Chapter 2: The warehouse keeper leaves

I figured the strong ones can go to high-tier dungeons, and I’ll just deal with small-fry monsters.
Even if I’m a storage character, I’m still me.

“It’s fine. I just came to register.”
“Don’t you need to register as a hunter?”

Hunters. Back in Terra Chronicles, they were called adventurers, and the players were those adventurers.
In reality, the name changed to hunters.
Among them, the exceptional ones are sometimes chosen as heroes.
Heroes take down the so-called villain hunters who cause trouble relying solely on their strength.
I never thought I’d have any connection to this, so I didn’t bother learning much about hunters.
Still, if there’s something good about registering, it might not be a bad idea.

“What are the benefits of being a hunter?”
“Well, registering as a hunter allows you to join a guild, enter hunter-only dungeons, and purchase various items at the hunter shop. Since you mentioned you’re a storage character, though…”

I mentally calculated the pros and cons as the staff spoke.
Joining a guild? With this body, I doubt many guilds would take me.
The hunter shop items sound intriguing, but honestly, it doesn’t seem like there’s much merit.

“Are the hunter-only dungeons the same as guild dungeons?”
“Yes. If you become a guild hunter, you can enter dungeons controlled by guilds, and, um…”

The staff hesitated, looking apologetic.
Come on, it’s fine.
I made this storage character for a reason. I don’t get why they’re so sorry about it.

“What about other benefits?”
“Well, there’s the reputation. And these days, hunters check each other’s hunter rankings when they’re looking to get married.”

Oh, really? It affects marriage too? That’s new.
I guess it makes sense if hunters care about that kind of thing.

“Oh, I see.”
“Yeah. Even for blind dates. Honestly, with your looks, even as a storage character, there’d probably be guys willing to take you. Plus, there are fewer female hunters than male ones, so maybe…”

The way they’re trying to comfort me is kind of sweet but also kind of pitiful.
Do I really need this much sympathy?
For the record, I was a man.
Sure, as a game character, I’m biologically female now, but it still feels off.

“No, I don’t need that kind of comfort. I’m not planning to get married either.”

And yet, this clueless staff member keeps looking at me with pity.
I’m really fine, so why are they like this?

“Other than that, if you don’t meet performance quotas, your hunter license can be revoked unless there are special circumstances. For guild hunters, the guild can revoke it too.”
“I see.”

Well, if you don’t work, you shouldn’t get benefits.

“But if you meet the time and performance requirements, the agency might raise your hunter rank.”
“Oh, got it. Then I’ll pass.”

Thanks for the explanation, but I think I’ll skip it.
Getting discriminated against sounds like a hassle, and I’m not going to starve on my own anyway.
If I get fed up with society, I’ll just head to the forest.

“Alright, anything else you need?”
“No, that’s all. Thanks for your help.”
“Yep, have a great day!”

Leaving the smiling staff behind, I walked out of the agency.

Awakened Management Agency

“That person who said they were a sub-character earlier…”
“Yeah?”
“They’re a bit lacking in combat, but this is kind of impressive in its own way.”
“Why?”
“Look at this. Aside from basic combat skills, all their other skills are maxed out.”
“With that appearance and those abilities…”
“They’d make a perfect homemaker.”

GM Warehouse Keeper

That’s my nickname now, I suppose.
Even though I picked this name before my main character, I ended up as a storage character.
It seems awakeners can see each other’s nicknames.
Maybe that’s why people were staring at me earlier.

If I’m going to live as this character, that’s just how it is.
I stepped out of the portal and wandered through the residential area.
There are some fantasy-like buildings around.
The stares are a bit uncomfortable, but I can’t exactly complain about my situation.
Compared to living off the Great Calamity’s compensation system, this is a golden opportunity.

From what I’ve heard, the weakest awakeners are banned from entering dungeons altogether.
In other words, guild awakeners monopolize them.
This happened sometimes in Terra Chronicles too.
Greedy guilds would monopolize dungeons for profit, charging entry fees if you wanted in.
Even worse, hunters not in guilds struggle to get any information about dungeons.

‘Eliminating competition.’

