“Over my dead body!” I growl, but now Yin’s running with it in her arms and she’s three levels higher than me so I have no chance of catching up. We make an odd picture, a laughing girl holding a ginger cat and an angry boy waving a meat cleaver dashing across the violet-streaked hilltops. No one would suspect that we were Hunters in that moment. Gradually, the sky begins to darken and I calm down a bit. “Okay! Okay! Truce, the sun’s going down!”

“No tricks! Or I’ll chop your head off!” Yin wheels around, brandishing her katana threateningly. I raise an eyebrow, feeling like my pride as a man is being challenged. This girl…thinks she can take me on already? However, the night is coming, and now that we’re outside the forest in the open, it really will be getting more dangerous.

“Fine!” I put my cleaver away. Yin allows me to catch up, we’re both breathing heavy, our faces flushed. “You know, it’s my familiar. I’m technically it’s owner according to the System, so you shouldn’t interfere in our relationship. Regardless, on account of the time, I’ll let you off this one time.” I reach out to pat the cat on its forehead. It observes me warily, tucked under one of Yin’s arms. Surprisingly, it doesn’t attack.

“If you’re the owner, then you shouldn’t abuse it or get angry. Now explain this familiar business!” Yin says and I walk with her quietly, seeking some shelter while night falls. Unbeknownst to her, when she looks away, the cat and I lock eyes. Silently, I communicate to it and I like to think it understands.

This isn’t over…furball.

However, it ignores me completely, licking its paw again. Ugh, I really thought this thing was cute earlier? It’s the goddamn devil. And now I don’t have a familiar slot anymore. Although I suppose I can always give Yin the Azure Drake in a few years. Damnit though, really, what am I supposed to do with this useless cat in the middle of the Calamity? Shaking my head, I sigh.

“Maybe it’ll run off on its own…”

“What did you just say!”

#

The night is eerie silent in the grassy hills. Occasionally the wind blows and the whole place rustles quietly. Yin rests in my arms, snoozing gently, the cat cradled in hers. I look at them fondly, wondering how I ended up here. One moment I was undergoing grueling training with the strongest party, the next I was taking care of this little girl. I don’t have many complaints, despite the change. Though I’ve been driven to the brink of insanity many times, watching Yin sleep right now, feeling her in-between my arms, it almost seems like it was worth it. No one knows my name in this world except her.

But that’s all I need.

*Shua*

A shrill howl sweeps through the place and Yin snuggles deeper into me as the cold wind reaches her face. She sniffs, and I stare out into the darkness, keeping watch.

Who knows how many nights I spent looking out into the cold like this in my past life?

Yin doesn’t know it yet, because she doesn’t have to, but while a Hunter needs to rest his muscles, sleep is not strictly necessary, except every once in a while. Obviously, performance will begin to degrade, and before a dangerous hunt, it’s always best to get as much as you can, but the higher level you become, the longer you can go without properly resting.

Let's let her enjoy sleeping peacefully a little longer.

In the forest, I wasn’t too worried about sleeping. With the trees hiding us, nothing was likely to come upon us. But now, out in the open hills, I’m a little worried. It’s worth it to keep watch, if only for beginning of the night when the undead are most active.

“Mmm…wuv…” Yin squeezes the ginger cat harder in her arms and I hear it chuff quietly. Overlooking the darkness, I wonder what exactly the end of this adventure will look like. Everything seems to be going well, finally. She’s growing stronger, I’m keeping my level below hers. If things get out of hand, she’ll be able to keep my zombie from ravaging the world at least. Of course, I’ve seen in the past how much trouble she has actually stopping me. Hopefully she won’t need to test her resolve again anytime soon, but the possibility is always there.

*Swish*

The moon shines down brightly. As the Calamity continues to come, it will only grow larger. Already, it seems almost bigger than the sun, this great, shining thing in the darkness. It gives us light, but also let’s us know the true terror we face in this world of sin. I shudder to think of the Hunter Killers which will appear in the coming months. Already, the secret is beginning to spread as more and more people understand the true nature of the game. I’ve protected Yin from it so far, but I doubt I can keep it from her much longer. This world…one might think it is humanity’s last stand against the undead. They’d be right, in a way. But also, dead wrong. In truth, the worst enemy of people has always been other people. Such is the nature of our darkness.

