He had given up his life to save others? Haha! He knew his master, and knew even more his personality. The butler shook his head in sadness as the face of a man who had been in his mind these past few days popped up. He thought of this man and asked himself. Could he have had anything to do with this?
As he was lost in thought, the newscaster continued "As this highest-ranking hero passed, he passed on the torch to someone else just as powerful. Someone who will continue to keep the citizens of the city safe. The message received from the Outer Bank X City's Elite Hunter Squad is that their new leader goes by the name Noah Osmont"
The sudden announcement brought back the butler's attention to the TV, his eyes turning into cold slits as his theories were verified. So it was you all along.
Anger and sadness were bubbling in the butler's heart but he quickly pushed it down until all that was left was sadness. He recalled warning his master about this man because of the many things he did not know, but he failed his job. He didn't get the point across well enough and his master paid dearly for it. He wasn't making the same mistake.
The butler walked towards the huge doors at the mansion that he had kept open, waiting for his master. But he knew that he was not coming back. And yet he still stood in the middle of the open doors, waiting for no one, waiting for nothing.
---
Noah carried his tired body over to the nearest Hunter Lodging as soon as he left [Solael's Dungeon] He wasn't really tired physically, he just felt mentally drained. Many events had occurred today, and as calm as he was there were still things that he did for the first time.
Besides the abnormally more numerous than average looks he was receiving as he walked through the luxurious hotel, nothing else seemed out of place. He did his usual ritual of grabbing a room and ordering food. As he was eating, he turned on the TV and almost choked on his food when he saw what was being reported. It was a local channel breaking the news for Outer Bank X
A glowing red title was saying that the highest-ranking hero in the city was now dead.
The things Noah heard baffled him to say least. Cohen Anderson had sacrificed himself, he had boldly taken on the boss that was endangering his teammates' lives and used all of his power until his last breath before he passed on the torch to...Noah Osmont.
Oh, come on! Noah, let out an exasperated sigh as he saw his name and picture paraded in front of the TV. He reigned in the rest of his thoughts as he continued to watch the news before agreeing with the way that Anderson's party members finished things. It was much better to let the public know this version of the story than telling them that one of the hunters just killed the other.
The officials had kept the information short and precise, one hunter was dead and another one just as powerful, if not more, took his place. There was nothing to worry about. No problems would occur. Everything is just as it was before.
A smile formed on Noah's lips as he thought of this. No. Everything was not how it used to be. Because that rank C dungeon that had given hunters so much trouble...he was about to turn it into his playground. He was planning on clearing it by himself multiple times for the next few days as most of his reservations were reduced when he confirmed his own power against Anderson.
Of course, he wouldn't suddenly make stupid decisions that could endanger his life, but he definitely had more legroom to take risks. Bigger risks gave bigger rewards. The risk he had to take these next few days is going to be watching the monolith of [Solael's Dungeon] turn from orange to blue as he cleared the dungeon multiple times, and what reactions that would receive from the powerful figures in the city, but even more so for the actual powerful figures hiding in larger cities
He wanted to take down the ten-meter giant TITAN all by himself. He wanted his strength to continue rising and his range of skills to continue expanding. He wouldn't limit himself as much anymore.
[Noah Osmont][Occupation: Hunter]
[Vitality: 150+30]
[Focus: - ]
[Strength: 150+50]
[Skill(s): (F-Fireball-100)(F-Heal-53)(E-Arctic Armor- 100)(D-Flames of Torment-99)(D-Safeguard-38)(D-Danger Sense-99)(C-Arcanist's Sphere of Protection-99)(C-Camouflage-77)(C-Aura of Haste-54)(C-Explosive Rune-61)(C-Life Essence-51)(C-Increased Penetration-44) (C-Regeneration-11) (C-Whirlwind-13) (C-Smite-1) (B-Giant's Strength-8)]
[Equipment: (E-Swift Boots)(D-King's Valor)(C-Ring of Storage)]
Chapter 20 - Movements
I was up fairly early the next morning as I was too excited to try out a multitude of things today. There were so many ideas flowing in mind that I didn't know what to start with. I looked at the dark-haired man in the mirror as my thoughts were inexplicably taken back a few years into the prime of my 20s.
The man in the mirror definitely looked like me a few years back, a head full of messy hair, the same fair complexion, and eyes full of hopes and dreams that weren't completely destroyed. I shook myself out of the trance as I started the day
I began by checking the [Ring of Storage] that I had taken of Anderson's hands. In it were a multitude of [Core]s, [Item]s, and 2 [Skill Book]s. I was extremely content with the finding as a majority of the cores were rank C, with 8 rank D items and 2 items that were rank C, [Lightning Boots], and [Fiery Helm]. The two skill books were also both rank C, being [Resilience: Defense and healing effects are increased by 50%] and [Supercharged- Energy rumbles through you, increasing casting speed by 50%]
The [Supercharged] skill would have definitely fit the criteria I had set a few days ago, but [Resilience] would also be a great addition that goes along with my current plan of even learning skills geared towards other jobs besides Mage
The rank D items would all be getting sold, along with a few rank C pieces that I wouldn't be wearing as I waited for the [Item]s that I took off Anderson's body to self-repair. I damaged them pretty heavily with [Explosive Rune], but they should be fully repaired by tomorrow
As for the [Core]s, anything below rank C found in the ring would be sold, and I began absorbing the rank C [Vitality] and [Strength] cores. I had both the ones that went as my share plus Anderson's, so it was a sizable amount, but I was only able to bring [Strength] to 167 and [Vitality] to 170.
