The sky over Lemuria City had turned a deep evening blue by the time Aaron finally made it back home. Street lamps flickered on one by one along the quiet roads, throwing soft yellow pools of light on the pavement.
His apartment building sat in one of the older districts near the southern edge of the city. Nothing fancy, just solid and peaceful, the kind of place where regular families lived out their whole lives without much drama.
Aaron climbed the stairs to the third floor, keys jingling in his hand, and pushed open the door to his small place.
The room was simple. A narrow sofa, a low wooden table, and a tiny kitchen tucked in the corner. The original owner of this body had been living alone since his parents passed away a few years back. There was just enough savings left to finish school and keep the lights on.
Aaron dropped his bag on the table and stretched, letting the quiet of the apartment settle over him after the long noisy day.
For a minute he just stood there, replaying everything in his head.
The awakening ceremony.
That trash Laborer class.
The system suddenly waking up inside him.
Signing up for the expedition.
And that froststeel dagger now sitting in his inventory.
Any one of those things would have knocked most people sideways.
But Aaron felt strangely steady. Maybe because transmigrating from Earth into a whole new body and world had already been the craziest thing that could ever happen. Everything after that just felt like details.
He poured himself a glass of water, sat down, and closed his eyes.
The system interface popped up instantly in his mind.
Yoink!
.....
[Effort Theft System Activated]
Player: Aaron Emegrey
Class: Laborer
Rank: E
Level: 1
Experience: 0 / 100
[Attributes]
Strength: 8
Agility: 9
Constitution: 9
Spirit: 7
Free Attribute Points: 2
Inventory: 1 item
.....
He tapped into the inventory.
The Frostfang Dagger appeared in his hand with a soft shimmer.
Aaron held it up under the lamp light and turned it slowly.
The blade was slim and clean, catching the light with a pale silver sheen. Tiny crystalline patterns ran along the edge, like frost creeping across a window on a cold morning.
Even someone who knew nothing about weapons could tell this thing was special.
He gave it a light swing.
A faint chill trailed behind the motion.
"Interesting," he muttered.
The system had promised amplification by an unknown factor, but this went way beyond simple numbers. The weapon had straight-up evolved.
A basic beginner dagger had become something rare and powerful.
If it worked like this for every reward...
Aaron lowered the blade.
The big question now was whether the same thing would happen with skills.
Too bad his Laborer class didn't come with any combat skills at all. It just boosted stamina and made tools feel easier to handle. Most people unlocked their first real class skill around level five anyway.
That meant he needed experience.
And the fastest way to get it was obvious.
Monsters.
He leaned back in the chair.
Out past those giant city walls were forests, broken highways, ruined towns, and all the nightmare creatures that had spilled through the rifts two centuries ago.
Normal people never saw that world.
Hunters did.
In three days, he would be stepping into it for the first time.
A soft knock came at the door.
Aaron blinked, surprised.
He got up and opened it.
Rei stood there, looking tired as hell.
"You walked all the way over here just to knock?" Aaron asked with a grin.
Rei pushed past him and flopped onto the sofa.
"I crossed half the district, man," he groaned. "Least you could do is give me some water."
Aaron handed him a glass.
Rei downed it in one go and let out a heavy sigh.
"Brother Aaron, I've been thinking about this all afternoon."
"Sounds risky," Aaron said.
Rei ignored the jab.
"The expedition is in three days. We need to get ready for real."
Aaron raised an eyebrow.
"Like what?"
"Gear, supplies, maybe some basic practice," Rei said. "Even newbie hunters usually train for weeks before they head out."
Aaron thought it over.
Made sense.
"Where do we start?"
Rei perked up right away.
"There's a hunter market two streets over. They've got everything beginners need."
Aaron chuckled.
"You already had this planned, didn't you?"
"Of course!" Rei said proudly. "We can't show up empty-handed."
Aaron glanced at the dagger still resting on the table, then quietly sent it back into his inventory.
"Alright," he said. "Let's go take a look."
They left the apartment and walked through the evening streets.
The hunter market sat near one of the inner checkpoints, where patrol teams kept an eye on traffic between districts. Lanterns hung bright over rows of stalls packed with weapons, armor, potions, and bits of monster hide.
The whole place buzzed with a different kind of energy than the quiet residential area.
Hunters moved between the stalls with easy confidence, weapons strapped to their backs or hanging at their hips. A few carried old scars. Others had that sharp look that came from real fights.
Aaron and Rei felt a little out of place among them.
"This place is always packed," Rei said quietly.
Aaron nodded.
A stall full of basic weapons caught his eye. Cheap swords, iron spears, short bows. All the simple stuff made for rookies.
The middle-aged vendor leaned over the counter.
"Looking for gear, boys?"
Rei nodded fast.
"We just signed up for a beginner hunting team."
The vendor gave them a quick once-over.
"Classes?"
"Scout," Rei answered, sounding proud.
The vendor nodded approvingly, then looked at Aaron.
"And you?"
"Laborer."
The vendor paused for a second, then shrugged.
"Stamina types are good for carrying supplies, at least."
Rei coughed awkwardly.
Aaron just smiled.
Before they could say more, a familiar calm voice came from the next stall over.
"You two are late."
They both turned.
Luna stood there beside a table covered in weapon maintenance tools. The lantern light caught in her long dark hair, and her face looked exactly as composed as it had earlier.
Rei blinked.
"You're here too?"
Luna gave a small nod.
"Getting equipment ready."
Her eyes shifted to Aaron.
"You should do the same."
Aaron tilted his head.
"Advice from a future B-rank hunter?"
Luna didn't smile at the tease.
"Advice from someone who doesn't want to drag dead weight."
Rei coughed to cover a laugh.
Aaron just grinned.
"That's fair."
Luna watched him quietly for a moment.
Then she dropped something else.
"The beginner expedition leaves through the eastern gate in two days, not three."
Her gaze sharpened a little.
"If you're actually serious about going… don't oversleep."
Aaron laughed.
"I'll try not to."
Luna gave a tiny nod and turned back to the stall.
Rei leaned in close and whispered, "I think she's actually keeping tabs on you."
Aaron shrugged.
"Maybe she's just worried about the team."
But as he glanced at Luna again, he couldn't shake the feeling that the next few days were going to get a lot more interesting than he first thought.