About five hundred meters from the initial dungeon, there is a modest village market. It is the place where hunters trade and sell the items they obtain on their expeditions.
I approached an elderly man and asked if I could sell him my mana crystals. The standard price was one bronze coin per unit of energy. Luckily, each goblin crystal I had contained a single unit of mana.
The man took my two crystals and deposited them on a small silver plate attached to a machine next to the cash register. The blue display showed in black letters "2.1MU." He handed me two bronze coins and asked for my hunter's card.
"I don't have one yet; today was my wake-up call."
"Oh, no problem with this amount of mana, but you should stop by the hunter's association and get a card before you enter a dungeon again."
"Thanks, you're right, I will."
With the two newly earned coins, I went almost skipping back to my apartment. At the corner, just a few yards from my building, I discovered a bakery. I indulged myself and bought a small cake to celebrate my success. Arriving home, I devoured it in a few hours.
With my stomach full and exhausted from the excitement and effort of my first battle, I fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of the adventures that awaited me.
The next morning, I took the first train to the hunters' association. As I watched the houses slide behind the window, I checked my condition and noticed that my HP had completely regenerated, along with the small wound on my arm. I smiled, satisfied, and left my status screen open during the trip.
[Status open]
•--------------------•
Name: Nathan Ross
Level: 2
HP: 15/15
MP: 15/15
Strength: 12
Speed: 13
Agility: 15
Defense: 12
Mental strength: 12
=========
Skills:
Absorption
Equipped items:
Iron Dagger
•--------------------•
Upon arrival, I was greeted by a middle-aged woman. Her black hair fell in waves and she greeted me with a beaming smile.
"Welcome to the hunter's guild, how can I help you?"
"Uhh... I need to check in. I woke up yesterday."
"Perfect, follow me."
I followed her to a small booth where she asked me to "smile" while she took my picture. She then checked my status when I showed it to her and wrote down my name and level in a notebook along with many other names.
"Thank you for coming today. Please wait a few minutes."
I nodded and watched as he disappeared into a back room. After a few moments, he returned with the same bright smile and handed me a card. It looked like a driver's license: it showed my name, my photo, the association's logo and, in the upper right-hand corner, a big "E."
Hunters are organized in a class system. When you first wake up, you are automatically assigned the "Class E" rating, the most basic within the hunter realm. I looked at the card with glowing eyes, feeling an indescribable thrill.
"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed.
"My pleasure. Have a good day, sir. You can come back anytime."
I walked out the front door and boarded the train straight to "Alpine Square Park," the stop directly across the street from the Alpine Square Dungeon. As I stepped off the train, I made my way to the glowing blue portal, muttering to myself.
"It's time."
I jumped through the portal and found myself in a meadow that looked strangely familiar. With my dagger drawn, I strode forward with confidence, and after a few minutes, I ran into a goblin.
The battle was brief. The monster lunged at me, but it was now much faster and more agile than in my last confrontation. Dodging its attacks, I managed to slash it with ease in a couple of moves.
"Easy, come on," I muttered, waiting for the mana crystal to appear as I caught my breath. After a minute and a half, I picked it up and put it in my back pocket.
Just then, I heard the sound of another goblin about twenty yards to my left. I approached and saw two of them watching me. One charged towards me, which allowed me to focus my attention on him first. I ran forward and knocked him down with two quick blows. The second goblin launched into a similar onslaught, and again, victory was easy. They didn't seem to be the smartest monsters, did they?
[You have leveled up]
•--------------------•
Name: Nathan Ross
Level: 3
HP: 20/20
MP: 20/20
Strength: 15
Speed: 16
Agility: 18
Defense: 14
Mental strength: 15
============
Skills:
Absorption
Equipped items:
Iron Dagger
•--------------------•
Although my health was at maximum, my body was still not used to the demands of combat. After defeating only three goblins, I was already feeling fatigued. I decided to return to the portal before venturing too far. On the way, I encountered another goblin, but it posed no challenge. With two quick slashes, I disposed of the creature, although I was aware that I was approaching my limit.
On my way out, I opted to go to the market to sell my mana and grab a bite to eat. After an hour's rest, I was feeling a bit better and decided to return to the dungeon, where I defeated three more goblins. Although I didn't level up this time, I gained valuable experience for future fights. At the end of the day, I arrived home and fell exhausted on my bed, reflecting on how tiring it was to hunt.
As I drifted off into a restful sleep, I decided that my goal for the next day would be to figure out how to use my skill.
The next morning, I awoke feeling refreshed. I remembered that the rent on my apartment was due in a week and a half. I had to decide: pay the rent or find a new place. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to find a place closer to the dungeon, since it was taking me almost an hour to walk there. I would be sure to look for options when I had time, but today my focus would be on learning how to use my skill.
Arriving at the entrance to the Alpine Square dungeon, I took a deep breath and prepared for my second day of solo exploration.
I began calmly, quickly taking down two goblins as a warm-up. Then, I heard a voice echo in my head.
