章節 7: Chapter 7. Appraise all
The new hunter walked through the door, his heart beating excitedly in his chest.
He wasn't the first to go through them; others ran through them, pushing each other to be the first to see the new world.
On the other side of the door, he saw something he could only describe as paradise. It was a platform made from solid white marble, filled with stalls and people wearing armor.
In the distance, he could see several tower-looking structures sticking out from a sea of clouds. With a glance, he could tell that the platform was held up by four similar towers, like the one he came out of, each having a giant gate.
As the fresh air reached his lungs, he noticed several flying creatures passing over his head, accompanied by a booming air horn. As the sound reverberated, a wooden sea ship emerged from the clouds, docking near the edge of the platform, from where several passengers descended and came aboard.
"This is incredible."
The young hunter couldn't believe what he was seeing here. He knew what to expect since he watched the video recordings on the internet, but the real deal was so much more vibrant than that.
"NEWBIES OVER HERE!"
At one of the tower's doors, a man was waving a flag, tracking the people the young hunter had come with. Knowing what was about to happen, we quickly ran to the group.
"EVERYONE! GO THROUGH THE DOOR AND REGISTER! THEN YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!"
he followed their instructions and went through the door behind them. Inside was a large circular hall made from the same material as the other tower. In the middle was a statue of an angel holding a blue orb, with computer terminals lining the walls.
As he looked around the room, he noticed people keeping their distance from one of the new hunters. Unlike him and the others, this guy didn't wear any armor; instead, they had a simple white t-shirt and jeans, with sneakers. Curious, he walked to a group of newbies.
"Hey, what happened?"
"That guy just skipped."
"What?"
Skipping was when a normal human was able to become a hunter without becoming awakened first. It was extremely rare, and it was said that those who skip are incredible people who will have bright futures before them. The only problem was that Awakeners had time to learn how to use their transformed bodies and get accustomed to their new powers. Someone who skips will have the awakened and the class skills as well, making their control all that harder.
"That's crazy. What class did they get?"
"They got Inferno Acolyte. Apparently, it has something to do with fire. He might be dangerous."
"Yeah, you are probably right."
Maybe feeling the eyes on them, the Squiper went out the door, not even bothering to say a word.
"Phew."
Feeling somewhat calmed down that there wouldn't be any fighting, he walked over to the statue when no one was there.
"Please, please do something good."
With an excited smile, he placed his hand on the blue orb, and as the light shined before his eyes, he saw the blue screen appear before his eyes.
[
Name: Cris Willow
Race: Human
Age: 22
Class: Awakened.
Rank: F
Skills: [Enhanced Strength], [Manna Pathway], [Beginner's Appraisal]
]
[Showing extended skill window]
[
Name: Cris Willow
Race: Human
Age: 22
Class: Awakened.
Class description: Awakened beings who have discovered their innate potential, gaining enhanced physical abilities and unlocking mana pathways within them. They also receive a class that pre-tells their future path. All hunters who enter the dungeon world start in this class. One can attain more skills as one grows.
Rank: F
Rank descriptions: Hunters are ranked based on abilities and power. Your current rank is F, the second-lowest rank
Skills:
[Enhanced Strength]: Increases physical strength, allowing for more powerful attacks and feats of strength.
[Manna Pathway]: Develops a connection to mana, allowing spellcasting and magic potential.
[Beginner's Appraisal]: The system helps the user identify the value and properties of objects.
]
"Appraisal?"
He had heard of this skill before; people who worked in item shops or auctions would have these skills, but he had never heard of anyone receiving it as an Awakened.
"If what I know is true, the third skill is something connected to my future class. What class uses this thing? Will I become a non-combat hunter?"
Not wanting to think about it, he was about to leave, but he noticed that one of the terminals was now empty. Curious, he went there. It was a simple monitor, with a digital keyboard.
On the monitor was a smiling emoji with the text: 'Dungeon Receptionist.' written on it. Slowly he typed in the word 'hello'.
The following text appeared before him.
[Hello. How may I help you?]
"Hmmm... Can you tell me where I am?"
[You are at the United Earth Hunter Association dungeon base, located in area 1.]
"Can you tell me what is below the clouds?"
[ Below is the City of Dis, also known as the Lonely City. Only civilized colonies of hyumans, humans that have been born in the dungeon.]
"There are humans here? Are they strong? Are they like hunters?"
[No. A Normal hyuman male is about as strong as a human bodybuilder due to their harsh environment. Hyumans are unable to become hunters. They are at the bottom of the food chain in this world.]
"Heh, that sucks. Is there a way for me to go down there?"
[You can go down to Dis by the towers. Recommended to stay at the upper levels. The lower you go, the more the environment will become hostile.]
"So there are monsters here?"
[Hyumans are monsters. They might look human, but they are creatures that were born in this world, which is dangerous to us. Do not forget this, hunter. If you are not careful, your career might end. Nothing is more difficult than a creature that wears a human face.]
