X-Rank Hunter

Jim almost died many times already because of his low grasp of World Energy. If not for his incredible luck that he managed to either escape from the beasts or sometimes woke up and found himself amidst the corpses of the beasts of which their blood was as if being sucked dry, he was very well likely to die long ago.

For an unknown reason, even though he had already awakened his ability and was now able to absorb and use the World Energy, Jim was still not able to tame even the weakest among the beasts or summon any Spirits at all. As if they despised him so much.

It came to the point that he thought summoning was not his forte as he could only use some kind of illusions in his entire life.

Even though he used the techniques of his father or the techniques that were taught in the school, the beasts were still going wild against him and no Spirit was heeding his call.

He sometimes thought that it was connected to what had happened to him the very day he was born.

When Jim was born, an SS-rank dungeon, a red portal suddenly appeared just outside their village.

A couple of hundreds of high-level beasts came out from the gate of the dungeon and attacked them.

His father was so furious that he and his summoned beasts massacred all of the beasts that came out from the portal.

Out of rage, his father went inside the dungeon. And not long after, he came out from the portal and successfully cleared it.

Normally, it took a couple of S-rank Hunters with at least a single SS-rank Hunter lasting a couple of days to clear an SS-rank dungeon. But his father cleared it in a single night, alone.

That was the day when his father made a legend and cleared an SS-rank dungeon. No one knew what happened inside or how did he shut down such a high-level dungeon by himself.

As for now, his father was nowhere to be found. It was rumored that he went inside the legendary X-rank dungeon to further his strength and become SSS-rank Hunter. Because for a Hunter to acquire an SSS-rank title, one must enter the X-rank dungeon and successfully come back and obtain the blessings of the said dungeon.

Once attained, one would be on a whole different level.

When an awakener attained its blessings, a special mark would appear in one's body. It could be activated and once activated, it could enhance one's overall prowess to a certain degree and create his own domain where one would reign high and mighty.

That was to say, the Maharlika's King had already entered one of the X-rank dungeons and came out after a few years. When he came back, he acquired great strengths worthy of being called the legendary SSS-rank Hunter.

X-rank dungeon was a very unique dungeon on Encantadia. It was not connected to the other world but it was said that it was created directly on Encantadia a long time ago by the First Awakeners, the first humans who had awakened supernatural powers.

It was the only kind of dungeon that was man-made!

But humanity had their reasons why they created it. It was said that X-rank dungeons were used to seal a couple of hundred million beasts that run amok on Encantadia back then in the Forsaken Age for humanity to survive.

However, great opportunities came from great dangers.

Just 5 years ago, an unknown Hunter that was rumored to come from the Central Mainland of Encantadia who called himself Bone Monarch entered one of the X-rank dungeons. Just in the recent year, he came out from the dungeon and attained unfathomable strengths.

The whole world was then shaken by the news that another SSS-rank Hunter popped out from humanity!

But that person didn't even reveal his true identity and only disappeared in the face of the world.

"Sigh. Just why the hell I am so unlucky? If I can only become someone like the Bone Monarch I wonder how strong will I become..." Jim finished washing as he went back to his room. He was still thinking about himself for being too weak. He thought that he would become someone great when he heard his mother's story about what happened to him the moment he was born, but it seemed like the beasts just wanted him dead. Nothing more.

In any case, it had already been 5 years since Jim's father left. So he thought that his father did really go to one of the X-rank dungeons as the rumors say.

"I wonder what he is doing right now..." Jim's body helplessly drooped as he thought about his father. The other party was really making him worried.

But then, while Jim was lazily dressing up himself, he suddenly saw an old book with a faint black cover on the table beside his bed. It was unfamiliar to him so he unhesitatingly picked it up and opened it. However, when he opened it,

"No words? What kind of book is this?" Jim frowned seeing the book while flipping the pages after pages. After a moment of confusion, he then continued doubtfully, "Maybe mom put it here and forgot to pick it up while cleaning my room yesterday?"

