"I will report to the Hunter Association, but you better move to a different house. North Mountain Town is too close to the Dark Forest. Although I don't know how those low-level vampires found you, the large vampires in the forest have started to become active recently."
Talking about this made him feel a headache. He and his partner had already claimed the bounty, planning to take action tonight and hunt down the large vampire.
"Understood, Mr. Hu," Freyen replied.
Freyen glanced at the red-haired woman who was smiling sweetly, then turned his head away, seemingly unable to tolerate her enthusiasm.
Now that he had a woman with him, it seemed the mission would have to be delayed. There were many bounties, but also many hunters, and this task might have already been stolen by others in the time it took.
Freyen was a bit displeased.
"According to the bounty rules, you should give me three silver coins."
"But according to the rules, those three silver bullets should belong to Little Rabbit," the woman said, her voice teasing.
The man paused, and without turning his head, he knew the red-haired woman was smiling and tilting her head at him.
Indeed, according to the bounty rules, for low-level vampires, or vampires that couldn't even leave corpses, the reward was one silver coin each. But, also according to the rules, as long as the weapon used by the vampire hunter was fired by the employer, the weapon belonged to them.
Moreover, they weren't really in a formal employment relationship. In fact, to deal with these low-level vampires, one only needed to carry a Bible. However, the situation had been too sudden, so Freyen had to use a silver pistol. A single bullet cost fifteen copper coins, which was equivalent to one and a half silver coins.
But unexpectedly, the woman knew the bounty rules as well.
"Little Rabbit wouldn't have bad intentions, it's just that I didn't bring any money with me."
The silver bullets could be reused, but silver coins couldn't be used as bullets. Freyen didn't know how to explain that he would cancel out the charges by using two bullets. After all, he had forced the employment relationship in the first place.
Cynthia hadn't hired him to protect her; it was Freyen who had used the silver gun. In reality, they couldn't even be considered in a contractual relationship, and it was only Freyen's goodwill.
"Well then, let's cancel it out," the red-haired woman seemed not to really want to trouble him.
Freyen let out a breath of relief. Even if the woman hadn't said to cancel it out, there wouldn't be any consequences if he didn't pay her. After all, he wouldn't lose anything.
But still, it was his own oversight. "You can hire me to safely guide you through the night, for just five silver coins."
It was half the market price, especially in the Dark Forest. Normally, the price would be at least double that.
Facing such a good deal, Freyen expected to see some expression on the woman's face, but he was disappointed. She still just looked at him obediently, that golden retriever-like look appearing once again.
"Five silver coins? Perfect. Once we get out of the Dark Forest, I'll go home and get the money for you."
Cynthia adjusted her red hair, which still had some twigs and leaves stuck to it. After fiddling with it for a while without much progress, she simply patted her hands and gave up.
"Let's go. Go find your partner."
The night was dark, and they moved quickly through the woods under the moonlight. It wasn't slow, but Cynthia's long skirt was a hindrance.
To fit the image of a lone woman, Cynthia deliberately made a slit at her thigh, causing the black fabric to hang down, which she often tripped over.
Although they weren't slow, the skirt made it a bit troublesome for Cynthia. Every step felt like kicking the fabric, which was quite uncomfortable. The red-haired woman bent down.
Freyen was about to question her when he heard a ripping sound, as if to confirm his guess. Looking down, he saw Cynthia's two pale legs exposed, and Freyen quickly turned his gaze elsewhere.
The moonlight tonight was so bright that it was almost too clear.
The black, form-fitting dress had now turned into a form-fitting short skirt. The fabric looked good and hadn't frayed despite the tear.
Perhaps because she had torn it by hand, the skirt hem was irregular, almost like a little lace, perfectly showing off her long, white legs.
"It's much better," Cynthia sighed.
"Hmm?"
"I mean, it feels much more comfortable," the red-haired woman looked down at her bare legs and seemed quite satisfied.
"Freyen? No way, I told you to go set traps in the east, not to go flirt. I thought you'd been eaten by a vampire or something since you haven't come back for so long."
A gruff voice came from behind, sounding somewhat impatient. It belonged to a man around thirty or forty, with a thick beard covering most of his round face. His gloomy eyes were sunken into their sockets.
He wore the same leather and metal outfit as Freyen, with a silver bow and arrows at his waist, indicating he was a ranged fighter.
Vampire hunters were divided into three types: The first type, like Freyen, was a high-combat fighter suited for close combat, often taking on bounty missions to earn commissions.
The second type was archers, skilled in ranged attacks and supporting close combatants with defense.
The third type, the traps and spellcasters, were rare and usually didn't work with others. They often sold their traps, holding high status in the vampire hunter association.
"Enfo, this is Miss Cynthia," Freyen introduced the bearded man.
"Hmph, I don't care what you're doing, don't forget our mission," the man, Enfo, said with a sour expression, snorting loudly, clearly not pleased.
Freyen didn't say anything. Enfo gave him two sharp looks. "Fine, fine, let's go."
Enfo's voice was somewhat rushed, and Cynthia tilted her head, trying to observe his expression more closely. Unfortunately, Enfo turned and walked deeper into the forest before she could.
Freyen, for some reason, didn't say a word. Despite his obvious higher energy, Enfo had a stronger presence.
Cynthia didn't manage to see the crazed joy on Enfo's face either.
Finally, finally.
Holding the silver badge in his hand, now warmed from constant rubbing, once he completed this mission, he would become a true silver-tier hunter. What did it matter if the other was a defender? As long as he used his bow and arrows well, he could still become a close fighter.
Right now, the most important thing was to not let that red-haired woman notice the trap.
The moonlight spilled across the dark soil of the forest, reflecting off the ground and making the path ahead darker and damper. The occasional bird call from the forest seemed to signal unrest that night.
"We're here," Enfo's low voice came.
Cynthia couldn't help but feel that his laughter held a hidden intent.
What did he mean by "we're here"? It was pitch black.
Just as Cynthia was thinking this, Enfo suddenly turned and took a dozen steps backward, gripping a cross in his hand, his mouth rapidly reciting some unknown passage from the Bible.
Freyen was already ready for battle, the dark barrel of a gun aimed at Cynthia.
Cynthia looked at the two men, bored, and absentmindedly adjusted her red curls, unaware when the dead leaves had fallen off.
The two men were tense for nearly half a minute, with the forest around them completely silent, nothing had changed.
"This... what's going on?" Enfo's face was full of disbelief. Before Cynthia could respond, Freyen had already shouted.
"She's not!" The three words came almost as a yell. Enfo immediately realized what was happening.
"The real one..." Enfo tried to say, but was interrupted by a cold voice.
"I heard two little devils are looking for me recently, is that right, dear vampire hunters?"