Chapter 24 - An end, and a beginning

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nOf 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

nShe 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 Cores. 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

nI took a few of the piles of Cores 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

nWhen 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

nThe 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

nAfter 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.

nI 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

nRachel 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

nRachel 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.

nShe 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

nI 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

nI 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.

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nThe 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.

nWith 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!

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nWith 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

nEither 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.

nI 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.

nI 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

nI 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.

nI 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

nWe 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.

nNoah OsmontOccupation: Hunter

nVitality: 200 40

nFocus: -

nStrength: 200 60

nSkill(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)

nEquipment: (3x C-Ring of Storage)(C-Fiery Boots)(C-Igneous Armor)(C-Fiery Helm)

nEND OF VOLUME 1

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Chapter end