Dungeon Raider System-Chapter 576: The hard way

It was almost closing time in the east wall of Hollywood Megacity. Guards were checking all the nooks and crannies of the tunnel in the wall that lead inside to make sure no one was trying to bypass security.

Although difficult, it wasn't unusual for hunters to come and go without paying the ticket fare, though there had been no cases of people doing that since the megacity of Texas fell to cryptids.

"Another day of hard work." A male guard sighed.

"You call this working? There was barely any people today." The other scoffed.

"Anything that gives me a pay check and allows my family to make it to the end of the month is a work for me. Besides, ever since things calmed down my wife has never been happier, I'm actually excited to go back home. Can you believe that?" They both chuckled.

Itching to go back home to his wife, the first guard to speak was about to press the button when his partner stopped him.

"There's two more over there, guess we'll have to keep it open five more minutes." His partner shrugged.

"Let's just pretend we didn't see them, besides, the watchers haven't said anything. Unless we get ordered to keep the door open, we're closing it." Just as he finished speaking, a young boy came running to them carrying a note from the watchmen. The guard grumbled as he read the note, then fell silent and became pale.

"What is it?" His partner asked.

"It says here that we should meet them outside, their combined energy signature indicates they're both heavenly rank hunters." The relaxed atmosphere disappeared in a second as the guards on top of thew wall took their and the auto turrets pointed at the foreigners waiting for someone to press a button before tearing anything in front of them to pieces.

In the meantime, the two unlucky guards did what was asked of them and walked outside the city after closing the gate. This was regular procedure in most megacities and most of the time nothing bad happened, but both guards knew that if things turned violent they couldn't do anything to defend themselves against Heavenly rank hunters.

"I wonder if my wife will look for someone else if I die."

"She already did and you're still alive." The second guard joked to aleviate the tension as the two hunters came closer.

"We are looking for medical treatment, I would be thankful if you guys let us go inside." Uriel lifted both hands and spun on his heels to show he was unarmed.

"Why are you acting like you're in the slums? You're embarrassing me..." Jon buried his bandaged face in his bandaged arm.

"Do you think the watchers made a mistake?"

"It's unlikely, but I've heard it happens from time to time." The two guards turned to whisper to each other, but Uriel wasn't in the mood for waiting.

"Look, we just need to get inside. I know we arrived a bit late, but that's all because Akhenatem here needed his bathroom break."

"Hey! That's an insult, he almost caused Egypt to collapse." An offended Jon turned placed his hand over his chest.

"I know, that's why I said it. You do look like him."

The guards had no clue about what were they arguing about, but they knew how to deal with refugees and beggars.

"This isn't a charity and we're not taking in any refugees. Your only chance is to turn around and go back where you came from, now scram before I change my mind and tag you as a threat." The guard said.

Uriel clenched his fist in frustration. He hated when people got in his way and it happened too often for his liking. Usually, Uriel would try to bribe them or use force. He knew both guards together didn't stand a chance against him with just one hand, but if he attacked them they would simply close the gate.

Losing two guards was nothing for the city, especially if it meant identifying a possible threat.

"Kid, you can't expect people to take you seriously if you act all humble. You need to be more arrogant or even the scum of the earth will treat you like garbage. Watch this," Jon told Uriel then turned to see the guards.

"I'm a holy rank hunter and if you don't let me pass, I'll just go through you, and your gate, and your city until I get what I want." When Jon finished speaking a faint glimmer fizzled out in his eyes.

Both guards looked each other then started laughing at the pitiful display of power by the wounded hunter. They had no means to know Jon had used all of his flux energy recently and because they were evolved, they didn't feel Jon's energy signature.

"If you're a holy rank hunter, then I'm a famous actor." The guard joked and the other one followed by jokingly putting his hands together.

"Can you give me your autograph, please?"

"I'm done, already tried the easy way, now it's time for the hard way." Uriel muttered as he walked towards the guards with a crooked smile.

***

"All I'm saying, if you had the cash to bribe them that should have been your first option!" Jon nagged Uriel

"It's easy for you to say since it wasn't your money. Maybe you forgot how difficult it is to get money because all you've done lately is mooch off of people and steal the property of your betters."

"My betters? How many papers did you publish last year? Oh! That's right, none!" fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

"Of course not, it was my first year in college!"

"Really?" Jon tilted his head trying to figure out if Uriel was lying or not. He was so accustomed to being with Seiren that he forgot how to read people.

"Yeah, but since I became a hunter I missed a lot of class so even that year might not count. I don't think anyone would bother publishing or even reading my papers." Uriel shrugged.

Jon would have pitied the young archaeologist unlucky enough to be born in poverty in a city that was destroyed, but he was too busy being shocked by him being only a first year student. Even after their first chat it became apparent that Uriel knew more about archaeology than the average graduate from the times before the arrival, but that was supposedly an impossible feat.

"Everyone knows you were raised in the slums so I take it you weren't home schooled." Jon didn't phrase it like the question it actually was, which allowed Uriel to not answer without being rude.

"Mind your own business, old man." Uriel, though, had no qualms on being rude to Jon. "Where's the hospital anyway?"

"Hospital? We're not going to the hospital, we're going to a five star hotel." Jon's words triggered a heavy reaction in Uriel who had to do a double take before continuing the conversation.

"And how do you intend to pay for that?"

"Paying? That's your business," Jon said with a smirk that irked Uriel to no end. It was only after Uriel's eyes lit up in blue that Jon continued. "easy there. I'm not trying to get one over you. We really need to go to a hotel.

Think about it, if we go to a hospital they'll send us back thinking we're refugees."

"Really? Isn't it their jobs at the hospital to, you know, help people?" Uriel doubted his own words. So far, the only good experiences he had with doctors were on the Mapple corp. zeppelin, not even in his own.

"If we were actual refugees the guards wouldn't have let us pass the gate. People who enter the it without a penny to their names end up living in the slums. It's a blessing for cities as it means getting more workforce and people who might become hunters one day, but overpopulation raises crime. Besides, this city is... very particular."

"I wondered about that, there's not many people outside. Do they have an early curfew or something?" Uriel looked around managing to spot no more than a hundred people, which was close to nothing in the broad avenue.

Jon didn't reply to Uriel's question, partly because Uriel didn't answer to his', but also because he deemed Uriel needed to learn on his own. Hollywood city was known to be one of the best vacation destinations with clean streets and beautiful people everywhere. It was worlds apart from the megacity Uriel used to call home.

"Two rooms." Jon said as soon as Uriel pushed rolled his wheelchair to the reception. The man in front of the counter pretended not to hear him while silently calling for security. Suddenly, Uriel's mystical sense lit up liker a christmas tree as the security staff closed in and he became antsy, but despite being able to sense the same Jon remained unfazed.

"What are you waiting for, sweep your card you bloody idiot."

Under the pressure caused by the many powerful hunters that formed the security staff of the hotel and Jon's words, picking the card from his pocket and sweeping it was done in a single motion. The beeping sound of the machine brought a smile on the previously 'deaf' man at the reception and he then spoke with respect.

"King or two queens?"