Green Eyes, Orange Blade

I heard people screaming. I saw people who were Awakened, but didn't seem to be Hunters or Heroes or Mercenaries trying to fight the Monsters.

I stood in the middle of a street, surveying the situation. The Yellow Dungeon Gate was on a house. The roof was blown off and it seemed that the Dungeon Gate had been in the house's attic.

From the Dungeon Gate poured goblins and orcs. They were Monsters that appeared starting from Yellow Dungeons and up. They were ugly creatures. Goblins were the height of average men with hunched backs while orcs were taller and bulkier. They both had dark green skin.

Some of them wore just loincloths while others wore it with leather armor. A couple even had pieces of metal armor. The goblins wielded knives, clubs, small swords, and spears. Unlike the goblins, the orcs held heavier axes, large clubs, and crude greatswords.

There were also some goblin magicians that were staying closer to the Dungeon Gate.

Spotting me, an orc holding a thick club with both hands ran towards me. It raised its club high in the air letting out a battle cry.

Orcs were powerful creatures, though they tended to be obvious with their attacks. At my level, trying to take the brunt of an orc's attack head on would be a bad idea.

Watching the club, I rolled to the side. The club cracked the ground on contact. If I tried blocking it, my sword would probably break in a couple strikes despite the magic stones used in it.

Unsheathing my sword, I threw the scabbard away and lunged forward to stab at the orc's exposed side. It was a shallow strike that drew a little blood, but the orc was mostly unfazed by the attack.

I quickly jumped back as the orc swept his club through the air in an attempt to swat at me.

Orcs were hardy creatures with tough skin, possessing high Strength and Vitality. I had the advantage of speed against an average orc, but my Strength was lacking. My slashes wouldn't be able to cut the orc, so I would have to rely on thrusting quickly and using my Speed to escape before the orc could hit me.

If I used my weight and my Speed, then I should be able to puncture its skin with a well-placed thrust.

The orc raised its club before swinging it down on me. I dived into a roll and ended up right next to the orc. Tensing my legs and holding my sword close to my body, I leaned forward while lunging towards the orc, using my sword to pierce the same spot that I'd hit beforehand right on the orc's side.

The wound that I'd previously left on the orc widened and blood poured out from the opening. The orc let out a cry of pain, letting go of his club and wildly swinging his arms to try and hit me.

However, I had already moved and was preparing to attack once more.

With an enraged expression on its face, the orc charged at me, completely disregarding the wound that was gushing out blood.

It roared as it swung its arm at me widely.

I bent my hips and ducked underneath the orcs arm. Coincidentally, the orc attacked with its left arm, leaving its left side which I had been hitting this entire time completely open.

Without a second thought, I aimed the tip of my sword at the orc's wound and thrust my sword into it, pushing the blade deep into the Monster's flesh.

The orc released a cry of pain. It only grew the deeper I pushed my sword.

Eventually, the orc stopped screaming and dropped to the ground, unmoving.

Seeing that my opponent was dead, I used my foot to push against the corpse to help pull my sword from it. Taking a deep breath, I looked at my bloodied sword.

"The tip must've punctured a vital," I said coldly.

The feeling of cutting a living being's flesh with a sword is something that most people won't get used to. However, I've done it so much that at this point, I'm unfazed by it. I had to do it more than others.

Not only was my family in a rough situation, but I was also a weak Hunter. Low level Monster parts and low level magic stones don't pay as well as higher grade goods, so I had to kill even more Monsters to make enough money.

"The Heroes are here!" I heard someone yell.

Looking around, I saw an armored truck with people who I assumed to be Heroes coming out of it. From the looks of it, there were about eight Heroes. Among them, I saw two people that I immediately recognized.

The first person I noticed was Uma wearing his suit of armor and carrying his heavy sword. However, my attention was quickly caught by the man leading the group of Heroes.

"Prioritize the citizens!" The man said, "We have to clear out these Monsters before the Boss Monster comes out!"

The man at the front, the man commanding the Heroes, was none other than Steven Ark, nicknamed the Beast Tamer. I noticed that he wasn't wearing armor. He was just wearing normal casual clothes with many accessories like rings, bracelets, a necklace with a metal ring on it, earrings, glasses, and a hair clip.

