000. Prologue
The world is harsh.
Someone can be easily chosen and achieve what they want without much effort.
Some people do not achieve what they want despite struggling without being chosen.
It was the same in Hunter’s world.
In a world of hunters of monsters coming out of gates that pop up everywhere, talent decides everything.
A genius easily acquires all kinds of skills and raises his or her stats to become a famous hunter in an instant.
It is to become a hero who receives everyone’s attention.
However, on the contrary, those without talent cannot acquire skills and cannot raise their abilities no matter what they do.
That was the unchanging law of this world.
But…
the moment I was about to give up everything and become a Hunter.
“The ‘Tower of Trials’ has selected all the suitable people in the Earth dimension.”
The laws of that world that seemed to be immortal have changed… ”
Please select the difficulty level.”
come.
001. Tower of Trials (1)
“I will tell you directly, member. You don’t have to come to the gym anymore.”
I was dumbfounded by the sudden exit, so I looked at the gym leader and opened my mouth.
“…What is the reason for your expulsion?”
“It’s because member Han Seong-yoon knows it well.”
“….”
“It means that we are starting to find it difficult to have members.”
“I’m paying my money every now and then, and I’m satisfied with the conditions for using the gym.”
“That’s right. I’m a player and I’m preparing a hunter. But the problem is that the preparation period has already been seven years.”
The gym leader narrowed his eyes and looked at me.
“Despite systematic training, over the past 7 years, members have not unlocked their skills or unique characteristics, and have not even been able to achieve that common stat increase.”
The coldly spoken words pierce the heart like a dagger.
As he said, nothing I have done in a long time.
It wasn’t because I didn’t open my skills, and I didn’t raise my stats either.
‘shit.’
Even that is in the gym where players are trained professionally.
Anyone who awakens as a player will debut as a hunter after a few months of completion at the player gym.
But…
‘I haven’t achieved anything even after several years, let alone months.’
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that he couldn’t actually become a Hunter.
It was because he didn’t have any of the basics as a hunter, which is called the basic of the basics.
However, I did not show the agitation as it was, and calmly asked the question.
“…is that the reason for the expulsion?”
“Precisely, that fact damages the image of my gym. Quite a lot.”
Only then could I understand what the gym leader was saying.
“I’m worried that this gym will be looked at as a problem because of me, who hasn’t been a hunter for 7 years and has followed the same path.”
The gym leader smiled and nodded without saying more.
Yeah I knew it would be like this one day.
damn it
“To be honest, you are nothing.”
“….”
“You don’t have any aptitude, but if you cling to it, how will you pass the Hunter exam?”
“….”
“Do you think something will change if you try hard? It can’t be. It is a futile effort.”
“….”
Words full of malice that seemed to pierce the heart pierced my ears.
But even if he said that, he couldn’t swing his fist or retort with words.
As for whether his fists, which are only slightly better than ordinary people, can be eaten by the gym leader, a former hunter.
As you said, it’s safe to say that I have no aptitude for being a hunter.
I hate to be patient, but I have to be patient.
why?
‘Because I’m weak and I don’t have anything.’
I’ve been patient with tips until now, but now I don’t have to be patient anymore.
Okay, let’s end it here. Now I’m tired too.
“Of course, I’m not asking you to leave bare-mouthed, but I’ll refund about 50% of the membership fee that I’ve received from members so far…”
He says it at length.
In the end, he said he was trying to seduce me gently to kick me out.
“Nothing to say for a long time, please do a 50% refund of the membership fee properly. Enough then.”
After saying that, I passed the gym leader and headed for the gym’s main entrance.
“…!”
I sensed that the gym leader was trying to say something, but in the end he didn’t say anything.
It’s because I have nothing to say by holding on to it, and I’m not the one who loses even if I blush.
at that time.
“Wow, you went to this gym before me and ended up getting kicked out like that.”
Starting with the words of someone who was watching this situation, uncomfortable eyes began to pour into me.
“Still, coming in every morning to train has great grit… It’s a pity.”
“It’s a pity, bitch. It’s just foolish to do that without knowing your subject matter.”
“Oh, is that so? Well, I admit that I am foolish enough.”
“But this is the first time I’ve known that even though I’ve been training for 7 years, my stats haven’t improved.”
Sympathy, contempt and subsequent ridicule…
What did I do so wrong? Those guys continued to despise me for 7 years.
both visible and invisible.
As always, they laughed at me for being incompetent like a player.
Each time, the effort I had been making, literally pouring blood, became folly.
But…
“Now that’s really over, damn it.”
Coming out of the gym, I muttered grimly as I looked at the snow falling from the sky.
The training I’ve been doing to become a Hunter for 7 years without a break.
