"Hae... Hae-seon. Eat slowly. It's not like someone is chasing you."
Dinnertime with my sister, for the first time in a long while. I devoured an amount of food that was three times my usual portion.
It was partly because my digestive system had started working properly since my Awakening, but more than anything, it was hard to control my appetite now that I was having a proper meal instead of canned food.
"Your stir-fried meat is the best, Sis."
"You're lying... It's not like you've eaten much of anything else."
"Ah. Is that so?"
As I joked around, my sister chuckled softly. I don't know how long it's been since I had such a happy dinner. It was my sister's habit to always check my complexion even while we were eating, and I, in turn, felt sorry for that.
But things were different now. My body had become so healthy that I no longer needed to worry about it, and it seemed my sister could sense it to some extent.
"The color of the spots... seems to have faded a bit."
It seems Dr. Jin was right. I couldn't tell since I see myself every day, but my sister also noticed the change. Is now the time?
I thought this was the right moment to bring it up.
"I told you I went to meet the Hunter who helped us, right?"
"Yes."
"It seems... I've gained a Healing Ability."
My sister's gentle eyes widened into circles.
"Then... in the words people use... does that mean you've had an Awakening?"
"Yeah. They said the spots on my body have faded because of that. It seems they might disappear completely later on."
"Wow!"
"So..."
Being a Hunter is a dangerous profession. And my sister is the type of person who would jump out of bed in her sleep if it concerned my health. How would she react to hearing that I wanted to become a Hunter?
However, as dangerous as it was, you could earn much more money than in other jobs. Having suffered from poverty since childhood, and with the factories closing down after the Gates appeared, there was no better opportunity than this. When I said I would become a Hunter, my sister's face lit up.
"That's wonderful!!"
It seemed my sister had a hard time all this while. To think she would be this happy to hear that I, who had only been fighting an illness, could now go out and earn money...
"Now you won't have to hide your handsome face, Hae-seon?"
"??"
Huh.
So that's what it was. It seemed my sister couldn't hear anything else besides the talk about my skin.
Silly fool.
Even after spending her whole life caring for her younger brother.
"... Sis."
"Yes?"
"... I'll take it from here."
Earning money.
Protecting our family.
Bringing happiness.
Now, it was time to pass the baton.
I had to earn money. There were two main reasons I had to earn money. The first was for my family.
The second was for the Hunter Qualification Test. It cost a staggering fifty million won just to take the Hunter Qualification Test. The machine that checked for Awakening energy (Ether) in an applicant's body, and the examiners who determined a Hunter's type and assigned a rank.
None of this was free. The problem was that, even so, the fee was ridiculously expensive. Because of this, there were cases where people couldn't become Hunters even after their Awakening because they had no money.
Isn't that ridiculous? Becoming a Hunter is about saving people's lives, before any personal gain. It wouldn't be enough for the country to provide support, yet one had to pay tens of millions of won just for a single test.
What's more, if your Ether amount was below the standard, you couldn't even be registered as a Hunter. That's why some people, after failing the test they bet their lives on, end up at the Han River. I heard two applicants threw themselves into the Han River after the last quarter's qualification test.
Anyway, I need to earn money first.
Kkuwang!
As soon as we arrived at our destination, Ppori let out a roar. Somehow, its voice sounded pleased. There was a good reason for that.
The dungeon before my eyes was a 'Cautionary Zone', and all the Monsters inside were 'Poison-type'. A place shunned by Hunters, a Poison Dungeon. To Ppori, this dungeon must smell of the familiar 'scent of home'.
"Oh, right. I'm going to be killing your kind from now on. You okay with that?"
Kkuheung.
Well, I'll be. Did you just snort at me? The creature wore an arrogant expression, as if to say, 'Those things and I are of a different breed'.
"Well. I guess that's for the best."
It was an undeniable fact that Ppori's condition had improved while being by my side. It would be best to maintain a friendly relationship with this pet(?). Fortunately, the creature didn't seem very interested in what I was about to do.
Fwaat!
Contrary to the sign that said it was a restricted area, not a single guard was in sight. Even the hired hands who were there when Gaebang District was sealed off were gone. Well, I could sort of understand why.
Even from a distance, I could feel an eerie energy leaking from the dungeon entrance. If a normal person stood guard in a place like this, they would be poisoned in no time. Poison-type dungeons were Cautionary Zones that even Hunters needed special permission to enter.
No one in their right mind would have a reason to come here, so the security seemed lax.
"Hoo."
My heartbeat quickened as I looked at the dungeon entrance. Dr. Jin's device, installed in my eye, displayed the dungeon's information. It was a dungeon with a three-star difficulty.
This was a level that required at least five B~C-level Hunters to clear. A difficulty that even an A-rank Hunter couldn't guarantee clearing alone. Why did it have three stars when its Physical Level was only 'E'?
It was because of the 'A' for Other Attributes. Other Attributes was a general term for non-physical attack types, including psychic powers. The reason this dungeon's Other Attributes was 'A' rank, and why its difficulty was three stars despite its Physical Level, was all because the monsters were Poison-type.
"Shall we go in?"
Kkuwang!
And this dungeon was, for me, a perfectly suitable place. Through the V1 device installed in my eye, I had searched for several conditions. It had to be close to home, the dungeon attribute had to be poison, and the Physical Level had to be weak.
My physical abilities had improved dramatically compared to when the Gate opened, but I was still only at the level of an E-rank Knight. Right now, what was most important was to grow my abilities steadily without getting hurt. There was no need to go after the boss Monster either.
