A Trash Novel's Only Reader-Chapter 14: Main Character

Shu reached the registration desk and found an older man sitting behind it, surrounded by stacks of paper and a tired expression that said he had been doing this for way too long. The man looked up from a clipboard and adjusted his glasses.

"Registration?" he asked.

"Yes sir," Shu said, putting on his best polite voice. "I would like to register as a hunter."

The man nodded and pulled out a form from one of the stacks, sliding it across the desk along with a pen. "Fill this out. Name, age, current rank if you have one, and any skills you want listed on your card."

He picked up the pen and started writing, ’paper forms in the apocalypse,’ he thought, glancing at the mountain of paperwork around the man. ’How is this still a thing? You would think they would have some kind of system by now.’

He finished the form and pushed it back, ’wouldn’t it be nice if they had computers? Even basic ones would make this so much faster,’ he thought, watching the man scan through his answers.

A random idea floated through his head, ’what if, once my domain gets big enough, I set up my own guild? Recruit people, build a proper base, maybe even get some tech running in there.’

He almost laughed at himself, ’yeah right, me running a guild? I am way too lazy for that shit.’

The man looked up from the form and studied Shu for a second. "F-Rank Low and no prior registration," he said, tapping the paper. "You are aware of the requirements for full hunter status?"

Shu shook his head. "No sir, could you explain them?"

The man leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, "basic registration gets you a temporary card, but full hunter status requires passing a field assessment. You need to clear a registered dungeon or complete a verified extermination mission. Until then, you are limited to low-tier requests and solo hunting outside designated zones."

’So basically I am on probation until I prove myself,’ he thought, nodding along. ’Makes sense, they can not just hand out full access to anyone who walks in.’

"How long does the assessment take?" he asked.

"Depends on you," the man said, pulling out another form. "Some people clear it in a day, others take weeks. You pick a mission from the board, complete it, bring back proof, and we upgrade your card."

He stamped the first form and handed Shu a temporary ID card with his name on it. "This gets you basic access. The mission board is on the east wall, good luck."

Shu took the card and gave a small nod. "Thank you."

He turned away from the desk and looked toward the mission board, ’alright, time to find something that will get me those fifty kills for the system mission,’ he thought, rolling his shoulders. ’Hopefully something with actual numbers and not just one big monster.’

The mission board was a mess of papers pinned on top of each other, some yellowed and curling at the edges while others looked fresh.

He skipped past escort jobs and single-target bounties, ’none of this is worth the time,’ he thought, scanning for anything with real numbers.

His eyes stopped on a paper near the bottom, slightly hidden behind two others. He pulled it free and read it twice just to make sure.

[Serpent’s Pit - Dungeon Extermination]

[Location: Underground parking structure, east side of the city]

[Threat Level: Low-Mid]

[Monster Type: Venomous Serpents]

[Estimated Population: 60-80]

[Reward: 15,000 Credits + Material Rights]

’Sixty to eighty snakes,’ he thought, a grin pulling at his mouth. ’That clears my fifty-kill mission in one go, and the reward is not bad either.’

He pulled the paper off the board and tucked it into his pocket, ’venom is annoying, but I have Iron Stomach now, so poison resistance should help,’ he thought, heading toward the exit. ’Plus snakes are dumb, they just bite and jump all over the place.’

As he crossed the hall, he spotted Jin standing near the wall on the opposite side, watching a group of hunters walk past with desperate eyes. The kid’s hands were clasped together, and he looked like he was working up the courage to approach them.

’He is still doing that?’ he thought, slowing down for a bit. ’Begging random parties to let him in?’

He watched Jin take a step toward the group, then stop when one of them gave him a dirty look. The kid’s shoulders dropped, but he did not leave, just stood there waiting for another chance.

’Why does not he just take solo missions?’ He thought, tilting his head. ’Low-tier stuff, small monsters, anything to build up credits and EXP. It is slower, but at least he would not have to rely on people who clearly do not want him.’

He shook his head and kept walking, ’well, it none of my business anyways,’ he walked outside and looked up at the sky, ’I helped him once, that is enough. I have my own shit to deal with.’ 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

He made it about ten steps before a figure dropped down from a ledge above and landed right in his path.

"Yo," she said, standing up straight with her arms folded and that same annoying grin on her face. "Leaving so soon?"

He stopped and stared at her, sighing in disbelief, ’you have got to be kidding me,’ he thought, his grip tightening on the bat. ’I thought she left but she was just out here waiting?’

"What do you want now?" he asked, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice. "I already said no to the mission thing."

She held up one hand, and between her fingers was a hunter ID card. She flicked it toward him, and he caught it on reflex, looking down at it.

The card had her face on it, along with a name and rank printed in clean text.

[Raniel]

[C-Rank(high) Hunter]

[Guild: Celestial Vanguard]

’Raniel?’ he thought, his brain going silent for a second. ’Where have I heard that name before?’

The gears turned slowly, and then it finally clicked, his blood running cold.

’Wait... Raniel? THE Raniel?’ His eyes shot up to her face, then back to the card. ’No fucking way. She is one of the main characters from the novel.’

His mind raced through the memories, ’Raniel, C-Rank swordswoman, member of Celestial Vanguard, one of the most promising hunters in the early arcs,’ he thought, his throat going dry. ’She was supposed to die during the fallen city incident, I think. The author killed her off to show how dangerous the new threat was.’

He looked at her standing right in front of him, and suddenly, she didn’t seem as annoying anymore.

His heart actually skipped a beat, which was embarrassing to admit even to himself. ’Raniel is standing right in front of me,’ he thought, a warmth spreading through his chest. ’One of the best characters in the whole damn novel is standing in front of me.’

He wanted to smile and say something stupid like ’I know who you are’ or ’you have no idea how much I liked your arc,’ but he bit it all back before any of it could slip out.

He tossed the card back to her, and she caught it with a confused blink.

"What’s this for?" he asked, keeping his voice level.

She tilted her head, looking a little thrown off by the casual toss. "It is a sign of trust," she said, tucking the card back into her pocket. "I never show my card to anyone. Most people in this city do not even know my real rank."

’Yeah, I get it,’ he thought, shoving his hands into his pockets. ’But it is still too early to be sticking around main characters. The novel proved one thing over and over, being close to important people in Zoxhia gets you killed faster than being alone.’

He gave her a small nod, keeping his face neutral. "Nice to meet you, Raniel," he said, his voice coming out steady despite being excited. "Maybe we can talk some other time."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and started walking down the street, bat resting on his shoulder like nothing had happened.

Raniel stood there for a second, watching him leave with her arms still folded. Then a grin spread across her face, slow and satisfied.

"Hehe," she muttered, tapping her chin with one finger. "My tactic worked. He was not annoyed this time."

She watched his back disappear around the corner, feeling pretty good about herself. The mystery man who had brushed her off twice was finally warming up.

’Progress,’ she thought, turning to head back toward the guild. ’Next time I see him, he will definitely agree to a mission.’