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"
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNneV9Qgl4O
*ding-a-ling*
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDiQ7aLFxGo
The sound from the radio was disturbed as a person walked into the shop.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfe2Nhm2Itr
"welcome-...oh it's you"
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlQ5Nd92E3
From behind the counter, Ed turned towards the shop's door from his seat, with an expressionless face and a hunched back.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUu4SreAWTo
"yeah ..sorry for making you take care of my uncle's antique shop in my place today, Ed"
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpo6ZYbrzQC
Saying this the Jong Kwan walked straight towards the counter.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnpxhW1HTM
"No problem I was bored at home anyway..how's your uncle doing now ."
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZoewzpgL3w
Ed turned his gaze back to the dusty pocket radio on the counter and continued to stare at it in a daze.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2oh48FPI0Q
"Oh nothing much, just back pain he'll be alright after a day of rest ...what are you listing to?"
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1dpQFEGb9
Jong Kwan reached out to grab the radio from the counter and fiddled around with it.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjI7WWzOne
"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 "
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaa3QPZypO
Ed looked at the radio in Jong Kwan's hand and stood up to stretch his back.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSz9CnRKel
"Not really, even before the disaster people rarely used it. Some just kept it for hobby though "
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIlVtJstB3
Jong Kwan turned the radio off and looked at the man stretching before him, with a stupid grin on his face.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEACiXs8uC
"oh.. hmmm what are you all giddy about ?"
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5F0nVlZGEJ
Ed gave his friend a curious glance. Jong put aside the radio, puffed his chest out, and declared with a happy face.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡupM5LmEcQU
"I bring about glorious tiding my fellow peasant, your friend the geat jong Kwan has passed the mana count test"
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡihDmhOpLga
Ed absent-mindedly acknowledged this.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1j9r9QH17
"You're mana count was today?-NO WAIT! YOU PASSED THE TEST!!"
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhszILlnucQ
Half in shock and half joyful Ed took a good look at his friend.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqxRBBv2G9V
"hehe, now we just have to wait for you to pass your test and we can go through the awakening together"
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLPJrqmfCc
Still giddy with excitement Jong kawn gave his Ed a solid tap on the shoulder.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSTkLWIpWn
"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.."
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbg5dx21aRi
Ed looks at the ground with uncertainty in his voice.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPIpFcoVVq
"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."
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡouMNhNVZM5
Jong Kwan tried to cheer up Ed as he lightly tapped his shoulder again in encouragement.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmz29w5VRe
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.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22BZW9jFTE
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.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4eA7PKFB2M
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.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3f9pezq1kN
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.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqrsbt34Pa
"I hope so... since you are back I'll get going."
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFa3HBPS6a
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.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5icS6r0JII
"I hope as well friend"420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5b5Mu00FaA
....................................
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsyts9ZIA0
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.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9OUv5tcas
"sigh.."
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0QwJ36q9m
'I'm sorry for lying, friend. It's just that my situation is....well I don't know where to even start'
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVfwSKpLfyH
He slightly tilted his head up and stared at thin air.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy7uiI8Nxal
A gesture that is an integral part of an awakened person's daily life.420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbntLnQ5co
___________________________________________________________________
Name: Edmond Dantes
Status: (The status window will update after awakening )
___________________________________________________________________
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTs7fsxDOKs
' What is wrong with me for real... '
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmoYImNxb1
"Sigh... system what is my mana count"
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeda8FYelof
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.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNCzggqZye
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.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzAeyQc4ib
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.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6ml023IV2
who knows what goes on there.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaqVYQ4FWd
[ total mana count: 836 ]
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZGHsxPlH9
'same as yesterday huh'
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSulS4jTEyn
Unimpressed Ed continued asking.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uoe1YxcNF
"what about normal mana count?"
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFYxWVyTAG
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.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6KWviBM9A
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.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3O4ykBV6u
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?!?!
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8mROCwVgC
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.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYldbiApFVq
The mana count technology of humans sucks and cannot detect this 'special mana'.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCyolYI0jv
[ 'normal' mana count : 69 ]
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eG1Bk1sbx
' As expected....still hurts. Ah oh well better get home before Jen comes back from school '
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasIs8DLN1I
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.
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEeajg4Pxyk
[ System prompt: Abnormal mana wave detected ]
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzEQEcpZBn
[ System prompt: A gate is forming nearby evacuation recommended ]
420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjag6cSNjTO
...420Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAQkLkde2e
.
