The next morning, I did my usual daily quest. After finishing my 100 reps of exercise, I went to my regular running track near my apartment, where the hot blonde neighbor smoked me with her speed and endurance.
[Daily Quest Begins!]
Push-up: 100/100
Sit-up: 100/100
Squat: 100/100
Run: 10/10 km
Meditation: 0/1 hour
Aura Concealment: 4/12 hours
I finished the workout, and the 4 hours of aura concealment were done while I was asleep. Honestly, I could go for 6 hours, but lately, my sleep quality has gotten worse.
The nightmares are getting worse every day, and they creep me out because most of them feel too real.
"Ah…"
Could this be happening because of my holy aura?
Aura Concealment basically means my mana is being suppressed. By doing that, the energy leaking out of me also becomes thinner.
Now I remember that Aqua can attract ghosts because wandering souls beg to be purified.
Seems like I need to set up a holy seal around my place later.
"You've improved a lot, Ken-ssi."
I looked up and saw a pair of mountains. A woman dressed in a sports bra and leggings smiled while tucking her hair behind her ear.
What? Am I creepy as hell? I can't control the first thing I see when I turn my head. It's just that my eyes fix on that place it's truly a mystery.
"You too. Good run," I said while gulping down some water.
Miss Cha sat beside me and cracked open her bottle.
"That reminds me, Ken-ssi. Shouldn't you go to school? You might be late, you know."
"The school said they're still processing my transfer."
"I see. I thought you were already attending. Sorry."
"Why do you have to apologize? It's fine."
"Really?"
Oh, there she goes.
Every time I talk to her like this, she tends to turn her face away, but her red ears never escape my eyes. She must be trying to say something.
"Yes, it doesn't bother me. Also, please drop the honorific since you're older than me."
"Th-then, Ken, um, you can call me Hae-in noona. Ahem! Anyway, um, about last time… please don't think of me as a weird person. I have a reason for it."
Ahh… to be fair, I almost forgot about that since I've been focused on studying.
"Of course. I'm guessing you have a sensitive nose that lets you detect magical energy."
"So you know?!"
"I read about awakeners who have the same condition. While it helps them sense mana, most of the time it's a pain. Since you're an S-rank hunter, I can't imagine how troublesome it must be."
Hearing that, she looked more at ease. She could probably smell a fart from ten miles away, so I could imagine how relieved she must feel when she finally smells something pleasant.
Hold up.
"May I ask something?"
"Sure."
"I noticed you seem to have trouble sleeping?"
"That's rig... wait, is it that obvious?"
When I saw the dark circles under her eyes, it had to be that reason.
"You must've had bad dreams."
She looked shocked when I said that. "Yes. Can you use telepathy, or was that just a lucky guess?"
"No, it was just a wild guess. Because I have them too."
It was my fault! Damn it, Holy Aura! My powers are doing more damage to my neighbors than to monsters!
Hae-in let out a deep sigh.
"That's weird. The truth is, my dreams keep getting worse every day, to the point I need my coworker to heal me with magic. And the smell around the apartment has become unpleasant too. I heard from the security uncle that the place seems haunted every night. I think I'll have to invite a healer from my guild."
I'm sorry, neighbor. It was my fault!
Suddenly, Hae-in placed her hand on my shoulder and leaned her head forward. "But you look fine."
"Kuhum! Miss Cha—"
"Noona. Call me noona."
"Okay.... noona. I have a way that might help you feel less tired and sleep better."
She looked puzzled, trying to guess what I meant. I stretched my hand toward her. A burst of light surrounded her as I cast Heal and Blessing at the same time.
Thanks to Aqua's template, I didn't need much mana to use those spells.
"All my fatigue is gone…" Hae-in looked at me, impressed. "That's amazing, Ken. But you lied to me." She crossed her arms.
"I just learned it recently."
"Really? Um, the still haven't assessed your rank at the Hunter Association?"
"Yeah."
"Take it easy, okay? You can do that when you're ready."
I smiled. She might be a bit perverted, but she's a good person.
And a hot one.
Anyway.
After taking a shower, I kept studying magic until I read all the grimoires and practiced the spells myself.
Maybe it's because of the method I chose, but it's easier to learn other spells since I started with the hardest one.
Jilwer is a spell that gives me an advantage in melee combat. Basically, it's a movement-type spell, and I already understand the principles behind it.
Second, the Clean spell.
As a lazy person, this one's a lifesaver.
Not to mention, I buffed it with Purification, which makes my apartment shine like new.
Just imagine a soap ad claiming it kills 98% of germs, meanwhile, I kill 100% of them.
"This place smells like a hospital now…"
[Ding!]
You've mastered
[Jilwer]
Type: Movement
Tier: R
Mana Cost: 20 per use
[You have leveled up!]
[Ding!]
You've mastered
[Clean]
Type: Utility
Tier: R
Mana Cost: 5 per use
[You have leveled up!]
Great!
Now I'm out of grimoires to read.
I've already checked the system quests, and I think more will appear once I interact with main or side characters.
[Main Quests]
Become a hunter
Clear 40 D-rank dungeons
Clear 30 C-rank dungeons
Clear 15 B-rank dungeons
Clear 10 A-rank dungeons
Clear 3 S-rank dungeons
Attend J High
Become a dungeon miner
Create a guild
.
.
.
The list is interesting.
I doubt I'll get instant dungeons like Jin-woo did. But if I want to enter higher ranked dungeons, the only way is through a guild and it has to be a major one.
But I don't really want to join a guild. Mainly I don't want anyone to find out that I can grow stronger while still appearing weak.
There must be a way to enter dungeons without revealing my identity.
