Zero, a 16-year-old boy residing in a quaint village, reluctantly embraced the new day. "Mornings are the worst," he grumbled, failing to conceal a wide yawn. Shaking off the remnants of sleep, Zero tossed aside his weighty woolen covers and stretched his lanky frame, causing his back to audibly crack. "Ugh, my back feels so stiff."

Still bleary-eyed, Zero trudged towards the bathroom, his footsteps echoing through the house. Turning on the tap, he absentmindedly brushed his teeth, trying to shake off the remnants of drowsiness. After a brief moment of contemplation, Zero discarded his pajamas into a nearby laundry basket and indulged in a brisk, warm shower.

Emerging from the bathroom, Zero donned a pair of comfortable cargo pants and slipped into a well-worn shirt. He then layered his outfit with a sturdy jacket, preparing for the day ahead. "Alright, time to get moving."

Making his way downstairs, Zero greeted his parents with a nonchalant, "Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad."

His father responded, "Hey there, Olethros. How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty well, actually. Oh, by the way, I'm taking the hunter's exam today. Now that I'm well-rested, I figure it's about time to secure a job," Zero replied with a hint of determination.

Finally, his father chimed in, "About time, too! I was starting to think you'd never get off your lazy bum and find work."

"Shut it, old man!" Zero retorted, his frustration seeping into his voice.

Unimpressed, his mother interjected with an angry face, scolding his father, "Enough, Dave! And good luck, Olethros."

"Thanks, Mom!" Zero responded, appreciating her support.

With a final farewell, his parents wished him good luck as he embarked on his journey.

Zero strolled out of his house, his mind burdened by the nagging feeling of forgetting something important. "Damn it, what could it be? It's not my gear, and I did brush my teeth... Ah, I remember now! I completely skipped breakfast. The house is too far, but maybe I can grab some sandwiches from the Blue Tavern," he muttered to himself.

As Zero approached the tavern, he cheerfully greeted the woman behind the counter. "Morning, Angel!"

"Yo, morning, Zero. How've you been?" Angel replied with a warm smile.

"Pretty amazing. I'm finally taking my hunter exam," Zero exclaimed, brimming with anticipation.

Angel's expression turned serious. "Are you strong enough to pass it? All the best, and be careful. I've heard some nasty rumors."

"What rumors?" Zero asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Word on the street is that there are some criminals or something lurking around. I don't have many details, though," Angel shared cautiously.

"Don't be arrogant. Their leader has a small army of hunters in his group. But let's leave it at that. So, what can I get you?" Angel asked, diverting the conversation back to business.

"Can I have five BLTs for the road?" Zero requested.

"Sure thing! Yo, Matt, five BLTs for Zero!" Angel called out to her husband, who seemed irritated by the early morning commotion.

"It's early in the morning. Why do you always have to yell?" Matt grumbled.

"We've been married for a decade, and you still get annoyed by that. Come on, just do it already!" Angel retorted, playfully chiding her husband.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Just stop yelling at me," Matt relented, heading to the kitchen to prepare the sandwiches.

(Timeskip)

"Alright, Angel, Matt, I'll see you later!" Zero bid farewell, grabbing his sandwiches and heading out on his journey.

(Time skip to the guild house)

"Finally, I'm here!" Zero exclaimed triumphantly, having finished his sandwich.

He entered the guild house, where an attendant warmly greeted him. "Welcome to the guild house!"

"I'm here to sign up for a hunter's license," Zero declared.

"Alright, then. Sign this application, and we'll get started," the attendant instructed.

(After completing the application)

"Now that you've finished signing the application, I have one question for you," a woman named Hera said.

"What question?" Zero inquired, eager to proceed.

"Why do you wish to be a hunter?" Hera asked, her eyes fixed on Zero.

"I want to help my family pay their debt and prove that I'm worth something!" Zero answered confidently.

"Alright, here's how it works. When you take missions, the guild will take 20 percent of the money you earn, while you keep 80 percent, along with any items you acquire. Sound fair?" Hera explained.

"Yeah, sounds fair. So, can I take my first mission now?" Zero inquired, his eagerness is palpable.

"We have to test you before you can take your first quest," Hera revealed.

