NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: Prologue
Year 2020
At that time our peaceful world had changed after that "DayBreak" incident
Some researchers had discovered a mysterious box inside some ancient ruins, after discovering the ruins they held a conference about the box until one of the archaeologists requested to open the mysterious artifact, all the people were eager to see what was inside until one of the researchers opened it
A huge pillar of light cleared the night sky, dyeing it an orange-red color and from there the calamities began
Monsters had emerged from portals all over the world, all kinds of unthinkable enemies such as dungeons, towers, monsters and others threatened all of humanity and caused many casualties
Humanity seemed lost, they were immersed in despair, the weapons of the armies could barely deal with this threat
Everything seemed lost, until humans with special powers appeared and were given a name "Hunters" hunt monsters, and acquire valuable treasures
After the calamity today in the year 2820, humanity progressed with amazing technological advances, pollution was almost non-existent, many diseases such as cancer or AIDS are curable now and the planet was very healthy, many want to be hunters today
But…
Imagine being someone whose dream is to become a hunter, but whose talent is too low to be a decent one
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=Statistics=
Name: Alan Harwey
Age: 16 years old
[Strength 9.61 (E)]
[Resistance 10.10 (E)]
[Speed 13.04 (E)]
[Mana 20.20 (E)]
=Unchanged statistics=
[Luck 19/20]
[Charm 10/20]
[Perseverance 20/20]
[Intelligence 9/20]
=Talents=
[Blacksmith/low-lower] [Sword/low-lower] [Magic/low-lower].
=Elemental affinity/elements learned=
[Fire, Lightning, Aether, Wind, ...?]
=Skills=
Unique: [?]
Active:
Passive:
=Magics/Spells=
[Fire Magic] [Reinforcement].
=Constitution=
[Magic circuits]
=Specialties=
[None]
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In this world there is a phenomenon called "Awakening" it is a requirement to become a hunter
Active hunters are awakened, because it takes great concentration and good luck. Few can reach this state. Normally this happens at 15 and can even reach 10 years, which is the maximum recorded in the books, but my case is special. My awakening was at 16 years old
I lost a year
An awakened person could see their talents, skills, and abilities objectively and thus train efficiently, while also allowing one to acquire "clear rewards" from the towers and dungeons
This phenomenon was called "status window" it was a fact that only one status window could be seen only by the owner
Those who awakened have the "Before the Tower of Babel" effect, languages are nothing to them, they could read, write, speak and understand any language and the person who spoke the awakened words could understand them as if they were speaking the same language as the person who spoke the same language
-What a shitty day, I'm an E-rank hunter on top of one of the lowest possible levels-
I sighed in disappointment as I lowered my head slightly and looked at the floor
The average E-rank hunters had to have a minimum stat of 20 but that wasn't my case
I was there walking, I currently live in Spain Madrid in a normal apartment, I am an orphan, I don't know if my parents are still alive or dead, but that doesn't matter to me, life goes on
Right now I'm frustrated my dream of being a powerful hunter seemed further away now my situation seemed impossible I have three low talents and only my luck and mana are my only two good stats
Luck is useless now, it only works occasionally, and mana is the only thing that could make me good if my talent with magic wasn't mediocre
I grabbed my head and then sighed and thought coldly
Enrolling in the Wellston Academy was impossible for me, in the written exams it wouldn't even be a problem, but in practice it would be a complete hell
I started thinking until I remembered my situation with the rent, I grabbed my cell phone to look for some work to at least survive one more day
-Money, I need money to pay the rent and I also have to pay my debts-
I looked for jobs where I could earn money until I found one on a website and I didn't find anything, I was disappointed until one of my contacts sent me a message
[Hello Alan, it's me James, I was wondering if you have time for a job, it's about going on an expedition to a C-rank dungeon, could you be our backpacker? Sure, we'll pay you appropriately, if you see this message, reply to me] [1 minute ago]
[I'm in, where is the dungeon?] [20 seconds ago]
[It's located nearby in the municipality of Tres Cantos, it's a small town where they reported that a portal appeared a few days ago, we'll wait for you tomorrow at 2:00 p.m]
-Good God, at least they'll pay me well, that's a relief... the landlord won't scold me again-
«One of the main reasons why I wanted to become a hunter is to be recognized as a hero and... be a millionaire!! I want to get out of this economic situation, I don't want to be poor anymore!»
