Dungeon Raider System

Nika walked the crowded streets carrying Uriel like he was drunk, a sight not uncommon in the slums but rarely seen in the upscale part of the city. Worried that Uriel could be wounded, Nika decided to let him rest a while before going back to the abandoned factory and took him to the nearest fast food restaurant.

He was unresponsive and limp like a wet noodle, his eyes staring blankly at the distance, his hair disheveled, but the only harm his body had sustained was a small irritation on his wrist. His body seemed fine, then the only explanation Nika could think of was that the problem lied on his mind.

"Uriel, can you hear me?" Nika waved her hand in front of his eyes trying to make him react.

"Of course I can hear you, are you dumb?" Uriel replied in a sour mood.

"And you made me carry you all the way here!? You're so shameless." Nika giggled.

"I can't fucking move, you asshole." Uriel growled in a very uncharacteristic fit of rage.

Nika was taken aback by his hostile reaction, but she was even more shocked by his condition. Medusa's trait was a mystery to her, but the effects seemed way too extreme for an ascended trait. Most traits were close to useless in combat until they reached the heavenly rank, that was the reason why most hunters used firearms instead of simply relying on their traits.

"Can you feel this?" Nika pinched his leg, trying to see if he had any sensibility.

"Yes, I can feel everything, I just can't move. Sorry about before... I just..." Uriel tried to explain, but he then fell silent. He didn't really understand the reason why would Medusa use her petrifying glare on him, but what puzzled even more was the incredible effect it had. "I think I understand now why Shaker changed his attitude completely after being affected by her trait." Uriel said.

If it was just a couple the first visions he saw, it would have been unsettling, and he might have been paralyzed for a short while. But the visions of Water warlock were so dreadful, so incredibly vivid that he couldn't believe were just illusions.

"I don't know about that, but there's something fishy about this, an ascended shouldn't have that kind of power. Anyway, maybe you'll feel better after eating and now that I can finally access my account it will be my treat!" Nika said with a grin waving her hunter card.

"That's so generous of you, taking me to dine to a fancy place like this." Uriel sarcastically said. "But I can't move, how do you expect me to eat?"

"I'll figure out something." She said with a mischievous grin.

Nika left him for a couple minutes while she grabbed their meals and came back with the tray filled to the brim. The higher the rank of a hunter, the more time they could spend without sating their basic needs like eating or sleeping, but at the same time they needed more food to replenish their stamina.

Since Uriel couldn't move properly, Nika had to spoon feed him but, instead of the cheesy romantic idea of a girlfriend feeding her boyfriend, the scene looked more like a nurse feeding a disabled man. Fortunately, Uriel started feeling better as soon as he got some food and it wasn't long until he recovered in full.

"Wait, wait... don't tell me..." Nika covered her mouth in shock. "Uriel, did you change your diet when you became an ascended?"

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"No, why should I?" He shook his head.

"Can someone be this stupid?" Nika facepalmed.

"What? What's wrong?" Uriel blinked a couple times and waited for an answer.

"Listen, evolved, ascended and even heavenly rank hunters are still human. we get our sustenance from food just like anybody else. You need to consume the same amount of calories you spend, if you consume less you'll lose muscle, if you consume more you'll get fat."

"So?"

"So you didn't change your diet, but you spent who knows how much more calories. You almost starved yourself to death. How do you not know the most basic things?" Nika asked, but soon realized that the answer had always been in front of her. Uriel came from a very dysfunctional home in the slums, it was only natural he didn't know much about being an ascended.

"I will be more careful in the future." Uriel replied, he didn't look as pale as before, but his eyes were still lost and empty. Though it had nothing to do with his debilitated condition, it was actually the effect of the petrifying glare.

"I know you always intended on graduating college and becoming an archaeologist, but now that you're a hunter you must understand a few things. Being a hunter pays great, I get it, but there's a reason why so many people decide to seek employment in huge corporations like Mapple or even the army in spite of their rank. It's because of the upkeep being a hunter requires.

The stronger you become, the more expensive the living cost is. As an ascended you should still have some leeway, but you'll need to pay food, taxes, incursion tickets that will grant you the right over a specific hunting zone..." Nika continued with a long list of expenses that ranged from transportation to hired assistants.

Most of those expenses were things Uriel didn't consider when he signed up to become a hunter in the cryptid agency.

"So you're telling me... I won't be able to quit being a hunter?"

"Precisely. Unless you hit a really big jackpot which is very unlikely, or come from a wealthy family you'll be doing this for life. You may be able to afford going a couple months without working, but whenever you run low on funds you'll always resort to hunting. A lot of Mapple corp employees started their careers as independent hunters like you, but then..."

"I get it, thank you." Uriel replied.

They went to the abandoned factory soon after and Uriel went to bed early. His body ached, his mind was out of focus and he dreaded to fall asleep and see the visions again, but out of a sudden he received a message that made him so happy it somewhat countered his bitter mood.

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