บท 18: The Hunters
Dawn, the orange sun just below the horizon painting a beautiful picture as it shared its gentle warmth among the lands.
While most would enjoy this moment of peace, there was one group of figures who were in a crazy rush to get ready.
"Rentaro! Roy! Rentaro~! Come on, you two! Wake up, we need to get ready for our expedition into the second forest zone! Hoy! If you two continue to ignore me and don't get up, I'll use force!" A voice filled with agitation and ruefulness repeatedly called out.
"Hah. Alright, fine! We're getting up, Icrin, hold on for a bit." Rentaro yawned, his eyes still knit tightly shut.
In his previous life, Rentaro was always busy waking up early and rushing off to work to make money for his next week of living expenses, living a life of loneliness and boredom—his only drive was to survive.
Now, he was living in a lively village and had a few companions of his own. These thoughts drifted through his mind, as he went to pull his blanket back over his head and rest a bit longer amidst his imagination.
"You two don't understand! The last thing we want to do is be late and make the hunters angry! They'll give us a whooping that is ten times worse than if I used all my strength against you two!"
"You-You're kidding, right? Ever since I was summoned, it seems everyone wants to either use me to train or give me a beating!" Fueled with anxiety, Roy's eyes shot open as he leapt from his bed with vibrant energy.
He raced towards Rentaro's bed, pulling the sheets off which Rentaro lay in. Alongside the sheets, Rentaro was pulled directly off the bed onto the wooden floor.
Thud
Rentaro bellowed, "Ahh! What the heck! Calm down, Roy! Earlier you were too narcissistic, but now you're too cowardly!"
[Ahem. I agree. Roy, you need to learn to control your emotions better. Then again, you're technically not even a week old yet, so your unstable and ever-changing mentality is understandable.]
"You two, hurry and clean the mess you're making! Don't forget, this is my room, so don't wreck it! We need a bag to pack some extra clothing and supplies, then we'll eat a quick meal! Let's go!"
Snapping back to their senses, the two followed after Icrin. Rentaro had the system storage, but didn't have an adequate explanation to use it in front of others for the moment, so he followed the method of carrying an old, tan rucksack-like backpack in the meantime.
He stealthily packed the blue summoning robe into the system storage as to avoid tearing it out in the forest, equipping the pair of worn red clothes that Elder Astrona had given him. Naturally, Roy didn't need to pack a bag, so he merely followed after the two in boredom.
"Ohoho, Aren't you three rather lively this early? Icrin, come down here awhile. I made breakfast for you three and have arranged for the hunters to take you to our village's "armory" later for equipment." Elder Astrona's voice rang from outside the room.
"Alright, Gramps! Let's go, you two." Icrin rushed out of the room towards the dining table in gusto, Rentaro and Roy merely a few steps behind, but it wasn't clear whether the anticipation was for Astrona's cooking or the armory.
At the dinner table, the four ate quietly, but with enlivened expressions. While Icrin was initially in a rush, pushing Rentaro and Roy to quickly prepare, he ate his food slowly to savor Astrona's cooking. Well, that was just one reason, as Elder Astrona gave Icrin a glance that spoke much more than a few words, telling him to eat slowly.
Perhaps, Icrin had forgotten his feelings of worry about the hunters giving them a beating for being late, maybe he exaggerated what they'd do, or maybe neither of those outcomes could compare to his natural storge, but also slight fear, of his elder. Either way, Rentaro and co didn't mind the slow pace.
"I woke up a bit earlier than you three and prepared some bags for you. Firstly, I've got some extra clothing for you, Rentaro, two sets. The clothes I picked out are the same size of what you're wearing now, so there's no need to try it on." Elder Astrona's eyes shone with excitement, his manner of talking like that of a salesperson.
"Gramps, we'll only be in the second forest zone from the morning until later tonight...."
"Huh? Oh yeah, hehe, I can't help but forget the small details at times. Well, Rentaro still needs the clothing for the future, so it's fine. Aside from that, I've also packed two bags with food and water, though you might not need it... you should take it just in case though...." Elder Astrona smiled in embarrassment.
