Chapter 3

"What the hell happened??" Sin gritted his teeth as he killed the third demon. There were at least five left. "This type of demon does not usually attack in a horde!" He wasn't tired since Anil's spells were working their wonders but he just felt annoyed that this just had to happen right before dinner. He was really starving!!

"What happened, Amon?" Aurora felt that both Mugen and Amon knew. If Mugen knew, then he would definitely tell Amon.

Amon sighed as he readied his shield for another aggro. "Our cute kid happened." His words surprised his teammates. Only Mugen who already knew everything remained impassive. "And before you make another assumption about him… The answer is no. He doesn't seem to know he was the cause."

"Now that you mentioned it," Sin's eyes lit up from recognition. "That demon earlier too. It was going to attack us but then it sniffed something else and ran away towards the meadow where that kid was." He then scowled as he remembered Seth's face. "I knew he's way too pretty for a normal human boy! He's suspicious, way too suspicious!"

"But that only means he's not a demon, right?" Aurora mused aloud. "I mean, if demons are trying to attack him, then he must be human… even if he smells… differently."

"His scent… is similar to that monstrous hunter's scent." Mugen finally voiced it out loud. "I only saw that person from afar once but I won't ever forget that kind of scent. The kid's scent is mellower though..."

"You mean that kid has the same scent as that f*cking infamous–!?" Sin's eyes widened in shock but he was not able to continue his words as he tried to parry a particularly strong attack from one of the last three remaining demons.

Mugen also managed to defeat another one at almost the same time. "Hn. But like I said, much more mellow… and a lot sweeter. I'm not sure if they are from the same race since the scent is similar but also very distinctly different."

"So, which is it then?" Sin looked disappointed at his teammate for not even being able to tell that much. "Similar or not?" Mugen looked at him in annoyance.

"Right." Amon cleared his throat at that. "So, to explain it shortly, this attack happened because his blood was spilled. It attracted all these demons." He voiced as he thrust his sword into the last monster's throat, killing it in an instant.

"…Like a live bait?" Anil asked, as if summing up Seth's existence in such a shallow manner.

"No, no, no!" Amon chuckled awkwardly at the poor choice of words. "It's not like that… it's more like…" He then blushed a bit before he looked at Mugen for help. He really didn't want to be the one to say it.

"…For demons, the craving for flesh and the hunger for mating is sometimes one and the same." Mugen explained without a speck of emotion, wiping his sword of filth and blood.

"You mean…" Sin felt crept out. "Some of them actually want… to mate with him?" He then looked at the mangled bodies of the monsters they defeated with disgust.

"But that would mean he's also a demon." Anil mused aloud, a little confused since she was the one who performed the Grim curse on Seth. Not to mention that the kid had neither transformed nor attacked them all this time. And Mugen also mentioned that Seth's scent was similar to that hunter… and that infamous hunter wasn't from the demon race.

Aurora blinked in surprise. They would like to mate with him? Her eyes then widened as he looked at Mugen. "Then, you also…?" She voiced out before she could stop herself. She immediately received a cold glare from the male.

Amon stiffened. Wrong words!! Why must he have so many teammates who had no delicacy??

"Watch your mouth." Mugen was already on the verge of pointing his spear at his teammate. "I'm. NOT. A demon." His voice was even and his tone was calm but everybody knew he was more than deadly. His eyes almost glowed red as he glared at Aurora, his murderous aura could be felt by all of them.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean it like that." Aurora apologized but Mugen simply started walking away without another word. She couldn't help but sigh. He's always been like this… and it only made him even more handsome…

Sin also sighed. Anil, the only one new to the team, didn't understand what's going on. The only thing she figured out was the fact that Mugen had some connection to demons.

"That's rule no. 5, Aurora." Amon's pissed-off aura started covering the air. "I thought I told you not to bring up Mugen's background!! When will you ever learn!?"

"Hyahh~!! Amon~!!! More~! I mean, please stop~!!" Aurora's screams in the distance made Seth worry.

"…What's happening?" Seth voiced as he waited for them to come back.

