Auto Hunting

There was a square beside the button.

Its size was similar to that of the button, slightly smaller than the palm, and it floated in his view.

He tried to reach for it several times, but he can’t touch it.

It had a shiny silver border, and it looked completely empty.

“…”

Yoo-seong decided to use his common sense and think about it.

Auto-hunting is a feature that only appeared in mobile games. No, this feature did not exist anywhere except in games.

Then, maybe this square thing is also a feature found in mobile games.

Hmm..

Could it be that the square next to the button is…

“A slot?”

Slots in games are usually had icons of skills or items inside, and acted as a shortcut key.

But Yoo-seong had no skill icon in the slot.

If this is a real slot, though…

Thirsty.

Right now, he craved for the beer that he hadn’t taken for a while. Instead, he went to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of corn tea.

He almost automatically started to turn the lid, but he stopped.

An idea came to him.

Yoo-seong lifted the bottle to his chest, aiming to place it within the silver border.

The bottle disappeared from his hand.

“Oh my God.”

A notification window appeared.

-Make eye contact and blink to activate Utility Slot-1. –

The slot was no longer empty.

It contained a plastic bottle that was 2-dimensional, and small enough to fit the slot.

Blink?

Yoo-seong stared at the slot, then blinked slowly.

Gulp.

His thirst was gone. He felt the cold going down through his throat. His mouth was wet. The sweetness of corn tea was on his tongue.

Changes have also occurred inside the slots.

The picture of the corn tea was the same, but there was a small number on the bottom right.

-2/3-

“haha. This crazy.”

Yoo-seong opened the refrigerator again.

He took another bottle of corn tea and placed it on the slot.

The numbers changed immediately.

-3/3, 2/3-

“It should be easy to understand.”

Yoo-seong muttered to himself. Within a few minutes, he discovered the rules of the slot.

First: He can take out what was in the slot.

If he reached out to the slot and touched the items within –

Tutuk!

Bottles of corn tea reappeared on his hands.

A full bottle, and one that’s exactly a third less.

Second: He can only put multiple items of the same thing on the slot.

He couldn’t put bottled water in the slot where the corn tea bottles were.

Third: He could put anything in his hands into the slot.

He was able to put his cellphone on the slot. He tried it too with a book.

However, the activation through blinking only seemed to work for consumables. Nothing happened when he tried to use it on other items.

“I wish I had more slots, but…”

Lastly, the fourth discovery:

Yoo-seong went up to the rooftop.

He hit the auto-hunting button in front of the practice machine.

Papat!

His body started to move in maximum efficiency, beyond Yoo-seong’s control.

At the same time, he realized that the slot is still available even as he is on auto-hunting mode.

“What if…”

Yoo-seong blinked.

He didn’t have control over his body, so he did not physically blink, but he thought about it.

But –

Gulp.

The corn tea has been reduced. At the same time, the feeling of being refreshed washed over him.

He repeated it two to three more times, and he was able to use it without any problems.

“So…”

Slots can be used while auto-hunting.

It was definitely a big change. It means that Yoo-seong could be active even in auto-hunting mode.

“Can I eat ramen with it?”

It sounded crazy that Yoo-seong laughed at himself for thinking it.

But it wasn’t completely crazy.

It is normal to feel discomfort when you take in food and drink while moving violently or doing strenuous physical activity.

But if he ate through the slot, there will be no such discomfort.

I remember something I learned about in the academy.

A potion ampoule was among the special equipment that hunters use.

These potions are made of raw materials extracted from monsters and have the ability to greatly increase human recovery and muscle strength without any side effects.

Yoo-seong has never seen one of these. It is said that mass production of its ingredients is difficult, so supply was only for hunters and for civilians who can afford its high price.

It is said to cure incurable diseases in doses prescribed and arranged for by doctors.

Large corporate presidents and big politicians were known to use this special potion.

“Well, it’s a long way to go, right?”

In games, hundreds of potions such as those are stacked, only to be dismissed eventually when a character reaches a high level where he is practically invincible.

That future is nearer than Yoo-seong thought possible.

Right now, he is focused on what he could use the slot for immediately, rather than focus on what he thought was a distant fantasy.

Maybe I can eat real ramen…

“… I’ll do it in the morning.”

He really wanted to try it out right now, but it’s late at night.

Yoo-seong was a man who took care of his body.

…

Running in the winter is not a common thing.

The ground is slippery; the muscles are stiff – there is a lot of risks to be injured.

However, the wind was the worst. Even if you stand still, the wind blowing against you already feels like a sharp knife.

Yoo-seong didn’t make exceptions, though when it comes to exercise.

Passersby commented as they saw him.

-Wow… I wish I had that body.

-How many years did it take to build that up?

Yoo-seong was wearing a dry suit that reveals the shape of his body and limbs.

Functionality is the best, but it is not very suitable for preventing cold.

However, Yoo-seong, who runs with it on, does not feel any pain in the cold.

“Just a little… more….”

Stable breathing from start to finish. Yoo-seong finished the morning exercise effortlessly.

“Huh!”

He stood in front of his building and stretched a little.

Even though it was too cold to sweat, Yoo-seong felt satisfied.

He went inside his house and took off his suit, pure white steam rising from his body.

“To be honest…”

Looking at himself in the mirror, Yoo-seong thought he looked bad.

“Now, I’m starting to look a little gross.”

In 8 months, Yoo-seong’s body has grown 6 cm in height. Whenever he met acquaintances, they were surprised at this development. Yoo-seong was more surprised at himself.

He remembered when he was in the public bathroom about a week ago. A man in his forties spoke to him.

-Student, do you do gymnastics?

Yoo-seong didn’t know what to say. He stammered and said he was a hunter.

Yoo-seong ate incredibly.

Physical exercise and jogging are no longer a burden. It only takes a few hours of auto-hunting to get completely exhausted.

He knew that if he exercised to that extent, he had to eat a lot to prevent his muscles from falling out.

In that regard, his slot had a lot of use.

-433.-

Slot-filled protein bar.

Yoo-seong didn’t have to chew as he continued to exercise. He simply blinked every time he felt he was empty and immediately got satisfied.

He ran hundreds of miles and turned on auto-hunting whenever he can.

Eight months.

At that time, Yoo-seong’s body changed completely.

The change felt like he was now riding a sports car rather than the regular SUV he was before.

Today, as the snow fell at four o’clock in the morning, he started to run for three hours.

Obviously, his stat would change with the improvement in his physical ability.

Jiing!

His cellphone rang. It was a text sent from the academy, reminding him not to be late.

Why would I be late?

Yoo-seong took a slow shower, feeling relaxed.

Today, he felt good.

He will take the hunter test in two hours.