"Want to join as a hunter?" Alastair asked again.
"Wait, a hunter? What do you mean?"
Alastair's brow furrowed. "You don't know hunters? Are there no hunters in your world?"
Yohan immediately shook his head. "That's not what I meant. I know what a hunter is. I mean, why are you suddenly offering that?"
"There's no particular reason. I saw that you can fight, and you don't have anything to do here either. I want to make you a knight in my division, but knighthood can only be taken by noble blood."
Yohan snorted. "If I refuse, will there be any punishment for me?"
"I don't know. The crown prince just asked me to keep an eye on you. I just don't want to waste my time watching someone who is idle."
Yohan sighed. Alastair's words were clearly sarcastic to him. It was only his first day in this strange and magical land that he did not recognize.
"Is there no chance for me to think about it first?" Yohan asked.
Alastair nodded. "Come with me."
"Where to?"
"To the headquarters of the hunters. Maybe you can convince yourself after looking around there."
Yohan smiled widely. "Wow, good idea. Let's go!"
Alastair took Yohan to the headquarters of the hunters as he had said. When Alastair arrived, the group of people called hunters immediately lined up neatly and bowed respectfully. Yohan frowned at that. He wondered how important Alastair's position was that almost everyone Yohan met in this country showed respect to him.
"Captain Indark, isn't he..."
Alastair turned his head and looked at Yohan who was just standing behind him. "Introduce yourself."
Yohan came forward with a friendly smile. "Hello, my name is Yohan Dharmawijaya. You must have heard about it. I got lost in another world and got stuck here."
Alastair pulled the back of Yohan's clothes roughly, making the man frown in annoyance.
"I intend to make Yohan one of the hunters. Do any of you have any objections?"
Everyone shook their heads simultaneously. "No, captain Indark!" they exclaimed in unison.
"Oi, I still have work to do. Please ask them and don't make any more trouble."
Yohan nodded with a lazy expression. "Alright."
After Alastair left, the hunters immediately surrounded him. They asked many questions. Most of their questions were the same. They were all curious about Yohan, who came from another world.
"Guys, don't surround him. Mr. D-Dharma..."
Yohan giggled amusedly. Again, people here had trouble pronouncing his name. "Just call me Yohan."
"Alright. Mr. Yohan will definitely be uncomfortable if you all crowd around him."
Yohan approached the young man. With just one look, he knew the young man was much younger than him.
"So, what is your name and what is your role among the hunters?" Yohan asked.
The young man bowed respectfully. "My name is Ancel Helias. I am in charge as their leader."
Yohan nodded. "No need to bow like that. I'm not Captain Indark. Oh yeah, why are there only a few hunters? I heard you guys are the ones who often work directly in the Nox area?"
Ancel seemed hesitant to answer.
"If it's a secret, there's no need to insist on saying it."
Ancel shook his head vigorously. "Sorry, Mr. Yohan, I didn't mean that."
"Just call me Yohan, no need to use mister or anything."
Ancel nodded. He led Yohan to his room. Seeing the living quarters of the hunters, Yohan immediately knew that they were treated differently from the knights.
"Please sit down, Sir-um, I mean Yohan."
Yohan nodded and sat down immediately. His eyeballs scrolled and took in the room. Almost everything was made of wood.
"So, can you tell me why there are fewer hunters than knights?"
"It's because they died in the Nox area during the expedition. Captain Indark must have told you about the Nox area and how dangerous it is. We hunters work under the command of the knights. But even so, only the hunters were ordered to actually enter the Nox area. Captain Indark was the only knight who dared to disobey orders and enter the Nox area along with the hunters. In every expedition, there were always our comrades who died. The hunters were ordinary people. We weren't nobles like Captain Indark and the other knights. That is why our deaths don't matter much."
Yohan gaped at Ancel's explanation. "So, what's the point of the knights? Isn't the source of this country's problems the monsters in the Nox area?"
Ancel nodded. "Actually, in the past the knights also participated in expeditions in the Nox area. Even back then, the kingdom hadn't formed a hunting guild like today. But the Nox area is really dangerous. A lot of knights died in every expedition. The knights came from honorable noble families. Their deaths were obviously a serious problem. So, the kingdom formed a hunting guild to deal with that. We are ordinary people who are specially trained to serve the kingdom."
"Ah, how cruel," Yohan muttered softly.