That's right... that was my dream, I wanted to be a millionaire hero since life as a hunter was very dangerous, I wanted to become a hero to feel that sensation of admiration towards me and be a multimillionaire to retire forever from that life besides that I will never work again... I will live my life as a damn parasite
But, my plans did not turn out as I wanted
-...who am I kidding, the most I can be is rank B or A with these low talents... but at least I will have a decent life, reaching the National rank will be impossible for me since I will have to go through multiple "progresses", it would be a miracle if I reached class S-
Unlike other novels or stories I often read, starting from rank B everything changes, when you reach that cap, the stats stop growing unless you have several progresses to overcome that cap
I started to get up from my bed and then looked at myself in the mirror
Blue eyes, common jet black hair with a lock of hair sticking out, a common appearance and white skin
My face was slightly more handsome than average, I had to admit, the only thing that stood out about me would be my blue eyes and my name "Alan Harwey", Harwey was uncommon but not a surname that stood out from the rest of the people
Once I got ready, I started to open my door and then go to school since after all I am in my fourth cycle
**
«Where's James?!»
That guy told me we'd meet at 2:00 p.m. but I don't see him anywhere, he wasn't even at the dungeon entrance
Time passed quickly from the 2 o'clock he had promised to meet me at and it was approaching 3 o'clock, I started to walk through the dungeon entrance and muttered
-...Bastard, he talked about meeting the next day but I can't even see his shadow, it would have been better if he hadn't said he would come... no, no, no calm down Alan you need the money to pay the rent, you need it, you don't want to be scolded again-
«Please, please James show up already I don't want to be scolded again for not paying the rent»
After calming down, I let out a sigh as I looked around
As soon as I did, I could see a silhouette. It was James who finally arrived with the other team members
There were about 3 familiar people with whom I had worked with before to earn a living
-Huh? Hey kid, sorry to keep you waiting!-
I turned my head in the direction where that voice came from. It was definitely James, he was a middle-aged man, he's quite nice, but... he has a bad habit of being late
-You're late, old man! Do you know what time it is?! I was worried because of you!-
-Oh, stop hitting me, sorry, sorry Alan, I just wanted to make our reunion interesting!-
«You're an idiot, I just didn't work for a month because I wanted to rest»
James, an idiot who is always late is a very tough warrior and he's also a damn glutton
-Oh, you're hopeless James, forgive him Alan, this guy... is an idiot-
The guy who spoke to me is called John, he's a young man of 21 years old, he's a magician as well as being greedy for money, he and I get along pretty well since we're the only intelligent ones in the group and he was the one who taught me the fireball magic
-By the way, kid, you used the financial strategy I recommended to you-
-I still don't use it, when I turn 17 I will invest in that guild you recommended to me~-
-I highly recommend it to you since that company is starting to rise, I can feel it~-
At that moment a red-haired woman hit John's head, he screamed in pain while holding his head from the strong blow
-Don't turn him into a greedy guy for money like you, Alan, please you are the only sane one on the team, please don't become as weird as them-
-I know, I won't go crazy like them-
«But my ambition for money will never change!!...»
This young lady in front of me is called Victoria and she is talented with the sword as well as being the most responsible of the team
Those three make a good balanced team and they are also C rank, so they come out very well in almost all the missions
-Well, we're all here now, let's enter the dungeon now-
My gaze softened a little, I was a little angry because that idiot always takes so long, but at least I'll be able to pay the rent
**
-Hey James, hold on a bit! Keep the line straight!-
James was protecting us from the monsters, attracting all their attention while Victoria cut everyone down mercilessly, John and I channeled our mana to cast a powerful magic
-Ready kid!!-
-I was born ready!!-
Both of us cast the fireball magic at the same time
*Explosion!
