Rin stared at the glowing screen in front of him. It was really weird. The words floated in the air like they were made of light or something.
Level Up!
Strength +2
Speed +2
Skill Point +1
He blinked. This was not supposed to happen. Hunters did not level up like this. Their ranks were fixed. When you got your power that was it. You were stuck with it. An F-rank hunter would always be an F-rank hunter.
Rin could feel it. His arms felt lighter. His body felt faster. He felt stronger. The two hunters who had been watching him fight were staring at him like he was a ghost or something.
"What... What just happened?" one of them whispered. The other hunter just shook his head. "You killed it " he said.
Rin looked down at the monster corpse. The Black Fang Wolf was dead. A few minutes ago it had almost killed him. Now it was lying there motionless. Rin was the one holding the sword.
"I..."Rin started to say. He did not know what to say. He could not explain the messages floating infront of him. The other hunters could not see them. Rin had noticed that earlier. When the messages appeared the other hunters did not react.
Another message appeared. New Skill Available. Spend 1 Skill Point? Rin quickly turned away from the others. Pretended to check his sword. Inside his mind was racing. A skill point? What was that?
Carefully he focused on the message. "Accept " he said.
The blue screen shifted.
Skill Learned:
Quick Strike (Level 2).
A weird sensation ran through his body. Suddenly Rin understood how to move his sword. It felt natural, like he had been practicing it for years.
"Hey!" One of the hunters was walking toward him. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"Rin scratched the back of his head. "I got lucky " he said.
The hunter did not look convinced. "No F-rank hunter moves like that " he said. The second hunter crouched near the wolf corpse. "This thing was stronger than a wolf monster " he said.
Rin'sstomach tightened. If they started asking many questions.... Then the first hunter shrugged. "Whatever. A kill is a kill." He pointed toward the town walls. "Lets bring it back to the guild."
The guild hall was loud. Hunters were. Arguing. When Rin walked in dragging the wolf corpse people turned to look. Then they started laughing. "Look who's back " someone said. "Did the monster die from boredom?" someone else said.
Rin ignored them. Dragged the corpse to the reward desk. The guild clerk looked up. Then he froze. "Is that a Black Fang Wolf?" he asked. Rin nodded. "Yeah " he said.
The clerk looked from the corpse to Rin. Then back to the corpse. "You killed this?" he asked. Before Rin could answer, one of the hunters behind him spoke. "He did " he said.
The room went quiet. Some hunters stood up. "What?" someone said. "No way " someone else said. The clerk stood up. Walked around the desk. He inspected the monster carefully. After a moment he sighed. "Well... It's definitely dead."
He walked back behind the desk. Started writing on a form. "Reward for one Black Fang Wolf..." He slid a pouch of coins across the table. Rin picked it up. It was not money.. It was the first monster he had ever killed.
As he turned to leave the clerk spoke. "Rin " he said. Rin stopped. "Come back tomorrow " the clerk said. "Why?"Rin asked.
The clerk tapped the desk with his pen. "We're doing another rank evaluation test " he said. Some hunters nearby laughed. "Oh this will be good " someone said. "Maybe he'll get promoted to... F-rank " someone else said.
Rin ignored them.. Something about the clerks expression felt strange. He was not smiling. He was watching Rin carefully. Like he was trying to figure something out.
That night Rin sat alone in his small apartment. The room was tiny. There was a bed, a table and a single window. He poured the reward coins onto the table. Then he sighed. Most of the money was already gone. Food was expensive.. He had been very hungry after the fight.
"Worth it "Rin muttered. He finished the piece of roasted meat. Suddenly a message appeared.
Daily Quest Available. Rin nearly choked. "What now?" he said.
The system window appeared.
Daily Quest.
Do 100 push-ups.
Do 100 squats.
Run 3 kilometers.
Rin stared at it. "Are you serious?" he said. The system did not respond.
He leaned back in his chair. Groaned. "I almost died today " he said. The system did not care. Rin. Stood up. "Fine " he said. If this system was the reason he could grow stronger... Then he would use it. Even if it meant doing exercises in the middle of the night.
Outside the window the moon hung high over the monster forest.. Far away, in the capital city... Two powerful men were moving toward the future. One ruled the guilds. The other commanded the army. Soon enough... Both would hear the name Rin Ashford.