In a separate yet concerning development,

Chapter 24 - Tutorial (Hunter) - 10

Nothing compares to the satisfaction of a full stomach. Vesper finishes off the leftover pizzas in the refrigerator along with two cans of beer, feeling rejuvenated.

The house seems to operate mysteriously. Five minutes later, new cans of beer and pizzas reappear in the container, while the crumbs of bread and the old pizza box outside vanish. Thankfully, the food inside Vesper's stomach remains unaffected by this mysterious sorcery.

Patting his stomach, Vesper grows curious about the mechanism of this magical world. He grabs two more chilled cans of beer and heads to the living room, peering outside the windows.

He notices Noah, whom he had killed earlier, being resurrected. Mysterious lasers from the sky are 3D-printing his body, bones, and innards, with a nearby billboard displaying the estimated time until the resurrection process is complete - 15 minutes.

The scene reminds Vesper of a famous Japanese manga. He takes a sip of his beer and sighs.

'Tough luck to be on that side. I feel like I'm one of the monsters from G*ntz. Well, I'm on the monster's side now, a grim reaper. What can I say?'

Taking his time, Vesper finishes his beers and tends to his business in the washroom. He gazes at the mirror, where he once encountered the mirror ghost.

His reflection shows his face, still covered in black mist, with his black tattered cloak barely concealing and suppressing the smoke around him. Despite this, Vesper's body remains human.

*DING*

While Vesper admires his new physique in the mirror, Noah regains consciousness and screams in panic.

Vesper washes his hands before leaving the house and approaching Noah, observing him closely.

As they wait, another naked man appears 100 meters down the road. A billboard also appears, informing the newcomer. The new arrival, unlike Noah, has a thick, flabby belly, arms, and legs, indicating a weight of at least 300 pounds.

Seeing the second survivor, Vesper prepares himself with bear traps, anticipating an unexpected cooperative mission.

Noah notices the new arrival and shouts, waving his hand.

Suddenly, Noah flinches as a piece of his body falls to the ground, his face turning pale. Vesper, too, notices this and is horrified.

A part of Noah's anatomy around the crotch is severed, causing blood to gush from the wound as he cries out in agony. Fortunately, the wound heals quickly.

The chubby man turns around and witnesses the horrifying scene, shrieking and falling back.

Two billboards nearby merge into one, displaying the duo's next mission.

Vesper examines the board and reads their instructions:

<You two must collaborate and obtain runes from a designated stage.>

A beacon of light shines upon the same house Vesper came from, where their altar of sacrifice has already been set up. Above them, the sky clock counts down, limiting their resting time to under 24 hours.

The confused survivors quiet down and cautiously approach the billboard, one by one, asking about their surroundings and why they are there.

While waiting for them to gather information, Vesper realizes he hasn't received the S Rank rewards yet. He checks the system menu to see if the rewards have been distributed.

A blinking gift box icon appears on the top right of his system screen. Vesper clicks it, causing the gift box to open.

Three new item icons appear - a weapon ticket, a rune ticket, and five blue rune stones.

*DING*

<You 300 have received the S Rank rewards - One 3rd-grade rune skill ticket, one weapon five rare stones, gold bar, credits, and sewing kit.>

<All items have been transferred to your stash box, and the credits deposited into account.>

'Ah, runes!'

Approaching the chest, Vesper opens it and finds all the items inside. Touching the balls first, Vesper appraises it with his left eye. 

.

Rare 3rd Grade Reward Rune

This default rewards of the hunter's missions grants one of the three choices upon usage:

- Increase a random status attribute by 1.1.

- Heal all wounds.

- Grant one rune skill - Time-Killing. Upon activation, this skill summons a phantom of the opposite gender to assist you in "Killing Time". (Can only be equipped at the crotch socket).

.

"…"

Vesper is speechless. He tosses the blue runes back to the box. Then, he checks the tickets next, recalling gacha games from Earth. He notices a lone wooden chest in the middle of the road.

He picks up a ticket with a sword image and examines it closely.

Vesper's golden eye glows, revealing the hidden item description.

.

Weapon Ticket (3rd Grade)

Upon tearing this ticket, a hundred bubbles each containing a different item will materialize. You may choose one bubble; all others will vanish upon selection.

This ticket encompasses one hundred items of varying quality, with chances of obtaining items as follows:

- 3% Weapon (4th Grade)

- 3% Traps (4th Grade)

- 30% Weapon (3rd Grade)

- 30% Traps (3rd Grade)

- 12% Weapon (2nd Grade)

- 12% Traps (2nd Grade)

.

Recognizing it as a gacha ticket, Vesper doesn't anticipate much from a freebie and tears it open.

A hundred bubbles materialize around Vesper, each containing an item as advertised. However, the orbs' shine obscures their appearances and outlines.

<Please select an item within one minute.>

Vesper chuckles inwardly, understanding the ticket's mechanics. Without much deliberation, he reaches for the nearest floating bubble. Yet, as his eye scans it, a small system screen reveals the item's name.

<Rusty Knife (2nd Grade)>

"...," 

Vesper hesitates upon seeing the item's name and shifts his focus to the other bubbles.

<Bronze Hand Scythe (3rd Grade)>

<Wooden Wane (3rd Grade)>

<Condensed Super Glue (2nd Grade)>

<Crude Oil (2nd Grade)>

<Rusty Nail Trap (3rd Grade)>

Indeed, his cursed eye can see through all concealed objects. With a grin, Vesper continues his search for a superior item.

Spotting six of the 4th-grade items among the bubbles might be challenging, but not overly so. Thirty seconds later, Vesper identifies two of the 4th-grade items.

<Auto-Armed Bear Trap (4th Grade)>

<Iron Sword (4th Grade)>

Upon seeing these two items, Vesper pauses to consider. Having played a slasher-genre game in the past where players could assume the killer role, including a trapper role whose traps could arm themselves, he contemplates his options. While a weapon would suffice, he's preparing for a 1v2 scenario and needs something more potent than standard weaponry to handle the opponents.

Opting against searching for more 4th-grade items, Vesper chooses the auto-armed bear trap. He touches its bubble, and a crimson iron bear trap materializes while the other bubbles vanish.

Returning one of the default bear traps to the pile, Vesper takes the new one with him. He then checks if the group has finished preparing yet.

Noah and the chubby man are still chatting, taking their time to acquaint themselves. Realizing he has more time, Vesper shifts his focus to other items nearby.

A skill rune ticket!