The festival has arrived, the town plaza is filled with the residents of Selene and residents from other towns, and many parades are held in the town, many Adventurers gather at the Adventurer Department including Claudia and Astrid to participate in the battles that are held, and many students from the academy are hanging around the plaza.
On the one hand, The Hunter is left walking around the city alone while Meina and Neina enjoy the festival, not knowing what he wants to do even though he was looking forward to it the other day, so he decides to go to the antique auction, but because only elite people are allowed to enter the place, The Hunter enters through another door, beats up one of the employees there and then disguises himself to enter.
"Ahh... I wonder how auction environment be like?"
He stood pretending to watch the visitors because he was a dark visitor at the auction, all he witnessed during the auction was The Host displaying many antiques that were auctioned, The Hunter felt bored in the room while watching the rich people who raised the auction prices, bored and almost sleepy, The Hunter came out of the auction room and ran away with the clothes he was wearing.
"Fiuh... Not bad, nice clothes, I don't have to spend money if I need it in the future, now what should I do?"
Then he decided to visit Albano Academy, The Hunter was surprised that there was an Academy in this city even though there was already an Adventurer Department in the city. The hunter walked towards Albano Academy where there was a fight between Albano Academy students being held, and King Ramona and Crown Prince Hedrick were also watching the fight. The academy provided a training arena where they could train their strength and magic, and the academy also allowed the residents to watch the fight that was taking place.
The Hunter was surprised that they allowed locals to enter the Academy without being checked, especially since the King and the Crown Prince were here. The Hunter tried to walk around the Academy but he got lost, Albano Academy was so big and complicated that he tried to ask the students there to show him the way to the arena but no one wanted to tell The Hunter, then he met someone who apparently had the same fate as him.
"Hey man, got lost too?"
"Hmm... are you talking with me?"
"Then who else can I talk to now?"
That man looks around.
"Me?"
"Then WHO!? Man, are you lost? where'd you want to go? I want to go Arena"
"Arena? Yeah, me too. I think we better find the Arena together"
Then The Hunter and the man walked together to look for the Arena at Albano Academy, after walking as long as possible they finally found the Arena, but all the seats were full, and now they were starting a fight between Albano students.
"By the way, what are you doing here, uh..."
"Mr. Archer.... people call me Archer"
"Mr. Hunter, my fellas calling me Hunter"
"You just like me, huh. Well, people call me Archer because I have no name and I'm good at using an bow"
"Alright, about me I ask people to call me Hunter because all my live is always hunting, and I don't have a name and I don't need that too"
"Interesting, I also sometimes go hunting out there alone with my bow, but now I don't bring it with me"
"I'm so curious with you right now, maybe we can go hunt something together in any chance, huh"
"Hehe, I'm waiting for that"
While watching from behind the audience seats, the Academy displayed various skills that the Academy students had learned to show to the King and the Crown Prince, they were both impressed with the students' abilities to show to the King. However, in the part where they showed their archery skills, The Archer commented that they still had doubts in shooting their arrows, and their aim was still messy.
"Everything looks so good, but when in the part on archery show, they still lack"
"Hmmm... I can agree with you, I don't think they are used to using arrows, even though some Adventurers I met could use bows and magic at the same time so their arrows could be covered with any magic to attack" Hunter added
"That includes, from before they only cast their magic with magic wands but not with magic equipment or adding magic to their weapons" Archer explained
"Are they don't train their bodies?"
"Magic capacity can be increase if they train their magic everyday, however they will exhausted easily if they stamina too low"
"Train your body to increase your stamina so you can increase your magic capacity too, huh?"
"I don't think so, sir"
HUH!?
They were both surprised when someone interrupted their conversation and then looked behind them.
"Magic can be cast when you have enough Mana, and the capacity of Mana can be increased if we increase our Intelligence, and our Intelligence can be increased if we increase our sanitation, then for the question of why they don't embed magic into their weapons when fighting because there are rules stated, but when they want to display or want to use magic on their weapons, they still can't do that"
...
