Ray was a Porter by profession. He was used to carrying around weight far beyond a normal human’s limit without impeding himself. Of course, half of it was due to the ability called [Mass Reduction]. The girl weighed almost nothing to him.

Ray was careful with his steps. Although he hadn’t seen a trap until now, that didn’t mean there won’t be one. As he got closer to the light, the mouth of the tunnel widened and more of what was beyond became visible.

Beyond the tunnel, there was a hanging bridge. Blue bonfires were burning on either side of the entry point. These were the source of light he saw from inside the tunnel. Ray gulped a mouthful of saliva, looking over at the ominous atmosphere surrounding the bridge. He shifted on his foot and adjusted the girl on his shoulders before walking closer and closer.

The blue flames burned brighter the closer Ray got to them. Yet, as if they gave off no feeling. He felt no warmth or coldness coming off them. The eeriness of it made Ray gulp a mouthful of saliva as his adam’s apple moved ever so slowly. He was afraid of making any sound in fear of some monsters popping up from somewhere.

But, what he didn’t expect was for a message popping in the moment he was about to step on the bridge.

[Would you like to exchange the Dungeon Sphere(medium)]

‘Huh!? This is the exit point?’

Only on the exit point could one exchange the dungeon spheres. These shiny marbles can’t be taken out of dungeons. It has to be used inside.

Another screen popped up, bearing the follow-up message.

[You have 1 Medium-grade Sphere.]

You can only exchange for the following things:-

+5000 EXP token +1 Ability level up token 10 Medium-grade Health Potion 10 Medium-grade Mana Potion 1 Two-starred Equipment Token.

A smile appeared on Ray’s face. The currency was an unexpected but welcomed loot. Looking over the options, he promptly made his decision. Experience token and ability level-up token were not necessarily important to him. As for the potions, they weren’t that rare of a drop either. What he lacked the most was a proper item. One that could help him make dungeon raids easier. The only attack weapon he had, The Sharktooth, was a low-grade weapon that picked up from a corpse.

“I will take the two-starred equipment token.”

As soon as the words finished coming from his mouth, a new set of messages appeared in his head.

[You have exchanged dungeon currency for a Two-Starred Equipment Token.]

Then, with a shine of light, a small ticket appeared in his hands. It seemed like being made from oil paper, yet there were fundamental differences. Ray kneaded the paper under the pale light of blue flames.

‘So this is how a token looks like.’

Until now, Ray had only seen a token through images on the internet. It was such a valuable thing and also had a weird restriction. Once taken out of the dungeon, it will forever lose its value. He adjusted the girl on his shoulders and tore the ticket in two.

Suddenly, his vision started to swim, making him feel like he was drunk. ‘What the hell!?’ Before he could understand anything, he found himself laying face down against a concrete floor.

“Welcome, gentleman,” A baritone voice echoed in Ray’s ears, pulling him away from the confusion. He turned around on his spot to see a cloaked man looking down at him. Ray quickly stood up and looked around himself. A small room decorated with all kinds of cold weapons and armors greeted him. There were swords, spears, bows hung on the walls. Shiney armors stood in the middle of the place, displayed on wooden stands.

Ray turned to his left and observed the cloaked man. He could swear he had seen his face, yet he no longer remembered how he looked. This mystery baffled him. But, the cloaked man didn’t give him time to think about it more.

“You are allowed to take only one piece of two-star equipment from this place. Every single item displayed here is a two-starred item.”

“What!? Everything here is a two-star item?” Ray looked around in curiosity and anticipation. How to use the token could be found on the internet as well.

“That’s correct. You can choose any item here. Of course, since this place doesn’t exist inside the dungeon, you can’t use [Inspect].” The man informed with his baritone voice.

“Huh!? Then how can I know about its properties?” Ray asked, looking worried. He didn’t want to leave everything to luck.

“Young man, why do you think I am here? You can ask me anything about any item here, I will give you a brief description of it.” The man offered. “Or, you can tell what you want, I can recommend you something.”

“You will?” Ray had a relieved face. “Then, can you recommend something that is easy to use for a beginner like me?”

“A beginner, you say?” The cloaked man looked over at Ray, making the latter’s back shudder. He gulped and held his ground. “Yes.”

“Hmm, I wonder…” The man turned to look over at the items hanging on the walls as he hummed thoughtfully. After some time, he turned to Ray and said, “you should learn using a sword. A sword is the king of all melee weapons. They represent both power and elegance.”

While speaking, the man went over to the wall and pulled out a red-colored long-sword. It looked a bit longer than hundred centimeters, which was the average length of a long sword. The handle was a bit longer and had a leather grip wrapped snugly. The cross-guard was in the shape of a half-moon. The blade, which was its most prominent part, was made from some kind of red material. It felt a little warm to the touch.

“This sword is called [Wyvern’s Breath], made from the teeth of a fire elemental Wyvern. It has good attacking power and also has an ability sealed into it. Thrice in twenty-four hours, you can use [Fire Breath], an ability that would send a wave of fire to your enemies. For a newbie, this sword is perfect.”

“I will take it.” Ray didn’t hesitate to take away the weapon from the man’s hand. As soon as he did, his vision swan again, but this time, it wasn’t as worse as before. In the back of his mind, he recalled hearing something that sounded like, “Thank you for doing business with me. If fate permits, we shall meet again.”

Finding back at the mouth of the bridge, with fires burning on either side, Ray took some time to get used to the new environment. He didn’t feel dizzy or like he was drunk like before. There was now two added weight to his either side. He looked to his right, already knowing what was there in his left. In his right arm, held snugly, was [Wyvern’s Breath].

Ray frowned as an oppressive feeling washed over him, coming from the sword. He hadn’t felt this inside that weird man’s shop, but now he was alone outside, he took the full brunt of its aura.

Shaking his head, he held the sword tighter before stepping on the bridge.

[You are about to exit Lafaila Dungeion]

And then, a bright light overwhelmed his vision… again!