Three days have passed since the classified gate incident.

 

His bank balance had risen from $130,000 to $160,000 earlier in the day.

160 miles came from the sale of the magic crystals and 8,000 dollars was used for the month's rent.

Yet, 160 miles!

Just one raid and he was able to lay his hands on an absurd amount of money, totaling 160 miles.

He had been one for a while now, but this was the first time he felt like a real Hunter. Well, those were the days when the occasional mention of Hunters instantly brought up images of wealth, so that couldn't be helped.

Moreover, the face of the employee at the magic crystal exchange when Ajin went there with his hiding place was still so present in his memories.

"D-did you hunt all those monsters?" »

"Things happened, and so, it's something like that."

“Holy moly…. How amazing.

49 C-rank magic crystals.

The initial estimated price for the whole lot was just over 30 thousand dollars.

But who knew that taxation would be so cruel?

“I have to pay 40% tax? »

"Yes. When an individual sells the crystals, 40% is taken as tax. However, when a guild sells them, it's only 10%.

"Is there a reason there's a tax cut for guilds?" »

“Well, unlike freelancers and their teams, guilds must cooperate without question when ordered to mobilize, you see. »

Indeed, when he searched his recollections, he recalled hearing about both the officers from the surveillance division of the association and the eagle guild coming to the scene of the incident from his school.

Because they received special treatment, the Guilds had to cooperate with the government and the Association when asking for help.

The high tax rates caused Ajin to think a bit about his choices.

"Should I just keep the crystals and sell them after entering a guild?" »

But, he made his decision soon after. The moment he enters a guild and starts working for them, the main objects of conquest would be the A- and B-ranked gates. The magic crystals coming out of these gates would be incomparably more valuable than those from a C-ranked gate.

And right now, he needed every penny he could get his hands on.

"Besides, I can't just sign up with any old guild just to cut taxes, can I?" »

" OK very good. I will sell them.

That's how he got his hands on 160 miles.

 

*******

The chicken and beer meal was to celebrate the big wins sitting in his bank account right now.

“Thank you for this meal. »

Ajin opened the lid of the refreshing beer can and poured the contents down his throat.

But then it happened.

Tti-ring.

Ajin couldn't help but react nervously when he heard the familiar beep.

"Why a system message all of a sudden?" »

[Harmful substances have been detected.]

[The effects of "Buff: Detox" will now begin.]

[3, 2, 1…. The detox is complete.]

“You detoxified harmful substances? Are you talking about alcohol?

Ajin drank the remaining beer in the can and opened another just to make sure.

Swallow, swallow.

[Harmful substances have been detected.]

[The effects of "Buff: Detox" will now begin.]

[3, 2, 1…. The detox is complete.]

And the exact same messages reappeared.

He had drunk two cans of beer at once, but he didn't feel the slightest hint of drunkenness coming.

Whatever that "Buff" thing was, it was definitely working as intended.

'What is this?'

Ajin tilted his head.

He had yet to come across a single hunter capable of casting buffs. Most Hunters with such specialized skills all worked for large Guilds.

Since he was affiliated with the Association, he hadn't had a single chance to meet one until now.

“Even if someone had hidden a buff from me, the system would surely have informed me. »

In this case, there could only be two possibilities.

Either he received the buff while unconscious or he received it before the system was active.

Personally, he was more inclined to the latter.

 

Ajin went back to his room. He then started digging into every nook and cranny of his memories, trying to figure out if he had missed anything, however small.

‘Ah.’

Suddenly he remembered something.

“Every quest has rewards, even penalty quests. But, there was one quest I never managed to confirm the rewards for, right?

Ajin hurriedly opened the mailbox.

At the time, he had no idea what the system was or what the rewards might mean, so he ignored them, but he certainly remembered reading the message that he had completed the conditions to complete the quest.

His heart began to beat faster and faster.

Ajin finally discovered the messages at the bottom of the mailbox.

[Congratulations on becoming a “player”.] (read)

Ajin's voice trembled as he spoke softly.

"To confirm."

Tti-ring.

[This system will support the growth of the “player”.]

[Your rewards have been delivered.]

