Hunter opened his [Status Screen] and viewed his new skills.
{Name: Hunter Quinn
Age:17
Occupation: Dungeon Explorer and Diver/Hunter
Tier: 18
Strength: 46
Intelligence: 57
Agility: 43
Karma: 0
Active Skills:
- Black Flames - Healing
- Blend - Heightened Awareness
- Claw Retraction - Hellhound Chains
- Fast Break
Passive Skills:
- Prey Gaze
- Property Enhancer}
"Looks like I got a bunch of new stuff. A new passive skill? What's that about?" Hunter asked as he rubbed his chin.
[Property Enhancer:
- This ability allows the user to temporarily enhance any weapon they are using. By spreading their blood on said weapon, they increase the weapon's properties by 50%. This also drains 25% of the user's agility and strength]
"That's quite a neat spell you gifted me," said Hunter as he smiled gently.
[You actually used it before I gifted it to you]
"I did?" Hunter asked, raising a single eyebrow in confusion.
[When you wrapped the Dungeon Master with your spiked chains, you accidentally cut yourself, allowing your blood to flow into the chains, thus increasing their property.
They grew larger and had a more stable amount of mana and energy flowing through them once you did. They also assist in weighing down large objects]
"It did feel weird how the spider just fell on its own. I guess that makes sense... Let's see what the other skills do."
[Blend:
- Gives the user the ability to hide in plain sight for as long as Prey Gaze is active. If not, the ability will last for only 10 minutes maximum (the skill can be upgraded using System Points)]
"Hey, I've got 3 of those stashed in my inventory," Hunter replied as a cheeky smile formed on his face.
[Don't]
Hunter rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation, pouting seconds after.
[Next...]
[Claw Retraction:
- This skill activates when the user has no weapon or spell active, protecting the host by allowing its nails to grow as long as 14cm]
"I doubt that I'll be using this skill all that often. It's highly unlikely that I'll be fighting without a weapon at hand. Especially considering the fact that I'm not a strong hand to hand combatant."
[Indeed. It does get a bit vexing when you have to use the claws. Not to mention, it hurts like Hell]
After shivering in fear of his nails hurting, Hunter continued reading his other skills.
[Heightened Awareness:
- This skill allows the user to sense danger. Once paired up with Prey Gaze, it gives the user a 360° view for 30 seconds, spanning at a radius of 150 metres wide from where the user stands]
"Now I think that's a skill I'd like to use when I'm entering a dungeon. It'll allow me to sense how many enemies are nearby and with [Prey Gaze], I should be able to sense the monster's power level."
[You don't need to use Heightened Awareness when you have me. It could be used outside dormant dungeons though, also known as active dungeons, that open in areas with civilians]
"Of course. I've always wondered what type of monsters those dungeons have. But, only tier 3 hunters and above can actually go through those," said Hunter as he closed his [Status Screen].
[There are only 136 registered tier 3 hunters, 50 registered tier 2 hunters and 13 tier 1 hunters in the entire world. Considering that about 70% of the human population are awakened, you can calculate just how valuable top tiers are in terms of value and skill] (1)
"I also heard that once you reach tier 4 at age 18, you won't be able to raise your tier rank. But, if you are a part of a party with 3 tier 4 hunters, yourself included, you can explore tier 3 and sometimes, even tier 2 dungeons." (2)
[That fact varies as not all hunters have the same properties. For instance, you are a dungeon diver and explorer, meaning you specialise in navigation, ranged distance attacks and magic.
If you had a party and all of you specialised in navigation, you wouldn't be able to survive in a tier 2 dungeon, much less a tier 3 dungeon]
System Rosana was indeed correct, and Hunter knew this. A party needed to have atleast one mage, one navigator, one fighter and one tank in order to be prosperous in the dungeon. Dungeons below tier 12 didn't require all of them in that sense though.
For instance, a party consisting of 80% fighters and 20% healers is more likely to survive dungeon raids of higher tiers than a party consisting of 80% healers and 20% fighters. Knowing that fact, hunters were not allowed to join dungeons with a higher number of healers if it wasn't going to balance out the number of fighters and mages.
But, considering that Hunter has been a diver since he was 15 and he hasn't joined a party since then, due to him remaining a tier 18 for 2 full years, he would be less likely to join a party or even be recruited by an organisation.
Atleast, that would've been the case if he hadn't recieved System Rosana. With the system's assistance, Hunter wouldn't even need a party in order to explore a dungeon that was a tier or two higher than him.
'But, I can't heal myself in battle and the dungeon masters are particularly difficult to deal with when you're alone. I basically cover being a mage and fighter, and I can self heal. But, I can't heal others and only System Rosana can heal me...' he thought to himself.
[Perhaps investing in a party doesn't seem like a bad idea. You'd be able to take it easy when diving for once]
Hunter smiled faintly and walked out of his room, telling the system, 'I'll give it some thought. Don't keep your hopes up though.'
[The next day...]
Hunter gently bowed his head before the nuns and shut his eyes.
"Thank you for all you've done for me. I will never forget the kindness you've shown me for as long as I live. To properly thank you, I'd like to donate $20,000. I'll keep donating as long as I remain a hunter and a dungeon diver," he said as he raised his head.
The nuns wore somber facial expressions. They were expecting a different reaction from Hunter after the way they isolated themselves and the other orphans from him. They knew he was a kind child, but never knew he had a kind soul.
Hunter smiled faintly and picked up his two bags filled with clothes and the laptop given to him by Jermaine. As he turned to walk away, he heard a familiar voice calling him from behind.
"Hunter!"
He turned back and recieved a hug from Sister Rose. Her tears fell from her eyes as she pulled Hunter closer for a hug. Her striking red hair flowed fluently on her back, her hands as soft as a baby's skin. Hunter could feel her heart beating fast, which made him feel a little upset about being separated from her.
Sister Rose pulled back and held Hunter's shoulders, a gentle smile forming on her face. Her eyes were as orange as the sunset and were sparkling as she looked at Hunter. Although she was in her 60s, Sister Rose looked atleast 30, which was impressive.
Must've been the effects that came with being an awakened.
"Please don't hesitate to come and visit us, Hunter," said Sister Rose.
Hunter gave a gentle nod and walked out of the orphanage, the nuns holding back their tears as they watched him leave. Now that he had found a place of his own, Hunter would finally be able to feel at peace with his surroundings.
Hunter stopped walking and gave one last look at the orphanage before smiling faintly and walking away. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a set of earphones and played some music as he walked to his new apartment.
30 minutes later, he arrived in one of the busiest areas in his city, the central business district if you will. Unlike the semi suburban home he was used to, the city streets were covered in people.
The smells of cigarettes, perfume and cologne were slightly overpowering. Not to mention the noise levels in the area. The honking cars, the constant chatter amongst the people and the drill being used by the construction worker who was fixing the area's pavement.
'Is it too late to return to the orphanage?' Hunter inquired with an exasperated expression as he stood stationary.
[You left with your head held high. The nuns won't take you back now]
"Damn..." Hunter cursed and turned the other way.
{A/N}
1) I say "registered" because the number of tier 3 hunters varies according the number of new hunters that suddenly level up and go up a tier. Sometimes, they even level down, which is rare.
2) Typically, hunters awaken at age 10. Rare cases occur when a hunter awakens at age 6. This will be explained in future chapters.