Level Up The Colony
Chapter 37: Partner

Chapter 37: Partner

"At gunpoint? Feels like a robbery," Timothy said, eyeing the group before him.

"You leave us no choice," the bespectacled warrior replied, adjusting his glasses.

"Hunters went missing after the last raid, you were there. Care to explain?"

Timothy smirked.

"Are you the Police or association?"

"You killed them didn’t you or at least know what happened to them?"

"Do you have any proof of that?" Timothy asked

"No. But we have leverage, a false ranker sneaking into a dungeon to steal resources."

Timothy’s expression darkened slightly.

He remembered the kingpin association was an unofficial hunters association, so it’d be easy to make him appear as a criminal, and looting a Dungeon without a license was just the same as robbery.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about. But I don’t take kindly to knives at my throat."

Silence.

Tension thickened as eyes locked in a quiet standoff.

Even in an unfavourable situation he still threatened.

The glasses warrior finally spoke again.

"I don’t doubt your strength, I recognize it. So let’s renegotiate."

Timothy said nothing.

"Where’s the wyvern’s heart?"

"Didn’t bring anything out with me." His tone was firm.

The glasses warrior glanced at the assassin still holding the dagger to Timothy’s throat.

The assassin gave a subtle nod of his head.

"He’s clean. No weapons, nothing."

The group stiffened.

A single thought ran through their minds then

He took down a C-rank dungeon boss with his bare hands?

"He’s lying," the bubblegum-chewing girl muttered.

Timothy met her gaze, unreadable.

"There’s no way he broke free from my binds alone. He had help." She blew a bubble and popped it.

"We saw no one else," the fiery woman countered.

"Doesn’t mean there wasn’t. Check again." She said annoyed

At that moment, something small scurried up Timothy’s neck and vanished into his scarf.

Everyone saw it.

"Was that an insect?" The girl asked

The assassin tensed, his grip tightening on his dagger.

The glasses warrior’s face twisted in disgust.

"Don’t tell me... you’re like him?"

The fiery woman remained still.

"A summoner?"

"Yes," Timothy answered blandly, though his mind was elsewhere, his status screen had just revealed something very interesting.

"So you’re a physical fighter with summoning abilities."

The warrior’s expression darkened.

"More and more like them." He said

Timothy’s gaze sharpened.

"Them?" He asked

"What’s your connection?" The warrior asked

"No idea who you’re talking about," Timothy replied

The warrior adjusted his grip on his sword.

"He controls mosquitos. And blood. With absolute precision."

Timothy’s entire demeanor shifted.

"He controls blood?" His voice was calm, but a storm brewed beneath.

The glasses warrior moved in a flash, his katana drawing a smooth arc, stopping just short of Timothy’s neck.

"Stay in your place. Don’t get ahead of yourself."

Timothy didn’t flinch.

He never had, not since waking up in that hospital.

Even now, with a blade at his throat, fear was a foreign concept.

"Does he have a name?" he asked, voice quiet.

The warrior hesitated.

"No. He doesn’t keep one. Just makes requests... and they’re granted."

"Who requested this time?"

"Confidential."

"Then why tell me this?"

"Because I see your conviction. And I want you on our team."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you’re on your own. The gate was near break status. The last raid team vanished. Our mission is to fix that and to figure out what really happened."

Timothy smirked.

"So this is blackmail."

"Think of it as a deal. You looted bodies. Took resources. That makes you a scavenger. Return what’s left, and we clean your slate."

"And the bounty?"

"That depends. You weren’t the only survivor. If we spin it right, someone else did the killing."

A long pause drifted through their midst

The assassin withdrew his dagger.

The roots binding Timothy’s feet slithered back into the ground.

The glasses warrior crossed his arms.

"That settles it. You’re in."

Timothy sighed.

"Like I have a choice?"

"Objections?" the warrior asked.

Two hands went up.

The fiery woman glared at Timothy.

"He owes me a dragon’s heart."

"Wyvern," Timothy corrected.

"Same thing."

What the hell does she even want it for? He dismissed the thought.

’Probably some weird fetish.’

Bubblegum girl folded her arms.

"You still haven’t explained how you escaped my bind."

Timothy smirked.

"Trade secret."

She shivered.

"Creepy."

Timothy turned to the glasses warrior.

"So, are we done? We never got to farm those mana crystals."

"Did you find any?"

"No. But if we’d looked longer, we might’ve found something worth a little cash." He grinned, leaning in conspiratorially.