He could make out what was happening earlier because he could somehow barely see in the vast darkness but then the fight had gone much farther away and not even he knew what happened afterwards. After a little while, he saw Mugen walking briskly towards the barrier… alone.

What happened to the others??

When Mugen saw him, Seth thought the other male glared at him before going inside one of the tents. What was that all about? He blinked at the tent, not knowing if he should ask what happened or not. It seemed, however, that he didn't have to decide since he already saw the other four members of the team coming out onto the meadow one by one.

Seth was relieved to see them all looking unharmed. He was really curious about what happened but he kept his mouth shut since he was not part of their group anyway. They must have fought with one another… One more thing that he noticed was the way they awkwardly greeted him.

Dinner went by uneventfully. Everyone seemed really tired and simply wanted to go inside their own tent.

Amon felt pity for the teen. Seth looked confused as to why everyone was treating him differently all of a sudden. It seemed Amon had no right to scold Aurora since he also blurted out the teen's circumstance without any thought. And yet, even now, he still had no idea what Seth really was. Well, if even Mugen was not entirely sure, then how could he know? He's merely human… All he knew was the fact that Seth didn't seem to have any ill-intention towards his team… or to anybody for that matter. And that's good enough for him.

He walked towards the teen. "You can sleep in my tent for now." Seth looked at him in surprise, as if confused that he was still treating the teen in the same way. He felt extremely guilty. "I'll sleep in the tent of the person who will guard next."

"Are you sure?" Seth felt glad that he didn't have to sleep on the grass but he still felt uncomfortable having to take Amon's tent. He tried to fight the rush of blood that immediately pooled on his cheeks. He needed to calm down. Still, it was quite embarrassing to accept the offer. He already ate some of their rations too. Maybe that's the reason why they were acting strange? Or maybe they realized that he really was from a different world?

Amon patted his head again. "Don't worry about it and just sleep. It's not always that I offer my tent to other people so you should just go and take it."

Seth nodded, feeling both grateful and bashful at the same time. "…Thank you." He bowed a little in gratitude before he went inside Amon's tent. He blushed again because the whole tent smelled like Amon. It wasn't bad though. Not to mention it was a lot more comfortable than sleeping outside. He initially thought he wouldn't be able to sleep since he's in a foreign environment with strangers, but his body was more tired and in need of rest than he thought.

He found himself in that dark void again. However, this time, he could see his whole body as he stood in the middle of the darkness.

He tried walking but there was nothing except the void.

After a while, he heard someone crying in the distance. It was a cry filled with grief and sorrow, of pain and agony. Seth wanted to cover his ears because it felt like the sound was reverberating throughout his body and piercing his heart.

And yet, he found his feet walking towards the sound.

He felt that he somehow recognized it.

It took him quite a while to locate the owner of the voice but he finally wished he hadn't. He stood there, frozen from head to foot, as he watched a middle-aged woman crying over the body of a teen. It was his mother.

She was kneeling and hugging him, his blood covering her hands and clothes. Blood had pooled down the ground the teen was lying on and his clothes and face were also bloodied. "My son… my son… No, please, Seth… no… not you… I can endure losing everything else… but not you…" She cried over his body, hugging him tightly like a lifeline.

Seth stood there, unable to do anything. He opened his mouth to try and say something, anything, to lessen her sorrow. But he found out that he couldn't. There was no voice coming out of his throat and he could only stare at her as tears filled his eyes before flowing down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry… I'm really sorry, Mom…" He mouthed quietly, knowing full well that she could not hear him.

He then heard many shadows whispering all around them. Shadows moved to take the body away and she was left wailing as some shadows tried to help her stand up.

His breath hitched as his eyes opened wide. His cheeks were wet with tears and he sat up as he wiped them. He then stared at the darkness inside the tent, his gaze unfocused as he remembered the vivid dream. Or perhaps it was what really happened in his world… He could still almost hear his mother's cries and he couldn't help but hug his knees as he sobbed quietly inside the tent. This was the second time he had given her such grief. The first time was truly his fault and he was remorseful about it, especially when he saw how much she suffered from it. But this time… There would be no words of apology coming from his mouth this time. There would be no words to comfort her, to tell her that he was fine.

