December 31st. The last day of the year 2022. Nearly a week had passed since that day, when I suddenly cut off all ties with the girls. Since then, I haven't seen any of the four girls - Feng Mian, Yu An Xue, Yu An Yan, and Qing Yue. Actually, let me rephrase. I was purposely avoiding them by staying cooped up in my dorm room, practicing multicasting and various other techniques that didn't involve blowing stuff up and were weak enough to use within a confined space.

I wasn't 'scared' of seeing them outside after that night, but rather the awkward atmosphere that would ensue. I'm already bad at dealing with people in the first place; I definitely won't be able to handle that incredibly awkward feeling as I pass by one or more of the girls outside. And so, for that reason, I haven't stepped a single inch out of my dorm room for six days straight. But today, was different. I figured my body needed some exercise by now, so I decided to head to the Hunters' Guild branch in Shenzhen today to pick up a quest. I'm also kind of running low on money, so this is solving two problems at once. Two birds with one stone, as they say.

I set off for the Hunters' Guild at 8 AM in the morning. Early departure, early return. I debated this decision in my mind a little bit, since the Hunters' Guild was known to be extremely crowded in the morning. Just like how 6 PM was peak time for those returning from their day jobs, 8 AM was peak time for us Hunters to accept quests. Thus, I considered going later in the day, but eventually just went 'screw it', and ended up still going at 8 AM. The reason for this is that in case one or more of the four girls are also coincidentally at the Hunters' Guild at the exact same time as me, at least the crowd will help me blend in and inconspicuously escape.

That was what I thought, anyway. But what really occured, was something far different.

*****

- Hunters' Guild, 8:15 AM -

"Ooh, look who it is! Greenhorn, ya still remember me, eh?" a cowboy-esque cosplayer dude called out to me. I turned to see who it was, and sighed. I was wearing my Kai Xuan getup, using my ring to transform my eye color and a black mask as well, but it seems he somehow identified who I was immediately. He was currently sitting on a chair leisurely, not caring for all the traffic going on around him in the least.

"How did you know it was me?" I asked.

"Heh, I got a knack for tellin' who people are!" the cowboy responded haughtily. "Just because you wearin' some new clothes ain't mean I won't be able to tell who ya are. And ya know, ya left quite an impression on me with how you handled a bunch a Veteran Hunters like that."

Hmm..? Is he refering to how I got them to stop fighting over a girl? Ha. I really only did that to save some time for myself and be the first in line, but sure. If couldn't hurt to have someone have a favorable impression of me. I'll just let him keep believing what he's currently believing and leave it at that.

"Er...okay," I said after a short silence. "Do you need something from me, or...?"

The cowboy shook his head. "Nah, just wanted to say hi, ya know? We friends now, ye?"

Huh? So saying hi to someone means they're automatically your friend...? First time I've ever heard about that theory.

"Uh...sure," I muttered quietly, before heading over to the quest terminal on the left wall with the least people waiting in line. Last time I was here, a beautiful veiled receptionist had shown me how to use it. This time, I would be able to use it myself with no problems. After a while, it was my turn, and I skillfully scanned my Hunter ID card and used the touchscreen to find quests suitable for me.

Hm...what should I do today...? Last time, I did a simple resource excavation quest. Since my objective today is to obtain enough money to keep me going for a while, and some nice exercise while I'm at it, I suppose I should try something harder. Monster extermination, perhaps? Actually, on second thought, that's kind of disgusting. I'm used to human blood and gore, but monster intestines? Yeah, I don't think so. I guess I'll do a Magic Beast extermination quest, then.

With this in my mind, I clicked the Magic Beast Hunts category on the large screen before me, and after a short little animation as a transition, several quests popped up in front of me.

Let's see...Twin-Tailed Tiger Hunt...Griffin Hunt...Quadrafalcon Hunt...hm, none of these are very hard. Understandable, since Shenzhen is a pretty safe place. These Magic Beasts are probably all on the Avast Mountains, north of my school. Students in higher years go there to train and hunt often, so the area only has weak Magic Beasts and Monsters such as the ones listed on the quests here. Obsidia...was an exception. She didn't seem to have any intention of harming the human race, so even if I hadn't met her, there shouldn't have been any problems.

