Chapter 24 - An end, and a beginning
Of course, the person I was choosing to be the next rank B hunter in Outer Bank X was Rachel, the only person that ever showed a backbone among the hunters I met. She also unflinchingly questioned when she saw something wrong happening, and this was a type of naivety I could trust
She was shocked to receive the skill book and even more shocked when I told her that we'd be entering the dungeon as soon as they finished absorbing some rank C [Core]s. I had so many of these piled up in the last 2 days that a few 10s of millions could be made if I chose to sell them, and they should be more than enough to raise the attributes of these hunters to the peak of rank C
I took a few of the piles of [Core]s out of my storage and had the hunters absorb them. They jumped at them after I gave the go-ahead and soon brought their attributes to 200. I watched the sun go lower and lower while waiting for them to finish
When they were done, I let them know that we would be diving into the dungeon right now for me to just confirm Rachel's capabilities against the BOSS of the dungeon. They could easily take care of the statues appearing in the rooms of the castle with the equipment and new skills they just obtained, only the BOSS remained a mystery
The entire group was soon transferred into the familiar landscape that I had appeared in multiple times today. I led the way into the castle and told them all to conserve their energy for the BOSS fight and let me do all the work on the preliminary monsters
After the 10th room, I could already tune out the sounds of amazement as these hunters watched me take down monsters that they would spend a few minutes on in a matter of seconds. I briefly stopped here for 20 minutes with the excuse of recovering my energy as I didn't want to surprise them too much. I kept using [Smite] all the way through because of it's multiple enemy targeting attribute that took care of the increasing number of statues quickly.
I wasn't worried about them seeing me cast the rank C skill repeatedly, as higher-ranking hunters had enough reserves of energy to cast lower-ranking skills multiple times, and at most they would attribute it to some sort of inherent skill that increases my [Focus]. Before we opened the door into the hall where the BOSS lay, I wasted another 20 minutes with the excuse of recovering my energy just in case something went wrong, and then we entered the BOSS room
Rachel and the rest of them had been talking up strategies on the way here as they had nothing better to do, and already had a plan that used their new skills the best. The recently buffed up Knights went forward with their huge shield as they blocked the 10 guards that the 2 Mages then sniped with colorful lightning
Rachel went forward and stood against the boss, activating [Enlightened Fervor] and releasing powerful blasts with every swing of her sword that kept the BOSS at bay.
She was soon reinforced by the hunters that had taken down the guards, as the Knights focused on blocking the BOSS while Rachel and the two mages continued to damage it. It very quickly roared and boulders began falling from the ceiling, and the mages were quickly covered by the Knights while Rachel actually weaved through the falling stones and built up her power using [Enlightened Fervor], releasing a strike that blasted the already damaged head of the TITAN away
I was standing on the side watching everything, not even bothered when the boulders were falling as the moment they got in contact with my skin they were repelled away because of the defensive skills that were always activated
I clapped my hands as the team was cheering amongst each other and gave the new rank B hunter a thumbs up. She rushed over and gave me a tight hug, thanking me for all my help and wishing me well for where I was going. I pushed the rest of them away when they continued giving their heartfelt thanks and felt a load lifted off my chest.
The city I had been living in all this time would continue to be well even after I left it. I wasn't overly attached or anything like that, I just didn't want the place I had grown familiar with to be wiped off by a dungeon break that could have easily been taken care of.
With that out of the way, I parted ways with the hunters and I texted the contact number that was included in the file that I would be ready to head out for Star City tomorrow morning. A reply quickly came "That's great! We'll have a ride ready for you at 10 am. Thank you for your service!"
With this, I was at the end of my road for Outer Bank X City. I was feeling nostalgic as I walked through the busy streets of downtown while watching the throngs of people move about. Some hunters were celebrating successful dungeon dives by getting drinks, others were mourning the losses of their friends. Those that were unawakened had the same hopeful eyes as I did
Either they were too poor to buy a skill book to awaken, or they were working to save up enough money to do so. You also had the people that were waking up every day hoping to naturally awaken, and they would repeat this process for months.
I reached the old dilapidated apartment complex that I was living in and grabbed anything else of value that remained in one of my storage rings. I bought another one because of their high utility and now wore 3 rings on my right hand.
I looked at the dilapidated apartment as my emotions rose and I decided to sleep here for the first time in a while. I didn't have any worries about my life as I always had my defensive skills active, and I doubt anyone in the city would be reckless enough to try something like that. It was a split-second decision made from emotions, but I felt like it was a good one
I went into the kitchen, placed some water in a pot, and put it on high heat as I watched it boil. I then opened one of the creaking cabinets and pulled out a cup of ramen noodles. Mixing the two together, I soon had that familiar smell of food I haven't tried in quite a while wafting in my nose. I didn't wait for it to cool as I took a forkful in my mouth, not feeling the usual scalding pain when I ate it too quickly and only feeling a trace of warmth.
