Huhh… I reached home. My money was finally in my account. A small smile appeared on my face. For the first time since awakening, I felt something close to stability. I was happy.
I decided to buy my first weapon.
I opened my phone and started searching for weapons in the market, but every single weapon I saw was too expensive. Even a basic C-rank sword cost more than I expected. My excitement slowly turned into frustration.
I sighed and leaned back on my chair.
Then suddenly, I remembered something.
There's a store in my system.
My eyes widened.
I quickly opened my system window.
A blue transparent screen appeared in front of me.
[System Activated][Welcome, Austin]
I moved my finger and opened the Store section.
A large interface opened in front of me.
There was a huge variety of items — elixirs, weapons, armor, skill books, rings, potions, scrolls, and many unknown items I had never seen before.
It felt like an entirely different world.
I clicked on the Weapons Section.
Immediately, different weapons started appearing in front of me.
Daggers.Swords.Spears.Bows.Shields.Magic orbs.
Everything was arranged in ranks.
D Rank → C Rank → B Rank → A Rank → S Rank
At the bottom of the menu, a message was written:
"To unlock further features, reach S Rank."
I stared at the message for a moment.
So there are still hidden things in this system.
I started looking carefully for a weapon.
I was confused.
What should I buy?
A sword?Daggers?A spear?
I thought for a moment.
In my last dungeon, my speed was better than others. My reaction time was also fast.
Daggers would suit me better.
Yes… daggers.
I selected the dagger section.
There were multiple options.
D Rank Daggers – cheapC Rank Daggers – affordableB Rank Daggers – powerfulA Rank Daggers – extremely expensive
I checked my system points.
I had enough points to buy C Rank daggers, but my eyes were stuck on B Rank daggers.
They looked perfect.
Sharp edges.Balanced weight.High damage output.
I clicked on Buy.
Suddenly a pop-up appeared.
[Insufficient System Points]Would you like to use your cash balance?
I paused.
Five lakh rupees.
That was a lot.
But this was my future.
Without hesitation, I clicked Yes.
[Transaction Successful]
And just like that, 5 lakh rupees were deducted from my bank account.
Now I only had 5 lakh left.
On my first mission, Zoro had given me one million rupees.
One million was a huge amount, but since it was my first mission, they paid me extra.
I equipped my new B Rank daggers.
They felt perfectly balanced in my hands.
Sharp.
Light.
Deadly.
Zoro and others had warned me to hide my powers.
If I visited dungeons in teams, it would be hard for me to level up.
I have to face dungeons alone.
Tomorrow, I will try to get a solo mission.
The next morning.
Cold air was flowing everywhere.
I was standing on my roof, feeling the fresh morning breeze touching my face.
The sky was clear.
The city was slowly waking up.
I took a deep breath.
Today… I will take my first step toward becoming stronger.
I started moving toward the Hunters Association.
After a short walk, I reached the building.
I entered the hall.
Everyone around me was busy.
Hunters talking.Teams forming.Receptionists working.
The entire place was full of activity.
I walked toward the receptionist.
"Is there any mission available for one person?" I asked calmly.
She looked at me.
"Sir, your name?"
"Austin."
"Sir, what is your rank?"
"C Rank."
The moment I said that, people around me started laughing.
"What?"
"A C rank wants a solo mission?"
"Is he crazy?"
"This kid wants to die."
The crowd started making fun of me.
I ignored them.
Suddenly—
"What happened here?"
A deep voice echoed in the hall.
Everyone became silent.
A tall man in a three-piece suit entered.
Assistants were walking behind him.
He started moving toward me.
I immediately recognized him.
He was the same man who visited me in the hospital.
Everyone around stopped laughing.
The receptionist spoke nervously.
"Sir, this boy wants to go into a dungeon alone. He is a C rank hunter."
The man looked at me and smiled slightly.
"So it's you, Austin. How was your first dungeon experience?"
"It was great. I learned many things from my teammates," I replied respectfully.
"Zoro told me about your progress."
Everyone around me was now staring at me with strange expressions.
How does he know Zoro?
Is he related to the president?
Is he someone important?