In response to his doting worry and red face from embarrassment, the three let out smiles and muffled laughs. The atmosphere was cheerful, and Astrona's eyes carried a hint of nostalgia and reminiscence. 'Hah, I remember being like them back in the day, so carefree. I hope they can retain feelings of sincerity and hope in this world. I hope... they stay strong and pull through any problems they may face together.'
"All right, you three. The sun is starting to rise, wait any longer and the hunters I asked to bring you along will be upset. Icrin, you should recognize the leader, Haz."
"Huh? Haz?! Why'd it have to be him, he's too strict! He'll watch our every step and not to mention myself, Rentaro and Roy will definitely suffer a few beatings from him for any mistakes they make!"
"And that's why I asked Haz to lead you three. With his "strictness", he'll definitely give you proper guidance with hunting. End of discussion! Grab your bags and get going, I'll take care of all the plates when you leave." With a quick pat on Icrin's head, Astrona retreated to his room with a smile that seemed even more mischievous than Icrin's.
A nagging feeling tugged at Rentaro and Roy's minds as they watched the "performance" between Icrin and Astrona, along with the elder's mischievous personality. The same thought surfaced in their minds, including Wilhelm's, 'That's where Icrin gets that personality from, huh?'
"Hey, this "Haz" guy… he's surely not that harsh, right?" Rentaro asked in doubt.
Icrin's eyes darted, his voice shaky as if he were describing the most despicable being, "He's not just some guy! You'll see for yourself, Rentaro. Let's get going."
Exiting the house, the three of them followed the stone path, passing several other houses on their way. They stopped near the training field, where a group of five men stood, all of which seemed to be in their mid-twenties. Two of the men were tall and burly, one rather skinny, whereas the other two appeared to be simply average in stature.
"Icrin, there you are. Had you been a minute later, I'd have to teach you some mannerism!" The voice carried a cocky tone.
To Rentaro's surprise, the one who had spoken up wasn't either of the men bulging with muscles, but the skinny man. He wore a pair of glasses which he was pushing up with one hand, a clichéd motion.
His hair was of a light-blue tint, reaching far down to his back, while the front of his hair was combed towards the left, partially overlapping his left eye. Like the others, his left eye was of the Krose Clan's traditional ice-blue, though his right eye was a faded, ever so slightly grey, but not quite to Icrin's extent.
Haz wore a light set of clothing that focused on protecting his vitals, while ignoring all other areas. Along his waist, there were two slots holding what seemed to be daggers. Based on his equipment, he seemed to focus on speed and short-bursts of power, rather than focusing on power or defense. Furthermore, with the Krose Clan's bloodline, Haz had a deadly combo that would make for a good assassin.
Different from him, the two large men behind him wore a set of armor that protected most of their body, heavier than Haz's to a degree, but still moderately light. Though their armor might place a stronger burden on their bodies, their bodies were strengthened beyond the average expectations and they could withstand more damage than Haz's. Of the remaining two, one wore a lighter armor that seemed on par with Haz's own in terms of weight, whereas the other one wore solid, cloth armor.
Icrin grumbled, "You might be stronger than me for now, but just wait! I'll give you a beating one of these days!"
"Oh, acting tough now, are we? If you really want to use me to look strong in front of your friends, then I'll reciprocate and use you to assert my own dominance. What do you say to that?" Haz displayed a sarcastic smile, though it didn't contain the slightest trace of hostility.
Watching in the background, the four let out hearty laughter. They seemed used to the squabbling between Icrin and Haz, as if it happened so often that it was only part of the natural order.
"Yo-You! Fine! How contemptible you are?! You win this one, Haz!" Icrin puffed his red cheeks, even Roy and Rentaro barely managed to stifle their laughter in response to the two, with Rentaro softly biting the inside of his cheek as to distract himself and avoid causing Icrin to go into an outburst.
"And all the other times the situation will end the same, I suppose? Haha." With a smirk, he turned his head away from Icrin, paying particularly extra interest towards Roy, "You two must be Rentaro and Roy, huh? I'm not sure what Icrin has said about me, so I hope you wait before making your own judgement. For now, let's just take on a senior-junior brother relationship, that's the easiest way to refer to one another."
"Alright, Senior Brother Haz." Rentaro gave a simple response with Roy maintaining his silence and nodding, whereas Icrin fumed in response to their interaction going so smoothly.