"Oh, but if I wanted to go down there, how would I do that?"
[You may use the stairs installed in every tower; they will lead you down to the city.]
"Thanks!"
He left the chamber and looked around, a smile on his face. "People living in the dungeon. I must see this."
*****
"Acho! Damned rain!"
I scratched my nose as I stood before the tenth shop today.
All day, I have been going into one shop after another, looking for useful stuff, but all of them just felt… ugh.
Even as a complete beginner, I could somehow tell that the weapons and armor there were of bad quality or they just didn't feel as they suited me.
This time, I was before a shop on a narrow street.
It was so narrow that my shoulders almost touched the walls, and I could feel my boots getting wet due to the still rainwater.
You might want to know how I found this place.
Well, living on the gods-forsaken streets, one might hear rumors.
Rumors about monsters that show up during the night, cults that kidnap people, or special places where one might have their wish granted.
Personally, I never was the one who believed in that crap. But now… things have changed.
If the rumors were true, I could gain so much. And if they are false, eh, won't lose anything.
The outside of the shop looked dirty, with the windows hidden behind black drapes, and there were no signboards.
I could have gone to the wrong place if not for a carving of a horse with a rose-looking flower painted with silver.
It took me a while to remember where it was and also find it.
"Alright, people. Drum roll."
I opened the door and stepped through it.
"Welcome."
The story was way bigger than it looked on the outside, with several discarded armor and weapons lying on shelves and walls.
Facing the door was a table where an old woman was sitting before candlelight, a pipe dumped in her hands.
As I closed the door, I noticed that there was another door right behind her.
"You are a new customer. Did you arrive here by accident or did someone recommend us?"
"Recommendation."
I looked around the room, keeping an eye on the woman.
The armor here was way better made than the ones at the other shop, but there was a problem with them. They looked broken.
There were signs of combat on the armor, like ears, dents, and even pieces missing, while some of the weapons were just plainly badly kept.
A sword was so rusted that I couldn't even imagine that it was ever made from metal.
Shaking my head, I walked to the old woman.
"I am looking for… the more special products you sell."
"...We only have what you can see."
Slowly, I put one silver coin on her table.
"I am sure you have some things you haven't unpacked yet. I am happy to see them with you."
She smiled as she took the coin and pulled out something that looked like an oval-shaped red gemstone.
"Here."
She put it into my hand.
"What is this?"
I turned the stone in my hand, seeing nothing special about it.
"It's a harmstone. Stuff the knights who call themselves hunters use to check if someone has harmful intentions against the owner, me. Since nothing happened, you are clean. Go into the back. You will find what you are looking for. Just be sure not to let any item fall into your pockets. We don't want trouble."
I laughed as I went behind her and through the door.
It led me to a room that looked like a storage area. There were rows and rows of shelves filled with different stuff that looked like garbage to me.
On the top of the shelves were several candles that illuminated this place, wax dripping down onto the ground.
"Definitely a fire safety hazard."
I walked over to the shelves, but I couldn't see anything special about them; they just looked like random objects to me.
Randomly, I grabbed the nearest object.
It was a green leather-bound book with golden patterns that had no visible title.
As I examined it, the tingling feeling came back to me.
"Could it be…"
I turned my eye powers on and looked at the book.
The item in my hand was enveloped in a bluish aura, almost glowing in this colorless world.
"This thing must be special. Wait then…"
I looked up.
Aside from one shadow in the corner looking at me, I saw several objects glowing in different colors.
"Jackpot."
I walked to the different glowing items and examined them.
They didn't look really outstanding, if not for the aura around them. Some even looked broken, like a pair of glasses with cracked lenses that were surrounded by a purple energy.
I was about to give up when my eyes caught a glimpse of something.
Where the spirit was standing, I could see something glowing in a greenish light.
Curious, I walked over to it.
There, on the ground, was another book.
This one looked dirty, dark gray, and had a skull imprint on its outside.
Curiously, I grabbed the book, feeling a sort of familiarity.
Wanting to know more, I opened the book.
Immediately, the green light intensified, for a second blinding me.
"Gods fuckin' DAMN IT! AGAIN?!"
I dropped the book and held my eyes, with tears falling between my fingers.
"I hate it when this happens!"
When I opened my eyes again, the world regained its colors.
The book on the ground, which was now closed, also got its pigments back; its brown cover didn't look special at all.
"Let's… try this again."
I picked the book up and opened it.
This time, no blinding light shot out from it, which made me blow a sigh of relief.
"Okay. Good. "
I glanced at the pages.
A mixture of texts and images depicted different arcane symbols and drawings.
"Is this… like a magic book? That would be sick."
If I can have the possibility to learn magic, that will make my life easier.
Also possible fireballs!
I could just imagine myself firing several fireballs at the same time while using magic to do everything I can desire.
Smiling, I closed the book and walked back to the woman.
"I will be taking this."
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票