"Gahk!!"
"Weak! This kid has guts but that's all he's got! Bring me the next one!"
– –
'That's all…I've got?'
– –
"Hey! Every brat you've brought has no potential! I can't leave the Guild knowing that I will leave my legacy with incompetent people!"
– –
'Am I…being called incompetent..?'
– –
"Ha! Finally, someone who has a talent for hunting! Come, show me some more!"
– –
'I'm not going to be chosen? Because I'm weak?'
– –
"What are you looking at that for brat? Scram! I don't need someone– wait, that look in your eyes, heh. Interesting."
– –
'I - am - not done yet!!!'
– –
A guild called [Burning Aegis] was once the talk of all the active guilds of the past when [Grim Fate] was not formally established yet. Aside from being ruthless, this guild boasts one of the many strongest fighter class hunters Telmaris could offer. One such hunter is what they called the {Relentless Berserker}, Harald Vidar, their leader.
Harald was the pinnacle of strength in terms of fighting capabilities that time. However, he and his guild foolishly thought of challenging an unmapped Abyssal Front near the city of Ghallus: the noxious |Hydra's Retreat|. At first, everything was going so well that they thought that their guild would be the first to conquer an Abyssal Front. But then, with their confidence comes a lethal mistake. It's their ignorance of the fact that the ecosystem of an Abyssal Front is considerably different from other ranked dungeons.
[Burning Aegis] started to crumble after almost all of their members got struck with lethal toxin, produced by the dungeon's ecosystem. Not even halfway through, the guild has fallen back, defeated and almost dying. Harald was also one of the victims that was struck by such deadly poison.
With this crucial mistake, the guild [Burning Aegis] has fallen in power. The poison doesn't end their prey fast as it just becomes deadlier every passing day while also making the victim experience excruciating pain on a daily basis. And that is why, the borders of that certain Abyssal Front were closed off.
Harald, although poisoned, did not give in and was still ambitious. He wants his legacy to continue. And thus, a plan to create a hunter as strong as him, or even better, stronger than him was put into motion. Harald, along with his surviving guild members gather orphaned children who could be seen with potential to continue his legacy. To be able to attain the title of the strongest fighter, one shall start training as early as possible after all.
"I'm running out of time..! The poison, I can feel it closing to my heart!"
Out of all the children that were gathered, there were only a few who showed promise. One of them was a kid named Ajax. Surprisingly, he was not the cream of the crop amongst the children who have been picked. There was someone better than him, which piques the interest of Harald himself. Ajax, however, is not just a simple brawler. He fights with pride and puts his life on the line. Despite being a kid, he is not afraid to duke it out when someone is in his way or if his opponent is much stronger than him. Which is why he always picks a fight with Harald and ends up getting absolutely beaten up in the end.
"All you've got are guts and no strength at all!"
Those were the words that were etched into Ajax's prideful soul that time.
It's not that he's weak. Harald is just merciless when it comes to battle, even when he is facing individuals much younger than him. The kid that he chose came the closest into making him bleed. Ajax on the other hand, failed to do so. Day after day, he would challenge Harald, only to get beaten up. An ordinary human, moreover a kid, would have been broken already. However, Ajax keeps on standing up. Even as a little boy, he already had the spirit of a strong-willed warrior. Harald noticed this after a while.
"What are you looking at that for brat? Scram! I don't need someone– wait, that look in your eyes, heh. Interesting."
A showdown has been called for. It was the battered Ajax against the perfectly conditioned kid who was chosen by Harald.
"Make this quick, kill one another! The winner shall be my heir! The one who will lead the new [Burning Aegis] in the future!"
"FIGHT!"
"....."
"....."
To everyone's surprise, the battle was concluded in just a matter of seconds. Not even a mug of mead was drunk by the few spectators yet. The other person who was chosen is currently laying down on the ground, bleeding from his stomach.
"That…was so fast. He took him by surprise!"
"I didn't even see what happened! I'm busy pouring myself a mug of mead!"
"How can a beaten up kid move like that?"
No one knows it yet, but the person in front of them is growing day by day. "The stronger the opponent, the better." It was his belief, and that belief made him stronger than ever before. The kid who has lost everyday, tasted his first win against someone who was said to be better than him.
With this result, Harald grinned from ear to ear. The mug he was currently holding was crushed due to how excited he was.
"This kid right here, will be the strongest Hunter Telmaris will know– gahk!"
He and his members coughed up a surmountable amount of blood.
'Right now!? The poison is–!'
Light footsteps then can be felt nearing him. It was Ajax who was gazing sharply at his next opponent.
"I challenge you, Harald. I will defeat you before you die."
