Chapter 6: Unexpected Results

The blue light faded, and Kazuki found himself back in the abandoned factory parking lot. Late afternoon sun beat down on his face, making him squint after the darkness of the dungeon. The transition from the cold, damp cavern to the warm Tokyo air was jarring.

The two Hunter Association guards who had been lounging in their van immediately sat up when they saw him emerge. Their expressions shifted from bored indifference to shock.

"Holy crap, he's alive!" the younger guard exclaimed, jumping out of the vehicle.

The older guard followed, pulling out a medical kit. "Son, you look like you went through a meat grinder. Sit down before you collapse."

Kazuki glanced down at himself. His clothes were shredded and stained with blood, both his own and the goblins'. Dirt covered every visible inch of skin, and he probably smelled like a sewer. Despite the System healing his injuries, he definitely looked like someone who had barely survived.

"I'm fine," Kazuki said, though his voice was hoarse. "The dungeon is cleared."
"Cleared?" The younger guard looked skeptical. "By yourself? That's... I mean, no offense, but your file says you're E-rank."

"I am E-rank," Kazuki confirmed. Technically, it wasn't a lie. The Hunter Association didn't know about his System levels. To them, he was still registered as the same weak Hunter who had entered.

The older guard circled around Kazuki, examining him with experienced eyes. "Where are your magic stones? You need to present them for official verification of dungeon completion."

Kazuki's heart sank. He had known this question was coming, but he still didn't have a good answer prepared.

"I... don't have them," he admitted.

Both guards exchanged glances.

"You don't have them?" the younger one repeated. "Did you drop them inside? We can wait while you go back through the Gate..."

"The Gate's closed," the older guard said, pointing. 

Kazuki turned to see that the purple vortex had indeed vanished. The parking lot was empty except for the three of them and their van.

"So you're saying you cleared an entire E-rank dungeon alone but somehow lost all the magic stones?" The younger guard's tone had shifted from concern to suspicion. "That's a pretty convenient story."

"I'm not lying," Kazuki said firmly. "I defeated every goblin in there, including the boss. Twenty-one monsters total."

"Twenty-one?" The older guard pulled out a tablet and started typing. "Standard E-rank goblin dungeons have between eight and fifteen monsters. Twenty-one is unusually high. Are you certain?"

"I counted," Kazuki said. "Three in the first corridor, twenty more in the boss chamber including the boss itself."

The guards looked at each other again, their expressions unreadable.

"Look, kid," the older guard said, his tone gentler now. "I've been doing this job for twelve years. I've seen a lot of Hunters try to fake dungeon clears to boost their reputation or keep their guild membership. But I've also seen Hunters who genuinely cleared dungeons and had weird stuff happen with the loot. So I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and file this as an 'incomplete verification.'"

"What does that mean?" Kazuki asked.

"It means the dungeon is confirmed closed, which suggests someone cleared it. Since you're the only Hunter who went in, you get credit for the clear. But without physical proof, it goes in your file as unverified. Some guilds won't care. Others will be suspicious." He handed Kazuki a printed receipt. "Take this to your guild master. He'll decide what to do with it."

Kazuki took the paper, scanning the official Hunter Association letterhead and stamps. It was better than nothing, but would it be enough to satisfy Fujimoto?

[QUEST UPDATE: PROVE YOUR WORTH]
[OBJECTIVE: Present evidence of dungeon clear to Guild Master Fujimoto]
[REWARD: Variable based on outcome]

"Thanks," Kazuki said to the guards. "I appreciate you not just writing me off as a fraud."

"Don't thank me yet," the older guard said. "If this was a scam, the Association will find out. And trust me, you don't want to be on their bad side."

"It wasn't a scam," Kazuki insisted.

The younger guard was still staring at him with narrowed eyes. "How are you even standing? You look like you should be in a hospital. E-rank healing doesn't work that fast."

Kazuki realized his mistake. He had been so focused on the missing magic stones that he hadn't considered how suspicious his recovery would look. His clothes showed evidence of serious injuries, but he was walking around without any visible wounds.

"Adrenaline," Kazuki said quickly. "And I had a healing potion in my pack. Spent my last bit of money on it before coming here."

It was a plausible lie. Healing potions were expensive, which is why most low-rank Hunters couldn't afford them. But they did exist and would explain his recovery.

The younger guard didn't look entirely convinced, but he dropped it. "Well, whatever. Just get yourself checked out at a hospital. Internal injuries can kill you hours after a dungeon raid."

"I will," Kazuki promised, having no intention of doing so.

The guards climbed back into their van and drove off, leaving Kazuki alone in the empty parking lot. The sun was starting to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. According to his phone, it was four-thirty in the afternoon. He had been in the dungeon for over four hours, though it had felt like both an eternity and no time at all.

He had a message waiting from Guild Master Fujimoto.

"Report to my office immediately after your dungeon attempt. Regardless of outcome."

Kazuki sighed. Time to face the music.

The train ride back to Shinjuku gave him time to think. Other passengers gave him a wide berth, wrinkling their noses at his appearance. He couldn't blame them he looked and smelled like he had crawled out of a grave.

But beneath the exhaustion and nervousness, Kazuki felt something he hadn't experienced in years: hope. The System had changed everything. He had gone from barely surviving three goblins to soloing an entire dungeon. If he could level up more, get stronger, unlock new skills...

The possibilities were endless.

[DAILY QUEST AVAILABLE]

A new notification appeared in his vision, startling him. He glanced around, but none of the other train passengers seemed to notice anything unusual. Of course not only he could see the System screens.

"Daily quest?" Kazuki subvocalized, keeping his voice too quiet for anyone to hear.

