[Warning: Hunter Formation!]
[Nearly a thousand Blood Hunters have spread into the Western Clan's territory to complete their hunting missions.]
[This time, a thousand Brutal Hunters have also been granted permission by Likh to join the system's hunt.]
[Form your Hunting Parties! Reserved for Blood Hunters only!]
[Eliminate anyone standing in your way! Goldi awaits you!]
[Hunting Target = Brutal Hunters.]
The mouth that had been chewing venison slowed its rhythm, the mind behind it freezing for a breath, still processing the sudden news that struck like lightning splitting time.
The Eastern Hunter could not grasp why the system would issue such a warning if its only purpose was provocation. Brutal Hunters had been unleashed, and their numbers were no small thing. True, sixty percent of them were academy rejects, those who failed to be chosen for Oliga. But the remaining forty percent were pure brutality given form.
He stole a glance at the figure across from him. Eyes shut, face still hidden beneath that faithful cloth mask that clung to him as though sewn to his skin.
Ito reached for a thick, roasted haunch of venison, waving it deliberately under Zhen's nose.
"You've been pretending to sleep all this time? This meat will burn to cinders if it's not chewed soon. If you faint on me, I can't carry a giant like you."
No response. Not a flicker from any of his senses.
The Eastern Hunter leaned back against the stone once more. Setting the rejected meat aside, he closed his eyes again, retreating into thought, wrestling with decisions he knew he had to make.
I must escape this cursed hunter…
Then find a Blood Hunter party and join them…
But this is… troublesome…
My blood has already touched his blade…
Still, there may be a way around it…
No, think again… there must be another way…
Meanwhile, Zhen had already finished writing the script within the parchment of his subconscious. His eyelids rose.
"Eastern Hunter," he called.
Ito instantly felt the kiss of cold steel brushing his throat. His eyes opened, greeted by a stare so sharp, black irises that shot venomous arrows straight into him.
"I'll explain the advantages to you. First, I was born gifted, a master of every kind of blade. Second, my system is not the same as yours. Third, I survive on nothing but water."
The illusion of a venomous forked tongue haunted the Eastern Hunter's sight, a deadly mirage conjured by fear. Behind him, he could almost feel the weight of his ancestors' silent support.
Yet Ito pushed his pride aside and thought with realism. The first point, beyond doubt: this man was a genius of the blade. The second point, though not yet fully proven, Sul'Har Wastes and Sorti Sortex alone were enough to silence any argument. The third, the most baffling yet also the most advantageous: what kind of being could live without eating?
And there lay the difference. Official Blood Hunters were greedy for food, like swine at the trough. The thought of joining such a pack made him weigh the cost against the little benefit it could bring.
Still, I haven't fully grasped the nature of this Cursed Northern Hunter. His mind is shrouded in gray! He acts humble, yet his killing aura spills everywhere! He's the true victor here. How cruel, that the system punished him, stripping away his magic, forcing me into the role of his savior! Hahaha!
The blade had already withdrawn from his throat before Ito could speak a single word.
A shield. That's what he is. My shield.
Zhen knew it then. The Eastern Hunter has yet to surpass the borders of my subconscious. He only hears the voice in his own heart. To dive into the sea of thought, he is still far!
Sensing the atmosphere grow heavy and tense, Ito quickly clapped Zhen's shoulder, as if greeting an old friend long unseen.
"I'm no hypocrite, don't worry. You're too tense, always dwelling on such things. The system says Blood Hunters must form groups, fine. But I'm a loyal type, and besides, my blood has already dripped onto your blade. Running from you would be impossible."
Zhen slid his sword back into its sheath, returning to the calm poise from before. His steps moved forward with quiet resolve.
"Let us continue."
Ito followed at his side.
•••
The Northern Hunter spoke with Sono through the subconscious sea of thought, while Ito was still busy devouring the young deer.
Can you hear me, Sono?
Yes, Master.
Zhen observed the gluttonous hunter, his eyes lingering on the moss-green cloak draped over him. A notion filled the chambers of his mind, a long-term plan quietly unfolding.
How are Dono and Mono inside the Eastern Hunter's body? Have you pierced the shield of his soul?
His brows furrowed in deep, intricate lines.
I have, Master. I slipped into his soul when hunger left him weak and defenseless. Mono and Dono were placed in his legs by his own will. But when the Tsun storm struck, they broke free and escaped his notice. Dono now nests in his heart, cloaking his ancestral shield in order to sway him. Mono has taken root in his brain, veiling the vile cunning of the Eastern Hunter.
The corner of Zhen's lips curled upward, forming a fleeting smile of satisfaction, accompanied by the faint click of his sly tongue.
And his magic? Zhen exhaled heavily.
His magic is truly perfected. Once he recovers, other spells will surface as well. Dono and Sono will remain in contact with me, Master. And yes, your choice to invite him to join is indeed the right kind of salvation.
The Northern Hunter let out a chuckle before he realized it, prompting Ito to glance at him with both confusion and dread.
"What's wrong with you? Possessed by a desert spirit? Laughing at the wrong time over and over only means your soul is slipping away—or so my ancestors say. And—"
Those who laugh at the wrong time are often the ones satisfied with their schemes, the ones whose souls tilt toward madness, the cruel ones. Which are you, Ito?
Tao's words echoed in his memory, mocking Ito back in the Eastern Clan academy.
But we are not the same, Tao. I am the heir of a Clan, and he is nothing but a Cursed Hunter!
Ito smiled inwardly, as if the universe itself praised his name higher than the peaks of Mount Bariá.
I am a Hunter, and you are prey barking from one place to another. That alone sets us apart.
[System Mission!]
[The Human Hunting Arena!!!]