From Trash Rank to Untouchable

2

Sara’s eyes flashed with a hint of shyness at Calvin’s words but she said nothing.

Eric’s gaze, however, burned with rage as he stared at the money in Calvin’s hand.

Three years.

He had been with Sara for three whole years. In all that time, she had never let him hold her hand, never allowed him closer than an arm’s length. And he had accepted it. Endured it. Believed that if he worked harder, if he proved himself, one day she would look at him differently.

But now?

She and Calvin hadn’t even been together long. Days, maybe less, he had no idea. And yet…

So this was the power of money.

Of rank.

And the audacity to tell him to buy them protection.

‘I should be S-rank pathetic at this moment,’ Eric thought bitterly. ‘So pathetic it’s almost laughable.’

What made it worse was the truth he couldn’t deny.

He needed that money.

Five hundred SLC could cover part of his little sister’s tuition for the new year, adding to his savings. It could ease the weight crushing his chest just a little.

“So?” Calvin said impatiently. “What’s it going to be? Are you going, or not?” He shrugged. “If not, I’ll just find someone else.”

Eric hesitated, just for a couple of seconds, then turned his icy gaze to Sara.

“I hope,” he said quietly, “that one day, you don’t regret this, Sara.”

She frowned, clearly irritated. “Regret?” She scoffed. “What exactly am I supposed to regret? Leaving a powerless, broke nobody like you?” She laughed lightly. “I should be celebrating.”

Taking a deep breath, Eric walked past them and continued his way forward without turning back.

By the time he reached home, it was three in the afternoon.

The building was old, worn down, but it was all they had left. The only thing his parents had managed to leave behind before their untimely deaths.

Eric went straight to his room.

He opened a drawer and pulled out a thin card encased in plastic.

His Hunter License.

Issued at the beginning of the year.

He placed the license aside and and unfolded the white sheet beneath it, his eyes slowly moving over the printed details containing his information.

(Silverland Hunter Association)

⸻

Hunter Identification Number: SL–HC–009874

Full Name: Eric Alan Vale

D.O.B.: 14/05/1999

Age: 25

Nationality: Silverland

Registered City: Crown City

Current Residence: Westford

⸻

Awakening Information

• Awakening Status: Awakened

• Awakening Type: Natural / Artificial (circle one)

• Date of Awakening: 03 / 01 / 2025

• Evaluation Facility: Crown City Hunter Association

⸻

Rank & Class

• Official Rank: E–Rank

• Hunter Class: Assassin / Fighter / Mage / Healer / Support (pending)

• Mana Capacity: Low

• Combat Assessment: Insufficient for raids

⸻

Authorized Activities

☑ Participation in E–Rank Gates

☑ Guild-sponsored raids only

☒ Solo dungeon entry prohibited

☒ High-risk gate access denied

⸻

Medical & Safety Notice

This individual is not approved for prolonged exposure to high-mana environments.

Repeated overexertion may result in permanent physical damage.

⸻

Legal Notice

The individual’s license must be carried at all times during Gate activity.

Unauthorized dungeon entry or falsification of rank will result in immediate suspension and legal prosecution under Silverland Hunter Law, Article 17.

⸻

Issued By:

Silverland Hunter Association

Crown City Branch

Authorized Seal: ⬤ SILVERLAND H.A. ⬤

⸻

Then he looked at his Hunter License.

Silverland Hunter Association

Name: Eric Alan Vale

Hunter Rank: E

Class: —

Hunter No.: SL–009874

Affiliation: None

Registered City: Crown City

⸻

Seal: Silverland H.A.

Status: Active

He had never used it because he knew his limits all too well. E-rank Hunters who dared to enter even the lowest-ranked dungeons rarely came back alive. Most ended up as names on casualty lists if they were found at all, and even a friend of his was no exception and they had received their licenses on the same day.

His friend, Dave, had been strong, muscular, a natural fighter. Aware of his rank, Dave had trained relentlessly, pushing his body beyond its limits just to survive inside a Gate.