"Oh, what's the test?" Zero asked, his curiosity piqued.

Hera elaborated, "First, we need to check your BP or battle power."

"Alright, how do we do that?" Zero inquired.

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"Simply place your hand on this tablet," Hera instructed.

Zero complied, resting his hand on the tablet. "Alright, now what?"

Hera examined the results. "Your BP is surprisingly high for a beginner. It's around 100!"

"That's good, right?" Zero asked, seeking reassurance.

Hera clarified, "It's above average. Usually, beginners have around 50 to 70 BP. The prodigies tend to have even higher values."

"Now, for your first test, you have to kill this wolf we've captured for tests," Hera informed Zero.

Zero requested, "Can I at least get a weapon?"

"Sure, what weapon do you specialize in?" Hera inquired.

"I use greatswords. Do you have any?" Zero asked.

"We have a claymore and a zweihander. Which one would you like?" Hera presented the options.

"Give me the zweihander," Zero decided, grabbing the blade firmly.

"You can keep it if you win, and we'll even give you a pair of gauntlets if you can chop off its head!" Hera proposed.

"Alright, let's begin!" Zero exclaimed, his determination shining through.

Hera released the wolf, and it sprinted toward Zero. Reacting swiftly, Zero blocked its bite with his blade. He then kicked the wolf away, following up with a wide swing that slashed the wolf's side. The wolf retaliated by biting Zero's lower leg, causing him to release his hold on the sword. However, Zero managed to punch the wolf away and create distance.

"Gotta get some distance and retrieve that sword," Zero strategized, his mind focused on the task at hand. He dashed towards the weapon, grabbing it just as the wolf lunged at him, biting his left arm. Ignoring the pain, Zero took advantage of the wolf's attack and impaled it halfway through with his greatsword.

The wolf, determined to inflict more harm, aimed for Zero's face. Acting swiftly, Zero threw the wolf onto the ground, creating a small crater, and grasped the blade with both hands. With a surge of adrenaline, he exclaimed, "Die already, you fucking mutt!" and slammed the blade onto the wolf's neck, piercing through and leaving a lasting impact.

Exhausted and injured, Zero lost consciousness, collapsing from his wounds.

"Shit, he passed out!" Hera exclaimed, rushing to check his pulse. Relief washed over her as she confirmed that he was still breathing.

(Time skip to when he wakes up)

Zero, still partially injured, yawned as he regained consciousness. "Did I win?" he asked groggily.

"Yes, dumbass. By the way, are you going to pay for the floor you made a crater in?" Hera responded, a touch of annoyance in her voice.

"Huh?" Zero mumbled, confused by Hera's remark.

Hera chuckled. "I was just messing with you! Don't worry about it. Someone else will fix that. Now, let's talk about your performance. It was pretty good for someone with no combat experience. Are you sure you're a beginner?"

"Yeah, well, I was in the knight's program for youth. I actually ranked 752nd, but they only looked at the top 200 for acceptance," Zero explained, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

Hera offered encouragement, saying, "Well, you should still be proud. That wolf was stronger and faster, but its durability was relatively low compared to its power."

Curious, Zero inquired, "How big was the difference?"

Hera elaborated, "Your base battle power was around 100, while that wolf had a battle power of 200. So, the gap wasn't that far. But if it had bitten you in the neck, you would've been a goner. Also, I did a scan again with the tablet, and it seems surviving those injuries gave you a power boost. You're now at around 150!"

"That's good to know," Zero replied a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. "Can I get my first mission now?"

"Well, you're healed up, so let's check what missions are available," Hera responded, leading Zero to the next step.

After reviewing the available missions, Hera informed Zero, "Alright, we currently have three missions for you to choose from."

Curious, Zero asked, "What are they?"

Hera hesitated before mentioning, "I was getting to that! Well, the missions are as follows:

1st mission - Clear out a cave of 20 goblins (BP-60) and the 1 hob-goblin (BP-250). 2nd mission - Defeat the lone steel wolf and collect its teeth (BP-1,200). 3rd mission - Kill and bring the corpse of a werewolf (BP-14,000).

