Water was the most essential survival item. It was so precious that we reserved it for drinking only, so we usually just wiped the blood from our faces without water. However, things were different in dungeons where water existed, such as cave-type or field-type dungeons, making it possible to use water freely. That alone was a privilege and enough reason to choose this dungeon. There was a small puddle, so we would find a pond if we followed the passageway.

“Oh gosh, there really is water.”

Woo Yeon-Hee was impressed and looked like she had sought an oasis in the desert. Well, the pond was actually an oasis to us as a dungeon box was waiting for us there. She seemed to have forgotten her pain and dizziness. I helped her sit before approaching the water to secure the area. Fortunately, there were no Grafs nearby, and it was perfect since killing them didn’t give me any more points and we had sufficient food. I took a drink first.

“It’s drinkable,” I said.

While we had brought bottled water in backpacks, it was better to save them. Woo Yeon-Hee also took a sip, and we began to undress without saying a word. However, she found it difficult to even take off even one shirt by herself as it had been soaked in the monster’s blood and was now stuck to her body. Furthermore, she couldn’t sit properly. She spoke brightly as I helped her take off her clothes.

“You didn’t get hurt, did you? You were injured all the time in the Hwasung dungeon.”

“No, can you wash up alone?” I asked.

We were now in our underwear.

“It’s just that I can’t keep my balance. I can wash like this.”

Woo Yeon-Hee lay on her stomach and scooped up water with her hands. I started washing up and reflected on the last battle. Infant Grafs were much stronger than mutts, so the System rewarded double the points per kill. However, we only suffered temporary hearing loss after sweeping away tens of them. If Woo Yeon-Hee had not healed me, I would have been injured more heavily as it would have been hard to balance. But even taking that into account, such a result was impossible in the past. I couldn’t believe I had defeated dozens of Infant Grafs alone without receiving a serious wound.

This seemed to be due to Devi’s Sword, but this wasn’t true. The Earthquake had temporarily disabled monsters from fighting and Devi’s Sword cut off their antenna. Everything else was possible because of the trajectory in which Devi’s Sword flew around. I had calculated the movement of each Graf and created the trajectory, and only a few talented hunters would be able to do this. I realized that I had something else outside rigid the System categories: my memories of battles that had been carved into my soul. I had been an A-class hunter in the past, and I remembered tactics, weaknesses of enemies, how to track and respond to multiple targets, attack and defend from groups, and all the important lessons I gained from thousands of life and death struggles.

Indeed, the memories helped me use Devi’s Sword extremely effectively. I became certain that my experiences would be more useful as my stats increased from F to E, which was the class that people usually considered to be a real hunter. While I was still not as strong as before, I was getting there. The System couldn’t capture my current state and account for my battle experience!

“Maybe, this will end earlier than I expected,” I suddenly said.

“Huh?”

“It might take less than a month,” I replied.

The problem was the boss battle.

***

My Sense was currently E-class, but it was only because of the item, the Badge of the Sensitives. The dungeon box increased my Sense.

[Your Sense has increased by 8.]

[Sense: F (33)]

Including the Hwasung dungeon, our probability of not getting a curse from the box had exceeded forty percent. It didn’t matter as long as I had a healer, but this meant I had considerable luck. Woo Yeon-Hee relaxed and asked, “Did you get something good?”

I nodded. Since then, we took a whole day to recover, and there had been one or two reconnaissance Grafs approaching us. The last one jumped into me, and…

Squeak!

I cut off its throat before it screamed, and its gigantic head fell down heavily.

[You have exterminated an infant Graf.]

[Graf Extermination: Killing Graf 30/30]

[You have fulfilled the conditions required to complete the quest ‘Graf Extermination’. Please decide on the first and second person to finish the quest by agreement.]

We exchanged glances before giving the System an answer.

[You have completed the quest ‘Graf Extermination.’]

[You have obtained 1,500 points.]

[You have obtained a ‘silver box’ for being the first one to complete the quest.]

Woo Yeon-Hee looked towards the air with a gaze full of expectations, but still, she didn’t know yet that moments like this would become sentimental memories after the Day of Advent.

