Over the past five days, I've begun to understand the limitations of using my skill.
Time-Stop has a 1-minute cooldown.
However, even after the cooldown is over, I can't immediately use it because the Time-Stop skill really drains my energy.
I used to think that if I could time-stop and snatch everyone, I might be able to easily collect the Red Orbs I needed, but that seems impossible due to my own stamina constraints.
Furthermore, even if I steal Orbs from many people like that, many people will feel lost, and it will become an public issue that could lead suspecting me for having many orbs uncommonly without being a proper Hunter.
The only way to utilize this ability is to register as a Hunter.
If I succeed in becoming a Hunter, I can go on missions to confront monsters and then snatch orbs from them.
No one will suspect anything, and I'll obtain many Red Orbs needed to improve my life and save my mother later.
But to become a Hunter, I must first train my physique and stamina to meet the minimum hunter physical ability standards.
Every day I train:
Deadlift with a 50 kg weight for 100 repetitions.
Jump squats for 100 repetitions.
Sprints for 10 repetitions.
Flying sprints for 10 repetitions.
Of course, my muscles and body are devastated by this training without a single day of rest.
With the remaining three thousand red orbs from my snatch, I bought a recovery potion that can repair muscles and body faster so that my body can develop faster.
Recovery potions are actually standard items needed for anyone who wants to train their body to reach the physical level of a Hunter, even if it's still at the minimum level.
I spent over 2,500 red orbs just on recovery potions so that my body can develop rapidly in the last five days.
But compared to Hunters, even aspiring Hunters, my current physical strength is still at a minimal level.
Of the remaining 500 Red Orbs, I've spent 400 on special hunter shoes and E-rank gear, which can increase my speed.
Now, I'm ready for hunter recruitment.
Hunter recruitment is usually held once a year, but this time it was a surprise recruitment because many hunters had died or gone missing in action, so the Association requiring replacements.
Hunter recruitment took place in the center of the town square, which was now filled with almost thousands of aspiring hunters.
Although being a hunter is a high-risk profession, it seems many still want to try it because they want to become famous or rich.
"Alstair…?"
The cheerful female voice sounded very familiar behind me.
Oh, it was my childhood friend, Cassie Starbourne.
Cassie approached me quickly, her fiery red hair contrasting with the dark color of her hunter suit.
Her sharp, focused emerald eyes, combined with her distinctive, energetic smile, always made me smile too.
Judging by the shoulder and arm guards that accentuate her silhouette, the gloves, and the tactical boots she's wearing, it looks like this hunter suit is C-Rank Hunter Gear.
>Cassie Starbourne
>500,000 Red Orbs
Well, Cassie's total red gems are reasonable.
Cassie may be my childhood friend, but being born into one of the strongest hunter families, the Starbournes, made her career as a hunter easier.
"Are you participating in hunter recruitment again? What about your mother?" Cassie asked, breaking me out of my reverie.
"Yes... my mother is sick, Cassie. But don't worry, I'll support her by becoming a hunter," I said confidently.
"Your body now... is quite fit and proper. Do you train often?" Cassie asked, observing my muscular arms and strong body.
"This is the result of my preparatory training, Cassie. I don't want, or rather, I can't afford to fail again in hunter recruitment this time."
"I'm afraid you've failed again, Alstair. Can I help you with a donation of some of my Orbs?"
"Cassie… I know you've always been helpful since we became friends. But when it comes to things like this, I've prepared something to ensure my success."
"Seriously?"
"One hundred percent serious."
"Hey, Cassie! Why are you still approaching this useless man?!"
A loud male jerk sounded from next to me.
His tactical boots grew louder and closer.
Just as I turned toward the source of the voice, a fist landed on my cheek.
SMACK!
"Jasson…! What the hell are you doing…?!" Cassie exclaimed loudly.
I got up, clutching my bruised cheek, staring at the tall man in a black hunter suit, C-Rank, right in front of me.
The short-haired, muscular man glared at me with an arrogant expression, as if he wanted to devour me alive.
"Stop bothering Cassie, you poor person! Get lost!", the man constantly yelling at me for no reason.
"Jasson! He's my friend! Why are you suddenly interfering?!" Cassie held Jason back from hitting me further.
"Cassie! A poor person like him will only make you drop a level! Stay away from him! You deserve to be close to me! Jason Kingswell!"
Kingswell?
Oh, damn.
No wonder this jerk is so arrogant and conceited.
He's from the Kingswell family, one of the strongest hunters with a Gold Orb, equivalent to 100,000,000,000 Red Gems.
>Jason Kingswell
>901,000 Red Orbs
With the Orb Observation Skill, it seems my suspicions were correct.
Jason, with the gear and orbs he has now, is almost a C-Rank Hunter.
I'm tired of listening to this arrogant kid's ramblings, so I bid Cassie a quick farewell and then walked away.
"Go away, you poor thing! Your mother will regret giving birth to you!"
I stopped in my tracks when I heard Jason shout.
That arrogant kid could insult me as much as he want, but I couldn't stand it if he brought my mother into it.
I turned around and faced Jason.
We glared at each other with hatred and anger.
If Cassie hadn't intervened, we might have been fighting right there and then.
"Loser! You don't even have hunter gear! Look at you! You look like someone going for a morning jog! You're the type of person who would be the monsters' first victim! You'd be eaten alive if you were a hunter!"
Well, I couldn't deny that I did look like someone going for a jog—just a sleeveless black top and dark pants.