He didn't know how long he hugged himself like that as he cried his heart out quietly. When he finally calmed down enough to go back to sleep, he heard Amon's hushed voice just outside the tent.

"…You should come out and see the moon." He said tentatively. "It's quite a beautiful night."

Seth stared at the closed entrance of the tent, as if in a daze. Amon's shadow was there, he seemed to be sitting down in front of it. Slowly, he wiped the last streak of tears from his cheeks and opened the tent's multiple clasps before crawling out. Amon sat there with his back on the teen. He was a few meters away from the tent and his shadow only appeared larger and closer to the tent because of the campfire in front of him. The man seemed to be looking at the bright moons up in the sky.

Seth looked up at the sky too. Two moons shone and brightened the night sky with their differing colors – the larger one gave a silvery-bluish gleam while the brighter, smaller moon gave off a pinkish-lavender brightness. The appearance of those moons only heightened the fact that he really was in a strange, foreign world. He stood up and walked near the fire too. He sat beside Amon and continued to stare at the moon. It somehow calmed him down a lot. They were beautiful…

Amon remained quiet, his expression gentle and comforting. Seth knew that the man must have heard him crying in the tent. He was glad the man had yet to ask him anything. He figured he needed to be the one to start… for once.

"I thought you said you would sleep when the next guard comes?" His eyes then traveled towards Mugen who stood quite far from them, standing alone just outside the barrier. His golden-colored eyes watched as the spear-wielder walked towards one of the trees and sat down, leaning on its trunk.

Amon chuckled sheepishly as he scratched his cheek. Seth noticed that the older man usually did it when he didn't know what to say or if he felt awkward. "Well, Sin was supposed to guard after me but… he just wouldn't wake up and kept telling me that he was tired while snoring." There was a hint of annoyance in his voice but there was also amusement and tenderness. They must really be close to one another… "Mugen is just replacing him for now… and well…" He wanted to tell Seth that there's no way Mugen would allow him to set foot inside the man's tent. The spear-wielder's sense of smell was way too sensitive and he didn't want any other scent inside his tent other than his own.

Amon then chuckled, much to Seth's surprise. "Mugen actually saw me nodding off earlier. It's embarrassing."

"You all seem very close." Seth observed, finally looking at the campfire in front of them. His hand found a small twig and he absentmindedly poked the fire with it as he spoke.

"Well, we've been together for more or less four years now." Amon's expression looked nostalgic as he started telling Seth how they all met. He mentioned how he used to be a solo hunter and how he tried to do everything on his own, not much different from the rest of his teammates who were also working solo during those times, except Aurora. She was the sole person in their team who previously belonged to another team. She was the sole survivor of a disastrous dungeon raid. There were two teams in that raid and she alone survived. Or rather, she was the only one found to be still breathing. If the reinforcement hunters arrived a little later or their healer wasn't a Level B hunter, she also would have died. On the other hand, Amon met Sin in a dungeon raid and formed a party with him. From then on, the two of them started forming parties whenever they saw one another until they finally formed a duo. Mugen was a Squire, or rather, a knight-in-training. He was not a hunter before.

Seth was quite astounded when Amon talked about dungeons, monsters, and hunting as if they were something one would hear in an everyday conversation. But, of course, it was… He's the only one who came from a different world. In this world, dungeons and monsters were just as ordinary as any typhoon or earthquake, or even thunderstorm. It seemed that dungeons would spontaneously appear all throughout the whole continent. Dungeons gave off dark energy and were rated according to the dark energy they emitted. The weakest dungeon was rated as an F minus or F-, just like how regular hunters were also rated as F- when they first start their journey. The more concentrated and the more sinister the dark energy, the higher the level of a dungeon was. Hunters were the ones who had the capability to go inside it and kill the boss monster in order to close it.

