The morning air smelled of dust and iron.
Kalyan wiped sweat from his brow, finishing the last plank on a construction site. His F-rank hunter registration was official—but daily life hadn't changed overnight. He still had bills, and his sister's tuition still needed paying. Carpentry and occasional odd jobs were the only way he could survive without drawing attention.
[Ledger]:
"F-rank status confirmed. Survival probability: 99% for minor threats. Action required: monitor anomalies."
He didn't speak. The Ledger's cold whisper had become part of his consciousness.
F-Tier Test
The street trembled faintly. A small F-tier creature, no larger than a dog, emerged from the nearby alley. Aura flickered dimly.
[Ledger]:
"F-tier. Survival challenge: trivial. Reward: minimal."
Kalyan decided to test the system. A faint aura glimmered around his fist, striking the creature. It collapsed, harmlessly, and Kalyan felt a micro-burn across his forearm—the Ledger applying skill cost immediately.
Points earned: 10
Cost applied: minor muscular strain
It was nothing compared to what awaited.
E-Tier Danger
By mid-morning, construction noise masked something bigger: an E-tier scavenger prowling the warehouse district. Taller, claws capable of ripping steel, eyes glowing faintly from Raft residue.
[Ledger]:
"E-tier challenge. Survival probability: 68% for F-rank using skill. Cost: moderate muscular and aura strain. Death possible."
Kalyan used terrain to his advantage, ducking behind crates, collapsing loose metal sheets to slow the creature. His aura flickered faintly on his fists, barely enough to evade. He didn't kill—it wasn't about killing. It was survival and learning.
Points earned: 35
Cost applied: moderate muscular micro-tear
C-Tier Raft Emerges
By evening, tremors shook the industrial district violently. A glowing rift tore the sky open, jagged and unstable. Skeletal wolves poured out—C-tier, intelligent, and vicious.
[Ledger]:
"C-tier detected. Survival probability: 12% for F-rank without skill application. Intervention recommended. Cost of failure: permanent cellular damage or death."
Kalyan froze. Civilians were trapped nearby, screaming, panic everywhere. The Hunter Association observed remotely—F-ranks were forbidden from entering Rafts. If he moved, it would be unauthorized intervention, but the system gave no choice.
Ledger:
"This is your trial. Every choice costs. Skill application is immediate debt. Survival is optional, interest mandatory."
Using debris, collapsed scaffolding, and weak traps, Kalyan dodged, weaved, and evaded. Aura bursts flashed, each causing sharp pain, but letting him survive the skeletal wolves' attacks. Every micro-step calculated to maximize survival, minimize system debt.
Points earned: 120
Cost applied: 1,200 cellular micro-damage points
He didn't defeat them all. He survived. He learned. That was enough.
Aftermath
When the Raft closed as suddenly as it opened, civilians emerged shaken but alive. Kalyan collapsed to his knees, aura flickering weakly, body burning from debt and skill strain.
Ledger:
"Payment collected. Interest accrued. Observation required. F-rank humans are fragile; worldliest beings do not negotiate. Survive, debtor, or perish."
The Hunter Association noted anomalous calculations: an F-rank surviving a spontaneous C-tier Raft unaided was statistically impossible. Yet it had happened.
Kalyan gazed at his hands, trembling but glowing faintly with aura.
"Then I'll pay," he whispered. "And I'll collect more than I owe."
Above the city, unseen watchers turned their attention toward him.
Ledger:
"Interest accrues. The world notices. Survive, debtor, survive."