Chapter 3 - [Ape's Paradise]

A huge monolith structure was surrounded by high walls. There was security at the entrance and heavily armed soldiers on the walls.

Even though this was only an F ranked dungeon, it made up for millions of dollars of revenue every day with a large number of people entering, clearing the monsters, and selling the resources they receive inside

This monolith had a blue color, indicating it was a normal dungeon with little danger of a dungeon break. If the color changed to orange and then to red, it meant a dungeon break was imminent

Regularly clearing the dungeon kept the color at blue, turning it into a treasure trove with capable people farming it

You always had casualties every now and then from Hunters that were either too full of themselves, bad teammates, or just plain unlucky

Now, I sincerely hope I don't make myself on the category of being too full of myself

Gathering my wits, I show the guards at the metal entrance of the enclosure my hunter ID before heading in. Inside the walls, there were a few hunter teams getting their gear in order or just talking

A few people were standing around looking to either form parties or invite others to their party. At the center of the blue monolith, there was a square, door-like structure. This door like structure was how you entered the dungeon

Those in a group would have to touch the door with a few second differences, but under a minute, to be transferred to the first floor of the dungeon together

There was a party prepared to go into the dungeon in front of me already, so I reigned in my curiosity about the other hunters around me and stood a few feet away from the in-going party

It didn't take long before a few hunters noticed a lone man waiting by himself

"Oy, is that kid thinking of going in alone?" Hunter A

"Bro, another one with a death wish" Hunter B

"Just ignore him, who knows, maybe he's one of those prodigies that can solo an F rank dungeon? Haha" Hunter C

Ignoring the laughs around me, I wait patiently as the entire party in front of me disappeared in a flash, and waited the required minute before going forward and placing my hand on the square door

In an instant, I was transported into a large cavern, where I had just caught the attention of two 1 meter tall black apes

I brought myself to full attention and observed both the apes and my surrounding before I began my first dungeon hunt

[Fireball]

A single fireball, and then a second, and a third, and a forth quickly flew towards the two apes

When the ball of fire exploded on their faces, they were already incapacitated and letting out dying screeches. They would not survive after that, and a second fireball hit them at the same location, quickly finishing them off

I breathed heavily as I felt the adrenaline course through my body. 2 F rank monsters, easily taken care of by me. Haha, this was a feeling I could get used to!

Usually, F rank hunters would use their skills sparingly, making sure to cast them all either on the BOSS or on emergencies. I did not have such reservations

I went towards where the apes fell and grabbed a glistening [Strength Core] that dropped. It was small in size, smaller than a pigeon's egg, and yet they went for a thousand dollars on the market

I placed the [Core] into my backpack and ventured farther in. I didn't have to walk far, as 3 apes were quickly rushing towards me screeching after hearing the death screams of their brethren

With a thought, [Fireball] was cast one after another, each not missing its targets that were rushing forward.

Another [Strength Core] dropped from these three. [Core]s were not guaranteed to drop every time a monster died, and getting 2 from 5 monsters was already fairly average

Placing the newly acquired [Core]s in the bag, I rushed down the path of the Cavern, meeting another set of 5 apes that I quickly burned

I had to force myself to calm down as I so easily and quickly took down the monsters and collected [Core]s. I never imagined myself being able to do something like this and had to pinch myself a few times just to make sure it wasn't a dream

Forcing myself to remain calmer, I cleared the first floor quickly and headed down the winding steps to the 2nd floor.

The apes came in batches of 3-5, and just ran towards me when I neared. I didn't let them get any closer than 4 meters from me, hurling balls of fire towards them as soon as they were in my sight

And just like that, an incredulous sight occurred in the F ranked Dungeon [Ape's Paradise]. Without a moment of rest, an F ranked hunter cleared the 2nd floor, and the 3rd...and the 5th...all the way to the end of the 9th floor with ease

"WAAH!"

I lost control of my emotions as I let out a triumphant shout before the boss room. I had never imagined something like this to be possible!

