Chapter 32: Chapter 12: Phone

Chapter 12: Phone

To warp up my first hunting experience it went well. Made money, got one level and finally had some decent exercise. Now I was happy to have gained one level, but the experience also was an eye-opener that I really have no idea what I’m doing.

Levelling was always a tricky thing. 

During the early years, it was quickly found that combat was one of the best ways to level. Combat–not killing–an important distinction.

Use of one’s body, mind and skills in a stressful situation provided ample growth! Which was why those with combat-oriented professions and monster hunters tended to be at higher levels.

More fantastic versions of sports that allowed skills and certain classes were created to help with individual growth as while no one was going to die, the stress and adrenaline provided adequate growth.

[Gazing Upon The Stars] one of my main skills, its main purpose was to help me level. By staring at the stars I would gain experience. This semi-passive gain was a lifesaver, that allowed me to progress even in downtimes. 

Then there’s [Primal Guardian Lord] which levels itself up so stupidly fast…

Anyway, Jacob and I left soon after the kill happened. I could still fight, but leaving then, people would assume I was out of mana.

The medical team came and rescued the remaining Pelopate crew. They wanted me to answer some questions, but I fucked off.

After all that I went home and reunited with my family.

*
*

“I’m hom–”

“SISTER!!” Mella jumped into my arms.

“It was only a day,” I replied.

“Too long!” Mella yelled, “You didn’t even tell us where you were going.”

“I did. I was just visiting some friends.” Mella stared angrily into my eyes. Yep! She definitely knows I’m lying.

“Afternoon Ceella,” Tyell walked from around the corner.

“Afternoon,” I replied.

“I… wanted to apologise. I’m sorry” Tyell's head swung down, seemingly scared to look up… 

What an idiot. Nothing to be sorry about.

I went over to Tyell, “I should have told you… softer I supposed,” and hug him tight. “It was just hard… to talk about it I guess…”

Together we kept hugging for over twenty seconds before, “Ceella! Your home!” My mum heard the noise and rushed towards us.

…I worried them a lot… 

It was a simple truth. That made me more scared than I ever expected.

Maybe it would’ve been better if I didn’t come home first.

 

---

Days passed and I finally received freedom! 

“ARGH! I can’t believe it took this stupid long,” I said as played with the phone in my hands while laying on the couch. After I supplied it with mana, I stretched it into all manner of different shapes. 

I fumbled around the add contacts page long enough for Mella to return from going to the toilet, “Do you still remember all your friends' contact information?” Mella asked, looking over my shoulder.

“Yes,” I lied, kinda.

I type in my close family contacts first. We had grandparents but mum… and dad weren’t on good terms with either of them. It wasn’t all bad cause due to those bad relations, mum and dad moved away, and their paths eventually crossed.

After family, it was friends. First Beatrice… but now I stood at an impasse. 

I did have friends from school, and if I met them on the street we would probably have a good time…  

But I would always be the first to admit my ability to judge people during my teenage years was absolute shit. Each person I dated–Max, Simon and Susan–was somehow worst than the last.

Time has passed and I hadn’t seen any of them in years. The scraps of memory made them feel better referred to as acquaintances.

…Dad used to always say ‘good friends only appear when your not expecting them.’ And he was right. My space adventures working for NextEdge… I did not expect to meet anyone who I would eventually call a friend. Unsurprisingly working for a space delivery service wasn’t the most popular job and on average, the people doing it had been for over forty years.

Maybe I should try calling Beatrice again? There had been no response since the last time which made me worried.

I pressed the call button.

 

It rung.

 

You are reading story The Stargazing Witch & The Dungeon Planet at novel35.com

For a bit.

 

But it soon became quiet again.

Changing phone numbers was semi-difficult in this age, so I was hoping she just didn’t want to answer or currently didn’t possess a phone.

“Beatrice, Ceella again. This time with my phone! Haaaaa…” my phone’s number hadn’t changed, “I’m not a ghost, spirit or a mons–I’m just alive. PLS and all that painful crap, so if you can please reply… I want to know if you're at least alive.” I left another message.

Maybe I should try making some new friends…

I got up off the couch and went outside.