The monsters that were running towards James turned into ashes
-Ugh... thanks guys for saving me-
-Shut up idiot you shouldn't have provoked those monsters in the first place! It's your fault we almost died!-
-Ah!! I'm sorry Victoria it's not my fault that the monsters always go after me!!-
Victoria began to pull James' ears this did nothing more than ask for mercy from the woman and her eyes were visibly watery
-Remember this boy, never make that woman angry right now she looks like a Demon-
-Don't even repeat that to me-
All the monsters that appeared in the dungeon were of the Undead type
So they had to be cut with weapons of holy power, hit with holy magic or have their bodies destroyed, those types of monsters were the most complicated to deal with of course if you didn't have a good team to back you up
-Well, let's rest for a while guys!-
At James' words, the whole group turned around
I was walking with James but he started talking
-Wow... I never expected so many undead in this dungeon-
-If you don't even say it, because of you old man we almost died, are you going to be responsible for me appearing in your dreams and tormenting you?-
-I already apologized, what more do you want Alan-
This dungeon was a little bigger than the ones I had visited, you could see some doors that looked like entrances to caves in the middle of the misty darkness
Maybe one of the doors probably led to the boss room
-Hey Alan, no You tell me you're only here for the money-
-What?!!-
-Come on last year when you joined our group you were desperate for money, and you showed a lot of skill the first time-
-T-That's because... I had to pay the rent for my apartment, otherwise the landlord would start lecturing me about responsibility, and there are some good items dropping even if it's just a C-rank dungeon!!-
- Hahaha! I already said it, you're desperate to not be thrown out on the street, I don't blame you, in your situation I would do the same-
James started laughing, and that started to embarrass me, I wanted the earth to swallow me up
«Stop laughing at my fucking old man!»
I continued covering my face until I remembered something, a debt that James owed me…
-God…. Oh, right! Old man, what do you owe me?-
-What do I owe you? What?-
-Don't pretend to be crazy, you have to teach me two skills, the other time when you bet with me and lost you promised to teach me two of your skills-
-…Aaah-
«And you just remembered, you bastard?! If I didn't remind you, I would forget about this debt forever!»
-Okay, okay, I'll teach you a very useful skill to increase the efficiency of talents and one to increase the strength of critical hits... Hey Victoria, come here for a moment!-
Skills
They are powers, so to speak, special powers that give us many advantages, these can be taught to you, obtained from objects or you can develop a skill but you can only acquire one skill related to the talent, for people who are on the verge of bankruptcy like me, being taught a skill is almost a miracle
James took out his sword as well as Victoria took out hers and suddenly James's gray eyes began to shine, in an instant... he easily disarmed Victoria
-This is called [Concentration] it is a basic skill that by its name increases your concentration more, in addition to being able to help you a little in the efficiency rate for talents, try cutting this rock, I will throw it in the air and you will cut it-
As it is a basic skill learning it will be simple
James lent me his sword, I began to inhale and concentrate on a point
I went through dungeons several times, barely earning a living since almost no one wants an E rank like me, but I want to be strong so they stop looking down on me
James threw the rock into the air, at that moment I jumped into the air and with all my strength I managed to make a clean cut splitting the rock in two
[You have learned Concentration (D)]
I could see the status window announcing that to me while James applauded me
-Not bad, you learned concentration but it's just a basic skill, the next skill depends more on luck-
James stopped talking and grabbed his sword again and then crashed into a larger rock destroying it generating blue rays in the process, few would have noticed this but he didn't use all his strength his face didn't say he tried hard at all
-Oh good it worked this time... this skill is called [critical point], this skill depends on your luck, if your luck is good the power of a critical hit will triple-
James gave me his sword, I held it firmly and tried to attack with everything towards a large rock, when my sword hit my hands shook
-Aaah! That hurts... ouch, ouch my hands! They're red!-
-Hahaha, I see that this time you didn't have much luck!-
-Shut up I'm going to do it again!-
I took a deep breath, [Critical Point] is only a basic skill that almost no one uses because it depends a lot on luck but for me it didn't matter since my luck was almost perfect I could learn this skill quickly
I advanced again against the rock, very determined I charged against it and I was able to destroy it
[You have learned Critical Point (D)]
-Come on, finally the second time I always get the impossible!-
-Hahaha with this I don't owe you anything anymore, now let's go deeper into the dungeon-
When I turned to my group, my mind went blank in an instant
A male voice from an unknown source began to spread quietly inside my head
"…Do you… hear me… hey…"
-Hey James did you say something to me?-
-Huh? I didn't say anything?-
-Mmm, I thought I heard someone ask me if I heard him…-
I couldn't finish my sentence, I noticed that a small light was beginning to emerge
I started rubbing my eyes to see if I wasn't dreaming, when I rubbed them I could see that that little light was no longer there
«What the hell was that just now?! Am I hallucinating?!... I think I have to go rest after this mission!»
