Wednesday — The Hunter Government Building
The next morning, Wednesday, Caelan woke up early.
After getting ready, he decided to visit the Hunter Government Building.
Caelan walked through the city until he reached the large government building.
He entered and looked around.
There were Hunters, government officials, and other people coming and going.
Caelan approached the front desk.
“I’m looking for a hunting job.”
The official looked at him.
“You're a Hunter?”
“Yes.”
Caelan thought about the jobs available through the government.
“I know the government hunting jobs pay less than some other hunting jobs.”
He paused.
“But they're safer.”
Caelan believed that safety was important.
The government had better information about dungeons.
They almost never made mistakes when determining the dungeon's level.
They also had reliable information about how many monsters were inside a dungeon.
Caelan looked at the official.
“Do you have any good hunting jobs available?”
The official checked the available missions.
“There is one dungeon that might interest you.”
Caelan became interested.
“What kind of dungeon?”
The official answered.
“There is a dungeon with only one monster inside.”
Caelan waited for the official to continue.
“A Level 4 Wyvern.”
Caelan's eyes widened slightly.
“A Level 4 Wyvern?”
“Yes.”
The official continued.
“The reward is $3,000 USD.”
Caelan immediately smiled.
“I'll gladly take the job.”
The official nodded.
“Then you'll need to enter through that door over there.”
He pointed toward a large door.
“That door?”
“Yes. Open it and you'll be transported directly to the dungeon.”
Caelan looked at the door.
“Thank you.”
He walked toward it.
Caelan placed his hand on the door.
He opened it.
Suddenly, everything around him changed.
Caelan was teleported directly into the dungeon.
The Level 4 Wyvern
Caelan looked around.
He was inside a large dungeon.
The area was quiet.
Caelan began walking forward.
As he walked, he thought about the mission.
“I want to try to fight by myself.”
He continued walking.
Then he heard something.
A loud roar echoed through the dungeon.
Caelan stopped.
He looked ahead.
A large creature appeared.
A Level 4 Wyvern.
The Wyvern opened its mouth.
WHOOSH!
A fireball shot toward Caelan.
Caelan quickly moved to the side.
The fireball crashed into the ground behind him.
BOOM!
Caelan looked at the burning ground.
“That's dangerous.”
The Wyvern launched another fireball.
Caelan moved again.
He dodged the attack and rushed forward.
He swung his sword.
SLASH!
His sword struck the Wyvern.
Caelan quickly moved away before the Wyvern could attack again.
The Wyvern continued launching fireballs.
Caelan moved around the dungeon, dodging each attack.
He used his swordsmanship whenever he saw an opening.
Slash!
Slash!
Caelan continued fighting.
He was doing well.
He smiled.
“I can fight by myself.”
The battle continued.
Caelan looked at the Wyvern.
“This is going to take about 40 minutes.”
He continued fighting alone.
For a while, Caelan relied only on his own swordsmanship.
Then he realized that he could use his summons.
“My two Skeletons.”
Caelan summoned his Skeletons.
The two Skeletons appeared beside him.
Each Skeleton carried a sword.
Caelan raised his sword.
“Let's do this.”
The two Skeletons rushed toward the Wyvern.
Caelan followed them.
He used his swordsmanship while his Skeletons attacked with their swords.
SLASH!
SLASH!
The Wyvern roared.
The battle continued.
Caelan and his two Skeletons fought the Level 4 Wyvern together.
The fight lasted another 20 minutes.
Caelan kept attacking.
His Skeletons continued striking the Wyvern with their swords.
Finally, the Wyvern was defeated.
Caelan stood there, breathing heavily.
He had done it.
Then suddenly, the System appeared.
[Congratulations.]
[Caelan Ward has reached Level 5.]
Caelan looked at the System notification.
“Level 5.”
He smiled.
“I’m happy.”
Caelan looked at his sword.
“I’m getting stronger.”
He thought about his summons.
“Each level lets me summon more.”
Caelan remembered how many summons he could currently call.
“At this moment, I can summon 5 Ninjas and 5 Skeletons.”
He thought carefully about his Ninjas.
“I'll keep my Ninjas as a secret.”
Caelan didn't want other Hunters to know everything about his abilities.
“They'll only come out in an emergency.”
He thought about the situations where he might need them.
“If there's a monster ambush, I'll use them.”
He also considered another possibility.
“If other Hunters attack me, I'll use them.”
Caelan looked around the dungeon.
He had become stronger.
But he knew he still had a lot to learn.
For now, he was happy.
He had defeated a Level 4 Wyvern.
And he had reached Level 5.
Wednesday — After the Hunters Leave
The 150-foot-tall giantess slowly began shrinking.
Her body became smaller and smaller.
A moment later, she returned to her regular size.
She was once again the small, petite government official Caelan had seen earlier.
