Nathan sat back down at his desk, hands hovering uselessly above the keyboard.
His room felt smaller than usual a the red system window still hovered faintly in his vision, no longer startling but still impossible to ignore.
[System Synchronization — 90%]
'Almost there.'
The thought made his stomach tighten, even though he should have been calm. He had spent years preparing for this moment.
Spending his time watching livestreams, reading discussions and learning everything there was about the system.
And yet, now that it was actually started happening, his mind felt blank.
Nathan exhaled slowly and rubbed his face with both hands.
'Okay. Slow down,' he told himself.
He stared at the screen for a few seconds, then began typing.
"What to do after synchronization."
Enter. Search results filled the page, forum posts, old guides, half-abandoned blogs.
Nathan clicked one at random.
He skimmed for a few seconds, then closed it.
This one was too vague. He then clicked another but this one was too outdated. Third, the poster acted too confident.
In his eyes anyone promising "guaranteed success" like those influencer gurus directly went into the mental trash can.
Nathan leaned back in his chair, frustration slowly creeping in. He knew this stuff or at least, he had thought he did.
But knowledge picked up secondhand felt different when it was suddenly personal.
This wasn't just a theoretical class in the academy anymore, neither was this close to backseating someone on a livestream.
'This is my actual reality now.'
He adjusted his search terms.
"Beginner hunter guide."
"Newly awakened what to do next."
"First steps after system awakening."
That was when a video result suddenly caught his eye.
A Beginner's Guide to Hunting – Starlight Guild
Nathan froze.
Starlight. This was a popular guild, ranking in the top 50 leaderboards.
He clicked on the video immediately.
The video loaded fast, the video quality felt crisp and it seemed professionally edited. There was no shaky camera or background audio like in the livestreams he watched.
The clean title card faded out, replaced by a man standing in a well-lit room, white hair and sharp red eyes. Nathan straightened in his seat without realizing.
'…No way.'
He knew that face. This was Nett Spencer. Even people who didn't follow hunting closely recognized the name as Nett was famous for clearing infamous rifts that most guilds avoided.
Nathan had watched breakdowns of his fights more times than he could count. He was a front liner, damage dealer and one of the best hunters known to mankind.
The video timer ticked forward as Nett looked into the camera, calm and composed.
"Hey," Nett said. His voice was steady, unhurried. "I'm Nett Spencer."
"I'm the vice guild leader of Starlight and a front liner."
He paused briefly, as if considering his next words.
"I've been a hunter for over ten years, awakening at fourteen."
Nathan's fingers curled slightly against the edge of the desk.
'Fourteen...'
Nett smiled faintly.
"This video isn't for veterans," Nett said. "It's for people who just awakened. People who think they know what they're doing and people who know they don't."
Hearing his words, Nathan leaned forward.
"I'm making this because there are things I wish someone had told me back when I started," Nett continued. "I've made many mistakes in my time, that cost me time, injuries and friends."
The word friends lingered in the air for some time.
Nett shifted slightly, leaning against the table behind him.
"First," he said, "understand this, hunting isn't a race."
"Everyone wants to move fast,"
"Some feel like they're behind, but I'll let you know, this feeling never goes away, no matter if you awaken early or late."
Nathan felt his words land heavier than he expected.
"If you rush," Nett continued, "you will get hurt or worse lose your life."
He looked straight into the camera.
"Always remember, no guild, no contract, no reputation is worth your life."
Nathan sat very still as the system window hovered quietly in the corner of his vision.
[System Synchronization — 91%]
He didn't look away from the screen.
For the first time since the notification appeared, Nathan felt something settle in his chest, this was not confidence, but direction.
"When a normal person awakens their system, the first thing that happens is synchronization-"
Nathan nodded slightly, even though no one could see him.
"-That process isn't random in nature, the system assesses you, your body, your mental state and measures your limits."
"For a lot of people this scares them."
The screen shifted briefly to a simple graph, then back to Nett.
"But, here's the truth, bad stats were never a problem."