If the boss Monster inside a dungeon is defeated, the dungeon closes within a few hours. If a non-Hunter cleared a dungeon, it would inevitably arouse suspicion. The work would be close to a grind, but my primary goal was to absorb Black Cores while dealing with the small fry.
Ssk.
"Oh, shit..."
The moment I stepped inside, the dungeon showed off its identity without holding back. The acrid stench made me frown instinctively.
Kkuwang!!!
But Ppori seemed to love this space, flapping its wings and roaming around.
"... You like it."
Kkuwang!
"Don't go too far. You might get eaten."
Purplish and violet trees and large leaves. It felt like I had entered a forest painted with watercolors. Menacing hissing sounds and dim air.
This air itself was probably mixed with components that would be fatal to ordinary people. My first-ever dungeon raid. And I had entered it before even taking the Hunter Qualification Test.
Although I had my own valid reasons, a drop of sweat trickled down my temple.
"Alright. Let's do this."
I took something out of my inner pocket. A cube, the size of my palm. Its dark red surface was adorned with stylish engravings.
The name of this cube was Exa. It was the second device Dr. Jin had gifted me.
"Activate."
Exa responded to my command immediately.
Wheeing.
The sound of a motor whirring was heard, and soon, with a series of clicks and clacks, the cube's form changed. Soon, it had transformed into the shape of an easy-to-grip hilt. A hilt left bare without a blade.
It might make one wonder what it was, but the blade was something I could create from now on.
"Hup."
I channeled the Black Ether energy circulating throughout my body into Exa. Wheeeing- Then, from the tip of Exa, a black blade began to emerge. About the length of my index finger's first joint.
It was a bit embarrassing to call it a blade. But I was glad it was this long. When I first received it from Dr. Jin, the blade was only the size of a fingernail.
In that utterly embarrassing situation, Dr. Jin had laughed more heartily than ever.
"Hahahaha! It would be better to just turn it back into a cube and smash the monster's head with it!"
"... Are you kidding me?"
I shook my head vigorously to drive away that embarrassing memory. It couldn't be called a longsword, but it was at the level of a decent dagger. This was no ordinary blade.
It could be called the one and only weapon in the world, a combination of the Black Ether in my body and Dr. Jin's advanced technology.
Shweeeek.
After Exa's transformation was complete. From between the purple trees, two monsters approached me. Lizard-shaped monsters, flicking their long, thin tongues as they came closer.
Poison aside, what was an 'E' Physical Level like? Their size was about the same as the black toad I first encountered when the Gate opened. It would be nice if their physical strength was at that level too.
Of the two that were slowly approaching, one's tongue suddenly elongated. Chwaak- The extended tongue flew towards me like a whip. Was it fast?
No, it was slow. The speed felt similar to the saliva the toad had shot, but my body and senses now judged its tongue to be not very fast.
Tak!
Nevertheless, instead of dodging its tongue, I raised my left arm to block it. The creature's tongue wrapped tightly around my arm. The barbs on the tongue left thin scratches on my skin.
Shhhhit- At this rate, even a Hunter would suffer a fatal internal injury. The lizard that had extended its tongue let out a pleased cry. It seemed to be waiting for me to collapse.
"You seem to be in a good mood?"
Shiik?
What must it feel like when the target that should be collapsing is standing there smiling? I swung the Exa I was holding in my other hand.
Chwaak!
The creature's tongue, which was wrapped around my arm, was cleanly severed.
Shyaaaaak!
The creature thrashed and flipped its body over. With its tongue cut off, the pain must be indescribable. But the real problem came after that.
The dark red energy clinging to the severed tongue traveled along the tongue and infiltrated the lizard's mouth.
Shiik...
Before it could even finish its pained cry, the creature died. The Black Ether contained in Exa's blade had poisoned it to death. The toxicity contained in the Black Ether was on a whole other level of malevolence, enough to kill a Poison-type Monster with a single strike.
Shyeeek?
Seeing its comrade's body stiffen, the other one raised its guard and looked ahead. But I was no longer where it was looking.
Pababat!
'Poison Step'.
The Poison Step that Kiril had taught me didn't even allow an 'E' rank monster to see my shadow.
Puk.
I infiltrated its rear and stabbed the nape of its neck with Exa.
Shi...!!
This one was the same. It couldn't even scream properly as it trembled and died.
"Hooah!"
Only after confirming the creature was dead did I let out a ragged breath. The task was extremely simple, and nothing had deviated from my expectations.
Even so.
That was the first 'hunt' of my life. My neck was a little stiff, so it seemed I had tensed up quite a bit. I did some light stretching, then cut open the dead creature's belly and extracted a tiny Black Core.
"Haha. Reminds me of when I used to play with marbles at home by myself."
It was a cute size compared to the core Kiril gave me from a large monster. But these creatures would surely become a part of my growth.
Srrrk.
I immediately converted the two Black Cores into Ether and absorbed them into my body. The V1 device, as if waiting, confirmed my growth.
"Alright."
It wasn't just the device that sensed the change. I didn't feel tired at all despite using Poison Step, and I even felt like my condition was better than before I entered this dungeon. When my energy runs low, I absorb Black Ether to restore my stamina.
In theory, I could live forever inside a Poison Dungeon. Well, if I did that, my sister would nag me about staying out all night again.
"I know for sure now. This place is a goldmine for me."
Kkuwang.
A place that is nothing short of a disaster for some. But for me, this place is a field of opportunity. Now that I had checked the monster's level, it was time to confirm another objective.
I pushed through the waist-high grass and walked between the large, purple trees.