It’s quietly terrifying.
The worst guilds don’t share dungeon info and even spread false information, luring desperate awakeners into dangerous, uninformed dungeons.
Those guilds are rare, but there are plenty of news stories about awakeners falling for it.

Maybe the bad habits from the game carried over here.
Back in the game, when things got bad, the developers would step in to regulate.
As a solo player who spent a fortune, I’d deal with guilds blocking my dungeons with force back when I used my main character.
But now, with this character having no combat skills, I’m not sure if I can stop those practices.

Honestly, in the eyes of guild awakeners or regular awakeners, I’m probably like some rare beast.
I mean, I customized this character like a main, but my skills and items are all non-combat. They probably think, What’s this weirdo doing?

“Well, I should at least try entering a dungeon.”

I sat on a bench in Seoul’s central plaza near the portal and opened my inventory.

“So many items.”

I only pulled out something random earlier, but for a dungeon, I’ll need all sorts of things.
Even without combat skills, all my life, social, and survival skills are maxed out.
Plus, all the items I used or got as bonuses from spending on my main are here.

‘Monster-repellent spray might be a good start.’

Unless you’re an overpowered munchkin hunter, you need a lot of prep to enter a dungeon.
Especially for an irregular like me.
Ideally, I’d go to a dungeon with fewer monsters.

I want to enter a dungeon partly for experience but mostly to mine magic stones.
Some dungeons have magic stones, after all.

Magic stones are a new mineral that appeared after the Great Calamity.
They existed in Terra Chronicles too, with prices varying wildly based on grade and impurities.
Combat classes usually get magic stones by defeating monsters.
Bosses sometimes drop exclusive boss stones, which are worth a fortune.

The other way to get magic stones is by mining them from magic stone veins.
In Terra Chronicles, miners were people who roamed weaker dungeons, defeating monsters to collect stones.
Actual miners who searched for veins and mined them? Almost nonexistent.

It’s not profitable, and even though mining skills exist, in an MMORPG, investing in combat skills is more efficient.
In my case, I’m a true miner.

‘Fools don’t know what they’re missing.’

Surprisingly, mining isn’t bad.
Especially if you invest solely in mining skills.
I’ve got the items and the skills, so I might just strike it big.

I pulled a rainbow pickaxe and a small bottle filled with a glowing ember from my inventory.

The rainbow pickaxe never loses durability and eliminates fatigue when mining magic stones—an absolute cheat item for miners.
The bottle with the glowing ember is called a will-o’-wisp, used to light up dark areas.
From a distance, it looks like an actual will-o’-wisp, scaring off some monsters—a god-tier item.
Though, I’m mainly using it to light up veins.

Fully prepared, I opened the mobile web and logged into the awakener guild community.
This community shares info so even non-hunters can experience dungeons, and some rent out dungeons.
I’m thinking of renting one.

—

[Post: Anyone want to rent Black Mountain Guild’s Line 1 Gate for a day?]

Completely cleared out, no monsters left.
It’s a cave-type dungeon. Perfect for a haunted house vibe.
Rental fee: 1.5 million won per day.
DM me, and I’ll open a portal to your desired location. Cash or magic stones accepted.

[Comments]
KimchiHunter: Are you insane? 1.5 million for a day? You said it’s already cleared!
RandomUser: Lmao, just admit you’re scamming suckers. Who’d fall for this?
HunterSiblings: They’re probably targeting non-hunters who want to visit a dungeon for clout photos. It’s a trend.
TerraYear2: Lol, didn’t these guys go bankrupt opening master boxes? Hahaha.

—

‘1.5 million. It’s a gamble, honestly.’

Hunters wouldn’t bother with a monster-free gate even if it was free—too much hassle.
Only people clueless about dungeons or gates would fall for this.
Or those who never played Terra Chronicles.
In the game, guilds sometimes sold access to their dungeons too.
Some dungeons don’t respawn monsters, so if it’s cleared, it’s just an empty cave.
If it was full of monsters, 1.5 million would be a fair price for the loot and stones. But an empty dungeon? Black Mountain Guild is basically saying, Come rent it, suckers.*

Still, as someone who poured their living expenses into Terra Chronicles, I sent a DM like the sucker I am.