Without a single issue, I had effectively taken down groups of Apes, collected multiple [Core]s, and reached the BOSS room all by myself

I reeled my emotions in as I let out a confident smile...and went further down to the BOSS room

A huge ape awaits me in the circular cave that is the last room.

"ROAR!!!"

The cave lightly shakes from the scream. My smile does not leave my face as five fireballs fly towards the ape that is now charging towards me. The first hit its chest, stopping it on its tracks. The second and third smash its shoulders, knocking it backward. The fourth and fifth explode on either side of its head, effectively finishing it off.

As soon as the ape crashed down, a blinding light flashed in the last floor and a green crystal rose in the middle. Touching this crystal will allow you to leave the room and appear at a random location near the entrance of the dungeon

I slowly revel in my first ever completed dungeon hunt, a solo one at that.

I then go towards the now dead ape to see any possible drops. By its side, a few F rank [Core]s are present...along with a [Skill Book]

I grab the [Core]s and put them inside the bag, before reaching out for the skill book. [Minor Heal] was now in my hands, giving me quite a shock. It wasn't the rarest of F rank skill books, but it was one of the more expensive ones as it easily took care of any cuts and minor injuries.

I also placed the skill inside the bag and proceeded to sit down and think while staring at the green crystal in front of me. The problem at hand is how I should handle myself from now on

An F rank newly awakened hunter clearing an F ranked Dungeon in under 30 minutes was unbelievable. It would have to be someone who was B ranked or above to be able to carry out the same thing

I made sure not to show too much of what I could do when I took the licensing exam because currently, all I have going for me is the fact that I seem to have a large pool of energy to cast skills. This does not mean I am powerful, nor do I hold the power of someone rank B or higher

Even a rank D or C could easily sneak behind me and take me out as long as they're faster than me. So my plan was to stay low key until I could buy more skills, preferably higher ranking ones that would match my large energy reserves

Sigh, and that required money.

Another plan was forming in my head though. Looking over at the gains just from clearing [Ape's Paradise] once, I had in total 1 F Rank [Skill Book] and 40+ [Core]s from the more than 160 apes I had killed from the 9 floors before

This alone made me bolder to make some accelerated plans…

Just from one Dungeon run alone, I can make more than $60,000...In under 30 minutes. This alone gave me a great shock.

Normal parties would have to split the loot, and it would take them more than 2 hours of intensely fighting monsters in close combat, which brought them exhaustion and made many parties recuperate for a few hours after each dungeon run.

Most parties would go into the dungeon once or twice a day. With each person making around $10,000, the life of a hunter can be considered very luxurious

So, assuming the BOSS drops either a skill book or possibly an item, I can make around 60 grand each run...this made many ideas dance around in my head wildly.

I've already spent many months observing hunters and researching every knowledge available to the public about them. I've researched even more into all the known [Skill Book]s and [Item]s that can be dropped from BOSS rooms

For someone with a large energy pool like me, I already had a few books in mind that would work very well. Of course, I also have to keep on testing just how much [Focus] I really have

A wild thought keeps appearing in my head that I do not want to entertain as it is too grand...the possibility that because my [Focus] appears blank, and I can repeatedly continue to cast skills with no feeling of exhaustion...could mean that I can simply keep on casting skills as much as I want…

BOOM

It felt like something had exploded in my head as this idea came and my mind entertained it more and more. My heart was also beating fast that this could even be a possibility

But...why not? From what I've seen so far, there is no value for my [Focus] attribute. Is it more logical to think that it is just a really high number that I somehow cannot see, or that because it is blank and I can still cast skills, I can simply continue to cast skills without any problem of depleting something?

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves before I came to terms with a new plan. It was somewhat risky, but it will be fast and reduce any possible future problems, whether it be from monsters or hunters.

The world after the apocalypse was vastly different, but still the same. Now even more filled with dangers and deaths. A hunter could easily be killed by monsters, robbed by other hunters, or killed by the government if they do not fall inline

To secure my safety while rising up, I will need a highly defensive and offensive skill, and well as a speed supporting skill. Something of C rank or above would be highly effective, and yet the cheapest C rank skills start off at $500,000

So...How do I go about this?