After defeating the Skeleton Knight, Aslan collapsed to the ground, too exhausted to even look at the notifications.
"Aslan?! Are you okay?!" Sorin rushed over in a panic.
"I am fine… That attack just now consumed all of my energy," he said.
Marthel calmly walked over and said, "That's only natural. You used an S-Rank skill, and at your level, it's a miracle you even managed to use it once."
"Here, drink this."
Sorin handed him another stamina potion.
While Aslan chugged the potion, Marthel turned to look at the defeated Skeleton Knight.
'Even for an S-Rank skill, to think he'd defeat a boss monster with one hit while being 10 levels under… His sword must be quite powerful, as well.'
Though Aslan didn't mention it, Marthel could easily guess that he must have obtained that sword from the God's quest as well.
"What do we do now that we've defeated the dungeon boss?" Aslan asked.
"The dungeon boss will respawn in a month. As for the ordinary monsters, they typically respawn within a day," Sorin explained. "So if we clear out a dungeon, we can leave for the day and return tomorrow."
"Then let's look around the dungeon a little longer before we call it a day," said Aslan.
"Sure."
Once Aslan recovered his stamina, they continued to hunt for monsters in the dungeon until it was almost evening.
"Let's leave now. Do you want to sell our loot on the way back, or should we wait until tomor—"
"Let's sell them immediately," Aslan answered without hesitation.
Sorin nodded.
"What about the ring?" Aslan showed her the Skeleton Ring.
"It increases strength, right? Since you're a warrior, it'll benefit you. You can keep it."
"Are you sure? Isn't it expensive?"
"It's an uncommon and E-Grade accessory, so it'll probably fetch around five figures."
"Five figures?!" Aslan exclaimed.
"Just consider it a gift from me, your party leader. It's our first time entering a dungeon as a party, after all."
"Okay. Thank you."
After leaving the dungeon, they hopped into their car and drove back to the city, stopping by the Awakener's Association to sell their loot.
At the reception that dealt with marketing, Aslan placed all 25 monster cores on the table and said, "I'd like to sell these."
"Twenty-five F-Rank monster cores, correct? They go for 50 dollars each, so I can give you 1,250 dollars for them."
"Okay…" Aslan nodded in a somewhat dazed fashion as the receptionist accepted the monster cores.
While the amount wasn't particularly large by most standards, it was the first time Aslan had earned so much money, and all from a single day of hunting.
Realizing just how profitable the life of an Awakener could be, his excitement grew.
Not only did he get to hunt monsters… he could earn a living doing it.
After acquiring the money, Aslan split it fifty-fifty with Sorin, so he earned 625 dollars for a day's work.
"So, we meet at the hotel lobby tomorrow morning?" Aslan asked as they left.
Sorin stared at him with wide eyes through her helmet.
"You don't want to take tomorrow off?" she asked.
Aslan then remembered the Class Awakening Key and said, "Actually, let's take tomorrow off."
"Okay. You should also get a phone when you get the chance so we can contact each other more conveniently."
"A phone, right? I'll get one tomorrow," he said.
Some time later, they dropped Aslan off at the hotel.
"Good night. Contact me whenever you want to return to the dungeon."
Sorin handed Aslan a piece of paper with her phone number before leaving with Marthel.
Once he was inside his room, Aslan went to take a quick shower before sitting on his bed.
He opened his inventory and focused on the Class Awakening Key.
Since he was getting sleepy, Aslan decided to consume the key tomorrow.
Meanwhile, inside their car, Sorin and Marthel talked about their day, mostly about Aslan's performance.
"Honestly, if I didn't already know his Class Potential, I would've mistaken him for a genius," Marthel admitted. "I have seen a lot of Warriors, but those who could rival Aslan's current strength are already in their 2nd Class advancement—and I am not even taking into account his Weapon Aura skill."
"So he's a valuable team member, is what you're saying."
"For now, but his Class Potential is still F-Rank. Unless he keeps receiving God's assistance, he will quickly hit a brick wall, so I will warn you again—don't get too attached to him."
Sorin didn't say anything, but she silently acknowledged Marthel's warning with a nod.
The following day, Aslan woke up early, and after a quick morning shower to wake himself up, he consumed the Class Awakening Key.
Once again, a portal opened before him. But unlike before, time didn't stop. Everything continued as normal. Without hesitation, Aslan stepped through the portal and vanished from the room.
Upon emerging from the portal, Aslan found himself seated before a wooden table. In front of him were two bowls of rice and a single plate of vegetables, and sitting across from him was a cute little girl he didn't recognize, quietly staring at him with unreadable eyes.
"Are you feeling nervous about tomorrow's recruitment, brother?" she asked.
"Of course not. I have trained for this day my entire life," Aslan responded before he even realized.
"Good. Then let's pray."
The little girl clasped her hands together and gave a silent prayer.
Aslan followed her movements without doing anything, almost as if someone else was controlling his body.
Shortly after, they ate the plain food before them.
"Thank you for the meal."
They both muttered.
"Go ahead and sleep, brother. I'll wash the dishes tonight."
"Alright. Good night."
Aslan went to the next room, where two worn-out blankets were laid on the cold wooden floor. Though they looked dirty, the blankets were comfortable, and he fell asleep almost instantly once underneath.
The next day, Aslan woke up to the smell of breakfast.
When he went to the living room, the little girl had already prepared breakfast for him. However, there was only one plate. Normally, they'd skip breakfast, but today was a special occasion.
"Where is yours?" Aslan asked.
"Don't worry about me. I am not the one who has to partake in the Paladin's recruitment," she smiled.
Unable to refute her, Aslan quickly finished his breakfast of milk and bread before going outside.
"Good luck, brother. I know you'll pass the recruitment and become a Paladin," she said with a beaming smile.
"Thank you. I'll see you later."
Once the little girl returned to the building and closed the door, Aslan finally regained control over his body.