The next day, when Sariel entered the hunter's association, he was called into an office.
He entered the office. The man behind the desk was Lurock, the one who handed out most of the hunter jobs, especially to those who seemed hopeless.
"How have you been?" Lurock asked, his tone friendly.
"Good, sir," Sariel replied, taking a seat.
Lurock smiled, wearing an air of sincerity. Yet Sariel couldn't ignore the faint yellow outline that surrounded him. The same yellow he'd seen when they first met.
"That's good to hear… Do you know why I called you in today?"
"I assume it's because I punched Irish in the face?" Sariel guessed.
Lurock chuckled. "Yes. Going around assaulting your colleagues isn't acceptable here… especially considering you're not exactly well-liked."
"I see. It was a mistake. When I saw him stealing from those kids, I reacted emotionally. It won't happen again." Sariel lied through his teeth, though it irritated him to do so.
Lurock leaned back, his smile fading slightly. "Ah, I understand. But siding with half-shadow lurkers over your own kind? That looks particularly bad."
"I'm still new to this," Sariel responded cautiously.
"Don't think of me as too heartless," Lurock said with a sigh. "One of my most trusted hunters is one of their fathers. Disgusting, I know, but I do my best to overlook strange behaviors."
"So… I'm not being fired?" Sariel asked.
Lurock made a pensive expression. "I'm considering moving you to the farming sector. It's a growing part of our operations, and we need more hands."
Sariel's heart sank. Hunting allowed him to earn both money and power, but farming? That would only bring money.
Still, perhaps he could find a way to hunt during breaks.
"How much would I be paid? And where is this farm?" Sariel asked.
Lurock's smile widened. "I'm glad you're interested. You'd get 120 valus a day, and the farm is a bit outside the city… far from it, actually. You'd need to stay there for about six months. You don't have a home, right? We'd provide one for you there."
Sariel blinked. "How many people are there?"
"Mostly those who don't do well in their first hunting assignment. Once Randy recovers, he'll be moved there too. Mein might join as well; she lacks the talent despite her levels."
Sariel stood up. "I refuse."
Lurock raised an eyebrow. "What? You'd get 120 a day, with free food and shelter."
"I know."
"It's that or the highway, kid. What's your plan? Starve? Sleep in the open?"
"I'm not sure yet, but I'll find a way to survive," Sariel said as he headed for the door.
"Come on, think about it! Wait, wait." Lurock stood up. "Alright… if you change your mind later, here's some money to help you out."
He pulled out a small coin bag. Sariel eyed it warily. "What's this for?"
"You need to eat, don't you? Just remember who gave you a job first."
Sariel took the bag and checked the contents. About 120 valus.
"This is for a day. Think it over. I'll be waiting," Lurock said with a grin.
Sariel left the office, keeping his license. Maybe he could trick the wall guards into letting him out of the city so he could hunt beasts on his own. He wondered if he could sell them to merchants or others. Maybe restaurants or market stalls would buy them, even if the hunter guilds had their trade deals.
Joining another guild was an option, but he'd prefer to avoid dealing with irritating people again.
One thing was certain: he wasn't coming back to this guild. Lurock had that constant yellow outline, and now he was talking about sending him to a remote farm? The man must have lost his mind.
Something about him felt wrong. Whatever Lurock wanted, Sariel knew he wanted no part of it.
He glanced at the bag of money again.
"Got fired?" a voice called out.
Sariel looked up to see Dandy, geared up with Mein, Irish, and surprisingly, Randy. Irish was avoiding eye contact.
Randy had recovered quicker than expected.
"Yeah… they wanted to send me to some farm. I said no," Sariel replied.
"Ah, the farm. Good call. I'd rather live in the city than somewhere remote. So, what now?" Dandy asked.
"I'm thinking of hunting on my own, selling whatever I can catch."
"Really? You'd need a weapon," Dandy pointed out.
"I've got 120. Think that's enough for something decent?"
"Not quite… But there's a rune craftsman I know. He makes enchanted weapons. Good guy, my uncle. If you work for him a bit, he might gift you one," Dandy offered, thinking it over. "I'll take you to his shop tomorrow. Today's a bit hectic for me."
"Sounds good. Thanks a lot," Sariel said.
"Don't mention it. Just make sure you become a slayer someday," Dandy replied.
Even if Dandy couldn't live out his old dream, he still wanted to see someone else achieve it.
Sariel chuckled. "I'll think about it."
And with that, they parted ways. Mein pretended Sariel didn't exist as she walked off.
Now, Sariel wondered what to do next. Maybe he could try hunting weak animals with his bare hands? He was level 10, after all.
He pondered this for a while. What if he got seriously injured?
He glanced at his small bag and looked at the healing potion Jasper had given him after fighting off the guys that was beating him up.
At the time Sariel didn't fully trust him, so he had suspect the potion might have been poisoned.
Now, he trusted Jasper a bit more.
Sariel made his way to the city gate and showed his license to the guards. However, one of the guards sneered, "You got fired. We were informed."
