Inner Thoughts
As Noah Nightshade walked down the street, his thoughts wandered.
'Should I go to the Beginner Hunter Training Hall?' he wondered. Now that he had his license, he had access to one of the Association's most renowned facilities, where Hunters were taught how to fight Kaiju and survive in dungeons.
The hall provided basic but essential training that could significantly increase his chances of survival. But as appealing as it sounded, he quickly dismissed the idea, shaking his head.
"No," he muttered, his voice firm with conviction. There were three reasons why it just wasn't an option for him right now.
First and foremost, the Beginner's Training Hall was expensive. Noah barely had enough money to scrape by, let alone cover the hefty fees the Association charged.
The idea of spending his limited funds on training that would tie him up for months seemed impossible.
Second, the long hours and strict schedule reminded him too much of military camp.
Trainees were expected to remain in the program for at least three months, with little to no opportunity to leave once enrolled.
The prospect of being locked into such a regimen made Noah uneasy; he valued his freedom too much.
But the third reason was the most important of all—his brother. His older brother had been hospitalized for years, and Noah was responsible for paying the medical bills, which amounted to 10 silver coins every month. It was a staggering amount, and this month he didn't even have enough to pay the hospital. His heart sank at the thought.
'How can I even think of paying for training when I can't afford my brother's bills?'
The Beginner's Training Hall charged anywhere between 20 and 30 silver coins a month. That kind of money was a luxury Noah simply didn't have.
A heavy sigh escaped his lips as reality weighed down on him. "Everything in this world revolves around money," he muttered bitterly.
Without money, he felt like he couldn't move forward in any aspect of his life. But deep down, Noah knew there were things in this world that couldn't be solved with money alone. That knowledge gave him a strange sense of comfort.
Still, there was one silver lining amid all these worries—training at the Beginner Hunter Hall wasn't mandatory for newly registered Hunters!
Noah smiled faintly at this small mercy. He didn't need to rush into it. He could wait for the Adventurers' Association to contact him about hunting jobs, as they had promised.
Noah recalled the words of the woman at the reception desk, explaining how new Hunters would be invited to close
The Association paired rookies with veterans, allowing them to gain experience by observing seasoned fighters in action.
'I just need to wait,' he thought, feeling more at ease.
Tucking his Hunter License back into his jacket pocket, he set off towards the train station.
A slight smile crept onto his face, his eyes gleaming with a rare joy. After two long years of dreaming, struggling, and doubting, he had finally made it.
He was a Hunter, just like the ones he had idolized for so long. His heart raced with excitement as he imagined the possibilities that awaited him.
When Noah finally arrived at his apartment after the long train ride, the city was cloaked in the quiet of midnight.
Registering at the Adventurers' Association had taken hours, from traveling to the bustling city center to filling out forms and going through procedures.
Onrad City was one of the largest major cities in the entire human continent, housing no less than 300 million people thanks to the presence of one of the most powerful human guilds ever.
By the time he stepped through the front door of his small apartment, exhaustion was settling into his bones, but a triumphant grin still lingered on his face.
He climbed the creaky stairs quietly, careful not to disturb the other tenants. When he reached his door, he fumbled with his keys before opening it with a soft click.
"I'm back," he whispered into the silence of the apartment. As expected, no one was there to greet him. His brother's absence weighed heavily on him, but Noah had grown used to the quiet.
After preparing a simple meal in the kitchen, Noah sat at the dining table with a plate of food and a glass of mango juice mixed with creamy milk. As he took a bite, he realized how much more delicious everything tasted. "It's delicious," he murmured, savoring the flavors.
He sipped from his juice and smiled, remembering his mother's words from when he was younger.
"If you want to grow up strong, don't touch alcohol or anything that could weaken your body," she used to say.
Her advice had stuck with him all these years, and Noah had never touched a drop of alcohol, even after his parents' tragic death. It was the one discipline that had kept him focused, even in his darkest moments.
After finishing his meal, Noah washed the dishes and headed to his bedroom. With a quiet thrill, he took out his Hunter License from his jacket pocket and held it up, staring at it under the dim light of his room.
This small card represented his future—it was proof that he could now hunt Kaiju monsters, earn money, and finally change his fate.
As he lay down on his bed, he couldn't stop staring at the license. His excitement bubbled over, and soon, Noah found himself tossing and turning, unable to contain his joy.
He clutched the card to his chest, hugging it tightly, rolling in bed like a child with a new toy. His laughter filled the room, the kind of uninhibited joy he hadn't felt in years.
For hours, he lay awake, celebrating quietly, his body too tired to keep up with his excitement. Eventually, his exhaustion caught up with him, and Noah drifted into a deep sleep, still holding onto his license.
He started dreaming about many things and wanted to know the meaning of this dream. But the only thing he knew then was that it was the best dream ever in his life, even though he didn't remember anything when he woke up in the morning.
All he knew was that he would never forget that night.
It was the best sleep he'd had in a long time, and as he closed his eyes, he knew this was just the beginning of the life he had always dreamed of.