I woke up in a daze to insistent knocking on the door. My head was pounding... I probably shouldn't have stayed up so late reading comics. This mania of mine is taking its toll on me.
"Nathan! It's time to pay the rent."
Ah, damn, is it the first of the month already? I jump up, grab the worn black jeans lying at the foot of the bed and quickly pull them on. The T-shirt I was wearing last night is nowhere to be found, but I make a point of looking for it later.
"I'm coming, Mr. Winser! Just a minute," I yell as I rummage through the nightstand.
I find two silver coins, a few bronze coins, my iron dagger and a half-finished bottle of water, remnants from the night before after a dungeon dive. With a sigh of relief, I grab the silver coins and open the door.
"Here you are, sir. Have a nice day."
Mr. Winser takes the coins and gives me a slight nod.
"See you next month, kid."
I close the door and take a deep breath. Rent paid, quiet life... or so I try to think. Suddenly, a dizzy feeling blurs my vision. I hold onto the door so I don't fall, shake my head and, stabilizing myself, return to the bed to drink some water.
As I drink, the headache begins to subside, and I can almost hear my little sister's voice reminding me, "Nathan, remember to drink water when you wake up!"
I definitely need to drink more water in general. Sometimes I get so lost in my fantasy worlds that I forget that the real world is still spinning. I force myself to get up.
"Well...time to start the day," I mutter to myself.
I reach into the corner closet for a clean t-shirt, pull on my boots and tuck the dagger into a small sheath in my jeans. I grab a few bronze coins before heading out with the idea of buying something for breakfast on the way to the dungeon.
"Good morning, Nathan! Are you going hunting today?" greets my neighbor Maria, who always seems to be looking forward to seeing me out.
"That's right, Maria. Just like every day."
"I'm going to become a hunter soon! I start first semester next week and I'll see my status, I'm going to be a great hunter, just like you!"
"Really? That sounds great!", I reply, somewhat distracted as she tells me about her plans. Half the time I barely process what she tells me, but I do notice that she is very pretty.
Maria has short, blonde hair and intense blue eyes. Plus, she greets me almost every morning since I moved in. It's a nice dose of encouragement before my day in the dungeon.
After a few smiles and cross words, I walk down the stairs to the street, where my team is waiting for me. I've been a hunter for two months now, though only as a porter... the lowly position. I still don't consider myself as skilled as Maria imagines.
Most people become hunters at 18 or 19, right out of college. Being a hunter is a common career here; half the population has gone into it at some point. Selling mana crystals and other magical artifacts is a profitable business, though it is also a job for those seeking excitement, and perhaps, danger.
Most people hunt for 2 to 4 years while in school. Even if they later plan to go into business, gaining some dungeon experience never hurts.
In my case, my family situation was somewhat complicated. I couldn't get into college after high school, so I also didn't have the opportunity to unlock my status in time. It wasn't until I turned 20 that I made the decision to make it on my own.
***
Two months ago.
Unlocking your status is what they call "awakening" or "becoming a hunter". The process is simple: just kill a monster in a dungeon, and your status will be revealed.
It is common, especially if you are a novice, to be accompanied by an experienced party on your first attempt.
I ventured out on the same day as my 20th birthday. I located a dungeon about two miles from my old apartment and hired a team of five hunters, whom I paid 10 bronzes each. It was an investment of 50 bronzes, half a silver coin, which to me was considerable, but I saw it as worthwhile.
Unfortunately, apart from the money... I came in with no preparation. Luckily, the leader of the group lent me an old dagger of his.
The dungeon was called "Alpine Square Dungeon" and was known as the "Starter Dungeon" because it was populated only by goblins, some of the weakest monsters. With the right weapon, even someone with no skills could take them on.
The team led me through the dungeon portal, a large glowing blue circle that seemed to float in the air. Stepping through it, I found myself in a whole new world, one I'd only seen in news stories and comics.
Dungeons are not always as dark and scary as their name suggests. "Dungeon" is just the term the government decided on for the "pocket worlds" that began appearing more than 80 years ago. Today, our economy revolves around these spaces and the hunters who explore them.
This particular one was a prairie dungeon. Its sky was a radiant blue, with few trees and a thin layer of green grass that reached my knees. The leader of the group left me a moment to admire the scenery before we went inside.
We walked in a straight line for about five minutes, until I began to hear noises: a shuffling and loud grunting.
A small creature, about three feet tall, with the appearance of a deformed child, lunged toward me. Its skin was a dark green, with a face as wrinkled as an old man's, and scars covering its body. The worst thing was his stench, which could be felt from several meters away. He carried in his hand a piece of sharpened stone as a makeshift knife.
"Okay, kid, we got your back, but this is all yours. Welcome to the dungeon" said the leader, laughing along with the others.
