Randy let out a groan and shut his laptop. If he had to spend another second looking at his half-written thesis due in a week, he was going to tear out his hair.

  "What a nightmare," he muttered, taking off his glasses and rubbing his tired eyes. Spinning his chair, he put his glasses back on and lazily switched on his TV for some easy stimulation. The Hunter's news station flickered to life on the old television that had been passed down from one dorm user to the next. It had simply been there when he arrived at the academy, and he couldn't be bothered to figure out how to dispose of it when he moved out soon, so leaving it behind to continue the tradition was the preferable option.

  Expecting nothing interesting on this random Tuesday night, he was surprised to see a reporter standing before the Stormbringer guild's headquarters in downtown. The sleek building, made entirely from blue mana crystal mined from the World Dungeon, was a symbol of the Stormbringer guild's immense wealth and power. During the daytime, it glinted in the sunlight. However, it was during dusk that the soft blue glow it radiated made it truly stand out.

  "We are unsure as to the reason, but a strike team appears to be gathering outside the Stormbringers guild as we speak," the bright-eyed reporter said, gesturing to the bustling scene behind her. Sure enough, armored vehicles were lining up and being loaded with weapons. Through the giant glass lobby doors of the headquarters, men and women in armor and priest robes could be seen gathering.

  As an analyst in training, Randy's brain began to spin with possibilities. A lot could be gleaned from the small details. Squinting, he noted the class distribution.

  "Mostly priests and tanks," Randy mused, leaning back in his chair and drumming a pen against his desk. "Likely an undead foe, and by the size of the force, a possible floor boss."

  Turning and opening his laptop, he quickly dismissed his thesis and opened the forums. His eyes quickly scanned over many pages and articles, filtering for those that mentioned the second floor of the World Dungeon under Tokyo. While the World Dungeon did spread across the entire world, the biomes and monster types differed depending on the area. For example, under Moscow, there was a famous ice-covered biome on the second floor.

  For whatever reason, the second floor under Tokyo was infested with the undead and was known as the Death Desert. If a team needed that many priests, he guessed they were heading there.

  "But so many are needed for the second floor? Why?" he muttered, his hands drifting over his keyboard. Even for a guild as powerful as the Stormbringers, gathering that many priests wasn't an easy feat—and these guilds were run like companies. They wouldn't move unless there was profit to be made.

  "The Guild Association put out a dungeon rush warning for the area around sector 3JP. Are they heading there? I thought the dungeon rush involved the first floor and primarily wolves?" He tapped his desk in contemplation. It seemed like an overreaction. That's when something caught the corner of his eye—a notification for the Reaper list.

  As an analyst, keeping tabs on all the active bounties out for Reapers would be part of his job. Clicking it, the information popped up.

  Name: The Faceless One

  Bounty: 10,000 credits

  Joe, F-Rank Hunter, possible Necromancer or puppet of a necromancer. Around 6 feet tall, he has short black hair and, most notably, soulless eyes that he will attempt to conceal. While able to speak, he sometimes does so without moving his mouth. Has committed multiple murders on the first floor of the World Dungeon in sector 3JP.

  "The Faceless One? That's quite the name," Randy mused as he read over the description. Two things stood out beside his strange description—the fact that he was a necromancer and had committed murders specifically in sector 3JP. He glanced at the television. "They couldn't be moving this many people for one Necromancer... no wait."

  He opened another tab for the Guild Association's website. Since he had enjoyed a summer internship there and accepted a job after graduation, he had a working login. Getting into the backend, he could see who submitted the initial request and would be responsible for paying the bounty.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Bounty placed by Sarah von Stormbringer, heiress to the Stormbringer guild.

  Randy chuckled and shook his head. "Just who did this guy kill to make the heiress take out a bounty against him personally?"

  Curious, he snooped around recent reports—there were a lot. The Guild Association was a world-spanning organization. Luckily, he could filter them down, and soon enough, he found what he was looking for.

