18 Target
While he was on the bus, an overwhelming sense of anxiety gripped Hans's mind and his foot tapped restlessly on the floor as the hospital drew closer.
It wouldn't take long for him to arrive at the hospital, and the outcome of today's visit would either create a path of hope for him to walk on, or condemn him to a lonely life once again.
Before he could think about anything else, Hans arrived at his destination.
He grabbed the door handle which today felt somewhat heavier than ever, and walked into the room before taking a seat beside his parents.
"This is it. Maybe I can finally do it, bringing you back," Hans murmured as he looked at both his parents with pity.
{Piercing Gaze}
Hans didn't even bother looking at the other annoying information and just skipped them all, arriving at the part he was awaiting the most.
[Currently under the effect of a powerful curse.
(Curse Name: Perpetual Slumber; normal people affected by this curse will be sucked dry of their stats, and a small amount of it will be given to the caster.
Caster: ????
Dispel Method: Death of the caster.)]
'Haaa, it's-its possible. Finally, I know there is a way to do it,' he breathed in relief.
'And it seems like the way to remove this curse is something I've been honing to be quite adept at since the last few weeks.'
'Death of the caster huh? If it's the caster… then it must be that bastard.'
The SS-Rank monster that wreaked havoc on Manhattan, one of the only monsters that hasn't been subjugated, the titanic giant: The Abyssal Snake.
After the attack on Manhattan, no one even dared to try or propose a raid for the Asbyssal snake, and the routes passing from the Atlantic ceased because of unforeseen attacks from monsters.
It was a worldwide disaster that contributed to the impoverishment of the big states like the US, Spain, France, and the UK.
They were still able to remain at the top of the economic pyramid, only because both Russia and China had to face their own difficulties.
Now knowing who his opponent was, Hans knew that he had to get stronger, much stronger.
Even the complete American defensive force had barely managed to repel the monster back into the sea after suffering immense damage.
He knew that he couldn't do it alone and needed people who would accompany him, not some guild, but some really trustworthy people who would be willing to accompany him to the very depths of hell.
Before he could even contemplate further on today's work, a message flashed on his phone:
[+xx xxx xxxx xxx
Come to the association as soon as possible, I have three surprises for you.]
"Association? Oh, it must be that woman," Hans mused as he recalled the well-dressed lady who had greeted him last time.
"Her name was… Emily, I think."
He made his way to the association, without knowing what to expect from these three SURPRISES.
Upon arrival, he met a familiar face on the earth floor: a skinny guy who didn't look older than fourteen, the "candidate to a unique class".
Hans immediately waved at him, "Hello there kid!"
"DO NOT call me kid!!! I am just four years younger than you, it's you who is old, so you'll also be the first to die"
The young fellow replied, trying to annoy Hans who in response simply chuckled.
More than a week had already passed since they first met, and in the days Hans passed clearing the gates and studying, he still managed to carve out some of his time to keep in touch with this young fellow.
They grew quite close in a short time and since Hans was the only person who talked with Aiden, it seemed that for some strange reason, the workers didn't want to have anything to do with him.
Well, not like Hans cared.
He brought Aiden ice cream one day and the day after a new video game, and now they were on friendly terms with each other, 'Kids truly are simple creatures,' Hans couldn't help but think comparing how they had met before and now.
"OK KID, I have got to run, I'll see you around, bye-bye!"
Before the other could say anything, Hans slipped into the elevator and pressed the icon with the number 13.
After he arrived at the second last floor, the elevator doors opened and a secretary accompanied him to Emily's office.
When he grabbed the handle and pushed the door wide open, standing in front of him was a woman he almost couldn't recognize.
Her desk was made out of polished wood with a layer of leather on the top, and behind her was a wall window that overlooked the entire city of Chicago.
The desk held a variety of items, but the most prominent were the fountain pens that were neatly arranged in a wooden pen holder, a monitor along with a mouse, and a keyboard that was positioned closest to her.
Though during their previous encounter, she came across as friendly, this time she was authoritative and solemn.
