[Two Days Later]
Kaelen emerged from the sewers. He had bathed, bought new clothes with the last of his credits, and hidden the Box in a stash only he knew.
He needed money. To get money, he needed to enter a Dungeon. But Dungeons were restricted to Parties.
He stood by the Guild Hall entrance. Dozens of Players were shouting, looking for groups.
"Lvl 10 Tank looking for Healer!" "DPS need Party for Goblin Cave!"
Kaelen stood in the back. His fake ID said Level 5 Civilian. No one would hire him.
Then, a girl walked up to him. She wore leather armor and carried a bow. She looked young, maybe 16, but her eyes were sharp.
[Player: Elara][Class: Archer][Level: 8]
"Hey," she said. "You're a Scavenger, right?"
"Civilian," Kaelen corrected, tapping his badge.
"Same thing," she rolled her eyes. "My party needs a Mule. Someone to carry the loot so we don't get encumbered. We pay 50 credits plus 5% of the drop."
Kaelen looked at her. A Mule. A pack horse. It was insulting. But it was a way inside.
"I'm in," Kaelen said.
"Great. Try not to die," Elara said. "The Fungal Caverns are nasty this time of year."
She led him to her group. Two guys in heavy armor (Level 9 Warrior, Level 8 Mage). They looked at Kaelen and laughed. "Fresh meat," the Warrior grinned. "Hope you brought a vomit bag, kid."
Kaelen didn't smile. He checked his stats. His Corruption was at 3%. His Decay skill was ready.
"Let's go," Kaelen said.
He followed them into the teleport gate. He was going into a System Dungeon. And he was going to eat everything inside.