A bespectacled, bookish man interrupted their conversation and explained how magical capacity could be increased.
"Boy, who are you?" The Hunter ask him
"Oh, My Apologized, sir. I only explaining about how magic capacity can be increase and what is Intelligence and how we can increase it"
"No-no-no, I mean who are you, you suddenly interrupted our conversation and talked at length like that, but your explanation was very interesting" Hunter added
"REALLY!? There was never anyone who was interested in my explanation or wanted to hear everything I had to say. But you're the first person who admit it"
"Well, with you explaining something like that, I think people will be annoyed to hear it"
"Oh, before I go, my name is Horu, I like magic and alchemy, nice to meet you"
"Well, nice to meet you" The Archer and Hunter Greet him
"Alright, Horu. Can I have a couple question to you, can you?" Hunter questioning Horu
"Certainly, what kind of question wanna you ask?"
"But first, how old are you?"
"I'm 20"
The Hunter and The Archer freeze. If Horu is 20 years old, even though from their perspective Horu still looks 15 years old.
"How bullshit!!"
"How can you be 20 even I am 24" Archer confirm him
"Wait what!? you're 24! I'm 21 right now" Hunter too
Horu tries to calm them both down, their commotion attracts people's attention, after Horu finishes calming the atmosphere he explains why him being 20 years old is normal, there are even students aged 30 and above and the youngest can be 10 years old. Because the Academy accepts everyone who wants to study here.
"Owh... looks like kind of University for me, huh"
"University?"
"Like in the kingdom?"
"Much more like that..... maybe"
"Alright, my first question is, did you know how the monster can get their element power?"
"A monster, like the can use flame and etc?"
"Yeah yeah, that's it. Does the Academy know or is it finding out how they can get that power?"
"hmmm... maybe not, why"
"Well, as you know, I met an ordinary deer, also I met a deer who can use ice magic last new year, but from their shape and type they are very similar"
"Me too, any moment when I go hunting, I thought that was only bear, but that was bloodmoon bear, they have red eyes and can use fire magic"
"See...."
Horu pondered about the reality that they had never felt before, then Horu answered that everything they asked had never been answered here. The reason was because the city of Selene and the Kingdom were only founded 15 years ago because of the war, so all the knowledge and experience of the Adventurers and the knowledge that existed were just the remains of the books that survived, also many people who did not want to take risks especially from the Academy did not want to risk their lives. But the adventurers who came to the Adventurer Department mostly came from other kingdoms, even The Guild Master now came from another kingdom because of orders from the kingdom he had previously sided with.
"It's as if a king who came here right now asking for help from other kingdoms to add cities and residents to live in the city he built, huh?" Hunter guessing
"I even heard rumors that the king who protects this city is the prince of the previous king"
"However, better we didn't talk this here, many soldiers from the kingdom can hear us"
"Yeah, that would be danger"
"Argh... "
"What's wrong?"
"I'm bored here, I'd rather go to the Adventurer Department, there we can see many adventurers fighting there"
"What you said makes sense, but they will be showing off some new tools soon. Like a great bow"
Archer stopped and continue listening Horu about the great bow.
"Are civilians can try that weapon, I want to try it later"
"Unfortunately no... but they can try it if they have a trial coupon which can be obtained if they successfully answer the quiz at the entrance"
"Quiz? at the entrance? we don't see anything at there"
"That strange, they should have put it there.... wait.... how can be"
"I don't think it's at the entrance, right Archer?"
"True, Hunter"
"Ughhh... dammit, Sorry for our mistake, therefore I will give each of you 1 ticket"
Horu gave Archer and Hunter one ticket for trial, when the Academy shows the tools, the host will summon people who held the ticket, but because of Horu's mistake, the only people who have the tickets only Hunter and Archer. They both felt awkward because only the two of them from the civilian side got the chance. They both entered the Arena lining up with the Academy students, they showed what weapons they wanted to try, Archer of course wanted to try the Great Bow that Horu was talking about, but Hunter didn't seem interested in the items or weapons they showed.