“You leaving sis!” Mella asked shocked.

“Yeah… Going to meet a couple of acquaintances.”

 

---

I went back to Hungry Wolves Hunting Guild. Originally my plan wasn’t to come here unless necessary. All the different hunting guilds were outside of the area I was technically allowed in, but making some connections shouldn’t hurt.

“Hey, Ketty,” I greeted. The building was empty… was expecting at least two people.

“Morning Ceella,” Ketty replied “Didn’t expect to see you until next week’s hunt.”

“Well I I didn’t plan on visiting before then,” I replied truthfully.

“Oh, you’re Ceella,” a man walked in from the backroom. Mern Wolfgodest, the owner and chief of Hungry Wolves Hunting Guild. 

“I’ve heard a lot about you from the small chief,” he tried tapping Ketty's shoulders. Which resulted in her crushing his finger. Hiding the pain from his expression, “Thank you for your work and donation during the last hunt.”

“Sure,” I said. I didn’t have a use for the charred corpse so I used that as my 15%–even though it was technically over that.

“So what are you here for?” Ketty asked.

“Honestly, just to chat.”

Mern laughed “Haha, I love it! Nothing beats good company.”

Is he praising my decisions or not?

Mern continued “Well stay for as long as you need!” 

Ketty sighed at her boss’s antics “He’s right, stay for as long as you want, and if you want, we have some board games in the back.”

“...Why do you have board games?”

Mern spoke, “I like to collect them.”

That’s nice. “How many do you have?”

“Depends, if we are talking the ones stored here, or at my home, but here we got ninety-eight.”

Ketty’s expression changed remembering, “Ceella cause you left right away last time, I forgot to you tell you about the Konable raid.”

“The what?”

Mern smiled, “The Konable raid, it happens every year.”

“Yeah? Okay, but what is it?”

“Konable portal is purposefully left alone, and then we break it,” Mern replied.

I turned to Ketty, “... Ketty can you help?”

Ketty sighed at her boss’s piss-poor explanation, “Konable is a portal dungeon named after the moon it's formed on, it's a very finicky dungeon. But after some experimentation, people found if hunters don’t clear the monster within it for over half a year, monsters start to be created at an exponential rate. So roughly every year the committee of guilds–every legal guild–leave the dungeon closed, and purposely cause a break releasing all the monsters.”

“Is it too dangerous to just go in normally?”

“Pretty much,” Mern replied “From first-hand experience, it’s basically suicide.”

“So wait,” I asked “How many people are a part of this?”

“When I said every guild, I meant every guild,” Ketty answered.

Mern said, “Pays good, and safety is higher due to amount of people.”

“Nah,” I thought about it “Seems too busy.” I enjoyed my previous hunting experience, but directly working with hundreds of people didn’t sound great. Especially when I wanted to hide some of my abilities and the chance that someone had a soul page analysing skill was too high for my taste.

Ketty remarked “Okay, but if you change your mind. This year it is on the 90th of this month, so only show up that day if you’re coming.” Ketty groaned, “This place gets packed!”

Mern and I laugh at Ketty’s misfortune. The three of us ended up chatting for the next two hours. Even playing some board games.

“Also, while I’m here, give me your number,” I asked Ketty. Am I too blunt?

“Sure,” she smiled. Could she tell how awkward I was feeling? She pulled up her phone and I scanned the contact information.

“Take mine as well!” Mern laughed. He pulled out his phone just after rolling his die.

“Thanks, I appreciated it,” I really did, forgot how hard asking shit from people was. I continued with my turn, “I activate Bad Start, targeting Mern.”

“Why!”

“I didn’t forget what you did.”

“That was at the start of the game,” he cried “forty minutes ago.”

“All I can say, thank you Ceella,” Ketty laughed “For my turn before I roll I activate Blitz Burst adding an extra 10 to my roll at cost of -5 next turn, but” she smiled “It's my win.” Her character passes the finish line.

“Damn you! Both of you! How can I never win this game,” Mern dejectedly looked down at his phone which clearly was a guide on how to win.

“Well, good luck next time I guess?” I said.