With these preliminary things completed, I checked out of the room and shot a text to that lovable fat salesman I never bothered to remember the name of as I went to the central Awakened Center.
My face had been shown around heavily throughout the night so many people recognized me and snapped pictures, but I ignored everything and arrived at the Awakened Center in a few minutes
The fat salesman seemed to have been promoted, as he had two assistants with him when he saw me walk in. He threw out that usual shrewd smile and brought me to a more luxurious room in the back compared to last time
I took everything in a stride as the moment my name was released last night, I knew something like this would be happening. The first thing the salesman did was open a suitcase and hand me a shining blue card that held my name and picture, along with a title of Rank B Hunter
I grabbed it and gave my thanks as it saved me the hassle of looking for the advancement area and wasting time there. I then took out all the cores and items that I wanted to sell while I asked him for a registry of all Knight and Berserker skills they had in stock
He was puzzled at this but did as he was asked and I was browsing through all the skill books soon after. I had done a significant amount of research on Mages and their skills as that was the path I wanted to walk on when I awakened, but I wasn't too well versed on the skills that Knights and Berserkers commonly used
Keeping my explosive progress in mind, I looked at rank C skills mostly as well as some exceptional rank D skills that wouldn't be left far behind in their effects in a matter of weeks. A few fit my requirements, and I pointed them out to the salesman who brought them into the room in a few minutes.
The new skills I had bought and learned were [D-Rough Skin: Resistance to elemental skills are increased],
[D-Fleeting: Slightly increases movement speed], [C-Gracefulness: An aura that grants you increased evasion descends], [C-Precision: Your accuracy is increased and your attacks rarely miss your target], and [Adamant: Your defense is increased as you passively heal from minor injuries]
These were the only skills that fit my new guidelines that were in the Awakened Center. The remaining skills actively required you to be using some sort of close combat or ranged weapon to activate like [Blade Light],[Shield Charge], or [Duplicate Arrows]. It made me think of whether I should also buy a weapon to add these skills to my arsenal too without it spreading my focus over too many things. I was content with the new addition of skills and thanked the salesman that gave his usual bright smile.
I had much fewer reservations about being seen or discovered so I activated the new skills I just learned on top of all the old ones that were still active while I left the Awakened Center. I felt the increased strength of my body as my path was confirmed to be heading in the right direction
I was itching to dive into the dungeon right away as I hailed a ride towards [Solael's Castle]
---
A man with a sharp face was finishing some paperwork when his assistant walked through his office doors with an even bigger stack of papers and folders. A grimace formed on the man's face as his rough voice came out. "How is the production and recruiting of rank B hunters proceeding?"
The assistant gave him a sweet smile as she replied "Very well boss. We have new ones come in every day and we are able to produce at least 1 rank B hunter a day from the resources they bring back from the dungeon"
The man nodded his head as he continued "Good, the plan is going in the right direction, but it needs to be accelerated. Reach out for even more hunters across the cities and entice as many as you can. We want this dungeon to continue to be cleared every day with even more hunting squads"
His assistant nodded her head as she put the folder in her hands on the table and then bowed with a smile "Here are the preliminary names we have gathered today that are waiting for your approval. For the Blessed Empire"
"For the Blessed Empire" The man replied with an impassive expression. He looked at the folder in front of him as he thought about the movements they had been seeing, and how unprepared they were for what was coming. There was a huge threat looming over them, and people still moved about in complete ignorance
He was in charge of managing the rank B Dungeon in Star City and wanted to exceed the quota set by the Admirals for its production. He wanted hunters to be entering it day and night, bringing out as many [Item]s, [Skill]s, and [Core]s that they could
He planned to write an official letter to the higher-ups and some colleagues to suggest they increase the urgency of this matter and actively move the empire's pieces for the days to come. The production of rank B hunters was coming along nicely but they would not be enough, the needed even more A rank hunters moving about in the empire
The face of Steel Mikhail passed through his mind as he considered all the new rising rank A hunters. He shook his head that was filled with worries as he looked at the figure of the assistant still waiting to be dismissed before him
He nodded at her and said while getting up and unbuttoning his shirt "Close the door. I've been cooped up in here for too long and need to release some stress"
The assistant smiled sweetly once more as she followed the command.
At the bottom of the folder that she had laid down, a name was written among many. Noah Osmont was clearly apparent at the bottom of the many stacks of paper.
Chapter 21 - Adrenaline
I was camouflaged as I looked up to the peak of the huge orange monolith that was [Solael's Castle]. I was planning on diving into this dungeon multiple times today, knowing that this orange hue will quickly change to blue and cause some unwanted attention to shift over here
But I wasn't worried too much currently. My strength could be considered great, and I didn't see another case like Anderson crazily appearing to bring me any issues.
