PHOENIX RISING (Book One In The Phoenix Hunter Series)

★CHAPTER 23★

   
A week passed in the blink of an eye, and the city of Kippor had become my playground.  I’d been exploring, training, and hunting, making the most of my newfound freedom.  The days were a whirlwind of activity:  bargaining in the markets, training my skills, and hunting in the dungeons.

I’d managed to level up 25 more times, reaching level 96, and my stats were now significantly higher. Leveling up was so slow because I didn't go hunting all through the week due to Dera, which was my fake team leader didn't always come out.

My wealth had become more abundant than I could have ever imagined.  My hunts had been surprisingly fruitful, with my skills trick working even more better. I had finished the mad Elixir' already due to constant usage and I was thinking of buying another bottle. 

During hunts, I had seen other hunters struggling, their hunts resulting in only a few colored gemstones. though there were some that were also lucky as I was but I was clearly more fortunate than most.

I had more than a million gold bars stacked in my Spatial Box, enough to buy just about anything I wanted.  I was tempted to splurge on some of the more extravagant items, but I knew I needed to be careful. I did not want to attract attention as to how a newly awakened hunters of two weeks could be this rich.

I had also moved into a bigger apartment, a two-bedroom unit in the Merchant District, at a two story house with eight flats. I was at the last apartment in the top floor.  My old apartment had felt less than what I needed, cramped and claustrophobic. The rent had hardly been a strain on my budget, but the landlord was becoming increasingly greedy after discovering that I was now a hunter.  I had found a landlord named Mr. Elson, a gruff but fair man who had allowed me to rent the place for a decent price.  The apartment was still humble, but it was spacious and comfortable.  It was a good place to rest after a long day of hunting.

I had bought new sets of furnitures, more comfy bed, sofa's, chairs, tables and kitchen utensils. Bathroom utensils and a wooden wardrobe, now filled with clothes of different qualities.

There was just one problem.  My new apartment had a next door neighbor, a hunter named Kyle, who seemed to be obsessed with perfection.  He was tall and handsome, with a muscular build that would make any woman swoon.  He wore his hunter’s gear with a swagger, his eyes always looking for a fight.

He was everything I wasn’t.  Confident, charming, outgoing.  And annoying.

He was two years older than I was which means he was probably more powerful than myself, and He even worked for one of the official Guilds, a fact he constantly reminded everyone who would listen.

I had caught him flexing his muscles in the hallway, showing off his new gear, boasting about his latest kill and level up.  He seemed to be constantly on edge, always looking for an opportunity to prove himself. 

As I walked in from the entrance of the apartment, the other two apartments before ours, were still closed. I didn't know who lived there, as I have never seen them before, they were hardly in.

Standing outside my door, was Kyle, a smug grin on his face, his eyes gleaming with a competitive fire.  “You know, Lucas,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “you’re not going to get anywhere in this city just hunting those little bunnies.  You need to step it up.  You need to hunt something real.  Something dangerous.”

“I'll get there,” I said, a polite smile on my face.  “In my own time.” I walked in and shut the door in his face.

  

I’d learned to avoid him whenever possible, but I knew that he was going to be a constant presence in my life.  He was my neighbor after all,  and one perfect description will be that he was a thorn in my side.

As I dropped the Item box on the table, I went into the kitchen to make something to eat.

My skills had become more refined.  I could control the minds of hunter's my level with ease, making them turn around whenever they got too close in the dungeon, my black flames were now a controlled inferno, I could now use it to make perfect shapes and I also kept training with what Kaito did on my first day with his flames, flame strike. Infusing the flames into my sword; I could fully hear others’thoughts, though I was still hesitant to use my telepathy except in moments of urgency.

However, I was still anxious about my combat skills.  I needed to test myself in a real fight. 

Kyle was right though, it was time to step up my game and by doing so I would surely be able to level up more faster. So, tomorrow, I would go to the Guild.  I would get my official hunter’s ID.  I would finally become a full-fledged hunter.
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