Forcing myself to remain calmer, I cleared the first floor quickly and headed down the winding steps to the 2nd floor.
The apes came in batches of 3-5, and just ran towards me when I neared. I didn't let them get any closer than 4 meters from me, hurling balls of fire towards them as soon as they were in my sight
And just like that, an incredulous sight occurred in the F ranked Dungeon [Ape's Paradise]. Without a moment of rest, an F ranked hunter cleared the 2nd floor, and the 3rd...and the 5th...all the way to the end of the 9th floor with ease
"WAAH!"
I lost control of my emotions as I let out a triumphant shout before the boss room. I had never imagined something like this to be possible!
Without a single issue, I had effectively taken down groups of Apes, collected multiple [Core]s, and reached the BOSS room all by myself
I reeled my emotions in as I let out a confident smile...and went further down to the BOSS room
A huge ape awaits me in the circular cave that is the last room.
"ROAR!!!"
The cave lightly shakes from the scream. My smile does not leave my face as five fireballs fly towards the ape that is now charging towards me. The first hit its chest, stopping it on its tracks. The second and third smash its shoulders, knocking it backward. The fourth and fifth explode on either side of its head, effectively finishing it off.
As soon as the ape crashed down, a blinding light flashed in the last floor and a green crystal rose in the middle. Touching this crystal will allow you to leave the room and appear at a random location near the entrance of the dungeon
I slowly revel in my first ever completed dungeon hunt, a solo one at that.
I then go towards the now dead ape to see any possible drops. By its side, a few F rank [Core]s are present...along with a [Skill Book]
I grab the [Core]s and put them inside the bag, before reaching out for the skill book. [Minor Heal] was now in my hands, giving me quite a shock. It wasn't the rarest of F rank skill books, but it was one of the more expensive ones as it easily took care of any cuts and minor injuries.
I also placed the skill inside the bag and proceeded to sit down and think while staring at the green crystal in front of me. The problem at hand is how I should handle myself from now on
An F rank newly awakened hunter clearing an F ranked Dungeon in under 30 minutes was unbelievable. It would have to be someone who was B ranked or above to be able to carry out the same thing
I made sure not to show too much of what I could do when I took the licensing exam because currently, all I have going for me is the fact that I seem to have a large pool of energy to cast skills. This does not mean I am powerful, nor do I hold the power of someone rank B or higher
Even a rank D or C could easily sneak behind me and take me out as long as they're faster than me. So my plan was to stay low key until I could buy more skills, preferably higher ranking ones that would match my large energy reserves
Sigh, and that required money.
Another plan was forming in my head though. Looking over at the gains just from clearing [Ape's Paradise] once, I had in total 1 F Rank [Skill Book] and 40+ [Core]s from the more than 160 apes I had killed from the 9 floors before
This alone made me bolder to make some accelerated plans…
Just from one Dungeon run alone, I can make more than $60,000...In under 30 minutes. This alone gave me a great shock.
Normal parties would have to split the loot, and it would take them more than 2 hours of intensely fighting monsters in close combat, which brought them exhaustion and made many parties recuperate for a few hours after each dungeon run.
Most parties would go into the dungeon once or twice a day. With each person making around $10,000, the life of a hunter can be considered very luxurious
So, assuming the BOSS drops either a skill book or possibly an item, I can make around 60 grand each run...this made many ideas dance around in my head wildly.
I've already spent many months observing hunters and researching every knowledge available to the public about them. I've researched even more into all the known [Skill Book]s and [Item]s that can be dropped from BOSS rooms
For someone with a large energy pool like me, I already had a few books in mind that would work very well. Of course, I also have to keep on testing just how much [Focus] I really have
A wild thought keeps appearing in my head that I do not want to entertain as it is too grand...the possibility that because my [Focus] appears blank, and I can repeatedly continue to cast skills with no feeling of exhaustion...could mean that I can simply keep on casting skills as much as I want…
BOOM
It felt like something had exploded in my head as this idea came and my mind entertained it more and more. My heart was also beating fast that this could even be a possibility
But...why not? From what I've seen so far, there is no value for my [Focus] attribute. Is it more logical to think that it is just a really high number that I somehow cannot see, or that because it is blank and I can still cast skills, I can simply continue to cast skills without any problem of depleting something?
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves before I came to terms with a new plan. It was somewhat risky, but it will be fast and reduce any possible future problems, whether it be from monsters or hunters.
The world after the apocalypse was vastly different, but still the same. Now even more filled with dangers and deaths. A hunter could easily be killed by monsters, robbed by other hunters, or killed by the government if they do not fall inline
To secure my safety while rising up, I will need a highly defensive and offensive skill, and well as a speed supporting skill. Something of C rank or above would be highly effective, and yet the cheapest C rank skills start off at $500,000
So...How do I go about this?
Chapter 4 - Is that a rookie...or?
An idea solidly formed in my head and took root. I knew what I had to do. I didn't wanna cause too huge of a commotion, so even though I will have to go in a roundabout way, I can still keep on diving into dungeons today.
