Chapter 12: Deal

The clearing was dead silent for a solid ten seconds. The five of them just stared at him, their expressions a mix of disbelief and grudging respect. Sneaking a wanted fugitive into official dungeons? The idea was insane. It was also, he could tell, incredibly tempting to them.

Finally, Jolly, the leader, let out a slow breath. “Alright,” she said, a small, almost imperceptible smile playing on her lips. “You’ve got a deal.”

They agreed to help him. The rules were simple: they’d sneak him in with them, but once inside, his safety wasn’t guaranteed. If things went sideways, everyone was on their own. He nodded, accepting all their terms. He was calm on the outside, but inside, his heart was pounding. He was finally going to enter a dungeon.

“So, how much do you know about dungeons and monsters?” Jolly asked, pulling a worn, handwritten book from her bag. She tossed it to him. The cover read: The Book of Monsters and Dungeons. He opened it to a page with a surprisingly good drawing of a massive wolf. Below it, the title read King Wolf. The description said it was eight feet tall and possessed incredible speed.

“I don’t know much,” he admitted, his eyes still glued to the book. “I only know about players. Information on monsters isn’t exactly easy for normal humans to get their hands on.”

“Then I should explain things to you,” Jolly said, sitting down across from him. “It’ll make it easier for both of us.”

He nodded, pretending to listen, but his attention was mostly on the fascinating details in the book.

“I’m going to guess you know how players are ranked, since you asked for our ranks before,” she started. “But you should know that monsters and dungeons are ranked differently. Dungeons are straightforward: rank 0 is the lowest and rank 12 is the highest recorded so far.”

He kept nodding, his eyes tracing the drawing of the King Wolf.

“Dungeons also have colors,” she continued, unfazed by his distraction. “From rank 0 to 8, they’re blue. Above that, they’re red. Players, even you, can easily determine a dungeon’s rank using this device.” She pulled out a small gadget that looked like a compass. Its screen was black, with nothing else on it.

“This little thing was built using a special material found in the towers. Once you get close enough to a dungeon, it starts scanning the mana and displays its rank as a number on the screen. Simple, right?”

“Yeah, simple enough to understand,” he said, finally looking up from the book.

“Okay, good. Let’s move on. What’s found in dungeons? This can vary a lot. Sometimes, you can find a rare-rank item in a rank 1 dungeon or a basic-rank item in a rank 9 dungeon. It all depends on luck. The important part is the monsters. Just like us, they have their own ranking system: FFF-rank is the lowest, and Supreme Being is the highest.”

’So the ranks all revolve around Divine Rank, even for monsters… just how strong are these beings?’ A nervous smirk crept across his face as he processed the information.

“Once a monster is defeated, you can remove its core, which can be sold for credits. The skin and other parts can also be sold, or you can use them to craft gear. It’s entirely up to you. That’s pretty much all the basic information you need to know.”

The smart guy chimed in from his rock. “Oh, and be careful of other players. Sometimes, multiple groups enter the same dungeon and end up fighting over drops, so that’s something to watch out for.”

“Hmm, I’m guessing the monster ranks are also shown by that tool?”

“Yes,” Jolly confirmed. “But once you reach a certain rank, you won’t need it anymore. We’re using it because we’re still weak.”

“Okay, I think I understand everything now. Thanks.” He closed the book and handed it back to her. He let out a long breath, looking up at the sky as the sun began to set.

“We’ve been here for a while,” he said, turning his attention back to the group. “Can I ask you guys another favor? Would it be okay if I lived with one of you for a bit?”

No one answered right away. They all hesitated, the idea of housing a wanted man—and a suspicious one at that—clearly making them uneasy. Their gazes slowly, one by one, drifted to Jolly. She was the one who had agreed to help him, making him her responsibility.

She saw them all looking at her and sighed, annoyed. ’Damn it. I don’t want to live with a stranger. Does he really have nowhere else to go?’

“Uh, can’t you find somewhere else to live?” she asked, trying to sound polite but firm.

“I could,” he replied with a shrug. “But I’m too broke to stay in a hotel. Could you guys help with that?”

Suddenly, they all looked very interested in their shoes, their weapons, the trees—anything but him. He could almost see their bank balances flashing in their minds.

“Y-you know what?” the other girl in the group, the one who thought he was dangerous, blurted out. She was clearly nervous. “You can come live with me. I don’t mind.”

“Really?” he asked, a genuine smile spreading across his face. “I would really appreciate that.”

“Yeah, it’s no problem at all.” She shot a desperate look at her teammates, hoping for some support, but they all avoided her gaze. It was all on her now. She looked at Vell, who was now busy tickling his weasel, and a strange sense of calm washed over her. Seeing him smile, even for a moment, eased some of her suspicions.

“Okay, it’s getting late,” Jolly said, standing up and packing her things. “Let’s all head back and meet up here tomorrow. We’ll go over our plan for which dungeon to enter, so don’t be late.”

The others got up and prepared to leave. Jolly walked over to Vell and handed him her scanning device. “Don’t lose it. It’s very expensive.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow.”

They all left, leaving only Vell and the girl who had reluctantly offered him a place to stay. She looked awkward, unsure of what to say. He looked at her and smiled, a real, warm smile this time.

“I know you don’t trust me,” he said quietly. “I’m just a stranger claiming to know something dangerous, after all. But even knowing that, you decided to let me live with you. Thank you for that. You don’t know how much I appreciate your kindness.”

She could hear the sincerity in his voice; these weren’t just empty words. It made her feel a little guilty for being so suspicious.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, her shoulders slumping.

He laughed softly. “Haha, it’s okay. You’re a lot more fragile than I thought.”

’She seems like a nice girl. I’ll watch her for now and decide later.’

She blushed, embarrassed at being called fragile. She quickly turned and walked off, telling him to follow her. He got up and followed closely behind.

“So, what’s your name?” he asked as they walked.

“I’m Yenna.”

“Good to meet you, Yenna. I’m Vell. I hope we get along.”

“Nice name,” she said, a small smile on her face. “I hope we can get along too.”

They continued their small talk, two strangers walking into the city as the sun finally dipped below the horizon, their unlikely alliance just beginning

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