I left the subway station and walked toward my apartment. The sun had set, and the streetlights were flickering. My shoulder ached from my laptop bag. Because of that, I walked slower than usual.
I reached the door and entered the passcode. The apartment was small. It was just a living room and two cramped bedrooms.
Yuna was sitting at the small dining table. Books were spread out everywhere. She was wearing her glasses and a hoodie.
"You're late."
She said without looking up.
"The Association must be falling apart if they need a Level 0 to stay that long."
"Someone had to stay and listen to D-Rank hunters cry about their broken toys."
I dropped my bag by the door.
"It's a living."
"You look like a zombie, Oppa. Go wash your face. You're depressing me."
"I'm depressing you? I'm the one paying for those textbooks."
I walked over to the kitchen.
"Did anything come for me?"
"Yeah. Boxes. They're on the living room table by the pot plant."
She finally looked at me and pointed with her pen.
"What did you buy now? More junk?"
"It's not junk. It's an investment."
I walked to the living room. Five small cardboard boxes were stacked neatly.
I looked at Yuna.
"Pass me a knife from the kitchen."
"Get it yourself. I'm studying."
"Yuna."
"Ugh. Fine."
She stood up, grumbling, and stomped into the kitchen. she grabbed a small paring knife and tossed it onto the couch.
"Don't cut yourself. I don't want to explain to the hospital why my brother is an idiot."
"I love you too."
I picked up the knife and sliced through the tape of the first box. I opened it. Inside were dozens of dull, pebble-like stones. Most were Grey. A few were Brown. F-Rank and E-Rank mana stones.
Yuna walked over and peered into the box. Her expression changed. She looked worried.
"Mana stones? Again?"
"This is like when you used to play that stupid game all night. You're obsessed, Kwon."
I didn't answer. I just kept opening the other boxes. If only she knew. That 'stupid game' was the reason the world looked the way it did now. It was the reason hunters existed. It was the reason I was Level 0.
"You should join me."
I sifted through the stones. They felt cold.
"Buying and reselling these resources makes a ton of money. You wouldn't have to work that part-time job of yours."
Yuna crossed her arms.
"I appreciate you working and paying for my studies, Oppa. Really. But I can't do that."
She looked at me up and down.
"I pity the way you look right now. I don't want to become like you. Gray skin and dark circles under the eyes? No thanks."
"It's a professional look."
"It's a 'I-need-a-vacation' look. Besides, I'm not even a hunter let alone an Awakened. I'm fine just studying and working my shift. Someone in this family needs to stay normal."
I mumbled angrily under my breath. She always had a comeback.
I looked at her books.
"How is school, anyway?"
"It's okay."
She started walking back to her seat.
"I can't complain. I got the highest score on the midterms for my economics class. Maybe I should be the one managing your 'investments'."
"In your dreams. Go study."
"I made dinner. Yours is waiting over at the kitchen counter in a dish. Eat it before it gets cold."
"Oh, yeah. That reminds me."
I reached into my bag and pulled out a plastic bag filled with her favorite honey-butter chips and some chocolate.
"Here. For the late-night studying."
Yuna's eyes brightened. She took the bag.
"Thanks, Oppa. Don't stay up too late staring at those rocks."
She headed back to her room and closed the door.
I turned back to the boxes. These were good investments. Even if the profit was little, it was steady. I planned to drop some into my personal account at the HA to show 'activity' and use the others for trading on ManaX.
I began rummaging through the third box. I was moving the Grey stones aside when I saw a flash of deep color.
I froze. I reached in and pulled it out.
It was a Purple mana stone.
"Wait... this..."
My heart started thumping. This was an A-Rank mana stone. A single A-Rank stone was worth more than all five of these boxes combined. Ten times over.
Did the seller make a mistake?
Driven by greed and a sudden spark of hope, I began rummaging through the boxes again. I poured the stones out onto the table. I searched every corner.
There was nothing else. Just Grey and Brown.
"I should have known."
My luck was shit. I had known this ever since the Tower appeared. Back then, I was so excited. I thought knowing the game would mean I would climb the highest, rank the fastest, and be drowning in money.
Instead, I got struck with an unlevelable rank. Because of that, I was stuck at the bottom while everyone else moved up.
Even consuming mana stones to raise my level didn't work. I picked up one of the Brown E-Rank stones. I tried to trigger the consumption through my system window.
[ Low-Grade Mana Stone cannot be consumed.]
[Reason: Target's Level is too low.]
"Well, what do you want me to do?"
I hissed at the empty air.
I knew Level 1 was needed to consume mana stones. Everyone knew that. But how was I supposed to get to Level 1 if I couldn't gain experience?
I looked at the Purple stone in my hand. My mind started racing. This was a gamble.
If I could somehow consume this, the sheer density of mana might force the system to bypass and I might increase 5 levels at once. I could jump straight to Level 5 and finally leave the HA desk.
But it also meant I wouldn't be able to sell it. It was a massive amount of money to just 'eat'.
"Either way, it's a win-win. So why am I complaining?"
I focused on the Purple stone.
[High-Grade Mana Stone cannot be consumed.]
[Reason: System Integrity Error.]
"Why do I even try?"
I threw the stone back onto the table. It made a sharp clicking sound against the wood. I let out a long sigh.
When would I ever become a chaebol? At this rate, I'd be filing death reports for hunters until I was sixty.
I went to the kitchen and ate the dinner Yuna made. It was cold, but it tasted good.
Afterward, I sat on the couch and pulled out my phone.
A message popped up. It was from Park Jin-ho. He worked in the Equipment Management Department. He was a total chatterbox.
[Jin-ho: Hey, Jin-woo. You awake?]
[Me: Yeah. Just finished dinner.]
[Jin-ho: Man, you better watch out. I heard some rumors at the water cooler today. The higher-ups are looking for someone to dump into the 'Pit'.]
The Pit. That was what we called the Broadcasting Department.
[Me: The Broadcasting Dept? I heard that place is hell.]
[Jin-ho: It's worse than hell. They've gone through three managers in two months. One quit, one had a mental breakdown, and one got sued by a guild.]
[Me: Dealing with those streamers is egregious work. Sometimes I want to quit and think my life is shitty, but then I remember the people who work in that department.]
[Jin-ho: Exactly! You're safe at the desk, right? No one wants to move a guy who actually handles the Karens. Anyway, did you hear the funny news from the 5th floor today? A guy tried to tame a slime by feeding it his own hair...]
This guy.