Volume 1- Chapter 3: The Hunter's Card
Aaron slowly opened his eyes and was surprised to find himself confronted with hundreds of notifications from the system. He sat up and directed his attention towards the pile of notifications.
"Aaron Light Corbyn, you have achieved the 'First Goblin Kill' achievement. All stats increased by +1 point."
"Aaron Light Corbyn, you have achieved the 'First Goblin Archer Kill' achievement. All stats increased by +1 point."
"Aaron Light Corbyn, you have achieved the 'First Goblin Spearman Kill' achievement. All stats increased by +1 point."
"Aaron Light Corbyn, you have achieved the '50 Goblin Species Kill' achievement. All stats increased by +5 points."
Thanks to the goblins he had killed, Aaron had gained a total of +8 points, which was quite significant. However, there was one missing piece: he hadn't entered the tower yet and hadn't obtained his ranking. As a result, he had no idea about the state of his stats, his level, or his abilities. Moreover, in his previous life, he had never heard or seen anyone who gained levels or stats without obtaining a hunter card. This all seemed quite strange to him.
The other notifications from the system were also quite peculiar, a type of information he had never encountered in his previous life.
''Goddess Freya is impressed by your abilities and wishes to be your sponsor.''
''Goddess Hera is impressed by your abilities and wishes to be your sponsor.''
''Goddess Athena is impressed by your abilities and wishes to be your sponsor.''
''God Hades is impressed by your abilities and wishes to be your sponsor.''
''Fallen angel Lucifer is impressed by your abilities and wishes to be your sponsor.''
''Goddess Nyx is impressed by your abilities and wishes to be your sponsor.''
''Archangel Michael is impressed by your abilities and wishes to be your sponsor.''
Hundreds of notifications like these were displayed in front of Aaron. It was something he had never encountered before, but suddenly a memory flashed in his mind. There was information in the system notification stating that the gods could offer their assistance. This could be related to that information
Aaron reviewed the gods and goddesses he knew in his mind, trying to decide which one would be the best choice. However, he decided that the decision of which god or gods to choose would be made after he went to the tower. He rested until his wounds reached a tolerable level of pain, and after approximately 2 hours, he changed his bandages and filled his bag with some medication. Then, he headed towards the door of the market and opened it.
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Aaron opened the door of the market and immediately began to silently survey the outside. After a brief check, he left the market and started moving swiftly but quietly through the streets. The tower he needed to reach was 2.5 blocks away, which would normally be a short distance, but in this danger, it felt much longer.
Despite not wanting to tire himself, he increased his speed slightly and started running. The sight of lifeless bodies scattered along the road was disheartening, even for Aaron, as his previous life's purpose was to "protect humanity."
After about 1.5 blocks, he heard a crying sound nearby. Although he didn't want to go, he turned in that direction. When he approached the vicinity of a rubble, he saw a little girl crying next to a lifeless body. He then started to speak:
''Hey! Are you okay? You can't stay here, you know that, right? You need to head to the tower immediately,'' Aaron said. The little girl turned her head towards Aaron and in a teary voice, she said, ''But my mom... I can't leave her.''
Aaron's heart sank, and he felt an overwhelming sadness. The girl in front of him was experiencing the same emotions he had felt in his previous life, and on top of that, she was even younger. He understood that. If he wasn't going to help anyone else, at least he wouldn't leave this girl here. He would ensure her safety and take her to a secure place.
''I understand that. If you ask me, I don't even know if my family is alive,'' Aaron said, with a touch of sorrow but also with kindness.
The little girl looked at Aaron and said, ''Are you also wondering about your family?''
''Yes, I wonder about them too. I directed them to the tower you see over there, but we encountered a danger. They had to escape while I fought against the monsters.''
''I understand, but my mom?'' the little girl said, tears streaming down her eyes once again.
''I'm sorry, but your mother...'' Upon hearing those words, the little girl couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears with a serious cry.
''Stupid Aaron, you made a little girl cry. How foolish of you to attract monsters with noise. You can't fight against them in your current state. You should take her and leave this place immediately.'' he thought by himself.
"I guess your mother wouldn't want to see you like this, right? I'm sure you're the most precious thing in her life because that's how it is for me and my mom. So, let's go, shall we? That way, your mother can watch over you from heaven." Aaron's words must have touched the little girl, as she suddenly stood up, wiped her tears, and sniffed. Then she ran towards him and held his hand.
"Let's go, please," the little girl said, now with a serious and calm voice.
"Alright," Aaron replied, his voice filled with sadness.
The little girl tightly held Aaron's hand and continued to cry silently, albeit to a lesser extent.
