Dragon Soul System

Warning: The following paragraph was written to inspire hate. The summary is here: Their phones rang.

Ding! The interpersonal communication units of all those involved in the dungeon portal egress rang in a fashion remniscient of wolves howling in staccato due to recently having eaten chili peppers because of a type-a alpha male pack leader with a genetically proven mental disorder that causes one to be super anal and micromanage everything and cause hate and abhorration and jeopardize his family and work life due to gossip, hate, general dislike, and possible mutiny started by a runt with three legs, glasses, and an abnormally sized fourth leg. Wolves only wear glasses if they have a genetic deformity, so this particular alpha wolf was really screwed- royally. So the wolf would like everyone to know that if they have a screwdriver to take it out, please do so and/or comment 'woooo' down below. Wolves like wooing. It makes them feel special. Wolves are ridiculous. They'll woo anyone. Maybe that's why his life turned upside down.

Anyways, *cough cough*

Shay picked up his cellular device and recognized the standard information signal from the Bagging Commission. Separate from the Adventurer's Department, the Bagging Commission worked to keep the Baggers safe from the whims of snobby adventurers like Goro.

However, it was only on the surface- While they did document what happened, they didn't always pursue the issue itself. Either that, or the Adventurers paid them off with a 'fine.'

It wasn't fine with Shay, nor any of the other baggers- but hey. Life is life. You do what you can to the best of your ability- wishing any further is just a matter of luck. Fate, too.

[Ding! Return detected. Please continue to the nearest bagging commission center.]

[Ding! Party Leader Status accepted. Please return to the nearest Adventurer's Department for a deposition.]

'Well, that one is new.' Shay thought to himself. Looking across they way, he caught Lila's smile gently rising at the corner of her lips.

'I wonder if she had anything to with it.' He smiled back at her.

The alleyway they were in had a bridge between the buildings overhead. Despite crossing out from underneath it, the sky was still… Gray. …And dreary.

The heavy weight of the clouds above only barely managed to add weight to the lives below. As Shay passed through the city, very few were smiling. Not many could ever rise to the level of a D-Rank, let alone a C or a B. A-ranks were one-in-a-million. S? There were only 5 confirmed in the world so far, soo…

The lives of those who couldn't farm for the high level materials was… difficult. The way they were treated by those in power was even worse in telling. The farmer's daughter and the beggar's wife were not left unscathed.

In this hard world, nearly no one at all stood for justice. It was quickly becoming more and more a foreign concept.

sss.. Tap! tap! Tap! ss.. tap! Tap! The sky began to sprinkle. With the rain came the promise of a new future. But the darkness within the state of gray in the skies caused all life to seem dim.

Shay walked forward on his way, but uncertainty clouded his vision. Something was certainly different in the way he felt… 'Just what have the dragons done to me?'

As his feet began to slow, Shay trundled towards the only tall building left in the dilapidated area. The city… was dying.

"Welcome to the Ajax Hotel Adventurer's Department!" A clerk greeted him at the door. "How can we assist you today?"

"I'm here for a deposition." Shay replied, his breath lying simply upon his statement.

The clerk looked at him with bright eyes. He was certainly underdressed, but he was here for a deposition- this meant that he was the team leader for the operation. As such, he was due respect- who knew what he might accomplish in the future?

"In the doors, up the stairs and on your left. Kathy should be able go direct you further."

"Alright." Shay wasn't necessarily one for small talk.

As he walked through the doors, his world changed. The tiring, incessant stream of tireless gray clouds, storms and emptiness…

Before him lay white walls splashed with bright colors, yellow, blue, red… His heart knew it was a sham designed to bring more adventurers to this very place, but… It did feel more like home.

Without him even giving it any pause, the brightness seemed to… feel right. He walked towards the stairs, looking at the colors around him in curiosity. Where he lives, the torn metal buildings betrayed no color left.

His apartment complex was, luckily, intact due to the neighborhood watch, but… elsewhere was not.

As for what was originally suburbs, though… The suburbs were clean, tidy, organized, with the high-rankers and their families living there exclusively.

There was no place for that in the life of an F-rank.