"STOP!"
Milana screamed, her hand flying towards to stop the murder.
But it was too late.
Chris brought the dagger down with the force of a Viking in a war.
CLAAAANG.
The sound wasn't the normal thwack of steel piercing the flesh. It was the high-pitched echo of metal striking something impenetrable.
The dagger didn't just bounce off the skin but shattered into pieces. The blade snapped cleanly in half, the top part spinning through the air and landing in Alice's now-empty Grave Dirt jar.
But there was also something strange. Viper didn't even let out a scream.
He just let out a long, contented snore, his head lolling to the side, the sunglasses slipping slightly down his nose.
"See?" Julien spread his hands, smiling like a magician who had just sawed a lady in half. "Indestructible and legit."
Milana stood frozen, her hand still floating over her bow.
She looked at the broken dagger handle in Chris's hand.
It didn't even leave any damage on his chest, where the fabric of his shirt was torn, but the skin underneath was completely unmarked, just a faint grey patch that looked like polished stone.
"He..." Milana stammered. "He didn't even wake up."
"Deep meditation," Chris nodded solemnly, tossing the broken handle into the trash.
"He takes his job very seriously. He's literally in Zen mode right now."
"Zen?" Milana walked closer, peering at Viper.
She poked his cheek.
It felt like poking a marble statue. "This... this is incredible. Standard Guild potions only offer 30% resistance, so this is... a total cheat to have."
"We strive for excellence," Julien said, leaning on the counter.
"And because you helped me out back at the apartment block, and because you haven't tried to rob me yet, I'll even give you a discount. Five potions for three hundred credits."
Milana blinked, snapping out of her trance.
"Three hundred? That's... barely above wholesale price."
"Friends and family discount," Julien winked. "Plus, you're A-Rank, so having an 'Azure Knight' use our product is good marketing. Just make sure to spread the word"
Milana smiled.
It was a genuine smile this time, not the polite one she used for civilians when offering help.
"You're a shrewd businessman, Julien. Fine, then I'll take five."
She pulled out a sleek, platinum credit card.
Julien tapped his phone against it.
[Transaction Complete: +300 Credits.]
[Current Balance: 3,965 Credits.]
"Pleasure doing business," Julien said, handing her a wooden crate filled with the grey bottles.
Milana took the crate, securing it in her dimensional bag, a skill for A-Rank hunters.
She paused at the door, looking back at them.
"By the way," she asked casually, remembering something.
"Have you registered this place with the Hunter Association yet?"
The room went quiet.
Julien froze.
Chris stopped flexing.
Even the grandfather clock seemed to tick more quietly now.
"Register?" Julien repeated.
"Yeah," Milana said.
"New businesses dealing in Hunter supplies have a three-day grace period to register for a Merchant License. After that... well, they send the Auditors."
"Auditors?" Chris asked. "Are they like accountants?"
"They're like accountants," Milana grimaced.
"If accountants were trained assassins who specialise in seizing assets and breaking kneecaps for a business."
She checked her watch.
"You opened... yesterday? So you have about twenty-four hours left. I'd hurry if I were you. The paperwork is a nightmare to fill through and getting their approval is even harder."
She waved.
"Thanks for the potions! Don't get shut down so fast!"
And she was gone.
The bell tolled when she exited.
Ding-Dong.
Silence returned to the shop.
"Auditors," Chris whispered.
"Why does everything in this world want to kill us or sue us?"
"Because we have money," Alice said, emerging from the shadows of the ceiling rafters.
She landed silently on the counter.
"Money attracts parasites. And Auditors are the worst of their kind. They don't even have the decency to be undead."
"Why do we need to register?" Chris asked, slamming his fist into his palm.
"We're in the Hover! Can't we just... ignore them?"
"If we ignore them," Julien sighed, pulling up the Association regulations on his phone.
"They will blacklist us. No more sales to Guilds. No access to the inner market. And they put a bounty on our heads for 'Illegal Trafficking'."
"So we have to join the system to rip off the system?" Chris asked.
"Exactly," Julien grinned.
"Welcome to capitalism."
He hopped off the stool.
"Besides," Julien added
"Going to the Association isn't all bad. It's basically a hub where the freelancers hang out. Remember our other problem?"
"The lack of snacks?" Chris guessed.
'When did that become our problem?'
"The lack of an accountant," Julien corrected.
"If we're going to find a crooked math wizard, the Association Hall is the place to look. It's filled with failed hunters, desperate clerks, and people looking for a quick payout."
"So," Alice tilted her head.
"We go to the belly of the beast?"
"We go," Julien nodded.
"Chris, put on a shirt that covers your nipples. Alice... try to look less like a cursed being. Maybe wear a hat?"
"I have a bonnet," Alice offered.
"Perfect."
"What should we do with him?"
All their heads turned at once to look at the knocked-out hunter.
"Throw him out. And make sure to take all his money. We have used up an E-Rank dagger on him."
'Hunters Association, huh? I wonder if she'll be there.'