I groan. How long have I been asleep?

“Ah, you’re awake! Good.” An unfamiliar male voice says next to me. “You’ve been asleep two whole days.”

“What happened?”

“You collapsed in the Hunter’s Association. An ambulance was dispatched and you were brought here, where we found that you had succumbed to exhaustion, dehydration, and even low blood sugar.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“Well, it’s not. To get to the point you were at, most people would have to be stranded in the wilderness for several days.”

“Ah. Well, I was stuck in the wilderness. Then I wasn’t, and now I’m here.”

“Right~. Why didn’t you get some food and water before going to the association?”

“I didn’t know that I needed it so soon.”

The nurse looks at me strangely before putting down a clipboard and leaving the room. “A doctor will be with you shortly.”

…………………………………………………………………

It took a few days to recover, but I eventually did. Actually, most of the time I was recovered, but the doctors wanted to keep an eye on my condition to make sure I was okay to leave. They provided me with new clothes. A simple light blue shirt and pants. They are much more comfortable than the scratchy, bloody rags that I was previously wearing.

… What do I do now? I have money, and I can find places to stay and eat at. I don’t need to do anything for now.

Perhaps I can be a hunter? I don’t know any other job I can do as easily. Since it seems I can handle fighting. I even survived what the guard called the “Nightmare Zone”.

Alright, it's decided. I'll become a Hunter.

I start walking to the Hunter’s Association.

…………………………………………………………………

The door swings open, once again revealing the lobby. I step inside. The man I talked with before and appraised the materials I sold is arguing with one of the people standing behind the counter.

“We should make some winterized armor with the fur!” The man with dwarfism shouts energetically.

“Are you kidding me? Are you mentally challenged as well as vertically?! We should use it as research material!” The dwarf’s opponent shouts back.

“Umm… Excuse me. Am I interrupting something important?” I ask.

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

They both yell at me, but once the short man sees me, he smiles widely.

“Hello again, young lad! We are just discussing what the best use is for that pelt you brought in. I think it should be made into an armor, and this idiot thinks it should be used for research.” He turns to his archenemy. “Tell me, what could researching the fur even benefit us?”

His opponent sighs annoyedly, and suggests, “For one thing, if we were to test the mana patterns,and figure out how they work, it would definitely be quite helpful in artificially producing better armors with lower quality materials.”

“That’s what I thought. But we haven’t ever succeeded in artificially producing mana patterns like the kind that is already present in monster materials. So really, nothing.” He says, staring down the resolute man.

The taller man scoffs loudly, to express his disbelief. He stares at the heavens as though he is praying for patience.

“Knowledge is the best weapon, you do know that, right?”

“Nope, blades are the best, always have been and always will be.”

“You really are mentally challenged, aren’t you? What’s one of the main differences between a professional blacksmith, and an amateur?”

“…”

“Knowledge.” He whispers loudly while nodding.

“...mn it.” The short man said under his breath, knowing he’s lost the argument. “Whatever. Since our talk is over, what can I do for you?” He asks me, as the other man walks away.

“I’m looking for a job.”

…………………………………………………………………

We are now in front of the quest board, as the dwarf jokingly called it. The requests range from sweeping to hunting. I notice that each hunting quest has a high-quality colored picture of the creature and a letter stamped on. Is that the rating system for difficulty? Anyway, I look at the monster hunting requests. Some of which stick out to me.

“Do you want to hunt monsters? You’ll need to get rated to do any of the hunting requests.”

“How do I do that?”

“Well, lad, you’ll need someone certified by the association to conduct the test. The people with the necessary certifications to do it that are available right now is myself, and Satan himself, Mr. Reynard. That’s who I was arguing with back there.” He tilts his head quickly in the direction where I found him arguing with the one who wanted to research the fur.

“I do want to hunt monsters. Would you rate me?”

“Sure, kid. Follow me.” He starts walking to the double door that goes behind the common area.

