The Monstrous Man Hunter

 A foot stomped on wooden flooring, getting a better position while they brought down a training sword with both hands. Fully kitted out with training gear. The other person blocked with his own training sword, with only one hand. Both attacked back and forth. Training rigorously. "You've still got it, coach," commented a feminine voice. "Stop teasing me, I'm just an old man," replied a thin middle-aged man with blonde hair, prominent wrinkles, and no left arm. "I could tell you were going easy on me," he looked down at his student, sitting on her knees. "You loosened your grip out of consideration, right?" He asks. "Oh, that was barely a handicap," she replied, "If only you still had your other arm maybe-" She was interrupted-. "Enough of that, it's been months since that incident," he explained, looking down at his ringing phone. "An urgent call, again?" He sighed, "Low-ranking Mythics like me get annoying last-minute calls," He complained, "Looks like we'll have to wrap things up here today," He turned to face his student. "Coach, are you really not going to retire?" She asks confused, "Tsk, retired?" He scoffs with an amused smirk on his face. "I won't be alive for much longer. I want to help this world be a better place with the time I have left," He replied, facing his student. "But never mind that I'm quite surprised to have an S-rank like you learning the way of the sword from a lowly Mythic," He replied. "I may be a higher rank, but my skills are still lacking," She explained, brushing this compliment off.

The same man walked down the street, deep in thought. "A D-rank dungeon this time?" He thought, looking down at his sleeve waving in the air. "My sword doesn't work against magic beasts because my physical abilities weren't enhanced when I awakened. Why did a swordsman like me get awakened as a mage?" David thought with annoyance. "I spent years honing my swordsmanship, but it's useless in the dungeon," He added, with an external sigh. "There must be a reason for this," David thought, clenching his fist with determination. Just at that moment, David's shoulder met another man walking out of a dress store. "Crap, I'm so sorry, I wasn't," he looked up to see a familiar face. "Wait, no way, is that really you, Winter?" He asks with surprise. "Uncle David?" Winter asks with just as much surprise. "I barely recognized you! There's no trace of your younger self left! You've changed so much within the course of a few months!" He placed his only hand on Winter's shoulder after Winter flinched. "What happened to you?!" David asks. "Ah, wait! I shouldn't have asked," he remembered Winter's home life. "No, it's okay. I left that place. I'm living on my own now," he explained awkwardly, a hand on his neck. "It's great that you got out of that hellhole, Anyway, it would've been a tragedy if a young man like yourself was broken down so much," David smiled proudly. "I'm so glad you're okay. Thank God!" He continues loudly, smiling brightly.

 In that same moment, Winter saw the sleeve waving in the wind, remembering that tragedy. "Don't worry about me! It's a miracle that an old man like me never had an accident up until then," he explained, " I heard rumors that you ran away, but I still can't believe you're in front of me like this!" He explained. "Did you get a call from the Association, too? Where are you on your way there?" Winter asks, "Yeah, they've been flooding my phone with calls," David replies, "I can barely teach my classes!" He added with a laugh from both. After some time of walking up trails, they make it to their location. The dungeon was open wide with a breeze of mana rushing out. "People have already started to gather here it seems," David greeted them without Winter. There was a fighter, a tank, a healer, an assassin, and finally a mage. A car drove up. And drop off more squad members. "Woah, are we on a movie set or somethin'?" Asks a man walking up with handcuffs, "Sure looks like one," they add. "Shut up, you idiots," Kang hissed. The man with purple hair and eyes walked up to the first who spoke, intimidatingly continuing "This isn't a picnic," he added. The first man with handcuffs shrugged it off and continued to walk up to the open dungeon.

"I'm sorry we're late. Winter and David, you're the two that were called on duty, correct?" asks a Dungeon Association worker, a young and very small woman walked up to both Winter and David. "H-hang on, what exactly is going on here?" David asks, as Winter eyes the two down. The first man passed by the healer. "I look forward to working with you today," he cheesily winking at her. "Keep moving, perv," Kang slapped him in the back of the head. "Are you talking about the probation prisoners?" She asks for confirmation from David, "They're going to join your raid today," she explained. "Probational prisoners?! Are you telling us to go on this raid with a bunch of criminals?!" David asks with outrage. "A-although they're criminals, they used to be dungeon raiders. They became probational prisoners in order to reduce their sentence, so they won't be causing any trouble," she explained with worry. "For fucks sake," David sighed, "I hope you understand the circumstances, sir. We don't have a choice. The number of raiders in this district has drastically declined," she explained, building some confidence in her tone. "There is nothing to worry about, My associate, Kang, is from the association's surveillance team. He has agreed to participate in today's raid," she began. "All of the prisoners are C-ranks, and Kang is B-rank. In order to clear a b-rank dungeon, you'll need around 10 c-rank raiders," she explained. "I don't know why... But, Kang feels suspicious," Winter thought, staying beside David.