For now
[Attend J High]
[Reward: 1000 Achievement Points]
This is the only quest I can do right now, and the reward equals an SR gacha pull.
---
Three days later, on Monday.
Right in front of the school gate, I stood watching students walk inside.
I hum and followed after them.
Today was supposed to be my first day here. The school wasn't anything special in fact, it was a bottom-tier vocational school where most students didn't care about going to college.
One thing I noticed was that I actually knew this place.
I had watched a series called Lookism on Netflix, and this was where it all started.
I didn't know how the two series had merged like this, but since both were Korean webtoons, I just shut my brain off.
"So, you two are the transfer students, right?"
In the faculty room, I stood beside my homeroom teacher as he sat at his desk.
"Yes, sir. M-my name is Park Daniel."
Next to me was a tall crazy good looking guy. He said his name was Daniel? That's the main character's name.
"Geez, you're a pretty boy, huh? Okay…" The teacher then looked at me.
"My name is Takakura Ken, sir."
"Japanese, huh?" He rubbed his chin and hummed. "Your Korean is flawless. I suppose you were born here?"
"I moved to Seoul five years ago."
"I see… hm?" He glanced between me and a sheet in his hand probably because it said my parents died during the dungeon break. "Ahem! Anyway, you two wait outside, then we'll head to class together."
I stepped outside. As I slid the door shut, the guy started talking to me.
"Um, nice to meet you. I'm Park Daniel."
I turned to him. "Ken."
"A-ah, you can call me Daniel."
If I hadn't watched the series, I might have been confused by his awkwardness.
After all this guy has two bodies.
---
Friend.
A being that stays around you only because you have something they want.
Whether it's your kindness, your brains, your money, your looks or maybe you're just good in bed.
Take the British Museum, for example.
It's a place filled with treasures from around the world. You can learn about major past civilizations all in one building. HOWEVER, most of those treasures were stolen from British colonies.
It's ironic. The place is called the British Museum, but if Britain ever returned everything it stole, what would be left? Just an empty museum. Except for the English food.
But no one cares about English food.
And no one would care if the museum were empty.
People wouldn't visit because there'd be nothing left except English food.
When there's no reason to come, people stop coming.
Just like friends they'll abandon you once they have no reason to stay.
After all the cliche transfer student events were over, I found my seat. The guy next to me was really noisy. Six feet tall, handsome, with a well-built bo— okay stop. But seriously, with a guy like that transferring into your class, you can bet the girls wouldn't stay quiet.
"Oh my gosh, Daniel, you've got something on your face."
"Huh? What is it?"
"Hand.... some… ness."
Ew.
What was that girl's name again?
"Park Ha Neul, sit down. Class is starting."
My seat was in the far back, middle row. The voice came from the girl in front of me a pony tailed girl wearing a blazer uniform.
"Hold on, Jin-ah, I won't take long."
"Like hell I care. You're noisy."
"Tch. Fine, fine. Um, Daniel, let's talk again at lunch, okay?"
"Su-sure."
The girl walked back to her seat, swaying her hips like she wanted him to notice.
"Uwa... that bitch," the girl in front of me muttered, shaking her head. Noticing my gaze, she chuckled. "I'm class rep, Sung Jin-ah. If you need anything, I can help," She then glanced at the guy next to me. "Same goes for you, Daniel."
She's nice.
Even so, I'm not interested in this Lookism world setup. Because, mainly, she's the reason I'm here.
[Ding!]
You've completed the quest.
[Quest: Attend J High]
[Reward: 1000 Achievement Points]
[Ding!]
You've completed the side quest.
[Quest: Become Sung Jin-ah's classmate]
[Reward: 200 Achievement Points]
[You've leveled up]
[You've leveled up]
Only 200 AP, huh?
Still, twenty bucks is twenty bucks. Whatever the reward is, I'll take it.
Now I've got 1200 AP to spend that means I can roll for SR and N-tier gacha pulls. But man, it feels like a waste to spend 200 just for normal tier.
[Confirm! Rolling SR tier cards]
[Fel]
Origin: Warcraft
Type: Spell
Tier: SR
Mana Cost: None
Description: A demonic spell that drains life and converts it into corrupted energy. However the user could lose their sense and become demon.
[Zoltraak]
Origin: Frieren
Type: Spell
Tier: R
Mana Cost: 10 per use (minimum)
Description: Known as killing magic, the first piercing spell made from concentrated mana. It can penetrate magic-resistant barriers or artifacts, though it's ineffective against complex defensive barriers.
[Guardian Mask]
Origin: Elden Ring
Type: Item
Tier: N
Effect: +1 Vitality, +1 Luck
Description: A lightweight golden mask engraved with cool patterns, worn by the guardians of the Minor Erdtrees.
[Icha-Icha Paradise]
Origin: Naruto
Type: Item
Tier: J
Description: A complete set of adult novels written by Jiraiya.
[All the items has been saved to the inventory]
HOHO damn, the Fel from warcraft? And Zoltraak the ordinary offense magic! More than that, the mask from Elden Ring. Although it's not that great nor it's bad still a good staff, I'm going to use this when I'd my hunter job. Last one, hm? Icha-icha Paradise... this shit just smut novel. Anyway, it's going to fun to read. I mean, the first two.
Suddenly, I could feel strong murderous intent. It just for a second as the intent never seem to exist. Scanning, the room, I found there's only 3 person who has mana excluding me. Two has stronger aura.
I shut my eyes. It's the person on my left. His seat is close to the window.
When I know what happen, I just sigh inwardly.
That guy name Zack just jealous over Daniel because I presume his crush seem looking too much at him.
Just your average slice of life series, I guess?
I'm going to use this change to continue Daily Quest.