"After learning this, I hope you don't have to join the hunters. I know Captain Indark suggested you, but as an otherworlder, the kingdom is responsible for looking after you and you have no obligation to return the favor. After all, you are here as a result of the fault of the saint summoners."
Yohan chuckled. "I'm getting more and more interested in joining."
Ancel widened his eyes. "Yohan!"
"Relax, Ancel. I may seem weak now because of this wound on my abdomen, but I'm not that weak. I'm very curious about the famous Nox area. If I hadn't joined the hunters, I wouldn't have a reason to get out of here. The crown prince ordered Captain Indark to always keep an eye on me. I obviously don't have many opportunities to learn about this land."
Ancel looked doubtful. "You might regret joining the hunters after seeing for yourself how horrible the Nox area is."
Yohan laughed and patted Ancel on the shoulder. "Maybe, but you don't need to worry. Regret or not, it's all my decision. Right now, the important thing is that I'm not always confined to Captain Indark's care."
Ancel nodded. "I wish you all the best, Yohan."
"Yes, thank you. Oh, yes, I thought you would-"
"Mr. Ancel!"
The door to Ancel's room was suddenly opened from outside. One of the hunters walked in with his breath caught in his throat.
"What's wrong, Mike?" asked Ancel in confusion.
"Mr. Yohan, the Saint requests to see you."
Yohan's brow furrowed. "Huh? Who is the Saint?"
Ancel's face was shocked when he heard Yohan's question. "You must not speak carelessly like that."
Yohan scratched the back of his neck. "Ah, that's right. The girl who came to this land with me, or rather, the girl who dragged me to this land," he muttered softly.
Yohan quickly excused himself to Ancel and the other hunters. Outside the hunters' headquarters, there were two knights waiting for him with cynical expressions.
"Ah, what a hassle." Yohan muttered under his breath.
***
"Wait here."Yohan nodded after one of the knights ordered him to stop and wait in front of a large double door in the western part of the palace. There were many guards standing around in the area. They glanced at Yohan curiously but did not dare to say anything."Come in, the saint and the crown prince are inside."Yohan widened his eyes. "Wait, the crown prince too?"The knight roughly slapped away Yohan's palm holding his robe. "Don't touch me, otherworlder!" he shouted.Yohan raised both hands while rolling his eyeballs. "Wow, relax, man."When Yohan entered, Alastair was also inside and glanced at him. This was the first time he saw the crown prince's face up close. Previously, he had seen his face in the hall during the summoning, but he did not really pay attention to his face."Sit down, otherworlder. What is your name?" the crown prince asked."Yohan Dharmawijaya."Yohan glanced at the high school girl who had accidentally dragged him into this land of nowhere. She had been
After Yohan confirmed his participation as one of the hunter members, he began training together with the other hunters. Yohan had acquired the skills of a bodyguard before. Physical training was not new to him. Yohan's stamina was also quite good. He was used to relying on his own stamina, so even hard training was something he could do well. His only weakness was magic. He did not have magic like the people here."You're doing great, Yohan. The physical training of hunters is usually a nightmare for new members, but you are able to follow it well until the end," Ancel said happily.Yohan smiled. "Yeah, thanks. I'm used to this kind of thing.""Uh, what do you do in your world?" asked Ancel."Bodyguard.""Bodyguard? You mean like those guys?" Ancel pointed at the group of escorts who were patrolling around the hunters' base.Yohan laughed amusedly. "More or less, I'm confused about how to explain my job to you because our worlds are completely different. Let's just say it's the same
When entering the Nox area, Yohan did not hesitate to grasp the sword he was carrying. The sword belonged to Alastair. He lent it to Yohan because he had just become part of the hunters and did not yet have his own weapon. Normally, a hunter who had just entered would not immediately be invited on an expedition to the Nox area. But Yohan was different. Just a day after he agreed to Alastair's offer to join the hunters, he had to join the expedition to the Nox area."Are you okay?" asked Ancel with a worried expression.Yohan laughed softly. "What? Does my face look really scared?"Ancel shook his head. "It's precisely because you look so normal that I'm worried.""Take it easy, Ancel. Dealing with death is not something unfamiliar to me. At least, in my world, I've also come close to death many times. It's just the way it's done that's different from here."Ancel smiled. "No wonder Captain Indark recommended you to become a hunter, you already have a lot of experience in your world. I
