The news on the TV continued to blare, showing shaky camera footage of a swirling blue vortex in the middle of Times Square. The world called them 'Portals.' Soon, they would be known as 'Gates'—the mouth of hell.
But Han Jin wasn't looking at the TV. He was staring at the glowing translucent screen in front of his eyes.
[Unique Ability: Glitch (Rank: ?)]
[Current Effect: You can ignore one requirement of any skill or item.]
"Ignore one requirement..." Jin muttered, his heart racing.
In his past life, everything was governed by strict requirements. To learn an 'Active Skill,' you needed a specific level. To wield a 'High-Rank Sword,' you needed a certain Strength stat. To enter an 'S-Rank Dungeon,' you needed an S-Rank license.
The world of Hunters was a world of walls. And 'Glitch' was the sledgehammer.
"System," Jin called out. "Open the Beginner's Shop."
In the first week of the Awakening, the System provided a temporary 'Emergency Shop' to help humanity survive. In his past life, Jin was too terrified to even look at it.
[Ding! Opening Emergency Shop...]
[Currency detected: 0 Mana Stones.]
[Items Available:]
1. Basic Iron Sword (Cost: 10 Mana Stones)
2. Health Potion - Rank F (Cost: 5 Mana Stones)
3. Skill Book: [Heavy Strike] (Requirement: Level 5, Strength 15. Cost: 50 Mana Stones)
Jin frowned. He had zero currency. Normally, you earned Mana Stones by killing monsters. But the monsters hadn't fully emerged yet.
However, his eyes landed on the Skill Book: [Heavy Strike]. It was a common skill, but powerful for beginners.
[Skill Book: Heavy Strike]
- [Requirement 1: Level 5]
- [Requirement 2: Strength 15]
- [Requirement 3: Cost 50 Mana Stones]
"System," Jin whispered, his eyes gleaming with a manic light. "Activate Glitch. Target: Skill Book [Heavy Strike]. Bypass Requirement: Cost."
[Warning! This action exploits a logic error in the Shop System.]
[Glitch Ability is active...]
[Analyzing Cost Requirement...]
[Requirement: 50 Mana Stones —> Status: BYPASSED.]
[Ding! You have acquired the Skill: Heavy Strike!]
A flash of golden light erupted from the screen and surged into Jin's chest. Suddenly, his muscles felt denser, and the knowledge of how to swing a blade with bone-crushing force was etched into his brain.
"It actually worked..."
He had just 'stolen' a skill from the System itself.
He looked back at the screen. The [Heavy Strike] skill was now listed in his status, but there was a cooldown on his Glitch ability.
[Glitch Cooldown: 23:59:59]
"Once a day," Jin noted. "I can break one rule per day. It's not enough to become a God instantly, but it's enough to stay ahead of everyone else."
He walked to the window. Outside, the sky was turning a sickly shade of purple. People were screaming in the streets as the first 'Goblins' began to crawl out of the cracks in the pavement.
In his past life, he hid under his bed for three days.
This time, Jin walked to his kitchen and grabbed a simple steak knife.
[Item: Kitchen Knife]
[Rank: Common]
[Damage: 1-2]
"It's not much," Jin said, gripping the handle. "But with [Heavy Strike], it's a lethal weapon."
He didn't wait for the monsters to find him. He headed for the door. He remembered that exactly three blocks away, a 'Hidden Chest' had been discovered months after the first day. It contained a 'Growth-Type Weapon' that later made a hunter named 'The Iron King' famous.
"Iron King," Jin smiled coldly. "In this life, that weapon belongs to the Glitch."
He stepped out into the chaos of the New World.