Shadow Monarch: Multiverse Ascendance

But those are the later goals of my life. It had been four days since my first trip into an Instant Dungeon.  Since then, I  had hoped for another key from the Curse/Bless Random Boxes but was not so lucky.

'How disappointing.'

But I was able to gain the skill of Dagger throwing after throwing daggers more than 10000 times. And the skill is pretty good.  

After looking at my stat I dumped 2 points into strength making it above 50, 52  which was pretty stable, and the remaining one into agility. 

While these days I am ways of discovery and notice that my stat is just a flexible number to look upon what they really want they supposed to do and it does not just mean my strength that was enough to crush boulders with bare hands. 

And even with minimal effort are alone enough to crush mushy jelly creatures called humans they just meet bags in my way. 

I have noticed that I can go on for days without needing to sleep or even eat. 

And the last thing was my intelligence stat that got the most boost. Just for my MP, I noticed that I can perform multi-tasks and do equations in my mind that I never was supposed to even read.  

Of course, it doesn't make me wise, it just makes my IQ higher and my problem-solving ability doesn't mean I am a genius, it just means I can learn faster and understand better. 

INT was the Intelligence modifier, and it determined how much mana I had as well as how much potential I had to learn new things. INT also determined how much potential I had to learn new things. 

And in the most humble way conceivable, I concluded that it was also extremely correct. Before I died I had been a very good student. 

In addition to that, I used to spend much of my free time reading and learning new things, and I also played a lot of games that required me to think things through, which led me to believe that my mental capacities were way above average that's why my Intelligence is such high as system account my intelligence rather than Jinwoo's. 

you choose a class with an average affinity for everything, which I knew I was. The amount of mana I possessed was also accurate if the same thing occurred with VIT and

My capacity to make the right choice, how I applied the knowledge I had at my disposal, and the rate at which I regenerated mana were all determined by the same INT and the new things I got. 

Even though it looked fast but in reality it's not as in most life-and-death situations every second matters which could determine if you live or die it's enough to kill me over a million times. 

But I am still very thankful as it would get better with my skills and INT stat going up. 

I believe it was also quite accurate since I like to assume that all of the decisions I made throughout my brief previous life were the ones that should have been taken, with the obvious exception of the choice that resulted in my previous existence being so brief. 

But a stat that is missing from here is Luck.

It should come as no surprise that LUCK was the luck factor, and it determined, as you probably predicted, how lucky I was.

And because it doesn't exist here, let me believe it's common for everyone. Yes, fate does favor few but it doesn't mean the universe is out just looking for me. 

And my own luck of getting all this I do believe my luck is pretty high. 

On the other hand, I am aware that it also determines the nature of the loot I acquire from killing monsters and the frequency with which I am able to land a critical hit. 

When I looked at my statistics, I realized that I had the perfect build to become a mage class with good physical power character just based on how high my INT is when I was at level 25. 

However, this "game system" allowed me to get points in all of my stats by doing certain actions, so I was able to customize my build however I wanted.

That's why I raising my physical powers so if magic doesn't work I can always use my fists.

I was aware that I could improve my STR, and DEX by performing activities that were designed specifically for those stats. Studying would help me improve my intelligence, and dealing well with challenging situations would help me improve my intelligence. 

Because of this, I came to the conclusion that being a Battlemage was the greatest option for me. It was a subclass of wizard-type characters that concentrated on combining physical strength with combat magic to produce an extremely destructive fighting style that could be adapted to tackle any kind of situation, which was precisely what I needed. I desired to be able to compete successfully against any opponent that appeared in my way.

I am aware my class would be Shadow Monarch and I should thrive to get something related to a drak class like dark sorcerer which would shoot my build. 

But I know they are pathetic when it comes to physical plus a battle mage touches the boundaries of an Archmage and they had no restrictions on what type of spell they could learn so they could learn all types of spells.  

So it doesn't mean I won't be able to amplify the abilities of Shadow Monarch with Battle Mage no they will be pretty suitable for each other.  

[You have selected the best course of action. 

Your Intelligence increase by 1]

I couldn't help but grin when the system itself demonstrated that my choice was among the most advantageous ones I could have made. 

I clicked the X to dismiss the notification box, the skills I correctly lack are Gamer's Mind and The Body of a Gamer. 

And I am very much aware it would be impossible for me to gain those skills. But it doesn't mean I can't build those skills but I had to do is built resistance against things like pain both physical and mental resistance against elements and especially anything related to the mind and much more. 

That meant that my mental health would be in complete and total safety. My physique has changed. 

Why would any long-term damage be repaired by simply going to sleep or eating anything? I would still feel pain despite the fact that it would only be temporary. 

And I did not take kindly to being in pain. I had already had the majority of my bones breaking and puncturing my innards, and I vowed never to go through an experience similar to that again unless it was absolutely necessary. 

Don't even get me started on how it must have felt to have your head ripped off. Just don't. To put it mildly, it was not... a pleasant experience.

And now I know it becomes like that as gaining these skills in the start would be a great help in the path of power. And if I had to go through gore some pain to get those I will do it.  

Who said the path of power is an easy thing? 

In order to attack and determine damage, I needed skills at close, intermediate, and long ranges. 

To shield myself from harm, I required a skill that was protective in nature. And finally, I required support skills that enhanced my fighting ability. 

Those were the abilities I required at the time, and fortunately, I had the mana to achieve at least that much for the day.

ring~ ring~

As I was in my deep thoughts. I heard the phone ring from the living room.

'The call I was waiting for?'

So I quickly went and picked up the receiver.

"This is Hunter Sung Jinwoo."

-"Ah, there you are."

-"Student Jinwoo, why haven't you picked up the phone in a while?"

It was a familiar voice. But I was quite disappointed. As it wasn't the call I wanted. I really forgot about a few nobodies like the landlords.

