The receptionist was very welcoming, asking for my name, date of birth, address, and bank account information
As soon as she had everything down, I was told to head toward a certain door where my ability would be observed.
There were 3 people standing behind thick glass and an open area with testing dummies. After hearing the directions, I stood a few meters from the dummies and ccast [Fire Manipulation] consecutively 8 times, making sure to look like I was tired to get the last few out
"A peak F rank hunter
Drawing a few surprises from the observers behind the thick glass, everything was completed successfully and I received my license. It was a golden card similar to a credit card with my name, age, and rank. The surprise from the observers was most likely due to the fact that high ranked awakened are extremely rare, with there being only one B ranked awakened in this city that is known publicly
There a few tens of C ranked awakened, a few hundred D ranks, and thousands of E and F ranks. Most of the hunters were F ranked, so being at the peak of this rank at the starting point was a good thing by itself
One can slowly raise their rank by absorbing [Core]s, but unless you were in the army where they were provided for you by the government or in a rich household that could buy them in mass, you would rise very slowly
There were some slight changes to the panel on the corner of my eyes as I walked out of the Awakened Center and received my license.
[ Name: Chris ] [ Occupation: Hunter F ]
[ Class: None ]
[ Type: Mage ]
[ Strength: 10 ]
[ Mana: 10 ]
[ Vitality: 10 ]
Unspent Points: ０
[Special Skills]
[ Create Skill ] Beginner Lv 1 - [ SSS ]
Create any skill from your imagination
Skill can be level up to E and F rank (Beginner)
Skill made from Create Skill doesn't require mana.
cooldown : 1 week
[ Fire Manipulation - 13 ]
I was surprised because I didn't see it before, but the proficiency of the [Fire Manipulation] skill had quickly risen to 13. The was an extremely fast process when it took people weeks to raise their proficiency with their skill
I guess it is understandable as I was able to cast the skill more than 500 times, and most people have to use their skills over a period of weeks to reach that number
My next course of action after getting my license was the nearest beginner dungeon in this city, [Goblin paradise]
Boasting 10 floors, each floor held 10-20 monsters, with the last floor housing a huge black Goblin 3 meters in size. This dungeon was regularly cleared by parties of F and E ranked Hunters, who could take on the monsters and the boss without fear of casualties if everyone was doing their jobs
Parties consisting of 2 Knights who put their focus on their [Vitality], 2 berserkers with their focus on [Strength], and 2 mages with their focus on [Mana] were the most common for this dungeon
The Knights act as tanks to ward off coming monsters, Berserkers use their high strength to strike down and protect the mages that are the brunt of the firepower to kill everything on site
Equipment from dungeons was extremely rare, so most people had to make do with newly designed machetes or metal pipes and iron shields as their first equipment. Only the boss of the dungeon had a chance to drop [Skill Book]s and [Items].
Any item dropped from a dungeon was highly sought after, with their prices not being too different from the [Skill Book]s
My goal today was to enter [Goblin Paradise]... and alone at that. My heart was pounding at this crazy idea. When the thought was forming in my head, I had to ask myself multiple times if I had gone insane
Usually, rewards are split between the many members of the Party, But I would keep all the [Core]s and possible [Skill Book]s and [Item]s that drop. Just the thought of it made my heart excited
I steeled my resolve and heading towards [Goblin Paradise]
A huge crack like structure ( Dungeon) was surrounded by high walls. There was security at the entrance and heavily armed soldiers on the walls.
Even though this was only an F ranked dungeon, it made up for millions of dollars of revenue every day with a large number of people entering, clearing the monsters, and selling the resources they receive inside
This Dungeon had a Green color, indicating it was a normal dungeon with little danger of a dungeon break. If the color changed to orange and then to red, it meant a dungeon break was imminent
Regularly clearing the dungeon kept the color at Green, turning it into a treasure trove with capable people farming it
You always had casualties every now and then from Hunters that were either too full of themselves, bad teammates, or just plain unlucky
Now, I sincerely hope I don't make myself on the category of being too full of myself
Gathering my wits, I show the guards at the metal entrance of the enclosure my hunter ID before heading in. Inside the walls, there were a few hunter teams getting their gear in order or just talking
A few people were standing around looking to either form parties or invite others to their party. At the center of the green monolith, there was a square, door-like structure. This door like structure was how you entered the dungeon
Those in a group would have to touch the door with a few second differences, but under a minute, to be transferred to the first floor of the dungeon together
There was a party prepared to go into the dungeon in front of me already, so I reigned in my curiosity about the other hunters around me and stood a few feet away from the in-going party
It didn't take long before a few hunters noticed a lone man waiting by himself
"Oy, is that kid thinking of going in alone?" Hunter A
"Bro, another one with a death wish" Hunter B
"Just ignore him, who knows, maybe he's one of those prodigies that can solo an F rank dungeon? Haha" Hunter C
Ignoring the laughs around me, I wait patiently as the entire party in front of me disappeared in a flash, and waited the required minute before going forward and placing my hand on the square door
In an instant, I was transported into a large cave, like place where I had just caught the attention of two 1 meter tall black goblin
"I can smell it… The smell of money, it's slowly coming!"
The first thing I feel on entering the dungeon is a muddy floor.
It's similar to a cave without any split paths. Even though there are no lights anywhere, there's a brightness which is similar to a gentle light being turned on.
Then.
Kkirik! Kkirik! Kkirik!
A sound comes from the inside of the dungeon.
As I step forward, the sound becomes more and more clear.
I get goosebumps as I hear for the first time the cry of a monster.
I brought myself to full attention and observed both the gonlin and my surrounding before I began my first dungeon
[ Fire Manipulation ]
A single fireball, and then a second, and a third, and a forth quickly flew towards the two goblin
When the ball of fire exploded on their faces, they were already incapacitated and letting out dying screeches. They would not survive after that, and a second fireball hit them at the same location, quickly finishing them off
I breathed heavily as I felt the adrenaline course through my body. 2 F rank monsters, easily taken care of by me. Haha, this was a feeling I could get used to!
Although I'm someone who doesn't have any combat experience, I could see they are weak in a single glance.
I went towards where the Goblin fell and grabbed a glistening [Strength Core] that dropped. It was small in size, smaller than a pigeon's egg, and yet they went for a thousand dollars on the market
I placed the [Core] into my backpack and ventured farther in. I didn't have to walk far, as 3 goblin were quickly rushing towards me screeching after hearing the death screams of their brethren
With a thought, [ Fire Manipulation ] was cast one after another, each not missing its targets that were rushing forward.
Another [Strength Core] dropped from these three. [Core]s were not guaranteed to drop every time a monster died, and getting 2 from 5 monsters was already fairly average
Placing the newly acquired [Core]s in the bag, I rushed down the path of the Cavern, meeting another set of 5 goblin that I quickly burned
I had to force myself to calm down as I so easily and quickly took down the monsters and collected [Core]s. I never imagined myself being able to do something like this and had to pinch myself a few times just to make sure it wasn't a dream
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