Dungeon Raider System
Chapter 700 - 700: The expedition begins Part 3

Right before the sun woke up the students were ready to leave Fort Davis and continue their trip to Hollywood. Them being hunters meant they were able to spend the night awake with no other consequence than sore muscles, yet among the entire expedition party there was a group of hunters who remained the same.

Alice, Ashanti, Hathaway and Scoundrel had been sleep deprived and exhausted for weeks which made them look weaker than their classmates. But things changed after a sleepless night where most of the students were worried about their lives fearing all sorts of imaginary foes lurking in the distance.

When the vehicles set off the students remained silent which contrasted with their previous joyous mood and merry songs and those who belonged to the study group were the only ones with enough stamina to chat.

Despite the distance from New Texas to Fort Davis being shorter than the distance from the fort to Hollywood the travel time was similar as the road ahead was mostly open barrenlands which allowed them to reach the gates of their destination right before sunset.

"Look at that, the governor himself came to greet us!" A shrill voice announced, yet no one showed much enthusiasm by the sight of Lister. In fact, few of the students knew what the governor looked like, though the same didn't apply to his friend Allegro who was well known all over the continent.

Needless to say, upon hearing a group of students were on the way to their megacity nothing less than a titan rank cryptid could keep him from greeting them. The chances were slim, but he had hopes that his sister Beth would have tagged along.

Unfortunately for the holy rank hunter that didn't seem to be the case and instead of an emotive reunion with his runaway sister he was swarmed by female students asking for his autograph.

"Everyone back to the vehicles!" Uriel snarled making everyone flinch, especially Allegro. The students quickly got inside the vehicles and watched how the famous singer grabbed Uriel by the collar accusing him of keeping his sister from him.

"Someone should go help him." Scoundrel stuttered.

"I don't think so," Alice shook her head. "No one is intervening which means that guy is right or he has enough influence that it doesn't matter if he is."

"You don't know Allegro?" A female classmate, a slim girl whose name Alice didn't bother to learn exclaimed in a gasp.

"If it was a slum dweller I would get it, but you?" Another added with disbelief.

Alice didn't care to reply and just watched the scene unfolding in front of her with her trait active until she confirmed it wouldn't turn into a fight and lost all interest.

The seven vehicles took off and got the students to a nice hotel, something even some of the rich students had yet to experience. Hollywood had turned entertainment into their trade and their installations had everything they could possibly need or want.

Nika hit the bar along with some of the students which she didn't mind, others went straight to the gambling machines and the only ones who went directly to their rooms were those from the study group.

They too wanted to see the world and experience the many services provided by the hotel, but after putting so much effort in both studying and training made them fully appreciate the allure of a full night sleep.

Uriel did the same and only showed up in the morning to scold a few students who committed the worst sin.

"How dare you order room service!? Who do you think is paying for all this!?" Uriel growled.

"So noisy in the morning..." Nika walked in with a few students in tow. They looked like pale imitations of human beings and could barely keep their eyes open. Uriel looked at her with a displeased expression, but could do nothing to scold her since he too was technically a student.

All Uriel did was to extend the palm of his hands gesturing her to give him something and the sunkissed professor begrudgingly handed him a small bag that contained the summon statue Father of horrors gifted him.

The way it worked remained a mystery, but it allowed Uriel to summon her from a distance in the exact same way he summoned his jaguar. It also allowed Nika to regain flux energy despite being far from Uriel, which is why she stole it from him before undertaking her quest to look for Luna.

"Alright students, I'll explain things only once so pay attention. We are heading to the Mojave desert, particularly to a place called The Valley of death." Uriel said in front of the students whose faces turned pale

"Are you being serious?" Simon asked in disbelief. If being outside city walls unsettled him, nothing could describe how he felt about a place with such an ominous name.

I know it sounds awful, but that name is older than the arrival. Our main worry won't be cryptids, but the desert itself and since we're all hunters, we should be fine." Uriel explained in the most reassuring tone he could muster.

"So, there aren't any cryptids?" Asked Ashanti, unsure if she was relieved or disappointed. By training so hard her aim and her spatial awareness had increased by leaps and bounds. To say she was excited about trying what he learnt would be an understatement.

"There are, but they're mostly weaklings. If you're thinking on making money by killing them I would advice against it. Thanks to the generous donations of several families, the university has granted our department with enough funds to buy any artifacts you may find.

Flux orbs, while valuable, won't get you nearly as much money as you can get from selling artifacts." Uriel's explanation was concise, just the way he liked them.

There was no reason to bore students with details they could figure out on their own.

"Teaching assistant, you can come along with us." Simon invited Uriel with a smile. In response, those who belonged to his study group looked him with puppy eyes.

"I think I'll pass. Thanks, though." Uriel apologized and hopped in the last vehicle in the caravan.