1 Chapter 1: Where Am I?

"Your name is Warden Nightshade."

***

'Where...am I?'

Warden gave his first response towards an unknown environment. His body, weak and pale, was laid down on a wooden bed with barely any comfort as a very thin blanket covered his body.

He was wearing a white robe with a logo on the upper left. The clothes looked neat, as if it was brand new.

Warden examined the place he was in. There were no windows in the dark room, and the light present was just a palm-sized magical device simulating a candle. To include, the walls of the room were similar to ancient stone-type walls where evidence of moss creeping was found.

What is this place?

Removing the blanket that covered him, Warden stood up from his bed. However, his body was so weak that he staggered and fell to the ground, accidentally breaking a few things near him. This caused a commotion, causing two ladies to dash into the room to check what was happening.

"An impatient type, huh? Standing as soon as you woke up." A woman with a wand on her hand chuckled. "You should have checked the state you are in."

From the outfit she was wearing, it would be safe to assume she was someone who had high authority. Waving the wand in her hand, the tumbled Warden suddenly found himself being lifted up by an invisible force from the ground to the bed.

'Who are these people?' Warden thought, as he was unfamiliar with everything around him.

Just as he was about to ask a question, the lady who used magic earlier intercepted his thoughts.

"Someone found you in a near death state earlier and brought you here. What happened?" The woman asked in a stern way as she folded her arms.

Warden then combed through his memories to explain himself when suddenly his head hurt from finding the answer to that question.

Why can't I....remember anything?

Warden was feeling heavy at this moment as he could not recall anything before waking up. It's as if he was a newborn with only his name and a negligible bit of knowledge on how the world works.

Knowing that thinking about it would only make it worse, Warden stopped forcing himself to remember. Relief immediately gushed through his head when he made this particular action.

"Unfortunately, I can't recall anything that happened." He shook his head and replied.

Warden was saying the truth. He really could not remember anything.

The woman furrowed her brows at his response. "What do you mean?"

"Other than my name, I have no memories prior to the incident. I only remember waking up in this room."

The woman sighed and turned to the other lady who went with her. "Seems like you need to report this to the academy headmaster, Eliza. Tell him that we found a peculiar lad."

Beside the woman was a beautiful teen wearing a blue hooded cape. Her inner outfit was a skinny dress which emphasized her hourglass figure and a pair of blue heeled boots that extends up to her knees. If she dressed otherwise, it would completely make her look like none other than a nun in a convent.

She had fair skin and blue eyes, which made her an extremely extravagant beauty that could make heads turn. Her sky blue hair complimented her outfit, giving an aura of pleasant iciness to whoever looked at her.

"Yes, mistress." Eliza nodded as she walked out of the room, leaving the woman to interrogate Warden.

"Can you tell me where I am?" Warden asked her.

"You'll get your answer later. I should be the one who should be asking first."

Waving her wand, the woman conjured a chair out of thin air using a spell. She then sat down and continued. "Let me introduce myself first. I am Chrysalis, a conjuring hunter who works as a nurse of the infirmary you are staying in. Earlier, you said that you could only remember your name. So my first question is... who are you?"

"I..." He answered hesitantly.

It was his first time meeting this woman. Should he go ahead and trust her?

Suddenly, the nurse answered. "You can trust me. I can assure that on the behalf of the academy you are staying in."

?!?!

Warden felt his skin shiver when he heard the nurse telling him to trust her.

She could read minds? How is that possible?!

Warden suddenly became wary towards the woman who was in front of her. If this woman could read minds, then it would be easy for this person to breach his privacy, which was something he wouldn't want.

Fortunately, that wasn't the case.

"Relax..." She smiled. "I told you that because you were giving off a wary expression. I didn't thought that would make it worse." The woman chuckled at her own mistake.

Warden sighed and felt his muscles ease after hearing those words.

Seems like telepathy can't just abruptly appear in this world, right?

Warden was about to answer when suddenly the nurse's voice sounded.

"If you don't feel comfortable sharing it right now, I don't mind. However, I still have to ask sometime, we need to keep a record on patients here."

Chrysalis continued. "Also, the presence of the mana in your body indicates that you are a hunter. However, we did not find any hunter class weapon in the vicinity where you were found lying. Thus, we could not identify your hunter class. To be able to give the appropriate treatment measures, would you mind telling us your hunter class?"

Hunter class? Mana? What are those?

Warden furrowed his brows and shook his head as an answer. "I truly have no idea what you're talking about."

