My Alt Account Became the World's No. 1 Hunter
Chapter 34: Vacation?

Chapter 34: Vacation?

Lanz crept down the narrow alley beside the apartment block, plastic bags dangling off his wrists like he’d just looted an entire thrift store, which, in a way, he kinda did.

He squinted up at his third-floor window, hood half-pulled over his eyes.

"This is gonna be some real Spider-Man sh*t," he muttered under his breath, balancing one boot on the rusted drainpipe that ran up the side of the building.

He half-expected Miku to pop her head out the window and record him for the next ’local dumbass’ MemeNet clip.

Step by step, he clawed his way up, bags swinging dangerously every time his foot slipped against the chipped paint. "Yeah, genius, climb a drainpipe with your whole new drip in plastic. What could possibly go wrong?"

When he finally reached his windowsill, he braced his knee against the frame, free hand fumbling for the latch. One by one, he set the helmet down first, like the delicate crown that it is, then the boots, then the cool looking new gloves and clothes, and finally the cheap black boxers that almost fell straight to the neighbor’s balcony below.

"Whoa, whoa, nope!" he hissed, grabbing the bag’s handle with two fingers just before it could break free.

He froze there, crouched like a raccoon caught stealing snack bars. His heart did this weird skip-beat thingy until the bag settled safe and sound next to the boots.

He let out a quiet, triumphant breath. "See that sh*t? Smooth. F*cking smooth."

Once everything was safely inside his room, Lanz braced his palms on the outer ledge, twisted his shoulders with a dumb grin, and just hopped down onto the narrow metal stair rail that ran along the side of the building.

He rode it down like he was twelve again, boots skidding, landing with a solid thud behind the garbage shed.

He dusted off his hoodie, straightened up, and walked around to the front door like he’d just strolled home from the corner store. "Nothing to see here. Just your not-so-friendly neighborhood Handsome-Man."

He pushed open the door and stepped inside like he hadn’t just risked his ass for a new pair of black boxers.

But the second he kicked off his shoes, the atmosphere hit him right in the chest — the dining table was full, chairs pulled close together like they’d been huddled up waiting for him.

Dad sat at the end, half-leaned back in his chair with that smug grin he only wore when something big was up.

Mom was next to him, arms folded tight, but there was a softness in her eyes that made it worse somehow.

Kaz was there too, twirling a pen in one hand, eyes bouncing between everyone like he was enjoying whatever inside joke he’d been let in on first.

And Miku, the little menace that she is, peeked at him over the top of her phone, one eyebrow raised like she’d been given permission to watch him squirm.

Lanz’s eyes bounced from one face to the next, brain short-circuiting for a solid second. The tension in the room wasn’t angry exactly, but it sure as hell felt serious enough to make his pulse kick up.

His mind went straight for the worst possibilities. ’Did Miku hack my f*cking computer and saw the stash? Did I accidentally leave some gear out in plain sight? Did they find out about my alt account? How though? What the f*ck is going?!’

He cleared his throat, pulling that half-baked grin he used whenever he got caught doing something dumb but not illegal, yet. "W—What’s up?" he asked, voice cracking halfway through like his vocal cords had tapped out.

Mom didn’t even flinch, just leveled that look at him, the one that made him feel five years old again. "You’re finally here. We’ve been waiting for you," she said, calm but carrying that undertone that made his brain itch.

He tried to play it off, eyes flicking to Kaz for backup. "Did I... forget to take the trash out or something?"

Kaz leaned forward, tapping the pen against his lips like he was stifling a laugh. "Relax, idiot. You’re not in trouble. Well, not for anything you know about, anyway."

Miku lowered her phone just enough to show her smug grin, eyes glinting like she was seconds from dunking him headfirst into a pot of her own sarcasm. "Yeah, yet. Don’t look so guilty."

Lanz’s hands flew up like he was surrendering to a SWAT team. "I didn’t do anything! What is this, an intervention?"

Dad puffed out his chest, that grin stretching even wider like he’d been holding back a punchline all day. "Nope, no intervention. But we do got something better."

Mom gave him a light smack on the shoulder that made him straighten up. "Your father got some good news."

Kaz tossed the pen on the table, a grin creeping across his face as he leaned his elbows on the wood. "The old man here got himself a nice little promotion."

Lanz’s brain stuttered, catching up with the words. "Wait, a what now? A promotion? Like, an actual promotion?"

Miku snorted, flicking her hair back with that practiced little whip she always did. "Yup. And guess what? We’re going on a vacation!"

Lanz’s eyebrows shot up. "Seriously? Since when can we afford that?"

Miku crossed her legs under the table, tipping her chin at him like she’d rehearsed this. "Oh yeah, big bro, how ARE we affording that, huh?"

Kaz shot her a look that could’ve set her phone on fire. "You just got here, didn’t you? Already talking smack."

