Hunter's P.O.V.
"WAAAKEEE UP!" shouted an annoying thing outside his door. Hunter woke up groggily because of the shouting. Here we go again, thought Hunter. Instead of opening the door like any normal person, Hunter simply grabbed his phone and quietly slipped out the window of his shitty ground-floor room. The voice belonged to his landlord, very likely here to grab Hunter's rent, which was due for the last four months.
Hunter lived on a planet called Fokk, a place full of wonders—sorcerers, warriors, and literal gods. A dream for most people, but ask those who live here—it's a shithole. A haven only for the strong; the weak live in fear and misery. And Hunter was weak, at the bottom of society, forgotten and buried.
Hunter was not always like this. He belonged to a reputable household. He ate daily, never felt hungry, and slept in a house bigger than his entire apartment building. But all that changed when his parents were framed and killed by the most powerful and righteous person on Fokk: "Eugene Star," a.k.a. 'The Hero.' Till this day, Hunter has not been able to find out why Star did that, and he probably never would—because with his status in society, even a servant wouldn't give him a second glance.
Unable to bear this burden, Hunter decided to end it all today.
Hunter quietly made his way to a bridge near his room. The bridge was high enough to give him a painless death. When Hunter reached his destination, he quickly went over to the wrong side of the railing. Oh mother, oh father, why did you have to go? thought Hunter. At this moment, Hunter suddenly thought of a memory—when he was eight, right before his paradise was stolen away from him.
FLASHBACK:
"Mother!" shouted an eight-year-old Hunter, eager to show the painting he just drew of his family. He ran into his mother's study, where she was usually found, and just as he entered, there his mother was—beautiful as ever. Every time Hunter saw his mother, he became awestruck at her beauty and the sheer motherly love radiating off her. But today was different. He could feel it; his gut was having a very bad feeling. But whatever it was, his mother hid it pretty well.
"Come to Mama, little boy," said Hunter's mother.
"Moooommm, I am not a little boy anymore! I'm all grown up now," replied Hunter.
His mother giggled at this and asked, "What are you holding there, Hunter?" Hearing this, Hunter immediately forgot about their previous conversation and started showing his mother the drawing he made.
Just as Hunter's mother was about to remark on his drawing, a maid came running into the study and said, "Lady Castillo, the Lord has called you into his study. It's urgent."
Hunter's mother nodded at the maid and turned toward Hunter. "Hunter, why don't you go outside and play in the garden? Mother will be with you shortly."
Hunter understood that this was a serious matter and nodded to his mother. Seeing this, his mother gently pecked him on the forehead and left for his father's study.
Hunter, left alone, quietly started walking toward the garden. The way to the garden was in the same hallway as his father's study. While crossing his father's study, Hunter heard shouts from his father:
"Eugene, you know what you did! And the public should know about it," said his father.
But Hunter chose to ignore this, as it involved him in no way. So he continued toward the garden.
Just as he reached the garden, something exploded behind him. His body froze. Hunter had a guess what had happened. He knew it. He could feel it—the hot air rushing past him—but he denied it with everything he had.
But when he turned around, he saw it.
First: a big cloud of smoke rising from his house.And then: Eugene Star, staring at the house like nothing happened... and then flying away.
Hunter was paralyzed. He knew what had happened. He was no dumb boy. He knew that the world's Hero had just destroyed his world—and his heroes.
Hunter, still in disbelief, did what at the time seemed right to him: he ran away. He ran away from his home, he ran away from his parents, and lastly, he ran away from his reality.
It was about two days since little Hunter had run away, and that night he saw something that made him hate Star from every fiber of his being. He saw Star giving a press conference and telling lies about how the Castillo family—Hunter's parents—had not been human, but instead demons in disguise, and that he had eliminated them.
Hunter knew this was bullshit—made by a man afraid to reveal his own corruption. From that day onwards, Hunter's hatred for Eugene Star, the Hero of the planet Fokk, bloomed in full swing.
FLASHBACK END
It has been nine years since that wretched day, and Hunter's anger had only bloomed tremendously since then. But he could do nothing, because he had no family left, no one to fall back on. What could he do to a person whose power was the peak this world could offer, and whose reputation surpassed emperors?
With no outlet for his anger, Hunter's rage bloomed and was contained—and finally, today was the day that Hunter's container was full. He screamed and cursed at this world and its Hero:
"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! YOU WRETCHED HERO! AND DIE, ALL THE PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW HIM! JUST FUCKING DIE!"
Hunter screamed his heart out—but not his anger. He could not get free of it with just some screaming.
Today, he was standing just one jump away from ending his life—not because he was sad, but because he was angry. Angry at himself, that he could not avenge his parents. He was angry because he could not fucking kill a single man.
It was in this state that Hunter noticed a poster had been placed on the galvanium pole next to him. It stated:
"Nothing to lose? Want recognition? Power?Then join the Association.Call 91######.Everything about you will change."
Hunter looked at the poster, dumbstruck. Was this poster really there, or something his mind made up to calm him down?
But when Hunter went to touch it—the poster was real.
And so, in his half-crazed state, he went ahead and called the number...
...not knowing just what kind of hell he would be signing himself into.