NOVEL NEXT Chapter 101: Unit #314
After their meal, the warmth of good food still lingering in their bodies, Ethan and Mia stepped back into the street, weaving through the shifting currents of Valeron Cross. The district buzzed with quiet intensity, the kind of hum only places adjacent to Labyrinth zones had—low-grade tension mixed with the weariness of those who survived it.
Ethan checked his phone. "Agency's five blocks out," he muttered.
"Let's hope they don't make us fill out a hundred forms," Mia replied, tugging her hoodie closer. "I've had enough paperwork in the infirmary."
Ethan didn't respond, but the corner of his mouth lifted.
When they reached the building, a solid gray structure marked with the sigil of the Valeron Cross Settlement Oversight Division, they were greeted by tall reinforced glass doors that slid open with a hiss. Inside was a wide lobby fitted with crystal-lit panels, mana scanners embedded in the walls, and an oddly sterile scent of polished steel and mana-stabilizer fluid.
"Welcome to the Settlement Oversight Division," a receptionist greeted automatically from behind a curved obsidian desk. "How can we assist you?"
Ethan stepped forward, speaking clearly. "I'm here to claim my property unit. I just finalized a one-year reservation for Unit #314, Ironroot Sector in the Obsidian Anchor settlement."
"Please hold," the woman replied, fingers tapping swiftly across a transparent mana-terminal. "Name?"
"Leon Grimveil," he replied.
A soft hum came from the crystal interface as it scanned for the registered lease.
"Ah, yes. One moment." She tapped again, and two glass cards printed out from a side module. "Here's your temporary visitor ID, and your provisional access card. Head to the second floor, Room 12B—Property Authorization and Key Issuance."
Mia leaned in toward Ethan as they took the elevator up. "So… Ironroot, huh? Sounds intimidating."
Ethan smirked. "That's the idea."
The second-floor corridor had a more private feel—soft lighting, smaller rooms, and muffled voices behind frosted-glass doors. At Room 12B, a glowing rune blinked gently red.
Ethan knocked once.
"Come in," a voice answered.
Inside was a woman in her mid-thirties with a sharp bob haircut and business-like demeanor. Her nameplate read Marcia Thorne – Authorization Officer. She was already skimming through what looked like his reservation file.
"You're here for Unit 314?" she asked without looking up.
"Yes."
"Payment confirmed… One-year lease… Hmm." She finally glanced up, giving Ethan a once-over. "A bit uncommon to see new settlers go all in with a full-year deposit. Most hedge with three months."
"I'm not with most," Ethan replied simply.
Mia, seated beside him, tried to stifle a smirk.
"Clearly," Marcia muttered, returning to the file. "Alright. Let's begin. There's a bit of paperwork and rune-binding before the key is officially yours."
She handed him a mana-conduction pen and a stack of digital rune-sheets. Ethan glanced at the first one: Zone Agreement Consent Form – Liability, Damages & Evacuation Terms.
He signed.
Then came the Solo-License Waiver—a document making it clear that Ethan, as a solo occupant, took full responsibility for his safety, property, and emergency response. There would be no guild backup, no shared mana shieldings.
He signed that too.
Another form, the Labyrinth Proximity Clause, noted that Ironroot was within ten kilometers of an active rift zone. Insurance wouldn't cover property damage caused by beast stampedes or Labyrinth fluctuations.
Mia nudged him as he scribbled. "Still confident in the place?"
"More than ever."
Finally, Marcia tapped a small silver cube on her desk, activating a projection. "Alright. This is your settlement unit—layout, specifications, included enchantments."
A 3D hologram of the house shimmered into view. A compact, two-floor space with reinforced alloyed walls, an auto-repair enchantment, and a gravity-tempered sparring chamber in the basement.
"Nice," Mia whispered, clearly impressed.
"The structure is warded against low-tier intrusions and mana destabilization up to Rank Two. Power supply is on a stabilized essence grid, and there's a cleanline water converter installed."
Marcia pushed the cube forward. "Press your palm to bind your authorization."
Ethan did. A faint heat passed through his hand as the runes accepted his signature.
"It's done," she confirmed. "Final step—your key."
From a drawer, she pulled out a small obsidian tag inscribed with shifting glyphs. "This isn't just a door key. It's bound to your mana signature. It links to the house's security enchantments and emergency beacon. If anyone else tries to activate it, the core enchantment will lock them out—and alert us."