I stopped thinking so much and looked forward to seeing how long I would clear this dungeon that took an 'Elite Hunter Squad' of this city more than half a day to go through. A dungeon with 1 floor holding a huge castle that had 20 extremely large rooms and 1 BOSS hall...I was looking forward to it!
I placed my hand on one of the squares of the monolith with bubbling enthusiasm as I was transferred to the plains that showed a castle on the horizon.
All the active skills were activated, making my body shine with an inordinate amount of colors. I also activated [Whirlwind] as gales of wind also began appearing around me, making me disappear from the spot I was standing just as I put some force on my feet
Haha!
I was propelled upwards for more than 10 meters as my figure breezed towards the castle. I couldn't help but let a laugh escape my lips as I fell towards the ground and rebounded only to be thrown forward even faster. I had to adapt to this crazy level of strength and speed that the skills and my increased attributes were giving me as I moved forward.
I couldn't control my descent from my last jump and managed to smash into the huge door of the castle, disrupting its serene peace and waking up the first 10 statues in the first room
I dashed towards them as if I was possessed and finally cast [Smite]! 10 golden swords of light appeared above me even faster than when I cast it the first time, hanging imposingly as they waited for my command
"Strike down!" I couldn't help myself as I said these words out loud and the 2-meter long golden sword barreled down towards the oncoming statues
BOOM!
A blinding light exploded out as the golden sword struck down the incoming statues, causing dust and rubble to fly about as I breathed heavily and watched the scene clear. Only stones were left shattered on the ground
Haha...Haha! I couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it. In less than a second, all the rank C monsters were dead! I was even more confident while thinking about all the skills that enhanced my damage, cast and attack speed, as well as [Increased Penetration] that let me further ignore the defenses of monsters.
I felt the rush and adrenaline coursing through me as the room was completed in under a minute and pushed off from where I stood to head towards the large door to the next room.
I blasted in and saw the now 11 statues move about as another 10 golden blades appeared above me. They targeted the nearest 10 as I moved at high speeds and quickly appeared in front of the 11th, moving my hand around speedily as I plastered multiple [Explosive Rune]s on its body and commanded them to explode right in front of me
I loved watching the huge explosions occur when I was near and observed the huge impact blasting out the statue's body. The entire force was negated by the now 100 proficiency skill [Arcanist's Sphere of Protection] that wasn't really a sphere anymore and hugged my body as if it was another layer of skin
The room was once again cleared in a few seconds my breathing increased and I rushed into the 3rd room. 10 statues were quickly obliterated by another cast of [Smite] and I moved close to the remaining 2 statues and cast [Flames of Torment].
The long pillar of flames had a darker color after reaching 100, its flames coagulated together tightly as if they were a thick viscous material. It was rotating the moment I cast it in its long linear form, causing hot suffocating winds to fly out. I threw the thick cable of flames forward and they literally melted the statues the moment they came in contact
I stopped for a second to catch my breath as I just cleared 3 rooms out the 20 in under 5 minutes. A childish smile wouldn't leave my face as I continued on forward to the fourth.
The next rooms were cleared in a similar fashion, starting out with [Smite] and following with either [Explosive Rune] or [Flames of Torment]. Starting from the 10th room, I just cast another [Smite] the moment the first 10 statues were shattered by the first cast, finishing them in record time
I was now standing in front of the huge door that led
to the BOSS room and I tried collecting myself as I impatiently went in. The TITAN was as humongous as usual, frighteningly boasting its 10-meter size. The 10 guards standing by its side couldn't even respond as 10 golden swords smashed into them the moment I entered
The huge beast opened its blank eyes the moment the guards were destroyed and began coming towards me, its huge steps causing the ground tremble. I watched the BOSS menacingly come towards me as 10 swords of light appear, then another 10, and another 10 as [Smite] was repeatedly cast three times
I commanded the first 10 to shoot towards the BOSS in a tight-nit circular formation. They smashed onto his chest, stopping his advance and pushing him back. The next 10 flew up one after another to repeatedly strike the same area I was focusing on the TITAN's head, blasting onto him and pushing him back even further. The last 10 flew in and surrounded the neck around a few meters away and rushed forward while it was still disoriented
Before it could even roar or do anything else, the 10 golden swords closed in on its neck from all directions
ZING!
The TITAN wobbled for a few seconds before a pillar of thick flames wrapped around the nearly destroyed neck and squeezed in, melting everything it came in contact with. Another second passed before a loud crash was heard in the huge hall. The TITAN's head now lay on the ground. Not even a minute had passed.
I watched this unbelievable scene in front of me as if it wasn't something that I had just done. The huge BOSS that needed an entire party to hunt had taken me less than a minute to take down
"AAAAH!!!"
I let out an embarrassingly loud triumphant howl after accepting the scene in front of me and reveled in it once more. Around 20 minutes total had passed and the castle was completely cleared. A green crystal rose as a shining pile of loot appeared beside the boss
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