I opened my eyes and looked around for a bit.
I was in a room with walls covered in pictures of monsters and strategies. There were many bags of trash in one corner and a torn bed in another... to put it simply, this was my home.
I sighed in relief, for this was the first time in a long time that I felt happy in my home.
"[Status Window]," I muttered, just to make sure.
[ Ethan Hoarder
> MP: 10/10
Race: Human
Class: Dimensional Traveler
=—————=
Traits: [Advanced Learner] ~ [Adapt]
=—————=
Skills: Dimensional Shift ⌜Max⌟ ]
Everything was intact, just as it should be, which made me relieved.
I placed my backpack down and went straight to my computer, which I hadn't used for three months. As I was turning on the computer, I remembered my times as a professional gamer, which were fulfilling.
Once everything was ready, I started searching the term 'Status Window' in the browser and went to the pictures section, as I wanted to see the models I had seen a while ago.
[ {Full Name}
> MP: {Mana Points}
Class: {Class Name}
=—————=
Skills: {Class Skills} ]
"I knew something was strange," I said to myself as I looked at the model.
Not only was a completely new part called [Trait] added to my [Status Window], but I could also see my own race. This was completely different from what I had expected from a normal status window, but it didn't change anything for me.
I had a skill and, consequently, two traits that I could use inside a dungeon to earn money... this was a win for me, no matter how I thought about it.
Buzz-! I heard my phone vibrating from my bed, so I went and grabbed it. I received a message from the debt collector, telling me it was the end of the month and I needed to pay the promised portion, which made me sigh in frustration.
I grabbed my bag and looked inside. Many of my items were missing, just as I thought, but there were some mana stones that I had brought with me from the dungeon. I placed the mana stones inside another bag and changed into something cleaner and more appropriate.
I opened the door to go outside. I looked around and saw the exact scene I wished for. I was on the second floor of the apartment, which had nothing nice about it. The sky was at dawn, which meant the day was just getting started, and that was good news for me.
I quickly walked down the stairs and called a taxi to take me to a place where I could sell my items.
While in the car, I used my phone to check the news about the dungeon I had been in yesterday and found something disturbing. My assumption about the dungeon's misranking was correct, and it turned out to be a C-rank dungeon.
This worried me, making me think that something bad might happen, but my thoughts were cut short when the taxi driver said, "We've reached the destination."
"Oh, thank you," I said, then got out of the taxi.
I looked ahead into the unfavored district. A store with no advertisement outside, hidden among the piles of trash and street art. I wasn't happy to know such a place, but hard times called for unjust solutions.
I entered the shop, knowing I wouldn't leave with a smile. On the shelves, there were few items from any set category, which didn't make this place look like a shop... and of course, it wasn't primarily a shop.
"Look who's back! Our Ethan. Is this another desperate call for getting rid of the debt you've been carrying?" said the store owner with an eye patch, sitting with a cigar in his left hand.
"Hello, Sebastian, and yes. I'm here to sell you some mana stones," I said, with a displeased expression.
"Well, I'll be damned. Let me take a look."
I took out the mana stones from the bags and placed them on the table. The stones came in different sizes, but the size didn't matter as long as they were high-ranked.
After examining the stones, he cracked a smile and said, "D-grade Stones!? I guess you lifted from a rich party."
"I tried my best," I said, maintaining my expressionless demeanor.
After a not-so-through examination, Sebastian said, "I will give you 50 for each one."
"Are you joking?! This is much lower than the previous price, which was also much lower than the actual price," I said.
"I know, but the situation has become a little harder for us. The association started conducting strict investigations about HS, which made it a lot harder to turn the stones into money. Believe me when I say that the money I'm offering is the best anyone could do," he said, without hiding his greedy expression.
Around 50 years ago, when the first Awakeners revealed themselves to the population, it caused a lot of commotion. Many Awakeners desired power and control over others, something the government didn't like, so they used Awakeners against them.
After a well-thought-out plan, all governments from around the globe agreed to create an isolated government whose main job would be to control Awakeners, thus establishing the International Awakeners Association.
By law, selling monster components and anything related to dungeons was illegal unless it was inside the Awakeners Association or establishments connected to them, such as guilds.
For a porter like me, who needed money, stealing stones made it a lot easier. Selling the stones without being noticed by my other team members was hard to do legally, so after asking around, I found this shop that could buy my product... though at unfavorable prices.
Although that sounded like an outrageous lie, I didn't find it unlikely, considering the association was a place with a lot of stuff going on. Beside, I knew Sebastian wasn't a lier.
"Fine. Send the money to the account."
"Alrighty, sir."
I got out of the store and waited outside for a bit. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my previous messages... until I decided to call someone.
"Hello?" said the person on the other end.
"Hello, it's me, Ethan. I'm looking for a job to do," I said in a calm voice.
"Ethan? I told you I would call you if I found any job you asked for. Why are you asking me again?"
"This time is a bit different... I don't want money. All I need is to be in a team as a porter, that's it."
"... are you okay, Ethan? Did something happen to your mother?" he asked with concern.
"Don't worry, my mother is okay. I just want to test something. Can you do it for me?"
"Okay. Will you let me know if something happened?"
"Why wouldn't I," I said, knowing it was an empty promise.
"I will ask around today and contact you if I get anything relevant."
"Thank you."
I ended the call after getting what I wanted. My mind was still scattered, but I really wanted to test out the new things I got after receiving a system update.
I looked up with an exhausted expression, even though I wasn't really exhausted. The sky was cloudy, and I could feel tiny droplets of water on my face... it was a lonely day, but I knew something good would come out of it.
I got in a taxi and headed to one of my part-time jobs that I could take if I didn't have any dungeon sessions... as a delivery driver.
"Eh, hey Ethan. Are you here to work?" said the fast-food restaurant owner.
"Yes, I am. Am I still welcomed?" I said with a soft smile.
"whenever. I'll pay you for as much as you work," he replied with a soft smile as well.
I went inside, grabbed the delivery motorcycle, and started filling the basket with orders. The restaurant, despite being small, had a lot of customers due to its affordability, and since the owner didn't have many workers around, I would fill the role of delivery until his son showed up. The pay wasn't great, but enough to be a filler job.
I did delivery for a long time, to the point of being a professional, so I was delivering food as fast as ever... and without me noticing, I got a new message on my phone.
A message that made me say to myself, "Kim Ji-soo, I will never forget this," with a soft smile.