Dandy stood over Randy, looking down at him both literally and figuratively. "Do you need to return to the city for medical attention?"
Randy coughed up blood but forced out, "No… no."
Sariel doubted his words. Randy was in bad shape, but he wouldn't die. Not yet.
Dandy turned to Meil. "Help him." Then he glanced at Sariel, expecting him to be loitering around, waiting for orders. But Sariel was already on the move.
"Don't go too far into the forest," Dandy called after him. "We need to stay close to the entrance. If you run into a walking shark or exploding ants, you'll be dead before you know it."
"Got it, Captain," Sariel replied.
"Yeah, yeah…"
Sariel wandered deeper into the forest and soon came across another deer. He moved slowly, trying to slip into its periphery for a sneak attack.
But then he froze. The deer had spotted him but continued to act indifferent.
Sariel could see an aura around every living thing, an outline that revealed their threat level. It was a unique ability, something others didn't have. White meant no threat, yellow was a potential danger, and red was immediate peril. The deer glowed yellow.
This ability had already saved his life once today. Without it, that first deer might have taken him down. He didn't have any training; otherwise, he would have known better than to try sneaking up on a deer. Their wide-set eyes and keen hearing gave them an advantage.
He had to make a decision. He didn't have Randy to distract the deer this time, and he doubted he could take it down one-on-one.
Sariel took a deep breath and muttered, "Hell with it."
He dashed toward the deer, and it immediately charged back at him.
The deer's antlers slashed through his shirt and grazed his skin, narrowly missing his arm. It was fast—much faster than he'd anticipated. Sariel swung his mace at its head but missed. The deer turned sharply and rammed into his back.
It felt like getting hit with a sledgehammer. The air was knocked out of his lungs, but he quickly regained his footing. The deer charged again, this time with its antlers positioned to stab.
Sariel gritted his teeth and swung his mace sideways. The weapon struck the deer's head with a sickening thud, and the animal squealed, its trajectory shifting slightly. He didn't hesitate—he kept swinging until the deer finally collapsed.
Breathing heavily and bleeding, though not severely, Sariel absorbed the deer's star and felt a surge of strength as he leveled up.
He dropped to his knees. He now understood why hunters made good money. With this kind of work, they deserved it. As for Dandy's demand to kill ten deer today, he could jump off a cliff. There was no way Sariel could manage that. They were paid 100 valus per deer, which was decent.
The average person needed a 1,200 valus a month.
He'd just made 200 valus for the day. Enough for food. Shelter would have to come at a later date.
Satisfied with his progress, he grabbed the deer's leg and began to drag it back. The carcass was heavy, but he could manage.
When he returned, Dandy was still sitting, and Randy lay nearby, breathing hard. Millia was nowhere to be seen.
"Where'd she go?" Sariel asked.
"To catch a deer," Dandy replied.
"By herself?!"
Dandy laughed. "Relax, she just went to take a piss. I'm not stupid. Anyway, nice job. Only eight more to go."
"No way. You've lost your mind."
"Excuse me?"
"We can't do that many unless you help. And with Randy getting worse, we should head back."
Dandy glanced between Sariel and Randy, then grunted. "Tch, fine. We'll head back."
He picked up Randy with moderate ease and started walking away.
Millia reappeared and looked at Sariel, then at the deer. "I can try to help."
"It's okay," Sariel replied. A level one like her wouldn't be able to drag the deer quickly enough. She'd burn out fast.
Dandy could handle a deer, too; with Randy in his arms, he didn't seem to be struggling.
"You can't carry a deer?" Sariel asked.
"No. Build some muscle," Dandy snapped back
Sariel hands tightened with frustration. He grabbed both deer legs and started dragging them.
Time past.
He was far behind the others, sweating heavily and taking frequent breaks. His heart pounded like it was overworking, and all he could think about was reaching the city for a well-deserved rest. Maybe 100 valus per deer wasn't enough since they weren't provided any transport.
The group waited for him at the gate for nearly thirty minutes. When he finally reached them, they entered together. Members of the hunter's guild/association approached with carts, quickly hauling the deer away.
"Nice work, everyone," Dandy began, his tone grating. "It's a shame we didn't hit our number, but—"
Sariel tuned him out, his anger simmering. If he listened to Dandy any longer, he might just punch him. Hunting those deer alone was absurd, but transporting them too?
"Sariel, the captain is talking," Randy said.
"I've got somewhere to be," Sariel replied.
"It can't be that urgent."
"It is," Sariel muttered as he walked toward the Silverback Hunters' Association.
Inside, he received mixed reactions. Some smiled, while others whispered.
"Damn, newbie pulled his weight in."
"That's the creepy new kid."
"Wait, the 'voice in your head if you essence read him' kid?"
"Yeah…"
"What the hell is he doing here?"
Sariel made his way to the records office, where a clerk sat behind a desk piled with paperwork. After a day's work, every hunter was required to submit a status report detailing their performance—who got the kills, who transported the animals, and how the leader fared.
The clerk, a middle-aged man with a weary look, glanced up as Sariel approached.