"You want to explore a dungeon solo?" he asked.
"Yes. I want to test my skills," I replied confidently.
He nodded slowly.
"As you know, we have rules. We cannot allow any hunter below A rank to enter a dungeon alone."
My expression became serious.
"But… since I know you and have witnessed your abilities, I have a proposal."
Everyone leaned closer to listen.
"Before entering a solo B rank dungeon, you must clear two D rank dungeons and five C rank dungeons."
"If you succeed, I will personally grant you permission to enter a B rank dungeon alone."
The entire hall became silent.
Everyone was shocked.
This was a huge opportunity.
"Okay," I said calmly. "I agree."
"You are not going alone," he said.
He pointed toward a man standing behind.
"Lucas will go with you."
I looked at him.
A tall man with sharp eyes.
Strong presence.
"He is an A rank hunter," the president said.
"But it is my task. Why is he coming with me?" I asked.
"He is your examiner."
"He will not help you unless necessary."
"Based on his report, I will decide whether you are worthy or not."
I clenched my fist slightly.
"Understood."
"Give him permission," the president said to the receptionist and walked away.
She nodded.
"Sir, I have sent three coordinates of D rank dungeons to your device."
I turned and started walking toward the exit.
Lucas silently followed me.
The first dungeon was close to the guild.
We reached quickly.
We stepped inside.
The environment changed instantly.
A vast desert appeared in front of us.
Hot air.
Sand everywhere.
Scorpion monsters crawling around.
Lucas moved aside and sat on a rock.
I took out my sword Zoro gave me.
I charged toward monsters.
They screamed and rushed toward me.
I started killing them.
One after another.
Before leaving, Harry had told me that I don't need to hide my powers from Lucas.
He is trusted.
So I fought freely.
Lucas suddenly spoke.
"Suppose you don't have weapons. What would you do?"
I pointed toward my ring.
"I will always keep them in my ring."
I couldn't tell him about my system.
He shook his head.
"Listen carefully, kid."
"No enemy tells you before attacking."
"Sometimes you are unprepared."
"You are a C rank awakener, but killing D rank monsters with full power is only draining your stamina."
His words hit me.
He was right.
System was giving low experience.
I asked him, "What should I do?"
A scorpion ran toward me.
Lucas suddenly appeared in front of it.
He punched it with bare hands.
Monster died instantly.
"I didn't use any special power," he said.
"But my speed and strength are not ordinary."
"We have ten days."
"Improve your physical strength and movement speed."
"Understand monster attack patterns."
I nodded.
This time I attacked with bare hands.
I punched a scorpion.
Crack.
Pain shot through my wrist.
I started screaming. Ouch...
My bone was broken.
I screamed.
Scorpion also shocked.
The scorpion stepped back in confusion.
I quickly drank a healing potion.
Lucas was sitting on a tree and smiling.
"Take your time."
"Strike. Dodge. Rest."
"We have plenty of time."
Night arrived.
I kept training.
Punch.
Dodge.
Strike.
Rest.
Repeat.
At night, while talking with Lucas, an idea came to my mind.
I opened my system secretly.
I added all gained points into Strength.
Next morning.
The same scorpion stood in front of me.
I stepped forward.
Punch.
Critical hit.
Scorpion flew back.
Lucas was about to laugh but shocked after seeing that scorpion died.
His jaw dropped.
Before I could react, another scorpion attacked.
I activated my new skill.
Teleport.
I appeared behind the monster.
Jumped.
And crushed its head.
[Dungeon Cleared][Level Up]
Lucas stared at me silently.
"That was the boss," he said.
"You didn't tell me," I replied.
He smirked.
"Kid, he was alone because you killed all his soldiers."
We walked out of the dungeon.
I was exhausted.
"Want to take a break?" Lucas asked.
"No."
"We already wasted two days."
"Let's clear another dungeon."
Within two hours, we cleared the second D rank dungeon.
Lucas nodded in satisfaction.
"Good progress."
Now we had eight days left.
And five C rank dungeons waiting.
I looked toward the horizon.
My real test was about to begin.
— End of Chapter 6 —
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