Languid Kane

Chapter 3: A Fluke

Luckily, Wednesday was Kane’s free day so he had the whole day to search for a job. He settled in a small apartment near his university which was also a few minutes away from the city for just 2,500 Php per month and he sighed because he knew that he got to save up to take back his bracelet.

He went to the city in search of a job but when he got off the jeep, he didn’t know what to do next. How could he find a job in that vast city?

He entered a fast-food chain and ordered a budget meal for breakfast. While waiting, he took his phone out and browsed some of the famous job-hunting sites. He sighed after almost 30 minutes of browsing. He already finished his food as he browsed but he didn’t find any job that might accept him based on the requirements. There was just one job that would take him but he didn’t want that kind of job—Monster Hunting which was also known as Dungeon Clearing.

Since the dungeon era emerged, hunting had been the most in-demand job, especially for the combat class awakened. There were too many dungeons that materialized in the whole world, there would always be a shortage of hunters. Being a hunter was also an easy-to-apply job because all they would require was that the applicant must be at least seventeen-year-old awakened and a combat class. There would also be special treatment for hunters who were in Level A and above.

How could he even consider dungeon clearing? He was manually awakened, unlike his brothers, a month before he turned seventeen. He was just a passive awakener, contrary to what his family expected from him.

Once again, he felt pathetic. In a world where strength and money were power, he was abandoned and left with nothing. But still, he had to survive. He was admitted to the university despite being a passive awakened so he had to overcome whatever it was that hinders him from getting his slacker life!

He was taking a sip from his juice when the alarm from the establishment started ringing. The people around him stood up and immediately ran towards the exit. Trying to conform to what everyone was doing, Kane secured all his things and went along with others who seemed to be in a panic.

Unlike them, Kane was calm. He was taught to be calm and to evaluate the situation no matter what the circumstances were. He looked around and saw a lady with a child in her arms idly standing there as they watched all the people running outside.

What the heck was she thinking? Shouldn’t she be walking towards the exit right now? Since she had a baby with her, she would be one of those prioritized by the staff and the evacuation unit.

He looked away. It was bothersome to think about someone when his safety was also at stake. He couldn’t just act like a hero when he was well aware of how weak he was. He could make matters worse if he tried to act impulsively.

He walked straight ahead, trying not to look at the woman a while ago until he was inside the safe zone. He looked around hoping to see that the woman was safely evacuated but she was nowhere to be found.

He told himself that he couldn’t be bothered by anyone or anything but the frightened expression of the woman and the baby’s cries kept popping on his head.

“Sir, there was a wo—”

“Scram, kid. If you’re already in the safe zone, don’t bother the people working.”

Kane was dumbfounded when the officer cut him and told him off. Did he just call him a kid and refused to listen to him?

He looked around, hoping that there would be someone who would listen to him but everyone seemed to be busy. He tried to approach another officer but he just received the same treatment. He would admit that he was young but that didn’t mean that he was just being a bother. He was trying to help someone!

“What the heck is wrong with me!?” He sighed when he found himself running back to the establishment.

Since there was no one who would listen to him, he figured that he would just do it by himself. He repeatedly told himself that he didn’t do it to be seen as a hero, but for his peace of mind. If he didn’t try to help that woman, that guilt would haunt him for the rest of his life.

He could hear some of the citizens who were also in the safe zone call for him but he didn’t look back. He needed to get to the woman before it was too late.

He could hear the explosion as he heard the roar of a Level C orc that was running amok. He saw the woman from where he last saw her so he used his passive ability which was to run at a lightning speed for ten seconds.

He felt his heart pump too fast and his blood rushing all throughout his body when he saw that the monster turned his head towards the woman. He needed to reach her before the monster does.

He closed his eyes as he pushed the woman towards the warp that an evacuation officer prepared. He saw that the woman and her baby were taken by the warp so he covered his head with his arms as he waited for the monster’s club to land on him. He would die.

He would die without even getting to live a slacker life.

He would die without even taking back the bracelet that his grandfather left him.

Would he die with a lot of regrets?

At least, he would die with his peace of mind.

He had been waiting for the impact but what he felt was surging energy coming from his heart. Was that supposed to be the power of that orc? Was he supposed to explode from the inside instead of the impact of the orc’s club?

He opened his eyes and he saw himself glowing and the club of the orc was on top of a mana barrier. What was happening to him?

The orc roared louder as he lifted his club again. He closed his eyes and wished that someone would push the monster away from him.

He heard another roar so he opened his eyes and found out that the orc was pushed back. He took that opportunity to run and let the awakened who came to hunt the monster deal with it.

“Are you alright kid?” An officer asked him as he guided him back to the safe zone.

Though he heard it, Kane didn’t say a thing. He was just staring blankly into space… he didn’t know how to process what just happened. He was about to die, but he was saved. He was about to die just a while ago. He almost died.

HE ALMOST DIED! WHAT THE HECK WAS HE THINKING?

Would he really throw away his dream slacker life to do something so bothersome? Why would he even waste his energy to do other people a favor?

He must be out of his mind. That must be it. Maybe the stress was too much for him that he unconsciously wanted to die. What was it called again? Was it something like sublimation? If not that, why would he care about others?

“Hey, kid? How old are you? That was an awesome accidental awakening. Today must be an unforgettable day for you.” The hunter sat beside him and smiled.

“Accidental awakening?” He looked at the man with a confused expression. “I’m eighteen and I was manually awakened.”

“Who are you trying to fool?” The man chuckled. “What happened a while ago was your awakening. I’m pretty sure you’ll be on the active class, under the element manipulation based on that wind force that you used.”

“Wind force? That wasn’t you?” Kane asked with knitted brows.

“You don’t even know that it was you?” The hunter laughed. “You should come with me to the Hunter’s Bureau so that you could learn more about hunters. What’s your name?”

“Kane…” he mumbled.

He didn’t really want to enter that place again after he was manually awakened a year ago. It must’ve been a fluke. It was impossible for him to have an accidental awakening when he was already awakened. He even used his ability to save that woman.

“Just come with me, won’t you?” the hunter insisted.

He didn’t know what to do. Should he come? But he didn’t want to be disappointed. He also didn’t like that the hunter approached him so eagerly as if he was expecting something from him.

Expectations from others were just too much of a burden for him. He didn’t think that he could handle it.