Chapter 15 – First Dungeon [1]

"Perfect." Vale nodded at him and turned around to look at the gym owner and his wife, who was standing behind him. "I see that you bought equipment using your point. That's good. No matter what your power is, there is nothing wrong with having a weapon for self-defense."

"Haha, that's what we thought too." Jenny chuckled lightly as she patted Taylor's shoulder gently. "I chose this because I can control the arrows using my telekinesis. And I recommended a shield and hammer for him. At first, he's reluctant, but he accepted it."

"They make a good workout." The big guy nodded with a satisfied smile. "And this shield can be used both offensively and defensively."

Vale smiled back at them. "Let's go."

Everyone nodded and went to the car. They put all their equipment behind, except for Vale and Kiara. They sat on the middle seat and held their swords as if they were part of their bodies. Taylor drove the car while Jenny sat beside him and navigated their way using a map.

Their destination was an abandoned building outside the city. It looked like an old hotel that was shut down due to high maintenance costs and not enough customers. However, people on the internet said that they spotted monsters coming out of it.

Which meant, this old hotel had turned into a dungeon. This was the only one that wasn't barricaded by the police yet.

'I'd like to try that tower which suddenly appeared in New York, but there are too many police there. It's not perfect to be used as a training ground.' He thought.

The journey only needed an hour, which was faster than expected. It was a smooth drive, thanks to Taylor's driving skill and Jenny's navigation. They stopped by a nearby gas station to refuel before going again.

"There's the hotel!" Vale said as he saw the abandoned building in front of him. "Park the car somewhere else."

"Understood." Taylor nodded his head and parked the car on the side of the road while the rest of the group got out and held their equipment with them.

'Let's see what awaits us in this dungeon.' Vale thought as he grabbed his sword and stepped out of the van. As soon as he got out, he suddenly felt something. 'Maybe it's just me, but I feel like... We're being watched. Hmm, it's from within?' He looked at the hotel.

He couldn't feel any presence at all inside the hotel, although there were some people outside. They were probably also brought here after seeing the information on the internet.

"Whoa, is this old hotel really the place?" Kiara asked as she saw the building in front of her. "Looks like it's been abandoned for a long time. But still... There is something eerie in there."

"You also felt it?" Vale asked, confusing the couple.

"Yeah, kinda." Kiara answered, "Maybe because I have fought a lot of monsters with you, I felt like there are many of them inside this tiny hotel. Haha, that's ridiculous."

She laughed at her own joke, but Vale knew she wasn't joking. He knew Kiara was a talented person. He also trusted his senses.

"Are we going in?" Taylor asked, "There are already people out here trying to break down the door."

Vale and Kiara looked at each other, nodding their heads.

"Let's go." Vale said, walking forward confidently as he held his sword in his hand and wore his sheath on his waist. He walked toward the hotel without hesitation.

At a glance, there were 10 or so people standing in front of the main door and trying to break it down. But, they didn't look like Survivors who had a Passion System or superpowers like him.

They looked like normal people who hadn't awakened anything.

"Why won't this freaking door open for us?! Goddamnit!" A man kicked the door angrily while his friends helped him.

"Yo! Over here!" Kiara shouted at them, attracting their attention. "Need help?"

The men around the hotel turned around and looked at them in surprise. It was clear that they didn't expect anyone to arrive and help them at this time.

And because Vale and his group brought weapons, the men looked tense and wary of them.

"No, we don't need help from strangers." A guy in his late 30s stepped forward and looked at them with a frown on his face. "This is our business, so just go."

They were clearly reluctant to step aside. That was until someone, a man in their twenty, suddenly widened his eyes in realization.

"H-Hey, Jordan. I think we should step back. That woman beside the strange white-haired guy, I recognized her from the internet." He whispered to his friend, Jordan, and pointed at Kiara. "She's the Kendo Champion from last year. Kiara Hunt."

Hearing that, Jordan turned his head around and looked at Kiara closely. His eyes widened as he recognized her too. The title of Kendo Champion meant no shit to him. However, the name was a different matter.

"Kiara Hunt?! The second rank from the world ranking? You're actually here?!"

"It seems I have become famous worldwide in a night." She laughed lightly at their reaction. "If you know me, will you be good boys and step aside? We have matters to attend to in the hotel."

Her request made them step aside immediately as they looked at her in awe and disbelief. It was hard to believe that she was also a Survivor who ranked two worldwide. Not only that, the difference of points between her and the third rank was almost double.

That easily made people understand. That she was a really strong woman who killed twice the amount of monsters that the third rank managed to kill.

"Wow, Vale. They really step aside silently." Kiara said as she walked past them, her voice was loud and clear.

If the people were looking at her in awe earlier, then they were now scared shitless. The name Vale had made it to the headlines of some news for being the first rank in the ranking announcement two days ago.

His face was still unknown, unlike Kiara whose face was known from her reputation as a Kendo Champion.

"Ignore them, Kiara." Vale said as he walked pass them and put his hand on the door handle. "Ready?"

She nodded at him.

Then, he pulled the handle and the door opened with no problem as if it wasn't locked in the first place. The people who stepped aside earlier looked in wonder. This was the difference between them and Survivors. 

Those who didn't survive the apocalypse had no chance to even step inside the dungeon.