n

n

n

nLike every branch including the headquarters, the nearest branch of the Hunter Society was built like a pagoda.

nThere was a lot of activity going on inside the pagoda as different types of elite hunters walked about. Some went to the counter to confirm missions, others went to the billboards to check out the newest missions.

nAnd of course, there were those who were just returning after fulfilling a mission. These elite hunters came to submit their kill evidence to take their rewards. Not just that, but to also refill on elixirs and other essentials.

nWhile all these activity went on inside the 5-floored pagoda, on the highest floor, a small group of elite hunters were gathered.

n“Edgar, that f*cker! He actually didn’t agree!” A hunter hissed.

n“He thinks he is indispensable just because he has superior psychiatric abilities”.

n“It doesn’t matter if he is not available, there are other Psychics”.

n“There are none as impressive as him at what he does”.

n“It doesn’t matter”.

n“It does matter!” One of the hunters raised his voice. “This is a Warpsnare we’re talking about, we definitely can’t let our guard down”.

n“We need every advantage we can get to increase our chances of victory”.

nAt a corner of this room inside the 5th floor of the Pagoda, Edge sat as he silently sipped his beer. He listened to everything that the other hunters were saying without uttering a single word of refutal or agreement.

nApart from him, there were 8 other elite hunters in this room.

n3 of them were Pugilists, all one-handed swordsman. Their identical gray hair speculated that they were probably brothers.

nApart from the Pugilists, there were 2 Elementalists, 2 Mages, and a Battlefield Mechanic. The only main classes missing were the essential Psychic and Summoner classes, but they already had a plan for the former.

nIn Planet Austere, Summoners were the lowest of the bunch. Due to the superiority of the beasts in this planet after the apocalypse, capturing a beast alive to subdue it became an extremely difficult task.

nThe aggressive and extremely proud beasts would never submit to a human.

nAlso, the high-tier beasts due to scenarios like this gave their subordinates the ability to commit suicide effortlessly. The humans were yet to find a countermeasure against this, and this limited the number of Summoners.

nClick!

nOn hearing the sound, every eye in this room turned to focus on the door.

nThere, a red-haired warrior with a wooden rod strapped to his back walked into the room. This was the alternative Psychic, Battle Psychic Cucurella.

nAfter nodding at the elite hunters in the room, he sat before Edge.

n“I am here”.

n“Welcome”. Edge shook the Psychic’s hand with a smile, then he projected an image on the screen. “This is our target”.

nOn the screen appeared a beast that looked like a frog. This was no ordinary frog though, this frog could not only stand upright like a human, but on his hands was a long spear that seemed to be its unique weapon.

nEdge explained. “This is our target”.

n“Originally, a hunter group working for our employer hunted down a group of Mutated Spring Frogs, that was when they found the unique Frog”.

n“They didn’t know it’s identity until they almost wiped out the family of Mutated Spring Frogs, this was when he was pushed to intervene”.

n“Singlehandedly, the Frog killed all the hunters after developing a spear from nowhere. This image was shot and transmitted to our employer by one of the hunters who died that day, paving way for our mission”.

n“By now, our employer already confirms that it is a Warpsnare”.

n“He would have gone to capture it singlehandedly but to prevent suspicion, he can’t make any sudden moves due to his high level and authority in the Hunter Society circle. This is why we were contracted for this mission”.

n“All we need is corner, subdue the beast and deliver it to him”.

n“Once we get our reward, we share it into 9 equal places for everyone”.

n“Free money acquired”. Edge smiled.

n“So, are you in?”

n“Yes, I’m in”. The red-haired Psychic didn’t hesitate to answer.

nJust before Edge could clap and finalize the agreement though…

nClick!

nThe door to the room opened again.

nThis time, they were surprised, nobody was supposed to enter again. When all the hunters in this room looked though, they all froze in surprise.

nThe familiar black hair, that smart look, those sharp and confident eyes, this could not be mistaken. ‘Edgar!’ They were all surprised.

nWith a confident smile on his face, Edgar didn’t even seem to pay attention to the other Psychic that was already in this room as he walked towards Edge, he sat opposite this old comrade of his as he looked into his eyes.

nEdgar smiled. “I’m in”.

n“Huh?” Edge was surprised.

n“I changed my mind; I’m joining the mission”.

n“…” Well, now, Edge’s brain felt like it briefly short-circuited.

nInstantly, the atmosphere in this room turned awkward.

nThe red-haired Psychic could already read Edge’s mind through the subtle changes in his expression, his face turned poker.

n“I see you’ve changed your mind”. He said. “I’ll be taking my leave then”.

nAs soon as this hunter stood up, he paused as he couldn’t take a single step outside, 7 other warriors already surrounded him.

nEdge coughed. “Ahem…, you already know too much about our mission”.

n“I’m sorry but we’ll have to leave you here till we leave”.

n“I hope you can understand”.

n“…” This Psychic took deep breaths to prevent himself from exploding in rage, he calmly looked at Edge.

nBy now, he could already tell that he stood no chance of escaping.

nWith this guy taken care of, all eyes finally turned back towards Edgar.

nEdge spoke first. “What happened? Why did you change your mind?”

n“It’s confidential but before we continue, I have a condition”. Edgar raised his mind. “My only condition to go is if Sexy Chocolate here also follow me”.

n‘Sexy Chocolate?’ Their eyes finally turned towards the unassuming human that followed Edgar in.

nThrough the powers of the gray world, Legolas was able to seamlessly mask his Grade C aura, posing as a Grade D Superhuman just like them.

nLegolas smiled and waved. “Nice to meet you all”.

n“I am a Summoner”.

n“Yes, he is a Summoner”. Edgar confirmed like the others wouldn’t believe without it.

n“…” This utterance caused total silence in this room.

nEdge’s blood turned slightly heated as he turned to look at him. “How many Summoner knowledge do you have? How many beasts do you have?”

nLegolas smiled. “I have all 8 Basic Summoner Knowledges”.

n“I have 4 Intermediate Summoner Knowledge, and 1 Advanced Knowledge”.

n“I have 3 contracted beasts”.

n“…” Shock appeared in the faces of all the hunters.

n‘So many class knowledges! How did he get them?!’

n‘He has 3 freaking contracted beasts? How?!’

nEdge was so shocked that he dared not even delay his speech, he put on his most sincere smile. “You’re hired”.

nEven Edgar was shocked. ‘That was smoother than I expected’.

nWith that, the squad for this special hunt was complete as they made their last few preparations for the hunt. Exactly an hour later, they made their way out of the protected city and out into the wild where the beasts roam.𝑜𝑽𝑙𝐞xt.𝕔𝑜𝗆

nLegolas was exposed to the wild of Planet Austere for the first time.

n

n