In the dining room on the third floor of a six-story building, Rosh is having dinner with Clara and Jareen.
As Jareen takes a bite, Rosh glances at her and says, "Aunt... I want to become a hunter."
She pauses mid-chew and swallows before asking. "Why do you want to become a hunter?"
His expression darkens, a hint of sadness in his eyes. ".... I want to become strong enough to protect you and Clara.
You took me in when my parents...."
She smiles gently, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "Silly boy, your aunt is strong, you don't have to worry about us."
His voice drops to a whisper, "Aunt, please... If something happens to you and I can't do anything, I won't be able to bear that.... again."
She hesitates, and her gaze softens. ".... Okay, but promise me that you will stay safe."
He nods, and a small smile tugs at his lips. "Yes, I promise."
Suddenly, Clara pipes up, excitement lighting up her face. "Mom, I want to become a hunter too, pleaseee." She looks at her with a sparkle in her eyes.
Without missing a beat, Jareen shakes her head, "No, you study." And she continues to eat.
They continue to converse as they eat, then head off to bed.
The next day, Rosh is standing before a large building of a branch of the Hunter Association."
Hunter Association is a government body where all the awakened register.
They are granted the permit to enter dungeons under their supervision.
He steps inside and approaches a reception desk where a woman with long white hair and a stern expression is sitting.
A small, glowing sphere rests on the desk, its light pulsing softly. Around him, other hunters are chatting in a group of 5.
"Excuse me, I want to register as a hunter," Rosh says, handing her a completed form.
She briefly scans the form and then glances at him. " Place your hand on the sphere." She instructs, her tone indifferent.
As he puts his hand on the sphere it emits a dark light.
Nearby, a hunter with black hair, clad in light white armor with two swords strapped to his back, notices the dark glow. He steps closer, drawing the attention of the other hunters around him.
"Guys, look who we have here, a dark mana user." He announces to the group, a hint of mockery in his voice
He adds, "Kid, if you're smart, you'll quit while you're ahead. Dark mana users don't last long—they're just monster bait." With that, he turns and heads towards the exit.
Another man from the group, with a sympathetic expression, approaches Rosh.
"Don't take it personally," he says in a somber tone.
"Our leader... he's not great with words. His son was a dark aura user too. He died in a dungeon. He just doesn't want to see others meet the same fate."
Before Rosh can respond, the leader shouts from the door, "Hey, Alex, let's go! We don't have all day." The man nods and follows the group outside.
Then the receptionist hands Rosh his Hunter Card. "You are E-rank."
"E-rank... Means I can enter upto D-rank dungeons. He murmurs to himself.
Hunters, based on their mana capacity, are ranked into different ranks.
SS are elites,
S
A
B
C
D
E
F is the lowest.
Dungeons are divided into these ranks as well based on the mana emitting and the strength of the monsters in it.
He slips the card into his pocket and exits the building.
On his way home, he thinks to himself, "Tomorrow, I'll be going into a dungeon for the first time. But first I'll need a weapon... For starters, I can use the sword I've been training with. And as for Armor... I'll buy one later."
When He arrives home, he heads to his room. After resting for a bit, he picks up the sword and starts practicing the sword slashes he has been learning.
He stands straight, holding the sword forward with both hands, his right foot slightly ahead. Taking a deep breath, he lifts the sword to his face level, then slashes it downward in a straight line.
Then, slash diagonally upward to the left chest. Step his left foot slightly ahead and slashes to the right side horizontally, connecting all three slashes.
He repeats these slashes, focusing on precision and fluidity. And after practicing the basic combinations, he moves on to other slashing techniques.
Returning to the basic position, holding the sword with both hands, right foot forward. He lifts the sword and delivers a straight downward slash.
He resumes his stance, raises the sword to his right shoulder, and slashes diagonally down to his left hip.
Once again, he returns to the starting position, this time holding the sword horizontally to his left side, before executing a horizontal slash to the right.
He continues practicing until dawn, honing his skills just as he has been taught in his sword classes.
The next day, he wakes up, filled with excitement for his first dungeon run. After a quick breakfast, he puts on his black clothes, grabs his sword, and takes a small wooden shield before heading out.
He takes a bus to a dungeon known as Goblins Den.
Dungeons are underground complexes formed when magical energies gather and become concentrated in an area.
This concentration of magic causes underground spaces to expand, creating vast chambers filled with magical herbs and artifacts. The intense magic also causes creatures to mutate into monsters, making these dungeons dangerous but rewarding for those who explore them.
The dungeon entrance is a cave-like opening carved into a giant rock that seems out of place amidst the surrounding buildings. A massive metal door has been installed to block the entrance when needed.
A crowd of hunters is gathered in front of the gate. Some are preparing to enter, while others are looking for party members to join their teams.
While he looks for a team, a boy around his age with short black hair, dressed in red light Armor and holding a wand topped with a red Crystal, approaches him.
"Excuse me, are you looking for a team?" The boy asks.
"Yes, I am. Do you need a member?" Rosh replies.
The boy nods eagerly, "Yes, please join us. I'm Max, by the way, and I use fire magic. What's your skill." He asks as he guides Rosh to his team.
