"What do you mean by dungeon hunting? You mean I need to become a Dungeon Hunter?"
"Yes, Master."
Jenny smiled gently.
"Is there any other way? I mean... a safer one. Maybe there's a mine that can generate it?" Zayden suggested. Never in his life did he imagine that to become richer, he'd have to take on the one job he hated the most.
"Unfortunately, there's no other way. This has been the path for decillions of years. To become stronger by dungeon hunting."
'Do I really need to do this? Become stronger? I never thought of that. I just want financial freedom… to live happily. Do I really need to rely on this system?'
He looked down at his hands, at the mark imprinted on his palm. A sense of dilemma began to creep in.
Jenny noticed the change in Zayden's expression.
"Are you scared?"
"No, it's not that. It's just..." Zayden clenched his lips.
He then took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly several times.
"Can I think about it first? I want to return to my room, please," he said.
"Of course, Master. Take as long as you need. I'll wait here. To return, press Log Out from the status screen."
Zayden tapped the "Log Out" button. His body began to glitch, the surroundings buzzed and flickered. Slowly, the world froze, then the perspective shifted, ground turning into sky, landscape warping.
He caught one last glimpse of Jenny's smiling face before the logout process completed.
Now back in his room, surrounded by boxes, Zayden sat on his bed. He glanced at the clock.
It read 9:36 PM.
He had spent nearly 18 hours inside the Generator Frame, yet in the real world, only about thirty minutes had passed.
He walked over to a table covered in dust. There, he noticed a picture frame that had fallen. He picked it up and wiped off the dust, revealing a photo of his family from his childhood. In the picture, he was just seven years old, standing beside his older sister and their parents. His eyes lingered on his late father, and in an instant, memories of that night came rushing back.
His father had once been an office worker. But after the economy took a downturn, he was laid off. Out of desperation, he became a dungeon hunter. At that time, the family had been struggling financially, and his father put himself in danger to support them. For the first year, he earned a decent income. But one day, he was seriously injured during dungeon exploration...and everything changed.
His father's income dwindled. No one wanted to hire an injured hunter. The arguments between his parents became more frequent and louder. Almost every night, Zayden would lie in bed, listening to their shouting.
Then came the night when the news arrived. His father had been killed while trying to clear a dungeon alone.
Since then, his mother never spoke of his father or dungeons again. Zayden could sense the guilt she carried, knowing she was the one who had pressured her husband to find work, no matter the cost.
That tragedy was the reason Zayden never wanted to become a dungeon hunter, no matter how desperate he got. Since then, he had clung to a single dream, to become rich, so he would never end up like his father.
"To think I'm now in your situation this early, Dad... I really am following in your footsteps," Zayden said with a faint smile.
"If you were in my shoes, you'd probably choose to become a dungeon hunter without hesitation, wouldn't you?"
He placed the picture gently into the drawer, then headed to the bathroom. As he stood under the shower, water pouring over him, his thoughts churned. He kept staring at his hands.
And finally, after nearly thirty minutes, he made his decision.
"I'll try this path and see where it leads me. If it doesn't suit me, I'll just walk away. Nothing wrong with trying," he grinned.
"Behold, world! The richest man is incoming!"
He finished his shower and grabbed his phone. If he was going to start his life as a dungeon hunter, there was only one person he trusted to guide him. The very person he called.
Tutt tutt
[Hello.]
"Hello, Max… are you still alive?"
[Barely. My team nearly got wiped out in a dungeon today. Why are you calling me? It's rare for you to reach out. And don't ask for money, you still owe me three thousand dollars. When are you paying me back?]
"Well, uhh... I was planning to, but right now, I need your help."
[Help? With what?]
"I want you to show me how to become a dungeon hunter."
[…]
Max went silent on the other end.
"Hello? Max? You there?"
[Did I hear that right? Zayden, the guy who swore he'd never step into a dungeon even if he was gifted a hundred beautiful women...wants to be a dungeon hunter? Am I dreaming?]
Pang!
A loud clap came through the phone.
[Nope. Not dreaming. Are you serious, Zayden? You're not drunk? You're in your right mind?]
"I'm totally awake and alert. Full Glasgow coma scale. So are you helping or not? If not, I'll ask someone else."
[What do you mean someone else? I am your only best friend. All your other rich friends are fake as hell.]
"They're still friends."
[Fine, fine. Tomorrow at 9 a.m. Meet me at Art Market Station.]
"Got it. Tomorrow. Bye."
[See ya Roger and out.]
Zayden then flopped onto the bed. He'd already slept 12 hours in the Generator Frame, so he wasn't sleepy at all.
"Alright... time to gather some intel."
He spent the rest of the night browsing the internet, reading everything he could about dungeons and dungeon hunters.
---
ZZZZ
Ring ring ring
The sound of a phone alarm echoed. Zayden immediately looked at his phone, it was 7:30 AM. He must've fallen asleep while browsing on it.
After showering, he went downstairs, where he saw his mother and his younger sister...or more precisely, half-sister.
"Rise and shine, brother. This is the first time I've seen you wake up early. Usually, you sleep till the afternoon," his younger sister Zeline said, munching on a bowl of brightly colored cereal. Her short black hair matched his, and she was wearing a colorful outfit with a skirt.
Zayden ignored her comment and sat beside her.
"What are you, a kindergartener? Still eating that kind of breakfast?"
"This is delicious," she replied with an exaggerated face of joy, like she was in a cereal commercial.
"Let me have a little taste," Zayden said, reaching for the bowl.
"Mom! Brother's trying to steal my cereal!" Zeline clutched the bowl tightly.
Their mother walked over from the stove and placed an omelet on the table.
"First thing in the morning, and you two are already bickering again. If your father saw this, he'd definitely scold both of you," Christine said.
They continued their breakfast peacefully...well, mostly.
"Mom, I want to visit a friend after this. Is there any car I can use?" Zayden asked.
"No. Zeline and I are heading to the spa after this. There's no car left."