Honestly, Warden was just clueless about these jargons that were thrown at him. He might have remembered his name and a bit of knowledge about this world, but he was still lacking in knowledge on so many aspects.

"If that is the case, let's do a test." Chrysalis said, waving her wand as she conjured a table in front of her.

With another wave, eight weapons appeared on the table from thin air. Even if these weapons weren't of the greatest quality, it would still suffice for the test.

Warden felt his heart race when he saw the abrupt appearance of the table and his weapons. Although the same thing had also happened a while ago, it was his blurry thoughts that got into his way, making him unable to appreciate the things ordinary people can't do.

Now that he got his thoughts together, he could finally appreciate the beauty of a spell.

"These are hunter class weapons with the quality of basic." Chrysalis voice's sounded. "Since you are a hunter, your mana, which is your source of power, should resonate with the weapon most suited with your hunter class. Once the resonance is established, we can find out your hunter class depending on the type of the weapon that resonated."

Snapping her fingers, Chrysalis made a paper scroll appear from thin air as it dropped to one of her hands. She then handed the scroll to Warden who was still taking the time to appreciate the spell.

Warden opened the scroll which contained brief and basic information on the hunter weapons found in the table. It also included small amounts of information of the hunter classes which Warden wanted to get a hold of.

Okay, lets see...

| Staff — The weapon used by Mages, who have great affinity with mana

| Bow + Arrow — The weapon used by Rangers, who are adept at long-ranged attacks

| Dagger — The weapon used by Assassins, who specialize in stealth

| Shield — The weapon used by Tankers, who have great defensive capabilities

| Codex — The weapon used by Priests, who are blessed by light and healing magic

| Gauntlet — The weapon used by Brawlers, who are agile melee combatants

| Swords — The weapon used by Warriors, who are heavy melee combatants

| Wands — The weapon used by Conjurers, who are the most versatile hunters

Warden looked back and forth from the contents of the paper scroll to the weapons found on the table.

So there are eight hunter classes that exist. Alongside with these hunter classes are the main weapons they use in order to bring out their full power. Staffs were given to mages in order for them to unleash magic attacks. Obviously, the bow and arrow was designed for the ranger's long ranged attacks. For the assassin, due to its stealthy nature, a light yet sharp melee weapon would make sense, while the shield is meant for the tanker because of its great defensive abilities.

Warden slowly integrated the newly learned knowledge into his mind as he continues to analyze the short information found in the scroll.

Priests probably have some sort of spells in their books in order to heal others, while brawlers are agile close-ranged fighters who could fight with their bare hands. Hence, the gauntlet is designed so that the brawlers can maximize their damage output. Swords were pretty much made for the Warriors as they are effective in standing their ground against other melee combatants. And lastly, wands were made for conjurers to conjure things out of thin air. They are the most versatile class since they can conjure any weapon they want. If the power is used correctly, the said hunter class can possibly be a warrior's biggest weakness as he could conjure a bow and arrow and deploy long-ranged attacks the warriors' can't defend against.

"Then how do I resonate with any of the weapons?" Warden asked the nurse.

Chrysalis replied with a smile. "Touch the weapon. Once you touch the right weapon, a soft vibrating sound would be released and you would feel that the weapon is a part of your body."

That's it? Well, that seems easy.

Warden then proceeded to touch the weapons one by one, from the staff to the dagger, and then on to the codex, and the bow and arrow. He continued to touch every weapon and tried to feel every possible link the weapons might give.

However, seven weapons have already been touched and there was still no sign of any resonance happening.

Warden then looked at the last untouched weapon with a spark in his eyes—a wand. Ever since he saw Chrysalis conjure things with her wand, he was longing to learn spells which were similar to that. To add, he was starstruck when he saw how things would suddenly appear out of thin air.

If that's the case, then the last untouched weapon must be the one that can induce resonance!

Warden's face beamed as he proceeded to touch it, with thoughts on his mind on how should he use this wand to create new things. Perhaps, he could make himself a more comfier bed than the one he was currently sitting on.

But contrary to his expectations, not a single change happened when Warden touched the wand. He still did not feel a connection or hear a soft vibrating sound.

Huh??

Warden furrowed his brows in confusion and asked.

"Are the weapons broken?"

"No." Chrysalis shook her head with a bewildered expression. Never had she expected a result like this to happen. There was no such event where a hunter would fail to resonate with any of the weapons of the eight classes.

