"Please stay away from the gate everyone!"
"No, let me through, I haven't got all my belongings from my room yet!"
"My house! Oh, my precious house.."
…
I stood at the back of the crowd, staring at my apartment, or rather, the rubble of what used to be my building. The entire apartment building had collapsed into ruins. My chest ached, not in pain, but from the sheer audacity. I thought I had prevented the fall of this building, but clearly..I was wrong.
I let out a long sigh and glanced at the other tenants around me. Ah, It seems I'm not the only one devastated. I suppose misery loves company, I guess.
Then, a sharp voice rang out, cutting through the wind.
A man in a black suit that radiated authority. He stood atop the wreckage like some king expecting peasants to blow down to him. Although, looking at that man closely…I squinted my eyes. He had grey hair…brown eyes… wait a second? Wasn't that Kwang-ho? The one who worked for the association? The same guy on TV who had apologized to eveyone a while back?
'What the hell is he doing here?'
Kwang-ho surveyed the crowd below him, then bowed.
"We are sorry."
Gasps rippled through the place. People muttered amongst themselves whilst some simply glared, and I wasn't sure If I was looking at the scene correctly, but I was pretty sure an old lady was ready to throw her shoe at him.
"Isn't this guy an A-rank hunter? Why didn't he come earlier?" A guy whispered to his friend. The friend simply shrugged and said,
"Mhm, not sure but I do know that this guy is a complete jerk. Our apartment had collapsed and all he's got for us is a half-baked apology?"
I watched as everyone talked amongst themselves and narrowed my eyes back to Kwang-ho. 'Huh, this guy is not even sorry for us."
At a glance, the man may seem to look genuine. However, at a closer look, his eyes were filled with mockery. 'Tch, he's just putting on a show to save face.'
I simply shook my head, turned around, and left. Behind me, the association guy's voice droned on, spitting out the association's usual excuses.
Whatever, shall I just walk around a bit? I hummed and pulled my phone out. As expected, news sure spread fast, don't they?
| An A-rank gate had became unstable and caused a gate break! Building around has been destroyed, leaving the inhabitants homeless and upset.|
Bluecookies123- 'Why were there no hunters nearby?'
↳ OptimisticGuy_86- 'I heard the place is full of poor people. doubt hunters would care anyways.'
↳ SimplySally445- 'I heard rumours that the association took their time before coming there~ Isn't it the Association's fault then?'
After scrolling for some time, I finally arrived at the destination. A small take-away. It was the address the kids had given me. Honestly, I wasn't planning on dropping by, but hey, lose your home, gain free food? I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to visit.
I reached for the door, only to freeze at what was written at the hand-written sign taped to the door.
'Closed'
Great, just great.
.
.
.
.
How long has it been?
I tilted my head back, eyes tracing the night sky. Watching the stars twinkle faintly while the moon drifting in the sky, surrounded by a thin veil of clouds. 'Has it already been a few hours?'
I slumped onto a bench, propping my chin on my palm. Today? A disaster. I've tried hard and scoured everywhere for apartments I could rent. Sure there was plenty available. However, I was too poor to afford it. When my apartment fell into ruins, my wallet was left in there, considering I had to evacuate in a hurry.
I sighed.
At least I managed to save my ring. That's a win, right? I'd left it on the table before going to bed, somehow it was the only thing I managed to save before everything went to hell. Oh why did I go to bed as soon as the news happened?
The only reason I even managed to find out was because a tenant from my floor banged on my door like a crazy person, yelling at me to get a move on.
Tsk, I didn't even get a good sleep. But they did end up saving my life.
…
But what can I do now? I was originally going to ask to crash at Yuna's house for a bit before picking my feet back up but she never answered any of my calls. Each failed call leaving me frustrated.
"Should I just sleep here tonight…on this bench?" I thought about it deeply, the idea lingering, but the more I thought, the more I pictured getting myself stuffed into someone's truck just to get sold as a slave. Definitely not an option.
Mm, should I just look at my new quests? It should be up now, considering it's been almost a day.
I opened the system, seeing the ever so familiar home screen. I opened the quests tab.
However, just what am I looking at?
