"A bet? Sounds fun! But what kind of bet…"
Gray asked, the Hunter quickly explaining what he meant. That day, Gray had run around the Academy asking riddles. He wanted to give it a try, too!
"How about it? As long as you can get a question that stumps all of us, we'll let you stay. Ah, but here's one more thing. It has to be about the Hunting Grounds, alright?"
A challenge? That was perfect for him!
"Let's do this then!"
The hunters grinned: he had fallen into their trap! Their hunter group, the Black Mambas, were renowned wide in the Academy, and they knew this forest like their pocket!
Yet, Gray unhesitatingly began….
"Every day, an old fisherman leaves his house at 4 a.m. and returns at 10 p.m. What's he doing? He fishes in that very pond, even after nice hunters warn him about its dangers!"
"What?! An Old Fisherman? Shouldn't it be a Hunter?"
"Who knows, but a hunter would definitely know better!"
"Wait, you said every day, right? Surely the Ursa comes back, right?
"Precisely! The Rampaging Ursa returns, sees the old man, and… rampages! But before the hunters can even act, the old man snorts… frightening it dead! Then, he keeps fishing."
"He kills it with merely a snort?!
"There's no way this guy's just a fisherman!"
"Wait, why would such a big shot be fishing in a pond?!
"That's what the hunters all wonder! They observe his every move, trying to guess his secret. But he's really just fishing in a pond, one devoid of fish to boot!"
"A year passes, the old man still fishing from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m., the hunters confused. Finally, a young hunter can't take it and directly asks the old man why he's there. He replies that…"
Only then did they finally wake up from their trance. Wait, that was it? Where was the rest?! Was there enough information to solve the problem? They started guessing:
"He's looking for treasure!"
"He's waiting for a legendary Beast!"
"He's totally training his mental fortitude!"
"Teacher Gale did say this pool, right? SPLASH!"
They were so spirited that they kept giving answer after answer. Yet Gray would shake his head at every single one until they were finally out of ideas.
"Teacher, please enlighten us. What is it?!"
"Are you sure? It's really easy…"
Gray gave them one last chance, but they merely rolled their eyes. Easy? Easy your ass! The 19 of them hadn't even managed to solve it. Gray smiled. It really was simple…
"He has a nagging wife."
"…"
"…"
"…"
A nagging wife? All this build-up for this?! Heck, the story could have been, "A man goes out every day from 4 am to 10 pm, why?" They suddenly felt utterly scammed!
But before they could even protest, Gray's voice resounded.
"Always consider who your target is, no matter how powerful. Not every decision is logical or complex. As hunters, you should always remember that."
"Damn! Teacher Gale, you sound just like Teacher Chase!"
"He must be handsome, too."
Gray seriously nodded, the Hunters half-smiling, half-sighing. Still, he had won the bet, so they quickly directed him to the best spot to spectate the battle, a large isolated boulder.
Heck, he even witnessed their pre-hunt speech:
"You all remember about the Rampaging Ursa, right?"
"Thick fur, goes crazy at the sign of ANY life, can use Earth Magic, and shows great cunning. Above all, don't underestimate it, and play dead if needed. Did I get it right, captain?"
"Exactly! Now, spread out, men! Let's prepare that Beast a VERY warm welcome!"
That's when they all spread everywhere, seemingly disappearing into the decor. Really, were those guys Hunters or ninjas?! Probably some hybrid mix on steroids!
He was seemingly left alone with Sera.
"Teacher, that story from earlier…"
"It was pretty good, right?
"I won't ever nag you!"
T-Thanks? What was he even supposed to reply to that?! But before he could react, she spoke once again. "Teacher, it's here…"
Gray followed her gaze at the horizon and didn't see shit. Was his disciple's senses more developed than his, or had she used a detection spell? Even then, he could see her longing…
"Feel free to join the fight if you want. I'll be fine. One rule: don't die!"
"Yes, Teacher! I'll make you proud!" She bowed one last time as she departed, skipping happily. This was the perfect opportunity to showcase her power! She went to hide…
Gray was left alone for real this time. As for this spectating boulder of his? He had an even better idea! With a wave, he sent his spirit into the Library Realm!
"Don't even ask me if I want to spectate. YES!"
As thousands of screens appeared all around him, he started strolling with his hands behind his back. Seems he still had a bit of time. Now, where would it be?
Ah, there! Behind the Locked Library, there was now a new area. Soul Pen? It was actually a cemetery, one full of souls flying all around.
[Welcome to the Soul Pen!]
[Feel Free to Deposit and Spend Souls!]
So this was pretty much a Soul Bank? There were dozens of souls and a giant glowing number just floating in the middle.
[42]
"How neat! Unlock the Library!"
[Insufficient funds. Please Collect 10 000 Souls!]
That many?! Was he supposed to commit a bloody genocide?! Sighing, Gray went to sit on one of the nearby tombstones, feeling nostalgic. This was just like the old days…
But suddenly, there was a change!
On one of the screens, a creature had just appeared, one so massive that it looked like a tree with paws. Rampaging Ursa, was it? No, he wouldn't have called it that!
This thing was to a bear, what a dragon was to a gecko!
Fur so thick it could probably take an asteroid head on and barely wince.
Maw so wide, it could have easily fit a few humans in it all at fucking once!
Paws and claws so large that they'd be able to cleave a couple of tractors in half simultaneously! But that wasn't what attracted his attention. No, it was the eyes.
Large? Red? Glowing? He didn't care one bit about that. No, at this moment, he stared at the creature's eyes for another reason. It merely lasted a second, but he saw it:
Alarm → Cunning → Fake Serenity
It knew. It fucking knew! The damn creature was just baiting the hunters! As soon as they made their move, it would counterattack! He HAD to warn Sera, but how?! It was too late...
— WOOSH! WOOSH! —
The entire Hunter group dashed as one!
Coordination? Perfect! Timing? Not so much….
They surrounded the beast, raining attacks on it. Wind Blade, Fire Whip, Bone Arrow, Ice Spike, they did it all! Alas, it was MORE than ready for them, and it was about to counter!
He couldn't let her die…
She, too, followed the Hunters, but just as she was about to go all-in with a black lightning ray, it happened:
[You've been convoked by Teacher Gale!]
[You've been convoked by Teacher Gale!]
[You've been convoked by Teacher Gale!]
[You've been convoked by Teacher Gale!]
[You've been convoked by Teacher Gale!]
Seeing this, she froze. T-Teacher?! He needed help?!
"I'm coming, teacher!" She didn't just hesitate. She full-blown stopped! Luckily for her, that changed EVERYTHING!
"ROAARRRR!" The creature spun around so fast, roaring as it cleaved at the entire group. Taken by surprise? It wasn't. This was the perfect angle to cause maximum damage!
Earth Magic exploded from its claws, Earth Spikes flying toward the Hunters and impaling them! Their blood gushed all over, tainting the pure pond a deep red: GAME OVER!
No, actually, almost game over. Out of the initial 19, seven had managed to evade the attack. They were the ones closest to Sera and had unconsciously slowed down because of her!
Had Teacher Gale just saved all of their lives?! They found themselves shivering endlessly. Now, there just remained one thing to see.
Who was hunting who again? Oh god, this was bad...