They began to go in, "Ah, I see," David thought, "This, too must be fate," Walking into the dungeon a breeze of mana and cold air rushed through the participants of the raid. "Into the dungeon, we must go," David guided everyone in. Within the dungeon, Kang unlocked their handcuffs. "Those cuffs were annoying as hell," one stretched out. "Are you sure you can treat us like this? We're not slaves, y'know," he continued. "Shut up," Kang replied, moving on to the next person. "Just like my associate explained, I'm Kang from the surveillance team. As you heard, I'll be keeping a close eye on those scumbags," he explained. "Who'll be taking the lead today?" Kang asks David. "I suppose I can," he replied. "Then I'll entrust you with guiding the party," Kang responded. "Winter, are you fine with me being the leader?" David asks, looking over at Winter. "Seems like the best idea you had since I knew you," Winter teased, and David laughed.

Moving through the dungeon, and clearing it was easier said than done. Goblins were numerous and belligerent. Although, they weren't challenging for this raid team. "These guys are so full of openings," one whips a nunchuck around. "Boring, so boring!" Another swung a staff around, easily cutting through most of the goblins in his way. "Come at me, all of you!" He yelled as another punched through a goblin's head and part of their body. "I can't tell who's human and who's beast," David commented to himself, unaware of the goblin behind him. They leaped up in an effort to take advantage of this opening. David looked back, and dashed forward, swinging his hand around and throwing a powerful magical flame at the goblin. He saw two more coming from his front and placed his hand on the floor, a tornado of fire and dust consumed the two goblins.

The others continued their battles, slowly clearing the dungeon one monster at a time. "Looks like you've improved quite a bit, Winter. Where did you get such a neat dagger? I remember you always fought empty-handed. Now that you have a weapon, you're like a completely different person," David explained, "Really?" Winter asks, laughing it off, and beginning to talk with the healer. "I said it as a joke, but he's definitely changed a whole lot," David thought to himself. "It's not just his looks, but his aura too," he added. "Is he really the same Winter I knew before?" David asks himself. "He used to be kinda pathetic, but now he looks at ease, He's a full-grown man now," He thought. Watching Winter talk with the group.

"Damn, the path splits into three," The tank groaned. Staring at the fork in the road. "This dungeon seems easier than I expected, so how about we split up?" Kang asks David, walking up to him. "It may be a little more risky, but the time it will take to clear this dungeon will drastically decrease," Kang explained. "Sounds like a plan," David replies. "I'll take the prisoners and go down the path on the right, so if you happen to find the boss's lair, just notify me," Kang explained as he walked off down the right path. "Hey, Uncle David, let's go left," Winter pointed to where he sensed a stronger aura. "Okay," David replied. Kang smirked, looking over at Winter. Confused, Winter glared back at Kang, uncertain of this stranger.

They took their separate ways, and Winter began to think. "The boss is at the end of this path. I can't gain experience by fighting goblins, so I'll have to kill the boss to gain at least another level," Winter thought, gripping his dagger. "More importantly, I'm getting a bad feeling about that guy," he thought of Kang as he followed the prisoners, watching them fight the goblins. "Are you guys done already?" Kang asks, "That was easy!" One explained, "Ah, they're too weak. Goblins are no match for us!" The other laughed. "Goblins are weaker compared to the average human adult male. They have small bodies and their level of intelligence is that of a child's, but their ability to ambush using sneaky tactics makes them a tricky opponent," Kang explained, before going on to say: "Of course, giving a weapon to a human child would likewise be tricky to handle. Because even a child with a weapon is capable of killing another person," he continues. "There are many childish soldiers that arm themselves with weapons and attack people. There's no difference between humans and magic beasts. They're both just pesky insects," Kang explained, looking down at the corpses of the goblins. "Are you guys capable of killing a child?" He asks the prisoners. "What? Why are we talking about this, again?" One asks from the left of Kang. "You're right. It's quite off-topic from our raid," Kang smiled sinisterly, "From Now on, all of you will face off against a hundred little goblins," he explained. "Cut the crap, man. There's not that much in this dungeon," The same prisoner replied. "In order to live, you must kill your opponent, no matter who that may be," Kang explained. "When we leave this dungeon, this is what we'll report to the association. All of you, faced off against a hundred goblins at once," He added, smiling sinisterly.