“Look! It’s the trio again! They have hunted a minotaur!?”

“Holy shit! Isn’t minotaur a Rank-II beast?”

“It just goes to prove how powerful they are. Damn! They struck it rich this time!”

Nel and his group were greeted with a crowd of people waiting outside the portal. Everyone stood to the side and watched as they dragged the ten-foot-tall corpse outside. They saw jealousy, envy, and amazement in their eyes and felt a little better about themselves. If it was any other time, they would’ve already waved at the crowd, acting like celebrities. Unfortunately, what happened inside the portal had dampened their mood.

The hulking body of the humanoid-cow monster attracted everyone’s attention. Arms thicker than a man’s waist, massive body, thick hide, and crooked horns- everything about it made people exclaim in surprise and feel chill in their bones. Some even screamed in dread when they saw the bloody spiked mace. The trio had fastened it to the monster’s waist by the same red rope.

The gathered onlookers couldn't imagine how only a group made from three hunters had hunted such a beast. That wicked weapon alone looked like it could squash a human to paste. Their respect for Nel and his friends grew by a notch.

“Good gracious! You three are still alive!” At this time, a man in his late twenties ran over to them with a smile on his face. He wore a black office suit, white tie, and square glasses. His short black hair combed neatly, giving him a sophisticated appearance.

Nel and Chen quickly wore a smile on their faces. “Mr. Kove, you are already here.”

“After seeing your mail, I couldn't not come over. For all I know, I might’ve to prepare for you three’s funerals,” Kove joked. Then he looked at the hulking monster behind the three and gasped involuntarily. Its appearance really does make one’s skin crawl. “You three have truly outdone yourself this time. It’s a Rank-II monster and one of the rarer ones at that! Good job, guys!”

“Haha~” The trio laughed at his dark jokes. They had already gotten used to his antics. Chen stepped forward, slinging an arm around Kove, and pulled him closer, “Mr. Kove, can we leave you to handle this one? We want to auction it off.”

“That’s a smart decision. However, I would like to recommend you to sell it to the government.” Mr. Kove proposed. He had been dealing with their team for a long time. Out of goodwill, he advised something that will bring long-term benefits.

The smile from everyone’s faces wiped off in an instant. They looked awkward as everyone tried their hardest to avoid looking at each other’s faces. Chen pulled his hand away from Kove’s shoulders before stepping back. After some time, it was Nel who broke the ice. “Well, this might be the last time we are hunting as a team. We are disbanding our group.”

“Oh!” Kove gave an accurate impression of a fish out of water. “What?” He asked, bewildered. He thought he heard them incorrectly. Lately, his sight and ears have deteriorated. He blamed it on his boss and the stressful job of dealing with hunters. He was getting less and less sleep these few months.

“It is true. We are disbanding our team,” Chen sighed. Suddenly, he began questioning their decision. The hesitation was only for a brief moment, though. Remembering the things promised by the guild, he managed to push down the guilt in his heart. ‘It is all for our future,’ he consoled himself.

Silence reigned supreme between the four people. Everyone looked around awkwardly. Loui was already waving at the crowd to take her mind off of the sudden awkwardness. Sometime later, Kove broke it with a sigh.

“Oh man~ I never thought I would experience the fall of a great team personally,” He scratched his head, also feeling his mood dampening by a lot. It was a few years since he started working with them. They had been through a lot together. In fact, Kove had practically seen them rise from the rubble. From being noobs to one of the strongest teams in the town—he was with them throughout the journey. It was saddening to see them disband.

“Alright, leave this minotaur to me. I’ll use every contact I made throughout my career and fetch a good price for you three.” He nodded his head and smiled at them. A smile that didn't reach his eyes. “Take it as my farewell gift.” He added before excusing himself.

A few minutes later, he came back with ten people dressed in brown coveralls and dragging a big trolley behind them. They carefully strapped the minotaur’s body to the trolly before dragging it away to the container truck waiting to depart. The corpse was taken to Kove’s company, where it will be processed.

After Chen, Nel, and Loui signed on the form, Kove hurriedly left. He wanted to know why they were breaking up, but it wasn’t the right time or palace to discuss such things. Though, he planned to call Chen that night and ask about the details.