She began walking toward the government building.
Caelan watched her.
“I wish I could help you.”
The small official looked at Caelan.
“It is good that you didn't.”
She continued walking.
“You can get killed.”
Caelan looked at her.
“I am Level 5.”
He paused.
“I wish I had done something.”
The official looked at him.
“You are kind.”
Her voice was gentle.
“But don't fight for other people.”
She looked at Caelan.
“You can get killed.”
Caelan remained quiet for a moment.
“Still, I wish I had done something.”
He looked at the government building.
“You are Level 100.”
He paused.
“And you work at the government.”
The small official's eyes began to fill with tears.
Caelan noticed.
She spoke quietly.
“In the dungeons, I had to kill male Hunters, female Hunters, giants, and other giantesses.”
Caelan was shocked.
The official continued.
“I had to do it to survive.”
Caelan didn't know what to say.
He watched her walk into the government building.
Caelan remained outside for a moment.
Then he slowly walked away.
Wednesday — Caelan's Home
Caelan walked back toward his home.
He thought about everything that had happened that day.
When he arrived home, he went to his room.
He sat down and thought about the Hunter lifestyle.
“Wow.”
Caelan looked at his hands.
“The Hunter lifestyle is dangerous.”
He thought about the hostile Hunters from earlier.
“I'm not a person who is aggressive like those Hunters.”
Caelan shook his head.
“I don't need to make enemies.”
He remembered the small government official.
“A petite woman can be a giantess.”
He thought about how easily the situation could have ended differently.
“The Hunter lifestyle is a crazy life.”
Caelan became quiet.
“It's better to use communication instead of violence.”
He looked around his room.
He knew that becoming a Hunter meant facing dangerous monsters.
But now he also understood that other Hunters could be dangerous too.
Caelan decided that he would try to avoid unnecessary fights.
He wanted to become stronger.
But he didn't want to become an aggressive person.
Thursday — The Fourth Day of Being a Hunter
The next day was Thursday.
Caelan went to another dungeon through the Hunter Government.
His mission was simple.
He needed to kill 10 Goblins.
The government would pay him after completing the mission.
Caelan looked at the mission information.
“Something easy.”
He entered the dungeon.
After walking for a while, Caelan found the Goblins.
There were 10 Goblins.
Caelan drew his sword.
He used his swordsmanship.
He also summoned his 3 Skeletons.
The Skeletons attacked the Goblins with their swords.
Caelan moved around the dungeon, using his footwork and swordsmanship.
He was doing fine.
The battle continued.
After about 30 minutes, Caelan and his Skeletons defeated all 10 Goblins.
Caelan continued walking through the dungeon.
He thought the mission was finished.
Then he saw a small group of female Hunters.
There were 5 members in total.
Each one was Level 5.
The five female Hunters looked at Caelan.
One of them shouted,
“Give us your money or get killed!”
Caelan looked at them.
“I’m broke.”
The Hunters looked at his sword.
One of them pointed at it.
“You have that Knight Sword.”
She stepped forward.
“Give us that.”
Before Caelan could say anything, the Hunters attacked him with their swords.
Caelan quickly moved around.
He tried to avoid their attacks.
“We can speak!”
The Hunters laughed.
“Only weak people speak because they are weak.”
They continued attacking.
Caelan moved around using the footwork he had learned.
But one of the Hunters managed to strike his left forearm with her sword.
Caelan stepped back.
He looked at his injured arm.
“You leave me no choice.”
Caelan moved quickly.
He attacked one of the Hunters.
She fell.
The remaining four Hunters immediately attacked Caelan with their swords.
Caelan used his footwork.
He moved around them while using his swordsmanship.
He fought carefully.
The battle continued for about 10 minutes.
Caelan eventually defeated the remaining four Hunters.
The small group of five female Hunters was dead.
Caelan stood there silently.
Tears appeared in his eyes.
He didn't want things to end this way.
Suddenly, the System appeared.
[Mission Complete.]
[You killed 10 Goblins.]
[You also defeated a group of 5 female Hunters.]
[All 5 Hunters were Level 5.]
Then another message appeared.
[Congratulations.]
[Caelan Ward has reached Level 8.]
Caelan stared at the System.
“Level 8?”
He couldn't believe it.
“How did that happen?”
Caelan looked at his surroundings.
He was exhausted.
“System, can you teleport me to my room?”
The System responded.
[Yes.]
A bright light appeared around Caelan.
A moment later, he was teleported back to his room.
Caelan looked around.
He was home.
He sat down.
“I feel bad.”
He looked at his injured forearm.
“I didn't want to kill those five female Hunters.”
Caelan lowered his head.
“They didn't leave me any choice.”
He was exhausted from the fight.
“I need to rest.”
Caelan lay down.
He closed his eyes.
For now, he needed to recover.