I exit the Guild Hall and start walking around the city. My character is elated due to just having passed his first hurdle and needs a little reward. There is a food stall that will do nicely.


    While I proceed to my destination at a leisurely pace, I focus on an important experiment. Let’s see what those dungeons are really about.


    The test subject for today is the newly minted ‘Guardian’ class drone. A multipurpose machine, the backbone of the planetary defense network. The drone’s body is a perfect one-meter diameter sphere with a dull, light grey surface. It can modify its form to suit any need. Outfitted with an onboard nanomachine swarm, non-lethal weaponry, kinetic weaponry, energy weaponry, a gravity drive, a warp drive, and a protean stealth system. A stalwart protector and a deadly assassin.


    I had a little peek while at the Guild and found a suitable dungeon for the experimentation. F-grade, fairly secluded, no active surveillance, coalesced a month ago. I warp in a Guardian. Time to start.


    The drone sees nothing. The entrance to the dungeon does not have any shape, color, smell, anything I can detect. Only after thoroughly analyzing the environment where the gate should be located, do I discern it. There is a near two-dimensional plane in the rough form of a circle, half-buried into the ground. The portal. How can I detect it? Well, it appears that not even this otherworldly concept of mana is one hundred percent efficient. In the currently presented form, it emits a miniscule amount of radiation. An instrument error for most, a giant glowing arrow for me.


    With the target located, I control the drone to pick up a rock and throw it at the distortion. The improvised tool sails through the air and upon hitting the presumed boundary of the gate, it simply stops. With its kinetic energy gone, gravity takes over, and the rock drops to the ground. Hmm. Next, I control the drone to approach the gate. It makes contact with the boundary and nothing else happens. Onboard sensor data reads an impossibly hard surface.


    My drones cannot enter dungeons. This severely restricts what kind of weaponry I can employ. The defense network can only act after a break. But the bigger issue is, can I enter dungeons. That... would complicate things. No matter. All obstacles will be overcome. All problems will be solved. I have to. I need to. Otherwise— No, I will not fail.


    Focus, this was expected. Dungeons might not be truly alive, but they sure do act like it. From my research, dungeon cores form their own pocket dimensions. They have a singular anchor, their gate, and only permit entrance to beings that independently generate mana. Their prey.


    I warp the drone back. We are done here.


    I have reached the shop I had in mind. They sell some fried dough snack. It is filled with enough sugar to power a kindergarten. Fun fact of the day, due to how mana works—for some reason—things like healthy and unhealthy aren’t really the same as on Earth. People do need to get enough sustenance for their biological components, but the magical side takes care of the nasty side-effects. Fascinating. How has that impacted the eating habits of this world? Not too much really. They still need the variety, plus, from what I’ve observed, eating ‘unhealthy’ food still makes you regret it after. Nevertheless, I know a lot of people that would be really envious. Oh, ‘knew’...


    ***


    After some aimless wandering, I return to the dorms hours after the sun has set. Taking a walk to clear your head works on AI, dully noted. When I open the door to my room, I find something teleported inside the convenient mailbox. A message. Beautiful handwriting, each letter meticulously crafted, with an almost whimsical appearance. The paper smells faintly of wildflowers.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Found a party for you. Come to the hall tomorrow, ten o’clock. I’ll introduce you, and we’ll be off to fuck up a dungeon.


    Ren


    Hall Master Ren has a complicated relationship with stationery.


    I already know who I’ll be joining. They have similar motivations to my character—trying to do something more. I’ll make sure they won’t get hurt, and Hall Master Ren will be there too. Don’t be nervous.


    ***


    As I enter the hall, I spot the Hall Master sitting by a table, joined by two others. A woman and a man. Well, almost. They are only a little older than my character. The woman has brown eyes and jet-black hair going past her shoulders. The dark hair is a sharp contrast to her colorful shirt. Nothing too fancy but still tasteful, practical. The thin fabric betrays a small frame, but also, surprisingly defined musculature. The man has hazel eyes and short auburn hair. A little taller than his partner. He’s dressed in a similarly colorful way. Hmm, yep, bought their clothes at the same place. I should check it out later. Very pleasant designs.


    The hall master waves me over.


    “Good morning, Lucius.” Someone is well mannered today. Ah, I guess he wants to make a good impression on the newbies.


    “Good morning to you too, Hall Master Ren.” I take a seat, and he discreetly winks at me. A pang of guilt shoots through me. We are getting closer. He thinks he sees a person, there is nothing but a mask.


    “This is Erysis and Nexen. They graciously offered for you to join them on their Party License Exam.” Who are you and what have you done with the hall master.


    “Hello. I am Lucius. Nice to meet you.”


    Erysis greets me first, “Hi.” And Nexen simply nods.


    “Lucius is quite adept with the sword—as I was telling—he will be a great temporary addition to your party, and I can assure you that he will perform admirably.” Laying it on a little thick there.


    Erysis reads the hall master’s intentions and reveals her capabilities, “I am a fire mage, specializing in support and large-scale attacks.”


    “Melee.” Nexen is content with that answer until she subtly pokes his leg. “Defense and single target.”


    The hall master continues, “A very well-rounded roster in my opinion. Okay, with introductions taken care of, I will explain how the exam will proceed.”


    He starts taking out sets of various items from seemingly nowhere, a spatial storage, and places them on the table. Very convenient. Who I am kidding, the magic insanity continues.


    “You are not allowed to use any personal equipment. The Guild will supply you with approved weaponry and armor. Take one of each.” He motions to the items. “A health potion, a mana potion, and an emergency pouch. Remember to put the last one in a convenient place.”


    We collect the items, and he goes on, “You will be delving a G-grade undead dungeon with the objective of conquering it. The dungeon is specially classified by the Guild and has been used for many exams. Be careful not to damage the core. I will be supervising your delve. I will prevent any lethal situations but nothing else. Conquering the dungeon does not mean you pass. I will be evaluating the entirety of your performance.”


    The hall master looks at each one of us. “Any questions?” No one speaks up. “Great, let’s get you armed.”


    We follow him and eventually arrive at an armory. There is a dedicated section for special trainee weapons and armor. I put on some simple light armor made of leather. I am guessing it’s some magical, enchanted, bull— Ahem. I am guessing it’s some magic armor that will offer deceptively more protection than one would expect. After that, I grab a shortsword identical to the one I used against the hall master, but this one’s edge practically hums.


    Erysis ties her hair up and dons similar armor to my own, but also adds a thick cloak. Nexen assembles a suit of armor around himself. The armor is mostly chain mail with strategically placed plates. It appears to offer a balance between mobility and defense. Both of my temporary party members forego selecting any weapons.


    The hall master leads us to another room, “Alright, step into the circle please.” We follow the instruction and stand inside an intricate formation drawn on the floor.


    In the next moment, the surroundings flash white, and we are somewhere else. My method for instantaneous travel is way better. Mana teleportation is really inefficient. Its cost scales with distance, number of people, and the volume of whatever you are moving. It also requires constant maintenance for the enchanted version. And what’s with the light show? What if one of us had a medical condition. I mean, none of us do, but still, it’s the principle of the thing.