 It had been 4 years since I had graduated from high school and left behind the title of a student, but the landlord, who had watched over me since I was a kid, still called me one.

"Sorry landlord. I was hospitalized for a while after an accident."

-"Oh no. Is that so? That explains that. So, er... Student Jinwoo, I haven't received this month's rent yet. How is it? Do you want to push it back to next month?"

"Oh no, that's fine. I'll send it now."

-"Ah, okay. Don't push yourself too hard. I know you're working hard to take care of your mom and little sister. Money is money, but don't neglect your body."

"I understand.."

He ended the conversation and took out his bankbook from a drawer.  His account had 103,000 won. My earning from the five dungeons that I cleared lately. 

"Sigh…"

Still, it's just too little. I should have sold the boss monster cores which were still preserved inside their bodies. 

I haven't taken them out because of the fear that they wouldn't be able to become shadows. As to make someone show their bodies need to be filled with Mana. 

I could not help but let out a long breath.  After 500 thousand won for rent, the amount left over for living expenses this month would be just 53000 thousand won.  Even the 500 thousand rent was due to the fact that I lived in a worn-down apartment on the edges of the city; on top of that, the landlord, who had a soft heart for the old Jinwoo situation, had not raised the rent in the past few years.  

It would be hard to find a place for 500 thousand these days.  It would be even harder to live on 300 thousand for the month. But money is not a passing matter after today's expiration I would have enough.

I picked out the priority goal.

If the call is not coming to me I would go there.

I was not the same man who had struggled in taking down a single E-rank magic beast.

How does a Hunter earn money?

The best way was to take down magic beasts.

The A-rank and S-rank Hunters had the luxury of being sponsored, filming commercials, and making TV appearances, but they were in the minority.  For the rest, the Hunters earned their keep in Dungeons.

Your income was dependent on the quality and quantity of the Dungeon.  And your Dungeon was dependent on your capabilities.

Higher the Rank, the higher the Dungeon.  More experienced you were, the more Dungeons you could get into.

As an E-rank Hunter under the Association, I had never entered anything above a D++ -rank Gate.  As such, I had neither the rank nor the experience to prove my worth.

I browsed through the job boards on Hunter's websites and even made a few phone calls but made no progress on finding the one I was looking for.  Nobody wanted an E-rank Hunter. The Hunters who put up listings on the job boards were there for personal raids.  As such, they were looking for reliable people to watch their backs and were strict in their criteria for selection.

These people were those that fell into an awkward place in the Hunter world.  Too weak for Guilds but too strong to work under the Association.

'Even those Hunters make several ten million a month.'

High risk, high return.  Putting their lives on the line, the reward was just as great.  There was a reason Hunters were the target of envy. To me, it was rather frustrating.

As Jinwoo pondered on what he could do, he noticed a new listing on the job board.

We'll take anyone, regardless of ranking, first come first serve!

His eyes shot open.  It was a newly created post.  Quickly checking the details, I realized the location wasn't far from my house. And it looked similar to the one I was looking for. I quickly picked up the phone. As if waiting, the other side also picked up quickly.

-"Hello?"

I gave a brief introduction and inquired about the job posting.  

-"Ah, you're an E-rank?"

The response was better than I had hoped.

-"That's fine.  You just have to come and help us fill the headcount.  But since it's a C-rank Gate, you probably won't be much help in the fighting.  So we'll have to leave you out of the loot distribution. Instead, we'll give you a flat amount of 2 million, how's that sound? Could you make it?"

I knew what the fucker was doing but I ignored how he was trying to bribe me. After all, it wasn't just for money. I was there to meet the guy who would greatly help me to raise high and level up quickly. 

I accepted the proposition,

"I'll be there in 15 minutes."

I know I'll be encountering a C- Rank monster even though I know I can dominate D+++ Rank monsters with using magic but there is still a big gap between D and C. It's good that the monster won't be fighting type. 

It's good I am saving stat recovery for the next few days. If something goes it would be very helpful today. Plus I don't think It would need to be used after all. I am more than seven levels higher than OG Jinwoo.

But the bigger question is, do I am prepared to kill someone? Taking the life of another human being. 

It's not as easy as they say, But I know worlds like these it's the rule of the jungle, Survival of the fittest, and Strong rules the weak...

So with those thoughts, I made up my mind, I got dressed, and made a run towards the location they gave me. 

I don't know if I am ready to kill someone but what I do know is I'm not ready to die and to live I had to kill no matter if it's a monster or a human. 

Even then what is the difference between both? After all, both can speak and laugh and both have thoughts and feelings.

Even if some people say monsters slaughter humans, they are capable of being messier.

But how are humans any different? They are capable of the same damn thing. if they killed hundreds humans have killed thousands. 

Everything that lives is designed to someday end; we are perpetually trapped in a never-ending spiral of life and death. 

And I don't see myself any different from them. After all, here I am ready to kill any number of both just for my own survival. 

I do fear death.

I cannot defeat the fear of death.

However, death, the cause of that fear, is in the future.

The future is merely an illusion that doesn't exist yet. And just by running I arrived at the promised location. And I didn't even feel anything even after running so far and I was not even out of breath.

9 people were waiting for me.  A man who appeared to be their leader waved to me.

"Over here!"

It was a rather hairy man with a large body.  He greeted me with a fake smile that could even be seen as fake. 

.....

Fun Fact.

"Hunter Surveillance Department":

"Surveillance/Monitoring" + "Department" I've decided to add "Hunter" in front of the department to distinguish it going forward and will shorten it to "HSD" when they come up again.

"Second Awakening": Lit. "Awakening after Awakening", but I shortened it to "second awakening" due to the usage as a noun in the passage. No impact on the story down the line.

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