Chapter 6: My Ability Is? (1)
Han-Yeol left the hospital and went back home. He then turned on his most expensive asset, which was his old, slow, outdated computer, and checked for any raids that were going to take place the next day. He logged in to the website dedicated to Porters.
[Lee Han-Yeol—Level 22]
His name and level were visibly displayed on the screen. The level that was displayed here was not a measurement of Han-Yeol’s ability, but rather of his ability as a Porter.
The Porter leveling system had been introduced to make it easier for Hunters to filter and hire Porters. A Porter was awarded experience points whenever they joined a monster hunt and survived, and their level increased when they gained the required experience points.
‘I wish my real level would be Level 22 soon,’?Han-Yeol thought wistfully.
Hunters preferred to work with high-leveled Porters, as they would have to deal with fewer headaches the more experienced their Porter was.
Han-Yeol scoured the website searching for any parties that were going on a monster hunt the next day. However, there were no potential parties he could join, as most of the ones listed were being hosted by useless Hunters.
A greenhorn Porter would not mind joining any party as they only wanted to make quick bucks, but experienced Porters like Han-Yeol were very selective about the kinds of parties they joined. Unfortunately, there were no parties going on a monster hunt the next day that caught his eye.
‘Should I just join any party...?’? Han-Yeol grumbled inwardly.
He did not really want to join just any bunch of ragtag Hunters, but that was the only choice he had at the moment if he wanted to go on a monster hunt the next day. In the end, Han-Yeol scrolled through the list and left a message for a party that had been assembled by a Hunter who seemed to have a good reputation, as well as a lot of experience with monster hunting.
[I’m a Porter with four years of experience. Do you need a Porter in your party, by any chance?]
“...” Han-Yeol waited in silence for a moment.
[You may join us tomorrow.]
He received a reply in less than a minute, and of course, the reply contained the party’s acceptance.
‘As expected. It’s not easy to get a Porter like me, after all,’?Han-Yeol thought with a smirk on his face.
He received the time and location of the meeting before shutting his computer and heading to bed. He was planning to take a quick nap before heading to work at the factory.
‘I should quit the factory at the end of the month,’?Han-Yeol thought.
He was not an officially recognized Hunter yet, but he felt it was only a matter of time before he became one, and if he did become an official Hunter, the factory would no longer be a source of income for him. Rather, it would become something that held him back from going out on monster hunts.
Just as his eyes were about to close...
Ding-dong...!
“Hmm?”
The doorbell suddenly rang.
‘That’s weird... I’m not expecting anyone,’?Han-Yeol thought.
It has been quite a while since he had cut contact with most of the people he knew, as he would not have both the mental and physical energy to hang out and chat with them even if he somehow managed to set some time aside. Besides, he did not want to show other people how miserable his life was, and so he also changed his mobile number after moving to the moon village.
“Yawn...”?Han-Yeol yawned as he got up lazily and dragged his feet toward the door while scratching his abdomen.
Step... Step...
He opened the door and asked, “Who is...?”
However, nobody was at the door.
“Ah, fuck... Who the hell still pulls doorbell pranks nowadays, and in broad daylight too... Hmm?” Han-Yeol grumbled, and was about to close the door when something caught his eye.
‘Banana milk? There’s a letter too?’?Han-Yeol thought as he looked at the two items left on the floor. ‘Who put these here?’?he wondered before bringing the banana milk and the letter inside.
‘I hope this isn’t one of those chain letters or something.’?Han-Yeol expected the contents to be like the letters he had used to pull pranks in his younger days. He then scoffed and thought, ‘That’s not going to work against me.’
He decided to read the letter. As childish as the prank was, he decided to be considerate of the effort they had put in preparing the whole thing.
[Dear Han-Yeol ahjussi... I mean, Han-Yeol oppa. n0veLUSb.c0m
I am really thankful to you for saving me yesterday. I could not think of any way to thank you, so I am giving you my favorite banana milk.
Thank you so much!]
‘That kiddo,’?Han-Yeol thought with a smile.
The letter had not turned out to be a chain letter; instead, it was a letter sincerely written by the cute and beautiful high schooler who lived next door to express her gratitude. He could not help but smile, as he found the girl’s actions adorable.
He drank the banana milk and prepared to go to work.
‘Today’s going to be a good day!’?Han-Yeol optimistically started the second half of his day.
***
Han-Yeol fulfilled his daily quota faster than anyone else once again. Deok-Su, the factory manager, stood and watched from the second floor, trying to catch Han-Yeol red-handed just in case he pulled any tricks. Of course, Deok-Su could not find any fault in Han-Yeol, as he was not pulling any tricks and was just working at a faster rate due to the buff from the Dismember skill.
“Then, I will be off,” Han-Yeol said as he confidently clocked out after fulfilling his daily quota once again in two and a half hours. The other workers glared at him with eyes full of envy, but the thick-skinned Han-Yeol was not someone to be fazed by that as he clocked out of his shift.
‘Ah, should I practice a bit before going home?’?Han-Yeol thought as he walked up the road of the moon village and passed his house to reach the park.
Coo, coo, coo, coo...
The park was deserted and eerie as expected, but Han-Yeol had experienced too many things in life and fought against too many monsters right before his eyes for something like that to scare him. Han-Yeol’s nerves had been tempered such that the only time he would actually get scared was if his life were in danger.
Han-Yeol sat at the resting hut after arriving at the park, then he assessed his current situation by focusing on himself.
‘The things I have at the moment are...’
Name: Lee Han-Yeol
Level: 1
Points: 5
STR: 29
VIT: 35
AGI: 30
MAG: 10
LCK: 10
Skills: Dismember (F), Sword Master (F), Walking (F), Mana Control (F), Mana Mastery (F), Power Strike (F), Mana Shield (F), Sixth Sense (F), Restrain (F), Body Strengthening (F)
‘I gathered quite a few skills,’?Han-Yeol thought proudly about his growth-type ability that was different from those of the other Awakened. He had so many skills under his belt even though he had not even gone out on a single official monster hunt as an officially recognized Hunter.
However, he could not help but feel nervous. He might have obtained a game-like ability, but monster hunts were reality, not a game; he knew very well that he would have to forfeit his life if he died in reality.
Many people registered as Porters every year, and many Porters managed to awaken as well. However, many Porters and many Hunters were also killed in action by the monsters every year.
The occupation of Hunter guaranteed wealth, fame, and social status; but the death toll rose every year, while those who were lucky enough to escape death ended up being disabled. Working as a Hunter was definitely only for those who were brave enough to bear the risks.
‘But I have to become a Hunter,’?Han-Yeol thought as he clenched his fists. He had to take care of his father, who had devoted his whole life to Han-Yeol and was bedridden due to an unknown illness.
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