The plan was to head to another dungeon after leaving [Ape's Paradise]. As much as I wanted to enter the dungeon again, I know I would easily be recognized the moment I head towards the entrance again.
I won't repeatedly dive into dungeons with such a fast clear speed until I have some measure of confidence to be able to protect myself from most threats. The goal for now is...power close to or equivalent to Rank B.
There was a single B Rank Hunter in this city, and he was a known celebrity. The strength he showed made many people fearful, as even bullets and snipers were ineffective against someone of rank B
The city I'm in though, Outer Bank X , was only a small-sized city with a few dungeons, the highest rank being C. Other cities that are further inland have way more powerful hunters with even greater level dungeons
My next stop will be at the rank E dungeon, [Frozen Wasteland], which many hunters did not frequent. With the extremely cold characteristics, this dungeon held 20 floors, with various beasts of cold attributes appearing. It should be even easier to clear with my constant casting of [Fireball]
Before I head to the [Frozen Wasteland] though, I do want to continue testing just how many more times I can cast my sole skill at the moment, [Fireball]. From the previous 500 times, I've cast it 200+ times while clearing this dungeon
Wrapping my thoughts up, I moved a distance away from the green crystal and began my experimentation of whether I could endlessly cast skills or If I just had an abnormal amount of [Focus] that I could not see
Thus, a weird scene unfolded on the last floor of [Ape's Paradise], with a man all by himself continuously casting fireballs. They exploded a few meters from him, and more followed right after
20 minutes passed.
I was still casting [Fireball] without stopping, causing my wildly beating heart to be leaning towards that insane idea. Approximately over a thousand casts in t
he last 20 minutes..let's continue some more
40 minutes later, I had gone past the excitement, ran over fear, got over the whole ridiculous idea...and taken it as a fact. This was something out of my wildest dreams, and I did not even understand how it could be possible
In the last hour, I had cast an F rank skill, [Fireball], over 3000 times…not even someone of Rank A, or the highest known ranking Hunter, Steel Mikhail, would be able to do something like this. This both scared me and gave me a wild hope to someday stand up not far from them
Over the span of the time, the balls of fire that came out gradually became more condensed, and their explosions more pronounced as well as traveling much faster. In the last 10 minutes, instead of usually casting 1 fireball every second, 2 rushed out per second
They were apparently becoming smaller, faster, and more explosive as I continued to cast them. This should be my proficiency rising at a stupid crazy rate because of how many times I am casting the skill. My current panel looked like this
[Noah][Occupation: Hunter]
[Vitality: 10]
[Focus: - ]
[Strength: 10]
[Skill(s): (Fireball-59)]
The proficiency for the skill [Fireball] had amazingly risen all the way to 59, a crazy figure to wrap my head around. As far as I knew, there were very few people who had their proficiency higher than 30, as Hunters continuously improved themselves and got higher ranking skills with the passing of time
An F Rank Hunter using [Fireball] as their first skill would move on to using an E ranking skill as soon as they gained the funds to buy one. No one spent that much time using one of the lowest ranking skills for an extended period of time
Looking at the high proficiency, it made me excited about what would happen if I continue to cast and raise it even more. The power of the [Fireball] skill should currently surpass any other skills of the next rank in the damage and speed that it flies at, it's most likely nearing rank D in its offensive ability
I was itching to continue my test of endless casting but brought myself to stop and move on to the plans on my agenda.
I moved towards the still glowing green crystal in the middle of the room and placed my hand on it, which instantly teleported me outside the monolith. I appeared not too far from the entrance, with a few people glancing my way with surprised expressions
"Did his entire team wipe, or do we have a ranker here?" Hunter F
"Hah! A Ranker? Have you ever seen them dressed like that with a flimsy backpack on them? My apologies kid, I hope they weren't your closest friends!" Hunter G
A few people noticed the abnormalities as someone finished the dungeon and was transported out alone. My current attire really did not match anyone of Rank C or higher, as many people quickly noticed
Most of the people that were there an hour and a half ago when I went in the dungeon were either gone or not paying attention, as the surrounding compound of the dungeon was a fairly large space
I ignored the pitying gazes of Hunters who thought the rest of my team was gone and headed towards the gate. Funny enough, I was becoming more and more used of ignoring other people's gazes as this day went on
Outside the gate, there were a few stalls and people rushing about. I went towards another section where there were a few cars lined up and planned to use the Hunter Ride system
There were many people making their living driving hunters from dungeons to the Awakened Center or to their lodging. It was a very dangerous job as you can always have an unstable customer, but this time they're superpowered people who could either blow you up or snap your neck with a twist of their hands
One man quickly came up to me with a smiling expression and asked if I needed a ride. I nodded and quickly got on the parked Dodge Charger in front of me, our destination, the [Frozen Wasteland]
In the 25 minute trip towards the next dungeon, I kept on thinking of any things that I missed and went over my plans for the next few days.