Emily spoke, gesturing to a chair, "Here, have a seat."
Hans did as invited, taking a seat right in front of her.
"I'll begin with the best news. The artifact is finally completed and here it is."
Saying that she handed over a black box that was roughly the size of a Rubik's cube and continued.
"It took our best artisans over ten hours of work to finish it so you better be grateful. Unfortunately, the other eye got destroyed during the process, but it served as a valuable learning experience to craft this, so it wasn't in vain. Now, let's start with the pressing matters."
Hans stowed the box in his pocket and prepared to listen intently.
"We have a problem, and I need you to resolve it. A D-Rank gate has emerged and all of our current awakened members are caught up with a mission hence they can't clear it, the mission is also regarding the third news which I'll tell you about later.
So, that leaves me with no one but you, and since the gates will rupture in a couple of days, we'll have no choice but to hand it over to one of the three major guilds if you don't agree."
'The three major guilds huh, from what I learned online, they are the strongest guilds residing in Chicago, and each one of their guild masters has the power of an A-Rank.'
The Asura guild.
The Vortex guild.
The Blaze Guild.
'The three guilds took their names based on their guild masters' fighting styles, and the association's job is to maintain an equilibrium between them to avoid conflict or alliance among any two of them.'
'Leaving a gate to one of them, even if it's only for a while, would mean causing disparity and discussion between the others.'
'The association doesn't want to risk the safety of the city by igniting one of the three bombs sleeping in it. So they now only have the option of letting an outsider take care of it.'
"I'll do it," said Hans without hesitation, after all, he now had a clear objective in mind, and he knew that it wasn't an easy one.
He needed to grow by using the fastest way he possibly could.
Emily nodded in approval before moving on, "The third matter concerns with the occupation of all the awakened associations, be it mid/high ranks. We have discovered a C-Rank gate, and it is our responsibility to raid it."
"We are only hiring people that are D-Rank and above, but considering your skills, I know you should be able to participate. What do you think of it? Of course, we'll also compensate you accordingly for your contributions"
'A C-rank gate! If what she says is true then it's definitely not something I can clear alone.
In C-Rank gates, the monsters' levels can range between 100 and 150, which means that even the weakest among them should be as strong as that giant bastard,' he thought while recalling the white python.
"Who else is going to participate?" Hans inquired knowing that even if he wanted to, he definitely couldn't do it alone.
After all, maybe he could take down a monster, or a few of them, but the boss had to be killed by someone else as it couldn't be trifled with with his current strength.
The lady replied, "Currently, we have more than seventy-five people who have agreed to participate, and leading them is the A-Rank tank, Brick Garrison."
Hearing the name, Hans was immediately convinced and agreed, "I'll take part in the mission."
This was the name of the association branch leader, the mighty hero who was renowned for his impenetrable defense and the owner of the rare class: Paladin.
People called him, The Divine Shield.
"Excellent, I suggest you clear the D-Rank gate as soon as possible since the C-Rank raid is scheduled to take place a week from now and is located on the outskirts of the city, I'll send you the details in a few days."
"Understood," Hans acknowledged as he left the room and the building before heading straight for the D-Rank gate.
He was eager to grow, and more than that, he was eager to try out his new toy:
{Name: Blood Eye Ring
Grade: Rare Rank Medium
Description: A golden ring with a python blood eye set in it.
The blood eye has been forged multiple times and condensed to the extreme, maximizing its effects.
The forge flame that triumphed over the cold Python blood now resides within it.
Effect: Grants the wearer +10 wisdom points.
Grants the passive skill: {Hot blooded: The wearer's body temperature will rise by 1° and all their flame spells will be boosted by 10%.}
Grants the active skill: {Blood Eyes (Tier-3)(ACTIVE): Every enemy crossing gaze with this skill user will be cursed with the effect {Bleeding}}
{Bleeding: The cursed person won't be able to stop the bleeding of a wound while any existing wounds will bleed more.
The length and the effect of the curse are based on the wisdom of the caster and that of the opponent.}
