Chapter 5: New Beginnings

Kazuki lay on the cold dungeon floor, each breath sending sharp pain through his cracked ribs. The silence was deafening after the chaos of battle. Black smoke from dissolved goblin corpses drifted through the cavern like fog, and the only light came from the dying flames of the crates he had set on fire.

His vision swam with blue notification screens, but he couldn't focus on any of them. Every part of his body hurt. His arms felt like lead. His legs refused to cooperate. Even blinking took effort.

"System," he croaked. "A little help here?"

[EMERGENCY HEAL ON COOLDOWN: 23 HOURS, 57 MINUTES]

[RECOMMENDATION: Rest and allow natural E-rank regeneration to take effect. Estimated recovery time: 6-8 hours for critical injuries.]

"Six to eight hours?" Kazuki tried to laugh but ended up coughing instead, which made his ribs scream in protest. "I'll be lucky if I don't bleed out in one hour."

[CORRECTION: Current HP is stable at 23/100. You are not bleeding externally. Internal injuries will heal naturally. Pain is temporary. Death is permanent. You made the correct choice to survive.]

"Thanks for the pep talk," Kazuki muttered.

He forced himself to take slow, shallow breaths. The pain was manageable if he didn't move too much. His E-rank healing ability was already working he could feel the faint warmth spreading through his chest where his ribs had cracked. It wasn't much, but it was something.

After what felt like an eternity, Kazuki managed to sit up. Every movement was agony, but he gritted his teeth and pushed through it. The cavern was littered with magic stones from all the goblins he had killed. Twenty regular stones and one boss stone, all glowing faintly in the darkness.

Each stone represented money. Proof of his victory. A chance to keep his guild membership.

Kazuki crawled toward the nearest stone, his hand shaking as he picked it up. The moment his fingers closed around it, a notification appeared.

[GOBLIN MAGIC STONE ACQUIRED]
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO ABSORB FOR ADDITIONAL EXP?]
[YES / NO]

Kazuki blinked in surprise. "I can absorb these? But then I won't have proof I cleared the dungeon."

[CLARIFICATION: You may choose to keep stones as physical proof or absorb them for power. Each regular goblin stone provides 5 EXP. The boss stone provides 100 EXP. Choose wisely.]

It was a difficult decision. The stones were worth money, and he desperately needed money. But the System had given him power real, incredible power. If he could level up more, become stronger, he wouldn't need to rely on guild handouts anymore.

"How much EXP until my next level?" Kazuki asked.

[CURRENT LEVEL: 4]
[EXP: 0/400]

Four hundred experience points. The regular stones would give him one hundred total, and the boss stone another hundred. That was only half of what he needed. But it would be a start.

Kazuki made his decision. He selected "YES" on the screen.

The magic stone in his hand dissolved into particles of light that flowed into his chest. Warmth spread through his body, and he felt a tiny bit of his strength return.

[+5 EXP]

He crawled to the next stone, and the next, absorbing each one as he went. His HP slowly ticked upward with each absorption not by much, but enough to ease some of the pain. By the time he reached the boss stone, his HP had recovered to 35/100.

The boss stone was different. It pulsed with red light, and Kazuki could feel power radiating from it. His hand hesitated before touching it.

[WARNING: Boss-level magic stones contain concentrated energy. Absorption may cause temporary discomfort.]

"Discomfort," Kazuki repeated. "That's one way to put it."

He grabbed the stone.

The world exploded into light and pain. Energy flooded into Kazuki's body like lightning, burning through his veins. He screamed, his back arching as power forced itself into every cell. It felt like being set on fire from the inside out.

Then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped.

Kazuki collapsed onto his back, gasping for air. But the pain in his ribs was gone. He sat up carefully and touched his chest the bones had healed completely. His HP bar showed 60/100, and he felt better than he had in hours.