“Ha…”
The end was absurdly pointless.
***
I didn’t want to become a Hunter like this from the beginning.
It’s only been this way ever since my parents were swallowed up by the overflowing monsters in the dungeon break during the cataclysm.
It wasn’t just me, but so were others who suffered the catastrophe.
However, only a few of them awaken as players.
Even so, I hoped to become a player myself and frantically wished for awakening.
Was that so?
“I did awaken as a player. To awaken.”
But it’s been a problem since then.
Abilities that do not rise no matter what you do, as well as ‘unique characteristics’ are not even open.
Still, I did not stop my efforts, saying that I was lucky to have awakened as a player.
It is believed that ability is something given to those who are prepared….
That’s how I endured 7 years of bloody training.
I didn’t even want to open the unique characteristics.
I just wanted the ability to escape from ordinary people.
Even if it were only for that, I might have comforted myself by saying that I had avenged my parents by slaughtering the monster.
But the world did not allow even that.
I faced such a miserable situation.
On a bench in a snowy park, I took a sip of beer and murmured.
“…I was really foolish. Seven years.”
People who lost their families to Dungeon Break didn’t do it like me.
It didn’t exactly.
Everyone realizes the wall of reality in about two years and gives up as it is.
Or notice that you have talent and go up to the top.
I was a guy who didn’t belong anywhere.
‘I’ve been working hard for 7 years, but I didn’t know that my abilities wouldn’t even rise.’
food.
Even thinking about it myself, I laughed at the disastrous result.
“Even so, I worked hard enough.”
Rather, I wondered if I realized the wall of reality too late.
Other people would have realized the reality right away and walked a different path, but not me.
The future life is about to be bleak.
However, the mental strength he had developed over these seven years did not feel so frustrated.
‘At least I’m not weak enough to give up on life.’
widely…!
I put down the empty beer can on the bench and opened my mouth looking up at the sky.
To end this life, he spoke to his deceased parents.
“…Still, I worked really hard. I wanted to pay my enemies back and I wanted to kill the monsters too. that doesn’t work out I’m sorry this guy is a child.”
I was a bit depressed, but not to the point of crying.
The past 7 years have made even the feelings of resentment and sadness fade.
The pain, which was intense, gradually faded as time passed, and now there is no feeling at all.
‘But there was a time in the past when I was so angry and sad that I couldn’t sleep and trained.’
Now, at 27, I don’t even want to train.
It was only natural that he had no hope of becoming the Hunter.
That’s why I got out of the player-only gym. Rather
than clinging miserably, I want to end it here
.
After I finished complaining, I left my body on the bench and looked at the darkened sky.
I’ve decided not to cling to The Hunter now, but I still have regrets.
I didn’t want to give up, but it was more so because I had to give up.
‘If only I had some talent… At least, I wish it had its own characteristics.’
If so…
If I had at least some hope, I would never have given up.
My eyelids slowly lowered along with such silly thoughts.
***
Like a computer screen in sleep, a blurry hologram message flickers around my eyes.
「The ‘Tower of Trials’ pays tribute to your strong will.」
The first thing I saw in my dim consciousness was someone’s compliment.
‘Who is it?’
I thought so, but there was no time to continue my thoughts.
“The ‘Tower of Trials’ has selected all suitable people in the Earth dimension.”
“Please select a difficulty level.”
“The reward will increase depending on the difficulty level you choose.”
After that message, three options appeared.
I didn’t feel uncomfortable looking at the hologram options of
“Easy”, “Normal” and “Hard” .
A bizarre sensation as if straddling the line between reality and dreams.
Rather than questioning, the thought that I had to ‘choose’ dominated my mind and moved my body.
come this way
If you reach out your hand, you won’t regret your decision.
In response to that temptation, I reached out to the option as if I had to.
and. 「
You
have selected ‘Hard’ difficulty level.
」
The message quickly disappeared like a candle, and the hazy consciousness began to rise to the surface.
It is a perfect awakening from sleep.
“After a while, we will enter the first floor of the Tower of Trials.”
“…?”
“Challengers, please prepare for the upcoming trials.”
Only then did I clearly recognize that a strange phenomenon was occurring.
There was nothing I could do about it.
“Enter the first floor of the Tower of Trials.”
The surrounding landscape changed from a park bench to a desert.
「The ordeal on the 1st floor of the Tower of Trials will begin soon.」
「This ordeal is a special ordeal and is a tutorial course.」
「The subject of this ordeal is ‘survival’.
」 I hope.」
At that moment, I was able to intuit.
「Trial Breaking Reward – Unlock Unique Attributes」
「Trial Failure Penalty – Death」
“…I’m going crazy.”
If there is a turning point in my life, it is right now.
