STAB!
SPLURT!
Hunter quickly put down the remaining snow wolves with the assistance of his Death Reaper. More wolves charged towards him, but he swiftly cut them down and decapitated each and every one of them. The remaining snow wolves looked at Hunter and growled at him as he slowly approached them.
As they stared into his eyes, they received a cold glare that sprung fear within them. They attempted to run, but Hunter summoned his [Hellhound Chains] and wrapped them around one of the wolves, making it shriek in pain.
Hunter pulled the chain, snapping the monster's neck easily. He looked at the other wolves and noticed them running off. He wouldn't let them get away though. He quickly charged in and used his reaper to slice their legs, then sliced off their heads.
He looked around him and noticed the hundreds of corpses around him. His strength, agility and mana had improved over the last 2 weeks. He didn't even need to use his [Black Flames] or [Prey Gaze] in order to defeat them.
"For tier 14 monsters, they were relatively easy to take care of," said Hunter as he pillaged the corpses.
[With your improvement, it's no wonder why these monsters are somewhat weak. You know, if you joined a party, it'd be a lot easier to raid higher dungeons]
"Achoo!" sneezed Hunter. He immediately rubbed his nose, snorted and said, "I'll think about it. I'm not the type to join parties anyways."
[And that's probably the reason why you weren't leveling up significantly before you had me. Seriously, it'd be a good opportunity to observe other hunters and learn from them, don't you think?]
"I suppose that makes sense. But, my style is a little weird. I'm a navigator and a dungeon diver, not a fighter. I won't get paid as much if I join a party."
[That merely depends on your ranking and role. As a navigator at tier 16, you're more likely to be paid less if you contribute less]
"So, all I have to do is lead them towards monsters of a certain strength? That seems easy enough."
[You could do that, but that alone won't guarantee you fair pay. Consider joining a raid with a signed contract instead of a random party. You're more likely to be paid well that way]
"I'll do just that," replied Hunter as he threw the scraps of the monsters inside his [Infinite Inventory].
A few days later, Hunter made his way to the orphanage. He promised Sister Rose to visit him as often as he could, but because of his dungeon diving, he barely had time for himself.
But, he hadn't stopped sending donations to the orphanage. Today, he had stashed toys, clothes and school supplies for the children. When he went to school, he wasn't given any new clothes and every possession was a hand me down.
It had become a tradition in St. Jonah's Orphanage, but it would end with Hunter. The thought of kids not having their own clothes didn't sit well with him. And so, he wanted to make sure that they atleast have new clothes for themselves.
'This should atleast help the nuns out, even by a little,' Hunter said to himself as he walked through the large gates and approached the door.
The kids were playing in the yard and as they saw Hunter approach, they all stared at him and ceased from playing. Hunter stared at them in response and smiled gently.
He reached into his [Infinite Inventory] and pulled out a soccer ball, impressing the kids and causing them to light up. They slowly approached Hunter, but stopped at a relative distance. Hunter threw the ball towards them, having one of the kids catch it, and smiled brightly.
The kids returned the gesture by smiling just as brightly. Then, they ran off and played with their new ball. One kid stayed behind and looked at Hunter, bowed her head gently and ran towards the other kids immediately afterwards.
Hunter smiled gently and sighed afterwards. "That was so nerve wrecking. I could've sworn they would've told me to die..." he said as he felt his chest.
"You're exaggerating, Hunter," a familiar voice replied from behind him.
Hunter quickly turned his head and smiled brightly upon seeing who it was. Her red hair and orange eyes gazed at Hunter with familiarity and affection upon seeing him again.
"The kids adore you. They've just been distant because of what the sisters have been feeding them," said Sister Rose as she approached Hunter.
"Sister Rose!" Hunter exclaimed as he walked towards the sister and hugged her.
Sister Rose returned the hug with an even amount of affection and closed her eyes as she embraced Hunter. She pulled back and rubbed his cheek, smiling at him immediately afterwards.