Jim suspected that the book was owned by his mother since his mother always had a book with her. But he was in second thought of whether the book was really owned by her since he knew well that his mother would never leave behind her things just anywhere.

Besides, he didn't notice it before when he woke up in the morning.

"Sigh... Forget it, I'll just ask mom." Jim muttered to himself.

His mother always had a book with her not only because she loved to read but because she used it to cast spells or seal her tamed beasts inside. She also used it as storage and put her belongings inside.

"Mom! Mom!" Jim shouted. "You forgot your book in my room after you cleaned my room yesterday!"

His mother was so busy doing chores so she didn't pay much attention to his call.

"Mom! Mom!"

"?"

"Damn it! You can hear my whisper but you can't hear my yell." Jim whispered indignantly.

"What?! did you say something?"

"?"

"Argh... Just what is the problem with mom's hearing?." Jim thought as he said, "Nothing mom! Just do your things!"

Jim then tilted his head and fixed his gaze on the old book he was holding. He was ruminating on whose book was it and why did it suddenly appear on his table.

"Forget it, I will just leave it here on my table, I'm sure mom will remember it later if it really is her book." After Jim was done dressing up, he was in a hurry to leave for school because he knew well how late he was.

He was in a hurry, but when he was about to open the door in his room for him to leave, he suddenly heard a thud, indicating that something had fallen behind him. He then turned around and to his frustration, there he saw the old book lying quietly on the floor.

"Damn it! Why is this damn book on the floor now!?" Jim didn't notice but his temperament was as if being provoked when he saw the book on the floor.

Jim hurriedly picked up the book, but the moment he touched it, the book floated in front of him and suddenly opened up on its own.

Jim really was shocked as he staggered backward and fell on the floor.

"Just what the hell is happening here?!" Jim muttered frantically as he fixed his gaze warily to the book that was now floating in the midair.

After what had happened, the small ball of blue light that came inside his head last night came out again from his forehead.

"What?! Is this for real?" Jim thought that it was just a dream that this blue light went inside his head last night that made him suffer to death.

"Why is it here now?" Jim asked in his mind as he felt a shudder down to his spine.

Though Jim had already suffered many severe injuries in the past, last night when the blue light entered his head was the first time he felt deeply traumatized. It was the feeling when he was suffering as he was completely helpless to fight back.

Unlike when he was fighting some beast, though he always got beaten up, at least he could fight back with all of his might.

So as Jim was frantically staring at the blue light, it went into the book that was floating in front of him and unfamiliar words started to appear on it. Afterward, it fell on the floor as it closed by itself again.

"What now? Why did it fall?" Jim was curious about what just happened so he mustered all his courage he could gather and slowly reached his hand towards the book for it to pick up.

When his hand was about to reach the book, it suddenly opened up on itself again into its first page revealing the unfamiliar words written on it.

The unfamiliar words he just saw, mysteriously left the book and floated in the midair. His eyes got wider as he saw what just happened. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes but the words didn't disappear.

What now?! Was this some kind of prank? It wasn't funny at all! Jim even felt crying than laughing.

So then, the words in the midair started moving as they formed a spiral shape just like a whirlwind encircling the book on the floor. Then the book closed again on itself and then floated in the midair inside the unknown words that surrounded it.

Jim stared at it with widened eyes. A widened eyes not because of shock, but horror.

He tried to ignore what he had just seen and hurriedly turned around instead. He was just about to leave right away but the words that were floating and encircling the book flew towards him and entered the back of his head as if a train was entering a tunnel.

Just after all the unknown words entered his head, Jim then again felt the heavy pressuring pain he felt last time making him incapable of moving nor making a little noise at all. He could only gnash his teeth and clench his hand to endure the intense pain as he couldn't help but kneel on the floor.

He wanted to scream in agony but it was as if his entire body was completely strangled by some kind of force, no voice came out from his mouth. Even breathing was hard for him, how could he have time for screaming?

So then, little by little, he was losing his consciousness. His mind went blank as time went on. Just a little while longer, he couldn't stand the pain anymore as he finally passed out and fell on the floor.