Quests (Beginner)
Avoid death (0/5) Reward: Bonus box
Find a temporary shelter (0/1) Reward: 10 points
Gain popularity (0/1000) Reward: 50 points
Haha, avoid death? At least 5 times? "Does this system want me to jump into the pit of hell and somehow survive?" I muttered, narrowing my eyes. Shouldn't they also at least make it sound more positive?..
Also, Is this even a beginner question anymore? How could I, a mere office worker, gain popularity from 1000 people? If this is beginner, how hard could the next rank be?…
I shuddered, imagining all the things the system could make me do. 'Let's not think that far..even if the quests seem far-stretched, the rewards are quite good.'
Shall I just start easy for now? I leaned back against the bench, the night air brushing against my face. "Alright.. finding a temporary shelter.. easier said than done." Where could I find shelter? Do I just walk in someone's backyard and announce,
"Hey, this is going to be my shelter!"
Would that even work?… I blinked slowly and glanced around. The city was quiet, so quiet that it made you feel like you're the only person in the world. My stomach suddenly growled, pitifully reminding me that I still had to eat to survive.
"I guess I should start moving if I don't want to end up kidnapped. Or starve to death. Whatever comes first, I suppose."
With that, I pushed myself off the bench and walked down the street.
.
.
.
.
"Is preparations going smoothly?" A husky voice called out from the dimly lit chamber. He looked up from his screen, His body was draped in a cloak of midnight black. Green light pulsed on the fabric like a living circuitry. His eyes covered by a mask that resembled a snake, leaving only his bottom half of his face bare.
"Yes, sir. We managed to get a hold on more {Skaldren bones} from the black markets."
The man's lips curled into a thin smile, "Is that so? Excellent! Continue with the preparations." He stood up from his seat and spread his arms wide, almost as if he was embracing the darkness. "Soon, our grand plan will commence! Korea will be reduced to ashes!" He cackled, his face growing red from excitement. "Ahh… I can see the future…" He smiled widely, looking back at the almost terrified subordinate.
The subordinate flinched, terror flashing through her eyes.
"Kekeke.. what are you doing? Shouldn't you be going now?" He tilted his head, walking closer to the fear-stricken woman. His voice sinking into a sinister whisper. "Remember that your life is at stake if you don't listen.."
The woman paled, trembling from his looming presence. She nodded fiercely, tearing eye-contact and running out of the room.
"Hah, It's always fun to see people's scared faces!" He smirked, looking to his right. "You can come out, you know?"
At his words, another figure appeared from the shadows. A woman, cloaked in a similar attire, though its glowing lines were of a deep brown than green. Her eyes covered in a mask that resembled a cat, sharp ears curling upwards. Brown hair swayed softly with every walk she took, though her aura that was being emitted was anything but gentle.
"What are you doing?" She asked, her tone calm yet cutting. It was quite similiar when chiding an old acquaintance. However, he knew better than to mistake it for kindness.
"Hey now..why are you so mad?" He chuckled, narrowing his eyes before releasing a sumilar aura in response. "Why don't we calm down…Silent Claw?"
…
At the name, the woman, Silent Claw, relunctly held back her aura before exhaling sharply. "You know better than to play games. This grand plan… that we have been waiting for a long time.. isn't something to take lightly."
He shrugged, slouching back into his chair. "Come on, It's not like a little fun can ruin the entire plan Boss has carefully made." He smirked, lifting his legs onto the table in a relaxed manner.
"…Do what you want.." The woman said in defeat, turning on her heel. Her body melted into a black puddle, slipping away into the shadows until her presence was no more.
Silent Claw.
A name given to her by the world. She was an S-rank who was feared for her ability to dissolve into black liquid and hunt her prey without a sound. Her claws dripped with toxin strong enough to put someone into an eternal sleep. One that had no cure.
Originally, she had been one of the important figures of Korea, gaining recognition wherever she went. A hero. However, it soon escalated when there was false rumours that she had condemned someone into a never-ending sleep. Her reputation shattered, leading her to fall into despair.
That was when the organisation had found her, claiming her as one of their own.
"Indeed..she never fails to intrigue me." The snake-man murmured to the empty room.