"Haha, That makes things a lot easier. I can only get Icrin to call me senior brother after giving him a beating, even then he'll refuse most of the time. Back to the matter at hand, we'll be entering the second forest zone. Generally, there's no beasts that could endanger us in the second forest zone. Most of them will have only attained cultivations at the first or second stages of foundation establishment."
"Naturally, the five of us could hunt such beasts easily. Now, let me introduce my four pals. Ichi!"
Looking towards the other four, Rentaro noticed that three of them had hair that was a darker blue—close to black, color. Furthermore, their eyes were also a darker-tinted blue, rather than the ice-blue.
[Their bloodlines are more diluted, thus the features of their bloodline aren't as apparent as the others.]
Of the four, one burly man moved forward slightly. His hair was short and skin tanned, there wasn't much that stood out appearance-wise aside from a scar which went the entire way down his arm, possibly originating from below his upper-armor. On his back was a large blade.
"The name's Ichi, we'll be working together. I fight using a broad sword and can take a few good hits, so don't worry about being harmed with me there." His deep voice resounded with a charismatic attribute.
Rentaro and Roy responded with a slight smile, appreciating Ichi's goodwill.
"Alright, we still have more introductions, so let's keep it short! Shin, don't waste time showing off."
"Heh, you know me too well, Haz. And you know it's already too late to prevent me from showing off." The two shared smiles.
Shin's burly body seemed to grow even stronger as he took a step forward, his veins pulsing out along his arms. His hair was tied back and he took on a close combat stance. His hands were wrapped in what appeared to be bandages. There were scars accompanying his face, but he didn't bother hiding them, displaying them as if they were trophies of war instead.
"Hoy! You two can just call me Shin, don't worry about titles. My ability to use mental energy isn't very strong, so I pursue the strength of my body. Don't be fooled though, any beasts that fight in close combat will only suffer in front of me, though they usually retreat once they see me as I've painted quite the name for myself in the forest. A while back, I single-handedly dealt with a Red-Striped Leopard that was at the third stage of Foundation Establishment, he was the main reason for all these scars."
Rentaro and co had yet to fight any beasts, so they listened in awe of the man's story. They also felt nerve-racking emotions bubbling up within their hearts such as nervousness, worry, and even anticipation.
"Hehe, I see you guys are filled with mixed emotions after seeing all Shin's scars just now. As long as you're not all brawn and no brains like Shin is, you'll be alright. Just remember, when we hunt, we put our lives on the line. We're not playing a game, so make sure you order out all your emotions. Next, Phu!"
Among the two men who remained, a man with a long-sword walked forward. His hair was cut in a manner of a samurai cut, with his long hair being tied into a knot. His armor was lighter than Shin and Ichi's as it was composed of a lighter material, though it covered his entire body except his head.
"My name's Phu. I don't mean to brag, but my sword skill is rather composed, Junior Brother Rentaro. If you'd like to train in the way of the sword in the future, I'll gladly give you some pointers. However, everyone has a different sword style unique to them, so I can only teach you the basics and give simple guidance."
Rentaro smiled, "Thanks, I might have to take you up on that offer some time."
"Lastly, Tsyun."
"Let's work well together, Junior Brothers." A mellow voice followed.
Tsyun spoke the least of the five, yet the other four didn't find it strange though, so Rentaro accepted that he had a quiet personality. He had long grayish-blue hair, the strands of which overlapped and obscured his face, making it impossible to distinguish his facial features.
He held a bow in his hands with a dark-colored quiver on his back. His equipment was the lightest of the five. Based off of the equipment he wielded, his skill as an archer was rather self-explanatory.
At the same time, Rentaro found him to be the most mysterious of the five, as he was armed with a bow even though his eyes were covered by his hair. Rentaro mused the idea of how he could shoot a bow with such a feature, though there were far too many oddities in life for him to think it out of the realm of possibilities.
"Alright, that's all the introductions. We've already been instructed on your abilities, so we don't need you to go over your own skills. I'm rather interested in seeing your skills as a summoner up close, Rentaro—especially your growth in the future. For now, we'll head to the armory to get you some gear and then we'll take you on a short expedition for training."
With that, the group of eight people headed in the direction of an old, yet fortified, building. The group talked among themselves casually, acting without reservation despite the addition of three people in their group.
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