  "Oh..." he blinked at the screen. It was a report that Sarah's boyfriend had been murdered on the same day the bounty had been filed. "Well, that would do it," he said, leaning back in contemplation. As part of his training, he was a level 21 archer. While this Necromancer was apparently F rank, he didn't believe that for a second.

  "I might not be able to claim the bounty for myself, but I'm sure the Stormbringers guild would pay a pretty penny for any information regarding his whereabouts." Randy stood up and rolled his stiff shoulders. Sitting inside and writing his thesis all day was unhealthy—it was good to stretch his muscles, and it had been weeks since he last delved into the dungeon. As a struggling student, he had to find a way to earn money, but slaving away at a fast food job just wasn't his thing.

  He also wanted to see the strike team in action, even if it was from afar.

  Opening his closet, he took out his bow, a quiver filled with arrows, and his warmest jacket. The Death Desert could get cold at night. "I wonder if any of my friends will accompany me, or if I have to brave the forums."

  He sighed, slinging the bow over his back and heading out.

  ***

  Xen was starting to realize something—he was far from normal. Not in the mental sense, but how quickly he was leveling up. He hadn't put much thought into it until now, but he estimated that by now, only a single full day had passed since he became a Shapeshifter. Yet his level continued to shoot up.

  You have killed an opponent.

  Experience split between [Necrovore Slime] and [Human] form.

  [Necrovore Slime] has leveled up: 19 -> 20.

  [Human] has leveled up: 14 -> 15.

  Around him lay a graveyard of corpses—Sand-Drowned Revenants to be more specific. Though not much remained of them, as most of the meat and their brains had been devoured by him. It was the reason he was leveling so fast. He got experience for each kill, but also after devouring their minds. Another theory for his fast leveling was that he was working alone. Most Hunters traveled in groups of three or more.

  "You can't sneak up on me," Xen said, sounding bored as Geomantic Perception made him aware of the enemy's approach. His sword, wreathed in a sheen of blue mana, swooshed through the air with practiced guidance, striking the Sand-Drowned Revenant square in the chest as it erupted from the ground before him, cutting deep and sending it flying back with a screech. The lingering charge of [Phantom Strike (D)] he had left over from two earlier kills activated, sending another strike of blue mana half a second later that followed the flying Revenant, cutting it in half.

  You have killed an opponent.

  Experience split between [Necrovore Slime] and [Human] form.

  It now took him multiple kills to level up, which made sense. The monsters on this floor seemed to cap out around level 15, besides the Living Armor, of course. Meaning he had out-leveled this area.

  Luckily, he had found a tunnel leading up to the surface. It had been half-filled with sand and infested with Sand-Drowned Revenants, hence his leap in level and growing hatred for anything sand-related. It got into his armor, rubbing painfully against his skin. But he couldn't switch to being a Sand-Drowned Revenant as it was only level 1, and he would have to leave his armor behind.

  Glancing around the crypt the tunnel had led to, he confirmed it wasn't the same one he had entered through. First of all, it was far smaller, and secondly, it was tilted and half-buried in sand. Making his way to the exit, he peeked out and was relieved to see the endless dunes of sand stretching out before him.

  In the far distance, he could see the staircase leading back up to the first floor. However, that's where his relief faded.

  There was a stream of people walking down it—mostly wearing priest robes.

  "The strike team for the Living Armor is already here?"

  If Xen wanted to keep leveling up, he needed to find a way down to the next floor, all the while keeping out of the way of these priests. The problem was that he had no idea how to find the staircase to the next floor, except for aimless wandering.

  "Maybe I can ask them for directions?" Xen mused. After all, he was a Human with the Spellblade class. "No, bad idea. I still don't know if the priests can detect the aura of death around me that the priest in Eric's group had noticed."

  Xen stayed watching the strike team begin to cross the desert, and that's when he saw another group coming down the staircase. It was far smaller—consisting of only three people.

  I should ask those three for directions.

  Even if one of them was a priest and discovered his true form, he was confident he could kill them or flee. With large strides, he began to cross the freezing desert toward the approaching humans.

  to read ahead!