I thought back to every event this past week and the extreme change that had occurred from it. I still didn't know why I could do the things I do, but I would solve the mystery in time. The world had become a foreign place the moment dungeons, monsters, and hunters began appearing. Nobody thought such a thing would be possible in the past, neither did I think what happened to me to be remotely possible then
We adapted and survived. I looked out of my apartment into the dark streets outside as I swore to myself that I would continue to grow, and most definitely survive.
[Noah Osmont][Occupation: Hunter]
[Vitality: 200+40]
[Focus: - ]
[Strength: 200+60]
[Skill(s): (F-Fireball-100)(F-Heal-53)(E-Arctic Armor- 100)(D-Flames of Torment-100)(D-Safeguard-38)(D-Danger Sense-100)(D-Rough Skin-44)(D-Fleeting-45)(C-Arcanist's Sphere of Protection-100) (C-Camouflage-91) (C-Aura of Haste-88)(C-Explosive Rune-95)(C-Life Essence-89)(C-Increased Penetration-85) (C-Regeneration-38) (C-Whirlwind-54) (C-Smite-68) (C-Gracefulness-42) (C-Precision-42) (C-Adamant-42)(C-Sharpen-19)(C-War Cry-19) (C-Retaliation-19)(C-Kings Rage-19)(C-Military Tactics-19)(C-Unpredictable-19) (C-Elemental Damage-19)(B-Giant's Strength-43)(B-Stealth-17)]
[Equipment: (3x C-Ring of Storage)(C-Fiery Boots)(C-Igneous Armor)(C-Fiery Helm)]
END OF VOLUME 1
Chapter 25 - Star City
Morning of the next day, I was in the back of a black sedan watching cars rush by as we went down a long road. When we left the roads of Outer Bank X city, we had to pass the only checkpoint for those leaving the city. The checkpoint was near the entrance to an old bridge that was the only road leading towards inner cities. To the left and right of the checkpoint was an expanding wall that circled around the entire city
It was mostly hunters or highly influential people that were able to move around in the empire. The two titles were actually interchangeable as no influential person chose to not awaken
The driver pulled out sparkling military credentials to the Hunter Guards standing by and we were soon driving away from the city. We went across the bridge when I looked back for the last ti
me to see the city surrounded by a wall, not knowing if I would ever return
The scenery around us quickly changed to destroyed buildings and architectures as we saw guard posts every 10s of miles down the road. I couldn't imagine the job of these people that stood in The Barrens for days, only switching their shifts when someone else came to relieve them
The Barrens were the empty and destroyed lands that nobody was living in. You would only find roaches or rats, or mutated animals that were hungry enough to attack anything there. The only people who took the post as guards along these long roads leading from cities were people that had nothing in life and were offered an olive branch from the government
They were contracted to work for them after they were given the resources to awaken and had to follow the contract for a specified time. I felt sad thinking of the people that had no option but to resort to these kinds of work
We drove through The Barrens with no complication, passing other cities surrounded by walls throughout the day. The road got cleaner and cleaner as we went further inland and we saw guard posts more frequently, eventually leaving behind the dystopian Barrens and becoming exposed to a few green trees
The greenery kept on increasing as the hours passed and we were soon nearing a huge walled-off city in the distance. This city had a slightly taller wall surrounding it with huge convoys of military trucks moving in and out
It was definitely much more bustling than the cities I've seen on the way here. We were able to get inside after the driver flashed his papers on the guard's face in an annoyed tone as the process was much more thorough this time around
The inside of the city...was filled with lights. It had taken the entire day to get here, and after the time it took for us to bypass the gates night had already arrived. I was able to see the city come to life with countless lights shining into the night.
We had arrived at Star City.
The streets were so clean with huge buildings pointing to the sky all around us. It was a stark contrast to the destroyed lands we had passed by this morning as if we were in a completely different world. Masses of people that definitely had happier faces than those I have been used to move around busily
I watched the beauty of the city as if I was back to a time when no dungeons had appeared as if I had traveled in time to the bustling metropolis I used to know.
The scenery constantly changed as we moved further in. I had counted multiple blue monoliths so far, seeing a few rank F, E, and d dungeons based on their size. I was able to see blue monoliths similar in size to [Solael's Caslte] after we passed another checkpoint to go further into the city, counting more than 5 as time passed
The large city continued on as we passed through roads with hunters dressed in military outfits patrolling, arriving at a huge compound that had a sizable monolith with a light orange hue shimmering around it
This monolith was almost twice as big as a rank C monolith, its pressure coming down on me and taking my breath away. I got out of the car and breathed in the air of the city, feeling it to be much fresher than what I've been used to
The driver led the way as we entered the huge compound that was teeming with movement with a scan of his ID. The military compound had a variety of eye-catching buildings all around, with a ton of armored vehicles going in or out. We arrived at the tallest building and went inside
I found myself waiting for a few minutes while seated onto a very comfortable sofa before an imposing man came out. He had a long scar on his jawline with his tanned face glistening in the bright room. A powerful voice broke out from his smiling face
"Mr. Osmont, I was very glad you could make it." The rough voice rang out clearly as I observed the man in front of me, noticing him to be very different from the people I've come in contact with.