When the Heroes appeared, I became much calmer. Beast Tamer was one of the few famous Hunters. He must've met up with the Heroes on their way here after hearing about the Shatter.

"Heroes!" he spoke quickly, "Remember that Monsters aren't like people! You aren't fighting people, but Monsters!"

After saying that, Steven Ark pulled out what looked like a wand from his pocket. Then, he stepped towards a pair of orcs that were looming over a man who was trembling in fear.

With a wave of his wand, Steven summoned six balls of blue energy that floated in the air. In a blur, the six energy balls shot towards the orcs, three of them hitting each of the orcs with a sound similar to a miniature explosion.

The orcs which were about to attack the man were downed in an instant. There were dark burn marks where the magic had hit the orcs.

"Get to work!" Steven yelled behind him at the Heroes who were watching him.

Without hesitation, the Heroes spread out in all directions, fighting the Monsters that threatened the people.

Steven Ark, while known as the Beast Tamer, has the ability to cast magic, though attributeless. He explained once that his abilities as a Beast Tamer required a high Magic Stat. It's common knowledge that once a person's Magic Stat reaches a certain point, no matter what their Job is, they will be able to manipulate magic to a small extent.

The thing is that Steven's Magic Stat is said to be so high that even if he uses attributeless magic with a Job that isn't related to casting magic, he can still take on regular B-Ranks. With the help of his tamed Monsters, it's said that he even has power comparable to an upper A-Rank and maybe even a lower S-Rank.

With my bloody sword still in hand, I looked at the Heroes, but it felt like my eyes were glued to the Beast Tamer. My expressionless face slowly morphed into a slight scowl.

I had nothing against Steven Ark. In fact, I admired him. However, in that moment, I felt something welling up inside of me. It was a familiar feeling, one that I've felt before: envy.

I was envious. Not just of Steven, but of all the Heroes here. I was envious of them. I wanted their power. I wanted to have a normal SS System that would let me grow normally. Even with Envy of a Glutton, there were still clear limitations to the Skill.

I have no idea how many times I thought about it. What if I had a normal SS System that would let me grow? Where would I be? What would I be doing? How would my family be?

I've thought these things countless times…

I've thought about these things and felt bad about it so many times.

The only difference now is that I'm directing my negativity towards someone else. Even though I'm in a dangerous situation, I'm standing here feeling jealous towards someone else. I'm not fighting the Monsters. I'm not helping the Heroes or saving people.

I thought back to when I signed my name for the girl yesterday. I scoffed at myself.

Who am I to be signing papers like a Hero does? I'm not a Hero.

In this moment of physical chaos, my mind found clarity.

When I got Envy of a Glutton, I was excited. I finally had the chance I always wanted. Even though I had to eat strange things, I was just happy to be able to grow, to be able to finally help my family.

However, since then, my mind has been jumping all over the place. One moment, I'll be thinking about the consequences of the Skill before resolving myself to keep going.

From the very beginning, four years ago, I was resolved to risk my life for my family.

I've come to realize that I've been thinking too hard.

Deep down, I was scared. I was scared of this strange Skill, what I would have to do, what I might become. I know I said otherwise, but I've been scared…

Now, though, I've come to realize that I've been a massive idiot. This entire time, I've been afraid of the Skill's consequences, but four years ago, when I was 16 years old, I wasn't afraid. Back then, I was already resolved to look Death in the face, and I have done so many times since then.

I can't be getting cold feet now, not after going neck deep into the pool.

From the beginning, my resolve was there, but it was never complete. My goal has been the same for so long, yet I've come no closer to achieving it. It's only when I get a chance that I get scared…

I have been an idiot.

It's clear what I have to do. This Skill is mine and I must use it if I want to achieve my goal. I know that I will meet the consequences of using this Skill eventually, but that no longer scares me. I was resolved back then to sacrifice myself, so I will resolve myself again right here and now.

My goal is to help my family.

The consequences don't matter. I will sacrifice myself.

I am a Hunter, not a Hero. It doesn't matter whether or not I'm righteous. I will be envious of others, even my friends. That doesn't make them any less than my friends. I will use my gluttony to fuel me, use it in my blade to drive each of my strikes.

What I have to do is simple: hunt and eat.