Chapter 2: Exterminating Bugs

Author: Mouser_Sama

After leaving his house, Jaemin went to a nearby park. Upon arriving, he looked around for a while before spotting an ant crawling on the ground. With a smirk, he made his way toward it.

"It's experiment time," Jaemin muttered, grinning.

After observing the ant for a moment, he stepped on it, squashing it instantly under his foot.

"Ding! You gained 0.1 experience for defeating an ant."

"So, normal creatures also count as monsters in the system. Experiment successful!" Jaemin muttered to himself.

Quickly, he pulled a can of bug spray from his pocket, his grin widening as he tightened his grip.

"You better watch out, insects! I'm coming to exterminate you all!" Jaemin shouted.

He began spraying the ground furiously, the hissing sound filling the air as he targeted every unfortunate insect in his path.

"Ha! You thought you could escape?" he said, aiming the nozzle at a beetle trying to scurry away. One press of the spray and the beetle stopped moving. Another notification flashed in his mind.

"Ding! You gained 0.2 experience for defeating a beetle."

With precision, Jaemin continued spraying. Ants, beetles, and other insects scattered in every direction, but none could escape him.

"Ding! You gained 0.3 experience for defeating a beetle."

"Ding! You gained 0.1 experience for defeating an ant."

Marching through the park, his eyes stayed fixed on the ground, scanning for his next target. He crouched down, observing a line of ants carrying crumbs back to their nest.

With a quick spray, the entire line of ants stopped moving.

"Ding! You gained 0.1 experience for defeating an ant."

"Ding! You gained 0.1 experience for defeating an ant."

"Ding! You gained 0.1 experience for defeating an ant."

"Ding! You gained 0.1 experience for defeating an ant."

Countless notifications filled his screen as he continued exterminating the ants. Suddenly, he spotted a larger bug—a cockroach—scuttling across the path. His eyes widened in excitement. This was the biggest bug he had seen so far.

"This one’s gotta be worth more experience!" Jaemin whispered, sneaking up on the cockroach and readying his spray.

The cockroach darted to the side, narrowly avoiding his first spray. Jaemin's heart raced, but he quickly adjusted his aim, hitting the bug squarely this time. The cockroach stopped moving.

"Ding! You gained 0.5 experience for defeating a cockroach."

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"Yes! Cockroaches are definitely worth more!" Jaemin said, satisfied.

With every insect he defeated, the steady stream of notifications fueled his determination.

"Ding! You gained 0.1 experience for defeating an ant."

"Ding! You gained 0.3 experience for defeating a beetle."

"If I keep this up, I'll level up in no time," he thought, his eyes scanning for his next target.

His gaze fell on a patch of grass where a cricket chirped, unaware of the danger creeping closer. Jaemin moved in slowly, his finger hovering over the spray nozzle.

"Gotcha, dumbass," he whispered, releasing a precise spray that engulfed the cricket.

"Ding! You gained 0.3 experience for defeating a cricket."

A rustling sound caught his attention. Turning, he spotted a small swarm of gnats buzzing near a bush.

"A whole group? This could be worth a lot of experience!" Jaemin thought excitedly. He positioned himself carefully, aiming to hit them all at once. Taking a deep breath, he pressed the nozzle hard, releasing a wide cloud of spray that enveloped the swarm.

Several gnats couldn’t escape fast enough.

"Ding! You gained 0.2 experience for defeating a gnat."

"Ding! You gained 0.2 experience for defeating a gnat."

"Ding! You gained 0.2 experience for defeating a gnat."

"Ding! You gained 0.2 experience for defeating a gnat."

Jaemin continued exterminating bugs with the intensity of a man on a mission. People in the park looked on with a mix of sympathy and concern, whispering to each other.

"Another kid overwhelmed by pressure."

"Poor boy... something must be wrong with him."

Jaemin, too focused on his task, ignored the concerned stares. With each insect he defeated, his excitement grew as notifications continued popping up.

"Ding! Congratulations, your level has increased."

"Finally!" Jaemin muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead.

He quickly opened his system panel to check his stats.

[Name: Jaemin Park Level: 1 Experience: (0/100) Hunter Rank: None Class: None Skills: None]

"Hmm... even after leveling up, I’m still not close to becoming a hunter," Jaemin scoffed.

"Well, it makes sense. Even F-class hunters can shatter walls easily," Jaemin sighed.

He continued his extermination spree until sunset, when he realized he wasn’t gaining experience from killing bugs anymore.

[Name: Jaemin Park Level: 3 Experience: (0/1000) Hunter Rank: None Class: None Skills: None]

"I only managed to level up this much. It’s not enough... I’ll need to become at least an F-rank hunter to handle that situation," Jaemin muttered, concerned.

A sudden thought crossed his mind. "What if I defeat humans? Would I gain experience points?"

"Whatever the outcome, I’ll have to try. It's the only way to level up for now since I can’t access any spatial cracks without a hunter's license," Jaemin said.

"Should I beat up kids to level up?" he briefly wondered before shaking the idea off.

"No way. I can’t just beat up innocent people. That’d be messed up!" Jaemin said, feeling guilty.

"Wait, doesn’t the government sell monster crystals? I could probably gain experience from those! I even bought one once but forgot about it after failing to absorb it. It’s probably still at home!" Jaemin exclaimed.

"Why didn’t I think of that earlier?" he muttered in excitement.

Jaemin sprinted back toward his house, feeling his physical strength and speed had increased.

"Whoa! My speed’s nearly doubled!" he thought, effortlessly dodging obstacles as he ran through the streets.

Bursting through the front door, he headed straight to his room and frantically searched for the monster crystal.

"Come on, where is it?" he muttered, tossing aside clothes and books. Finally, his hand touched a small, glowing stone hidden in a drawer.

"Got it!" Jaemin exclaimed, holding up the crystal. It emitted a faint light, pulsing softly in his hand.

"This F-rank monster crystal... I spent 100,000 won on this and lived off instant noodles for a month because of it," Jaemin sighed.

"Ding! F-rank crystal detected. Absorbing it will grant 10,000 experience. Would you like to proceed?"

"Yes," Jaemin replied eagerly.

"Ding! Congratulations, your level has increased."

"Ding! Congratulations, your level has increased."

"Ding! Congratulations, your level has increased."

"Ding! Congratulations, your hunter rank has increased."

Jaemin quickly opened his system panel.

[Name: Jaemin Park Level: 6 Experience: (2000/10,000) Hunter Rank: F Class: None Skills: None]

"Finally! I’ve reached the threshold to become a hunter!" Jaemin shouted.

"I’ll go to the testing office tomorrow to get my hunter's license. Then, I can finally access dungeons!" he muttered excitedly.