Moving inside the treasure room, Ren found a familiar face in the furthest back. Looking at him, he wondered if he should start a conversation with him.
Thinking about it, he decided not to do it and made his way to the tens of items lying on the shelves. Looking around the items before him he pondered on which one he should take.
Should he take a weapon that can help him kill monsters much faster? Maybe an armor that can increase his survivability when fighting one.
In his bag, he carried simple items such as a pocket knife, a first aid kit, a small knife, and some instant food. This preparation will be crucial for dealing with the dungeon he is entering today.
Moving around the room to look for other items, he found the man from before in front of him. He wore the same black suits as the workers from below.
Ren, seeing how he can't run away from this, said with a smile: "Been a long time huh? Look at the room bully working for the awakened association now."
The man only looked at Ren in silence, keeping a stern expression, before answering with: "So.., you're awakened now?"
"Yup. Just this morning I found myself looking at a status window."
"...I see. Then how come you never once joined us in our reunion?" The man in a suit said.
"Well…, I don't believe I deserved to be there. Don't you remember? I dropped out of school. I didn't even have a high school diploma." Ren replied, shifting his gaze away from him.
"So, do me a favor and recommend which one I should take from here?" Ren asked.
The man sighed only before turning back and moving to another section. Ren followed up behind him, making sure there was a distance between them.
"So, what did you do after you left back then?" The man asked Ren.
"Nothing amazing. I just work in a shipping company and have been working there since then. From five or six in the morning till ten in the evening."
"I see." Turning around the corner, Ren wondered where they were going. Seeing how they passed by the strong-looking items before him.
Once he was in the same section as the man, Ren found him holding a small bracelet with a single chain attached to it, and at the end of the chain a single sphere.
"Here, this is the best thing I can think of. It's a random buff item. It has three uses per day and when you activate it, it can either increase your defense or strength. And with the mini morning star, it can be used as a weapon too…. Feel free not to take it if you don't want to."
Taking the bracelet from his hand, Ren answered: "Thanks. I'll make sure to cherish it. So…, bye for now." Leaving the treasure room and leaving the man alone in it.
Watching Ren leave the room, he felt his heart ache for a moment. To think someone like him has been working in some company rotting away all this year.
"Senior Jay, who was that?" A voice called out from behind him. Turning around, he found his female junior coming out of the restroom. "I have never seen you interact with anyone like that before."
"Nothing. Just an old classmate of mine. Come on, let's go back to our post now." Following her senior, she wondered who that hunter was to him.
The man Ren had just interacted with was his former classmate in the second year of high school. In that time of their life, Ren was a quiet kid you'll find in the background doing what he's told, and Jay was the room bully.
Not an actual bully of the room but the popular student of the room, whom most of the male students envied. Jay from that time may seem like a bully, but he was someone who would help you with your problem.
Jay was an athletic student admired by everyone, along with the teachers fond of him, thanks to his academic abilities. The complete opposite of Ren who was average in both categories. Even so, Jay found himself staring at him for those two years of their high school years.
Why? Each time a problem occurs in events and competitions, or even in their everyday classes. People would not call Jay for help, but Ren.
Thanks to this, Jay created a one-sided rivalry between them, where he tried to outshine him in everything. In those times when he tried to outshine Ren, Jay found himself being at his best mood.
But after that…,
Ren, who was usually quiet and someone who wouldn't fall for provocation, started to change. Each time someone tried to make fun of him, he wouldn't hesitate to beat them up.
Each time he was annoyed, he would ransack everything around him. Everything that Ren never minded before, annoyed him, and in two months.
Ren dropped out of school. Jay was the last person who talked to him back then. When he asked where he was going, Ren only answered with: "I don't know, but somewhere where I can make a new start."
Since then, Jay and everyone in the school never got to connect with him again. Even those who once went to the same junior high school with him.
In the last few years, they would invite him on his social media to go to their reunion, but each time, Ren would leave their chat in seen only and never come.
So, hearing that Ren, who Jay once considered a rival, worked in a shipping company all this time. He found it hard to believe.
Someone whom people used to seek out when a problem appeared, working from five in the morning till ten in the evening was too much.
----
Going back to the first floor, Ren found the blond lady from before waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. Before he could even ask something, she said:
"Well then Mr Nearn, it seems you found an item you want from the treasure room. And by the looks of it, it's a conjoint item too."
"Wait, conjoint? What does that mean?" Ren asked, confused about why the item he had was called one.
"Did you not know? From every corner of the treasure room, the items in that area are combined and placed there. Though they give some kind of effects, they lack bonus stats. Their original bonus stats have turned to 0 points."
"Is that so? I didn't really know about it since I don't keep myself updated with the awakened people's situation." Ren replied. "How come you figured out this is a conjoint item?"
The blond lady gave a small smirk then said: "Ohh. I have an appraisal skill. By the way, that item you have is five items combined in one. The chain and the bracelet are two parts each, while the sphere is only one."
"Appraisal skill, ain't that a rare skill?"
"Yup! That's why the association gave me a position in the main base. Though I didn't like their offer and asked to be placed as a receptionist only."
"Earn money, while avoiding responsibility…, love it. Also, thanks for the advice on this item."
"You're welcome. It's my job to do so." She replied.
"So, why are you waiting for me?" Ren asked, his tone heavier than before.
Smiling for a bit, she said: "I would like you to be my representative to take on a dungeon. Please don't worry about your safety, this dungeon I asked you to go to is only a rank 3. And you don't have to do anything amazing, just go there and act as my representative."
"Hmm. What will I get in return?" Asking a favor for a newly awakened person to enter a specific dungeon was too much. Especially with the dungeon being a rank 3, he wasn't going there as an act of favor but as business.
Pulling out a small needle from her pocket, she said: "This. This is an item that can damage a monster below level 50. With one throw of this, you can kill the monster before you. There's a catch, though; this is a one-day use only."
"Sure… I'll do it. So can I have that now?" He said, waiting for her to give it to him.
"Here you go." She said, giving the needle to Ren, then tapping his shoulder. "Well then let's go?"
"Uhh, where?"
"Where else? To the dungeon, I was saying." Once she finished her words, Ren found himself in the air and going towards the eastern side of the world.
***
Chapter 2 end.