And yet, he still died.

That alone had been enough to terrify Eric.

He couldn’t afford to die.

If he did, his little sister would be left completely alone. No one to protect her. No one to provide for her. In this broken world, they were all each other had.

Eric dragged a hand through his thick black hair and lay back on the bed, staring up at the cracked ceiling.

This world was cruel.

He had believed that studying hard, being at the top of his class in college, would secure him a future. But none of that mattered anymore. Not when rank determined everything.

An E-rank had no value.

He could only make money by working late shifts at bars, and many other degrading jobs like picking trash cans, and running deliveries.

Back then, he remembered when he was of the age to awaken, he remembered how excited he was to know his rank, but his parents were strongly against it. He never understood why his parents never wanted him to join the Hunter business.

They made him study, made him believe that was the only thing that mattered. Perhaps they thought they would be alive enough to secure his future.

It was why he only awakened now since he had no other choice.

Slowly, he raised his Hunter ID above his face and stared at it.

“Should I really try my luck?” he murmured.

If he could kill monsters, if he could obtain even a single piece of dungeon loot, he could sell it. The money would help and the experience would matter.

But the idea was still far-fetched. He wasn't scared for himself, but for the future of his family.

‘How long am I going to stay like this?’

‘Living on the edge. Barely surviving.’

His jaw tightened.

‘I need to take a risk. This life… afterall, it’s all about risk.’

His thoughts drifted to what he had already lost.

Just a few years ago, his parents had died, deaths unknown. Only a knock at the door and strangers delivering the news that shattered his life.

Sara had been there through all of it.

Through the loss, through the days when everything felt like it was falling apart. She had always appeared kind, gentle, standing by his side when he needed someone most.

But looking back now, Eric realised that she had never truly loved him.

She had only stayed because he gave. And gave. And gave until there was nothing left. If it wasn’t spent on his little sister, it went to her, draining him completely.

Naturally, she found someone else, someone to squander from, with more to offer.

Calvin Kenton, a former college mate.

There was no one there for him anymore. He was back to having just his sister.

Eric let out a long breath and pushed himself upright, resolve slowly hardening in his chest.

It was time.

Time to take a risk.

He reached for his phone and opened the Hunter Association Job Board.

Dungeon requests filled the screen with escort missions, low-rank gate support, supply runs. Most were labeled temporary, danger pay included.

His thumb hovered for a moment.

Then he started scrolling.

Then one posting made him stop.

[E–RANK DUNGEON RAID | IMMEDIATE CLEARANCE]

Location: Westford Northern Outskirts

Party Requirement: 6–8 Hunters

Risk Level: Low

Compensation: Standard Split

Eric stared at the listing for a long moment, then he sighed and decided to check for more posting.

Then something caught his eye.

[A–RANK DUNGEON | CARRIER NEEDED | URGENT]

• Location: Westford Industrial Zone

• Role: Carrier (minimal combat)

• Risk Level: Moderate

• Pay: 1 million Silverland Credits

Eric’s eyes widened.

That was more money than he could earn in a month of backbreaking work, and he wouldn’t even have to fight.

But a warning from his license flashed in his mind: High-risk Gate access denied.

Then he stared back at the posting. It was just a carrier job anyway. He wouldn’t have to swing a sword. He just had to move supplies for the team.

‘If they notice my rank isn’t high enough, they’ll send me back. But… I have to try.’

He hesitated only a moment, then tapped Accept.

Moments later, he arrived at the location.

Before him, a blue spiraling portal shimmered in the industrial zone, radiating faint energy. Seven Hunters stood in formation, clad in armor, weapons at the ready, each one looking like they belonged in a high-rank dungeon raid.

“Where’s the carrier?” a voice called.

“Here,” Eric said quickly, stepping forward.

The moment the man turned, his eyes widened at the sight in front of him.

Eric was also stunned.

“Regan?”

The man’s expression immediately turned to disdain. “Eric.”

The man wasn’t just any Hunter.

He was Eric’s cousin.