I was a little scared by what was happening to me so suddenly that I took a few steps back
I continued walking with my companions exterminating all the undead in my path with John using [Fireball] to the undead leaving nothing but ashes, John began to speak with his expression of distrust
-Is this weird?-
-Why do you say that John?-
-It's just that only undead have appeared in all this time, normally a dungeon has at least a little variety in the monsters and since we entered I feel that the whole atmosphere had become frozen-
That was true, since we arrived at this dungeon I felt chills, all this time I felt that there was someone besides us in this dungeon
-Stop scaring us John, at this rate you're going to scare me-
Victoria said trying to maintain order in the group
But she knew John and his feelings always hit the mark the moment something happened...
*Explosion!
A large fireball grazed all of us in the team almost bursting my ears
-Is everyone okay? Quickly gather here!-
-Shit! I had a feeling that someone was with us and I was right!-
The defense line was broken in an instant by that attack and the noise filled the surroundings
-What is happening today?-
I said in confusion, I quickly looked around inside the dungeon with dizzy eyes
I couldn't see anyone, everything was silent but a strange black smoke began to rise from the ground
-What is this?! I'm sure there's someone…-
The smoke spread in an instant and blocked everyone's view
-Coof, coof! What the hell is this?!-
I quickly covered my mouth and nose with my sleeve and squinted, the black fog that surrounded us was not normal
-But what a pain!-
Said John, he spread his arms creating a blast of wind clearing all the smoke that covered us
-Everyone! We have to leave this place quickly…-
James shouted, before he could finish his words, I closed my mouth tightly
A fireball appeared out of nowhere hitting John, being able to see the blood coming out of his body
He was shaking, the smell of blood filled the dungeon in an instant
A dungeon alone of undead, a thick dark fog filled the dungeon and now someone is attacking our partner
Instantly my whole body got goosebumps
We all became attentive to the next move, I was looking everywhere in desperation until
I could feel that the temperature of the environment had increased
-Old man on the right!-
I shouted desperately, James quickly reacted in time managing to withstand the impact with his shield
Victoria left a badly wounded John on the wall, who could barely breathe
James stepped back but suddenly a second attack was directed at him, he held on again and with all his strength he managed to resist the second attack
James fell to the ground exhausted by everything he had to endure inside the dungeon, he could barely withstand the attack
-What is this? Who the hell…-
-Wow, I never thought they would manage to stay alive-
We could hear a voice, it was a young voice and we could see his silhouette in the darkness, black hair and grey eyes
But above all that dark aura that his body gave off
-You... you're a Daemon!!-
-Hahaha, that's right, that's right, big guy, I'm a Daemon-
-Don't think you can get away with this!-
James lunged at the Daemon, grabbed his sword tightly and began to hit him but the Daemon was agile, the villain began to hit the weak James all over, he continued to resist the attacks but his body could no longer resist
Victoria appeared behind the Daemon trying to stab him in the back but he reacted in time hitting her in the stomach and then slamming her against the floor
-Ma… Damn it-
-John, don't talk you're really hurt-
-Boy… run, you're in… a lot of danger now-
I was shaking, I don't know what I should do, fight or run
-That's right, kid, run, I'm not interested in killing weaklings… for now I'll enjoy massacring these three-
I noticed the arrogant eyes the Daemon had, he wasn't interested in anything and was only focused on my classmates
Since I was 5 years old
When I always went to school, everyone started to bother me by belittling me by saying pure stupid things "You are useless" "But how weak you are" "You are nothing more than a loser" "How pathetic you do not have a unique ability" they always looked at me with arrogance, as if they were at the top just because they had a unique ability and I did not
Just because they had families, lived under a cozy roof and I didn't have that, did they have the right to look down on me?