Dungeons need to be closed so the creatures that continuously spawn inside do not end up going onto the outside world. They always did while the dungeon remained open. Not to mention ordinary humans might also end up going inside them since some dungeon entrances may look like ordinary caves to a normal civilian. However, closing dungeons was more difficult than normal people thought. They were guarded by many creatures, depending on the type of dungeon they were. However, the biggest challenges were always the Sentinels guarding each of the rooms and the Boss Monster at the very end of the dungeon. Monsters and other creatures inside dungeons would drop items or artifacts for hunters to sell or equip. Also, items from high-level dungeons were regarded as highly valuable and would get paid for lavishly. Not to mention the core crystals forming inside some dungeons would also fetch for a high price. It's a very dangerous treasure trove, but a rich treasure trove nonetheless.

Aside from that, Amon also mentioned that Mugen once had a knight companion who was also a hunter. He was the one who introduced Mugen to Amon. That knight, however, met an unfortunate end inside a dungeon while raiding with his master.

Seth blinked at that before his eyes gazed at the blue-haired man sitting under the shade of one of the trees quite far from them, as if more comfortable to be there than anywhere near them.

"Please don't mind him." Amon voiced after a while. "He just had a lot of… bad experiences with people so he rarely trusts anyone anymore."

Seth had so many questions but he didn't know how to ask them. He decided to ask the simplest one. "What's a Squire? And what exactly is a hunter?"

Amon opened his mouth to say that the teen really didn't know much about the world but stopped himself short of saying it. He remembered how the teen was crying even in his sleep earlier. He figured he better not say anything that could revert the topic back to where the teen came from. "Hunters are people whose primary jobs are exterminating the creatures inside the dungeons and killing the boss monster to close it. We also go hunting in different places, as well as do requests that people pay us for." He explained. Seth nodded, feeling both fearful of this new world and also deeply amazed. It really felt like an MMORPG game after all. "We can do a lot of different jobs and accept a variety of requests, even those that have nothing to do with hunting – like guarding a mansion for a day or two, cleaning jobs, message or parcel delivery from one place to another, and even just something as simple as finding a lost pet cat. If the one who requested had enough power and money, we can even be asked to kidnap a child, kill a person, or decimate a town."

Seth looked at him in surprise. Amon smiled bitterly. "That's the reality of being a hunter." He then chuckled when he noticed that Seth seemed worried. "Don't worry. Most of the hunters are respectable enough to decline such requests. And the Hunter Guild is also a highly-respected guild. They would never allow such requests." Amon then sighed. "Of course, there will always be an exception to the rules. Hunters who do such dirty commissions for the sake of money are called Black Hunters. They do not care what kind of request a person makes as long as the payment is good. They do not get those requests from the guild but from pubs or directly from the one who requested it." Seth seemed so absorbed in his worries regarding black hunters so Amon tried to lighten up the situation by asking a question too. "Why are you asking about hunters? Are you interested in becoming one?"

"No, but…" Seth looked at his feet then. He also didn't know why he was asking these things. It's just that somehow, he had the nagging feeling that he would be staying in this world permanently so he needed to know at least that much. And also… He looked at Amon's kind and gentle eyes. The man's eyes may be scary when he first saw them but now he was really grateful he was able to talk to Amon like this.

"In case you want to become a Hunter, the fastest way is to go to the Hunter Guild in Anthea City and register as a Level F- Hunter." Amon voiced out enthusiastically. "It costs five gold coins but I'm sure you'll be able to get that much amount back in less than a month if you work hard."

Seth wanted to say he couldn't possibly become a hunter with his meager attribute and lack of skills but he thought it might only seem like he's complaining about his lack of talent.

"Knights, on the other hand…" Amon continued, unaware of Seth's train of thoughts. "…are people who serve only one master for the rest of their lives. These knights usually come from prominent or noble families. They usually swear an oath to someone whom they think is worth serving. And once their master dies, they also end their lives. Some knights serve the royalties or other nobilities. Some of them choose to serve the person they love, especially if their personal feelings were unrequited. And some of them, those who do not value the blood but the worth of a person, choose to go to different places in search of their would-be master." Amon's eyes then trailed over to Mugen before he looked at Seth again. "Mugen is one of those people. Knights who do not yet serve a master cannot be called as such, no matter how strong they become. Thus, they are called knights-in-training… but nobilities prefer to call them Squire."