…………………………………………………………………

Name:

Age: 18

Race: Human

Title: Old One

Title Effect: Grants Skill Set – Mind Over Matter

Level: 9

Experience: 19.92%

Condition: Damaged (Missing Arm [L]), Memory Loss (Severe).

Condition Effects: None

HP: 544/544

MP: 22/22

Strength: 19

Intelligence: 22

Wisdom: 26

Dexterity: 40 (+3% Move Speed)

Constitution: 68 (18+50)

Unassigned Stat Points: 10

Skills

Sturdy (Passive) [E] – Lv. 5

Increases constitution.

Swiftness (Passive) [F] – Lv. 3

Increases movement speed.

Cartography (Active/Passive) [A]

Maps the area which can be sensed. Can apply the map to a medium at the cost of MP.

Regeneration (Active) [D] – Lv. 4

Regenerate HP at the cost of MP.

Appraisal (Active) [A]

Appraises the target (Full information only available for targets at or below your current level. Higher level targets will display limited information).

Dismantling (Active) [E] – Lv. 1

Dismantles the target corpse.

Inventory [Special] – Lv. 1

Grants an extra-dimensional space for the storage of allowed items.

Mind Over Matter [Special]

Matter Control (Active):

Control physical matter that you can sense with Mind Sense and physical matter you can see.

Skill Strength: 9.5 kg of force

Beginner Proficiency (75.21%)

Mind Sense (Passive):

Allows you to sense your surrounding at all times. Focus on an area to sense greater detail.

Skill Range: 0.52 meters

Novice Proficiency (25.58%)

Unassigned Skill Points: 2

…………………………………………………………………

“Are you ready, kid?”

“Yes!”

‘Appraisal.’

[Command Received.]

[Activating Skill – Appraisal.]

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Level: 9

Age: 38

Condition: Inebriated (Slight).

Condition Effects: Tipsy (Inebriated).

HP: 208/208

MP: 12/12

Strength: 32

Intelligence: 12

Wisdom: 14

Dexterity: 25

Constitution: 26

He attacks first with a quick jab to my undefended left side. His attack’s speed is impressive, but I’m faster overall. I also have the beneficial combination of Mind Sense, Matter Control, Swiftness, and my relatively high dexterity.

I counterattack by moving to the side and then pulling his arm forward and down, causing him to flip over and fall on his back. He stares at the ceiling dazedly. I don’t think he was expecting to be flipped so easily by a newbie.

“One more time!”

…………………………………………………………………

[Dexterity has increased by 1.]

[Swiftness has increased in level. Lv. 3 to Lv. 4]

[Matter Control has increased in proficiency. Beginner to Novice.]

…………………………………………………………………

It seems that he doesn’t appreciate getting covered in dust. In the beginning, each time he attacked, I calmly observed his movements, and when he got close, I used his own power against him. Once he decided to start attacking smartly, it proved a bit more difficult.

“I feel like I’m encountering resistance whenever I get close to you.”

“You are. It’s a skill of mine.”

“Really? Interesting.” He continues, “And where did you learn to fight so well?”

"I didn’t learn. I’m just reacting to what you do.”

He thinks for a moment before responding.

“Natural talent, then? With how well you’re able to handle yourself in a fight, I’d say you’re in Class C, at the very least.”

“So I’ll be able to take on Class C hunting requests?”

“That’s right, lad. But remember, if you want to take on a request one grade higher, you’ll need a team of four people at Class C. Maybe more, depending on the request.”

“Can you help pick a good one?”

“Sure. But first…” He sighs. “...paperwork.”

…………………………………………………………………

“Sign here, and we’re done.”

“What do I sign?”

“The line.”

I write “The Line”.

He watches me and then asks, “Why did you write ‘The Line’?”

“You said to.”

He sighs.

“I meant sign your name on the line.”

“My name… I don’t remember it.”

“You don’t remember? What do you mean?”

“I mean I lost my memories several days back. I can’t remember anything from before it, and my name doesn’t show up in my status.”

“So you truly cannot remember your own name?”

“I can’t.”

