Dungeon Raider System

"Dammit! Why does this have to be so difficult!?" Uriel cursed for the umpteenth time that morning, leaving Miss Dragonfang puzzled.

"What's the matter? I think everything went pretty smoothly. Is this really because you had to spend all that money?" She questioned, but Uriel remained silent. Not because he wanted to keep a secret, but because he was too embarrassed to admit it was because he couldn't make friends with anyone during the party.

No matter how hard he tried to mingle, everyone treated him with respect. Maybe too much respect, which Uriel assumed was because they were scared of him. Needless to say, he was correct.

For most people, speaking to a boss like a friend was difficult, but the fact that he was also the rumored 'Raider' and that he announced the coming of a titan rank cryptid like it wasn't a big thing didn't make it any easier.

There was also the added difficulty of Uriel not knowing the first thing about making friends. Due to his personality the more he attempted to pass as a nice person the more he sounded like he had a hidden agenda or ulterior motives, which in all fairness he did.

He wanted to make as many friends as he could to increase the bonus granted to him by the 'Red thread of fate', but this turned out to be impossible and left him wondering why did his friends even liked him.

"It's nothing," Uriel grunted and then changed the subject. "There's an important matter we need to discuss."

"Uh-huh." Miss Dragonfang gulped down her saliva. She didn't know what to expect from him anymore, but he always sounded ominous which made her fear the worst.

"I'm meeting Captain Silvermane today and I need a small team for a mission."

"What kind of mission? Are we going on an incursion!?" Miss Dragonfang couldn't hold her excitement. Throwing a party was a great boost for morale, but that didn't change the fact that most of the Dungeon Raiders wanted to skip town and she couldn't blame them given how they didn't receive their wages in a long time and how they were being actively hunted by the Fallen corporation.

"We're going to cleanse the city." Uriel muttered with a somber tone, one that countered any possibility of Miss Dragonfang taking it as a joke.

"What you're asking is suicidal! Who would be that crazy?" Miss Dragonfang exclaimed, though she immediately guessed who would be up for something like that and she proceeded to call her.

***

The sun was high up in the clear skies promising a nice weather for everyone in the city. It was a regular day for most students, though that didn't include those who arrived at the gym for their physical training class only to find out their instructor was nowhere to be seen.

For the first time in his career as an instructor, Captain Silvermane failed to present himself to train the college students. It was his duty and he took it to heart, no matter how menial it seemed. Most soldiers aspired to become Captains just for the chance to become instructors and avoid incursions, but Silvermane did it because he thought it was the most important task.

Training not only turned he flimsy students into a better version of themselves, it also allowed Captain Silvermane to give them life lessons that would shape their future. He thought that, if he trained enough students, one day society might change for the better and create a bright future for everyone.

He had high hopes on each and everyone of his students, but even more so on the one he was now waiting for.

Uriel was the perfect example of how important physical training was. It allowed a poor evolved into a prosper heavenly rank hunter. Of course Silvermane didn't attribute all of Uriel's achievements on his training, but he hoped his words somehow guided him to being the man he currently was.

Silverman let out a hopeful sigh as he gazed at the city skyline when a taxi pulled over in front of him by the entrance to campus.

"Sage?" Silvermane was taken aback by his former student not arriving in a fancy car like most heavenly rank hunters.

"Why are you so shocked to see me? I was the one who called you in here. Did you bring what I asked?"

"Yes, Everything's here in the suitcase" Silverman pointed at a suitcase on the ground and Miss Dragonfang picked it up.

"Thanks for this, I have something to do now."

"There's no need to thank me. When you helped me fight the werewolf I was able to confirm the presence of cryptids inside the city and I gathered a group of gifted students to hunt them. It started as a small group, but now..."

Silvermane continued speaking to himself, not realizing that Uriel had already turned to leave because he was in a hurry, but Miss Dragonfang struggled to get back inside the taxi.

"Hurry up, would you? We need to get there before sunset."

"Don't look at me, it's not my fault this car is too short for my legs." The long legged martial artist replied with a shrug.

Silvermane then fell into a daze, wondering if Uriel was truly a heavenly rank like he said in his message. He could tell with just a look that Uriel wasn't rich, at least not anymore since they arrived on a taxi that looked comically short for the passengers and he also heard of what happened to the Dungeon Raiders company.

But what triggered his suspicions more than anything else, was that Uriel didn't emit the strong presence a heavenly rank should. Even more strange was the fact that he didn't emit any presence at all. It was even weaker than when he first became a hunter, which was a lot to say. Then, Captain silvermane shook his head as he remembered the way Uriel moved when they fought against the lycanthrope.

Right before Captain Silvermane disappeared from sight, Uriel directed a last look at the man with a faint smile after confirming that the 'Red thread of fate' recognized him as a friend. The minute Uriel stepped close to the captain he felt stronger and now he knew just how powerful the weapon ability was.

'If only I managed to become friends with those guys,' Uriel thought regretfully. He needed just ten friends to become twice as strong and just thinking of how strong he could become if he made a hundred friends made him shiver. 'Now I'm stuck with these two and only Miss Dragonfang counts as a friend.'

Uriel didn't understand why would one count and not the other. They were both nice to him and agreed to accompany him on his mission. He wondered if it was related to how much time they spent together and other factors that could possibly make the difference between friendship and acquaintance, not knowing what the actual requirements for a friendship to form were.

The martial artist crouching inelegantly in the back seat owed her life to Uriel and wanted to repay him. It was a one sided feeling and Uriel didn't feel any closeness to her, other than gratitude for agreeing to join him.

In spite of his years of study and pursue of knowledge, the true meaning of friendship escaped Uriel's field of study and sadly, there was nothing he could do about it.

Uriel pondered about such matters and barely reacted when Miss Dragonfang yelled at the driver to stop the car. "Why on earth are we going to the north district!?"

"To kill vampires, why else?" Uriel replied shortly.

"Didn't you mention they became weaker under UV light and they could only be killed with wood!?" She asked, to which Uriel simply nodded. "By the time we get there it's going to be dark already! You're not on your right mind. We've faced a few vampires before and they're nasty during the day, but impossible to defeat at night!"

"It's going to be fine, someone else is joining this party." Uriel said, though instead of a reassuring smile his face crumpled. Just thinking about the man they were about to meet made him sick to the stomach.

After what seemed like hours of heavy traffic, the taxi stopped in front of a building where a tall man was already waiting for them.

"Where's your car?" Uriel opened the window to a slit and asked.

"What car? When you messaged me I assumed we were going to sneak in there. Do you really think my brother wouldn't notice any of my cars arriving at his club?" Soulfire replied.

"Y-y-you know him?" Miss dragonfang stuttered blushing up to her ears.

"Whatever, just squeeze in there however you can. We're running late already." Uriel grunted, prompting Soulfire, the eldest of the Jacobson brothers and heir to the Jacobson company, to enter the already cramped vehicle.

"Apologies, It was an accident." Soulfire smiled at Miss Dragonfang after brushing his body against her.

"Thank you..." The soldier replied, enthralled by his touch and charisma.

"Mister Sage, I wonder if you could possibly move your seat a little forward." Soulfire begged for just a couple more centimeters to make some distance between her and Miss Dragonfang who couldn't keep her hands to herself.

"Not a chance." Uriel replied with a malevolent smile.