Boring.
That is the only word with which I would describe an E-Rank Dungeon.
As a Sorcerer, I always keep my distance. Thanks to my magic, no Goblin has managed to get close enough to put me in a bind.
"Luckily, you exist, you little nuisance."
In front of me stood the Boss of this dungeon, a Goblin Shaman, a monster I hoped would prove somewhat of a challenge.
The problem?
They are elusive and cowardly.
A Goblin Shaman usually hides behind his own, weaving spells and spitting curses from the rear.
And as I expected, the Shaman showed his sharp teeth in a smirk, surrounded by a dozen Goblins willing to give their lives for him.
The upside?
They remain insignificant scum before the Sorcerer King.
"I command you as the minister of magic... stop their movement."
"Paralysis!"
The first Goblin charging at me froze in his tracks, his mace mid-swing.
But I didn't stop there. The Mana Cube in my hand shone with greater intensity.
"Paralysis!" "Paralysis!" "Paralysis!"
One by one, the Goblins surrounding the Shaman became motionless, like stone statues, their savage expressions petrified.
The Shaman himself, who was about to conjure something, stood with his mouth open and eyes fixed on the void, unable to move.
With the whole horde paralyzed, I unsheathed my knife.
"Mmm-mm-mm, experience, experience, come to me..." I hummed in a low voice, almost dancing as I moved among them.
A quick cut on a Goblin's neck. Another. And another. There was no resistance, only the soft sound of their necks being sliced and the muffled thud of their bodies falling.
I approached the Goblin Shaman. He, paralyzed, could only watch as I eliminated his subordinates. There was no fear in his eyes, only confusion.
I shrugged and plunged the blade of my knife into his throat, and he, like the others, collapsed without a sound.
Like I said, boring.
...
Back home, after completing and abandoning the Hunter Guild's E-Rank Gate, and having collected all the mana crystals from the boss room, I began checking all the notifications I had received from the Ahkasha System.
First I had showered, and hadn't bothered to get dressed when I dropped onto the sofa, with only a towel covering the lower part of my body.
<< SKILL ACQUIRED >>
Lesser Mana Usage (Passive)
Skill used by those who learned to utilize their mana to a certain extent. Increases damage and amplifies the effect of magic.
Effect: Increases magic attack by 5%.
Effect: Reduces mana cost by 5%.
<< SKILL ACQUIRED >>
Lesser Mana Recovery (Passive)
Skill obtained by those who use magic. Increases mana recovery a little.
Effect: Increases mana recovery by 30%.
---
[STATUS]
Name: Liam Abernathy (Kuratauras)
Race: Human
Job: Apprentice Mage.
Level: 17
| Strength: 34 | Stamina: 37 | Agility: 38 | Mana: 31 | Luck: 51 |
Points: 48
Specialty: None
Skills: Magic, Mana Usage, Lesser Mana Usage, Lesser Mana Recovery.
(Author's Note: I decided not to add spells to the skills as the list in the future would be extremely long.)
---
Looking at my status, I smiled with satisfaction.
The progress was quite good. The truth is I expected much less coming from some sad Goblins.
Apparently, for every level I go up, one point is automatically added to each of my statistics.
I also get three stat points to distribute on my own.
The Ahkasha System seemed to be quite generous.
Now... How should I distribute my points?
"Heh, of course, all to mana, I am a sorcerer after all."
While I spent all my points on the mana statistic, the doorbell of my apartment rang.
I looked at myself for an instant, still naked, with only a towel, and shrugged, walking toward the door.
Upon opening the door, I found myself face to face with a blonde woman, with gray eyes and a neat bob cut. I towered over her by almost a head and a half; she was short and of slender build, her figure hiding unexpectedly generous curves and she possessed a prominent chest.
She is also wearing jeans and a white shirt.
Seeing me there, leaning against the half-open door, with my hair still wet, and with a bare torso, her face turned completely red from embarrassment.
"G-G-Good morning...!" she greeted, stuttering shyly.
Clearly, she hadn't expected her new neighbor to open the door half-naked.
"M-My name is Cha Hae-In, I am your next-door neighbor... I wanted to welcome you to the building!"
I raised an eyebrow, amused, upon recognizing her.
Cha Hae-In, an S-Rank Korean Hunter and Vice-Master of the Hunters Guild.
In the future she would be the wife of Sung Jin-Woo, the Shadow Monarch, and mother of Sung Suho, the Monarch of Transcendence.
I vaguely remembered that she would also be known as the Dragon Maiden.
"What a coincidence..." I thought, amused.
Just a few hours ago I had stolen an E-Rank Gate from the Hunters Guild, and now, the Vice-Master shows up personally at my door.
"I-I brought a cake..." she showed the cake in her hands, lowering her head slightly.
"Oh..." was all that came out of my mouth.
WAIT A DAMN MINUTE!!
Are you telling me that I have a pretty girl in front of me, bringing me a cake, while I am half-naked, and all I can say is...? Oh?
It was only at that moment that I remembered something extremely important... and embarrassing.
As the Sorcerer King Kuratauras, in over three centuries of life... I never had any relationship with a woman!
