Chapter 17 - Tutorial (Hunter) - 3
Walking for just a few minutes, they traverse the dark forest and stumble upon an abandoned stone fountain. A statue of a half-naked woman carrying a jar catches their attention, with a face resembling a Korean idol rather than a Roman goddess.
Vesper frowns and fixates on the statue's face. Strangely, he perceives a transparent, beating heart within the statue's chest. Moreover, there's a faint silhouette within the marble figure, hinting at a person trapped inside.
Yuu gazes at the statue and cautions Vesper once more. "Remember what I said? Shed your human logic and morals. We're no longer human; we're hunters."
After uttering those words, Yuu strides towards the dry fountain and rolls up his sleeves, revealing his mist hand. A black liquid drips from his fingertip onto the fountain's empty pond.
"AAAAAAAAHHHH!!"
The statue suddenly screams in agony. Red liquid streams from her eyes, pouring into the fountain. Her heart is crushed, and all of her blood rushes to her eyes.
Vesper is shocked by the horrifying sight. He ponders what she could have done to warrant such a cruel fate.
As everyone watches the wailing statue, a purple light emanates from beneath them. The ground morphs into jelly, swallowing them all.
Once again, Yuu advises Vesper, "Stay calm. We're heading to the real lobby now. Let it take you."
Vesper holds his breath and allows the slime-like ground to engulf him. He steals a glance at the statue, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth.
The statue continues to wail in agony, her transparent heart repeatedly imploding and regenerating while new blood flows from her bone marrow. The muffled cries of the woman echo in the area.
"Help…"
Vesper clenches his teeth and trembles, longing to leap out of the slime pool and save the wailing statue.
Vane, who has been standing beside Vesper, glances at him and scoffs.
"I know what's going through your mind. Feeling sorry for her will only bring you agony! That woman committed a great sin when she was a survivor. Upon entering this realm, she betrayed her fellow humans, stealing their runes. In the final trial, she purposely sabotaged the last trial to doom humanity, but her fellow colleagues killed her thrice and sent her here."
'…'
Vesper questions whether such actions warrant eternal torment. After all, "Hunters" like Vane and Yuu are also working towards humanity's downfall, yet they remain unpunished. This double standard irritates Vesper.
Vane sneers and whispers as they sink into the ground, "It might be late, but welcome to hell."
This world proves to be harsher and more complex than Vesper had imagined. As they sink, the group passes through a layer of liquid-like slime, emerging on the other side. They find themselves suspended in mid-air, floating above a murky river teeming with decomposing animal carcasses and putrid flesh.
The nauseating stench of decay and corruption overwhelms Vesper, causing him to retch. He struggles to contain his gag reflex, clenching his stomach and mouth tightly.
Risa grabs Vesper's arm and pulls him along, while Vane and Yuu lead the way, descending towards their destination—the Black City.
The Black City floats on the swamp, constructed atop compacted human skeletons. Walls of white skeletons encircle the city, serving as landmarks. Rundown shacks, huts, and partially collapsed tents constitute the only dwellings in this grim place.
In the heart of the slum lies a plaza, surrounded by empty squares where hundreds of cloaked figures gather. Vane, Yuu, Risa, and Vesper descend into the plaza from above. The residents briefly glance at them before resuming their activities, indifferent to their arrival.
Surveying the surroundings, Vesper notes that everyone here dresses similarly, donning dark-toned, loose hooded cloaks. Some carry scythes like Yuu, while others wield polearms or axes.
At the center of the plaza stands a street pole with four flat-screen TVs, each facing a different direction, displaying static screens. All the grim reapers in the vicinity watch the screens intently, awaiting some event.
Initially perplexed, Vesper gazes at the starless sky and comprehends the reason—the giant digital clock above shows the remaining time, a constant reminder of their impending fate.
Only two minutes remain. Everybody waits for the timer to end.
*DING-DONG*
A loud bell alarm emanates from the TVs, and the static screens display an image of an eyeball.
Yuu whispers, "That's the Supreme Judge, our boss. Whatever you do in the future, never disrespect or offend him."
'…'
The eyeball looks around and begins to speak.
"We shall commence the weekly performance evaluation. Out of 3,160 members in Region 27, only 1,320 are present at this gathering."
Vesper is taken aback by the revelation of the total number of grim reapers and the existence of at least 26 other regions. He wonders how many demon-like individuals are working for this organization.
"Zag Squad has achieved the highest score this week with 7,031 points. Each member of this team will receive 7,031 credits as a reward, along with an additional 7,031 credits for securing the top rank."
Yuu and the others in the gathering square turn their attention to a team of seven grim reapers wielding long scythes as weapons. They are all clad in black cloaks and wear black wooden masks. Noticeably, they carry red capes and scarves, standing out uniquely from the crowd.
Vane grumbles, "Tsk. If our squad hadn't been sent to fight the Fist of Death Star last turn, those arrogant fools wouldn't have stood a chance."
Yuu sighs, "Stop complaining. It's part of the games. The strongest team in each turn must participate in the 99th stage against the surviving team. We emerged victorious. That's what counts."
Although Vane continues to grumble, he doesn't interrupt the meeting.
The award ceremony proceeds, mentioning other teams but none belonging to Yuu's team. After ten minutes of passive observation, the eyeball transitions to the next agenda.
"Moving on, one of our comrades has abandoned us, but we welcome two new members among us today. Newcomers, please step forward."
Vesper gulps, wondering if the message is directed at him. Risa lightly kicks his butt and nudges Vesper forward with their group.
Another group pushes a black silhouette of a tall man in a black mist toward the TVs.
Suddenly, two of the TVs flicker, and two pieces of thin clothing emerge from the screens, dropping in front of them as the eyeball issues instructions.
"You two will be deployed to the tutorial zone of your chosen difficulty levels. Those who came from the Terror Mode will administer the Terror Mode stages. Vice versa, those who came from the Easy Mod will administer the Easy Mode stages."