"....."
Everyone was left speechless. But Harald responded with another grin. His eyes still show spark, he can still fully utilize his power even when poisoned.
"I'm also thinking the same thing. It's all useless if you don't defeat me right!?"
It's as if Harald feels what Ajax is currently feeling. With that said, he picked up a nearby axe and raised it towards Ajax.
"Come at me you brat!"
As he swung the axe downward, Ajax blocked it with a sword in his hands.
"HAHAHAH–" ← Harald
"Hey, you…"
Harald's eyes widened after noticing Ajax's expression. His eyes don't show any excitement or even a slight interest with their clash just now.
"What is the meaning of–"
"Your strength is not the same as before anymore. You're weak now…I can end this already, but that's just…pointless…"
Ajax looks down while their weapons are still clashing.
He might not want to admit it, but the poison is really striking him critically now. As he looked around, his members started falling one by one. Their eyes, nose, and mouth are all bleeding, gasping for help, they died slowly and painfully until Harald was the only one left standing.
"GRRRGGHH!!! HAAAAH!! No, you won't disrespect me like that you brat–! Hukh!?"
Even with his rage, his weapon is slowly being pulled back by Ajax.
Finally, he falls down to his knees as the lethality of the poison is now tormenting him fully. His painful scream filled the room. Harald looks at Ajax with bleeding eyes and tells him–
"Fi-fin-finish me…!!!" He can't move even a finger.
But then, the kid was unresponsive. Ajax only stared at him in disappointment whilst doing nothing more.
"Hey Harald. I'm so sorry for being weak. I was not able to kill you before the poison got to you."
"What– what are you saying…!?"
"The monster who owns that poison is the one who defeated you and not me. Killing you now is pointless!"
"AJAAAX!" Harald coughs up more blood.
"There's one thing I can do."
Ajax picks up different kinds of weapons he could find inside the hall. He then looks down at the agonizing Harald.
"I'll look for even stronger hunters. Those that are stronger than you. If I defeat them, that means I have achieved a greater height than defeating you."
His eyes show no remorse, no guilt, no hatred…not even empathy towards Harald who somehow trained him to what he is now.
"What– what kind of monster did I pick up..!? AAAAHHH!!"
Ajax then left the hall, leaving Harald on his slow and painful death. From that point onwards, [Burning Aegis] was then forgotten into nothingness. No legacy to continue, and no stories to actually immortalize. Ajax on the other hand trains like crazy. He takes on opponents stronger than him. He loses and gets back up, again and again. Until he became someone who has not experienced defeat ever again. A rumor about him was spread all over Navea. A certain hunter whose only interest is to challenge and kill other hunters. Despite having the power to trample dungeons, he chose to hunt humans. Thus, a bounty was put on his head and was given the sobriquet: {Hunter of Hunters}.
While travelling, he had heard of the rumors. A rumor pertaining to a certain guild that rose to the top by being able to finally conquer an Abyssal Front which the [Burning Aegis] have failed to do. He then sets his ultimate goal: to defeat all of [Grim Fate], starting with their Vanguard who has taken the interest of many due to the other rumor that he has an impenetrable skin that even highly poisonous acid will have no effect on him.
– Present Time –
"Well? You're going to face us alone?"
Jaina confidently steps forward while slowly rotating her golden dagger around her finger.
"Hah! What, got you feeling a bit frantic now? I suppose you don't believe it but I can take you all on my own!"
In a flash the spear that Ajax was spinning was split into two.
"Was that a sleight of hand!?"
Erika shockingly remarked.
'It's just as what King Crow said. He has some sort of abnormal control over his weapons. It might just be his attribute skill. That must mean he is an incredibly skilled fighter to develop a skill like that.'
Jaina turns towards her members and gives them a smile. She then orders them–
"The clock is ticking and we still don't know their objective. Facing this man may take us a whole while."
"Jaina you–"
"Leave him to me." Jaina remarked.
"Hey hey, you just looked at me with disbelief back then when I said I would take you all by myself and now you're saying you'll take me on alone? Looks like you're severely underestimating me, huh!?"
A lightning fast arrow then flew towards Jaina's head which she dodged by a hair's breadth.
"Jaina!" Erika shouted.
Fiona then steps up, followed by David who pointed his sword towards Ajax.
"I'm sorry but we cannot leave you alone, leader." ← David
Fiona looks back at Erika and the others.
"Everyone, go ahead and follow Erika's lead! The three of us will handle this!"
Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Ajax takes a deep breath and enters a stance.
"Fine, you lot likes to make decisions for yourselves. Then I shall do as I please from now on!"
The start of a fierce battle shall begin.