Zero reacted with surprise, exclaiming, "Who the hell put the last two missions here? Are they trying to get someone killed?!" He then pointed at the first mission and requested, "Um, can I take the first one, please?"

Handing him the map, Hera replied, "Alright, here you go. I was going to recommend it anyway, but thanks for saving me time. The map should guide you to the location. Any questions?"

Zero thought for a moment before asking, "Can I have the details about the goblins and the hobgoblin?"

"Alright, the goblins are very weak but sneaky and quite crafty. As for the hobgoblin, he's the real problem. He's pretty strong, but since he just became a hob-goblin, he's weaker than the average hob-goblin, which has a BP of around 400," Hera explained.

With his mission assigned, Zero bid farewell to Hera and left for the forest, his determination resolute.

(Cut to the forest)

"Alright, just a bit more, and I should reach the cavern," Zero muttered to himself.

Spotting the cave in the distance, he noticed some goblins walking out.

"Shit!" Zero exclaimed softly, quickly taking cover behind a tree.

The goblins separated, seemingly searching for animals to hunt.

"Alright, it looks like there are seven goblins out of the cave right now. I should silently kill them one by one to avoid alerting the ones inside," Zero strategized, his mind focused on the task at hand.

A goblin passed by the tree he was hiding behind. With swift precision, Zero beheaded the goblin using his greatsword and concealed the body in a nearby bush.

"One down, nineteen more to go," Zero calculated, ready to continue his silent assault.

Zero swiftly dispatched two more goblins before they could react, cleaving them both in two. However, their screams alerted the remaining goblins, both inside the cave and outside.

"Fuck!" Zero cursed under his breath, realizing his stealthy approach had been compromised.

The remaining goblins, both outside and from within the cave, rushed toward Zero's location.

"Well, no point in hiding anymore!" Zero declared, acknowledging the dire situation.

Surrounded by sixteen goblins, Zero prepared himself for the onslaught.

"C'mon, you green assholes!" he taunted, meeting their aggression head-on.

Zero initiated the fight with a wide frontal sweep, cleaving four goblins in half. Two goblins rushed him simultaneously, but Zero skillfully kicked one into the other, knocking them over. He capitalized on the opportunity, slamming his blade down on the pair, splitting them apart.

The remaining nine goblins charged at Zero all at once. With calculated precision, he sliced through them effortlessly, ending their lives.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the last goblin managed to stab Zero in the back.

"Gah!" Zero grunted in pain, feeling the sharp blade puncture his flesh.

In a fit of rage, Zero turned around and smashed the goblin's face with his gauntlet, breaking its nose and jaw. He then plunged his greatsword into the goblin's chest, ending its life.

Zero, feeling the weight of his injuries and the toll of the battle, took a moment to catch his breath. He knew he needed to rest and tend to his wounds before pursuing any further challenges. The anger in his eyes transformed into a resolute determination as he stared at the entrance of the cavern.

"I'll return for you," Zero vowed, his voice laced with determination and a burning desire for revenge. "But for now, I must recover."

Leaving the goblin corpses behind, Zero made his way back to a safe location where he could rest and tend to his injuries. He found a secluded spot by a nearby stream, allowing the gentle sound of flowing water to soothe his weary mind.

Removing his gauntlets, Zero carefully examined his wounds. The goblin's blade had left a deep gash in his back, and the pain pulsed with each breath. Using strips of cloth from his torn clothing, he improvised bandages to staunch the bleeding.

Sitting by the stream, Zero drank from the cool water, replenishing his body and finding solace in the tranquility of the surroundings. He knew he had pushed himself to the limit, but he couldn't afford to dwell on his injuries for long. There were more challenges to face, and he needed to be prepared.

As he rested, Zero reflected on the events that had led him to this point. The desire to prove his worth and help his family had driven him to become a hunter. It was a path fraught with danger, but Zero was determined to rise above the challenges and emerge victorious.

With renewed determination, Zero stood up and tightened the straps of his gauntlets. The pain was still present, but he wouldn't let it hinder his progress. He would face the next obstacle head-on, knowing that each trial would make him stronger.

"The cavern and its secrets await," Zero murmured, a steely resolve in his voice. "I will not be deterred."

To be continued...