"You certainly have changed a lot, haven't you, Hunter?" she inquired in a soft voice.
"I haven't changed that much," replied Hunter as he removed Sister Rose's hand from his cheek and held it.
"Are you eating properly? You look skinny..." she asked worriedly.
[If this is skinny to you, Sister Rose, you should've seen him before I got inside him]
'Phrasing, you freaking System!' Hunter internally screamed as he smiled at Sister Rose faintly.
After inviting Hunter to the backyard, Sister Rose poured him some tea as they sat outside. Hunter smiled softly upon watching the kids play with the new ball he bought for them.
Sister Rose looked at the kids and then back at Hunter. She handed Hunter his tea, Hunter thanking her afterwards, and leaned back on the bench, looking at the sky seconds after.
"It's only been 2 months, but you've already done so much for the orphanage," said Sister Rose.
"This is nothing. You've done an amazing job raising me and I wish I could do more for you," replied Hunter.
"If you asked me, you're doing too much already." Sister Rose leaned closer to Hunter and whispered, "The ladies can't stop talking about how much of a good kid you are."
"Really?" Hunter asked as he raised an eyebrow. "They seemed really distant. Even when I brought supplies a month ago."
"Oh no," Sister Rose insisted. "They adore you! They've adored you ever since you were a babe. But, they sensed something awful about you, and were worried about the safety of themselves and the other children."
"But," she continued, "I'm glad you turned out the way you did. A kind, strong and healthy boy."
"What about intelligent?" Hunter inquired as he pointed at himself and wore a blank smile.
"You're not exactly bright, Hunter," Sister Rose retorted as she chuckled. "But, you make up for it with courage and kindness."
Sister Rose placed her arms around Hunter and hugged him tightly, bringing his face closer to her rather large chest. This didn't fluster Hunter at all. He was used to this and only thought of Sister Rose as his mother.
"I'm devoted to God and I am one of his wives. But, if I had a son and he had turned out like you... I would've been so proud..." said Sister Rose.
Hunter smiled gently and said, "Thanks, mom..."
Upon hearing Hunter call her "mom", Sister Rose beamed and reddened at the cheeks with a slight hint of embarassment. But, she was happy to hear that coming from Hunter.
After greeting the other nuns, playing with the kids for a while and dropping off the things he had bought for them, Hunter decided to take his leave. He would visit them again once the opportunity presented itself. He adores seeing Sister Rose and it definitely wouldn't be the last time he'd see her.
[Say, Hunter Quinn...]
"Mh?" Hunter looked at System Rosana and tilted his head.
[Did Sister Rose seem... different... to you?]
Hunter grabbed his chin and pondered. "Well, she was more affectionate than she normally would be. Is this because I'm no longer restricted by the nuns?"
[That's not what I meant... I suppose she's alright. Pay it no mind]
"Whatever you say... Speaking of the nuns, Sister Lily mentioned that Jermaine would be returning from Korea soon."
[Jermaine Marques, your only friend. Are you excited to see him?]
Hunter smiled brightly and faced System Rosana, saying, "Excited doesn't even begin to cut it! I left them my new number, my house number and even the guild's number in order for them to let me know when he returns!"
[Are you a fan boy or something?]
"You'd react the same way too... Much like Cathy, Jermaine accepted me for who I am. Because of that, I'll forever be grateful for having known him."
[You say that as if he's already dead, what the hell is wrong with you?]
"What's wrong with you?!"
[Meanwhile...]
"Are you ready to go, Mr Marques?" an old butler standing beside the door to a hotel asked.
PUFF PUFF
A man with dark skin, tied dreadlocks and black eyes puffed out the smoke from his blunt. He scratched his head and nodded at the butler, prompting him to assign the guards to carry his goods.
"It was a pleasure having you over," the butler continued.
"Aight, man. I'ma catch you next time," Jermaine replied as he walked out of the room. He smiled gently and said to himself, 'I'm finally going home...'