"Why would anyone want to be a Knight?" Seth mumbled. There was just too much to lose and nothing much to gain.

Amon smiled as he looked at Mugen. "If hunters get both money and fame, then knights get honor and fame. Of course, it's more of a tradition passed down to their generation."

"What does that mean?" Seth asked with curiosity.

"Well… prominent families, especially nobles, need successors to continue their bloodline, right?" Amon asked. Seth simply nodded, not knowing where the conversation was heading. "The most obvious choice for the parents is always to give the right of becoming heir to the firstborn. Then what do you think happens to the second-born and the rest?" Seth furrowed his eyebrows. Amon continued. "To make sure they won't be able to covet the position of being an heir, they are registered as knights-in-training from a young age. They swear an unbreakable oath that they will bring honor to the family as a knight and that they will not get married or have any offspring… This is to make sure they and their children will not be a hindrance to the firstborn in the future. The only way to escape swearing an oath to become a knight is to run away from your family or to discard your lineage, both of which will automatically relinquish your rights as a noble."

"So Mr. Mugen is a noble?" Seth looked at Mugen again. Now that he thought about it, the person indeed carried a different air with him. Even when he's just sitting and leaning on one of the trees outside the barrier, the spear-wielder's presence was rather remarkable. However, Seth didn't know if it was because the man was a noble or if it's because he was strong.

"Well, his family is kind of complicated…" Seth waited for Amon to explain further but the man didn't speak so he decided to just ask another question.

"Does that mean that person, I mean, Mr. Mugen is currently looking for a master?" Seth inquired, knowing that he was already off the topic that he wanted to really know but it couldn't be helped. He couldn't ask Amon about this world without starting from the smallest of topics.

"Well… hmm…" Amon hesitated again. Just how did their topic revolve around Mugen anyway? That person would surely strangle him if Mugen knew he was spilling the man's background story just like that. "Let's just say he stopped looking for a master a long time ago and now simply lives as a hunter. I don't think he would appreciate it if I were to tell you more so… let's just stop at that." Seth wanted to ask more since the topic had finally piqued his curiosity but he figured it's not like it would help him anyway. He could not even be called Mugen as an acquaintance so there's no practical value in the information, unless of course he planned to use it against Mugen in the future. In the end, he simply nodded as he decided to drop the subject. Amon patted his head in appreciation.

"Anyway, let's discuss the more important topic." Amon said as he finally wore a serious expression. Seth also looked sideways at him, wearing his usual nonchalant expression despite the still slightly prominent reddish tinge on his nose and eyes due to crying. "As I've said earlier, you have the option to go to the nearest town, which is about three days' worth of travel, but we won't be able to accompany you since we're going in a different way. So, if you want, you can just come with us until we reach Anthea City, and then we can introduce you to some people who may be able to help you get back to your town. You can also register as a hunter there if you want. Hunters gain a lot of information from different places and they are also allowed to travel without too many restrictions so it's the perfect job for you."

Yes, it's practical but Seth was more worried about his stats than anything else. He really hoped there was some other way. "I have a question." Seth voiced out after a while. He continued when he saw Amon nod. "Where… exactly is this place?"

Amon's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to grasp the real meaning of the question. He then sighed. He never really thought that Seth didn't know even that much. Now he wondered where Seth really came from. He borrowed Seth's stick and proceeded in drawing a map on the ground. "You already know that this world is called Axraite, right?" Seth blinked at him and shook his head. Amon sighed at that.

