SPLURT

As the blood flowed out of his mouth, he gagged and choked on some of it. Clawing towards the man who smirked before him, to no avail, he could only wish for one thing; to save the woman he loves.

He looked to his right and noticed her lifeless body, touched by the disgusting men that surrounded them. His eyes dilated in anger, but what would he do in his current state?

After being beaten mercilessly and stabbing 7 times, there was no energy left in him. All he could do was watch the beautiful brunette die right in front of his eyes. That's when he heard the voice of a woman...

[Hours earlier...]

Hunter Quinn, aged 17, was on his way to school. His bag was over his shoulders, and his earphones were blasting reggae music. His head bumped with the guitar and drums, making those around him look at him with alienating gazes.

That forced him to immediately cease with his vibing and to continue walking. He pushed back his glasses, revealing his hazel brown eyes, and quickly scratched the itch on his nose, where freckles had settled down.

As he made a left turn towards the Hunting Guild, he was greeted by a hug from behind. He could feel something soft like marshmallows on his back, forcing him to shout and turn his head.

"Hey! Oh, it's you, Catherine," said Hunter upon noticing who had come in from behind.

"Hunter, you were supposed to wait for me," said Catherine as she smiled brightly.

After seeing her gorgeous smile, Hunter couldn't help but smile just as brightly. As he looked at her, he couldn't help but think about how cute his girlfriend actually was. To think she wanted to be with a nerd like him...

"By the way," she said as she walked beside Hunter, prompting him to walk with her, "I heard there was a tier 6 dungeon master in last night's raid with Ian."

"Yeah, he wouldn't stop talking about it," retorted Hunter with a distasteful expression.

"Aw, you don't have to worry about him."

"I'm not, really. It's just... Because he's the strongest hunter in our age group, and he's your childhood friend. It just seems like he's trying to intimidate me whenever we're together."

Catherine wrapped her arms around Hunter's arm and smiled. "He's not trying to intimidate you. Ian just likes to mess with lower tiers. I promise you, he means you no harm."

Hunter sighed and smiled gently. "Sure. I'll take your word for it."

As they approached the Hunting Guild, Catherine felt her arm getting grabbed from behind. "Hey!" she exclaimed as she turned her body and smacked the young man behind them.

Spooked, Hunter quickly grabbed Catherine's hand and pulled her closer to him, turning his attention to the youth who tried grabbing her. He lifted a single eyebrow and looked slightly perplexed.

"Ian Brown," said Hunter after noticing that it was his girlfriend's childhood friend.

"Hunter Quinn," Ian replied, in a slightly less respectful tone of voice.

Ian Brown was the exact opposite of Hunter Quinn. Unlike Ian, Hunter didn't have deep blue eyes, blonde hair, and stylish clothes that looked expensive. They were polar opposites, and even Catherine knew that.

"What are you doing trying to grab me like that?" said Catherine as her brows furrowed in frustration.

"I was making sure you weren't walking with a loser. Turns out I was wrong," snickered Ian. "Seriously, Cathy. When are you ditching this loser so that you and I can get together?" he added as he scratched his ears.

"Dude, not this again..." replied Catherine. "Come on, Hunter. Let's get going."

As they continued walking, Catherine stopped to look at Ian. "Also, you will not call my boyfriend a loser when you're not even half the man he is," she said and stuck her tongue out.

Livid, Ian quickly turned red and clenched his fists. After seeing Hunter's calm facial expression, he was getting even angrier. For some reason, Hunter's calm expression seemed to make everyone angrier than they were before.

This was the curse he was born with; his beautiful yet aggravating eyes. In the orphanage, he was often bullied because of his eyes. Although they were a beautiful hazel brown color, whenever he looked at someone, they seemed to scream, "I'm better than you."

Of course, what wasn't true. Hunter mostly kept to himself and hardly bothered anyone. But, it was always his eyes that told the opposite story; a false story that resulted in him not receiving friends wherever he went.

He assumed he was going to die alone.

Until the beautiful Catherine Kennedy came into his life. After saving her from a pack of dire wolves, almost killing himself in the process, Catherine fell head over heels for him. That was something Ian couldn't understand.

'I'm stronger, faster, more handsome, and have a ton of money from the Hunting Guild. I was evsn guven an opportunity to join an elite hunting organisation. And yet, you still choose to be with the one who looks down on those stronger than him...!' said Ian as he bit his lower lip in frustration.

He sighed and chuckled. "That's fine. I'll just have to get rid of him. Then you'll have no choice but to be with me."

As the Sun set, Hunter Quinn finally returned from his mission from the tier 17 dungeon. He looked at the $10 in his hands and couldn't help but release a frustrated sigh.

"I'm turning 18 soon. The orphanage won't be responsible for me anymore. I need to make some quick bank if I want to get myself a decent place," said Hunter as he put the cash in his pockets.

'Then again, I can't even go any further than a tier 17 dungeon...' he added. "Catherine's gonna be a while. She's a tier 6 Hunter after all, and she can't be looking out for me all the time."

It happened in an instant. Hunter felt his spine tingle, and his body tense up. But by that point, it was too late. Ian had already wrapped his arm around his neck. Hunter immediately faced the ground and felt his heart pound out of his chest.

"Yo, Hunter Quinn. How about you and I go on a short quest?" suggested Ian, his friends circling Hunter.

"Uh... Nah, I'm good. I'm just waiting for-"

"You're short on cash, aren't you?" interrupted Ian. "This dungeon will help you out! You don't even have to do anything but step into the dungeon," he said with a smile.

Hunter, feeling uncomfortable, slightly nodded and clutched his necklace tightly. Ian laughed loudly and smacked Hunter on his back, causing his glasses to fall off. As Hunter reached down to pick them up, one of Ian's company stepped on them, shattering the lenses.

"Oops, my bad," he said in a condescending tone.

Hunter shook his head and smiled gently. "Oh no, it's alright. I mostly use them for display anyway..."

"Display?" Ian raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.

"Well... Since people hate my eyes, the glasses I wear make them slightly less bright..."

Ian was surprised. "Wow! And here I thought you actually needed them to cover up that ugly face of yours! Alright! Into the dungeon!"

They began walking. Hunter clenched his necklace even tighter, his back slightly hunched over, and felt his palms sweating. This was a familiar feeling. Way too familiar. As such, he acted accordingly and did nothing to alarm those who would hurt him.

That was what was about to happen after all.