"First time submitting a report?" he asked.
"Yeah," Sariel replied.
The clerk nodded and handed him a form. "You fill this out, and then the team leader submits a separate report. Be honest—these reports determine your rank, pay, and standing in the guild."
Sariel took the form and began writing, giving himself most of the credit, which was accurate. As for Dandy, he was tempted to write that the man was a useless piece of trash, but he knew better than to be so blunt.
So he lied.
As he wrote, someone entered the office. A moment later, Sariel felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Wow, look at that. I'm a good leader, huh?" Dandy smirked as he glanced over Sariel's report.
He also had to write a report, though his was different, meant for leaders.
Sariel handed his report to the clerk. "Yes, thanks for telling me how to kill those two deer by myself."
Dandy grinned. "My pleasure."
He began filling out his own report, giving nearly all the credit to Sariel. He didn't care much about the two kills, but admitting that Sariel had carried the deer by himself would make Dandy look bad.
So, Dandy wrote that he had carried the deer halfway, and then Sariel had taken over to bring them to the city.
Dandy's words held the most weight, so if there was a dispute over who did what, his version would be the one that counted unless another member backed up a different story.
When done, Sariel went to the paymaster's office and collected 2 balus. One balu was worth a hundred valu.
They were red marbles with an inch-round flat bottom.
The paymaster had suggested dividing the money among the squad to lessen any build up of resentment but he shut it down.
What kind of clown did they take him for? Perhaps Randy deserved some, but Sariel was too angry to think generously.
Sariel took the coins and made his way to the exit.
As he was about to leave, Mein stopped him.
"What?" He asked.
"On that paper… you gave me some credit, right?" she asked, anxious.
"I didn't."
Her eyes widened. "But I assisted!"
"Randy did more than you, and all he did was get hit."
Mein clenched her fists, glaring at him. "Fine… but we're a squad. You should help us out."
Sariel clicked his tongue. "I'll give you credit tomorrow."
"I need money, not credit…"
Sariel sighed. He didn't have much reason to be rude to her, so he asked, "Are you in debt or something?"
"No. I'm hungry. I need this job because I'm starving."
"Oh."
Sariel's expression softened. "Come with me then. I'm heading to a restaurant."
"Wait," she said, surprised. "You're serious?"
"Yeah. I'm hungry too. It's my first time having actual money."
"Oh… were you kicked out of your home?"
"Sure, you could say that," he replied, though he had no idea where his home was.
Sariel began walking. "I only know one place, and I'm not in the mood to explore."
"Okay, okay," she agreed, following him.
He had experienced serious hunger before—starvation, even—in the short time he'd been here, so he had a soft spot for anyone going through the same thing.
While they walked, Mein suddenly asked, "Why are you so strong? You don't seem like you're level one, like me and Randy."
He considered telling her that Randy was actually level two but decided against it, not wanting her to ask how he knew. "I went out a lot when I was younger. Had to kill some predators."
A bold-faced lie. This was his first time hunting animals, though not his first time facing danger.
"Oh... You must have sharp instincts, then."
"Razor-sharp," he replied.
They passed the Temple of Karma.
Karma was said to be the great protector of this world. Apparently, she had walked the land a few thousand years ago but vanished after ending a world war—or so the legend went.
They continued walking before taking a turn. After a short while, they reached the fourth food service district.
The rows of restaurants were of various sizes and shapes, with labels like 'Seafood,' 'Hog-Dishes,' 'Groundfood,' 'Skyfood,' and 'Fruit-Dishes.'
The street was remarkably clean. The city wasn't particularly dirty, but it was nowhere near as pristine as this area.
Mein was sweating slightly. "Why walk so far to come here?"
Sariel pointed at a three-story brown building with the sign "Hansfood."
"This was the first restaurant I ever ate at," he said honestly.
When the trio had saved him, Natasha had bought him new clothes. When he'd said he was hungry, she brought him here and let him eat his fill. She hadn't eaten anything herself—just drank alcohol.
"Oh… so it's nostalgic?" Mein asked.
"Something like that."
"But it's expensive. Really expensive."
"I'm paying, just don't overdo it," he said, stepping into the district.
She smiled slightly and followed, a hint of excitement in her step. "Okay, boss."
They entered the restaurant.
Inside, tables were filled with people eating massive portions of roasted meat, vegetables, and long, flat pasta.
"This is some good stuff! Where do y'all get this quality and quantity of Hogsquels? They take so long to mature. Hot damn!" a man shouted jovially to the chefs.
The chefs laughed. "We can't tell you that. All I can say is the Silverback Hunters Association is the best at what they do."
The aroma of the cooking meat was mouthwatering...
Sariel remembered his time here like it was yesterday.
When he'd first sat down, Natasha had asked him, _"What do you want to eat? The dishes are mainly Hogsquel meat. Though, you can eat as much as you like."_
When almost everyone else had treated him with hostility or as an object, she and Neil had been different.
Sariel took a seat and so did Mein. Sariel asked, "What do you want to eat? The dishes are mainly Hogsquel meat, but don't go overboard."