Silent Ascension

Two days later, Jeff's hunter license arrived in the mail. The card was plain, with his name and F-rank classification printed in bold letters. He stared at it for a long time, feeling both frustration and resignation. This was his reality now.

But he needed money, and with his mom working double shifts, he couldn't afford to sit around feeling sorry for himself. He logged into HunterNet, the job board for hunters, hoping to find something, anything, that an F-rank like him could do.

The postings were a sea of rejection. C-rank dungeons, B-rank raids, high-paying jobs that required skills far beyond his capabilities. After an hour of searching, he finally found something that fit his qualifications:

"Looking for Porter - C-rank Dungeon - Pay: 100 gold per run. Must carry supplies. Low risk."

Jeff hesitated. Being a porter was the lowest job a hunter could take. Porters didn't fight; they carried bags, fetched water, and followed orders. They were considered expendable, unimportant. But 100 gold was decent pay, and he didn't have any other options.

With a resigned sigh, he clicked "Apply."

---

The next day, Jeff met his new raid team at the entrance of a C-rank dungeon. It was located just outside the city, a large cave entrance surrounded by a faint, shimmering barrier that marked it as an active dungeon.

The leader of the team, Marcus Hale, was a tall, arrogant B-rank hunter with short, dark hair and a smirk that suggested he didn't think much of Jeff. "So you're the F-rank kid, huh?" Marcus sneered as he looked Jeff up and down. "Just stay out of the way and carry our stuff. Got it?"

Jeff bit back a retort and nodded. He was here to work, not to prove himself to jerks like Marcus.

The rest of the team consisted of Kara, a quiet C-rank support mage with short blonde hair and piercing green eyes, and two other fighters, Theo and Mark, both D-rank hunters. They didn't acknowledge Jeff beyond a quick glance, their faces showing mild indifference. To them, he was just another porter — nothing more.

"Alright, team," Marcus announced, strapping a massive sword to his back. "We're here to clear out a simple C-rank dungeon. Should be easy money if everyone does their job. Let's move."

They stepped into the dungeon, and the temperature dropped instantly, a chill settling into Jeff's bones. The walls of the cave were damp and lined with faint, glowing moss, casting an eerie green light. He kept his eyes down, focusing on his job as he followed the group.

They encountered their first group of monsters —small, reptilian creatures with glistening scales and sharp claws. Cave Lizards, common creatures in low- to mid-level dungeons. As the hunters sprang into action, Jeff stood back, keeping a tight grip on the bags he was carrying. Marcus sliced through the lizards with ease, his sword arcing gracefully through the air as he moved. Theo and Mark took up defensive positions, keeping the creatures away from Kara as she chanted softly, her magic boosting the team's agility.

Jeff's heart pounded as he watched. The movements, the coordination — they made it look so effortless. He'd spent his life reading about hunters, watching them from a distance, and now he was finally inside a dungeon. But instead of fighting, he was carrying bags.

As they cleared the first wave, Marcus shot him a look. "Hey, F-rank, make yourself useful. There are more monsters ahead, so stay close."

Jeff clenched his jaw but nodded, biting back his frustration. He knew he was lucky to even be in a dungeon at all, but the disdain in Marcus's voice stung.

The group continued deeper, the narrow passageway opening up into a larger chamber, where the air felt thicker, charged with an ominous energy. The ground was littered with bones, and the faint smell of decay hung in the air.

"This must be where the bigger ones hide out," Theo muttered, gripping his sword tighter.

Kara's voice was barely above a whisper. "Stay close. I sense something powerful nearby."

As they moved into the chamber, shadows flickered along the walls, shifting and merging into one massive form. A monstrous Rockfang, a beast notorious for its sharp stone-like hide, lumbered forward, its eyes glowing red. It let out a guttural growl, its teeth gnashing together as it advanced on the group.

Marcus grinned, his eyes alight with excitement. "Looks like we found the jackpot. This thing will bring in double if we take it down."

The group fanned out, preparing to attack. Jeff stepped back, clutching the bags tightly, but as he tried to move further away, he felt something hard underfoot — a narrow ledge that crumbled away, sending him tumbling back into a separate tunnel.

He hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of him. The tunnel was dark, lit only by the faint glow of luminescent moss. Jeff sat up, disoriented, a dull pain throbbing in his shoulder from the fall.