Hm...I could probably take any of these quests on my own. I'll just give it a shot then...I don't feel like hunting any flying Magic Beasts since that would be a hassle, so I guess Twin-Tailed Tiger it is.

I clicked on the Twin-Tailed Tiger Hunt quest, and it led me to the familiar quest synopsis screen. The information was as follows:

Quest Name: Twin-Tailed Tiger Hunt

Category: Magic Beast Hunt

Elimination Target: Twin-Tailed Tiger (5)

Difficulty: Moderate

So I have to kill five of them. Shouldn't be hard...yet the difficulty is rated as 'moderate'? Hm...maybe I'm underestimating these Magic Beasts? I've never fought one before. You only learn about them starting from your 3rd Year at the school, after all.

Putting that matter aside for now, I then scrolled down a bit to see the rest of the synopsis.

Rank Requirement: Golden Hunter

Reward: ¥5000, 50 Bounty Points

...

Are you shitting me? There's a damn rank requirement? Curses...I'm still only an Iron Hunter, not even a Bronze! Not to mention getting 1,000 Bounty Points for that Golden Hunter rank...man, this sucks. Guess I can only take another resource excavation qu-

My thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a certain four people. They had just entered the building, and already attracted the gazes of literally all the male Hunters in the building with their beauty. And these said beauties, were heading towards right where I was, planning to join the line behind me.

...Wait. It's them...it's them! No way...what are the damn odds of this?! Shit...I gotta get out of here somehow, without letting them see me...oh, I know!

I turned my head slightly, and whispered sharply to the dude wearing wild west clothes and a large fedora. "Hey, psst, cowboy!"

Luckily, he was sitting near me, so I could get his attention easily without raising my voice.

"Hm? Oh, what do ya need me for, greenhorn? Some guidance on what quests to take? I'll tell ya, ya best be careful when choosing a quest, don't just give it a lick n' a promise, ya hear me-"

"No, it's not that!" I quickly cut him off before he could waste more of my time. The clock was ticking, and if I stayed at the quest terminal for too long, the people behind me will get impatient with me, causing a commotion and attracting attention to me. So far, the four girls - Feng Mian, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, and Qing Yue - didn't seem to have noticed me yet, but them being in here was a walking time bomb in and of itself.

The cowboy tilted his head in confusion. "Huh? Then what do ya want, greenhorn?"

"W-We're friends, right? I need a favor."

"Yeh, we're friends, but what's this all of a sudden?"

I furrowed my brows. "Uh...don't pry, please. I just need you to cause a commotion, right now. Please."

"A commotion...?"

"Yeah, just do something that will attract the attention of everyone here right now. You can pull that off, right?" I asked, close to despair.

"Well, yeh, but...eh, whatever. It's a request from a friend, I'll do it."

"Many thanks," I said hurriedly, and quickly turned back around to the quest terminal as if nothing had happened. Then, taking a deep breath, I prepared for my grand escape.

Thud. Thud.

I slowly glanced behind me discretely to see what the noise was, and saw that the cowboy had crawled on top of the table, and was now standing on top of it, above everyone else. What the hell is he doing...?

"Listen 'ere, everyone! I got an important announcement to make!" he said in an exceedingly loud voice that no human could produce without the help of a megaphone or speaker. Did he use Sound Magic to amplify his own voice...? Damn, you're one hell of a serious person, when it comes to helping a friend out. I can appreciate that.

And as all eyes were drawn to this one cowboy, guards and receptionists alike trying to get him off the table, I, unseen by a single soul, discretely left the building, quickly vanishing from sight...though not before turning around for a moment and hearing what this 'announcement' the cowboy had to make was.

"I saw this really hot chick the other day, I'm telling y'all, she be fine as hell! A-Ay! Let me go, ya annoyin' insect! I'm tryna tell a damn story 'ere- Ay!"

Then, his eyes and mine met, and he tipped his fedora slightly, as if giving a thumbs-up.

Seeing this gesture and hearing his loud and obnoxious voice, I couldn't help but chuckle. Man...what a weirdo you are. Still...I've got to thank you this time. I owe you one, cowboy.

With this in my mind, I left the vicinity, and began heading back to the school dorms.