Nathan blinked.
"Everyone wants high numbers, whether it's strength, agility, precision. Whatever they think matters most but it is important to note that starting low doesn't mean staying low."
He tapped the table lightly with one finger.
"The system rewards growth, not potential."
Nathan felt his breathing slow just a little.
"When you kill a monster and that monster has a stat higher than yours, you gain a fraction of it."
"If you have five strength," Nett continued, "and you kill a goblin with seven strength, you get a fraction of that goblin's strength."
Nathan's fingers tightened on the edge of the desk.
"But remember that if your strength is already equal to or higher than the monster's, you get nothing from that stat."
Nathan swallowed.
"That's why fighting weak enemies forever doesn't work," Nett said. "Once they stop pushing you, they stop feeding you."
The explanation was simple. Brutally so.
Nathan glanced briefly at the faint red window in the corner of his vision.
[System Synchronization — 93%]
He looked back to the screen immediately.
Nett didn't rush his explanation.
"Every monster kill also comes with a small chance to drop shards."
The screen briefly showed icons as he spoke.
"Item shards, summon shards and ability shards."
Nathan's pulse picked up.
"Item shards are the most common," Nett continued. "Data puts their drop rate at around one percent."
'One percent...' Nathan repeated inwardly.
"Summon shards drop at about half that and ability shards are rarer with about half the drop rate of summon shards."
Nathan exhaled slowly.
"So no, you're not going to be drowning in rewards."
There was a faint smile on his face now.
"But yes, when you do get one, it matters a lot."
Nathan leaned back slightly, letting the information settle.
Nett shifted his stance, crossing his arms again.
"Now, let's talk about survival."
The tone changed subtly.
"Hunting isn't about damage," Nett said. "It's about staying functional."
Nathan nodded again, unconsciously.
"The first thing you should always carry is a government-issued regeneration potion."
The words sounded mundane but were very practical.
"These are cheap, mass-produced and easy to get."
He held up a small vial as an example.
"They regenerate minor wounds, cuts, bruises and shallow punctures."
Nathan remembered hearing about them before.
"But here's the cost. They burn through your stamina, making you very tired and unable to continue hunting."
He looked straight into the camera.
"But if you're hunting without them then you're being really stupid."
"Secondly," Nett continued, "don't overthink equipment early on."
The screen shifted again briefly, showing a lineup of basic weapons.
"You can license your first weapon through the government for free."
Nathan's eyebrows lifted slightly.
"No tricks," Nett held his hands up saying. "It's just standard policy."
He gestured toward the images.
"Spear. Sword. Axe. Shield. Bow."
Nett's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Pick something you can control," he said. "Not something that looks impressive."
Nathan thought about his own hands. His grip. His reach.
"Finally, use the privilege you're given."
The screen showed a city map with highlighted zones.
"Your Unit's government-controlled Grade 0 rifts are there for a reason," Nett said. "These are regulated, monitored and as safe as hunting ever get for beginners."
Nathan's jaw tightened.
"Use them," Nett said. "Don't rush into unrecorded zones because you think it'll make you stronger faster."
He paused.
"That thinking kills people."
The words hung heavy.
Nett continued talking, briefly covering weapon handling basics.
Nathan listened, but his focus drifted slightly, not because he was bored but because something else demanded his attention.
The red window pulsed faintly.
[System Synchronization — 97%]
His heart rate picked up again.
Nett was still talking, explaining the importance of stamina management and retreat discipline, but Nathan only half-heard it now as he glanced at the corner of his vision again.
[System Synchronization — 98%]
'Almost there.'
His fingers curled into his palms as he waited.
Nett finished a sentence, shifting his weight.
"…and that's enough to get you killed less often," Nett said dryly.
Nathan reached for the mouse and clicked off the video. The screen went dark, the silence filling his room.
The red window expanded slightly.
[System Synchronization — 99%]
Nathan sat perfectly still.
His breathing was shallow now. Controlled, but tight.
'This is it.'