The teen then watched as the other male started drawing a semi-rhombus, semi-circular shape before making five small circular shapes inside. "This is a basic representation of the Mithra Continent, one of the three main continents in Axraite. It doesn't look like much in my drawing but it is a very huge place. This continent is divided into five main kingdoms." He pointed at the middle circle shape first. "This is the Kingdom of Kryq. We are somewhere around here… in the middle of the Batraz Forest…" His stick pointed at the southern part of the Kryq Kingdom. "The kingdom of Kryq is mostly inhabited by humans but there are also other races here, although not that many since this kingdom is quite infamous for its discrimination against non-human races. This is also where the Grim curse originated."

Seth nodded, his eyes still on the map.

Amon then pointed at the small circle on the northern part of the Mithra Continent. "This is the Gotama Kingdom. This is a kingdom ruled by the elves. Elves are haughty assh*les so if you can, try not to go to their territory." He then drew another circle on top of the Mithra Continent. "This large expanse of land north of Mithra is called the Dark Continent and is considered the second largest Continent in Axraite. It's at the northern outskirts of Gotama Kingdom – with only a wide river separating them – and is almost as huge as Mithra Continent itself. It is uninhabitable to humans and other races because dark elves dominate the entire place. As you know, dark elves are very bloodthirsty and violent on top of not having any compassion, the usual elf trait. Not to mention the weather there was said to be so frigid that no city could ever be built to become inhabitable. It's like an inhospitable wilderness in the midst of a freezing region."

Seth could almost feel the blood draining from his face. Just what kind of fucked-up world did he get himself into? He was initially excited at the mention of other races, especially when Amon started talking about elves. In his mind, he could imagine beautiful and slender people with silky, porcelain skin and pointed ears. However, when Amon started mentioning the dark elves, Seth immediately made a mental note to never go to that Dark Continent, ever. And besides, that place seemed so far away anyway.

Amon chuckled when he saw the grim look on Seth's face. "Don't worry. Dark elves are a solitary race so they rarely go to huge cities or even come out of their desolate region. They are also nocturnal so most of them hate the heat of the sun and enjoy the cold, freezing weather of the Dark Continent."

Seth nodded, a little relieved that he wouldn't be having any accidental encounters with a dark elf any time soon.

"Let's go back to Mithra Continent, shall we?" Amon then pointed at the eastern part of the map. "The Soma Kingdom is located in the eastern part of this continent. Soma is a very friendly kingdom and all races are welcome there, even dark elves, monsters, and demons, as long as they will not make any kind of trouble for the local citizens and the tourists. If they do, the authorities have the right to execute them on the spot."

"Executing people on the spot…" Seth's lips formed a thin line. "And that's friendly, huh…"

Amon chuckled. "You will see what I mean when you get there. It's very peaceful because no one will ever make a ruckus or create trouble for no apparent reason." Seth simply nodded. "The south has the Fiachra Kingdom. This kingdom is probably the most advanced in both technology and magic. Dwarves and mages inhabit the place. The dwarves occupy the western part of the kingdom while mages and elementalists live in the eastern part. This kingdom is also where the Magic Association's Headquarters and the Dwarves' Department of Technology are located. Mages and elementalists are allowed to perform magic even in public places and they are also allowed to do all sorts of experiments as long as it has the Magic Association's approval… which they leniently give all the time, unlike in other kingdoms. The dwarves are the ones in charge of all technological productions and rival the advancement of magic in many different ways. Thus, this kingdom's inhabitants are always in fierce competition with one another as they try to pursue both knowledge and power."

Seth wondered how it would be like living in a place filled with people constantly using magic. He figured it would definitely be amazing and bizarre. Then he remembered that mages were allowed to do all sorts of experiments as long as they had permission and suddenly Seth felt that he didn't want to go there anymore. Still, he smiled as he imagined the dwarves in his RPG games trying to expand their technological knowledge by doing all sorts of equipment and weapons.

He thought it really would be nice if he could become a hunter too. However, life was not that simple. It was the same here as it was on earth. Talented and skilled people would definitely rise above everyone else and someone like him… someone who couldn't even help but cry in his sleep would definitely be overshadowed immediately. Not to mention the danger in this place was real, unlike where he came from. Unless, of course, one was to be hit by a truck… then that was probably more dangerous than anything else.

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.to be continued…

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