"A 'Gate' materialized, a shimmering portal before me. I cautiously approached, extending my hand first. Sensing no immediate danger, I inserted my head, then half my body. It was dark, and I saw nothing. Fully entering, a screen flashed: 'Transferring to Eldorath.' I closed my eyes as a descending sensation, like a rollercoaster, washed over me for about two seconds. Opening my eyes, a wide, grassy field and crisp, fresh air greeted me. I closed them again, savoring the wind on my face for a minute. 'Map,' I thought. The holographic map revealed I was on the Eldoria continent, in the Stormreach Kingdom's territory. My location was pinned, and I could zoom in. Twenty-five kilometers north was a forest, a habitat for mutated beasts—stronger, faster versions of Earth's animals: wolves, bears, hyenas, and boars. It also noted goblins and orcs, divided into 'corrupted bloods,' feral and hostile, and those capable of human interaction. Another twenty kilometers would bring me to the nearest town, ruled by Baron Grimgar Fellbane, a notorious tyrant. The Stormreach Kingdom was infamous for its intolerance, enslaving other races and poor or orphaned humans. While slavery existed elsewhere, Stormreach's was exceptionally cruel, with slaves having no rights and facing public executions.
I retrieved my dirt bike from dimensional storage, thankful for the purchase, as it was my only quick route to town. After forty minutes of riding, hunger struck. I stopped about 300 meters from the forest's edge. Setting up my portable stove, I prepared instant noodles, spam, and an egg. As I finished, I sensed an approach. Turning, I saw ten monstrous hyenas, twice or triple Earth's size, with longer teeth and spiked spines.
I jumped back, drawing my gun, and fired at the closest one's head. It dropped instantly. I continued firing, grateful for the suppressor's noise reduction. A hyena from my blind spot surprised me. I dodged its attack, drew my knife, and stabbed it in the head. Once all were dead, notifications appeared: 'Level up! Level up! Level up! Level up!' 'Status Window.'
'Name: Henry Park'
'Age: 27'
'Race: High Human (20% bloodline)'
'Level 5'
'Experience: 216/1000'
'Health: 600/600'
'Strength: 18'
'Agility: 45'
'Intelligence: 43'
'Dexterity: 45'
'Durability: 20'
'Undistributed points: 4'
I considered point allocation, deciding on one for strength, two for agility, and one for dexterity.
'Name: Henry Park'
'Age: 27'
'Race: High Human (20% bloodline)'
'Level 5'
'Experience: 216/1000'
'Health: 600/600'
'Strength: 22'
'Agility: 45'
'Intelligence: 43'
'Dexterity: 45'
'Durability: 20'
'Undistributed points: 0'
A screen popped up: 'Don't forget to collect the hyenas' cores and carcasses.' 'Sell carcasses to the merchant guild and cores to the mercenary guild.' 'With a merchant token, sell them publicly.'
I approached the dead hyenas. 'Appraisal: Hyena (dead), D-rank beast.' The core was in the chest. I cut it open, retrieved the golf ball-sized core, and put it in dimensional storage. 'Items in dimensional storage maintain quality.' 'So, I can store meat and vegetables without spoilage.'
I entered the forest on foot. After an hour, covering four to six kilometers, I encountered a massive wild boar, the size of a young elephant. I quietly hid behind a tree, watching it devour a carcass. At twenty meters, I aimed my pistol at its head, but the bullet bounced off. Seeing me, it charged, smashing trees. I fired two more shots, ineffective. As it neared, I jumped and kicked off a tree to dodge. I rolled and fired five more shots, penetrating but barely injuring it.
As the boar turned, I fired two shots into its eyes, blinding it. I approached and placed the gun against its neck, firing twice more. It collapsed. 'Appraisal: Full-grown Wild Boar (dead), C-rank beast.' I collected its core and put it in dimensional storage. I retrieved my dirt bike to continue to town.
The ride took twenty minutes. I saw the town's high, wide walls from a distance. Before approaching, I stored my dirt bike and changed into a plain gray shirt and black pants, avoiding attention with unusual attire. At the gate, a short queue awaited. When my turn came, the guards, in thick leather armor with spears, demanded my identity token. I explained losing it in a hyena attack, slightly nervous about their regulations. 'This is a temporary entry token, but get a new identity token within four hours,' the guard stated. I took the token and entered the town, filled with old-fashioned buildings and medievally dressed people."
I checked the map to find the Identity Token registration location and saw the registry hall was nearby. I entered, and a young woman, appearing to be around 18 or 19 years old, approached me. Before she could speak, I quickly said, 'I need to obtain an Identity Token. Is there a fee?' I asked hesitantly, as I didn't yet have their currency.