Even the design of the hunter shoes I bought looked like running shoes.
"You don't have an Orb. Your presence here only adds to your list of failures as a hunter. You should be grateful the committee failed you, because if you were a hunter, you would have died a foolish death," Jason taunted.
"We'll see. If I succeed, I hope I can see you barking at my victory later," I challenged.
Jason suddenly pushed me, so hard that I bumped into a woman who happened to be passing behind me.
"Get lost, pig! I hope you die a horrible death eaten by a monster!" Jason scolded as he walked away with Cassie.
Cassie seemed worried about me, but I saw Jason continuing to pull her away from me.
I quickly got up and helped the woman I accidentally bumped back to her feet.
"S-sorry, I-"
The world stopped again.
A beautiful woman with long blonde hair, wearing a black C-rank hunter suit identical to Cassie's.
Her blue eyes were fixed on me, but her face didn't show the slightest hint of annoyance or irritation.
"It's okay," the blonde woman replied as she walked away.
My gaze lingered on her as she continued walking away.
>Aveline Winterson
>395,000 Red Orbs
Oh, she has quite a lot of Orbs, though not as many as Cassie and Jason, but with that amount, she's already a D-Rank Hunter.
"Everyone, please gather around! Hunter recruitment is about to begin!"
A shout from the committee immediately drew all the candidates' attention to the giant crystal statue installed in the center of the square.
The hunter recruitment process is quite simple: candidates simply place their hands on the giant crystal, which will then perform an initial analysis to detect their talents.
If the giant crystal emitted light, it meant the candidate had the talent to become a hunter, and vice versa.
I saw Jason, Cassie, and the beautiful, long-haired woman named Aveline easily accepted as hunters because they possessed numerous Orbs and their capabilities as Hunters were sufficient.
Of the thousands of candidates, only a few dozen were accepted as hunters.
Many of the candidates were disappointed and sad, as if they had lost their hopes and dreams.
And…now it was my turn.
I walked, and I could feel Cassie, Jason, and even Aveline staring at me from afar.
"Please hold the crystal," the committee said.
But I remained silent, not taking a step.
I knew that if I held the crystal, I would definitely not be identified as having talent, because I only had 500 Red Orbs left.
"What's wrong? Why are you silent?" the committee asked, confused.
"Hey, loser! Come on! Are you afraid of failing again? Where's that attitude from earlier?!" Jason shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear.
I raised my hand.
"I want an evaluation by trial."
The committee and the surrounding candidates were immediately shocked by my request.
"Hahahaha! That idiot wants an evaluation by trial?! I want to see how he dies horribly! That's great! Let everyone know that being a hunter isn't easy!" Jason exclaimed enthusiastically, laughing dismissively.
"Y-you seriously want an evaluation by trial?"
The committee confirmed.
"I'm serious and I understand the consequences," I replied firmly and confidently.
"O-okay… follow me."
I followed the committee to a location where a teleportation gate appeared.
The teleportation gate would take me to a monster cage kept by hunters for research.
"By choosing evaluation by trial, you are ready to defeat the D-Rank monsters in the arena. Once you pass through this teleportation gate, you will face that monster directly. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand."
The committee sighed, seemingly still not understanding the reason I wanted to participate in Evaluation by Trial.
Hunter candidates often avoid Evaluation by Trial because the risk of death, serious injury, and any consequences arising from this mechanism rests solely with the candidate.
The success rate for Evaluation by Trial is extremely low, around 0.001%.
But I had already assessed all the risks I would face.
I then firmly stepped toward the Teleportation Gate.
A white light flashed, blinding me for a moment, until I finally arrived at a fairly large arena.
At the end, about 500 meters from me, the iron fence holding back the D-Rank bull monster slowly opened.
Even from a distance, I could already hear the bull monster's snorting getting louder, as if it were about to lunge at me.
FINAL WARNING!
EVALUATION BY TRIAL WILL BEGIN!
THE RISK OF DEATH IS YOUR OWN RESPONSIBILITY!
ARE YOU WILLING TO CONTINUE?
YES/NO
A large hologram screen appeared on the ceiling of the arena, along with a loud voice warning me of the consequences of evaluation by trial.
I chose YES, without further hesitation.
The hologram screen disappeared, and all my attention was now focused on the bull monster, eager for its release, waiting for the iron fence to come loose.
For the past five days, I've been researching this D-Rank bull monster.
It's called the Ironhide Bull, weighing over a ton and reaching a running speed of up to 50 km/h.
Even though I was about 500 meters away from it, there was no way I could avoid its charge because I wouldn't have time.
Even if I used time-stop skill to dodge, I could, but after waiting for the cooldown, I wasn't sure I'd have enough strength to continue the fight due to my significant stamina drain.
My only option was to snatch it directly.
With my Orb Observation Skill, I had already detected that 5,000 Red Orbs were located inside its head.
I had to snatch all of them!
"RRROOOAAHHH-!!"
The Ironhide Bull's cry rang out loudly as its hooves raced toward me.
I immediately sprinted, gaining momentum, and then accelerated with a flying sprint mid-stride.
Last time I measured my flying sprint speed, I averaged around 40 km/h.
Within 500 meters, my distance from the Ironhide Bull was rapidly closing.
The pounding of its footsteps and its snorting breaths became increasingly noticeable, sending shivers down my spine and my heart racing.
But I still forced myself to focus.
Full concentration to gain momentum.
Just before the horns of that damned bull monster lunged and-
>Time-Stop Skill Activated.