Chapter 2: Bones of Fate

The hologram floating before my eyes.

Seeing that blue and mysterious window, I was appalled.

“I, I awakened……?”

The world turning into a game, monsters coming out of gates, and hunters beating them up—it’s commonplace now.

It’s reported on the news every day.

But I thought it had nothing to do with me.

Awakening blessings can only be received by a tiny fraction of humans.

Just like winning the lottery jackpot.

“No way…….”

I stood there dazed, forgetting to clear the table.

I never imagined the awakening blessing would come to my life, which had zero luck.

In fact, I couldn’t believe I had actually awakened.

So I decided to test it.

“S-Status window.”

Status window.

It’s the exclusive property of hunters.

And proof of awakening.

If I had awakened, a status window should definitely appear…….

[Player ‘Seo Juwon’s Status Window]

[Name: Seo Juwon]

[Class: Necromancer]

[Level: 1]

[Held Stats]

Strength: 10

Agility: 5

Stamina: 20

Mana: 25

Luck: 15

[Held Skills]

Skeleton Soldier Summon (EX)

[Held Equipment]

“……!”

Seeing the window that appeared before me, I was appalled.

A blue window had really popped up with the words “status window.”

Even so, I rubbed my eyes several times, unable to believe it.

But the mysterious hologram still floated there before me.

“Jackpot……..”

I blinked my surprised eyes.

I awakened.

I really awakened.

I had truly become a hunter.

“Necromancer? I’m a necromancer?”

Looking at the status window with bewildered eyes, I was surprised again.

Because it said ‘Necromancer’ in the class field.

“Isn’t a necromancer the job that makes skeleton soldiers?”

From my game experience, I knew a bit about the necromancer class.

I had even raised a necromancer character and found it interesting.

But for me to awaken as that necromancer.

It was just astonishing.

“But what’s this? EX?”

Amidst that, there was something puzzling.

Next to the held skill ‘Skeleton Soldier Summon,’ there was an ‘EX’ mark.

“As far as I know, this is the skill rank. But what the heck is EX grade, not even S grade?”

I knew from news snippets, but the hunter world has ranks.

From F-grade up to S-grade.

But what was EX-grade.

To me, it was just baffling.

“Shall I try summoning once?”

Feeling curious and puzzled, I decided to try using the skill.

It wasn’t a mage’s skill, and summoning a skeleton shouldn’t be that dangerous.

Skeleton Soldier Summon.

Like that, I cast the EX-grade skill.

Then another window popped up before my eyes.

[For ‘Skeleton Soldier Summon,’ bones are required.]

[Please designate nearby bones as the sacrifice.]

“Bones?”

I furrowed my brow.

Bones.

Where would bones be in a regular home…….

“There they are!”

I found the bones.

They were the chicken bones that Eunbyeol had cleanly stripped after eating the chicken.

And the ordinary bones were enveloped in a blue aura.

“Is it telling me to use these?”

After a moment of hesitation, I offered the chicken bones as the sacrifice.

At that instant.

The small chicken bones wriggled and quickly grew larger.

Clack! Clack!

One skeleton soldier was summoned.

It was the moment I confirmed I had become a necromancer.

Fortunately, the skeleton soldier didn’t attack me.

It was only natural, perhaps.

There’s no reason for a summon to attack its summoner.

But seeing the skeleton soldier that appeared before me, I stepped back.

A bare skeleton, like something from a science lab, standing there was too frightening.

Holding a bone sword, no less.

As I was appalled like that, Eunbyeol came out after finishing brushing her teeth.

Honestly, I thought Eunbyeol would faint upon seeing the skeleton soldier.

But no.

Unlike me, Eunbyeol wasn’t afraid of the skeleton soldier at all.

Instead, she hugged it saying it was too cute, rode on its back, or even rode it like a pony.

Anyway, I told Eunbyeol about my awakening too, and she sparkled her eyes saying it was amazing.

Like that, having become a necromancer, I spent a few days with my heart pounding.

And today, I arrived at a place that didn’t suit me at all.

“This is the Hunter Association?”

The place I arrived at was the Hunter Association.

I finally reached the place composed of several shiny buildings.

To take the hunter qualification exam.

“Can I pass the hunter qualification exam?”

I came to the Hunter Association, but now that I was actually about to take the exam, I was trembling so much.

Could I really pass the exam?

Me, who hadn’t even fought once since school days, let alone done hunter activities?