Time quickly passed and we neared another huge monolith, this one with a slight tinge of orange. Many hunters did not like clearing this dungeon because of the extreme cold, resulting in mandatory clean up by the government routinely
I would take my time in this dungeon though, as there were significantly fewer hunters, and even a single run would probably net me more than double the money I made in [Ape's Paradise]
I paid the high fare and got out of the car, flashing my hunter license to the guards at the door, who didn't bother with me after giving me a second look and shaking their heads
Hey, I promise you I'm not just a hunter on a suicide mission alright?
I look around the enclosure of this dungeon and head towards the entrance. There wasn't even a team on standby to be entering. With a few hunters cl.u.s.tered on some stalls and shops selling food and equipment
Nothing held me back as I quickly went to the entrance and placed my hand on one of the square doors, which quickly transported me to the first floor of the rank E dungeon, [Frozen Wasteland]
I was quickly besieged by the cold that drove many hunters away, and quickly cast 2 fireballs that did not fly away from me this time but circled around me. Doing this usually required Hunters to continuously provide more energy, but nothing like that could be felt from me
As soon as I commanded the fireballs to circle a few feet away from me, the cold was majorly offset and nowhere near where it was before
There wasn't a pause to be given though, as I soon heard the growling of animals that quickly showed themselves. Clear white wolves were rushing towards me, their glistening white teeth flashing menacingly in the white wasteland
There wasn't a single hint of fear in me though, as I moved forward confidently. Condensed [Fireball]s were quickly rushing from me at high speeds, exploding on the wolves' bodies and blowing masses of meat away
The group was quickly taken care of in the first volley of fireballs, and all that was left for me was to pick up the [Core] that dropped
I looked forward to the misty cold path in front of me as I rushed down this 20 Floor dungeon that would be the beginning of my journey.
Chapter 5 - How many fireballs to take down a huge polar bear?
In the first 5 floors of the [Frozen Wasteland], packs of white wolves appeared. With the fast velocity of the ever so damaging fireballs, they were mowed down quickly.
Aside from casting the skill towards the enemies that appeared, I had a few of them rotating around me, and randomly cast the skill even more as I moved forward, even if there were no enemies near me. I wanted to increase the proficiency of [Fireball] as fast as possible
I could only imagine what these monsters felt, as they would hear sounds of an explosion that quickly pulled them toward me before they met a grisly fate. Killing all of these monsters did not have that much of an effect on me. I was looking at them like the mere monsters that they were, they would not hesitate a second to rip my head off if I gave them the chance. Not to mention the hatred that everyone has against monsters for all the massacres on the early stage of the apocalypse…
The first 5 floors were quickly cleared, and from the 6th floor, monsters with a similar shape to foxes began appearing. These ones much bigger than the wolves before them. Their size surprisingly did not make them any slower and they were rushing towards me while ferociously growling
The further condensed [Fireballs] were shooting out from me without stopping. I was doing my best to adjust to the ever so increasing speed while aiming for their heads and limbs.
As soon as there was an impact, an explosion followed and chunks of meat flew. The arctic foxes were then taken down just as easily as the wolves. This continued until the 15th floor, where huge Musk Ox began appearing. They looked like huge bisons, but with a lot more fur
I stopped aiming at their limbs, as it seemed their thick coating provided some protection for them and focused on throwing the fireballs only at their heads. At the speed they were rushing towards me, I actually had
to move back to avoid being rammed into whenever I ran into a group of 4 or 5 Musk Ox
They required more fireballs to be taken down, and if there were many of them then at least one would be able to get within a few meters. This pushed down my ever so increasing confidence a bit, making me slow down and stop my incessant casting that caused explosive sounds that alerted the monsters when I neared
As soon as I met another group, I cast as many [Fireball]s as I could and kept them around me without losing my focus, before bombarding the group when I neared. Just like that, I smoothly cleared all the way until the 20th floor, which held crystal glass stairs heading downwards.
I took a deep breath and prepared myself, casting the maximum fireballs I could keep circling me before I lost control and they exploded, which was about 10. Any more than that and I would lose concentration of a few that would fly away and explode
I went down the stairs and was met with a wide cave that had cold winds rushing about. At the center was a huge slumbering mass of a beast. As soon as I stepped in, two bright shining eyes opened, giving me a shock
This was the first-ever monster that actually made me feel somewhat suffocated, mostly due to its size. I didn't waste any more time before commanding the fireballs around me to rush towards the huge beast, which was now standing on its hind-legs? Damn
All 10 fireballs rushed towards it, with a few more appearing around me a few seconds after. The beast that seemed like a huge polar bear crossed its thick arms around its face as the fireballs came and a huge explosion occurred
BOOM!
Dust filled the room, but I didn't even bother waiting and checking if it was still alive or not before I threw the next 10 fireballs in the same direction
WOOSH
I let out a scream as I quickly moved back, the bear was not dead and had rushed a few meters closed to me, its arms mangled and burnt, but its huge jaws with pristine white teeth wide open. The last 10 fireballs I had haphazardly thrown out saved my life, as they quickly exploded on the opened jaws of the bear and blasted its head off
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