Chapter 03: Unforeseen Path

Yesterday morning was like any other for Eldian. Waking up early, cooking breakfast and packing lunch boxes for his siblings, keeping track of the changes brought about by the Reboot and searching for a fight to make some quick cash.

But the afternoon was unlike any other. His avatar had finally awakened. After eight months, eight whole months! Other players were able to awaken theirs just weeks after the Reboot, but took him eight months!

Eldian was certain it would happen eventually; it was within his expectations. But the skills he had awakened...

They were completely unexpected.

—————[Status]—————

Name: Mr Adventurer

Level: 01 (EXP: 00/100)

Job: Raider

Title: Raider One

—————[Stats]———–——

Strength: 11

Agility: 13

Vitality: 7

Mana: 18/18

Soul: 00

———–––—[Skills]—————–

«Unranked: Dungeon Creation: 1/1»

«Unranked: Dungeon Break: 00/100»

———————————————

Every player had to restart at level 1 with 1% of their in-game stats as their base stat, so those parts came as no surprise.

But what happened to his legendary job, Adventurer? And what was this Raider? In his two years of gaming, he had never heard of this job.

All it gave was a creepy addition to the stat–soul–and two skills, both unranked! These were the skills that every defensive player disliked the most. They could either be a sure hit or a complete miss.

Then again, players can obtain their in-game skills by levelling up, so he wasn't much bothered about the lack of skills. It was the unexpected nature of these skills that bothered him.

When he awakened the skills, he needed to create a dungeon within a minute or it would spawn around him at random. This was what he hated about these unranked skills: their forced effects.

However, all these unfortunate events together were insignificant in comparison to his greatest grief of the day.

The 33 titles he had painstakingly earned were all gone, all of them replaced by one! Raider One! What was this title? No matter how many times he clicked on it he couldn't open the title's description.

How was he supposed to clear a dungeon with these things?

The skill "Dungeon Creation" did give him the ability to summon monsters and as their owner, he could also command them. But what use was this? He could only summon some slimes but they couldn't leave the Dungeon. There was a barrier that the dungeon monsters couldn't cross unless a dungeon break occurred.

He could cause a dungeon break, his second skill was particularly for that purpose; but how? There was no description of the skill, and all it showed was a progress bar. How was he supposed to fill it? And what effect will it have?

"Hey Emma, what is elder brother doing?" A girl asked another in a hushed voice.

Emma looked at their elder brother. Sitting on the couch with a deep frown on his face, he kept poking his finger in the empty air.

"I don't know, he has been like that ever since that girl came." Emma whispered back, recalling that pretty girl whom she had once seen on television.

"Do you think brother is in love with her?" The girl inquired, coming to a sudden realisation.

Emma had to consider for a while; Sarah did have a point. "I have heard that when boys are in love they become fools." She recalled that one movie they had secretly watched.

"Yes! I have heard the same." Sarah too had watched that movie so she agreed.

"I have also heard that the boys who love a girl, kick their sisters out of the house." Emma added.

"And then they make a separate family." Sarah nodded in agreement.

"Girls, I can hear you." Eldian had to remind the ladies of his presence. "And which movie did you learn all that from?" He enquired with a suspicious face.

"Ah! My homework! I have not finished it yet." Emma abruptly stood up in realisation.

"The homework!" Sarah followed her sis and both quickly escaped the room.

Eldian's face broke into a smile. These were the reasons he could always move ahead, no matter how difficult the situation—his siblings, his driving force.

He will find a way, as he always does. With a heavy sigh, Eldian reached for the remote and turned on the TV. The screen flickered to life, casting a warm glow across the room.

"... The twelfth failed attempt at clearing the C-rank dungeon had caused the Queen to face severe backlash from the public. The Hunter Association remains silent on the topic, but people want to know, how long will this search for Mr Adventurer last. Is this player even..." Before the anchor could finish her sentence Eldian switched the TV off.

That was his target, the C-rank dungeon. Almost a year had passed since the Reboot, but the players weren't ready yet. There's a big difference between killing through a screen and experiencing your blade slicing through a living body in reality. And this very difference was causing the player's slow progress and many to quit altogether.

'I need time.' Eldian was determined to pass this hurdle; all he needed was time. Once he awakened his skills from back in the game, he was confident he could clear it.

For that he needs resources, and this is why he registered himself in the Hunter's Association. No matter how unfortunate the situation was, his goal remained unchanged.

.

.

.

"It was so good!" Silvia exclaimed yet again. She had arrived hungry, hoping to have his homemade soup for breakfast. But he had made sandwiches. She was disappointed, but once she started eating she could only compliment his cooking with each bite.

'How can a sandwich taste so good?' The question puzzled her greatly. She wanted to eat more but she had already eaten 5 and didn't dare to ask for more.

"Glad you liked it." Eldian appreciated this girl; from what he could gather, she was one of the most popular hunters because of her honesty and kindness.

"The Association has agreed to your demands." Silvia tapped on the tablet, and a holographic map flashed out of the screen.

"The central park occupies an area of 4,978 hectares. It is located in the capital but separated from the bustling crowd, making it a quiet and geographically ideal location for the construction of an orphanage, two schools, two hospitals, and a private amusement park for the children. An individual community has been formed for the task, and they will start operating–" Silvia kept pointing at different sections of the park and as she explained virtual buildings formed on the map.

"As soon as the dungeon in the middle is cleared?" Eldian finished her sentence in a questioning tone, his eyes fixed on the big crack of space in the middle of the park.

"Yes." Silvia nodded, somewhat embarrassed.

'Smart.' Eldian could only nod with admiration. If he wanted his demands met, he first had to clear the named dungeon, which had become a nuisance and threat to the association—the C-rank dungeon.

"Alright, fair enough." Eldian responded, causing Silvia to sigh in relief.

"In addition, the association is promising a monthly income of half a million contribution points, with extra points paid after each successful hunt. The specifics are stated in the contract." Silvia took another tab from her suitcase and passed it to Eldian.

Honestly, she was surprised by the income the association was offering him. This was the most generous pay any hunter was ever offered, and it seemed likely to remain so.

But the man in question remained unmoved, silently browsing through the contract.

"It's fine." There was nothing complex in the contract, it was based on what they had previously discussed. He was only obliged to clear one dungeon rated as high level by the association–that was the dungeon high level for the current hunters–per week.

Eldian pressed his thumb at the signature section, and his thumb imprint was registered. The scanner at the bottom of the tablet emitted a light that scanned his iris and the contract was signed.

"Great!" Silvia was genuinely happy about this smooth agreement.

"When are you planning to clear the C-rank?" She couldn't help but ask excitedly as she placed the tablet in her suitcase.

"Miss Silvia need I remind you of the difference between a player and a hunter?" Eldian had to remind her that he was the best player, not the hunter.

"My apologies." Silvia realised her haste. "But you cleared the dungeon outside..." She mumbled to herself.

"How long till dungeon break?" Eldian inquired, choosing to ignore her mumbling.

"According to our estimation six or seven days, that's how long it can last." She responded with a thoughtful expression.

"Should be enough. Is there any E-rank dungeon nearby?" There was, he had already checked.

"Let me check..." She shifted the map to the current location and started searching.

"There is one. Three kilometres from here, outside the city." It barely took her a minute to locate it.

"You have a sword?" He suddenly asked.

"Yes, I do." She responded involuntarily before hesitantly asking, "Why?"

"I will need that to clear the dungeon." He answered and started walking out. Silvia packed her suitcase and followed.