“I’ll take my leave. Take care, Chen. Loui.” Nel bid goodbye not long after Kove’s departure. He just wanted to be alone and cool his mind down. His emotions were out of control.

“Oh—okay! Take care. Let’s meet later.” Chen said, however, his voice lacked the usual flair. Watching Nel’s lonely back as he disappeared into the sea of people, Chen frowned. “Loui, did we do the right thing?” He asked under his breath.

“Nah! We essentially betrayed Nelly,” Loui replied. Her voice carried a hint of frustration and pain.

“Harsh! Do you have to put it like that?” Chen protested, giving his companion a disapproving glance.

“Well, I don’t know how to sugarcoat things.” Loui snorted. “I’m leaving. I need a bath. Bring me some pizza on your way back.”

“Fuck! She is so harsh!” Chen mumbled, watching Loui vanish into the crowd. He sighed and followed in her direction at a slow pace. “Pizza it is, then.”

XXX

Nel never thought this day would come so soon. He knew Chen and Loui’s value better than anyone. He had been working with them for years, after all. One of them possesses rare crowd control type skills and also learned [Apprisal], while the other was a two-starred Hunter. Not to mention the Aries Guild, which was a domestic guild, even international guilds will hire them with hefty packages.

He always knew in his heart—someday they’ll leave. However, it happened all too suddenly, leaving him no time to prepare. Recently, he even thought they would never leave. He naively assumed they had formed a solid bond that can never be broken.

Nel felt lonely, even though he was walking amidst a crowd. He had forgotten to cover his spear before leaving the dungeon. The bloodstains on it attracted a lot of attention from the crowd around him. In fact, the people in the front even made way for him with terrified looks in their eyes.

Nel was too preoccupied with his thought to notice this. Suddenly, something in his pocket vibrated. Waking up from his stupor, he pulled out a black rectangular device with a blue crystal attached to it. At present, the crystal was blinking while the device vibrated. It was a communication device called [Handphone], a revolutionary machine that allowed people to talk with each other even when they were miles apart.

Nel pressed his finger on the blinking crystal and put it on the ear. A smooth voice came from the handphone.

“Hello, is it Mr. Nel?” The man on the other side asked politely.

“Yes. Who is this?” Nel asked back. The voice was somewhat familiar to him, but he couldn't put his finger on whose it was.

“I’m from Three-Leaf Essentials. You’ve called us recently, asking for the availability of a skill crystal. This is a response call to your inquiry.” The man said politely.

Nel stopped walking, eyes wide mouth wide. A smile found its way to his face. “Yes, indeed. I did call you the day before yesterday. Is there any progress?”

“That’s correct, Mr. Nel. We’ve obtained a new skill crystal. It’s a Rank-C Skill named [Wave Control]. If you are interested, please provide us with your house address. Our personnel will deliver the crystal. You can pay him the credit owed after delivery.”

“I’m interested. How many credits are you selling it for?” Nel asked, excited. A skill crystal was a rare commodity. It had an extremely low drop rate and only appear in Red-Class dungeons. The one he visited was only a Yellow-Class. The strongest monster in it was a Rank-II beast. In a Red-Class, even the weakest monster was a Rank-V. It wasn’t a place Nel could ever hope to step foot on.

“Well, sir, the minimum price of a Rank-C Skill crystal is five hundred thousand. We are willing to offer a discounted price on account of your first purchase. Four hundred and seventy thousand credits.” The man on the opposite side of the phone offered.

“What?” Nel gasped. The mentioned price was exorbitant. After working years as a hunter, he hadn’t even earned 50% of that amount. The price was beyond his scope of capability. But… Nel couldn't just let it go. It was a once-in-life-time opportunity for him. He was afraid to miss this god-given chance.

He didn't have money, but he was a hunter. He had certain privileges. He can always take loans—although it would be risky. Since he didn't have anything to give as collateral, legal banks were a no-go. He can only go to shady places to borrow money. For his future, though, he was willing to take that risk.

“Is there a problem, sir?” The man on the phone asked. Nel had gone silent for too long.

“No, nothing. I’m willing to buy it. Please take a note, my house address is…” Nel responded.