"Let me get straight to the point. You don't need to attend the training center starting from tomorrow."
I stared at Manager Johnson blankly before regaining my composure.
"...Why am I being expelled?"
"Roy quatro, I think you know exactly why we're expelling you."
"..."
"Your continued presence here has become a massive burden on our training center."
"I've never missed a single session, and I've met all the prerequisites," I replied quickly.
"Well, of course. Because you're preparing for the Hunter Exam. The problem is that five years have already passed since you started preparing."
Manager Johnson narrowed his eyes and scrutinized my body carefully.
"Even after five years of physical training, you haven't managed to learn a single skill or unleash your innate power. You haven't even raised a single stat point."
His harsh words were like a dagger to my heart.
As he said, I hadn't accomplished anything during the past five years of training.
I couldn't unlock a single skill, let alone raise any stat points.
'Damn it.'
And this happened in a professional player training center, no less.
Everyone who awakens as a player must train in one of these centers for a few months at least before they can debut as a hunter.
But...
I couldn't achieve anything during the years I spent training here.
Honestly, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I'd never be able to become a hunter.
I had no idea about the basic qualifications that even the most novice hunters possessed.
But I kept my cool and asked in a monotone voice.
"...Is that the reason I'm being expelled?"
"More precisely, you're tarnishing the reputation of our training center. You're giving us a terribly bad name."
Finally, I understood what Manager Johnson was trying to say.
"You're worried about what people will think of a training center that couldn't develop a trainee's potential after five years of training."
Manager Johnson fell silent but nodded with a mocking smile.
Yes, I knew this would happen someday.
Damn it.
"To be frank, I've seen plenty of young people with various talents and potentials during my time here, but even you are a special case."
"..."
"I've never seen anyone who couldn't gain even a single stat point after five full years. Do you think you'll pass the Hunter Exam?"
"..."
"Do you think something will change just because you work hard? That's not how it works. You're wasting your time. It'd be better for you to find something else to do."
"..."
His words pierced my soul.
But I couldn't refute his arguments.
As he said, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call me completely talentless as a hunter.
I didn't want to suppress these feelings, but I had to.
Why?
'Because I'm weak and have nothing.'
I'd endured this for a long time, but it seemed like there was no need anymore.
Yeah, it was time to end it. I was exhausted.
"Of course, we won't expel you without compensation. We'll refund you about 60% of the fees you paid..."
Why was he still talking?
All he was doing was trying to convince me to leave.
"Yeah, I get it. Just give me the compensation... peacefully."
As soon as he finished his sentence, I brushed past him toward the exit.
"...!"
I thought he wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't stop me.
Well, there was nothing left to say, and I wasn't the one who had anything to lose by getting angry.
"Oh my God, he was here even before I arrived, but now he's being kicked out like this."
The story began with a comment from a passerby, then gazes poured in at me from all over the room.
"But he came every morning to train non-stop... It's a shame, isn't it?"
"No need to feel bad. He wasted a huge chunk of his time on nothing."
"If someone like him became a hunter, he'd die in the blink of an eye. It's better for him to give up before starting."
"I didn't know he couldn't raise even a single stat point after five years of training."
Some pitied me, some mocked me...
Human nature makes people feel better by seeing someone worse off than them so they don't feel inferior. Probably, some of the trainees mocking me were other failures who felt relief by jeering at someone even worse.
My father was a psychologist, and I learned a little from his experiences with patients about how people think, so I could understand the mindset of some folks.
I never cared, and never will, what people think of me...
And so, my five years of training became proof of my foolishness.
But...
'I guess that's it. Damn.'
I muttered to myself as I left the center and stared at the sky.
Five years of continuous training...
"Sigh..."
It ended in such a ridiculously simple way.
***
I didn't always want to become a hunter.
It happened during the Third Great Catastrophe, when hordes of monsters devoured my parents alive.
And I wasn't the only one who went through that experience.
Few people can become hunters. Currently, only 15% of the world's population has awakened.
Back then, I prayed to God to awaken as a player.
Is that the reason?
"I've awakened as a player. Just awakened."
Then the problem appeared later.
No matter what I did, my stats didn't improve, and my "innate power" never unlocked.
But I didn't lose hope and kept training.
Because skills are given to those who are prepared...
I trained seriously for five years after that.