"Wow, this bow is so great... Hey Hunter, wanna try it?"
"Nah man, I don't interest with bow, maybe Crossbow can get exited me"
(he sure enjoying with his toy right now) Hunter tease him
Hunter looked at all the items they displayed but none of them made him want to try it, even the crossbow he wanted wasn't there, but there was one that made him very curious.
"Hey, isn't that...."
The Hunter took the last tool, The item is long, made of iron and wood, there is a trigger behind it.
"Isn't this... a rifle?"
"Sir, are you want to try that?"
"Hey, who the fuck man create this, tell me"
"Uhmmm, Sir..."
"HUNTER, WHAT'S WRONG?"
An Audience murmuring what's wrong with The Hunter. The student guarding the displayed weapon remained silent, confused as to how to answer The Hunter's question. Then came 1 professor from the Academy.
"Sir... did you familiar with that weapon?"
"...(Look at the prof) Yeah, but how it this work? It seems different with the one I know"
"True, we modified the weapon with magic stones, so its power will be 2x stronger, but it will cause 2x the pressure when pulling the trigger, but don't worry the magic stone we use can be used by people who can't use magic"
"And the fuel, or ammo?"
The professor gives The Hunter a small pouch, when The Hunter open it he know it was a small iron ball, and ammo for the rifle. The Hunter opened the pipe valve where to insert 1 bullet in the rifle, but to activate the magic stone he did not know.
"How can I use this? I mean activate the magic stone"
The Audience laughing with The Hunter, they saw him acting like a know-it-all idiot, but The Hunter didn't care about what the Audience said, the professor said that if The Hunter only needed to pull the trigger then the rifle would shoot the bullet, when he knew how to use it, the Hunter immediately aimed outside the Arena, more precisely at a decorative stone plate above the King's seat, seeing The Hunter's sudden action as if aiming at the King made the soldiers try to protect the King and try to prevent The Hunter, but the trigger had been pulled, the King was fine, then a stone plate that The Hunter shot fell making the surroundings immediately silent.
BANG!!!
"Huft... thought my skill will be rust, but no..."
...
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"
"ARE YOU TRYING TO ASSASINATE THE KING!?"
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa, calm down man. Can you see The King is okay, I'm not try to shoot Your Majesty, but look at my shooting target"
They looked at the plate that The Hunter had placed, the plate looked very small, and the height of the plate was very high, but The Hunter managed to hit it, seeing this, the professor who had been talking to The Hunter clapped his hands then all the audience including the King and the Crown Prince applauded his skill.
The Archer is impressed to congratulate him.
"Wow man, I don't know you have such a great skill like that"
"Really? It's just normal for me"
.
"Gentleman, may I have a moment with you two later?"
"Us?"
"Sorry, but I need to go back right now, I remember my animal must be fed now"
"I understand, see you soon...."
"Goodbye, man"
The Archer return the bow and leaving the Academy quickly. The professor invited The Hunter to chat for a while in the room.
"Sir, This may be sudden for you, but, would you like to be the tester on the weapon you used earlier?"
"You mean a rifle? Yeah, instead to be a tester I want to buy it, how?"
"Hoho, I never thought that someone would immediately be interested in using it"
"Before it was shown to the public, were there many people who were injured after using it or couldn't use it?"
"Yes, many people were injured after using it so not many people can use it, we got that weapon after the war from the colonialists 15 years ago before this Kingdom was founded"
"I see...."
"But if you want to buy it, I think it can cost 10 gold coins, how about that?"
"Okay, I'll buy it"
The Hunter offer 10 gold coins to the professor. The professor said that the weapon was still under their control, so The Hunter could not use it for crime or rebellion, The Hunter agreed to the policy. The hunter will also inform what is lacking in this rifle, therefore he will sometimes come back to the Academy and meet the professor directly. The professor also gives a note of instructions on its use and The Hunter accepts it. After the show is over and the hunter's business is done, he leaves the Academy.