Drip… drip… drip…
From the vast matrix of pipes, a certain pipe leaked. This pipe was easier to reach than most, and thus its leakage formed a puddle below it. A light rumble could be heard above the dark room, vibrating the dripping liquid as it fell from the pipe.
The room's door creaked open, revealing Gin. A dark cloak made with liquid-resistant material covered his body, and a hood his head. In his right hand he held a large toolbox. After receiving a notification from the Arena's maintenance AI, he came to this ever-humid room for some repairs.
This room was below the arena, which was the source of the rumbles. Deathmatches were the peak time for the day, so careful repairs were a must. Gin also found that this was the best time to speak with a certain someone.
Walking through the damp room, Gin emotionlessly fished a communicator out of his pocket. He turned it on and inputted a contact. The projected screen vibrated, similar to an alarm clock, but the ringtone was muted.
Soon, the upper body of a dark figure appeared on the projection. The only distinct feature visible were the figure's two, long ears- their ends colored a light tan. The figure's face and upper body were only hidden due to some lighting trick. The figure spoke first.
"Your preparations are complete?"
Gin found the puddle and placed a bucket in it to halt the puddle's expansion. He turned up to the leaky pipe and reached for it. "Yes, but you must know of the alteration."
The figure nodded, though the lighting made it difficult to see on the projection. "Indeed. But chance deviations are unavoidable, and this change will not affect our plan greatly. Others can be used- only to less effect."
"Hmm."
Gin could not reach the leaky pipe, so he retrieved a small, folded ladder from his toolbox. As he placed it, the ladder expanded in width and height, eventually growing large enough for him to reach the pipe. A short silence permeated the conversation as Gin brought his tools up the ladder. With a heavy sigh, the figure broke the silence.
"Additionally, His Excellency has taken interest. Someone may have leaked this operation."
Gin tripped up the ladder, almost losing his grip on the tools and communicator. He recovered quickly and held onto the ladder until it stabilized. His next words had to be chosen carefully, lest that nosy person be listening in.
"...Understood. We must ensure it is a success. When will the operation begin?"
"Tonight at 2:38 am. Remember your goal."
Gin grabbed some electrical tape from his toolbox and smacked it against the leak before turning back to the communicator.
"See you soon."
The figure nodded again before ending the communication. Gin climbed down the ladder with a trace of concern.
…
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You have triggered an Urgent Mission [Raid]!
Mission hint: An unknown force is descending upon the Arena. You have some options.
Repel the Raid: Team mission. Successfully assist your comrades in defending against the mysterious raiders. Base reward: 100,000 Exp. Additional rewards depend on contribution. Fail Condition: capture by the enemy and occupation of the Arena.
Assist the Raid: Team Mission. As a man on the inside, hinder the Arena's ability to launch a counterattack. Exp reward depending on contribution. Fail condition: Death or the raid's failure.
Escape the Arena: Solo Mission. Use the raid as a diversion to escape your bonds. Reward: 30,000 Exp, Random Reward. Fail condition: Capture by any force.
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Min widened his eyes at the sudden notification. The initial confusion of just waking up vanished after he read the mission description. Joy spread through his body, but he quickly calmed down and decided his course of action.
He was never going to fight on the side of the Arena, especially since the Exp reward was massive. The rewards granted by the system tended to scale with a task's difficulty, so this meant the raid would likely be successful. The other two missions were enticing, but Min decided to escape by himself.
He didn't know who the raiding force was, so he didn't care to potentially leap into a tiger's nest. He did have a slight debuff because of his injury, but he still felt escaping alone would be good. He couldn't select a mission to focus on, so he could only act toward the goals of his desired outcome.
Min was about to jump out of bed, but then he remembered something. He shared a bed now! Damira had gone under the covers hours prior and was sleeping. She held onto Min's body due to the size of the bed, for if she didn't, she would roll off.
Damira began to rouse from her sleep. While ignoring an apprehensive feeling in his heart, he took her hands off his clothes and lightly hopped over her, quietly landing in front of the curtain door. He started to step through the curtain door, but a groggy voice stopped him.
"Mhm… what's happening?"
Damira pushed off the mattress and looked at Min. The blanket was still covering her, and her long brown hair covered her face. Now that he had been caught, Min felt obligated to explain his actions like a son who had been caught trying to sneak out.
"This place is being raided. I'm going to escape… do you want to come with?"
Min grabbed the doorframe and leaned back to see her. Now that she had caught him, he felt he couldn't leave her behind. Besides, she may be able to give him some justification for being out of his room. A few emotions crossed Damira's face, and she quickly got off the bed and onto her feet.
"Do you like to ask stupid questions with obvious answers?"