Yohan was surprised. "No, no way."The dragon had stomped two of his comrades to death in a gruesome way. Ancel turned his face away. He quickly pulled Yohan's arm away from the area."Hold on, we'll escape soon."Yohan pulled his arm from Ancel's grip. "I won't just let that thing live."Ancel was surprised. "What do you mean, Yohan?""I'll kill it."Ancel gaped. "What? What are you thinking-eh, Yohan!"Yohan ignored his comrades' calls and ran forward toward the rampaging dragon. Ancel and the rest of the hunters wanted to help, but they were all terrified beyond belief. They were used to dealing with the deaths of their comrades, but the grief of losing friends did not dissipate that easily.Yohan looked down at his own arm. "If the poison in the dragon's saliva doesn't kill me, then I have a chance to defeat the dragon," he muttered."Roooooaaarrrr!"Yohan jumped up and held on to the dragon's leg. The dragon flew up and kept moving its legs violently to make Yohan fall down. Fort
After Yohan gouged out a few of the green dragon's scales and then took a few drops of its blood, the dead dragon's body suddenly shattered into flakes of ash. He crouched down and touched the flakes. It felt very smooth, almost too smooth when compared to the ashes left over from burning wood. He also sniffed the aroma, and there was no burnt scent at all from the smooth flakes."Would a dead dragon disintegrate like this?" Yohan muttered. He went back to check the dragon scales he had taken and they remained intact as they should. The blood he put into the bamboo container was also still safe.Out of curiosity, Yohan put some of the soft flakes into the leaf container he had picked up carelessly nearby. Perhaps he could study the item later. Who knows if the flakes were as useful as dragon scales or blood?After an expedition, hunters would usually be given two or three days to rest and be free from training. During this time, they will normally use the time to sleep and restore the
Yohan was surprised when he saw the alchemist's strange expression. He stared at the dragon's ashes like a psychopath who had successfully minced human flesh. He did not know, maybe Yohan was just overthinking it. Yohan quickly turned his face away and left the place. Whatever the alchemist did was none of his business. The important thing was that the weapon he wanted was made well.Yohan parted ways with Ry that day. The girl said that they should meet again sometime. Yohan agreed. He did not think too much about it. Maybe they will meet again in the same place, or who knows? They were not that close to each other to begin with. But Yohan was very grateful to Ry because the girl had brought him to the alchemist. At least, he would have his own magic weapon and no longer need to borrow Captain Indark's.In accordance with the initial agreement, Yohan returned to the alchemist's place a week later. The difference was that Ancel accompanied him this time. When he told Ancel that he had
The alchemist was shocked. He approached Yohan, who was still lying on the ground, groaning in pain. "I-It's... This is the first time I've seen something like this." Ancel frowned in disbelief. He thought the alchemist knew why a black mark suddenly appeared on Yohan's body when he touched the dragonscale weapon. "Hey, are you okay?" Ancel tried to help Yohan to his feet. Yohan's breathing was labored. Ancel could feel his uncomfortable breathing. "Yohan!" Yohan looked weakly at Ancel. "It hurts like hell." "Come on, help him up and put him on the chair. I'll check the mark." Athlas got up and took some things from the old wooden cupboard at the back of the room. Ancel's brow was still slightly furrowed. It was obvious that he was puzzled by what the alchemist was about to do. "What are you going to do?" Athlas took a small bamboo phial from the leather pouch he had taken from the closet. Ancel continued to watch what the man was about to do until he prevented Athlas from taki
Perhaps Yohan should have listened to Ancel's words about the spear they had brought from the alchemist's house. When they reached the palace and were about to enter the hunters' barracks, Alastair Indark was already standing there, staring at them with a fierce glare in his eyes."Captain Indark!" Ancel bowed to the man immediately.Yohan grimaced at him. "Hey, um... I was going out for a while and Ancel came with me because he was worried."Alastair tugged at the collar of Yohan's clothes. The rough action made Yohan moan in pain. The black marks that suddenly appeared on his body still looked like burns.Alastair noticed the change in Yohan's expression. "What's wrong?" he asked.Yohan immediately shook his head. "Nothing. It's nothing.""You're lying."Alastair quickly pulled off Yohan's clothes and examined his body. He was shocked to see the black marks all over Yohan's body. His eyes were filled with horror. He immediately pulled Yohan's arm in the direction of his room."Wait,