Fernando Guimarães was nothing compared to his older brother. When the towers and gates started to appear in the world, humanity started to develop powers beyond itself, which is why nowadays, Hunters exist.
His brother awoke as a Hunter at 18. He immediately became popular because he was a Rank-A! No one internationally even cared for him, but the local fame grew to his head. He took advantage of his popularity to fuck around with as many women as he possibly could, even one of Fernando's friends and childhood crushes, which his brother was aware of.
So, from that day, he has gotten a single objective: Punch his brother in the face.
That became his life goal - but sadly, life isn't fair. He awoke as an E-Rank Hunter years ago and hasn't managed to even improve a little bit. How? There isn't a known way to increase the amount of mana a body can take. Your body only takes on mana when you awake, so whatever rank you get is the one you'll most likely stick with till the end of your life! Even though he trained daily for the last past 3 long years, is that his technique with the sword is now more refined than ever. And here he was, once again working as a slave to the higher ranking hunters (They were just Rank C, yet they acted like Rank A) while listening in to their conversation:
"Did you hear the news?" One of the guys turned to look at his group of 5, three men and two women. "You guys saw it, right?"
"Of course I did. Everyone has seen it!" One of the girls impatiently rolled her eyes, her lantern in her hand shaked as she gestured wildly: "The guy was naked! Everyone saw his thing, and... Damn, the internet has already made a whole fanclub to his dick alone!"
"That's flattering to hear." Fernando immediately flinched, taking a jump back and brandishing his sword just as the man of the hour was there, mere 3 feet away from him! "Oh, scaredy cat, aren't you?" The large confident smirk, the scars, and the menacing red sunglasses gave him a threatening vibe. He was also holding this... contract? "Fernando Guimarães... Twenty-one years old, 172 centimeters tall, born in 18 of August, Lion... Huh, so you are a cat." The little grin on those blood red lips was more provoking this time as he came back to his senses. Why was this big and famous guy listing his private information? Or, more importantly, what does he want? "Read." The guy just gave him the contract and stood in the side, watching his reaction.
'Okay...'
[Guild Joining Contract
The individual Konstel Keim wants the individual Fernando Guimarães to join his guild.
Rules:
> Duration of Contract is 1 Year, upon which it'll be completely and automatically erased.
> The effects of this contract are as follows:
The Guild Leader will be the final voice in any matter.
Training is mandatory, at least 2 hours a day.
Taking care of oneself is important. No working on lazy day unless emergencies appear.
The Guild Leader will test your strengths and weaknesses personally and help you improve.
The guild leader will give reasonable assistance to any member of the guild, depending on their problems.
More to be added and can be discussed, which will automatically be an active part of the contract upon agreement of both parties.
Cancelation of contract may happen upon breaking of a condition by any of the parties or agreement between both parties.
There are no consequences for breaking the contract
Sign Full Name Here:__________________ ]
'...what.' What is happening right now? He looked back and forth between the paper and the big guy until it slowly downed him: This guy wanted him on his guild, for some reason. "Uh, why?" Suspicious entered his heart and took root, but the menacing new S-Rank just grinned wider as he said: "Sign the contract, and you'll know why." Fernando was curious about why the conditions weren't that bad, especially the one where he can break the contract without any consequences, so why not? "You have a pen?" He asked, but Keim just gave him a... dagger? "Use your blood, little boy, use your blood."
Is he serious? Looking into his eyes behind those sunglasses, it seems like he was dead serious right now.
"Ugh, fine!" Quickly, Fernando slashed his own hand and let the blood form a small pool on his open palm. Soon, he dipped his index finger of his other hand and wrote his name in cursive. Once he finished writing it, the contract burst into flames while Keim's own eyes glowed a pale red color behind his ruby sunglasses. "Good." His grin was toothy and Fernando swears he just signed a contract with the devil...
Because he did.
[
-Scene Cut-
"Again."
"Ahm- I-i can't. You're being too rough on me."
"Again."
"Fuck, can't I get a break?"
"If you can't hold having me pound your ass for more than 2 minutes, how do you expect me to go easy on you?"
Fernando, panting and bleeding, got up from the ground, his arms and legs shaky as he struggled to fight. "2 minutes? We've been here for half an hour!" Fernando was clearly done with this shit! As an E-Rank, his body wasn't as strong or resistant as other higher ranks, but he had the determination to keep going! So when his guild master told him to get up and fight each time he was knocked down, he would do it because he has basically been doing this his whole life! "Heh, you know what they say - time flies by when you're having fun, right?" Fernando shivered at the vicious and maniacal grin Keim gave him as his hand glowed a pale green color, healing his injuries and some of his physical fatigue.
