First Official Mission - Part 3

As soon as it got up, the Jawer lunged, attacking Yu with its claws, but he dodged it with a powerful leap to the side. The monster was fast, but Yu’s agility was on another level; he evaded its blows and charges as if they were nothing, and whenever he had the chance, he repelled the creature’s claws with his weapon—now in the form of a sword—and attacked it up close. Even though its shell was incredibly tough, I could see it cracking bit by bit with every strike it took.

“Damn it!” Yu cursed. “This thing’s really tough! They’d better pay us extra for this!”

During one of his dodges, the beast tried to devour Yu, but he took the chance to hit it with great force to stun it, leaving its head exposed and stripped of its protective shell.

“Your turn, Touka!”

At his signal, I fired again, but my bullet hit another one of its eyes. It would’ve been great to leave it completely blind, but it had so many of them that it was almost impossible to rob it of all vision.

Yu backed off after that last shot, rushing toward me to discuss our next move.

“This is taking too long…” he said irritably. “Listen, I’ll give you a chance to shoot its head, so be ready.”

“Me?! Why don’t you kill it yourself?! With your strength, that seems totally possible!”

And I wasn’t just saying that—thanks to Yu’s incredible speed and strength, he had been handling the Jawer easily, dodging and countering its attacks. There was really no need for me to do anything, but still, he didn’t seem to care about taking it seriously.

“Yeah, I could, but this is an internship, isn’t it? Time for a practical exam!”

“What kind of exam is this?!” I shouted in frustration, but he ignored me and ran straight toward the beast.

Yu caught the Jawer’s attention with a yell, and it immediately swung at him with a massive punch that he avoided by jumping, then used the monster’s own arm as a springboard to propel himself again and deliver a kick to its face, leaving its shell almost completely shattered.

“Not yet!”

He dodged several more of the creature’s attacks and managed to climb onto its back, where he sat before thrusting his spear into the monster’s nape. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary strike, but I quickly realized his true intention—he was pinning down the Jawer’s head so I could shoot it.

Catching on, I reloaded my rifle and took aim. Unlike before, the beast wasn’t moving as much this time; it was the perfect moment to strike. After the click of the trigger, the bullet flew out, piercing its skull with precision and killing it instantly.

Before the creature’s body hit the ground, Yu pulled out his spear and leapt away so he wouldn’t fall with it, reuniting with me moments later.

“Nice shot!” he exclaimed with a thumbs-up and a proud grin.

The situation still completely overwhelmed me. My first official mission as a hunter had turned out far more brutal than I’d expected. It wasn’t something I could easily process, so in response to Yu’s gesture, all I could do was return a shaky thumbs-up, my hands trembling and my expression weary.

“Yeah…”

That was all I could say.

Not long after that, the scarlet fog around us began to fade, granting us a clearer view of the surroundings and of the sky, which was now showing its usual orange hue of late afternoon. The others had managed to take down the boss monster.

And just like that, my first official mission as a hunter finally came to an end.

***

Once the dome of mist vanished, Dead Eye’s agents arrived to receive the mission report. But after hearing all the details, they called in more personnel to investigate the matter of the Jawer and the casualties.

I sat on one of the benches nearby, still trying to process everything that had happened. The Jawer, the sudden, brutal deaths—I couldn’t get them out of my head no matter how hard I tried. Even when I closed my eyes, I could still clearly see the hunters being crushed by the beast.

This is hell…

“Pop.”

“Ah?!” I yelped in surprise as I felt something cold against my cheek.

“Here. I’m not sure what flavors you like, but this is probably better than nothing,” said Yu, who had brought me an orange juice. “Feeling a bit calmer now?”

“Yeah… but everything that happened… it’s hard to accept. It’s going to be tough getting used to this.”

“No,” he replied, his tone unusually serious. “You must never, ever get used to other people’s deaths.”

“Why not? Danger’s always something hunters have to deal with. We could die at any moment—so why shouldn’t I?”

“It’s not that you’re entirely wrong. It’s true the chance of death is high. But it’s precisely our job to prevent that. That’s why it’s so important not to grow numb to it, not to accept it as normal—because if we do, we’ll start seeing people as nothing more than collateral damage instead of what they really are: human beings.”

I see now. If we get used to it, we’ll eventually start diminishing the value of others’ lives, seeing them as mere occupational risks. And if that happens—if we become indifferent—we’ll stop truly risking ourselves for others. I hadn’t thought about it that way before.

I thought I was ready to face everything that came with being a hunter, but it seems I still have a lot to learn.

“You’re right. I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine. You’re still a student—it’s normal to need guidance. That’s what your charming and strong tutor is here for,” he said in his usual smug voice. “Now, what do you say when someone helps you, huh? Huh?!”

“Ugh. Thanks…” I replied, annoyed. This guy never misses a chance to tease me.

Still, I couldn’t deny that I did feel a little better thanks to him, so it wasn’t an empty response just to brush him off. I genuinely felt grateful.

As we continued talking, we suddenly heard heavy footsteps approaching us. A tall man in black tactical armor and a full gas mask walked up, exuding an intimidating aura. Beside him, in contrast, was a short woman with a serious expression, pale skin, blue hair, and a gothic yet formal outfit.

“So you were here, huh?” said the man, removing his mask.

His pale face bore sharp eyes, dark hair, and deep, pronounced circles under his eyes. He was intimidating not only because of his appearance, but also because of who he was. His name was Kenshi Kuroki, the current leader of the Dead Eye guild.

“S-sir, it’s an honor!” I exclaimed, bowing deeply.

I had to calm down. He was one of the most important hunters of our time, so I needed to stay composed. However, Yu chose that moment to speak.

“Kid! Long time no see!” he exclaimed in his usual relaxed tone and carefree grin.

Hearing how casually and rudely he addressed Mr. Kuroki, my body moved almost on instinct to hit him in the side for his disrespectful attitude.

“Ow! What was that for?!”

“You’re talking to the leader of Dead Eye! Show some respect and apologize!”

“Eh? No need! This guy used to be my apprentice, actually.”

Those words made every thought in my head vanish, leaving only the echo of “...used to be my apprentice…” resonating endlessly. The irritation that had been written all over my face was replaced by a blank, dazed look.

Slowly, I turned toward Mr. Kuroki to see his reaction. He sighed, clearly burdened and annoyed, but…

“Unfortunately, he’s telling the truth…”

Hearing that confirmation was the final nail in the coffin. After such an unexpected revelation, I fell to my knees, a cold sweat running down my body as I trembled uncontrollably.

“I… I don’t understand anything anymore…” I said, my voice on the verge of breaking.