The Best Mana Hunter.

*Creak*

"Aisshhh, what the fuck? Who's that?"

The man jumped looking around him but all he could see was eerie trees. Some erect, some half erect but all were lifeless.

The other men around him burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, hyung. It's not. The sound of leaves scared you. Calm down."

He scrunched his face and said,"Shut it, you guys. I have a really bad feeling today. Let's be careful. It's better to be alive than anything."

They were still laughing.

"If you're scared, just say so. Why try to scare others? Hyung, this brother will protect you. Rest assured."

"Aishh, whatever, whatever. Just find enough mana stones and go or we might not have a chance since that guy is here today."

"Today I'm gonna find the seven coloured mana stone. If I do, I might not have to come here again. Hyung, my wife is with a child so I wanna be able to be with her."

"Aren't you being too sensitive? She's a woman. What else she'll do?"

"She's my wife hyung. How could I not? That woman, whatever she does, is for me. Right now too, she's carrying our child."

The man showed disapproval of him as he said,"Whatever. Henpecked husband."

"I don't mind being called that. If I gather the seven coloured mana stones, then I'm gonna sell those. Set up a tea stall or something. Something safe and to live with my wife and children."

"So you've decided to quit being a mana hunter?"

"Ummmm. The other day, she cried asking me to stop working this job. She doesn't want to have the doubt of me coming back or not."

As he smiled at the other man, the man patted him on the shoulder too.

"Uh, do whatever you want."

After walking for a while, something glistened in their eyes. They couldn't make out but it was bright.

"Hyung, there. Let's go there."

Both men ran towards the light. Something white seemed to be glistening under the leaves on the ground. Some metre up, something red also seemed to be glistening

Looking at that, they couldn't contain their happiness.

The man ran and squatted beside it. He started carefully removing the dirt.

"Woah, Hyung. We hit a jackpot already. It's Crown and Root mana. Selling these will bring us lotsa money. If we find a couple of these then only these will be enough too."

The mana stone seemed to be long.

"Hyung, this seems to be long too… It's our lucky day isn't it?"

He stopped abruptly.

"Hyung."

*Munch munch*

The man's body became aware when he heard that strange sound. He gulped down and slowly turned behind.

His pupil shrank.

Blood dripped from the bony mouth as the skeleton was chewing the arms of the man. When his orange eyes made contact with his eyes through his bizarre long hair a cold shiver ran down his spine.

"Hyung, hyung."

He wanted to sprint up but something cold wrapped around his wrist pulled him down.

He fell on his ass.

The mana stone he was trying to take out was a hand. A skeleton to be specific. Slowly, its other hand, body and legs emerged from the ground. The red shine that he thought was mana, it actually was its eyes.

The skeleton gave it an eerie smile and let go of his hands.

The man tried crawling on his back. He got up and felt around his lapel. He took out the bamboo shooter and pressed it towards the sky.

A red colour could be seen in the sky while it made a loud sound.

The man ran with all his might.

"Fuckkkkkk. HELPPPPPP."

But he stopped on his track as the skeleton was standing in front of him. The wind moving its hair made it look extra scary.

He turned around and ran backwards just to see it had already reached there.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Fuck. Come, I'll fight you. Fuck. I'm a….hunter…mana…hunter. Come."

He took out his sword and tried using it with his trembling hands.

An eerie laugh came out of the skeleton's mouth.

He walked slowly as the trembling man pointed his sword at him.

He slashed here and there shouting with his eyes closed.

When he looked around. Nothing was there.

Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he looked here and there and turned around like crazy.

"Has it run....away?"

Drop.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

It hung itself upside down in front of the trembling man.

As the man was about to run away.

The skeleton pulled him closer. In a split second, his arm was bleeding as the skeleton was munching on a chunk of his flesh.

The man fell to the ground, holding his arm with another one.

The skeleton crawled with him, his blood dripping from its mouth.

It gave him a smile.

The man closed his eyes, surrendering. He whispered under his breath,"My wife and child."

Nothing came but the sound of something hitting the rock.

He waited till what felt like eternity but still nothing came.

He slowly squinted his eyes open and the skeleton was lying in the ground. He took a closer look. It was missing its skull.

The man sprinted up and turned around to see another person. He was wearing a hoodie with Viking pants and long boots. A lily tassel hanging on his pants. He tied a black cloth to cover his face. The only thing you could see was his almond eyes.

"Namu. Namu-ya. But how are you here? Wasn't your grandmother sick so you'd been taking care of her. Tha-"

The man put a finger on his masked face as his eyes looked around, extremely focused.

He handed him a pouch. His easy swinging made it feel like it was light but when it came to his hands, it was quite heavily. Really heavy actually.

He finally looked the man in the eye and said in a horse voice,"Take this and run."

"Why?"

After a pause, he said,"Your wife treated grandma well. I just paid back the favour. Go."

The man looked at the white hand piercing out of the ground, one by one.

"Aisshhh."

He ran shouting, "Come back safe. Without you they'll starve your grandmother to death."

But he didn't notice his eyes zoning out.

When he ran to a good distance he turned back to see the young lad.

His moves were quite fierce while slicing the head of that skeleton and stabbing it right in between their eyebrows.

But today it was also a bit different. He is usually fearless but today it seemed more like he had nothing to fear of.

His disposition was that of a mountain.

Fearless, elegant, proud and unmovable.

In contrast, his long pony swanged as beautifully as the willow vines on a peaceful autumn day while he sprinted and dodged the attack.

When he saw lots of skeletons emerging from the ground and attacking him, he wanted to go and help his saviour but stopped. He has to save himself first. Namu was an orphan taken in by someone but he had a family to look after.

So he gritted his teeth and said,"He'll be alright."

[He's not the best mana hunter for no reason.]

He turned around and ran without looking back again.

If it wasn't for the fact that his son of his adopted family gambled like there's no tomorrow, they'd have been the wealthiest family in the village given his position as best mana hunter.

It is his grandmother that seemed to treasure him whom he treasures the most too. She has tied him to that place, to that family.

Because that man gives off the vibe that he belongs somewhere else. Somewhere strong but peaceful.

Hoon had a feeling as he ran away that he won't be able to see Namu anytime soon again.