As he thought.

There was mention of awards.

[Your rewards have been delivered.]

[Do you want to confirm your rewards?] (Y/N)

'Yes.'

Tti-ring.

[Rewards for "Secret Quest: The Courage of the Powerless"]

The Blessings of Great Mage Mael

The Great Mage Mael was deeply touched by your courage and bestowed upon you a special spell. Accompanied by the blessings of Kandiaru, you will be able to enjoy a healthy and fulfilling life every day.

[“May a bright future await the challenger. »]

– Unique effect “Will to recover”: all damaged body parts will be restored to their original state.

– Continuous effect “Good health and long life”: you will be immune to all types of diseases, poisonous substances, as well as all forms of status degradation. During sleep, your recovery rate will increase exponentially.

Only now have the puzzle pieces fallen into place.

‘That’s why my body was…’

This was all due to a quest reward that his damaged body had returned to what it was before. Same thing for why he couldn't get drunk on a few cans of beer.

'Wait. Am I also immune to all types of poison?

Ajin's eyes snapped wide open.

If so, could it be…?

Ajin hurriedly pulls out a certain item from his inventory.

[Subject: Scorpion's Poison Bag]

Rarity: A

Type: Medicine

A purse containing refined Scorpion poison. Can be found very rarely when hunting Scorpions. Drinking this poison will give you strong skin, but the toxicity will permanently damage your muscles.

Effect "The Iron Scales of Scorpion": 20% physical damage reduction.

Side effect “Damaged muscles”: Strength -35

"My muscles are supposed to be damaged from the toxin, but wouldn't this detox buff resist it?" »

There was only one way to find out. Ajin closed his eyes and drank the liquid from the pouch.

Swallow, swallow.

A sticky, disgusting liquid slid down his throat.

The taste was greasy and terrible, but he endured it.

"And they say what's good for you usually tastes bitter..."

When he finished drinking all the poisonous liquid, messages appeared in his sight.

[Harmful substances have been detected.]

[The effects of "Buff: Detox" will now begin.]

[3, 2, 1…. The detox is complete.]

[The “Damaged Muscles” side effect has been removed.]

"Yes!!"

Ajin clenched his fists very tightly.

Still, he couldn't celebrate yet, so he quickly summoned his status window.

[Statistics]

Strength: 76

Stamina: 58

Agility: 63

Intellect: 34

Perception: 43

(Points available to distribute: 0)

Physical damage reduction: 20%

As he expected, there was no decrease in his Strength stat.

There were still 76 points left, and then he also saw the new stat called “Physical Damage Reduction”.

Sure, this might be category limited, but it was still a wonderful stat that reduced all physical damage by 20%.

"Pleasant!!"

Then something new appears ahead.

[You have received a new message]

"Let's read it..."

[Congratulations, You have unlocked the "Black List"]

Huh? Black List? What do you mean?

[The Black list are a plethora of creatures from the Abyss more ancient than Angels or Demons, many of which are often known as "legends" around the universe. Four amongst which are the King's most trusted friends and powerful underlings. In order for the player to open his full potential, the player must kill or beat all of these Black list members as they each contain a fraction of the King's confiscated power. The Black list are:

 

Ajin didn't understand anything as he was speechless but for some reason, his heart started to beat really fast.

Just as Ajin was starting to celebrate, his phone starts ringing from the living room.

Ajin quickly went to the living room and snatched the receiver of the phone from where he was.

"Hello?"

– “Big brother, it’s me. Takuya."

"Wait... What the hell? Really now?"

The voice from the other side sounded far too familiar.

"….How did you get this number?"

– “There was a person I know who worked for the Association, you see. You didn't want to answer your smartphone, so I had no choice but to call you at home like that.

"Details only."

– “Ah! Oops, my bad, big brother. But, that's not something we can discuss over the phone… Can we meet somewhere so I can tell you in person? »

Ajin tilted his head slightly.

"He wants to meet me after going through such ordeal he had with me?"

– « big brother, I must really, really ask you for this favour. Please."

What a weird kid this guy was.

Why do you want to talk to me?

[I'll explain once you're big brother]