As soon as they arrived at headquarters, he was brought to the meeting room, where the leadership had already gathered. A man ordered the guards to let him go.
"Your name is Allen, right?" he asked. He was sorry that they had scared him. They were curious because he was leveling up so quickly, and that was why he had wanted to talk to him at all costs.
Allen flexed his wrists, which had been under the pressure of the chains, and asked what they wanted from him.
One of them excitedly jumped up from his chair and asked him to tell them more about his weapon — the pistol. He answered that even if he told them, they still wouldn't understand anything, because it was technology that didn't exist in this world.
Another man chuckled and noted that he thought too much of himself for a simple Artisan. Wasn't his weapon just a trinket?
Allen understood everything. The man was trying to provoke him into revealing information. In that case, he would give them the same thing he had given the farmers. He created a rifle. It fell right in front of that man, and he said they could study it as much as they wanted.
Upon seeing the stats of the weapon, everyone was very surprised. The attack power was 50, a level comparable to a knight of the same level, and it fired 30 times in a row. It was simply impossible.
Allen turned to leave and asked whether they were finished. He was aiming to become the first in the world to reach level 999. He didn't want to waste time, so he was leaving.
The man got nervous and stopped him. If he was aiming for level 999, did that mean his ultimate goal was to defeat the demon king?
Allen told him that most likely it would be so, and that it was to his own advantage. He had heard from the elders in the villages that the situation with the demon lord's army was bad.
The man confirmed this. Humanity was experiencing an unprecedented crisis because of that army. A major city had recently fallen.
Allen said that he would solve these problems over time. In any case, next time they should invite him normally.
He was about to leave, but the man stopped him again and said that he had one more question. Allen asked him discontentedly what he wanted, and he nervously said that if he wanted to level up effectively, then he should join a clan. It was an adventurers' organization. He could get him into an A-rank clan right now.
His colleague immediately stopped him, telling him not to try to take the boy for himself, and told Allen that if anyone was going to recommend a clan, his was better. It was also A-rank, and elite, and they actively went into high level dungeons.
They ended up arguing, trying to lure Allen into joining their clans, but he stopped them and said he wasn't going to join anyone. He wanted to act freely.
The first man, slightly confused, adjusted his glasses and asked him to let them know if he changed his mind, after which Allen left.
One of them remarked that he was a rather strange guy, and glanced at the assault rifle, asking how it worked. His colleague replied that he didn't know. It was clearly not something a level 15 craftsman could create.
Then he suggested that they gather the best blacksmiths and craftsmen in the country so they could study everything in detail.
Time passed, and many adventurers gathered in front of the entrance to a dungeon called the Wolf Mine. Allen among them. Even in this world, an instance dungeon was always crowded. These were dungeons created separately for each group, allowing adventurers to avoid competing for monsters with other parties.
A guy waved at Allen, inviting him to join his group. But upon seeing his level 15, he was very surprised and ran away, telling him to forget the offer. It was all because the recommended level for this dungeon was 25, and he was only 15.
Allen smirked. He wouldn't have come to such a hole if not for the level difference modifier.
In this world, there were level difference modifiers. The higher the enemy's level relative to yours, the more experience you got. It was considered most effective to fight enemies ten levels higher.
A loud scream distracted him from his thoughts. A group of guys had surrounded a poor girl, luring her into their group. Her name was Emma, a level 20 priest, and the nasty one was Lucas, a level 65 swordsman.
The other adventurers began whispering about the situation. Judging by their conversations, he often approached girls and then did something to them in the dungeons. He attacked with a sword without hesitation, and he was high level, so they couldn't help her.
Licking his lips, Lucas began to approach Emma, and then she pushed him away and asked him to stop. She just wanted to be in a group with people at her level. She didn't want to parasitize on others.
He shrugged and told her to just parasitize on them, then. It was easier to level up that way. Besides, they'd really enjoy it, too. Their nasty grins said nothing else.
Something appeared behind Lucas's back — two hands with outstretched index fingers, which dug straight into his backside. Feeling the push, Lucas fell in pain and grabbed the injured area, and his friends were simply shocked that a bronze hand had suddenly grown out of the ground.
Allen approached him and apologized. He'd just had trouble controlling himself. His skill was malfunctioning.
Lucas's face winced in pain. He threatened him with his fist and said that he would kill him. Did he even know who he was?
Allen asked him to calm down. He was just testing whether he could create things from a distance. And then he had caught his eye.
Lucas, furious, called him an idiot. He drew his sword and ordered him to stop talking nonsense. He was not to be trifled with. Then, seeing that he was only level 15, he was very surprised, and his friends laughed and asked how he dared attack him. They told Lucas to stop mocking the weak, and he put the blade back in its sheath with a displeased look, saying that if he killed him, he would only make a laughing stock of himself. This time, he would make an exception and let him live.
Allen thanked him and left, and Emma followed him and said that he really had saved her. He told her that he hadn't saved her.
Then Lucas called out to them. Actually, the conversation wasn't over yet. He'd said that he wouldn't kill him. He hadn't said that he would let him go.
Allen turned to him and asked what he wanted from him, and Lucas, pointing to the entrance to the dungeon, told him they would have a competition to see who could clear it the fastest. If he won, he would crush his face into meat.
Emma stood up for him, saying it wasn't fair. Allen was only level 15.
Lucas licked his lips, saying he'd take her body as a reward for winning, and this immediately brought tears to her eyes.
Surprisingly, Allen agreed. He wanted to name his own terms, but changed his mind, saying he didn't care. He didn't need any reward.
Lucas smirked, noting that it was because he had no chance of winning.
Allen scratched his head and smirked back. Actually, even if he won against a piece of trash like him, the reward would still be pathetic, wouldn't it?
These words really angered him. "Now he realizes he's an arrogant idiot who simply doesn't know his place," Lucas said.
Before entering the dungeon, Emma warned Allen that it was dangerous here. He was only level 15, and it was recommended to come here only from level 25.
He confidently answered that it wasn't a problem. He'd planned to hunt here from the start.
He walked to the entrance, and Lucas mockingly asked whether he was really going to go alone. Why not form a group? There were plenty of weaklings here who would suit him.
"So you're going in a group at level 65," Allen said. "You can't do anything without your pack."
Lucas got angry, and Allen waved his hand, telling him to do whatever he wanted. He didn't care. Even if they all went in a crowd.
Emma excitedly asked him to wait. She volunteered to go with him and sent him an invite to her group. He froze for a second, then declined the invitation, saying he didn't need her.
She didn't expect that, and ran after him, begging him to let her come. Because of her clumsiness, she almost fell right in front of him, but then she said with confidence that she was also to blame for how everything had turned out, and she couldn't let him go alone. She invited him to the group again. He refused. Then she invited him again.
He frowned. This girl was quite stubborn. Realizing that she would just keep inviting him, he agreed, which made her very happy.
Lucas finally said that he didn't care about him, but they couldn't let Emma die. They were still going to have fun with her.