Even though they were laughing, the leader seemed sympathetic, so I felt some reassurance. I held the dagger in my right hand, watching the goblin approach. I muttered to myself:
"Five meters... three meters... it's here..."
With a final nervous sigh, I lunged to the opposite side of his knife and aimed for his disgusting face. I felt the dagger pierce his right eye, causing the goblin to let out a scream and start bleeding. Without hesitation, he lunged at me again. Same charge as before, easy to predict. I lunged again towards his face and this time managed another direct hit followed by a quick leap out of his reach.
With two successful attacks, I gained confidence that I could defeat him without taking damage. I watched him as he approached once again, only this time he held his knife with both hands in front of his body. Surprise caused me to recoil, stumble and fall to the ground.
The goblin spun and lunged at me before I could get up. With no option to flee, I decided to meet his attack head on. I leaned on my left arm and withstood its onslaught, at the same time positioning myself to deliver a blow to its neck.
The pain was intense, but I discovered that the goblin was not as strong as I feared. I managed to wound it, although it also left a small cut on my arm. After a couple of seconds, the goblin went still, fell to the ground and stopped moving.
"Good job, Nathan, three hits! Not bad for your first time."
The leader clapped his hands a few times before moving closer.
Suddenly, I felt a rumbling in my head.
[Status Open]
•--------------------•
Name: Nathan Ross
Level: 1
Hp: 7/10
Mp: 10/10
Strength: 10
Speed: 11
Agility: 12
Defense: 10
Mental Strength: 10
==========
Abilities:
Absorption
Equipped items:
Iron dagger
•--------------------•
I looked at the glowing blue holographic display floating in front of my eyes, dumbfounded and with a smile I couldn't hide.
"Let me take a look at it, kid. I can explain to you what everything means."
I showed the group leader my status screen.
"Well, since you've awakened, you now possess abilities that the others don't have. For starters, you have become three times stronger just by waking up. Your stats will increase each time you level up. The base level of all stats is 10, but it seems that your speed and agility are a bit higher. This is quite common, it means that your combat style will be faster. Your speed and agility stats will grow a bit faster than the others. Not bad at all, it looks like you'll be first in line to attack!"
"Th-Thank you! And about my ability, I've done quite a bit of research on hunters, but I've never heard of this one, do you know it?"
"Hmm, absorption... I've never seen that exact skill before. It might be unique or rare. Maybe it absorbs HP or MP from the enemy. Some equipment and magic items can do that, but it's good that you have an ability that keeps you from spending on them. With a skill like that, I wouldn't be surprised if the guilds are looking for you soon."
"Understood. Thanks again."
I spent a few more minutes watching my status screen, when a movement among the grass caught my attention. Directly in front of me another goblin appeared. Without hesitation, I lunged at him, taking him down with two precise slashes.
[You have leveled up]
•-------------------•
Name: Nathan Ross
Level: 2
Hp: 12/15
Mp: 15/15
Strength: 12
Speed: 13
Agility: 15
Defense: 12
Mental strength: 12
===========
Abilities:
Absorption
Equipped items:
Iron dagger
•--------------------•
"Have I leveled up?"
I muttered, glancing at the status screen again. The team leader chuckled.
"Ah, those days... when leveling up was that simple."
I looked at him, somewhat confused.
"What do you mean, what level are you at?"
One by one they showed me their status screens. The leader was at level 37, while the rest of the group was between levels 30 and 35.
"We've been hunting steadily for a little over a year now; for us it's a way to make a living. This dungeon is a safe and convenient place to train every day and live quietly."
As I spoke, I noticed that the goblin I had just taken down was beginning to fade. I had heard stories of how dungeons absorb the bodies of monsters and even fallen hunters. Apparently, anything that dies here disappears within minutes.
As it finished disintegrating, the goblin dropped a small pink crystal, about the size of a bronze coin. The team leader picked it up and tossed it to me.
"Take it, you defeated it, so it's yours. And so is this one."
He tossed me a second crystal; I must have been so engrossed in my new status screen that I didn't see when the first goblin disappeared.
"Well done, kid. Now, let's get you back; that's what you hired us for."
With that, we all turned around and started walking towards the dungeon exit.
Ten minutes later, we were outside, standing in Alpine Square Park.
"Keep the dagger, it will come in handy."
"Really, thank you, and thanks for everything today!"
I waved goodbye to the group as they walked back inside the dungeon. I looked at the dagger and the two small crystals in my hands, with a smile I couldn't hide.
"Best birthday ever!"
I finally had a status. Now I could really become a real hunter.
===========
[Author's note]
Hi, this is my second novel to write, if you already read my first novel and you look at the writing differently, that's easy to explain.
I mean, my first novel I wrote it at the end of 2020 and I never published it anywhere, then until now I decided to publish my first novel, so this novel is being written not long ago like two months before publication, so now you understand why my writing is different, of course this is a note for those who are reading my first novel.