The warrior pushed his glasses up.

"Tch. Greedy bastard."

The statement struck a chord in his chest, he suddenly felt like he was giving off the wrong impression here to them all

"Dungeon breaks are always this chaotic. You were lucky you didn’t collapse along with it," the warrior said, his tone carrying a hint of philosophy.

"Dungeons are valuable resources until they start breaking. At that point, they become liabilities. The environment around them slowly takes on their characteristics, like that steam you saw earlier. That’s why breaks are prevented, mostly by volunteer hunters who see dungeons as a threat to mankind."

Timothy understood what he meant, in simple terms, it’s common for there to be no profits in closing dungeons that are about to break

As he finished speaking, the group began dispersing.

Timothy turned, watching as the warrior walked away.

"Hey! What’s your name?" he called out.

"Miebaka," the warrior replied in a low voice, not bothering to stop.

"What about the others?" Timothy asked, raising his voice slightly.

No answer.

"How do I contact you?" His voice softened as he realized no one remained to hear him.

Sighing, he muttered to himself,

"Calm down, Timothy. It’s just business."

The night had stretched on longer than expected.

Taking a wild guess, Timothy figured it was around 4 a.m.

---

Meanwhile, in the dimly lit alleyways of Ibeto Street, Miebaka walked with steady steps, conversing with someone unseen.

"Didn’t take you for the trusting type, Mie," a woman’s voice remarked.

"I’m not."

"The agreement was to recruit him as an apprentice or an asset. Not to partner with him." Her tone was calm but firm.

"You didn’t see what we did. I saw him for what he is, he’d never go under someone."

"Is that fear?" she asked.

"Intuition," Miebaka corrected.

"This was the best call to avoid complications."

"Your intuition better be right." Her voice faded into the night.

Miebaka exhaled, muttering to himself,

"My intuition is never wrong. Besides, I’m a damn good judge of character... and something tells me, I made the right call."

---

Timothy arrived home, collapsing onto the couch, feeling as heavy as a body bag.

He was utterly drained, but at least he’d managed to complete part of his daily quest.

---

[Daily Quest: A Strong Body]

Push-ups – 0/200

Sit-ups – 0/200

Squats – 0/200

Running – 20 km/20 km (Completed)

---

His eyes, heavy with exhaustion, flickered toward the notifications he had received from the dungeon.

Then, he saw one that left him speechless.

---

[Congratulations! You have killed a Wyvern.]

[You have gained a new Title.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[Silverback Termite (Gray) has leveled up.]

[Silverback Termite (Gray) has leveled up.]

[You have cleared the dungeon: Wyvern’s Den.]

[You have received dungeon rewards.]

[Obtain the Wyvern’s heart and core to claim all rewards.]

[Wyvern’s heart missing, reward options limited.]

[Please choose your reward: Stats, Skill, or Item.]

---

Timothy hesitated.

He had options?

The machete had been useful, but it was still just an item, and he wasn’t sure if a two-handed weapon suited him.

If the system gave him something useless, he knew he’d regret it.

Stats weren’t an issue either, he had leveled up enough.

That left the most valuable resource: skills.

They were not easily gotten and whenever he got the chance he decided to take one for himself

He selected Skill.

---

[Incomplete reward detected.]

[Wyvern heart absent, reconstructing...]

[Result: Lesser Skill Formed.]

[Skill Acquired!]

Name: Force (Lv.1)

Type: Active/Passive (Hybrid)

Cost: Minimal continuous strain (No direct mana cost)

Effect:

Partially anchors your body, reducing or negating weaker external forces.

Intense or overwhelming forces may still displace you.

Description:

A fragment of a greater, incomplete ability was converted into a stable, lesser form.

Currently, Force grants a measure of immovability and resistance to outside pressure.

Note: Overuse can cause severe strain on the body and mind.

---

"Fuck!" Timothy cursed, both furious and exhausted.

He felt like smashing his head against the wall.

"Why didn’t I take the heart?" He groaned, burying his face in his hands.

Then, another realization hit.

"Is that why she needed the heart?" He muttered, frustration twisting in his gut.

Sadly No one was around to answer his query

Still reeling from his mistake, he sighed in resignation, his body screaming for rest.

Just as he was about to pass out, another notification appeared.

---

[Level 25 Reward Received.]

[Reward has been sent to your inventory.]

---

Timothy’s eyes widened. "What now...?"