[DAILY QUEST: BASIC TRAINING]
[OBJECTIVES:]
- PUSH-UPS: 0/100
- SIT-UPS: 0/100
- SQUATS: 0/100
- RUNNING: 0/10 KILOMETERS
[REWARD: +50 EXP, +1 ALL STATS]
[FAILURE PENALTY: -5 TO ALL STATS FOR 24 HOURS]
[TIME LIMIT: MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE MIDNIGHT]

Kazuki's eyes widened. A quest that gave stat points just for exercising? That was incredible. But looking at the requirements, it was also brutal. One hundred push-ups? Ten kilometers of running? He would need hours to complete it all, and he was already exhausted.

But the penalty for failure was harsh. Losing five points from all his stats would set him back significantly.

"When you said daily quest, you meant every single day?" Kazuki whispered.

[CORRECT. THE DAILY QUEST RESETS AT MIDNIGHT AND MUST BE COMPLETED WITHIN 24 HOURS. THIS IS HOW YOU WILL MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE YOUR BASELINE PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES.]
[NOTE: As you grow stronger, the daily quest requirements will increase. This is to ensure continuous growth.]

"Great," Kazuki muttered. "So I can never skip a day."

[CORRECTION: You may skip days. You will simply suffer the penalty. Choose wisely.]

The train pulled into Shinjuku station, and Kazuki got off, his mind still processing the daily quest requirements. He would have to complete them after his meeting with Fujimoto. Hopefully, the guild master wouldn't take too long to kick him out.

The Hunter Association building looked even more imposing as the sun set behind it. Kazuki's confidence wavered as he approached the entrance. What was he doing? He had no proof of his dungeon clear. Fujimoto would never believe him.

But he had the System now. He didn't need the Iron Fang Guild's approval anymore.

That thought carried him through the lobby, into the elevator, and down the long hallway to Fujimoto's office. He knocked twice.

"Enter."

Kazuki stepped inside. Fujimoto sat behind his desk exactly as he had that morning, but this time he wasn't alone. Kenji, Yui, and the rest of Kazuki's former team stood along the wall, their expressions ranging from surprise to disgust at his appearance.

"What are they doing here?" Kazuki asked.

"I asked them to be present," Fujimoto said. "They have a stake in this outcome. Now, let's get to it. Did you clear the dungeon?"

Kazuki pulled out the receipt from the guards and placed it on the desk. "Yes."

Fujimoto picked up the paper, his scarred face unreadable as he scanned it. The silence stretched for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he set the paper down and looked at Kazuki.

"Unverified clear. No magic stones recovered." Fujimoto's voice was flat. "That's not what I asked for, Kazuki."

"The dungeon is closed," Kazuki said. "That's proof someone cleared it. I was the only Hunter who went in."

"That doesn't mean you cleared it," Kenji spoke up from the side. "For all we know, the dungeon was unstable and collapsed on its own. It happens sometimes with low-rank Gates."

"I fought twenty-one goblins," Kazuki said, his voice harder now. "Including a boss that stood two meters tall. I killed them all."

Yui laughed, the sound harsh and mocking. "You? Kill a two-meter goblin boss? You can barely kill a regular goblin. Why would you lie about something so obviously fake?"

"I'm not lying."

"Then where are the magic stones?" she challenged. "Even if we believed you somehow got lucky and killed a few goblins, where's your proof?"

Kazuki's hands clenched into fists. He wanted to show them the System, to prove he wasn't the same weak Hunter they remembered. But something stopped him. The System was his secret, his advantage. If word got out that he had some kind of unique ability, it would attract attention he wasn't ready for.

Not yet.

"I don't need to prove anything to you," Kazuki said, meeting Yui's eyes. "You already decided I was worthless. Nothing I say will change your mind."

He turned to Fujimoto. "Guild Master, thank you for giving me a chance these past two years. But I think it's time I moved on."

Fujimoto's eyebrows rose slightly. "You're quitting?"

"I'm quitting," Kazuki confirmed. "I don't belong in the Iron Fang Guild anymore."

"Finally, he admits it," Kenji muttered.

"However," Kazuki continued, ignoring the comment, "I would like to formally request that my Hunter license remain active. I plan to continue dungeon raids independently."

"Independently?" Fujimoto leaned back in his chair. "Solo dungeon crawling is dangerous, Kazuki. Especially for someone of your... level."

"I understand the risks."

"Do you?" Fujimoto studied him for a long moment. "Fine. Your license will remain active. But understand this without a guild backing you, you won't get access to the better dungeons. You'll be stuck with E-rank and low D-rank Gates. The money will be minimal."

"That's fine," Kazuki said.

It wasn't fine, actually. But the System would help him grow stronger. Eventually, he would be able to tackle higher-rank dungeons. He just needed time.

Fujimoto pulled out a tablet and typed something. "Your official resignation from the Iron Fang Guild has been processed. You're free to go."

Kazuki bowed respectfully. "Thank you for everything, Guild Master."

He turned and walked toward the door, passing his former teammates. None of them said goodbye. Kenji actually looked relieved. Yui was already scrolling through her phone, having lost interest.

"Kazuki," Fujimoto called out just as he reached the door.

Kazuki looked back.

"Whatever really happened in that dungeon today," the guild master said, his expression thoughtful, "you're different. I can see it. Just... be careful out there."

Kazuki nodded and left the office. As the door closed behind him, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. No more pretending to be useful. No more apologizing for being weak. No more judgment from people who had given up on him.

From now on, he would grow stronger on his own terms.

[QUEST COMPLETE: PROVE YOUR WORTH]
[REWARD: FREEDOM ACHIEVED, NEW PATH UNLOCKED]
[REMINDER: DAILY QUEST MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE MIDNIGHT]
[TIME REMAINING: 6 HOURS, 47 MINUTES]

Kazuki smiled and headed for the exit. He had a lot of push-ups to do.

[End of Chapter 6]