The year 2035.
"It has now officially been five years since the formation of the world council and it has been announced the 5th year celebration would be canceled due to appearance of grade S gate in the USA."
"Council representative has announced that they will concentrate on closing the gate as it takes priority and it has been confirmed that the guild 'Legion of Pure' will be entering this gate while raid team from guild Ivory Eagles will be on standby"
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKhsNGVc9d
*ding-a-ling*
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKz9OQPsDYA
The sound from the radio was disturbed as a person walked into the shop.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTxZWZmucD
"welcome-...oh it's you"
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1ymBma7Ap
From behind the counter, Ed turned towards the shop's door from his seat, with an expressionless face and a hunched back.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLapkq6CxH
"yeah ..sorry for making you take care of my uncle's antique shop in my place today, Ed"
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpiysyRRmqG
Saying this the Jong Kwan walked straight towards the counter.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5zO87p6Ir
"No problem I was bored at home anyway..how's your uncle doing now ."
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURwz0fihVC
Ed turned his gaze back to the dusty pocket radio on the counter and continued to stare at it in a daze.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14cF2V6FNk
"Oh nothing much, just back pain he'll be alright after a day of rest ...what are you listing to?"
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHiTEwIWIZ
Jong Kwan reached out to grab the radio from the counter and fiddled around with it.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7Kcm8L5kV
"The news. I was messing around with the stuff here and found this radio.. it was really hard to get it to work though... imagine people back then used this for entertainment "
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJqKHoeiDu
Ed looked at the radio in Jong Kwan's hand and stood up to stretch his back.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54Q6NwDRo6
"Not really, even before the disaster people rarely used it. Some just kept it for hobby though "
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGD3t5EZVvi
Jong Kwan turned the radio off and looked at the man stretching before him, with a stupid grin on his face.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WfBUHVE5p
"oh.. hmmm what are you all giddy about ?"
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8pdmJhL4f
Ed gave his friend a curious glance. Jong put aside the radio, puffed his chest out, and declared with a happy face.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdlnBdftFg
"I bring about glorious tiding my fellow peasant, your friend the geat jong Kwan has passed the mana count test"
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡupZzsG7NbS
Ed absent-mindedly acknowledged this.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wef1wWC8R
"You're mana count was today?-NO WAIT! YOU PASSED THE TEST!!"
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsy8UK9tsP
Half in shock and half joyful Ed took a good look at his friend.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoBRMt1b79
"hehe, now we just have to wait for you to pass your test and we can go through the awakening together"
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgKdMfQLve
Still giddy with excitement Jong kawn gave his Ed a solid tap on the shoulder.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡse96qE3sJG
"I don't know man. In the last test, they said my mana count might take many years to reach 100 naturally and it's only been two years since then.."
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrByhiIZgy
Ed looks at the ground with uncertainty in his voice.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTIYIrOoRc
"Who gives a damn about what they said. If I can pass I'm sure you will too, besides we are already 20, this year would be our last chance to get a free reading."
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLdBa9thz9k
Jong Kwan tried to cheer up Ed as he lightly tapped his shoulder again in encouragement.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptKwZlYTFg
It has always been their dream to become hunters and join one of the big 10 guilds. Yet their dream got crushed when they both failed their test two years back after graduation.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkRRdZt02i
Many of their schoolmates awakened one after another, joined guilds, and became hunters, while they worked part-time jobs as both at the height of their obsession during high school disregarded studying like many others.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCh6moILrP
While Jong Kwan was from a well-off family, Eds' parents had died during the disasters. He and his younger sister lived in a rented apartment, paying the bills with his meager part-time jobs salary and some support from their parent's pension.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXsFdyOlma
He thought he could turn his life around and make it so that his sister never has to feel restricted due to financial reasons, however, he didn't pass the test.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CZIesJ8OR
"I hope so... since you are back I'll get going."
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUoHc9tAMLp
Saying this Ed grabbed his back from behind the counter, slowly walk towards the door of the shop. Jong Kwan looked at the back of his friend as he walked out the door.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlb03Ho8IPn
"I hope as well friend"585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXQM80cvCv
....................................
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWNQSLSSmF
Ed walked for a while before stopping. Looking at the small park adjacent to the street, he no longer had the dazed or depressed look rather he had an expression of guilt.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxOhrn6pumI
"sigh.."
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgN1OtfQNp0
'I'm sorry for lying, friend. It's just that my situation is....well I don't know where to even start'
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZjw20210j
He slightly tilted his head up and stared at thin air.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HsUG6688d
A gesture that is an integral part of an awakened person's daily life.585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufd5rnw77b
___________________________________________________________________
Name: Edmond Dantes
Status: (The status window will update after awakening )
___________________________________________________________________
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEWTr5HYsz
' What is wrong with me for real... '
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡov60CPczlz
"Sigh... system what is my mana count"
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEoapYO5K8k
After Ed said this, floating text appeared before his eyes, just like every hunter can only see their status window no one could see the floating text. He had already tested it many times with his sister. Through many experiments, he has found that his case is quite special.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mCDUF4dm8
When he made his sister say this back when he was in high school, nothing happened, no text appeared for her. The only thing that happened was that he had to listen to his sister nagging about how he is too obsessed with hunters and should focus on studies.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncrHKBsjw8
Other than his sister he has not tried this or brought this topic to anyone in fear of being reported to the government. It may sound stupid but the government takes topics regarding anything supernatural very seriously and he may as well get dragged to their research facilities.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6tXuWfd3U
who knows what goes on there.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqVmWcBeII
[ total mana count: 836 ]
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxsX31ZBuKI
'same as yesterday huh'
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQaRCsoiOwh
Unimpressed Ed continued asking.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jXupItwAI
"what about normal mana count?"
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNsEEZZc8P
Ed still remembered when he went to get his mana count reading at the dungeon management bureau for the first time. He also vividly remembers how stupefied he was when he got his result.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcQzmrXHfX
He managed to get a perfect score of 69 of the required 100. As to why he was shocked rather than sad was because at the time of the test, according to the system he had a mana count of 604.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUz4uAE9OJQ
Who wouldn't be shocked it's THE FREAKING SYSTEM WE ARE TALKING ABOUT!! IT CAN'T BE WRONG RIGHT?!! I AM NOT JUST IMAGINING THIS OR LOSING MY MIND RIGHT?!?!
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdEmLrJ9TZ
It took him a few days to recover from this blow. After which he did another round of experiments(questions) with the system after hundreds of [ Host not qualified for this information ] this was the conclusion he reached.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIanDbUDM6
The mana count technology of humans sucks and cannot detect this 'special mana'.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH72BpZJySY
[ 'normal' mana count : 69 ]
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0OC07ma6aj
' As expected....still hurts. Ah oh well better get home before Jen comes back from school '
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYZe4rqWpO
Ed was about to continue on his way when he felt a sudden sharp chill climb up his back. He scrutinized the park more closely and what he saw gave him cold sweat. A small blue circle made of light was hovering in the middle of the park rapidly growing in size.
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMbktv3gDT
[ System prompt: Abnormal mana wave detected ]
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJZXHKuTmr
[ System prompt: A gate is forming nearby evacuation recommended ]
585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1iL6OgeNvr
...585Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbpqgi3Sci
.
