It had been a hard day, both physically and mentally.
My Safety Rings were a last-resort self-defense tool. The fact that I had gone through more than half of them meant I’d been in serious freakin’ danger of dying.
“Good work out there, Krai. I hear the Association’s in uproar.”
“Mhm.” I rocked on the chair in my office, letting my body sink into it as I listened to Eva.
What happened at White Wolf’s Den was a very rare case. Everyone had made it home alive this time, but normally, this kind of disturbance wasn’t noticed until multiple hunters died. Only luck had saved us from having any casualties.
If not for Liz leaving her party behind to come home at an absolutely bonkers speed, and for her ignoring her fatigue to dive into the White Wolf’s Den, we would’ve had ten hunter deaths—including mine—on our hands.
I looked over at Liz, curled up asleep on the couch. She was out like a light, not tossing or turning in the slightest. If she hadn’t been wearing that creepy mask, it would’ve been pretty cute.
Yes, I was the one who had designed it. Yes, I messed up and forgot to put holes for eyes. But it wasn’t my fault that Liz and the others kept on using them. They couldn’t see anything with them on, but they moved the same as usual.
Our party’s ridiculous rate of growth had shown no sign of slowing ever since we came to the capital. It may have been due in part to my not going to treasure vaults anymore, but I figured they weren’t just one or two hundred times stronger than me now.
I hadn’t given it much thought since I was always lounging up at the top of the clan house, but after going to a treasure vault for once and having it hammered into my dumb head, it was all too clear.
We wanted to be heroes. That was our aim from the moment we set our minds on hunter-dom. But maybe Liz had known all along that I already saw her as a real hero. There was quite a bit of room for improvement, of course, but Liz was at least capable of living in modern society.
I took a deep breath, steeled my resolve, and said, “I quit being a hunter.”
Eva looked at me in annoyance, as if to say, This again? Since I said it so often, she didn’t believe me. But this time, I meant it.
“After putting Tino and her party in danger, I see now that I can’t stand on the front lines anymore. Especially considering my hiatus, I couldn’t even help them.”
“But Tino told me that her master is God.”
“I didn’t mean any harm, but I still did something terrible to her. I don’t think quitting is the same as taking responsibility, but boy, am I fed up with this. Hahaha... Maybe I’m just getting old.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be the best young hunter?”
“If I keep doing this, I’m really going to make a mistake that kills everyone. That thought terrifies me. I’ve got some money, so I ought to be able to go back to the country and live in the woods.”
I didn’t need to live in luxury. Just enough for a modest life was fine with me. I dreamed of farming when the weather was nice, and staying inside to read when it rained. A world where my life wasn’t in danger. It was beyond me to fight phantoms; just remembering it made me tremble in fear. I never want to be a human missile ever again.
Even little guys like Li’l Gilbert and the Great Greg had tons of power. At this point, there was really nothing for me to do. Times had changed; the golden age of hunters was a bit too golden for me.
Eva adjusted her glasses and stared at me. “Just as a warning, I don’t think you’ll ever get to live a safe and normal life. Not without a face transplant, at least.”
“It hurts because it’s true.”
If only Liz hadn’t broken my Reversible Face...
“Well, I’m planning to go so far away that nobody even knows who I am. I’ve got a boring face, and hey, we can tell everyone I died.”
“Heheheh. If you quit, Krai Baby, then I’m gonna quit too.”
Liz, having slipped right behind me without my realizing, gave me a squeeze. The chair creaked under the weight of two people. I checked the sofa to find that only the mask remained.
Huh? She was dead asleep just a minute ago. Is this a ghost or what?
“Nuh-uh. You’ve still got dreams, Liz.”
In fact, all of Grieving Souls had a shared objective: level 10, the peak of treasure hunting. That was why we all became hunters in the first place. I had quickly given up on it, but with the talent that Liz and the others possessed, they had a chance of reaching the prize that the vast majority of hunters couldn’t even dream of.
Liz’s recognized level was still only 6, but that was just because she had allocated some of her achievement points to me, the leader. Without me, she’d be a level 7 at minimum.
With a smile, Liz leaned her face against mine. I could feel her body temperature, much higher than my own. As hunters were chock-full of energy, they were also much hotter than normal people. This difference in heat reminded me of the vast chasm between us.
“Yeah. But if you quit, I don’t think I’d care anymore. You’d be bored all alone, y’know? And I’m already the strongest, anyway.”
Her voice was bubbly and sweet, but we both knew that a dream like that couldn’t be abandoned for such a simple reason. Being a hunter required talent, but talent didn’t shine until effort was applied. My childhood friends put in so much more intense effort, so much more bloodshed, than any of our peers.
However, her claim didn’t feel like a joke. If I quit, Liz likely wouldn’t hesitate to choose to retire alongside me.
To quit, or not to quit? I probably won’t, I started to think to myself. Am I trapped here forever?
“The party’s gonna collapse without you, Liz.”
“That’s not a problem. Everyone else would quit, too.”
Liz made the ridiculous claim like it was nothing. I felt a chill run down my spine.
I didn’t have any fetters, but my friends were different. Their ability was known throughout the empire and their influence felt nearly everywhere.
Though most hunters worked officially under the empire, some were given special invitations by nobility or the army to work for them.No doubt I would be pursued if I quit. Likely by high-level hunters, no less. If they knew the real reason for my retirement, they would hate me. It was entirely likely that I’d get assassinated.
I didn’t have to think about it long. It was a hard no.
I mean, even without that possibility, I couldn’t just erase all of my friends’ effort for my own selfish purposes.
After spending some time deliberating about it, my poor, stupid brain failed to come up with any bright ideas.
“Guess I’ll keep at it for a while.”
“Yeah. Let’s do it! I’ll keep at it, too!” Liz pushed her cheek against mine, dangling her legs in the air. Her voice was oddly vacant.
That’s right. I don’t actually have to go to treasure vaults. Damn you, Gark, for shoving that weird request on me.
As I turned my back on reality, I swore to myself that if Ark wasn’t around, I would never accept another request again.
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