In the past, the process of deciding who was the first place was called a scramble, and it often happened even under a contract. Hunters were aware that killing someone would mean one less combatant or support and may endanger the entire party, but it inevitably happened.

I turned from Woo Yeon-Hee and waited for my reward. I wanted points that would increase my Sense or Health to reach E-class stats without items.

[The Man Who Overcomes Adversity has increased by 11.]

H…how! I was satisfied with the result, but the number was too little.

[The Man Who Overcomes Adversity has increased by one class. Change: F → E]

[The healing effect has changed. Change: Slight recovery → Moderate recovery]

[The Man Who Overcomes Adversity duration has changed. Change: 5 minutes → 10 minutes]

The figures for the F-class Man Who Overcomes Adversity one could receive from a silver box were from eleven to forty, and I got the minimum. The message kept popping up as if it was making fun of me. I stared at it while suppressing my anger.

[You have completed the achievement ‘A Leap Beyond.’]

[You have obtained the ‘Gifted’ trait for being the first one to complete the achievement.]

[Gifted (Trait)

Effect: When another trait becomes activated, the Gifted may activate and upgrade one class at a very low probability.

Class: F(0)

Duration: 5 minutes

Cooldown time: 7 days]

The first completion reward was more than I expected, and this effect was special. While the trait ‘Forerunner’ I gained as a second person completing a quest after increasing Agility was surprising, this meant I could use this trait to upgrade S-class Man Who Overcomes Adversity to SS-class.

***

I now possessed six traits, and only two slots were left. Woo Yeon-Hee spoke when I looked at her as if she had been waiting for me. Although she deliberately lowered her tone, I could feel her excitement.

“My Health increased and I got a trait called ‘Regenerator’ as a first completion reward.”

Her eyes were still focused on the air.

“What are the effects?” I asked.

“When the user’s no longer able to fight, the user will be slightly recovered and regeneration speed increases at a very low probability,” she answered.

It was similar to the Man Who Overcomes Adversity, but I couldn’t compare every trait to the most powerful one.

“It matches well with Mary’s Hand.”

She answered and looked happy about a skill that had almost killed her. This proved that she was growing up as a hunter. I couldn’t resist the urge and ended up patting her head. I had done this in the past for those neophyte Awakeneds I had trained despite myself. Her eyes blinked as she looked up at me.

“Keep it up,” I said.

“W...what…” Woo Yeon-Hee stuttered.

“Your total number of points is 2,060, right? Open two silver boxes,” I responded.

I had a total of 1,680 points and opened a silver box first. A box with a silver trim floated pleasantly and opened. The figure I received was insanely high.

[Your Sense has increased by 38.]

[Sense: F (63)]

It was near the maximum forty I could earn from a silver box. Although my Sense was currently rated as E, I incredibly happy by this. I opened another bronze box with the remaining points.

[Odin’s Wrath has increased by 10.]

[Odin’s Wrath: F(16)]

That was the maximum figure I could obtain from a bronze box, and I simpered. I was just disappointed that I had no more points left while I was on a lucky streak. Meanwhile, Woo Yeon-Hee seemed to have received a figure instead of an insignia or an item. However, she didn’t seem happy.

“My Agility class is F, so I should receive eleven to forty-one points from a silver box, right?” she asked.

“Yes,” I answered.

“But, I only got thirteen. I would have increased my Agility class if I got the average,” she said in disappointment.

Unboxing was a series of ups and downs. She was excited by the Health upgrade but became depressed now.

“Agility and Strength are different,” I said.

“What?” She looked at me.

“It takes time to get used to a class change. It’s good that it didn’t upgrade now,” I added.

“Oh, really?”

In other words, she was fortunate.

“What about the next box?” I questioned.

“I haven’t opened it yet.”

Then, Woo Yeon-Hee looked at me and the puddle alternately. When I nodded, she started washing again.

“Getting a detox skill would be the best-case scenario, right? Okay, here we go,” she said after cleaning up herself.

“Go ahead,” I replied.

She bit her lower lip and stared into the air, then the expression on her face changed a lot for the next few seconds.

“I received a skill, but it’s not a detox skill. Umm…Seon-Hu…Aren’t I a healer?” she asked in  confusion.

“What did you get?”

“‘Hatred.’ I think…this is an attack skill,” she said.