Dungeon Diver: Stealing a Monster's Power

Chapter 144

The Short white-haired woman looks at me with a troubled look on her face.

"What... exactly are you trying to learn about Strengthening Fragments?"

As I prepare to speak, I position my right hand on the counter's edge.

"Well, first of all, tell me why these Fragments are so valuable. What are they even used for?"

A sigh of relief escapes the merchant's lips as she stands up straight again exuding a newfound sense of confidence.

"Well, if that's all... Please let me explain. Strengthening Fragments are what some in the Association call the War Drug."

I scrunch my eyebrows, looking at her with a confused expression across my face.

"A War Drug? ... Why is it called that? Or- I don't really care why it's called that, just explain it to me in simple terms. What do they do?"

"Sure, sure. They got the War Drug nickname from Hunters that got addicted to these things back in the Great War. They're consumables, boosting your MP output for a few seconds, maybe even close to a minute."

I raise an eyebrow.

The merchant woman shakes her head and raises both hands in the air.

"Hey, hey don't get any funny ideas! If you took one of these right now you'd end up in the hospital, no doubt! Their usage is highly restricted and only approved for certain high-ranking hunters for vital missions these days. Elites aren't even allowed unless given special permission. They're also used for certain crafting recipes, their dormant mana output is a good catalyst for all kinds of item creation spells."

She whispers under her breath in a mumbled tone.

"I don't know why the Director put the 4 of you in charge of collecting Fragments... Sure is a crazy week 1 assignment if you ask me."

I nod, crossing my arms and thinking about what a Fragment would feel like... Or how exactly they work... They must feel really good...

A familiar voice snaps me out of my daydream as I turn to see Tripp walking toward us while a wide grin across his face.

"I had a feeling I'd find you guys here. Looks like you're all on time today!"

He looks at me with a smirk while I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. I made it."

Tripp glances toward Sophie, and their eyes meet briefly, exchanging a shared look of concern. Tripp turns his gaze back to the 4 of us and puts both of his hands up in the air.

"Ready to get the day of hunting started?"

With a collective nod of agreement, we all proceed to follow Tripp, leaving the backrooms and out onto the busy street. Before we know it, we're in The Great Plains getting ready to fight.

The first few kilometers in are the worst. Everyone here but Tripp knows about my teleportation skill. It's a bit of a drag to keep it hidden, but I'd rather not have him know about it.

He's a nice guy and all, it's just that the Association has its claws deep in him. I can tell if it were a choice between my livelihood and making the Director happy, he'd choose him without hesitating for a second.

[Level Up]

During our walk, I level up again. I curiously check my status to see the blue text show level 406 without a doubt. I can't help but smile, reassured by the thought of Ember diligently chipping away at the mindless Titans at the back of the dungeon.

The mobs are easy pickings over the next 2 hours or so until we finally make it into a range of potential mutants. Arie is the first to speak up.

"Hey Tripp, we should split up and track down the mutants individually. Don't you think that'd be a better use of our time? Each of us can definitely handle these monsters by ourselves."