After A Busy Day

The same day at 2 pm, Luke got out of the shower.

With a towel on his head and a wet body covered by another towel, he sat on his bed.

'Maybe I should buy a desk. A chair too...'

Luke's stomach started growling.

"Guess I'll have to buy some food." He said out loud as he got up.

Luke looked through his window.

"Maybe I'll just eat outside..." He whispered to himself.

Luke only had four outfits.

The outfit he was given during the Initiation.

The sportswear he bought recently.

And two casual outfits.

He had blue jeans, black pants, a white T-shirt and a black one.

Luke also had a pair of black sneakers, a raincoat and a sweater.

Those were all the clothes he had.

'Guess I'll wear the black T-shirt... The white one is dirty.'

He put on his black T-shirt, blue jeans and black sneakers before going outside.

Thanks to Calvin, he lived in a pretty good-looking neighborhood. Also, the rent was a total steal. Of course, that was only because of his landlord's kind help.

Luke crossed the street and sat at an empty table.

He had entered a cafe.

'I always wanted to come here...' Luke thought with a weak smile.

"Please take your time, I'll take your order in a bit." A waiter said with a kind voice as he gave Luke the cafe's menu.

"S-Sure." Luke answered.

'Oh. They only sell snacks and beverages. What's that? A croissant? How do you even read that...' He felt out of place.

"Can I take your order?"

"I'll have a vanilla milkshake." Luke answered.

He decided to take the safe route.

'Still, 14 dollars for a drink... But I cleared two Dungeons today! I deserve it!'

A bit later, the glorious beverage came.

Luke had shiny eyes as he tasted it.

He drank the milkshake while looking through the windows.

Luke watched the people outside with very little care. He was too occupied by his thoughts but also by his beverage.

'I leveled up once and cleared two [F] Rank Dungeons alone. The first one with an [S] Rank, the second one with a [B] Rank. I don't think I'm necessarily special, but my debut is nothing to laugh at. 25 Unused Stat Points then...'

Luke took a sip.

"Status." He whispered.

[ Name: Luke.

Level : Lv9 (1772/4500)

HP: 380/380

Endurance: 280/280

Stats: Vigor: 38

Endurance: 28

Strength: 24

Agility: 29

Mana: 8

Unused Stat Points: 25.

Unique Skill: Ultimate Recovery.

Skill(s): Fire Immunity.

Title(s): Dragon Slayer.

Overachieving Newbie.

Hunter Of Goblins.

Crusher Of Bones.

]

'I don't have Mana Points yet... I guess my Mana Stat is still too low.'

Two couples sat together a couple of tables away from Luke.

'A double date, huh? Must be nice... Sucks that I don't know people.'

He shook his head.

"Focus..." Luke whispered to himself.

'I just cleared two Dungeons today. What am I doing thinking about girls?'

Suddenly, one of the girls at that table got loud.

"Really? You're going to participate?" She shouted out of surprise.

"Of course! It's open for strong New System Holders. And I'm pretty strong, you know?" The guy sitting in front of her answered.

That caught Luke's attention.

'Oh. Probably The Newbie Games...'

It was a competition held one month after The Ceremony For New System Holders. All new sixteen-year-old Hunters could participate. They would compete against each other for great prizes.

'Last year, there was a Hunting Test, a race and a fighting tournament.'

The Hunting Test was simple. The New Hunter had to fight a monster. After defeating that monster, he would be presented with another one slightly stronger than the previous one.

'The guy who scored the highest on that test last year had defeated an Orc, right?'

The Race was a simple test of agility and speed.

The fighting tournament was the most straightforward and popular event.

The new hunters would fight bare-handed, 1-on-1. Only relying on their Skills and Stats.

No Items were allowed during any event except the Hunting Test. Which made it the most unfair event, still the rich New Hunters could buy expensive gear.

'Maybe I'll take a shot at it. I did fulfill the requirements to become a Hunter after all.'

"Oh, no. I'll clear them this weekend. I already got Hunter appointments." The same guy said out loud.

Hunter Appointments were a common occurrence. A new aspiring Hunter would pay a veteran to help him clear the Dungeons required to become a Hunter. Sometimes, the veteran would also help the new Hunter level up a bit. Of course, the price was extremely high. Which is why one veteran usually accompanied about a dozen new Hunters at once.

'The privilege of the rich...'

Luke chuckled.

'I am doing pretty well myself though. That dragon gave me a headstart and Larry fired me up to enter Dungeons without thinking about it too much...'

His thoughts wandered.

'Those kids were real [S] Rank a$$holes throwing me into that hole. Although, it is thanks to them that I'm doing well right now...'

Luke laughed out loud, which made all the waiters and clients alike turn towards him.

He smiled weakly while scratching his head as he apologized

"Sorry..."

'I think I'll shop for some stuff.'

Luke paid for his beverage and left the cafe.

...

It was 5 pm when Luke got back to his studio.

He had bought a cheap watch, a cheap phone, boots, a cap and a wallet.

Luke also bought sunglasses for no reason at all.

'That salesman really made me buy these... 40 Dollars I'll never get back...'

He put everything in his cupboard except the wallet.

From it, Luke took a card out.

It was his Hunter License.

On it could be read "[F] Rank Hunter: Luke M."

He had gone to the Agency For New Hunters to get it.

Luke only had to prove that he had cleared two Dungeons by putting his hand on a machine and synchronizing his System with it just like he had done at the bank.

The Clear Rank could not be seen. Still, the worker was surprised that Luke had cleared two Dungeons less than 20 days after receiving a System and without getting a Hunter Appointment.

After that, the worker kept pestering him about getting a special insurance for Hunters.

Of course, Luke declined.

'With this, I can enter any Dungeon I want. Well, not exactly. I can only enter [F] Rank Dungeons, [E] Rank Dungeons and the Abyssal Dungeon.'

A wide smile was on his face.

He turned his head towards the many posters on his wall.

"I really made it this far... I'm a Hunter now!" Luke said out loud, as if to convince himself.