Damira rubbed her forehead while walking to his side, holding her wrist out. Min took her wrist and quickly left the room. The halls were quiet, save for the soft hum of the air conditioning coming from the vents.
Min knew this was the calm before the storm. His goal was the arena, since few would be there and he thought it unlikely to be the first target of the raid.
Since the Interface warned him of the raid, he should have an advantage in time. Of course, he didn't know exactly when the raid would start, but this preparation time was precious nonetheless.
As Min and Damira sped down a hall, an alarm began to blare through the building. The alarm sounded in a specific pattern, likely a way to inform guards of the alarm's reason.
The doors littering the walls began to open, with dazed guards stepping out. Min hurried his pace, but one of the more awake guards noticed him. The guard stepped toward Min.
"Hey! What are you doing, Cockroach? Where are you going with that woman?"
Min glanced at the guard and gave him a passing nod without stopping. The guard was a little stunned and wanted to follow, but the alarm's pattern suddenly clicked in his head. He sighed and shook his head. Maybe the slave was summoned by a higher-up. Letting him pass would be fine… right?
After passing through the corridor, Min snickered lightly to himself. 'BSing is really effective. If you walk around with confidence, no one will stop you!'
Damira stared at Min's back with some confusion. She wasn't quite sure what he did, but it worked, so she wouldn't complain.
They finally made it to the fancy Exhibition Room that was right before the Arming Room. After a few steps through, Min suddenly realized something. This place was filled with treasure! He let go of Damira and quickly surveyed the wall.
A katana with a flowery sheath seemed to have the highest stats, so he took it from its display holder. Painted on this scabbard were many long vines with blooming flowers. Min held the sword at his side while scanning the display mannequins.
Damira stood by the side with a strange expression. She was beginning to wonder if she should have stayed in the room.
While Damira looked on in slight disappointment, Min approached one of the stands. It wore a skin-tight combat suit with a green and black color scheme. Min inspected it with the system before taking it off of the mannequin. Both of these new, shiny pieces of equipment were green in quality.
Despite being horrible matches in terms of aesthetics, they were a good upgrade. That reminded Min about his skills. Wasn't now the time to go all out and upgrade them? A big smile appeared on Min's face as he turned to Damira.
"If you don't want to watch me change, turn around."
Min motioned for her to turn around and she obliged with a bit of concern. She went over to the door to listen for people, just in case someone decided to check in on this area.
As Min changed out of his clothes and into the new combat suit, he dumped his accumulated Exp into his abilities!
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[Basic Armed Combat Lv. 5] - +5% damage when fighting with bladed weapons
[Basic Reflection Lv. 10] - +10% parry chance, +2 DEX
[Basic Movement Technique Lv.10] - +10% dodge chance, +2 DEX
[Grueling Conditioning Lv.10] - +110 Health.
[Basic Energy Force lvl.10]: Energy activation cost: 3/s. Energy maintenance cost: 10/s. Damage output: 39~74/s.
—-----------------------------------------------------------
Additionally, Min put his two free attribute points into Dex. Even with his discount, three hundred thousand Exp did not max out all of his skills. This showed how much someone could still grow even when at the level cap.
Min slapped his chest a few times, feeling his new durability. With this improvement, he believed that escape may perhaps possibly be a reality. Min hooked his new sword onto a belt.
"I'm done changing. Let's go."
Min went through the Arming Room to the area just before the gates. As Min confidently strutted out of the door, he froze. Through the gate, he could see tens of elves lowering into the arena. It looked like a special-ops raiding force.
'The raiders came through here first! My prediction was trash!'
Min quickly turned around and grabbed the approaching Damira before they were seen. He hastened the pace while a confused Damira was dragged along.
"Why are we running away? Those people are here to save us, right?"
Min shook his head as he dragged her along, "I don't know who they are, so we shouldn't go to them. We don't know their goal and they could shoot us thinking we are Arena employees. I think I know of some other ways."
Damira gave a surprised look. "They are your people, though. Why not trust them?"
Min looked back at her with an inquisitive expression. "Do you think I am swayed by race? If it is them, it's taken seven months to find someone kidnapped in their capital. I don't trust such an ineffectual force."
Since he knew so little about this part of Galaxy, Min took a very conservative approach to these kinds of things. If the raiding force did happened to be coming to save them, the worst-case scenario would be a lower reward on the [Raid] mission.
Damira's brows rose as they re-entered the hall they came in from. "...Alright. Just keep us safe, okay?"
"I still have backup plans. Did you really think such a small hiccup would faze my genius?"
"I hope your backup plan is better than your first."
Damira laughed lightly as they both returned their focus to escaping.