Chapter 17 - Classmates

At the end of the day, Zack's hands were quite a bit hurt, and he had some scratches on his clothes as well. He still looked like a rock-metal singer with all that black leather, but he didn't have any other gear to wear in the monsters' territories, after all.

"Level twenty-six… this is a bit disappointing for a day," Zack thought. "It is probably because I didn't go all out and tried to be mindful of my surroundings. Maybe I should just head to the guilds where people won't think too much of me."

There are other cities with other guilds, but traveling between them was a bit troublesome. The distance between them was large, so the price was higher as well. Still, Zack didn't have to do that anymore. He just needed to wait for four more levels, but nothing was stopping him from looking for monsters without having to use the guild's services.

With the exception of the walled cities, where humans had managed to carve out a semblance of safety, monsters had claimed vast amounts of territory as their own. From dense forests to barren wastelands, from towering mountains to murky swamps, the creatures roamed freely; their presence was felt everywhere, but they tended to concentrate on the older cities.

For Zack, this meant that monsters were an ever-present threat, lurking just beyond the safety of the city walls. But it also presented him with a unique opportunity. Unlike most people, Zack saw the monsters not just as enemies to be feared but as potential targets to be hunted.

With a daring that few possessed, Zack considered climbing the city walls and venturing into the untamed wilderness beyond. He would head towards the closest city under monster territory. For Zack, this was not a journey to be feared but a challenge to be embraced since it would make him avoid a lot of issues.

Sure, it was inefficient and dangerous to venture into monster territory alone. The risks were great, and the rewards uncertain. But for Zack, that was all part of the thrill. He relished the adrenaline rush of facing danger head-on, of testing his skills against the monsters.

When Zack returned to the teleportation circle and was teleported to the guild, he soon found mages looking at him, trying to guess what he had brought with him. It's too bad for them, but he didn't get anything. 

Zack had planned to leave the dungeon without wasting any time, but soon, he found another group of his classmates at the entrance of the building. He couldn't help but sigh since they were all girls.

"Seriously… do they think that I am brain dead or something?" Zack thought.

As Zack was preparing to leave home, one of the girls from the group approached him after she looked surprised to find him there; her name was Sarah. She had a striking figure, with long, flowing hair the color of chestnuts cascading down her back in waves. Her blue eyes sparkled with a warm, inviting light, and there was a gentle smile playing at the corners of her lips.

"Hey, Zack," Sarah said, her voice soft and melodious. "It has been a while?"

Zack glanced up, his expression guarded. He wasn't used to people approaching him, especially not with such warmth and friendliness. While she was one of those in his class who never made fun of him, she was also one of those who kept their distance since, from the very beginning, it was clear that he didn't have any talent.

"Indeed," Zack replied, keeping his tone neutral.

"Did you come to hunt in one of our territories? It is rare to see people hunting solo," Sarah said.

, trying to appear nonchalant, " Zack shrugged. "Well, have a nice day."

"Well, if you ever need a partner out there, I'd be happy to join you. Two heads are better than one, right?" Sarah said. "I am a mage who has a bit of healing magic too."

"Thanks. If the opportunity arises one day, who knows?" Zack said and then crossed the guild's entrance.

Zack felt that he had done an excellent job. He hadn't been particularly cold or friendly. He acted like he was supposed to act, considering that they never interacted before in the academy. He knew that guilds tended to use all kinds of tricks to lure people to join them. TV ads weren't the only ones. Kids around his age tend to join the guilds where there are many female warriors who show a lot of skin, after all. It wasn't unreasonable to assume that he was thirsty like other boys of his age.

"I am truly thirsty. I would just drink some rainwater," Zack thought, looking at the cloudy sky. I guess I will climb the walls and hunt outside for a while. I won't make any money, but that is for the best."

After getting home, Zack followed his usual routine. He cleaned himself and then went to eat at the restaurant in front of his building. He stayed there for a while longer to watch the TV in order to find any information that could be interesting. Weirdly enough, he saw an interview with the guildmaster of Sarah's guild. He was a tall man wearing a full plate of red armor, and he had a thick sword on his back that had some long undulations on the blade… that was the sword of the goblin's king. Thanks to that, Zack wondered if he should leave that behind and truly just hunt beyond the walls…