'It's free for your first Identity Token from our registry hall. However, if you lose it again, there will be a charge of 50 copper coins,' she explained with a smile. She led me to a central room with a stone tablet.
'Place your palm on the tablet and state your full name,' she instructed. I complied, saying, 'Henry Park.' A hologram appeared, displaying my basic information:
Name: Henry Park
Age: 27
Height: 185 cm
Weight: 86 kg
Race: ???
Crime: N/A
*Why '???'* I wondered. *My status window clearly says 'High Human.'* Then, a screen appeared, stating that 'High Humans' had long since ceased to exist in Eldorath.
I glanced at the woman to see her reaction to my race, but she simply smiled and said, 'It's normal for your race to be undetectable if you're mixed-blood or if your parents are mixed-blood.' I just nodded, suppressing further questions for now.
We left the room, and she retrieved a wooden plate. It displayed my basic information on the front, and the words 'Registry Hall' along with their crest on the back.
After leaving the registry hall, I headed straight to the Merchant Guild to sell the hyena and wild boar carcasses I had killed. Approaching the counter, I saw a middle-aged man attending.
'How may I assist you?' he asked calmly.
'I'd like to sell some carcasses and obtain a Merchant Token,' I replied.
'What type of carcasses are you selling? The Merchant Token is 5 silver coins, and requires monthly renewal, also 5 silver coins. However, if you pay for a year, it's discounted to 4 silver coins per month,' he explained.
'Do you have a larger space for the carcasses I have?' I asked, as the counter space seemed too small for 10 hyenas and a wild boar.
'Follow me,' he said, a hint of curiosity on his face. We went to a large area in the back filled with the pungent smell of unprocessed carcasses of various beasts. Upon arriving, I said softly, '10 hyena and 1 wild boar carcasses, Retrieved.' From seemingly nowhere, 10 dead hyenas and a dead wild boar thumped onto the floor, the sound echoing in the large space.
'Do you have a Dimensional Storage Skill?' he asked, his eyes wide with surprise. I gave a slight nod.
'How large is your storage space? It's rare to have such a skill, and most only have 0.5 to 1 cubic meter. That's why merchants buy space rings, but they're expensive, around 1 platinum and 2 gold coins per cubic meter,' he elaborated, his voice laced with awe.
'20 cubic meters,' I replied simply, and his jaw dropped. After a few seconds, he regained his composure and examined the hyena carcasses, his gaze fixated on the clean, precise bullet wounds in the hyenas' heads.
'What weapon was used?' he asked, his curiosity evident.
'What are the prices for the hyena and wild boar carcasses?' I asked, evading his question.
'Because the bodies aren't heavily damaged and appear fresh, the prices are high. 20 silver coins per hyena, and the wild boar is 45 silver coins due to the damaged eye, which is a valuable material. If the eye were intact, it could be 55 silver coins. So, for 10 hyenas and 1 boar, that's 2 gold and 45 silver coins total,' he explained at length.
'That price is acceptable, and I'll take a Merchant Token for a year,' I replied. We returned to the counter.
'Here's your Merchant Token, and this pouch contains your 1 gold and 97 silver coins,' he said, handing them to me.
I immediately searched for the Mercenary Guild. Upon entering, a woman in her mid-20s was at the counter, noticeably more muscular than most women and even average men, her presence radiating a quiet strength.
'I'd like to obtain a Mercenary Token,' I said as I approached. She handed me a thick, aged-looking paper for me to fill out with basic information. After I finished, she took my Identity Plate and returned it a minute later.
'There are two requirements: 10 silver coins, and proof of killing three beasts. Your rank will be based on the beast ranks. For your safety, I recommend starting with Rank E hunts, like slimes or young goblins,' she detailed.
'I've already killed some beasts and sold their carcasses. I also have their cores, can I sell them here and use them for the second requirement?' I asked. She looked at me, a flicker of interest in her eyes, and retrieved a device.
'Placing a beast core here and your hand on it will display the beast's details. If you didn't kill it, nothing will happen,' she explained. I took out the 10 hyena cores and 1 wild boar core.
Upon placing the first core, it lit up, and a hologram screen appeared:
'Hyena Core'
'D Rank'
The same appeared for the other 9 cores. For the last one:
'Fully Grown Wild Boar'
'C Rank'
The woman was visibly surprised but quickly recovered, her expression now a mix of professional composure and thinly veiled curiosity. 'Based on the ranks of the beasts you killed, I can issue you a C Rank Mercenary Token. The hyena cores are 4 silver coins each, and the wild boar core is 7 silver coins. That's 47 silver coins total, minus the 10 silver coin fee. Here's your Mercenary Token, and here's 37 silver coins,' she said, handing me a copper coin-shaped token with the Mercenary Guild crest on the front, and 'C' with my name above it on the back."