"Commoner, that's my seat. Scram!"
"Commoner?" Sarah raised her brows as she gazed at the youth who stood in front of her. She didn't expect someone to find trouble with her even when she hadn't done anything to warrant attention.
"Yeah, are you deaf? Now, move aside commoner." The youth raised his voice once again, it looked like he would start a fight any second. He was just about to walk towards that seat when Sarah occupied it before him. On seeing that all the other seats were filled, he focused his attention on Sarah.
The youth had yellow hair that was trimmed to look crisp and neat. He had yellow eyes that had a mellow lustre in them that varied according to his emotions. The guy looked to be only as tall as Sarah who was already short when compared to her peers.
"Well," Sarah was just about to retaliate when a cough sounded from the stage and a formless force lifted the boy and seated him at the last row that had a vacant seat. Sarah traced her gaze towards the source of the cough and saw a man with a round belly that was so big that she felt like she could fit two of her in it. The man had common facial features except for his belly that made him look unremarkable.
"I see that all 1000 newcomers have been seated," The man said as he swept a cursory gaze along everyone seated and paused a second longer at the yellow-haired boy who tried to create a commotion before. He ignored the boy's angry gaze and instructed everyone.
"After your registration in the Hunter Guild, you will be required to complete a small test. This is, for the first part, to measure your abilities and for the second part, gather comrades for your future hunts. Well, whatever you do during the test phase, we won't actually care. All you will be required is to find the designated items before the test ends."
"Sir, what kind of test will you be conducting?" A short girl stood up from the crowd and shouted, interrupting his speech.
"Please be patient. I will explain everything in detail." The man said, as a matter of fact, not irritated in the slightest for being interrupted.
"The test is a very simple one. All you will be required to do are two things. This first is to find 1 Bole of a certain material, and the second is to clear a 1000-man dungeon." The man said as he passed a pamphlet to everyone. There was a commotion among the crowd as everyone raised voices of protest.
The man raised a hand as the crowd unanimously turned silent. "It is a level 1 dungeon that is under the control of the guild. The boss monster within has been sealed by our efforts so you wouldn't have to worry about facing it. By clearing, I didn't mean for you to actually clear the dungeon. That would be impossible for you." The man said as everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
Clearing a dungeon would make a person instantly famous and sought after by all sorts of organisations, irrespective of the level of the dungeon he/she had cleared. It was something only the elite warriors of a level were capable of since the boss monster of any dungeon was a terrifying foe.
"Through a pact with the Dungeon Lord, we have obtained his permission to modify the conditions for this dungeon to allow people to clear it without defeating the Boss." The man said when a door opened behind him and two staff members, a man, and a woman walked out. Both the staff members seemed to be in their thirties as they carried a powerful aura around them.
"The boys should follow Sir Royce here while the girls should follow Miss Blista." The man said as he vanished from the spot. Royce and Blista each walked towards the opposite ends of the stage when a door opened behind them. Without a noise, they both entered into their respective doors.
After a moment of hesitation, everyone began to follow after their respective staff. Sarah walked behind a short freckled girl with brown hair as she read through the contents of the pamphlet she had received.
'One must collect 1 Bole of Water Husk to clear the first part of the test. The second part just necessitates us to clear the dungeon but we are awarded points based on the number of monster cores we have harvested. We are also not permitted to carry any items into the dungeon and should survive by making use of the resources that grow naturally within it.' Sarah thought as she memorised the appearance of the Water Husk.
Water Husk; it was a type of soil that can absorb a certain quantity of moisture in the air. A handful of it weighed 1 Bole. Sarah flipped the back of the pamphlet and looked at the picture of the monster that habited the dungeon they were trying to clear.
It was a creature that looked like a goat. It had a single spiralled horn on its head that was used for attacks. It spanned from half-a-Dobin to 1 Dobin tall and had a tail that looked like a spear. Its tail would become stiff when threatened and used to sneak attack unsuspecting foes from behind.
Spear-Tailed Goat, a level 1 monster whose primary attack is to elongate its horn and mount a charged attack. At level 1, it can only use this attack once before needing to recover energy by consuming an Energy Berry. Depending on its level, the number of horns on its head may vary. But, since this dungeon only had level 1 Spear-Tailed Goats, the pamphlet only mentioned them.
"Now, everyone can change into the garments provided in their respective lockers. Also, make sure to leave all your items in it." Blista said when they walked into a large room. There were lockers aligned in neat orderly columns with each of them having the face of a girl printed on it.