I didn't even aspire to unleash my innate power.
I just wanted to be a little more capable than an ordinary person.
My only hope was that someday I could get revenge for my parents.
It wasn't like I wanted to kill every monster that came out of the 'Second World' or anything—I knew that was impossible—but I wanted to feel like I'd accomplished something, or some form of vengeance.
But the world didn't allow me such privileges.
And here I ended up.
I sat on a snow-covered bench in a public park, sipping from a can of drink.
"...I guess I was an idiot. Five years..."
Even those who lost their families to monsters invading from the Second World didn't go this far.
More precisely, they couldn't.
After about three years or so, most people face reality and give up.
Either that... or they realize their potential and climb to the top.
I couldn't do either.
I didn't know that nothing would change even after five years... or maybe I just didn't want to believe it.
Haha.
I couldn't help but smile at this obvious outcome.
"At least I tried."
No, I did more than just try.
Most people face reality and find another path for themselves. But not me.
I no longer knew what to do with my life.
But after five years of not giving up, I wasn't about to surrender everything now.
"I'm not so weak that I'd think about ending my life."
Crush...!
I placed the empty drink can on the bench and looked at the sky.
To commemorate the end of an era, I decided to have a long talk with my parents.
"...I did my best. I wanted to get revenge for you, kill those monsters, and become someone you'd be proud of, but... things don't go as planned. I'm really sorry."
I felt a bit melancholic, but not to the point of crying.
Five years was enough to dull my grief.
Over the years, the sharp pain faded, and now I've completely lost the feeling.
"There was a time when I had to train all night because the pain and sorrow kept me from sleeping."
I'd given up on the idea of going to college long ago, since I didn't have enough money to cover the expenses.
At twenty-one years old, I no longer even wanted to train.
Maybe it was clear now that I knew I'd never become a hunter.
That was one of the reasons I didn't resist at the training center.
I preferred to end it quickly rather than cling to it pathetically...
At least I managed to end it on my own terms before anyone forced me to.
After my rambling monologue, I leaned back on the bench and stared at the dark sky.
I'd decided to give up on the hunter profession, but I couldn't shake the lingering attachment to it.
I gazed at the view for a few minutes, closed my eyes, then clenched my fist.
"No... not yet..."
I'm still young; I can't crush my spirits this easily.
My father always said that a massive failure can affect a person's psyche forever.
If I'm going to give up, it'll be when all chances are exhausted. I'll rely on the principle of doing what I want.
There are still plenty of training centers in this city... and if they all reject me, I'll go to another city.
If I had an innate ability... or even if I could raise my stats just a little...
If...
If I had even a sliver of hope, I wouldn't give up.
I closed my eyes slowly, along with my scattered thoughts.
***
I was still in a daze, seeing something like a three-dimensional message in front of my eyes.
«The Tower of Death admires your iron will.»
The first thing I saw in this dream was praise from someone.
'Who is this?'
I had questions, but there was no time to continue that line of thinking.
«The Tower of Death has selected all suitable candidates from Earth.»
«Please select the difficulty level.»
«The selected difficulty will correspond to your rewards.»
Three options appeared at the end of the message.
«Easy» «Normal» «Hard»
I didn't find anything unusual even though I was looking at a three-dimensional message.
A strange feeling of being on the boundary between consciousness and unconsciousness.
Instead of questioning the circumstances, I could only think about making a decision.
To choose.
A choice I wouldn't regret reaching out for.
I was drawn to it, so I extended my hand as if there was no other option.
Then...
«You have selected the 'Hard' difficulty level.»
We wish the challenger a satisfactory end to their choice.
Whoosh...!
The message faded like a small candle flame, and my consciousness became clearer.
I was fully awake.
«Now entering the first floor of the Tower of Death.»
"...?"
«Challengers should now prepare for the upcoming trial.»
I just realized something strange was happening, but there was nothing I could do at this point.
«Entering the Tower of Death, First Floor.»
My surroundings changed from a park bench to a forest.
«The First Floor trial begins now.»
«The following trial is a special one presented as a tutorial.»
«The objective of the following trial is 'Survival'.»
We wish the challenger a satisfactory end to their choice.
At that moment, I realized...
«Reward for clearing the trial - Unleashing the innate power»
«Penalty for failing the trial – Execution»
"...Damn."
If my life had a turning point, this was it.