Advice

Luke stared at the man with a grave expression.

"Good. The first piece of advice I'll give ya. Never lower your guard."

By now, Luke's injury had completely healed.

"Second. Never tell others your Skills. Rarely trust people and always doubt what comes out of another person's mouth."

"That much is obvious." Luke said. Seemingly very pissed off.

The old man took a heavy step towards Luke.

The latter stepped back.

"Third. Don't think too highly of yourself." The man said.

Luke lowered his gaze, obviously intimidated.

"That's right. Being an arrogant prick never helps. It won't help when fighting monsters. And it won't help when dealing with other Hunters." The man added while turning back.

He started walking away which left Luke extremely confused.

"Focus on your strengths. You have what it takes to be a great Hunter."

The old man suddenly turned his gaze towards Luke for a second.

"Remember to always get back up."

...

'Did he really just leave after beating me up...' Luke thought as he started walking.

"What a prick! ReMeMbEr tO AlWaYs GeT uP..."

Luke kicked a trashcan on his way.

'I ask for advice and end up getting beat up. A bitter old man is what he is. Larry The Tank, yeah right. Larry The Punk is what I'll call him from now on.'

Luke walked home fuming.

He got into his home and went to bed right away.

As Luke started falling asleep, a single thought was all he had in mind.

'I'll show him... One day... I'll show him...'

He slept for a couple of hours.

....

When Luke woke up, it was 1 am.

He laid on his bed, looking at his ceiling.

'Can't sleep. What to do?'

Luke suddenly remembered yesterday's encounter and cringed internally.

He grabbed his laptop and searched for a way to buy Hunter Equipment.

The equipment Hunters use is very different from the things other people use. They use weapons, armor and others pieces of equipment either found in Dungeons, bought through the System's Store or crafted by Hunter Blacksmiths.

'The cheapest armor sets are sold for 20.000 Dollars. I don't have that kind of money. If I sell everything but the Water Blessed Sword, that's basically how much I would have... Can't use it all. I guess I'll have to settle for equipment that isn't specifically made for Hunters.'

Luke made notes about where he could buy a bulletproof vest.

He stood up and stretched his arms up.

'Show me my Stats.'

[ Stats: Vigor: 32

Endurance: 24

Strength: 21

Agility: 24

Mana: 7

Unused Stat Points: 14.

]

"Even with these Stats that are nowhere near average for a New System Holder..." Luke whispered to himself before chuckling.

'As if a newbie could do anything except get beat up against an elite Hunter...'

He took a piece of paper and started planning the next week of his life while looking at his laptop from time to time.

'Just outside the city, there are two beginner-level Dungeons. On the opposite side of the city, the Abyssal Dungeon lays.'

Luke felt goosebumps as he planned his itinerary.

'I'll go to the easiest Dungeon around ranked [F]. After clearing that one, I'll make my way to the second one, ranked [F] too. They shouldn't be too hard to clear as some average New System Holders said they didn't have much trouble clearing them. Having cleared two [F] Dungeons, I'll have the qualifications to become an actual [F] Rank Hunter. It'll be dangerous, but I'm sure I'll make it.'

Luke raised his gaze towards his wall. Towards the posters on it.

He especially stared at one of them.

It was a picture of a man with a build resembling that of a bear.

The man was holding a huge Minotaur from its horns, seemingly stopping it in its tracks.

"You'll see, Larry, I'll get there too."

He lowered his gaze once more towards his paper and laptop.

'From there, I'll come back to the city, buy that bulletproof vest and go challenge the Abyssal Dungeon. People said that the first two floors were perfect for beginners.'

Luke worked out until the sun started rising.

He stood up.

As Luke started wearing the clothes he was given during the Initiation, his hands started shaking.

'It'll be fine... It'll be fine... Hopefully...'

Luke filled two bottles with water and put them inside his Inventory.

He put on his military vest and went outside.

It was extremely quiet.

Luke started walking in the direction he had drawn on the piece of paper.

'Should I have prepared better? I have the weapon I need, I have enough Gold Coins for Healing Potions if they're even needed. I've trained for a week. People with Stats averaging 15 have cleared these Dungeons. My average is about 25. If anything, I'm overqualified!' He thought to reassure himself.

'But... What if...'

Luke shook his head.

He ran forward.

...

It took Luke four hours of walking and running to exit the city.

An additional hour to get to the first Dungeon he was planning on clearing.

It was 10 am when Luke stood in front of a warning sign.

'Warning... Ahead lies the Forest Of Goblins. Beware.' He read.

"So it's here..." Luke whispered. His right hand was shaking.

He passed the sign and walked some more.

'It's dense... But the trees aren't so high.'

In front of Luke stood a huge forest.

A message from the System appeared in front of him.

[Welcome to: The Forest Of Goblins [F].]