She shrugged, smirk never fading. "Of course."

Mom tapped her knuckles against the table, cutting off their squabble. "Your father got on the good side of the new boss. He’s been handling that extra cargo route for months, and they finally recognized him for it."

Dad gave them both a proud little shrug that did nothing to hide how puffed up he was inside. "Heheh, they needed someone they could trust. Who better than me? More routes, better pay, figured it was time we did something with it."

Lanz’s grin cracked wide, relief flooding through him so fast he nearly forgot he’d been panicking thirty seconds ago. "Sick! Congrats, Dad. You deserve it."

Miku, for once, didn’t fire off another jab, she just leaned back in her chair, smiling. "Yeah, nice work, Dad."

Dad chuckled, ruffling the back of her head even as she ducked away. "Thanks, kids. So! We figured since you two are off for summer break, might as well get some real fresh air for once."

Kaz kicked back, arms folded behind his head. "Alright, trip ideas. And no dumb sh*t, Miku."

She rolled her eyes so hard both Kaz and Lanz thought they might roll straight out of her skull. "Wevek amusement park. Rides, snacks, one of those stupid giant souvenir cups that leaks by the second day. It’s perfect."

Kaz made a face like he’d bitten into a lemon. "Or we could do something normal. Belnore’s got that steak place, couple train stops over. Classy and simple."

Mom snorted, cutting in before Dad could open his mouth. "We’re not blowing an entire month’s pay on overpriced theme park lines or a steak dinner that you’ll forget about the second you’re hungry again."

Dad puffed up again, half-ready to argue. "Oh come on, we could—"

Her eyes narrowed.

And he shut up fast.

Lanz lifted a hand, half-laughing as he cut in. "Alright, alright, what about Ferwoly Beach? It’s not too far, we don’t have to book some fancy hotel, there’s food stalls, clean water. And we can eat grilled corn on sticks. You can’t say no to corn on sticks."

Kaz pointed at him with a grin. "That’s actually solid."

Miku threw him a begrudging nod. "Fine. But I’m getting ice cream that day. Twice if Dad’s paying."

Dad groaned, pressing his palm to his chest like they’d stabbed him right in the wallet. "Ah, my poor bonus. Hahaha. Kidding!"

Mom only smiled, scribbling something down on the back of an old receipt. "It’s settled then. Ferwoly Beach it is. Cheap, local, and we can keep an eye on you dummies."

Lanz felt his chest tightening after hearing the word "dummies".

When the conversation finally drifted off into bickering about who was packing sunscreen and whether Kaz could be trusted not to book a rental that smelled like fish guts, Lanz slipped away from the table.

He ducked and went straight to the path to his room, his grin still glued to his face as he closed his bedroom door behind him with a soft click.

The shopping bags were still right where he’d stashed them, all the fresh drip bundled together like a secret he’d been waiting to open properly.

He crouched down, unzipped the helmet box just enough to peek inside, running a thumb along the matte shell. He set the gloves, clothes, new boots, and of course the boxers beside it, arranging everything neatly along the bottom of his closet like they were prized relics instead of gear he’d probably scuff up in a day.

He leaned back on his heels, stretching out his arms with a satisfied little sigh. "Alright," he muttered, tapping his fingers against his temple like he was knocking on the door to a private club only he could enter, which wasn’t entirely wrong. "Now that that’s sorted... let’s train some more with them dummies in the SIM!"

A lazy grin tugged at the corner of his mouth as he picked up the broken relic, the familiar white glow blooming across his vision like a promise.

"Time to f*cking grind."

End of Chapter 34.

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ALT SYSTEM — USER PROFILE: ZERO

Level: 11

EXP: 82 / 110

Next Reward: 10 Available Stat Points

Global System Tracking: DISABLED

World Rank Association: UNLINKED

Stats:

STR: 8 | AGI: 8 (Affinity) | VIT: 3 | DEX: 1 | INT: 7 | WIS: 0

[Available Stat Points: 3]

[Derived Stat — MANA: 35 / 35]

Skills:

[Crimson Slash Lv. 1]

[Phantom Stride Lv.1]

[Blade Control Lv.1]

[Parry Timing Lv.1]

[Reflex Sync Lv.1] (Passive Skill)

[Combat Awareness Lv.2] (Passive Skill)

[Skill Fusion Menu: Active]

[Dev Tree: Tier 0 Access Granted]

[Developer Node – Fusion Core Anchor: Active]

[Skill Slot Available — Unassigned]

Equipment:

Aged Blade Fragment (??? Rarity) (Bound)

Goblin Dagger

Spiked Boar Tusk Shard

Lightweight Chest Padding

Boots of Basic Mobility

Fingerless Gloves (Basic)

Starter Cloak: Faded Black

Training Ring (+1 VIT)