*Flicker*

Something dances along the edges of my peripheral vision. Little splashes of light which illuminate the rolling hilltops. My heart grows cold, and I sit up. Pushing away Yin’s hand, and ignoring her sleepy protests, I stand up, keeping my head low as I survey the adjacent hilltop. Something’s out there, just beyond the top of the grass.

*Flash*

*Whoosh*

Another small burst of light followed by a spreading wind which goes against the breeze. Now I’m certain. Someone is fighting over there. And either they’re using explosives which are in limited supply, or they’re using a System Skill. I draw my cleaver, while peering into the darkness.

“Who are you…” I whisper, wondering who has managed to acquire a System Skill like that so early in the Calamity. Honestly, with my knowledge I’d expect Yin at Lvl. 9 to be one of the highest-level people in the country right now. But even she hasn’t managed to find a System Skill yet. Whoever is out there isn’t ordinary. Worse, I don’t know what they’re fighting. I’ve never been through this area before in my past lives, but by my calculations it should be reasonably safe. Yet something out there has forced a powerful Hunter to resort to their System Skill tonight. “Should I investigate?”

Briefly, I consider going over and seeing who it is. However, one look at the sleeping Yin and cat beneath my feet and I discard the idea. I’m only Lvl. 7. I can no longer blithely wander into forbidden zones and expect to survive. This is not Hei the Black Butcher, but Hei the teacher. Shaking my head, I sit back down, though I continue to watch into the distance as the flashing lights grow fainter. After some time, they completely wink out and I put my head down uneasily.

“Tiendas City…why do I remember so little about such a place? I went West early on, but why does it feel like it doesn’t even exist in my memories.”

The strange light show finishes and the grassy hills are dark again. But I have a bad feeling this won’t end so easily. Who could it have been? There was honestly too much going on for me to believe one low level Hunter caused it all. Does that mean two Hunters with System Skills were fighting? If there was, I should know of them, they would have become famous in my last life. And yet somehow I’m sure I never heard of anyone with System Skills until probably a week or two later than this.

*BOOM*

“W-What was that? Hei?” Yin wakes up abruptly. She slept through the small explosions earlier, but this one is on a different scale. It feels like an earthquake is shaking the entire world. Zombies, Corrupted Bears, other Hunters? Right now, none of that compares to what is happening before us. The sun hasn’t even risen yet but somehow the world has already lit up. “Oh…my…god…!”

“Damn. The System actually…?” My voice drops as I realize vaguely what I’m seeing. “This is impossible. Or rather…extremely unlikely. I should have heard about it before if this is the case. How can this be?”

“You know what this is?” The poor girl is terrified. Out over the grassy plains, in the direction we are traveling, somewhere in the distance, a vast pillar of blinding light has shot down from the sky. It is like the heavens themselves have opened up to unleash an unholy reckoning on the mortal earth. A great churning beam, pure light with shivering magical circles surrounding it, drills into the ground for a solid ten minutes. Every single thing around for over a hundred kilometers must be able to see it. Hell, people across the ocean are probably wondering what god has descended to earth. Finally, after what seems an eternity, our poor strained eyes are given a rest as the light wanes and the beam cuts off, fading into the night. All that’s left once its gone is a faint burned image in our retinas…a reminder of the greater powers above. “Hei, that…that can’t be…God?”

“Check your notifications.” I murmur, already knowing that the message will be in our inboxes. A few seconds later, Yin gasps and reads it out loud.

“Mandatory System Event! Citywide Secret Dungeon Has Been Discovered! No Level Restriction, All Hunters Must Participate!” She frowns, a hint of fear entering her face. “Mandatory System Event? Hei, is this dangerous?”

“Extremely.” I say quietly. “Damn. DAMN! Not good! Not good at all!” I look into the horizon, towards Tiendas City. A red number appears, with our current distance and a timer. “CRAP! I should have known!”

Mandatory System Event In 23:58:34.

Please Arrive At The Designated Starting Point Or Suffer System Punishment.