Ethan took it, watching the glyphs flare briefly at his touch.
"Welcome to Ironroot," Marcia said.
Ethan stood and gave her a small nod. "Thanks."
"Before you go," she added, glancing toward Mia, "are you registering anyone else under this property?"
"No," Ethan said immediately. "Solo license."
Mia rolled her eyes but said nothing.
Marcia nodded, unfazed. "Then everything's finalized. You're free to head to the site when ready. A field inspector will visit in three days to verify living status and run a standard compliance check."
"Got it."
They stepped out of the room together, back into the hallway.
Mia stretched as they entered the elevator. "Okay, not as soul-crushing as I expected."
Unit #314, Ironroot Sector.
The Obsidian Anchor Settlement lived up to its name. Nestled against a wall of jagged, slate-colored ridges, the place was quiet, layered in muted tones of gray and black—its streets paved with solid hexite slabs, each one etched with faint runic circuitry that pulsed softly with mana as they walked.
It was a peaceful district. No noise. No crowds. Just the occasional hum of distant patrol drones.
They stopped at the unit. House #314.
"It's just like the 3D projection," Mia murmured, tilting her head.
The house stood on its own modest plot. Not too big. Not too small. Functional, compact. Its matte-black alloyed walls had a faint sheen under the sky's soft violet hue, reinforced plates interwoven with defense enchantments that shimmered subtly when viewed from certain angles. Sleek, minimal lines. A reinforced doorway. No windows on the lower level—only narrow viewing slits, enough for light but too tight to exploit.
Ethan approached the front door and held the obsidian key tag near the embedded glyph pad.
A faint pulse. The glyphs blinked once in response, then unraveled like threads of light before fading into nothing. The door hissed open.
"Welcome, Leon Grimveil," came a synthetic voice from inside. Neutral. Genderless. "You may now enter."
Ethan stepped in first, motioning for Mia to follow. Her boots made soft thuds against the smooth mana-glass flooring as they crossed the threshold.
The interior was clean, and the scent of freshly deployed enchantments lingered faintly in the air—a sharp, sterile aroma with a tinge of heated metal.
The main floor opened into a compact living space: dark-toned furniture fused into the architecture itself, a low-table embedded with an interactive screen, and a couch that adjusted shape when Ethan brushed past it. In the corner was a compact kitchen station, its storage compartments and mana-powered cooker nested seamlessly into the wall.
Mia stepped ahead of him, letting out a low whistle. "This is... honestly kind of cool."
Ethan nodded, eyes scanning the upper balcony visible from the living room—the second floor. Narrow stairs curved along the wall, leading up to a simple bedroom space and a small study room that had already been pre-equipped with mana-conductive walls and adjustable lighting panels.
"It's efficient," he muttered. "They made it for solo residents. No wasted space."
He walked toward the side of the living room, where a reinforced door stood—this one darker than the others, its lock surrounded by extra glyphs.
He pressed his palm to the pad. The door opened slowly with a hiss.
Stairs led downward.
The basement.
He took the steps two at a time, his boots echoing off the stone-like material until he reached the floor below. A soft light flickered on as he entered, revealing the sparring chamber.
The room was a cube of reinforced alloy plating. Mana-dampening runes lined the floor and ceiling. In the far corner, a set of training bots stood dormant—humanoid in shape, each labeled with their combat difficulty tiers.
There was a panel against the wall. Ethan tapped it, and a blue interface lit up.
"Set difficulty to Rank D," he murmured, not intending to start a fight—just testing.
One of the bots stirred faintly, light flickering behind its eyes. He quickly disabled it before it could activate.
Satisfied, he turned back and found Mia peeking down from the top of the stairs.
"Looks like a kill box," she said.
Ethan gave a small smile. "That's the point."
Back upstairs, they wandered a bit more. The bedroom wasn't lavish, but it had a large adaptive bed that could shift based on the user's sleeping patterns and posture. Mana filters were tucked subtly into the corners of the ceiling, meant to stabilize the air and enhance recovery during rest. The study room came with an integrated display screen, able to project data, maps, or training logs.
Mia had already flopped onto the couch in the living room, stretching out with a sigh. "Okay, not bad. I could sleep here for a week."
"You're not," Ethan replied dryly, moving to sit across from her.
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Solo license. I remember."