.... Just..."
I blink a few times and look down at my hands, then jump up in the air to stretch my legs and arms.
I breathe in fresh air and stare at my status in awe... The bad news is, I just went on a drunk spending spree. The good news is, well, I guess I'll never be able to do it again....
I gulp.
At least I upgraded a few good abilities... I feel great, and have way too many things to think about right now. Sleep is not an option. It wouldn't hurt to try them out.
A grin slowly creeps back onto my face as I make my way toward the city's Dungeon Hub.