The distance between Elliot's apartment and the local Awakened Association was significantly reduced, but he still didn't feel the need to visit the main office. He knew that going there meant undergoing the complete awakening registration process—something he wasn't ready for just yet.
Instead, he made his way towards the nearby local branch, about 250 meters away. It was similar to the one where Ruth worked, though he didn't head toward the buying and selling section. This time, his destination was different: the part of the facility that dealt with dungeon matters.
More precisely, it is a branch of the Dungeon Monitoring Division.
The entire branch was situated in a fairly modern, four-storey building with large, modern windows and bright, flawless lighting throughout its halls.
Elliot didn't need to search for long. As soon as he entered, he took the stairs and went straight up to the second floor. There, the first thing he came across was a sign that said: Dungeon Monitoring Division Offices on the right.
He followed the directions and headed toward his destination; before long, someone was already attending to him.
"Are you here to purchase a dungeon pass or to report information about another dungeon?" The man at the counter didn't even raise his head to look at him while his hands skilfully moved across the computer keyboard.
"I've come to buy a pass for the E-Rank Goblins Dungeon."
Elliot placed a small piece of paper on the desk specifying which dungeon he was referring to.
If one were to discover a recently unearthed or unregistered dungeon, they could come to this division and sell that information. For doing so, the person would be paid a sum depending on the final cost of the dungeon, which was determined by its rank.
That's why it was called the Dungeon Monitoring Division; they were in charge of both the trade and registration of dungeons. And since it belonged to the government, everyone had to abide by its rules, counting even the guilds registered in the system.
"Dungeon 7703 of Rank E…" the man repeated. "What's the composition of the strike force that will go in? How many members and at what time will they go in?"
"Just me and my summon. I'll do it as soon as I get the entry pass."
At that, the man finally looked up, meeting Elliot's gaze. 'A fresh face… newly awakened, maybe? I don't recognize him.'
"Only two? That's risky. May I ask how strong your summon is?"
Without hesitation, Elliot revealed his summon. There was no need for identification here, and since the office was empty, he wasn't concerned about anyone watching him.
"It has roughly 10-15 points of statistics in strength and agility. It's a killer."
The person on the other end frowned.
'The ability to summon is an incredible skill by itself and has always been a skill coveted by many, but this one is a disgrace… It is a strong summon by his standards as of now, but the time will come when it will be useless. After all, you can't strengthen it.' He sighed at this.
He had briefly thought that he might have come across someone extremely special and in a different league, someone who might reach the heights in this city in the future, but realizing that Elliot's invocation was so weak, the man could only look the other way.
"Entering with two people isn't impossible, but it is dangerous," the man said, placing the Entry Pass on the desk. "I would suggest finding someone else to accompany you."
"That will be $500. It's an entry pass that's valid for the first 12 hours after it's issued, so you have to act quickly."
Elliot nodded, took out $500, and handed it to him before grabbing the pass and leaving without blinking.
The man who attended him hadn't asked for Elliot's identity or strength—and couldn't have, even if he would have wanted to.
Under one of the System's Laws of the Game, a Player's identity was to be kept hidden until they decide to reveal it—either by registering officially or through a direct conflict with another Player. That was because a Player's identity was often closely tied to their skills and trump cards.
Under the premise of protecting Players from their enemies being able to investigate them before they were worthy of defending themselves, the System enforced this rule strictly. If someone tries to force a Player to reveal their identity despite the fact that they were not willing to, the System would trigger a confrontation between both players in a battle of equal rights and conditions. As a result, no one dares to pry into the identity of an awakened player who has chosen to keep their identity hidden.
After taking the pass and walking out of the building, Elliot grabbed a transport to the dungeon area, which was located on the outskirts of the city.
The area wasn't crowded, but several Awakened individuals could still be seen. Some were resting; others were simply loitering, waiting to join or form a party.
"Joining our group has its benefits—but also a few important requirements. First, you must have at least 15 stat points in one of your primary stats…"
"Only 15 points? No problem. I have 17 points in agility…"
"I'd have a problem… I've got 14…"
It was common for the awakened individuals to gather around the dungeons, hoping to join a team. As Elliot walked towards the dungeon portal, which glowed with a bluish-white hue and was located on the other side of the road, he passed by clusters of people chatting and forming groups.
Everyone had their own reasons for teaming up, but the main draw was simple—hunting in groups made things safer. The risk of injury or death would be reduced significantly. The only problem, however, was that sharing the kill of the beast with others meant splitting the amount of Attribute Energy gained. That was why the strongest—or the greediest—preferred to go solo, even if it meant gambling with their life.
That was why it was often said that greed was the number one killer of the awakened people each year. Desperate to quickly gain strength and lacking the ability to enjoy the process, they rush into hunting beasts that were impossible for them to stand against and would end up dying.
"Joining a group wouldn't be a bad idea," Elliot thought, glancing around. "But with the Clark Family looking for me everywhere, I'm afraid teaming up will get me killed faster. So, for now, I'd better ignore these people."
He quickly made his way to the portal, drawing curious gazes from those nearby. Without hesitation, he retrieved his Dungeon Entry Pass.
Immediately, a familiar chime echoed as the System activated.
[You have received a fast pass to enter a Dungeon.]
[Rank E Dungeon – South of Loen City]
[It is a Closed Dungeon; once inside, getting out will be difficult.]
[Are you sure you want to challenge it?]
[Yes] [No]
Elliott quickly pressed the "YES" button, and when the system allowed him to enter, he took several steps forward and disappeared into the portal.
Behind him, the onlookers sighed.
'So young… and already courting death.'
'To challenge a Dungeon of Goblins and Spiders on his own, which has a Special Boss… Sigh, I guess people these days really don't value their lives."
Despite the sighs, no one stepped in or said anything to stop him. In a world where everyone competes against the other, there was no need for one to worry about someone who didn't even belong to their family.