[BOSS STONE ABSORBED: +100 EXP]
[TOTAL EXP: 200/400]
[HP RESTORATION: +25]
[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: OBSERVE (LEVEL 1)]

"A new skill?" Kazuki's exhaustion was replaced by curiosity. "What does Observe do?"

[SKILL: OBSERVE]

[DESCRIPTION: Allows the user to view basic information about targets, including names, levels, and general threat assessment. Higher skill levels reveal more detailed information.]

"So I can see information about monsters and people?" Kazuki looked around the empty cavern. "Not super useful right now, but I guess it could help me avoid running into things that are way too strong for me."

[CORRECT. Knowledge is power. This skill will prove invaluable as you progress.]

Kazuki slowly got to his feet, testing his body. The cracked ribs were healed, though he still felt battered and exhausted. His clothes were torn and covered in blood and dirt. He probably looked like he had been through a war.

Which, technically, he had.

"System, can I see my full status now?" Kazuki asked.

[PLAYER: KAZUKI HAYATO]
[LEVEL: 4]
[CLASS: NONE]
[TITLE: THE WEAKEST HUNTER → GOBLIN SLAYER]
HP: 60/140
MP: 70/70
STRENGTH: 14
AGILITY: 16
VITALITY: 12
INTELLIGENCE: 15
SENSE: 14
[SKILLS: OBSERVE (LEVEL 1)]
[AVAILABLE STAT POINTS: 15]
[AVAILABLE SKILL POINTS: 3]

Kazuki stared at the screen in amazement. His stats had almost doubled from where they started. And he had points he could distribute however he wanted? This was incredible.

"Wait, my title changed?" he noticed.

[TITLES ARE EARNED THROUGH ACHIEVEMENTS. YOU HAVE SLAIN OVER 20 GOBLINS IN A SINGLE BATTLE. THE TITLE 'GOBLIN SLAYER' PROVIDES +2 TO ALL STATS WHEN FIGHTING GOBLIN-TYPE MONSTERS.]

"That's actually useful," Kazuki said. "What happened to 'The Weakest Hunter' title?"

[YOU MAY SWITCH BETWEEN EARNED TITLES AT ANY TIME. HOWEVER, 'THE WEAKEST HUNTER' PROVIDES NO BONUSES. IT IS RECOMMENDED YOU KEEP 'GOBLIN SLAYER' ACTIVE.]

"Yeah, I think I'll do that," Kazuki agreed quickly.

He examined the stat points thoughtfully. Fifteen points to distribute however he wanted. The temporary boost during the fight had shown him how incredible it felt to have high stats. But which ones should he focus on?

Strength would make him hit harder. Agility would make him faster. Vitality would increase his HP and defense. Intelligence probably affected his MP and magic potential, though he had no magic skills yet. And Sense would sharpen his reflexes and perception.

"What do you recommend, System?" Kazuki asked.

[RECOMMENDATION: BALANCED GROWTH IN EARLY LEVELS. DISTRIBUTE POINTS AS FOLLOWS: +3 STRENGTH, +3 AGILITY, +5 VITALITY, +2 INTELLIGENCE, +2 SENSE]

[REASONING: VITALITY WILL INCREASE SURVIVABILITY, YOUR CURRENT WEAKNESS. STRENGTH AND AGILITY WILL IMPROVE COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS. INTELLIGENCE AND SENSE PROVIDE BASELINE IMPROVEMENTS FOR FUTURE SKILL ACQUISITION.]

It made sense. Kazuki had nearly died because his HP was too low and he couldn't take hits. More vitality meant more HP, which meant he could survive longer in fights.

"Okay, distribute points as recommended," Kazuki said.

[STAT POINTS ALLOCATED]
[STRENGTH: 14 → 17]
[AGILITY: 16 → 19]
[VITALITY: 12 → 17]
[INTELLIGENCE: 15 → 17]
[SENSE: 14 → 16]
[MAX HP INCREASED: 140 → 170]
[CURRENT HP: 60 → 73]
[MAX MP INCREASED: 70 → 85]

Warmth flooded through Kazuki's body again, but this time it was gentle, almost pleasant. He felt his muscles become denser, his movements smoother. When he swung his arm experimentally, the motion was faster and more controlled than before.