Was there something wrong with the weapons?

Chrysalis started to doubt the weapons that were in the table whether they were real or not. Nevertheless, she still had to give it another check.

"Try again." Chrysalis said, pointing at the weapons.

Warden nodded his head as he continued to touch the weapons again one by one. But just like the previous, there was still no sign of resonance among him and any of the weapons.

"I still can't feel anything nor do I hear a vibrating sound." Warden stated to the nurse.

Was this test actually legit? or a legit scam?

Chrysalis did not reply. Her face could not hide the expression that she too was bewildered of the results. Are the weapons she conjured for this test actually fake?

Chrysalis was the nurse who was tasked to test patients whose hunter classes were unknown. Once a patient's hunter class was revealed through this test, Chrysalis can apply appropriate treatment measures specifically designated to a hunter class.

For example, if a healing spell cast upon a mage was weak, it would have little to no effect on the recovery of his body. The reason is that the natural mana in a mage's body would cancel out the effects of the healing magic. This is why mages need stronger healing spells in order for healing magic to overcome the natural mana of the mage. To include, this is one of the main reasons why hunter classes have to be determined before giving appropriate treatment.

'There must be something wrong with how I did it, I better seek help from the higher-ups.'

"I'll be back. Stay here." Chrysalis said as she stands from the chair and walked towards the door of the room.

Warden looked at Chrysalis who had a confused look on his face and scratched his head.

So... is the test finished?

Just as Chrysalis was about to open the door, a loud horrifying scream was heard within the premises. Panic began to rush up the nurse's head as she frantically left the room and slammed the door, leaving behind Warden with a frightened expression.

His goosebumps rose all over his skin as he recognized the horrifying scream that he just heard.

Crap!

It was a scream released moments before one was killed. He did not know how or why he was able to recognize it, but one thing was for sure— he had to escape this place as soon as possible. If he didn't, he could very well be the next victim.

There is a killer in the premises!

Warden grabbed the staff on the table and used it to support his weak body as he hastens to leave the room. His heart was racing and panic was gradually rising within him.

If I don't leave here quickly, I won't have another second chance!

Warden then opens the doorknob and finds himself in a hallway shrouded in deathly silence. Its atmosphere likened to a building that was deserted decades ago. Darkness was blanketing the hallways with no signs of light to be seen. And to add, drops of water were dripping from the ceiling.

The lack of wind in the place, the dripping water from the ceiling, and the pitch black darkness gave Warden an idea of where this place actually is.

Could it be...?

He then quickly goes back to his room to retrieve the candle simulating magical device to confirm something. With the device in one hand and a staff in the other, Warden brought the device closer to the walls and as expected, his speculation was right.

There are no windows in this place! Only walls and ceilings dripping with water. There is no wind to be felt in this place, which means...

We're underground!

Warden felt his spines tingle when that realization had hit him. It now made sense why these walls were peculiar to him at first. It is because they were enchanted with magic and had to hold the heavy ground above it!

If he looked closely, there were actually light devices that were embedded on the walls. However, it seemed like these devices were destroyed on purpose, resulting in the subterranean infirmary to be blanketed in a black veil.

Warden then took a step closer towards the darkness with his bare feet, unaware of what lies beyond. His footsteps resembled that of a thief sneaking inside a household at night. He continued to walk until he began to step on warm, sticky fluid.

He flinched at the disgusting fluid that he was stepping on, and he felt another shiver run down his spine.

Ugh! What is this?

Unfortunately, due to the small light the device could only give, Warden could only see a limited line of sight in this darkness.

Warden then brought the device closer to the ground and saw a scene that almost made him drop the simulating device.

Warden's eyes constricted when he saw a sight he would never forget. His breath was suddenly cut short as his knees dropped to the ground from the shock that was overwhelming him.

Gasp.

What.....monstrosity...

Warden could barely hold himself after seeing large amounts of blood flowing everywhere. His arms were trembling from the lingering brutality that recently happened in this place.

There were shredded guts scattered around the pool of blood, giving Warden a reflex to puke at the sight of it. The mix of vomit and blood in the area created an extremely foul scent that was beyond comparable to decayed corpses.

However, just as Warden was about to regain his composure, he accidentally illuminated a corner near the pool of blood and saw a terrifying sight that would forever scar a weak mind.

A horrified head whose eyes were gouged out was drenched in blood.

And the head belonged to none other than the nurse, Chrysalis.