Riley went into an obscure alleyway. He dumped the cores into his backpack. Riley finally reached the Hunter’s agency. He entered the agency, and the familiar smell hit him. Riley went up to the counter; he did the procedure to sell the cores to the agency. “It’s 30 E-Rank Mana Cores. $10 per core, so it’s $300 for 30 of them. Please scan your Hunter ID,” the lady at the front desk said while chewing gum. Riley nodded and scanned his ID. “The transaction will be sent shortly,” Riley nodded and left the agency.
“Damn it! I need to find a motel or something…” Riley pondered; he didn’t want to sleep on the park bench again. Riley walked through the street, the sky’s hue slowly turning to black. Riley reached a motel, glass littered over the parking lot. Riley walked toward the small lobby; nails and cigarette butts covered the lot. He finally reached the receptionist. “Hello, sir. I would like to reserve a room for 4 days. How much would that be?” Riley asked; the coolness of the night finally settled in. The man sitting in a chair looked up. He had a gruff beard and short hair.
“It would be $250. $50 per night,” the man answered. Riley takes out his debit card. After paying for everything, he walked to the second floor. A man stopped him in his tracks. “Hey, baby. Loookinngg fooorr someee funnn?” The man slurred his words; his mouth smelled like alcohol. Riley wrinkles his nose in disgust. “No,” Riley answered, pushing the man to the side. The man smirked in response. “Oooh, feisty! That’s what I like in a woman,” the man reached for Riley’s chin; he felt something sharp barely grazing his neck. “You move, I’ll fucking cut your head. And I’m a man for your reference,” Riley answered, his sword unsheathed.
“Okay, okay, I’ll back off. There is no need for violence. I’ll believe you ‘man,’” the man backed off. The man raised his hand in surrender. Riley sheathed his sword and walked away to his room. He finally reached his room; he reached for his keys. Riley entered his room; he closed the door and locked it. He laid on the bed. “Open system,” he muttered, lazily watching the ceiling.
System:
Name: Riley Whitlock
[Level 26: (65/100)]
Titles: [True Awakened], [Reaper’s Side Thorn]
Quests: [None]
[Strength: 26.5]
[Speed: 31.5]
[Magic: 0]
[Vitality: 152/152]
Skills: [One Slash, One Life], [The Threads of Life], [Hack n Slash], [Pierce]
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Exclusive Skills: [Sword Aura]
Passives: [The Mad Swordsman]
Items: [Backpack], [Blossom Blade]
Riley’s eyes lazily hovered over the blue translucent window. His eyes land on the ‘Shop’ button. Riley touched the button; the window rippled.
[Shop]
[Healing Potions]
[Strength Potions]
Every monster you kill. You earn points!
[Points: 1,220]
Riley’s eyes widened at the options. The flashback of him almost dying immediately flushes in. Riley’s hands started to move to buy healing potions.
[Healing Potion V1]
[Cost: 100 Points]
Would you like to buy it?
Riley’s eyes scanned the description. Riley’s finger clicked the ‘Yes’ button. He bought three potions, just in case. Riley’s eyes slowly closed; his breath steadied. He needed to make some money tomorrow.
[Next Day]
Riley’s eyes fluttered open. He stood up and looked around. The motel room is shitty, but at least it’s better than sleeping on a park bench. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. He exits out of the motel room. He goes down the stairs, his hair bouncing from each step. “Hm, I should find a job… I need to level up faster. I could sneak in as a ‘Crystal Miner’ and kill a few monsters,” Riley pondered; he can’t keep leveling up from D-Rank monsters. Riley started to walk towards the agency; the streets were full of life. A contrast to Riley’s past, a dark past.
Riley arrived at the agency; he saw other parties advertising. “Looking for a C-Rank tank! Looking for a B-Rank healer! Looking for a ‘Crystal Miner!’” That was Riley’s cue. He went up to the party and handed his ID. “Hello! My name is Riley; I’m a ‘Crystal Miner.’” The team leader, a bald man with a beard, looked at his ID. “Okay, I’m Daryl, a C-Rank brawler. That’s Stacyann, Gerald, and Marcus,” Daryl said as he handed Riley’s ID. Riley grabbed the ID and put it away. “We are doing a C-Rank portal. Your commission is 10% of the crystal’s earnings. Don’t interrupt us, do your job,” Daryl crossed his arms.
Riley nodded; his eyes panned over the other members. Stacyann, donning a mage’s hat. She has black hair tied to a ponytail. Gerald is wearing iron armor and a sword. Marcus was wearing a dark cloak and dagger. Riley walked with them, staying the farthest behind; he looked around until he finally reached the C-Rank portal. Daryl handed him a trusty pickaxe; Riley grabbed it with a soft “thanks.” They entered the portal; it was another cave. Riley’s face grimaced at the sight. “Alright, miner, you do your thing. Don’t interrupt us. You’ll drag us down,” Daryl said as he cracked his knuckles.
Riley went to the glistening crystals; sweat formed on his brows. He heard the distance fighting; he looked around. There were no monsters around. Riley ran his hand through his silky locks. He puts the glistening crystals in the burlap sack that Daryl gave him earlier. “Oi, miner! C’mere!” Marcus signaled Riley to come over. Riley grabbed the heavy burlap sack filled with crystals. “Go over there. Some crystals are waitin’ to be mined,” Marcus crossed his arms, his cloak marked with blood. His blood-stained dagger lay comfortably beside his hips.
Riley arched his eyebrow at the request. He looked inside the cave space. There were some crystals, but not much. Riley entered the cave space; it was dark. He mined the crystals. It was emitting a soft blue glow. He filled the burlap sacks with the crystals. He filled all three sacks with the crystals. BOOM! Riley’s eyes widened; he turned around and saw the entrance covered with rocks. In the last few seconds, the members were smirking.
Riley turned around; torches placed in the cave walls lit up. He saw dozens of Lycans. The Lycans stood up from their naps; they snarled and growled. Spit dripped on the floor; Riley grits his teeth. A vein pops out in his neck. “God damn it! These pieces of shit!”