Rosh hesitates for a moment before answering, " ...Necromancy"
Max eyes lit up in excitement, "Really? Like raising the undead? Please show me, I really wanna see a summoned skeleton."
Rosh looks at him, a bit confused, "...You have no problems with dark mana?"
"Why would I have a problem with dark mana?" Max says.
They reach the group, and Max calls out, "Hey, guys, I found a member."
He introduces Rosh to the team.
He points to a sturdy-looking boy with black hair, clad in heavy armor with a shield strapped to his back. "This is Soma, our tank."
Next, he gestures to a girl with pink hair holding a staff, "And this is Mona, our healer."
And the last boy with a sturdy build, dressed in metal armor pieces and a sword on his belt. "This is Huto, the swordsman."
"Rosh steps forward, offering a small, nervous smile. 'Hello, I'm Rosh. This is my first run, so... please look out for me.'"
Soma gives him a casual nod, "Ohh, Hey buddy."
Mona smiles politely. "Hello."
Huto glances at Rosh, "...hey"
"Guys, he is a Necromancer, isn't that cool," Max says excitedly to the group.
Mona frowns slightly. "That's not cool, that's scary."
Max chuckles, "Now now, don't be like that. It's just skills like any other. Anyway, let me brief you. You keep what you kill. But you have to give Mona a 20 percent cut, got it?"
Rosh nods. "okay"
They head in, the interior is a long cave lit by glowing crystals embedded in the walls.
Max glances at the group. "Guys, be ready. We will likely encounter goblins and large bats on the first floor, so be careful."
As they proceed deeper, where there are fewer hunters, they come across a group of six goblins. These creatures, standing about three feet tall, have green skin, long, pointy noses, and ears, each holding worn-out wooden clubs.
Just as the goblins notice them, they charge towards the group.
Soma quickly steps forward, raising his shield with both hands, ready to block the charge. The Goblins bash their clubs against the shield, trying to break through.
Huto and Rosh dash from the sides, aiming to flank the goblins.
Huto finishes two goblins with a single strike, his sword swift and deadly. Meanwhile, Rosh struggles against his opponent.
Rage flickers in his eyes as he gritts his teeth.
When the goblin swingsets club, he blocks it with his shield and drives his knee into the goblin's stomach, sending it crashing to the ground. He then repeatedly stabs the goblin in the stomach, its green blood splattering across his face.
He pauses, breathing heavily, as the goblin goes still.
while Rosh finishes his goblin, Huto and Max handle the rest.
Max notices the blood on Rosh's face. "You alright, Rosh?" He asks.
Rosh wipes the blood away. "...yeah."
As they extract mana core from the fallen goblins, Rosh notices a strange black mist seeping from the corpses.
Almost instinctively, he extends his hand, and the dark mist flows toward him, merging with his body. A strange sensation courses through him, a mix of power and unease. "Did I just absorb their mana?" he wonders.
Max's eyes light up with excitement. "Rosh, animate a goblin, please. I want to see a skeleton fight!"
Rosh hesitates, "I haven't done it yet, but I can try. Though, I need to absorb mana first."
Max points to the goblin corpses. "Ohh, go ahead. Absorb from them."
Rosh absorbs mana from other goblins' corpses and then stands before one of the corpses.
He recalls the spell in his mind, extends his hand, and starts chanting the spell. He feels the mana flow from his hand towards the corpse.
The goblin's flesh begins to melt away, leaving only bones.
Moments later, the skeleton rises, its eyes glowing red.
Max watches in awe. "WWow so this is a skeleton monster."
He pokes at the glowing eyes, "How are they glowing? Is there light inside? Rosh, Tell it to hold the club. Rosh orders it to hold the club.
They advance further with the skeleton following.
They soon encounter a lone goblin wandering around.
"Rosh, tell it to attack the goblin. Let's see which one is stronger." Max suggests.
Rosh gives the order.
The skeleton lurches forward, its movements clumsy as it swings the club like a puppet. The goblin dodges the attack and strikes the skeleton, causing it to collapse.
Just as the goblin moves to finish it off, Rosh shouts, "Dodge to the side and sweep its legs."
The skeleton responds instantly, rolling to the side and kicking the goblin's legs out from under it. and it falls. As the goblin falls, the skeleton rises and relentlessly pounds it with the club until its face is an unrecognizable mess. With a final blow, the goblin lies still and the skeleton crumbles to the ground.
Max watches the fight with amazement. "Wow, it's weaker than a goblin, but under your control, it made a mess."
Huto nods, "Not bad."
Mona sighs. "Boys, always doing weird stuff."
Rosh steps forward and delivers the final blow to the goblin, absorbs its mana, and extracts mana cores.
They continue further, hunting more goblins and even encounter a group of large bats. When they are exhausted, they decide to exit the dungeon.
Emerging from the dungeon, they are all tired, and their clothes are splattered with green goblin blood.
Rosh grins, holding up his spoils. "Yay, I got ten F-rank mana cores."
They head to an exchange shop, a small building nearby where they sell their loot. After counting his earnings Rosh sighs. "I got about eight thousand INR (95 USD)... Not much, considering the effort I put in."
With that, they part ways and head home, the day's battle fresh in their mind.