Raid

Ryland flinched, taken aback by his superior's temper. Neither he nor Udilia had witnessed Angus' outburst. They hoped that they wouldn't have to even if it isn't directed at them.

He realized what he is doing and finally calmed down. This is not like him. He is not the kind to get so angry.

"I'm sorry. That was uncalled for?" said Angus. He covered his face in shame as he got a better glimpse of the damage he had done to the poor furniture.

"I am poor and only doing this job for the money. I do not want trouble with anyone, so I'll appreciate it if I don't see you again," said the masked hunter.

"Forgive me, young hunter. That was unprofessional on my side."

"No offense taken," said Oliver, disguised as the Nameless Hunter.

"Thank you for your time. Ryland will take you back,"

From his position, Angus watched as Ryland drove away with the Nameless Hunter.

"There something about him," said Udilia.

"And here I thought I was the only one who felt that way," said Angus. He turned to look at Udilia and then said; "I want to know more about this unusual man, and I'm gonna need your help...

…Find out more about him. Any info that can help me figure him out is highly needed,"

"...I understand," Udilia nodded.

* * *

The next place he headed to is, of course, the mansion. Not surprising, he met Khalim who was quite happy to see him.

"You've kept me waiting," he said.

"Sorry, something came up," said the Nameless Hunter.

"It was that important you could not answer the call, maybe call back?"

"Unfortunately... yes,"

Khalim said nothing in reply to his answer. The hunter is here, that's all that matters.

"Come with me please,"

Both of them strolled towards an elevator and went in. Slowly descending, the nameless hunter could see through the transparent area of the elevated, viewing several persons just meters below. As they got closer, these individuals also noticed them.

"A new guy?"

"Seems like it,"

The elevator reached the floor and its door opened, letting the Nameless Hunter and Khalim out.

"What is this?" questioned the nameless hunter.

"This will be your temporary teammates chosen for the upcoming hunt," said Khalim.

"I see... so you think I am qualified now?"

"Well... it doesn't matter what I think. The Handler chose you himself. Whatever might have changed his mind, is a mystery to me,"

The Nameless Hunter knows for a fact why the so-called Handler might have changed his mind. That is something he is going to address.

"Maybe he should reconsider," said the nameless hunter.

Khalim does not understand what he is trying to say, or what his words are supposed to mean.

"I did not kill the monster with my power alone. I would have died if some mysterious guy hadn't come to my rescue,"

"I pretty much figure that out," said Khalim, "Nevertheless, the Handler chose you.

...And since you're here, let's begin," Khalim's voice increased. He is speaking to everyone this time around.

They all gathered together, eager to hear what Khalim has to say. The nameless hunter stood by a corner, probably not in the mood to blend in.

"As you already know, you all will be Cave-hunting. Your foe is a group of species known as the Orclins."

A sample image of the mentioned monster appeared. This is to give everyone a rough understanding of what this creature looks like.

"The greatest mistake you'll make is underestimating this life form."The deeper you go, the more powerful the new versions you'll see," said Khalim.

"I will provide you all with rough maps that'll be of help. Most of the directions you'll see on the map might be incorrect, it also gives little useful info, and a lot is very limited,"

"Um..." A female hunter raised her hand to comment; "So... basically, we have no map,"

"Precisely," said Khalim. "Nevertheless, as useless as this map might be, it could be of help in some ways.

"Any questions?"

"I do," said one hunter, "What's the goal of this quest?"

"I'm glad you asked. I was coming to that," said Khalim. "The goal is to find another exit point out of the cave into the outside world,"

They all stared in confusion, not sure what the hell Khalim is talking about.

"To keep it simple, your job is to dig deeper in their cave. The deeper you go, the higher your reward.

Also. I probably don't need to spell it out as you already know. You could die from this mission, that is not a joke. If you don't think this is the right job for you, then it is likely not the right job for you... I suggest you quit now."

At the moment, nobody moved, whatever doubt they had, it wasn't enough to make them quit, not even close.

"Good luck then," said Khalim. "We will begin tomorrow."

Khalim walked back to the nameless hunter right after his speech.

"We've still got a bit to talk about," he said before walking away. The Nameless Hunter followed right behind him, heading for the elevator once again.

"I thought the reason for the raid is to find treasures," said the Nameless Hunter.

"I was wrong about that?"

"Yes, you are," said Khalim in reply.

"If your hunting game has taken you to other worlds, then you're among the few who might have noticed the restriction we from this world are given,"

"What restrictions are you talking about?"

"As I said, we have a lot to talk about,"

Minutes later, the duo were in a completely different location.

"The Handler will like to speak with you himself," said Khalim.

On a big screen, a shadowy figure appeared. This is how he always appears to everyone.

"You are the Handler?"

"Yes indeed, I am," said the Handler.

This is the first time the Nameless Hunter is meeting this individual. Yet he's still not met him in person.