Latest update:Nov 3, 2022.
Summary: Before he even had the opportunity to become an adventurer and pick up girls, Bell was killed while on his journey to Orario. Instead of going into the afterlife, Bell was summoned to the hunters dream to become a hunter and hunt beasts. After completing his eternal hunt, Bell returns to Genkai and travels to Orario a changed man. Slight AU and eventual romance.
Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/14054259/1/Moon-Haired-Hunter
Word count:67k
Chapters:13
Chapter 1:
How… How could this have happened!?
All he wanted to do was go to Orario, become an adventurer that would make his dear dead grandpa proud, and have a cute girl fall in love with him!
For the past two weeks, Bell has been traveling from the countryside to Orario to become an adventurer. The entire trip was smooth sailing and he was just a couple of hours away from Orario.
And then it all came crashing down.
Bell was in a forest and before he could even react a pack of wolves swarmed him. He tried to run but a retreating human was no match against the speed of hungry wolves hellbent on tearing him apart.
"Help! Someone help me! Anybody! Please!"
Bell screamed frantically for anyone to help, but the only answer he received was the growls from the hungry wolves.
'I… I'm going to die.'
This realization made Bell tear up and a sense of dread flowed through him.
Before Bell could even close his eyes and hide from his inevitable death, he felt a sharp pain in his neck as a wolf closed the distance between him and Bell and ripped his throat out.
The tale of the boy who wanted to pick up girls in a dungeon and get a harem ended before he even got to Orario.
Or… that's what should have happened.
Ah… You've found yourself a hunter.
Life returned to Bell as he slowly opened his eyes. "W-Where am I?" Bell, in a daze, asked as he slowly scanned his surroundings with groggy eyes. The first thing he noticed was the abundance of flowers that matched the color of his hair and a massive tree.
"How did I get here?" Bell asked because his memory was clouded with uncertainty. However, his question was soon answered as a vivid memory flashed before his eyes. The memory of him dying as a result of being hunted by a pack of wolves.
"So… I really did die…" Bell weeped and cried his heart out as the reality of the situation crashed into him. All he wanted to do was become a hero and get a harem full of girls, and his opportunity was snuffed out before he even had the chance to act upon those dreams.
After a period of time, Bell exhausted all of his tears and rose to his feet. He walked through the field of flowers and noticed an open gate. He walked through the gate and the first thing he noticed were the gravestones that were divided into two sections, each diverging up two pathways that led to a small building that was perched up on a hill. And there was a… human sized doll that was laying at the base of the hill.
Bell then walked up the man-made pathway until he was in front of the door of the building that lay on top of the hill. When he opened the door, he was greeted with what appears to be a workshop. Books were scattered across the floor. Desks and tables were next to the walls with various tools laid across them. Across the room was what appears to be an altar. Bell then noticed what appeared to be an old man sitting in a wheelchair.
"Ah… you must be the new hunter." The old man said with a soft voice. "A bit young to be a hunter, but that's okay. Welcome to the hunter's dream. This will be your home, for now."
"H-Hello," Bell stuttered out nervously. The old man gave Bell a small but welcoming smile.
"I am Gehrman, friend to you hunters. What is your name?"
"Bell… my name is Bell Cranel."
"Well, Bell. What do you remember before you arrived here?"
"I died… running away from a pack of wolves." The boy's hands tightened in frustration and sadness. "I was powerless to defend myself and because of that, my life is over. I…"
"Don't give into despair, young hunter." Gehrman said in reassurance.
"How can I not?!"
"Because you are here now, and I have a potential solution to your problem."
Bell looked at Gehrman in confusion and shock.
"W-What do you mean?"
"Back when you…died, you somehow signed a contract that anchored you to this dream. Many hunters have gone through this horrible dream in exchange for something they desired. I believe you too will gain what you seek by fulfilling your end."
Bell couldn't recall the moment he signed a contract, but he didn't care. He was desperate for any sliver of hope so if this contract was his key towards having a second chance, he wasn't going to question it.
"How do I do that?"
"To escape this dreadful Hunter's Dream, halt the source of the spreading scourge of beasts, lest the night carry on forever." The old man then turned his wheelchair and made his way toward the door. "Come, the night is young and there is so much for you to learn."
And so, Bell partook in the hunt. A hunt that nothing could have prepared him for. A hunt that would break down Bell and mold him into a new person.
Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/14054259/1/Moon-Haired-Hunter