During this time, time passed quickly, and Aaron and the little girl were now very close to the tower. The little girl had stopped crying and had also let go of Aaron's hand, but she continued to follow him. Unable to bear it any longer, he had to speak up:
"When we enter the boundaries of the tower, if you want, you can stay with my family. They can take care of you, I'm sure they will love you," said with the sweet and affectionate voice.
"Yes," replied the little girl in a sad and mature voice.
After a short time, Aaron and the little girl entered the boundaries of the tower. He immediately started looking for his family.
Aaron could see how bad the condition of the people around him was, and he felt sorry for them. Despite having killed many monsters at this point, he knew that they wouldn't be able to do the same. Many of them had lost their families, loved ones, and even their pets had been slaughtered.
It didn't take long for Aaron to spot his family from a distance, and he began moving quickly towards them with the little girl. During this time, the people around noticed the sword at Aaron's waist and tried to assess what kind of person he was. It was understandable, considering that he was undeniably handsome, even in such a dire situation. Furthermore, carrying a weapon and having it still stained with goblin blood made him stand out even more in this place.
"Mom, dad," Aaron said, smiling audibly. His family immediately turned their heads and saw Aaron standing before them. Sean and Valerie were so shocked that they were both in tears.
"They must be overjoyed to see me. It's the first time I've seen them cry together," he thought, smiling.
Sean and Valerie ran towards Aaron and hugged him tightly, but their joy was short-lived when they heard Aaron's pained voice.
"Ah!" Valerie exclaimed. "Are you okay, Aaron? We didn't notice you were injured. We just ran towards you in excitement at seeing you again."
"Mom, it's okay. I sustained serious injuries, so it's not because of your hug. Please don't feel bad. I had to remove five arrows from my body, so yes, I can say I'm severely wounded."
Valerie was shocked by these words, and her tears grew even bigger. Her beloved son had sacrificed himself so that she and Sean could escape. He hadn't died, but he was gravely injured. What if something had happened to him? Valerie cursed her own vulnerability and hugged Aaron once again.
While Valerie was experiencing this shock, the little girl caught Sean's attention, and he asked, "And who is this little one? Do you know her, Aaron?"
"No, I found her on the way back. Unfortunately, her mother..." Aaron replied, his voice filled with sadness.
"Oh gosh, may the gods help us," Sean said. It was inevitable for Sean to pray to God even in such a situation because he was a devout Catholic. If he had known that Aaron didn't believe in God in his previous life, he might never have spoken to him again.
"I also thought that we could welcome a new little member into our family. Of course, if there are any legal complications, we can't take care of her without notifying the authorities, but there's no reason not to look after her for now. Right?" Valerie said hopefully.
"Yes," Sean agreed.
"Well then, what is your name, little girl?" Valerie asked in a gentle and caring voice.
"Dahlia, Dahlia Joanne, ma'am," the little girl replied, hiding behind Aaron.
"I see. I'm Valerie Corbyn, and this big man here is Sean Corbyn," Valerie introduced themselves.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Corbyn," the girl said politely.
At that moment, another notification appeared in the sky, but this time it was larger and visible to everyone. It displayed the first mission of the scenario, but there was a difference compared to its previous version—it now included a reward.
"Scenario 1 - Mission 1 - Survive
Mission Reward - Hunter's card, map, and overall regeneration.
Mission Penalty - Death.
Mission Content - Enter the boundaries of any tower in the world.
Mission Duration - 3 hours."
Aaron, who had been patiently waiting for the remaining 10 minutes, felt a sense of joy upon seeing the reward of the mission. He eagerly anticipated the outcome as the notification began to glow, transforming into something else.
"Congratulations! Mission accomplished!" the message now displayed.
Aaron felt a mixture of relief and excitement. The completion of the mission meant that he had successfully entered the boundaries of the tower, and now the promised rewards awaited him. He looked around at his newfound companions, Valerie, Sean, and little Dahlia, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. The future was uncertain, but they had taken the first step towards survival and finding their place in this mysterious world.
The reward option for the mission had changed, and there were approximately 10 minutes remaining until the mission's completion. The rewards offered were exceptional; obtaining a map required nearly 1000 gold coins at the market, and acquiring total regeneration necessitated the presence of a healer of at least SS level. Total regeneration had the ability to fully heal any ailment in the body, including tumors. It was evident that the gods desired the survival of humanity. Perhaps Aaron's criticism had influenced them to favor the survival of those skilled enough to enter the tower's boundaries.
Upon seeing the mission's reward, Aaron felt joyous and began patiently awaiting the final 10 minutes.