One day I exploded and started beating those idiots until I had no strength to stop them from bothering me the next day
I kept going and going and going doing the same thing so that no one would see me from below
And now…
-…John uses all the Buffs on me-
-But boy…-
I stared at the magician hoping he would accept my request, John lowered his head and extended his hand in my direction
-…He…okay hit that son of a bitch in the face for me [Wind Grace] [Sturdy Body] [Brute Power] [Speed Increase] [Strength Increase] [Stamina Increase] [Blessing]-
John threw all the Buffs he had in his arsenal at me, I could notice that my strength increased considerably plus the last one temporarily increased my luck
«With this minimum power I can fight a D-rank hunter»
-I see you decided not to run away kid… well I will respect your decision. Come and be a hero for your friends brat!!-
He shouted with great joy and quickly threw several fireballs at me, I quickly began to dodge them, I was already familiar with dodging that magic thanks to John always using it on me
I gritted my teeth as I ran in front of him, the blue mana was coming off my body
I activated [concentration] and [critical point]
«This guy is not someone I can beat with my skills, but thanks to John I can have a chance»
I grabbed James' sword in the process and quickly lunged, I felt my blood begin to boil, my Concentration was clearer and I felt the world slow down a little
The Daemon began to attack me creating multiple fireballs I began to cut everything with my sword, and I approached him
-Take this!!-
The blue rays were noticed in space, and a loud scream from my enemy could be heard notice
-¡¡Aaaah!! Damn imbecile!-
I quickly moved away from him and started hitting him as fast as I could, sometimes [critical hit] was activated because it was a passive skill, I threw cuts, punches and kicks at him, he was still weak from all the monsters I eliminated but this was enough if I kept going like this I could beat him
"That...keep going...like that"
I heard the same voice, and that little ray of light began to appear in my field of vision
I was distracted for a moment and my enemy took advantage of that by grabbing my hand
-I got you, bastard!-
He pulled me forward giving me a strong headbutt and then sent me flying with a kick
-Kuak!-
I began to spit blood and my vision was blocked by the wound on my head that covered my right eye
"Use… Your… Unique… Skill"
"Unique skill? The one in question marks along with my attribute that is also in the same situation?"
I got up again, but this time I was weak, I could barely hold my sword because of the intense pain in my stomach
-You know, I thought they were the only interesting ones, but you are more so!-
"Activate it, activate it, activate it"
That same voice repeated it to me incessantly and the small light began to shine more
-If this is going to be my last fight then I will take you with me to hell, you son of a bitch!!-
I ran without fear, my heart was beating a thousand times a second, they say that happens when you are close to death
The hand with which I held my sword began to emanate a darkness that enveloped it
[???... identified, darkness element]
[???... unique ability identified, Duality]
-This is as far as you go, kid!!-
The Daemon threw a gigantic fireball at me that prevented me from continuing
"Now use your ability!!"
-Aaaahhh!!-
I began to scream at the top of my lungs and the darkness increased in size, my body began to go numb, I was on the verge of exhausting my mana and I unconsciously did what that voice wanted, I used [Duality]
The darkness that surrounded the sword turned into a golden light
The light was known to be a rare element and highly appreciated by hunters as it was called the anti-demon element
With one stab a huge ray of light pierced the gigantic ball of fire, impacting the Daemon in the process
With all my strength and all the fear in the world I ran frantically and began to cut it with my sword reinforced with [Reinforcement] and then cruelly decapitated it
The Daemon's body fell to the ground only for the corpse to begin to fragment and turn into dust that was dispersed by the wind
-He... go to hell for underestimating me-
After saying those words I fell to the ground exhausted because I used up all my mana in that attack and from the blows that that poor guy gave me
"Mmm, not bad boy you have a lot of talent"
Those were the last words I could hear from that light before falling to the ground unconscious praying that I could see the light of day again