“Anyway, I’m here, so let’s try. If I fail, I fail.”

After agonizing for a while, I moved my steps with a whatever attitude.

If I pass, great; if not, I just live as before.

So I planned to give it a shot.

Failing the hunter qualification exam doesn’t mean death.

***

From searching online, I learned the hunter qualification exam consists of two subjects.

Awakening ability proof.

Combat ability proof.

First, the ‘awakening ability proof’ was to confirm if I was really a hunter.

Honestly, this exam wasn’t that hard.

I had actually awakened as a necromancer and summoned a skeleton.

In fact, I passed the awakening ability proof exam easily.

Though I got some weird looks for using chicken bones as the summon sacrifice.

Anyway, having proven I’m an awakener, now I just need to prove combat ability.

I moved my steps and arrived in front of one building.

Unlike the Hunter Association’s other buildings, this was a ‘dome-shaped building.’

“They prove combat ability here?”

Looking at the building like a soccer stadium, I took a deep breath.

Could I really prove my combat ability?

And as a necromancer, a job said to be very weak?

“Let’s do it. I have to. For Eunbyeol’s sake, I must succeed no matter what.”

I shook my head to shake off the fear.

I have to.

For me, who can’t even pay next month’s rent, fear is a luxury.

“Whether I die or live, let’s clash. I’m a dad.”

Human Seo Juwon is weak, but Dad Seo Juwon is strong.

That’s why I confidently stepped into the dome-shaped building.

Because I’m the one who has to protect Eunbyeol.

***

Entering the dome-shaped building revealed a vast space.

A space that felt even more grand than it looked from outside.

After submitting documents and waiting, my name was called.

Then, entering the exam room with about 10 people, a wondrous space appeared.

Is this that training ground?

In the center of the vast space was a white training ground.

Around it were spectator seats, and on one side were people in Hunter Association uniforms.

“Welcome, applicants. I am Chief Examiner Park Younghwan, in charge of today’s combat ability proof exam.”

Chief Examiner Park Younghwan.

He seated me and about 10 other applicants in the spectator seats and began explaining the exam.

The explanation was long, but the content was simple.

Applicants go up to the training ground one by one and hunt the test monster that will be revealed shortly.

“Then, we will now reveal the test monster!”

The moment Examiner Park Younghwan said that, doors connected to one side of the training ground slid open left and right.

An utterly pitch-black interior.

Me and the applicants held our breaths and stared into the darkness.

That’s when it happened.

Thud!

A loud noise came from the darkness, and an unknown entity revealed its massive form.

Bound in iron chains, the entity that appeared.

It was none other than an ‘orc.’

A sumo wrestler-like build, green skin, and holding a huge club—an orc.

The moment the test monster appeared, the hunter applicants started protesting.

“No, the test monster is an orc?”

“Examiner! An orc? Does this make sense?”

“What are you trying to do? Making hunter applicants hunt orcs. This is trying to kill people!”

“Change the monster right now! What the hell are you doing!”

“Are you insane? You’re trying to kill people on purpose? Huh?!”

People protested fiercely.

I kept my mouth shut, but I could roughly understand why.

Usually, test monsters are slimes or goblins.

From my online search, I heard test monsters are usually the lowest-grade ones.

Slimes, goblins, or low-grade spirits—weak monsters.

But suddenly, a fearsome orc appeared as the test monster, so they were protesting.

“I understand your concerns, everyone. But due to the recent increase in hunter mortality rates, we’ve raised the exam difficulty. This is the association’s policy for the sake of hunters, so please understand broadly.”

Despite the hunter applicants’ protests at Examiner Park Younghwan’s words, their words didn’t get through at all.

What could they do.

It’s not the Hunter Association’s decision; it’s a policy because too many hunters were dying.

Like that, the exam began, and people went up to the training ground from the front numbers.

But the results were miserable.

Because none of the previous hunter applicants could beat the orc.

Some even forfeited before fighting the orc, and there were applicants crying in fear.

Honestly, it wasn’t that strange.

Even I, an outsider to the hunter world, had heard orcs were really powerful monsters.

“Applicant No. 200, Seo Juwon, please come down to the training ground.”

Like that, while watching the other applicants’ exams, my name was called.

I took a deep breath, stood from my seat, and went down to the training ground.

Eunbyeol-ah, Daddy will do well and come back.

I calmed my mind by picturing my beloved Eunbyeol’s face.

Like that, my combat ability proof exam began.