"Damn it…" He tried to stand, but the tunnel spun around him. He could hear the distant sounds of battle — Marcus shouting, the clang of weapons, the snarls of the Rockfang — but it felt miles away.

Then, a sudden silence. A silence that pressed against his ears and filled him with dread.

"Hello?" he called out, his voice echoing back to him in the dark. His pulse quickened, and he scanned the area, looking for a way back to the main chamber. He took a step forward, only to stop when he noticed a faint blue light shimmering in the air before him.

He blinked, his breath catching as a translucent screen materialized in front of him, hovering just inches away.

[System Alert: Awakening Complete]

Jeff stared, heart racing, as the words shifted.

Name: Jeff White

Rank: F

Class: [Undefined]

Skills: Ascendant Growth (Unique), Shadow Step (Locked)

Current Abilities: Basic Strength, Basic Agility, Endurance - Low Level

He swallowed hard, trying to process what he was seeing. Every hunter received a status window upon awakening, but most only saw it once. And yet here was his — hovering, active, and far more detailed than any he had ever heard about.

The words on the screen shifted again.

Skill: Ascendant Growth (Unique)

Description: Allows the user to grow stronger in response to facing significant threats and extreme conditions. The user's rank has the potential to increase over time.

Condition: Activates only during life-threatening events.

Jeff's mind spun as he stared at the screen. He had never heard of a skill that allowed growth based on challenges — it was almost like his abilities would adapt to keep him alive. But an F-rank with a unique skill? It sounded impossible.

"Is this… real?" he murmured.

Before he could process it further, the sound of snarling echoed through the tunnel, snapping him back to reality. Shadows flickered along the walls, and his heart pounded as he turned to see a pair of Cave Lizards creeping toward him, their eyes fixed on him with predatory hunger.

Jeff backed away, but the lizards were faster, lunging forward with startling speed. He felt a surge of fear, and suddenly, the words on the screen shimmered.

[Ascendant Growth Activated]

Without thinking, Jeff ducked as one of the lizards lunged at him, narrowly avoiding its sharp claws. He felt a surge of energy, his reflexes sharper, his movements quicker. As the second lizard leapt at him, he sidestepped, feeling his body move almost instinctively.

He grabbed a loose rock from the ground, swinging it at the creature's head. The impact stunned it, and Jeff didn't hesitate. He brought the rock down again, his heart pounding with a mix of fear and adrenaline.

The second lizard recovered, hissing as it lunged at him again, but Jeff felt his body react on its own, moving faster than he had ever moved before. He sidestepped and swung the rock, catching the creature across the face. It let out a final hiss before collapsing to the ground.

Jeff stumbled back, breathing heavily, his mind reeling. He had just fought and killed two monsters — something he had never done before, something he should not have been able to do.

As his breathing slowed, he glanced back at the status window, which flickered with new information.

[Congratulations: Basic Strength +1, Basic Agility +1]

The numbers on his stats had risen slightly, almost imperceptibly, but they were higher than before. He stared at the screen in awe, realization dawning on him. His unique skill was real, and it had activated to help him survive.

"Ascendant Growth…" he whispered, a small, hesitant smile creeping onto his face. This was his chance — a real chance. He might be an F-rank, but with this skill, he could grow.

He looked down at the dead lizards, the fear replaced by a spark of determination. Maybe his awakening had been late, maybe he was the lowest rank, but he wasn't as weak as he had thought.

The sound of footsteps echoed down the tunnel, and he turned to see Marcus and the others approaching, their faces a mixture of annoyance and disbelief.

"What the hell happened to you?" Marcus demanded, his gaze flicking to the dead lizards. "You got lost, and now we find you here with these things?"

Jeff shrugged, hiding his excitement. "They came at me. I just… reacted."

Marcus narrowed his eyes, suspicion flickering in them, but he waved it off. "Whatever. Let's get moving. There's a boss in this dungeon, and we're not leaving until we've cleared it."

Jeff nodded, falling in line behind the others, but his mind was racing with possibilities. For the first time in his life, he felt a flicker of hope, a hint of potential he had never thought possible.

As they delved deeper into the dungeon, Jeff couldn't help but smile to himself. The path ahead was dangerous, filled with challenges he was barely prepared for. But with Ascendant Growth guiding him, he would rise — silently, but surely.