Rise from Zero

17

Gatot leaned his back against the plastic chair rest while continuing to stare at his cracked phone screen. His fingers moved constantly, scrolling page after page on the official Indonesian Hunter Association forum site. Finding a new job for tomorrow was his top priority now. For an independent hunter officially still registered at E-rank, the options available on the digital bulletin board were incredibly limited and degrading. Most of the offers placed him purely as cheap bait or a living shield, exactly like the trap scenario that had nearly claimed his life yesterday.

​After filtering out a dozen dubious offers, Gatot's eyes locked onto a few vacancies in the rear-route logistics section. The open jobs were merely positions as magic crystal miners and cargo haulers for the leftover remains of slaughter inside gates that had already been cleared by the primary raid team. The pay was obviously nothing compared to the frontline fighters, but for Gatot, this was the most sensible choice at the moment. While gathering funds for his mother's medical expenses, he had to hide the drastic surge in his strength statistics as much as possible. Becoming openly involved in high-level combat would only invite suspicion from the association and corporate spies.

​The next morning, the fragrant aroma of instant egg fried rice drifted from their small kitchen. Gatot poured a glass of plain water and warm white milk onto the table, then sat across from his younger sister, who was already neatly dressed in her high school uniform.

​"Yas, I got a steady new job starting today," Gatot broke the silence while spooning his breakfast.

​Yasmin stopped her spoon mid-air, then looked at her brother with a worried, furrowed brow. "I'd prefer it if you just looked for an ordinary job that doesn't gamble your life inside those strange dimensions anymore. The wound on your back from last time still terrifies me."

​Gatot smiled faintly, trying to offer a reassuring gesture. "It's different this time, Yas. I'm only working in the logistics division, as a cargo hauler and magic stone miner in areas that have already been declared safe by the security team."

​"Oh, that's good then," Yasmin's anxious expression slowly faded, replaced by a ripple of relief. "That means you won't be told to fight wolf monsters or anything like that again, right?"

​"More or less. My main task is just carrying a large bag and using a pickaxe," Gatot lied to maintain his sister's peace of mind.

​"Thank goodness. Oh yeah, Brother, I plan to go to the hospital after school. I want to visit Mother and bring her the fruits I bought yesterday," Yasmin said while straightening her uniform tie.

​"Give Mother my regards. Tell her that the medicine supply for next month is secure because I just got a bonus," Gatot replied softly.

​Honk! Honk! Honk!

​The loud, luxurious sound of a car horn suddenly echoed from the front. The smooth hum of the car engine indicated that the vehicle waiting outside was no ordinary public transport.

​"Looks like my friend has arrived," Gatot said, draining the rest of his water.

​Yasmin glanced toward the front window, and her eyes brightened slightly. "Brother, can I catch a ride to the front of the complex or to school? So I won't be late waiting for public transport at the intersection."

​Gatot stood up, putting on his plain cloth jacket. "Ask the person outside directly."

​"Yesss! Thanks, Brother!" Yasmin quickly finished the remaining milk in her glass, brought it to the sink for a rapid wash, and jogged after her brother, who had already opened the front door.

​Once they stepped out of the house, a glossy black luxury sedan was parked neatly on the side of the narrow alleyway. The car window rolled down slowly, revealing Gery dressed in casual but expensive clothing, complete with a branded watch wrapped around his wrist.

​"Morning, Brother Gatot!" Gery greeted warmly. However, his sentence abruptly caught in his throat when his gaze shifted to the teenage girl walking beside Gatot.

​"Gery, my sister wants a ride to her school at Guna Bakti High School. It's on the way to the sub-association office where we're gathering later, right?" Gatot asked directly.

​Gery blinked a few times. His facial expression turned stiff, looking completely captivated by Yasmin's naturally beautiful appearance, her hair tied in a simple ponytail, and her innocent, typical schoolgirl demeanor.

