Chapter 123

Chapter 123

Bri stares down at the crimson daggers in my hands, then brings her gaze up to my eyes.

“Your sword is an evolution-type weapon, I’m sure you’ve noticed its stat growth by now.”

I nod as she continues.

“Well, these blades have an evolution element to them as well. The only difference is, they’re a fusion-type weapon too.”

I look at Bri with a blank stare.

“A- a fusion-type weapon means... what exactly?”

“It depends. The fact that they can evolve means their fusion ability may change in the future too.”

“....”

“Try pressing both of your daggers together.”

I do as she says, bringing the two slightly glowing blades together in front of my chest.

The hum from earlier returns, and begins to grow louder the closer the two daggers get to each other. Once less than 5cm apart, I feel a strong resistance in between the weapons.

Dense pockets of air begin to flow out of the blades, immediately filling the room with violent gusts of wind.

Bri speaks up grinning ear to ear.

“Don’t worry about my office, keep going.”

I gulp, then continue doing as she says. I focus my mana into the two blades while activating my own Wind Summoning skill along with my All-Seeing Eye to track the mana in the room much easier.

*Clink*

The moment I do, the two daggers calm down and the wind comes to a standstill as both blades hit each other with a light metallic ring.

My eyes widen as I watch the two blades merge into one....

The white light around them becomes much brighter, as a heavy red dagger falls into my open palms. Bri lets out a laugh.

“Well, to be honest, I didn’t expect you to control it that well on your first try. Now, try to separate them.”

I stare at the single dagger, concentrating on the odd flow of energy inside it. While gripping its handle tight, I force a large amount of mana and wind magic into the blade again while picturing it split in two in my mind’s eye.

The blade begins to glow bright white and is followed by a flash of light and a mild gust of wind. The blade comes apart into two shining red daggers again. I nod slowly while twirling the pair around my fingers.

“Another fine piece of art you’ve made Bri, thanks.”

She smiles.

“The pleasure is all mine, I’m glad we could make a deal today. You know I’m always here to do business with you.”

I smirk and give her a firm nod.

“Good. I’ll probably be back soon-”

I turn to leave, but a question has been eating away at the back of my mind... I decide to speak up.

“Hey- uh- one last thing actually. There are Demon Cores... right. Have you ever seen or heard of a dungeon core or a labyrinth core? Or uhh- something resembling a large egg-shared crystal?”

Bri looks at me with a confused stare.

“A dungeon core?”

She thinks for a moment while placing both hands on her hips and staring up at the ceiling.

“I can’t say I have. Usually, we refer to the Demon Cores as Dungeon Cores. If you’re thinking of something else then I’m not exactly su-“

“Okay, got it. Just wondering, that’s all.”

“The only reason I’m telling you this is because they’re most likely recruiting you to farm resources. Either outside the country or maybe in the city’s labyrinth, there’s no telling what exactly the higher-ups are thinking sometimes. All I know is they’ve been scouting unique combat-types more and more recently, giving high rewards to any Association members that can give them leads. That’s why I put your name on the list.”

“And....?”

“Well... It seems like I may have overreacted earlier. If my sister has grown a liking to you, then you’re an ally to me as well. My advice for this meeting is...”

“....”

“Stand out as little as possible. The less they see you as an asset, the less strict your contract will be. Don’t come off as special, and you’ll be offered the best deal. Trust me.”

I stare at the floor, taking in his advice as the doors to the elevator open and we arrive at the top floor of the Association’s tower.

The hum of mana shields fills all my senses as I’m almost blinded by the overwhelmingly white walls of the room in front of me. A deep, wise voice rings out as my eyes adjust.

I see an old man with long grey hair tied back in a man bun. His hands are clasped together with too many gold rings to count on top of the wooden desk he sits behind. Wrinkles fill the elder’s face, but he shows off his pearly whites with a professional smile.

“Welcome, welcome. Nice to see you again Rodrigo.”

As we both walk forward, the old man speaks up again.

“This must be Jay, nice to meet you.”

He closes his eyes, smiling with a closed mouth, nodding, and motioning for us to sit in the two comfortable-looking chairs in front of him.

The room around us is bare. The white walls connect with the white ceiling above, and there isn’t even a single painting or shelf to give my poor eyes a rest.

The only break from the blinding white light is the full wall of glass behind the old man at his desk. It may be an odd setup, but It really is an incredible view of the entire city.

As the two of us sit down, I activate conceal to prepare my status along with inspect and Appraisal to check out the man running this get-together.

_____________

[Lv. 731]

Active Items:

[Ring of Eternal Protection] +150% Defense

[Ring of Eternal Protection] +150% Defense

[Ring of Eternal Protection] +150% Defense

[Ring of Eternal Protection] +150% Defense

[Ring of Eternal Protection] +150% Defense

[Ring of Eternal Protection] +150% Defense

[Scale of The Elder Dragon] +180% Magic Resistance

Active Skills:

Extreme Strength [Legendary Grade]

Extreme Speed [Legendary Grade]

Appraisal [Special Grade]

Stealth [Special Grade]

_____________

I let out a gasp, then cover it up with a light cough as my eyes open wide to take in this old man’s stats...

He continues to smile as we seat ourselves, then starts off with an introduction.

“My name is Brutus C. Matthews. I’m the Vice Region’s Head Director for the Hunters Association. Let us begin our meeting. The main topic today is Jay’s new contract.”