He thinks for a moment before grabbing something from a drawer in the desk he’s sitting behind.

“Use this to put your fingerprint on the line, instead.”

He opens a pad of something black and sets it in front of me.

“How does it work?”

“Just press your thumb on the ink pad, then press it onto the paper.”

I do so, and leave behind a marking of my fingerprint just above the line.

“Right. Now you’re registered as a Class C hunter with the Hunter’s Association. I’ll help you get a request now.”

“Great.”

We walk over to the board, and begin looking through the wall of papers. I see a couple Class B requests, but nothing higher. Looks like no one is needing someone to hunt especially dangerous monsters.

“I think it would be best if you started with a request one rank below Class C. Do you have a weapon?”

“Yes. I have a Hyenaraptor tooth that I sharpened myself.”

“Can I see it?”

“Sure.”

I pull out the knife from my inventory, and pass it to him.

“Not completely terrible. It should be good enough for you to take care of... these guys.”

He unpins a paper from the board, and hands it to me. A request to hunt a small pack of ‘Chompies’. The reward is 23 Small Silvers and whatever materials I can get from the corpses.

“What’s a Chompy?”

“Nasty little buggers. Carnivorous, dog-like things. Except their mouths are unusually large and their teeth can shred a man’s leg. Typically, they aren’t any taller than half a meter.”

“Sounds good. I’ll take it.”

“Alright. I’ll find you a map of where they live.”

He clambers off to the area behind the double door. Several minutes later, he returns with a small map.

“Looking at this, it seems that the trip will take a few days on foot. If you want to get there in a reasonable amount of time, you’ll need to purchase a vehicle. With how far away the nest is, and the terrain that you’d have to cross, a normal vehicle probably won’t work well enough.” He appears to think for a moment before suggesting, “You should get a hoverbike. Not many people buy them since they just walk everywhere, but you should. The newest ones that run on mana cores are the most cost effective. You won’t even need to change its core out often if you buy a higher grade hoverbike. Only once or twice a year.”

“Wait, what’s a mana core?”

“Oh. Of course you wouldn’t know. Mana cores are just condensed mana that you can get after a monster dissipates. They have to be strong to get a mana core truly worth collecting. People use it as a source of energy. If you want a mana core, you need to wait for the monster’s mana to condense into a core. It takes a while for it to condense after the monster dies. You should note that if you let the core manifest, then you can’t get the materials.”

…………………………………………………………………

The people out on the street walk by as they go about their business. I am going to get something that Mr. Dwarf recommended I buy. A hoverbike. He told me where to purchase one and assured me that I had enough money to buy it. I arrive at a large building that appears to be a vehicle dealership.

It has tall windows showcasing displays of many different vehicles. Cars, trucks, and hoverbikes.

I walk inside, and am greeted by a pudgy man with a black suit and shiny round glasses.

“Greetings, friend! Welcome to Sal’s Automotives. My name is Sal! This is my ‘dealerhip’. Where all the deals are hip!” He winces. “That one still needs work. Anyway, how can I help you?”

“I want to buy a hoverbike. One that runs on mana cores.”

Sal smiles.

“Wonderful! Right this way, sir!”

We walk to the far corner of the displays. Sitting on a large pedestal, there is a sleek machine. It looks somewhat like a shoe, with the place where the back of the foot would go having the controls of the bike. A two-person seat is situated in the middle.

“This is one of the latest models designed and only recently released to the public by the government’s R&D department. It is number one in terms of speed and fuel efficiency. Over flat terrain it can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in less than 2 seconds. Its max speed is Mach 0.4. Although I don’t recommend going quite that fast, the option is there.”

“How much?”

“There are two options to pay. We can work out a payment plan for multiple installments over time with an initial down payment, or you can pay the full cost at once.”

“What’s the full cost?”

“5 Large Gold, sir.”

“I’ll buy it now, then.”

I pull out the five coins from my inventory, and hand it to Sal.

“Understood. I’ll bring the hoverbike to the front of the store. It is now yours.”

“Thanks.”