Nathan riding the shuttle his way back home from the hunting today looked at his system notification.
[Goblin Scout Slain, +0.1 STR]
[Goblin Scout Slain, +0.1 AWR]
[Goblin Scout Slain, +0.1 PRE]
...
'This rotation worked perfectly...' He thought to himself as a grin creeped on his face.
He had spent the entire remaining day rotating between the tunnels hunting multiple scouts with the same technique and movement that he had picked up.
At first, he was concerned about the goblin scouts showing up in pairs, but now he anticipated it and almost every time the second goblin would try to flee after seeing it's partner getting killed.
This allowed Nathan to follow the same pattern every time, sometimes killing one goblin in a tunnel and sometimes encountering two.
After focusing on status window, he brought it as the window showed up in front of his eyes.
--------------------------------
Status Window
Name: Nathan Hale
Tier: Unawakened
STATS
Strength (STR): 4.3 (+0.3)
Agility (AGI): 6 (+0.7)
Precision (PRE): 4.1 (+0.1)
Endurance (END): 4.1 (+01)
Awareness (AWR): 5.4 (+0.4)
Focus (FOC): 6
--------------------------------
He had hunted for 4 hours after that conversation with the soldier and ended up killing another 14 goblin scouts.
'I guess after reaching 6 it is hard to raise my agility with scouts...'
'Each one gives me 0.1 of a stat, maybe that's because the scouts are pretty weak.'
He had noticed a considerable difference in his ability to hunt after gaining more stats, he was faster, was able to hear their footsteps more clear and felt it easier to stab into them.
'Also,' looking down at his hand he sees the crumpled up money in his hand that he had exchanged all the ears for.
'I am finally making money hehe...'
Today was the first day he felt like he was finally making progress in life, he was no long rotting in his room.
'They say, still water rots, and I have finally started flowing.'
Slowly, his gaze drifted to the city's reflection on the window.
Nathan had made up his mind to gather as many stats as he can before moving deeper into the tunnels.
***
Nathan reaches the apartment just as the evening light begins to fade. He slides his key in turned it and pushed the door open.
The first thing he heard was the refrigerator door open, and stepping into the apartment he sees Lena.
She was standing in front of the fridge, half bent over, peering inside with intense concentration. One of her hand braced on the fridge door as if a snack might reveal itself if she stared long enough.
Nathan smiled immediately.
"Hey," he said.
Lena jumped slightly, then turned around. "Oh—hey! You're back already?"
"Yeah," Nathan replied, slipping his shoes off, he moved towards her. "What are you doing?"
"Looking for something to eat," she said seriously. "Which is impossible, because Ethan doesn't believe in snacks."
As they looked at each other for a moment longer, Lena tilted her head slightly, narrowing her eyes.
"…Why are you smiling like that?"
Nathan hadn't even realized how wide his grin was until she pointed it out. His cheeks were starting to hurt.
"Was today good?" Lena asked excited.
Nathan didn't answer right away.
Instead, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a small wad of bills, and held it up between his fingers.
"Fried chicken on me today."
For a split second, Lena just stared.
Then her eyes lit up like fireworks.
"WAIT REALLY?!" she shouted.
She slammed the fridge door shut, spun around, and pumped her fist in the air.
"Yes! Finally! I've always been waiting for the day I could loot both of my brothers!"
Nathan burst out laughing.
"Loot?" he repeated. "That's how you see us now?"
"Obviously," Lena said proudly. "You're guys are walking treasure chests."
She bounced on her heels, already pulling out her phone. "Extra crispy and I'm getting sides. A lot of sides!"
Nathan leaned against the wall, still smiling, watching her enthusiasm with quiet satisfaction.
For the first time since awakening his system, the money in his hand felt real.
'I earned it.'
He let his laughter die down and glanced around the apartment.
It was quieter than usual.
"Hey," he said, turning back to Lena. "Did Ethan come back yet?"
Lena shook her head. "Nope. He said he'd be late today."
Nathan frowned slightly. "Late?"
"Yeah," she replied. "Something about trouble at work, he didn't really explain much."
Nathan sighed softly.
"That's fine," he said outwardly.
But inwardly, his chest tightened just a little.
'I wanted to show him.'
The thought came unbidden, simple and honest.
'This is my first earnings.'
Although it was not much, maybe barely anything, but at least it was his.
He glanced at the money again, then made a quiet decision.
'I'll order extra for him and keep it.'
Even if Ethan came home exhausted and didn't feel like eating.
Nathan slipped the money back into his pocket.
Later that night, after the fried chicken was demolished with Lena declaring it "the best day in weeks" and dramatically overreacting to every bite she took, Nathan retreated to his room.
The apartment settled into its usual nighttime calm. Lena disappeared into her room, probably heading to sleep. The sounds of the city outside filtered in slowly through the window.
Nathan sat down at his computer and cracked his knuckles.
'Time to study.'
He opened his browser and began searching for resources for hunting, whether it was guides, experiences, anything related to goblin hunting and beginner rifts. He clicked through videos, articles, and scattered blog posts, absorbing whatever he could find.
Eventually, one link caught his eye.
Hunter Forums
Nathan paused.
"A forum?" he muttered.
He clicked.
The page loaded quickly, revealing a massive website filled with many posts and categories. Posts scrolled endlessly down the screen, titles ranging from casual chatting to detailed breakdowns of specific rifts.
'So this is where everyone gathers,' he thought.
Hunters from all over the world sharing their experiences and trading information.
Nathan clicked on a random post about a beginner rift similar to the Sunken Maintenance Tunnels.
A pop-up suddenly appeared.
This content is restricted. Please subscribe to view.
Nathan blinked.
"It's… Paywalled?"
He scrolled.
Most of the in-depth posts, guides, stat discussions, optimized routes were almost all locked behind subscriptions.
"Tch," he clicked his tongue softly. "Of course they are."
He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin.
'Information really is power and rarely comes free.' He thought.
Still, even without access, just seeing the sheer scale of discussions he could read was enlightening.
There were hunters dissecting fights, arguing about stats and sharing their near death experiences.
Nathan felt a strange mix of excitement and frustration.
'I'll need this eventually.'
He was just about to click on another tab when he heard a sound.
This was the sound of the apartment door opening.
Nathan froze.
He looked toward his door instinctively.
Footsteps followed.
He stood up immediately and stepped out into the hall.
"Ethan?" he called.
The front door closed.
Nathan rounded the corner and saw him.
Ethan stood just inside the apartment, his jacket half unzipped and briefcase set down by the door.
He looked pretty tired but there was a smile on his face, the kind that usually meant the day had gone well despite everything.
Nathan's heart lifted.
'Perfect timing.'
He stepped forward, excitement bubbling up.
"Guess who made some cash today?" Nathan said, grinning. "Hehe."
Ethan lifted his head to respond—
And Nathan's smile faltered.
There was a bruise just beneath Ethan's eye.
Nathan's mind blanked just as he noticed it.
"Wha-" he started, then stopped.
His eyes locked onto the bruise on Ethan's face.
"What happened?"
The words came out quieter than he intended.
Suddenly, the money in his pocket didn't feel important at all.