"H-h-hellhound?!"
Receptionist Lyn stuttered when Tim let her peek a little at the contents of the sack. Her voice reverberated causing a wave of murmurs from the people around.
"Did you hear that?"
"She said hellhound?"
"Yeah, that's what I heard too."
"I don't know man."
Some looked stunned while some were skeptical to believe it.
Suddenly, Receptionist Lyn rang the intercom and said, "Support staff, I need help here, please…!" A few seconds later, two people came out from the back door and walked toward the counter. They wore the same attire: blue caps, blue masks, a pair of blue gloves, a pair of blue boots, blue aprons over their black T-shirts, and jeans.
The two immediately proceeded in front of the sack and they worked together to take out its content. Everyone balled their eyes when they saw what it was.
"Miss Lyn, it's truly a D-rank Hellhound!" Said one of the staff.
Another wave of disbelief comments could be heard around.
"You heard that…?"
"No way! Did he kill it?"
"Impossible for a newbie hunter to kill that. Isn't Hellhound a C-rank?"
"No, that one is just a D-rank only. Look, it only has two eyes."
"Oh, you're right. But still, D-rank is two ranks above his rank, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Maybe he's already an elite?"
"That sounds stupid."
"Huh?! Are you telling me I'm stupid?"
"Listen carefully. If he's an elite, the association would have known about it right away through blood and the appraisal camera."
"Blood and appraisal camera?"
"That's the method they used to figure out our experience level. You don't even know about it?"
"No, I didn't hear that."
"Moreover, the association had never made a mistake in their assessment even once since the day it was founded. That's why it's stupid to think that he was given the wrong rank evaluation."
"So it means he managed to kill it despite being two ranks lower than it?"
"Well… probably."
"EHHHH!!!"
Disregarding the noisy murmurs from the hunters around, Receptionist Lyn looked at him and noticed something. "By the way, Hunter Tim, are you okay?"
Tim frowned when he noticed she was looking all over his body. It made him feel self-conscious, especially because of his smell. "Yes, why?"
"You're covered with blood though."
"Uh, this is the monster's blood."
"What about little injuries or wounds?"
"No, nothing like that."
"Really?!"
"Yes."
She stared at him and noticed he was serious. 'How is that possible?!' Receptionist Lyn exclaimed internally.
"A-Alright. So, how did you kill it? Did you find an injured hellhound and deal a final blow on it?"
Tim smiled wryly. "Uhm. Let's just assume that's what happened." It didn't matter to him anyway what she believed.
She let out a sigh. "Eh… seriously... Anyway, it's up to you to decide how you wish to sell it."
Tim tilted his head. "I don't get it. What do you mean?"
"There's two ways of selling it. First is by selling them part by part and the other is selling it whole."
"Hmm. Is there any difference with it?"
"Well, if you sell it part by part, you can choose to keep the parts you wish to keep and sell the parts you want to sell. But the price isn't fixed in this one. We'll have to examine the quality of the Mana Stone inside it. For example, if the Mana Stone is of lower quality, the price will drop and if the quality is higher, the price will go higher. Not only the Mana Stone but also the other parts will be evaluated and will be priced according to their quality. On the contrary, selling it whole you'll get a fixed price depending on their rank and type. For this one, since it's a D-rank Hellhound, this will cost 2500 AFD."
'2500 AFD? Really? Wow!' Tim thought for a brief moment. It was equivalent to his entire salary in a month at his part-time job.
Anyway, selling it part by part could earn more but it could also go the other way around. But selling it part by part was more of a hassle. So far, he had 1000 AFD left in his wallet after traveling from Platinum City to this place and paying the cost for joining the association. Of course, it wasn't free to join the Hunter's Association.
"I think I'll go for the second option for now," he said.
"Alright. How do you wish to receive the payment?"
"Cash."
"Okay. Here. Thanks for the hard work!"
She handed him the exact amount of 2500 AFD, two 1 thousand AFD notes, and one 500 AFD note. The other hunters around looked very envious when Tim received his payment.
"Thanks." He turned around and was about to leave when… "Are you leaving?" Receptionist Lyn suddenly asked him. He looked at her again and when he noticed she was looking at him, he nodded. "Yes, why?"
"I'll advise you to wash yourself first before you leave. There's a shower at the back, you can use it."
When she mentioned it, he recalled he smelled like shit. Mud and blood were still clinging to his body. He noticed the other people around were covering their noses. He felt sorry for them.
"Uh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me. I'll do that, but how much will it cost?"
"No, no. It's free for all members."
"Really? Then, I'll go right away."
Tim then went to wash himself.
A minute after he left, Hunter Eile and the three newbies in her party also arrived. They were carrying two sacks. They looked very exhausted though, especially the newbies.
"Hunter Eile!" Receptionist Lyn shouted.
"What happened here?" Eile asked as she glanced around. Right when they stepped inside, she immediately noticed the unusual atmosphere. Everyone was discussing something. Her ears caught the words D-rank Hellhound spoke by them. Unlike before, whenever she entered the reception area, she would gather everyone's attention. Although she didn't like it, she couldn't do anything about it. However, it was different this time. She became curious and that's why she asked Receptionist Lyn.
"Well, well… I'll bet you'll not believe it as well. In truth….." Receptionist Lyn then told her what happened.
"Really? That newbie did that?"
"Yes."
Eile squinted her eyes. "Unbelievable…" she muttered. Then, 'Maybe there's still a chance,' she thought.
"But I think he was just lucky," said Receptionist Lyn.
"Hm… maybe…" she squinted her eyes. "Uh, by the way, just send the payment to my account. And please ask someone to treat their injuries for me," Eile pointed to the three newbies.
Before nodding, Receptionist Lyn looked at the three newbies. They were all littered with bruises and small wounds. They even looked very exhausted. Actually, it was the most common outcome whenever newbie hunters went on their first mission. 'So Hunter Tim was the only exception, huh? That guy is very lucky,' she thought.
She returned her gaze to Eile and asked, "Are you going home already?"
"No. I need to visit the elixir shop. Why?"
"We received a call from your sister."
"Ah, I see. Alright, I'll go right away."
Inside the Male's shower room, Tim was naked all over. He was meticulously washing his body, making sure all the dirt and bad smell was washed away.
He also washed his dirty clothes and put them inside a plastic bag then placed them inside his bag. After wearing a new pair of clothes, Tim left the shower room, feeling very refreshed.
Before going out, he looked in the mirror and noted he was quite handsome actually. He just needed more nutrients.
"How's the shower?" He smiled at Receptionist Lyn who greeted him with such a question. "It's nice. Thanks again," he left after saying that.
After searching for a rental house around the city for almost three hours, he finally found a cheaper apartment. The rent was only 700 AFD per month. The location was in the southeastern part of the city. And if he walked from the Hunter Association, it would only take 30 minutes.
The only downside was that it was old. But as long as there was water, electricity, and a comfortable room to sleep, all was fine.
The next day, Tim went to the Desolate Area again. For some reason, he still wasn't allowed to take a mission unless he found a party. He needed to become strong as soon as possible, so whether with a mission or not, he decided to hunt again. It was his first priority in order to save his beloved princess.