Depthless Hunger

Being abandoned was not, admittedly, the way Kai had hoped his day would go. But truthfully, he was more concerned about the fact that the hunters had so little respect for him than the prospect of getting home. He was only a few days of travel away from Monskon City on a safer route than his first trip, so he could probably return on his own. That would be their excuse and no one could say they left him to die.

So as he ventured into the unnamed ruined town, he decided that he had two goals: first to find out more about its condition, and second to recruit allies if possible. Even if the threat was low, he'd seen how dangerous the wasteland could be and didn't intend to take any chances.

As he walked through the city, he was surprised that the people looked just as run down as the buildings. Even compared to the poorest in Monskon City, their clothes were patchier and thinner. People he suspected were relatively young men and women looked aged beyond their time. They regarded him with suspicion, but they seemed to regard everyone with suspicion.

There didn't appear to be any hunter organization, which made him wonder how they could possibly survive monster attacks. He did note that a few stable institutions had guards - a market, a weapons store, even a bakery. When he examined them with his spiritual sight, however...

Name: ???

Total Power: 11

Grunt Class: 1 (1)

Physique Level: G-2 (6)

Soul Level: 2 (4)

...he wasn't impressed. The fighters clearly all had a bit of experience, but he would have had a decent chance fighting them even before the Hunter Trials. Perhaps they survived simply by never attracting the most dangerous threats.

Since he'd been left without a meal, Kai decided to stop at a small stand off the main street, staffed by an elderly man who was hunched nearly horizontal over his table. Kai purchased the available bread and fruit, bundled together for easy consumption while walking. Though the dish was new to him, it tasted wonderful. Of course, his primary purpose in buying it was to have an excuse to talk to a local.

"I just moved into the Monskon region," Kai said between bites, "looking for work. Didn't realize there was a place out here."

"Not many kinds of work this far out." The old man looked him over with eyes that were filmy but still keen. "Maybe it'd be suited for you, though."

"Looks like this place has seen better times."

"Oh, aye. When I was your age, we had a whole town, always bustling. Most important waypoint outside of Monskon, with all kinds of visitors from Irun. But not anymore."

"Monster incursion?"

The old man snorted. "You're from southern Goralia, aren'tcha? Not every disaster up here is due to incursions. No, they just decided we weren't worth it anymore, so they didn't send as many hunters. The worse monsters started building up, and some of the younger hunters died. After that happens, they stop coming and it all goes to hell."

Kai listened silently while he ate his meal, glad that the food helped hide his expression. The story he gradually got from the old man made him equal parts angry and sad. There had been a lot of people living out here, only to be abandoned by Monskon City. And for what? Punishment for some crime? Internal politics? He had no way of getting that side of the story.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Instead, he heard the perspective of a man who had lived through it all. The families had moved out, leaving those who couldn't afford to move or wanted to be away from civilization. When the monsters got too bad, everyone fended for themselves and a few were eaten. It was no way to live, but it was the life they had accepted.

Just when Kai was struggling to come up with more questions, someone else caught his eye. A scarred man swaggered down the center of the street with multiple knives in his belt. Not so unusual, but something about him made Kai take a second look.

Name: ???

Total Power: 16

Fighter Irregular Class: 12 (6)

Physique Level: G-2 (6)

Soul Level: 2 (4)

>

The man's soul carried something called an "Irregular" class, which was the first time Kai had seen a symbol worth less than its basic number. Though he'd never heard of such a thing, he had to guess it was due to an improper awakening, likely not via a Hunter Trial. Given all the ways he'd heard of warriors awakening their skills, he'd assumed they were all equal, but perhaps there were inferior methods.

"Who's that?" he asked between bites. The old man craned his neck to look, then sighed.

"I know you need work, boy, but I don't recommend going with them. Now, I know that smuggling is the only game in town. That's the only reason we still get by." He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth disapprovingly. "But I don't like that bunch. Always robbing from honest folks, and what they trade can be real unsavory, even people. You can do better than that."

Kai stared at the old man in confusion before his understanding of their conversation did a somersault. The old man had assumed Kai was a ruffian the entire time - he'd cleaned up and even shaved recently, but apparently he looked like a vagabond. No wonder the man had been so open about his hatred of hunters in the city. If Kai had approached as an official member of the Hunters Guild, he would no doubt have received a very different welcome.

"Thank you for the meal," Kai said as he rose. "I'll see what work I can find."

He finished off the bread with large bites as he pursued the strange man. Clearly he was a smuggler and likely a bandit as well. Though Kai thought it would be a good deed to eliminate the group, he wasn't sure that he was capable of it on his own. At least he could investigate the smugglers more carefully and take their measure.

It seemed like the smuggler wasn't paying any attention, confident in the reputation of his gang or perhaps just arrogant. Kai thought he managed to follow him without drawing any extra attention. In an alleyway beside one of the ruined towers, the bandit met with a couple others who were on guard outside a fortified building.

While creeping closer to listen in on their conversation, Kai examined them with his spiritual sight. Neither of the other guards, or the third man who came out to chat, had a Total Power of more than 20. Their Irregular Classes seemed to do them some good, and would definitely give them an edge against normal opponents, but they were no match for awakened hunters.

A single group of veterans drinking in the Hunters Guild could have brought them to justice in a day. But Kai swallowed that bitter thought as he crept behind a nearby wall in range.

"-still making trouble today?" one of the smugglers was saying.

"No, she got worse. Almost covered me with vomit."

"I think the bitch does it on purpose."

"Well, just be careful. We'll try extracting more today."

The smugglers who had been on guard wandered into the town, coming very close to his hiding place. While Kai pressed himself back against the stones, he wondered just what he should do. If the city was closer and he was on better terms with the Hunters Guild, he would go back and bring a group. But he had no guarantee anyone would help, and it sounded like someone was in trouble.

Though the guards kept a good watch on the alley, they didn't spend much time looking up. Kai circled around and jumped onto the roof of the building. It was made of heavy stone, likely from the old days of the town, so his feet made no sound as he crept above the guards' position.

Kai hurled himself down at the two smugglers, striking one with a blow to the head and grabbing the other in a choke hold. He had been prepared for a longer fight, but they didn't have a chance. Soon both lay unconscious at his feet.

He hesitated outside the door, staring down at them and readjusting his bow over his shoulder. In the eyes of some, all these smugglers were better off dead. But hunters weren't judges or executioners. They might keep order, but the very foundation of the Hunters Guild was that humans should fight the monster threat, not one another. Given his current status in the guild, he wasn't going to take lives carelessly, since that could get him thrown out.

But he did need to see what they were doing inside. Depending on the circumstances, he might depart to report or try to deal with things himself. Kai opened the door as carefully as possible, but the hinge still creaked loudly.

So he found himself staring at half a dozen smugglers lounging around a room. It was filled with a number of tables, chairs, and boxes, but Kai barely had eyes for any of them. Instead his attention was immediately drawn past the group, to a cage where a young woman huddled, covered in bloody scars.

The smugglers began drawing weapons, but it didn't really matter. After what he had seen, Kai stepped inside and firmly closed the door behind him.