[You've leveled up]
•--------------------•
Name: Nathan Ross
Level: 4
HP: 25/25
MP: 25/25
Strength: 17
Speed: 18
Agility: 21
Defense: 16
Mental strength: 17
============
Skills:
Absorption
Equipped items:
Iron Dagger
•--------------------•
I noticed that certain stats were increasing at different rates; it seemed that fighting only goblins was getting harder and harder to level up, as it required a lot more experience each time.
As I pondered deeply, I decided to carry out a little test. The next goblin that appeared charged at me, and I allowed it to cut off my arm. My health dropped to 23 from 25. I wanted to check if I could use my ability to absorb HP while fighting.
I fixed my gaze on the goblin and tried to activate my ability, repeating "absorption" in my mind over and over again. At many events where renowned hunters shared their experiences, they always said that concentration was the key. It must have been the same for me.
However, nothing happened. I kept trying, dodging their attacks while repeating "absorption," until my frustration led me to shout it out loud. I thought maybe I had to touch the goblin for the ability to work, so I lunged towards him with dagger in hand, but the result was the same. I failed to absorb anything.
In the end, as I slashed him twice more, I realized that my HP was still at 23 and my MP remained intact at 25. The irritation was starting to build up. I returned to the dungeon exit and faced two more goblins, trying every possible variant, but was still unsuccessful.
On my way out, with five mana crystals in my hands, I suddenly understood what the problem might be. I muttered to myself, "What if the absorption refers to MP...?".
That realization left me disappointed, but it wasn't the end of the world either. MPs are consumed when using an ability, so if my ability is MP absorption, I could only activate it when my mana wasn't full. And the only way to deplete my MP is to use a skill... which poses a major drawback: I have no skill to use.
I walked slowly towards the center of town and exchanged my five mana crystals for five bronze coins. I bought a snack at one of the local stores to regain some energy and reflect on my situation.
Upon awakening, about half of the people gain an ability (1 in 2). The most common skills include body hardening, swordplay, and speed enhancement, basic traits that increase stats or aid in combat. On the other hand, rare abilities, such as healing magic and HP/MP recovery, as well as various types of elemental magic (fire, water, wind, earth, ice, etc.), manifest in about 1 in 20 people.
Then there are the unique abilities; they are quite rare, but not impossible to find. It is estimated that about 1 in 1000 people possess a unique ability, never before reported. There have also been cases of hunters with more than one ability; about 1 in 100 hunters have two abilities. Although having two skills is unusual, it is not unheard of in the hunting community. Generally, those with two skills manage to rise through the ranks more quickly, which explains why a high percentage of elite hunters possess more than one skill. There are rumors of hunters with three skills or more, but so far, none have been confirmed in the public domain.
If I had only had a second ability, my situation would be much more promising. I could have recovered my mana and used other skills without restrictions. What a waste of potential.
I decided to devote the second half of the day to more testing, but luck was not on my side. I defeated five more goblins, but I was still stuck at level 4. After exchanging my five mana crystals for bronze coins, I headed home with a slight resentment; my skill failure frustrated me, but there was nothing I could do about it.
All that was left for me to do was level up and get stronger. For the rest of the week, I went into the dungeon every day. After seven days of facing the goblins, I managed to level up four more times.
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
•--------------------•
Name: Nathan Ross
Level: 8
HP: 45/45
MP: 45/45
Strength: 26
Speed: 29
Agility: 33
Defense: 24
Mental strength: 25
============
Skills:
Absorption
Equipped items:
Iron dagger
•--------------------•
This last advancement cost me over 25 goblins, but I am definitely getting stronger and can stay in the dungeon for longer periods of time. I can now defeat most of the goblins in one hit, but it is getting harder and harder to level up. Also, the daily commute to the dungeon has become a hassle. I think moving to a closer apartment would be a good idea.
The next week I continued to hunt tirelessly and finally moved into a new apartment managed by an old man named Mr. Winser. Although he seemed friendly, there was something in his expression that always denoted a bad mood. The rent here is two pieces of silver a month. If I manage to hunt and save about seven bronze coins a day (210 in 30 days), anything left over will be profit. It's a little more expensive than my previous housing, but it's worth it. I can live on five to ten bronzes a day to eat, and I just hope I don't need much new equipment. If I can make 15 to 20 bronzes a day, I'll be fine.
Now that I'm closer to the dungeon, life is a bit more bearable, although I've only managed to advance two levels in my hunts this week.
[Status Open]
•--------------------•
Name: Nathan Ross
Level: 10
HP: 55/55
MP: 55/55
Strength: 31
Speed: 34
Agility: 38
Defense: 29
Mental strength: 30
Abilities:
Absorption
Equipped items:
Iron Dagger
•--------------------•
Finally, I have reached double digits. I'm satisfied, but also a bit uneasy. I needed to defeat over 100 goblins to level up only twice. Although goblins are a good source of income, I won't get much stronger facing them. I must find a new strategy.