Dogmatic Dungeon Dominion

T/W: Mentions of human trafficking

The doors opened to an expansive, open white room. A giant dungeon core sat atop machines with wires connecting to monitors. A few others were already in the room waiting for their classification examination. This was one of the two main classification rooms at the Hunter's Association.

The first one is open to the public for their awakened test, where they determine someone's primary class type and levels for their national Hunter ID. This room was for those who worked with the Hunter's Association, and it determined their class, level within said class, growth zone, and even their awakened skills.

Daniel led Penn to where the others waited for their turn on a bench. Only a few people were ahead in the lineup. They were most likely hunters, as the espers-to-guide ratio was 30:1. Thanks to this, Guides tend to be highly paid - competitive with guild benefits for those who didn't choose the Hunters Association as their final career.

But it is also where the discrimination against Guides came from. Even with laws to protect them, some would force themselves on Guides or even take the black-market route, in which unregistered guides were trafficked into brothel-like establishments and illegal human auctions. These are what fueled most of the rumors and bad connotations concerning Guides.

"Does that machine announce the results aloud?" Penn asked, leaning over to whisper to Daniel. Daniel shook his head.

"Though this seems like an open, public room, a sound and privacy barrier is in place to protect results from onlookers," Daniel smiled reassuringly, pulling up his tablet and pointing to it. "As a training staff member, I have access to the cameras and results, though."

"Thank you," Penn nodded in return, sitting up straight. Daniel watched him closely.

"You don't need to be so nervous about guiding. It's not a dirty job - as much as people like to grossly spread misinformation. You save the lives of not only the hunters with their power management but also the citizens who could die at the hands of hunters who lose control." Daniel smiled knowingly, reaching to gently pat Penn's hand, clenched into a fist on his thigh.

"Hmm." Penn nodded again, staring straight ahead but giving Daniel an awkward smile.

"Think of Guides like a high school guidance counselor. They talk you through the most basic things while holding your hand and offering reassurance. We aren't asking you to be a personal doctor or therapist - it's a form of first aid for a chronic patient. Does that make sense?" Daniel asked, tilting his head as he leaned forward to be in Penn's line of sight. Penn chewed the inside of his cheek before looking back at Daniel.

"Yes, thank you. For a receptionist, you seem to go above and beyond in your job," Penn joked back to lighten the mood, not wanting to discourage Daniel with his pessimistic thoughts. Daniel flashed a bright but bashful smile, his ears and cheekbones stained red.

"No, this is the least I can do. I can see how apprehensive you are about being here. I hope we can work together for a long time. Maybe even gain a new lunch buddy," Daniel giggled.

"I would like that," Penn reassured him, standing up as he was called for his turn. Daniel followed beside him, tablet in hand.

"Come up to the dungeon core and put your hands on it. The wires from the core to the monitors will display your classification stats," explained the core room manager.

Penn shifted his eyes to Daniel, who waved his tablet—then stepped forward. That strange, hoppy feeling in his face washed over him the moment his hands grazed the core. The weird sensation of needing to stay with the core and the inner voice inside him screaming that it wasn't natural washed over him.

"Guide classification confirmed. Class A confirmed. Good - wait… Sub-class confirmed? Daniel, come here and check the system…" the manager called over, looking confused.

"Sub-class?" Penn questioned, but no answer came as Daniel's golden hair bounced past him quickly. He watched as they both checked all the wires, the monitors, and the condition of the cores and whispered to each other in confused tones."Sub-class… confirmed," the manager said, brows furrowed. "Combat skills confirmed. You have three combat-based fighter skills and two hidden skills… I'm sorry, this is unusual, so we're a bit confused."

"Guide Jennson, I'm sure you're confused about this whole thing. Never have we recorded a guide with the skills of a power user. As explained previously, besides the ability to guide hunters, Guides are as average as anyone who hasn't awakened. They lack increased health, stamina, strength, healing, or other special skills," Daniel stated, looking confused as he aggressively scrolled through his tablet.