After approximately 10 minutes, the notification started to shimmer and transformed into something else:
"Congratulations! Mission accomplished!"
As soon as the notification appeared, every wounded creature within the boundaries of the tower was healed, and they each received a card in their hands. Aaron knew exactly what this card was, so he quickly flipped it over to look at it and couldn't believe his eyes.
Aaron fell silent in astonishment as he looked at the hunter card that had fallen into his hand. The values on the hunter card were even beyond his expectations.
"Aaron Light Corbyn - Level 12
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 19
Occupation: Mage, Warrior
Attribute: All Elements
Abilities: God's Eyes (passive), God-Level Sword Mastery (passive), God System (active/locked), *****, *****, *****, *****.
Rank: B
Title: The Returning (unique ring), Beloved of the Gods (+1000 affinity with the gods), Supreme Dragon Slayer (+50 to power status), Slayer of the First 50 Goblins (+5 to all stats).
Strength: 67
Agility: 18
Intelligence: 116
Magic Power: 33
Luck: 5
Charisma: 50
*****: **
Remaining Points: 60"
Aaron was left speechless by the shock as he examined the hunter card in his hand. The values and abilities listed on the card exceeded his expectations, and it seemed that his potential had been greatly unlocked.
Aaron was taken aback by the extraordinary level of these attributes, especially considering his current state. Moreover, the titles and ranks were completely new to him. In his previous life, he had never encountered anyone who didn't possess a Hunter Card and leveled up, nor had he ever heard of such an event. Thus, the fact that he had reached level 12 filled him with excitement. In addition, he had a total of 60 status points from the levels he gained, and he decided to use all of them to increase his intelligence. With a few adjustments, his intelligence rose to 176.
Another thing that surprised Aaron was that some of his abilities were locked. Furthermore, it seemed like the gods had bestowed two gifts upon him. One was undoubtedly the chance to return, while the other was the "God System." Aaron found it remarkable because he had never heard anything about the God System ability in his previous life and had never possessed such a skill.
Since he believed that the key to unlocking this ability would be at a certain level, he decided not to dwell on it too much and placed the card in the inner pocket of his attire. He then proceeded to check his family's cards.
Aaron was quite surprised after checking his family's and the little girl's Hunter Cards. While his family's stat points were above average, the little girl's stat points were exceptionally high.
The little girl had nearly 6 stat points, and 5 of them exceeded 30, which was quite remarkable. It was almost impossible for a normal person to have their stats surpass 30 unless they started at Level A.
Aaron felt joyous because he had found an untapped gem within his family, someone he could protect and take care of, and at the same time, he had found the little sister he had always wanted. He approached the little girl and began to speak:
"Keep this card safe, always. Unless either I or the rest of our family wants to see it, don't show it to anyone, okay? It could put you in danger. You're quite powerful." The little girl was overjoyed to hear Aaron's words. For the past half an hour since they had met, she had been a burden to him and hadn't been able to do anything. However, the fact that she could now help him filled her with delight.
At that moment, another system notification appeared in the sky:
"Scenario 1 - Mission 2 - Kill One of the Four Boss Monsters in the City
Mission Reward - Class Selection
Mission Penalty - Experience Loss
Mission Content - There are four boss monsters continuously respawning around the city in predetermined locations on the map. Kill any one of them, alone or with a team.
Mission Duration - 15 Days."
Although Aaron was annoyed by the absurdity of the mission, it was a straightforward task: kill one boss monster within 15 days. For him, the plan was simple: go out, kill monsters, level up, maybe get lucky and find some items, and then defeat the boss monster together with his family. That was the only thing to do in his mind. However, there was one thing he hadn't considered—he was no longer in his previous world, and his family was not experienced in this kind of battle. The only person who had some combat knowledge was his father, Sean, thanks to his roughly 12 years of military service. But there was a difference between a human and a monster. Monsters would almost always make an effort to kill their opponent without considering themselves, while humans would try to protect themselves while attempting to defeat their adversary. That's why even Aaron's father, Sean, was considered a novice in this situation.
Aaron quietly said, "We need to gather and leave." However, there was something else he didn't realize—everyone around him was practically listening to him and following his lead. No one had flipped their hunter cards and looked at them until he did, and no one had removed their bandages after seeing the mission rewards. At the moment, Aaron appeared as the leader there, but for him, the situation was different. He had no intention of being a leader or a figurehead. His only concern was keeping his family safe.
"Where are we going?" Sean asked in the same quiet tone.
"Outside, we need to hunt monsters," Aaron said firmly and seriously. The surrounding crowd was shocked because going out and hunting monsters seemed like inviting doomsday upon themselves. Or was it not?