Sarah found a locker with her face printed on it and opened it to find a set of white clothes. They were made from a thin fabric that was soft to the touch and looked like casual clothes when worn. There was also a pair of shoes that seemed to have been stitched by layering the same fabric a couple of times. Sarah held the pair of shoes in her hand and wondered if they could actually protect her feet. She also noticed a pair of white undergarments enclosed within the set of clothes.
'Does that mean we should clear the test with just this?' Sarah thought as she changed into the garments they had provided. Once she wore the so-called shoes, she had a premonition that her feet were going to be subjected to torture later.
"When you are done, only make sure you wear the single jewellery you had refined. Since all of you are only level 1 warriors, I don't think anyone of you can use another jewellery." Blista said. When she saw the actions of a couple of girls who were being sneaky, she added a word of warning.
"Also, before we send you inside, we will conduct another round of inspection. Once we find anything amiss there, hehe." Blista sneered as she released her aura. For an instant, all the girls felt an illusion as if they were drowning in a volcano. Some of the weaker willed girls pissed their pants while others directly began to vomit.
'Ah, shit. I went overboard.' Blista felt a headache as she hurriedly summoned a team of caretakers to clean up the mess and help the girls who had embarrassed themselves.
Sarah clenched her teeth and propped her legs that rattled like a twig caught in a storm. She used the door of the locker as support to steady herself and thanked the fact that she was born as a pirate who was used to the turbulent seas. Otherwise, she too might have embarrassed herself like the others.
Sarah looked at the aluminium ring on her hand that she wore as a camouflage to conceal the fact that she owned a Principled Jewellery. Thinking back to the words of Blista, Sarah sighed as she removed the aluminium ring and kept it inside the locker. As long as she was careful while in the dungeon, no one would notice her possession of a Principled Jewellery.
Donning thin white pants and a shirt that was long enough to look like a frock, Sarah tied a white rope around her hips and used it as a belt. She also tied a thin thread around her ankle where the so-called shoes ended to secure them in place. They also provided a pair of gloves made from the same material that she wore on her hands. Finished with the dress change, Sarah took a moment to inspect herself before closing the locker.
She turned around and noticed a girl looking at her. The girl had yellow hair and yellow eyes and seemed to be checking her out.
'She looks somewhat similar to that annoying guy.' Sarah sent a provocative look at the yellow-haired girl who flinched in response.
Snorting with an arrogant gait, Sarah pushed her hair to the back as she brushed past the yellow-haired girl. In a place surrounded by her peers, Sarah had to act arrogant. If she acted meek, then people might naturally come to the conclusion that she wasn't a noble. In their world, be it status, strength, or power, the nobles were unmatched in all of them.
This instilled in them a sense of superiority and arrogance whenever they came across commoners. Moreover, all the laws established in their kingdom favoured the nobles. So, even if they were to deal with a commoner, the law wouldn't hold them accountable. So, Sarah had to act like a noble to avoid such a fate. Moreover, the presence of 'Three Choices' gave her the foothold to act as one.
There was a wide door at one end of the room where Blista stood in silence. A line had formed behind her as the girls who had finished changing stood in nervousness. Some were nervous, some were relaxed, some felt anticipation, etc. While standing in the line, Sarah could occasionally feel the gazes of people checking her out. They were searching for potential teammates through the crowd.
Once she saw that everyone was ready, Blista created a screen of light before everyone. A door opened behind it to reveal a giant Rat Head. All level 1 dungeon entrances were shaped like Rat Heads and depending on their size, it determined the maximum limit of people it can allow inside. On seeing its size, the girls involuntarily took a sharp breath of air. It was a 1000-man dungeon after all.
Even among level 1 dungeons, there were certain differences based on the number of people it could allow. The greater the limit of people it could allow, the more terrifying it was. The landscape, environment, number of monsters, monster strengths, etc. all of them varied accordingly.
"Only the ones that adhered to our instructions and have not carried any extra items will be able to pass through this film. Now, get going. May the Dungeon Lord foresee your fortuitous encounters." Blista said and performed a short prayer.
The girl at the front passed through the film of light without trouble as she entered the humongous Rat Head. The second girl followed behind, and so on.
No one before her had been foolish enough to carry anything extra on themselves, so, it was her turn before long. Sarah passed through the film of light and entered the Rat Head. She could see the row of teeth above and below her that were menacingly sharp. The floor she stepped on was squishy like jelly while also emitting a weak putrid smell. Holding her breath, Sarah rushed forward and entered the throat section when her surroundings changed.