They have been doing this for a week now. Every single day, they would fight until Fernando would pass out, then he'd heal him and push him further and further until his body gave in again.
"I think you're ready for a real experience."
Yeah, he didn't like that because Keim dragged him into a C-Rank gate and shoved him inside, following him and saying: "I'll only help you if you are going to die a gruesome death, injury and other shit is all on your hands, pup." Ah, he also took the habit of calling him pup or something similar, mostly in a teasing tone, which made him feel like a teen again being bullied by his brother, brother who has abandoned him for the riches and fame of the high ranking Hunters. "C'mon, let's get this show on the road." Fernando could only sigh as he followed Keim down the tunnel where the portal left them by. He had his trustworthy sword he always carried with him when going to gates or towers, but recently, he also started learning how to fight better with it from his guild master who was honestly a beast at fighting. He has watched him absolutely wreck a training machine from the Hunter's International Organization made specifically for S-Ranks, who are either warriors or tanks.
With his bare hands.
"Oh look, a Goblin." Fernando came back to himself when he heard his boss' voice. As he looked at the direction the man pointed, he saw the familiar and very ugly green humanoid beast known as a Goblin. Standing between the entrance of another tunnel going to the right, behind a thin stalagmite that did nothing to conceal its hideous form. It was the size of a pre-teen child, between 11 and 12 years old, but this pre-teen was green, ugly, and eats human flesh.
So basically, every pre-teen.
While Konstel was distracted by his own random thoughts, Fernando had already started - he could deal with a Goblin, he has dealt with them, he knows they're rather quick and strong for their sizes, but most importantly, they are cunning and malicious. 'But why...' As he simply stepped to the side from the sudden reaction the Goblin had, lashing out with its dagger made out of pig iron or another crude but sharp rocks or metal, he felt deeply surprised. 'It's slow...' Indeed, he had problems dealing with Goblins when he just started. He had analyzed their attack patterns and mentality to the point where he could predict their actions, this also applied to other weak monsters such as Hounds, Thorns, and Slimes, all that are E-Rank.
With a single swing of his blade, the head of the Goblin was separated from its neck.
"Well done, a simple cut, clean too." He came to himself once again as he looked down at his blade, completely devoid of the sickening purple blood that Goblins have.
"I..." He couldn't fully believe it yet. How could he become so strong so quickly?
"Cool, right?" A large, really large (Was it always this big?) hand settled on his shoulder Looking back at his boss, Fernando saw how he had the widest grin ever - a Chesire Cat mixed with Eldritch Abomination level - and a smugness to his face: "You're wondering how you got so strong, right?" Seeing that he was right by the look of confusion in Fernando's eyes, Keim said: "Every animal in the world has an instinctual knowledge of what they can do and how to do it, humans are the same but with different things... I just unblocked your 'Oh shit oh fuck what the fuck am I doing' mentality and made it focus on the 'If I don't fight, I will die' mentality, which in turn awoke your 'Fight, fight, fight!' instinct and made you better at using your strengths. More focused, more... you."
Was this an actual thing, or was he bullshitting him?
"Ooh~" Keim took of his red sunglasses, showing off his neon red irises that glowed in the middle of that dark, dark cavern: "Is that skepticism I see in your little eyes?" Those eyes... they looked so... Good. "Tell me what you're thinking, little one, tell me all."
"I think you're bullshitting me. I think you're telling the truth... I think you're really hot." A little in a haze, Fernando heard his own voice speak those words out loud, earning him a wide, wide smirk from the devilish, handsome man that looked down on him.
Literally, 'cause - Y'know, he's taller! (And bigger too)
"Oh, thank you, little one, I think you're adorable." Fernando felt his cheeks flush red at the praise as he came back to himself, reminding himself not to look again at those gorgeous eyes of his! He has done this three other times, mostly to make him do certain things his body couldn't. Like, for example, block pain from a broken bone! He'd look right into his eyes as he said, "Look at me, pup - It's okay, you feel no pain right now." and the pain would simply go away as he healed and mended his broken bone. It was terrifying and hot at the same time, seeing how he could lose control of his actions in this man's presence, but he used this power only to tease or help him.
"C'mon, little one, if you clear this gate without me helping you more than three times, I'll give you what i promised... another awakening."
This, this was something he desired deeply. Power, power to stand by himself and not be humiliated and taken advantage of by others. And this man, Konstel Keim, was able to provide him with that power somehow if he is telling the truth.
He better be.