"I'm an esper, too? Where do we go from here?" Penn turned to both of them, removing his hands from the core.

"Not exactly. Your sub-class skills are all close combat - probably related to your military skills. The three skills we've recorded are Quickdraw, Skilled Marksman, and Team Champion. The hidden skills can only be awakened under certain conditions within dungeons. Many never awaken the hidden skills since the power user doesn't know the requirements to unlock them," Daniel explained, coming to stand in front of Penn to show him the skills on the tablet.

"If I am also awakened… does that mean I also need guidance?" Penn questioned. "Can a Guide be guided?"

"We're… not sure. Something like this hasn't happened before. We'll have to arrange for more testing and contact international hunter organizations to see if they recorded any similar events," the core manager interjected. Penn sighed, trying to keep his frustration from leaking out.

"The only similar event that happened would be our number one S-Class Hunter. He can reverse-guide or force-guide…" Daniel mumbled, thinking out loud. Penn snapped his head toward him.

"Force guide?" Penn asked, concern flickering behind his eyes. Daniel sighed, scratching his collar nervously.

"Yes. Guides aren't the biggest fans of him for that reason. Guiding is under complete control of the Guide. But with him, he can walk up to any guide and initiate a guiding session—even beyond their level, causing some to faint," Daniel reluctantly replied.

"And his reverse-guiding doesn't help much either for likability. He claims he can taste or smell what guiding feels like. If he doesn't like how it feels, he shoves that guiding power back into the Guide. Pushing power back into a batter too fast can make it explode." The core manager shrugged. "He's an asshole through and through."

Penn watched as the two discussed the hated hunter, a lousy feeling seeding deep inside him. He was well known for his intuition being accurate, which is probably why he gained a skill titled Team Champion.

Looking at the monitors, his brows furrowed. He could tell the longer he looked at those skills, the more he instinctively knew what each one did. He had read papers before on awakened just understanding their powers like it was always a part of them—but it never made sense.

"Let's head back to HR to talk about our next steps," Daniel sighed, tapping Penn's elbow to beckon him to follow. He nodded to the core manager as they both took their leave from the room, a few curious glances following in an attempt to understand the hurried and confused faces of the staff members.

The way back to the HR office was awkwardly quiet as Daniel focused on the results on the tablet as if trying to figure out a puzzle that left him stumped. Penn didn't know what to say, so he quietly followed behind. Daniel gave an apologetic smile as they entered the office, and he directed Penn to the waiting seats while he went off to talk to the staff.

Penn sat with a subtle sigh, resting his head against the wall behind him as he tried to lose himself in thought away from the day's mess. Since becoming a guide, nothing good has happened to him. Would awakening hunter skills even be of use? What if he turned out to be useless as a Guide since he might even need his own guidance?

He shook those thoughts away, reminding himself of the guiding test he had done the previous day that had gone smoothly. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration before staring out the window at the busy city that went about its day.

***

"We've arrived at the dorms," announced the driver as they pulled into a clean, well-secured condo lot. Several buildings were nearby, separated by rivers, walking paths, and park scrapes. The Hunters Association definitely treated its awakened staff well.

"Spenser, right?" Penn asked as the car door was opened for him."Spenser Kowalski, head of security," he responded, stepping to the side and refusing to hold out his hand. "Apologies, but I don't shake hands with guides."

"Ah," Penn responded awkwardly, withdrawing his hand. Instead, Spenser pulled a key card from his pocket and held it out.

"This is your access to the dorms, the facilities, and your own bachelor room. The Association is only a five-minute walk, but there is a direct underground walkway alongside a quick staff-only speed rail. Public transportation is available outside the compound since we are in the downtown core. The amenities here also include a few cafes, restaurants, convenience stores, a grocery store, reinforced gyms, pools, and more. They are also open twenty-four-seven due to the unreliable schedule of Hunters and Guides. I'll be leaving. Have a good evening."

Penn took the keycard and watched the car take its leave. He turned to look at the many buildings before looking down at the keycard with a large A on the back. Spotting a matching A on the building nearest to him, he made his way to his new home.