"This is amazing," he breathed. "I've only been using the System for maybe thirty minutes, and I'm already stronger than I've ever been."

[CORRECTION: You have been using the System for 47 minutes. And yes, your growth rate is exponentially faster than a normal Hunter. This is the System's purpose to create the ultimate warrior.]

"The ultimate warrior," Kazuki repeated. A smile crossed his face. "I like the sound of that."

His eyes fell on the skill points. Three points to spend. The Observe skill had appeared automatically, but could he learn other skills?

"System, how do skill points work?" he asked.

[SKILL POINTS CAN BE USED TO PURCHASE NEW SKILLS FROM THE SKILL SHOP OR UPGRADE EXISTING SKILLS. ACCESS THE SKILL SHOP BY THINKING OR SAYING 'SKILL SHOP'.]

"Skill Shop," Kazuki said immediately.

A new screen appeared, displaying a long list of skills organized by category. Combat Skills. Movement Skills. Passive Skills. Magic Skills. Each had a point cost next to it.

[DASH (LEVEL 1) - COST: 2 SKILL POINTS]
[DESCRIPTION: Perform a burst of speed in any direction. Cooldown: 10 seconds.]
[IRON SKIN (LEVEL 1) - COST: 3 SKILL POINTS]
[DESCRIPTION: Temporarily increase defense. Duration: 30 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes.]
[MANA ARROW (LEVEL 1) - COST: 3 SKILL POINTS]
[DESCRIPTION: Fire a projectile of pure mana. Damage scales with Intelligence. Cost: 10 MP.]

There were dozens of options, each more interesting than the last. But Kazuki had to be strategic. He only had three skill points, and some skills cost more than that.

After several minutes of consideration, he made his choice.

"I'll purchase Dash for two skill points," Kazuki decided. "Movement skills saved my life in that fight. Being able to dodge quickly seems more important than anything else right now."

[SKILL PURCHASED: DASH (LEVEL 1)]
[REMAINING SKILL POINTS: 1]

[NOTE: Remaining skill point will be saved for future use. You may accumulate skill points and spend them when more expensive skills become available.]

Kazuki felt new knowledge settle into his mind how to channel energy into his legs for a burst of speed, the timing, the technique. He tried it experimentally, activating Dash.

He shot forward three meters in an instant, the world blurring around him. He stumbled slightly at the end but managed to keep his balance.

"Okay, that's going to take practice," he admitted. "But it's definitely useful."

A notification appeared.

[DUNGEON CLEAR DETECTED]
[EXIT PORTAL OPENING IN 60 SECONDS]

[WARNING: You have not collected any physical magic stones. Exiting without proof of completion may result in quest failure with your guild.]

Kazuki's stomach dropped. Right. He had absorbed all the magic stones for experience points. He had no physical proof that he had cleared the dungeon.

"Damn it," he muttered. "I got so excited about the System that I forgot about the whole reason I came here."

[RECOMMENDATION: Explain your situation honestly. Alternatively, you could attempt higher-rank dungeons in the future and collect stones then. You are no longer the weakest Hunter. Act accordingly.]

A portal of swirling blue light appeared in the center of the cavern. Kazuki stared at it, his mind racing. He could go back and face Fujimoto with nothing to show for his efforts. Or...

Or he could forget about the Iron Fang Guild entirely. With the System, he didn't need them anymore. He could grow stronger on his own, at his own pace, without anyone holding him back or treating him like dead weight.

The idea was terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure.

Kazuki took a deep breath and stepped through the portal, leaving the dungeon behind. Whatever happened next, his life as the weakest Hunter was over.

His new life was just beginning.

[End of Chapter 5]