​"Is it alright, Kak?" Yasmin asked in a polite tone, feeling a bit awkward at the vehicle owner's sudden dazed response.

​"Eh? Ah, yes! Of course it's perfectly fine! Please get in, just sit in the back or anywhere," Gery stammered, his face turning slightly red from a sudden wave of fluster.

​"Thank you very much, Kak," Yasmin said with a sweet smile, then opened the rear door and stepped into the fragrant car cabin.

​Gatot opened the front door and sat in the passenger seat beside Gery. The sedan began to move smoothly, splitting through the residential streets that were starting to grow busy with morning activity.

​During the three-kilometer journey, the atmosphere inside the car felt rather unusual. Gery, who was usually highly talkative and rambled constantly, suddenly became incredibly quiet. His eyes, which should have been focused on the road ahead, kept occasionally darting toward the rearview mirror, observing Yasmin's every movement in the back seat. The girl herself seemed oblivious to the attention at first; she merely leaned back relaxedly against the plush leather seat while flipping through the pages of her biology notebook.

​However, at one point during a red light, when Yasmin lifted her head to stretch her stiff neck, her eyes accidentally met Gery's through the reflection of the rearview mirror.

​Thump.

​Both of them immediately averted their gaze in opposite directions at that exact instant. Gery pretended to be extremely busy checking his car's gear shift lever, while Yasmin suddenly looked down deeply, pretending to refocus on reading her book even though her face was now burning with a sudden embarrassment that made the temperature inside the car feel incredibly hot for both of them.

​A few minutes later, the car stopped right in front of the green gates of Guna Bakti High School. Yasmin quickly got out of the car after a brief farewell. She waved her hand toward the open car window before jogging into the school yard, which was starting to fill with other students.

​Gery kept staring at Yasmin's back until the girl disappeared behind the corner of the school building, then let out the breath he had been holding. He drove the car back onto the main road.

​"Your sister... what grade is she in, Brother?" Gery asked, trying to start a conversation in a tone he forced to sound as natural as possible, though the remnants of his fluster were still obvious.

​"Twelfth grade. She's about to graduate and take her final exams soon," Gatot replied shortly without turning his gaze from the scenery outside the window.

​"Does she have plans to become a hunter too after graduating? Will she take the test to evaluate her magical awakening potential at the association center?" Gery asked again, looking curious about the girl's future.

​Gatot shook his head firmly. "She has absolutely no interest in this blood-filled world. She wants to be a general practitioner. She's a quite smart kid at her school, so I think academically she is highly capable of entering a state medical faculty. The main problem now is just one thing: whether I, as her brother, am capable of financing that dream until it comes true or not."

​Gery turned briefly toward Gatot with a disapproving frown. "You are incredibly strong, Brother. With your hidden ability that could take down a Behemoth yesterday and thrash five senior hunters at once, you could easily lead a large party for high-rank gate raids. Medical school tuition is not a big issue if you are willing to take on those missions."

​Gatot did not respond to the suggestion. Instead, he turned his body to face Gery, shifting the topic to something else that had been bothering his logic since last night. "Besides, Gery, why did you go along and apply to work as a low-level miner haul with me today? You are officially a registered C-rank hunter with a valid certificate. Your job is to fight on the front lines, not join in hauling stone sacks in the back line."

​Gery turned the steering wheel to the left, entering the sub-association parking lot which served as the gathering point for the logistics team. He turned off the car engine, then stared at Gatot with an expression that suddenly turned extremely serious.

​"My gut tells me... I need to stay close to you, Brother. Sticking with a dependable, strong person like yourself is far safer for my future than joining fake senior groups that could betray me anytime for money," Gery said honestly without any malicious intent.

​Gatot stared into the eyes of the wealthy youth in front of him for a few seconds, searching for a lie, but found none. He finally opened the car door and stepped onto the asphalt.

​"I will take those words as a compliment," Gatot replied flatly while walking ahead of Gery toward the mining registration desk, ready to begin his new day underground.