Ah!
Thinking about it carefully, Akaluman was a woman.
But to think that the only woman I remember from my past life is a dragon... and the person who killed me, furthermore, is pathetic.
Shaking off those thoughts, I focused on Cha Hae-In.
"I thank you for the cake. You didn't have to go to so much trouble for a simple neighbor. By the way, my name is Kurat... Liam Abernathy," I introduced myself, stopping just an instant before blurting out the name "Kuratauras" out of sheer habit.
Cha Hae-In was still red up to her ears. Quickly averting her gaze from my chest, she gave a slight bow, not daring to look up.
"I-I am Cha Hae-In, it is a pleasure to meet you, M-Mr. Abernathy," she stuttered shyly.
I took the cake from her hands, which she let go of as if it burned, and opened the door completely, inviting her in.
"Please, come in. Don't be shy. You can call me Liam; Mr. Abernathy is what they called my father."
She nodded silently, still blushing, and crossed the doorway.
I closed the door behind her and told her, as I walked toward the hallway. "Miss Cha, wait a second. I'm going to put some clothes on. Make yourself comfortable; make yourself at home."
I went up the stairs to the second floor and entered the bedroom and dressed quickly in shorts and a casual black t-shirt.
I returned to the living room, where Cha Hae-In was sitting stiffly on the edge of the sofa, observing the room.
"It's a pity. I have such a good neighbor... but this apartment is rented and I will be leaving soon," I told her, in a casual tone.
I have to start building my own house as soon as possible. I need to buy land soon.
Electricity and mana are two energies compatible with each other. I can increase my mana quickly by converting electricity into mana using magic.
Hooray for science!
In my past life, something like that would have been totally impossible.
The electricity bill would be high, yes, but that would be solved with a house capable of supplying its own electricity, like with solar panels.
Money won't be a problem either once I register at the Hunter Association as an S-Rank Hunter.
"Oh, what a pity..." muttered Cha Hae-In to herself, with an expression of disappointment.
I smiled inwardly. At least my attractiveness hadn't diminished with the passing of centuries.
Taking advantage of the situation to flirt, although it was something I had never done in my three lives, I sat next to her on the sofa.
"And tell me, Miss Cha, what do you work as?"
"I am... a hunter," she replied, still without looking directly at my face.
"What a coincidence! I just awakened as a Hunter recently myself," I lied to her, although technically it isn't a lie. "I was thinking of going to the Association in a few weeks to check what rank I got."
The surprise on her face finally made her look away from the floor. But before she could say a word, Miss Cha, with unexpected speed, pushed me against the sofa, forcing me to lie down, AND climbed astride me!
"Hey!" I shouted, surprised by the abrupt movement.
What physical strength. It's true that S-Rank hunters are in another league, I thought, although compared to all the demigods and gods I faced, they are nothing.
"Are you perhaps a sexual predator, Miss Cha? And have you chosen me as your next prey?" I joked, clearly with a smile. "Please, be gentle."
Cha Hae-In didn't flinch upon hearing me, or perhaps she simply didn't pay attention to me, as she brought her face dangerously close to mine and began sniffing me intensely, looking for some kind of smell.
"You don't stink!!" she exclaimed with surprise a few seconds later.
"Of course I don't smell bad, Miss Cha, I just showered," I huffed, amused.
From what I remember, the Smell of Mana skill made her unusually sensitive to mana, which caused almost all hunters and monsters to smell bad to her.
The only one who didn't smell bad to her was Sung Jin-Woo thanks to his condition as a Player.
And apparently, I must be something similar in that regard.
"Miss Cha," I asked her, still in a joking tone. "Should I start worrying seriously and call the police right now?"
It was then that Cha Hae-In snapped out of her daze and realized the compromising position we were in.
Her eyes widened like saucers and her face blushed so hard it looked like it was going to explode.
"I-I'm sorry!"
She jumped to the side, quickly moving away from me.
"I am very sorry, Mr. Abernathy. I got carried away by my... my condition. It is an unusual pleasure not to detect that stench, and... I am very sorry, really."
"Relax, it's nothing. I know some hunters are unusually sensitive to the smell of mana. The moment you started sniffing me I remembered reading something similar on the internet."
"A-Anyway, I really am sorry, I shouldn't have done that..."
Just at that moment, Cha Hae-In's phone rang. She lifted her phone, and I could see that the name on the screen was Master Choi Jong-In.
Cha Hae-In's expression turned serious, frowning for an instant.
"I'll be there immediately," she answered the call before hanging up.
"Mr. Abernathy, I'm sorry, I have to leave. A problem has come up at work." she apologized once more.
"Don't worry, Miss Cha. It has been fun." I told her with a smile.
The blush on her face intensified even more.
"And come by again whenever you want, I haven't even been able to invite you for a drink like a good host."
Cha Hae-In smiled and nodded in agreement before rushing out the door, still somewhat embarrassed by what she had done.
Once the door closed, I smiled, amused.
"It didn't go as badly as I expected."
Although it was still a surprise that someone like her was my neighbor.