I smiled back and said "It's only right I come for something as important as this"
The discussion went well after this as the man introduced himself. He was Vice Admiral Magnar, earning my goodwill as the first thing he mentioned after his name was how he wanted to personally come to meet me as soon as I arrived
"Now, I know you must be tired from the trip, so formalities can wait until tomorrow. Commander Kyle will lead you to your resting area, where food and...entertainment will be provided"
The Vice Admiral finished his introduction and left as I began thinking about the words he had said. Entertainment?
Commander Kyle led me away and we walked to the living quarters while I thought about how I planned to live in this city. The first thing on my mind was finding out exactly what major threat was quickly approaching, and the second was my capabilities to solo that huge dungeon monolith near this compound
I'm already assuming that the first time I'll dive in it I'll be accompanied by a team, which is a safe way to play it as I currently have no idea about the increase in difficulty from rank C to B. After we finish the first dive, I'll make my decision then
We passed a few serious faces and I was given a smooth blue ID card that only had a golden letter B on it. Kyle mentioned that this card allowed access for a majority of the facilities in here, and also had access to the room in front of us. I thanked him for taking me around and he saluted and left
I scanned the key card and opened the door, expectant to see the living quarters of rank B hunters that the government provided. The room was slightly bigger than the large rooms in the Pristine Residency, boasting even more luxurious looks all around it. On the table were a wide array of foods and next to it was a huge bed...where a woman with a statuesque figure was flashing the brightest smile. Oh?
Chapter 26 - The looming threat
So, last night was different to say the least, as I found myself getting some sleep later than usual. The food and...everything else hit the spot, taking my mind off the many thoughts constantly clashing in my head. A hunter's stamina was nothing to laugh at
I went out of the room early in the morning to walk around the living quarters and observe the compound a bit more. Even though it was this early, there was already bustling activities with people and trucks moving about
I enjoyed the cool morning air and looked towards the huge monolith a distance away, itching to go towards it and give it a go, but I calmed myself down and walked back to the living quarters. Someone quickly called out my name, it was Commander Kyle saying that the Vice Admiral was looking for me. I nodded at him to lead the way and found myself led into an office room that had an abundant amount of folders and papers lying around
"I apologize for the mess, please have a seat" The imposing Vice Admiral has his usual air of confidence as I sat down opposite him
I didn't waste any time as I asked the thing that was heavily weighing on my mind. Magnar paused for a second before pulling out a red folder and laying out multiple photos across the table
"These are aerial pictures of The Barrens quite a distance away from the Empire. They were taken over a span of a few weeks"
The pictures showed a terrifying sight of small dark dots that were uncountable, and large mass that could clearly be seen in the middle of it all. The large mass had a patterned obsidian shell that covered its entirety, only having a large head with pointed horns come out in the front
The pictures gave me a shock because these things were probably even bigger than they appeared on there. The rest of the pictures showed a similar scene, making me prompt the general to continue as I didn't grasp everything yet
"These pictures were taken at a different location each time. They are moving"
The Vice Admiral had a cold expression as he looked at the pictures and said this. My mind was moving to keep up as I took all of this in and asked him "How long do we have?"
Magnar looked at me with a difficult expression before sighing "That's the problem, we don't know. It could be in a few weeks or a month, but we cannot correctly track them because of their unpredictability."
A few weeks? Possibly a month? Phew, I let out a relieved sigh as I heard and l
aughed out loud, startling the man before me. I looked towards him and said "If it is a few weeks, then we have more than enough time to prepare"
I knew myself, and it was why I said this. Barely a week after I awakened and I was already standing in a position to hear information that many people had no idea about. If I was given another week or two? I was confident in getting much stronger than where I am right now. The question is, what strength will be enough to contend with the huge beast and the things it was bringing this way?
I asked the Vice Admiral whether they were confident in pushing these monsters back and his reply was less than favorable, adopting a dark expression that contained a trace of anger. He spent the next two minutes ranting about how they were not fully prepared, but the people at the top were still hesitant to institute measures to prepare for what was coming
The cities in the outer periphery of the Empire had to start the process of migrating soon, or the military needed to increase and institute its main defenses past those cities and prepare for the fight that was coming. Otherwise, a tremendous amount of people would be sacrificed for nothing
I listen to this as my mind went back to all the cities I passed when coming here, and one of the cities at the outermost of the Empire, Outer Bank X.
My gaze turned cold when I looked back at the Vice Admiral. He saw my eyes and then said "I've already rallied the relevant people though. Even though there is still some push back, we have already begun the process of moving supplies and equipment to the front lines of defense in the outer perimeters"
He continued when he saw my gaze calming down "While this will be an ongoing process to fortify our defenses on the border, we also need Hunters to lend their help in diving into dungeons and bringing out as many resources as possible. [Core]s, [Item]s, [Skill Book]s, they will all go towards the awakened soldiers that will be giving up their lives to fight on the front line"
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