So much for saving money.
"How much will it cost?" Sariel asked.
"20 valus. Same as everyone else."
Sariel handed over the money, and the gate creaked open. It didn't take him long to reach the forest, though he found himself at a different part this time.
He wished he had a map or something similar, but for now, he decided to stay near the entrance. When he got a better weapon, he could venture further. And with every level he gained, he'd push a bit deeper, repeating the cycle.
Sariel scanned the area, looking for weak animals. After a short while, he came across the same large centipedes he'd seen before.
He charged at them. The centipede noticed him, and as he got closer, he saw it was slightly different, with a unique color pattern.
The centipede spat a green fluid at him. Sariel jumped to the side.
The fluid splashed onto his shoulder, burning away his sleeve and making his skin sizzle.
"Shit!" he screamed but didn't stop moving. He knew it wouldn't let him escape, anyway.
The centipede spat again, and Sariel jumped in the opposite direction. This time, the acid hit his side, burning his skin more than the first attack did.
He was close enough now. He kicked the centipede in the head, sending it flying into a tree. Quickly, he grabbed a large stone and hurled it at the centipede, striking it squarely.
He rushed forward, not giving it a chance to recover, and stomped on its head. But it came at a cost—the centipede bit down hard on his foot.
"Mother fucker!"
Sariel yanked his leg back in pain, but the creature wouldn't let go. Desperate, he picked up the stone again and began bashing its body with it.
Over and over he struck, and only after what felt like the twentieth hit did it release his foot and lie still, dead.
He heaved, catching his breath. "Hurts like hell..."
Going in without a weapon was suicide.
The star gradually levitated from the centipede's corpse.
He absorbed it before it could fragment.
It wasn't even enough to level him up. He began to think about the gift the System had given him, the one he hadn't used yet. It could be a game changer, allowing him to progress much faster. But...
Not here. He needed a safe place, just in case it was a trap.
Sariel rested until the pain lessened. He got up, pushing through the lingering discomfort. What were a few acid burns? He'd like to sound confident, but they still hurt like hell.
He continued hunting, focusing on animals that seemed weaker.
Unfortunately, even the rabbits weren't easy prey. A blue rabbit dodged his grab, darted behind him, then leaped and clawed his face.
He tried to grab it again, but it sprinted away. It was hard to hunt while limping.
That damn centipede.
He sighed. At least he had reached level 12. Maybe that was enough for the day.
He gathered the corpses of some rabbits and small tusk-less boars (the size of dogs). There were too many for him to carry, so he grabbed six of them and made his way back to the city.
He moved from stall to stall, looking for buyers. It took a while, but eventually, someone was willing to trade.
"You caught all these by yourself?" an older man asked.
"Yeah. There were six more, but I couldn't carry them all," Sariel replied.
"That's a shame. But not bad." The man handed Sariel 98 valus. Rabbits and small tusk-less boars were less dangerous than deer, so they sold for less.
Sariel took the money and bought bread from a different stall.
As he ate, he walked back to the spot where he usually slept. He felt strange and turned around.
There was the boy he had helped when Irish tried to steal from him, staring at Sariel like he wanted to say something.
Sariel turned away. He heard the boy's sister calling out, asking where he had gone off to.
When Sariel reached his usual spot, he found Dandy leaning against the building.
Sariel spoke first. "Looks like you've been waiting a while."
Dandy turned to him and nodded. "Yeah, you really went out there without a weapon?"
"Nearly lost my foot for it, too." Sariel was still limping, though not as much as before. Maybe the centipede's fangs hadn't gone too deep.
Dandy glanced at Sariel's ruined, blood-stained outfit. "You're not joking. Anyway, I said I'd show you tomorrow, but are you free now? I can take you there."
"Sure, let's go."
"Uh, maybe get some proper clothes first?"
"Yeah, yeah."
Sariel bought a blue robe and discarded his ruined clothes. They walked for a while until they reached a large white and yellow building.
"Hope he's here," Dandy said, knocking on the door. "Yo, uncle! Your favorite nephew's here!"
Sariel expected to wait for a long while, but was surprised to hear heavy footsteps rushing to the door.
The door swung open, revealing a man with a full head of white hair, beaming with happiness.
He saw Dandy and scooped him up like a child. "You still owe me money, you little brat!"
Dandy laughed nervously. "We can talk about that later. My friend here needs a weapon for hunting. I was hoping he could do some work for you in exchange."
The man looked Sariel up and down. "Oh. You're him."
"Wait, wait," Dandy interjected quickly. "Don't be like that. I haven't known him long, but even Louis seem to favor him."
"I didn't say I was going to turn him away. I'm just surprised." The man put Dandy down and gestured to Sariel. "Come back tomorrow, early."
Sariel nodded, surprised. "Y-yeah. Absolutely."
"But don't get too happy," the man added. "It'll help with your hunting, but having raw power makes the biggest difference, at least at the lower levels."
Dandy chimed in, "Better start getting lessons on how to generate Imperia."