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Chapter 35: Hunter's Guild

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The next morning, the boys woke up and changed into their battle clothes that were washed and dried overnight. Adam's outfit was simple. He wore a black and red clothing. His belt and the inside of his jacket had pockets that could hold extra magazines and various Dust crystals.

Robin's outfit was gray and silver. Just like Adam, he had a belt that could hold several extra crystals for use. In addition, he took out some Smoke Bombs and Boom Traps out of his inventory and put them in his jacket for easy access.

Conner's outfit took longer to set up out of all of them. Thanks to his inventions, he had various flash-bangs, traps, wires, and hidden weapons that he could hide on his body. On his wrists were poison darts that could shoot out with precise muscle movement. He lined up a bunch of colored metal boxes on the strap that he wrapped around his chest. They were transformable traps and various explosives that worked with a click of a button.

Their other roommate, Osagi, was someone Robin paid closer attention to. His weapon was a giant shield. The bottom of it seemed to be able to extend and dig into the ground. Its edges had sharp blades that seemed to serve the purpose of cutting down enemies. The weapon seemed to hold other secrets, but Osagi was already satisfied with its condition thanks to checking on it yesterday, no doubt.

“That's seems rather impressive.” Robin complimented.

“Thanks.” Osagi returned. Despite his golden hair and outfit, he had small, blue eyes that Robin wouldn't even noticed if he hadn't looked closely.

“Your great-sword is nothing to laugh about either.”

“Thanks, it's got 4 forms and is made of General metal. I call it Pantomath. What about yours?”

“My weapon is Bolwerk, made of Mixture metal. It's got three forms and is really sturdy.”

“Nice.”

Weapons are made from three types of metals: General, Specialized, and Mixture. Robin's weapon was made of General which allows application of all types of Dust with the weapon. For example, when using Red Dust, he can clad the sword in fire.

Specialized weapons are specifically made with a certain Dust in mind. Some weapons even imbue the Dust into the metal itself. Raven's weapon is an example of that. Each of her blades were of different colors, signifying the different Specialized metals each were made from. Unlike the General weapons, the effects of Dust on Specialized weapons are much stronger and can even leave after-effects that linger when broken.

Mixtures were a combination of the two. They use a small range of Dust, and the effects of Dust were stronger than General, but weaker than Specialized. The down side is the higher consumption of Dust in exchange. For all the kids, their weapons was something they all built themselves, and they were extremely proud of it. Though they weren't foolish enough to reveal their trump cards, there was no harm of sharing some information about themselves.

After the boys gathered their materials, they left the dorm and walked to Class 1A. Mrs. Veranda told them to place their homework on the table, so she could grade them while they were gone. They gathered into the bus outside which took them to the Hunter's Guild. The one escorting them was a boy with yellow hair similar to Osagi's but a bit dimmer. On his arm was a band that said “VICE-PRESIDENT”.

“Welcome students. For those who don't know, I am Ted Turncoat – your Student Council Vice-President. I'll be walking you guys through signing up at the Hunter's Guild and your very first mission.”

Upon arrival, the boy led them into the entrance of the Hunter's Guild. It was huge building. The sides had glass filling up most of the walls, giving it a beautiful view when the sunlight reflected off the glass. Inside was a huge open area. They had a cafeteria where members could eat meals as well as a residential area on the upper floors. Groups that had missions that extended over longer periods of time could rest there at night before continuing their mission the next day.

At the very end of the room and beside the elevators was a counter. Various employees in suits were stationed behind the counter. Ted led them towards a man with a huge build. The man's muscles could be seen through the suit. As expected of the Guild Master.

“Good Morning, Ted. You teaching some more new recruits?”

“Hello, Thomas. As you can see, we have a new batch of middle school students this year, and I need you to register them.” Ted turned to the class.

“This is Thomas Hadgen, S-Ranked Hunter and Guild Master. He will be teaching you guys about the Guild and how it works. They're all yours Thomas.”

“Alright then.” Thomas said while giving each student a small chip.

Robin and the group handed it back since they were already registered. They just silently listened as Thomas explained how the Guild works.

“Plug in these chips onto your status plates. They give your status plates a special function that recognizes the Black Dust that Grimm give off in the air when you kill them. Since they don't leave behind evidence when they die, this acts as a counter for keeping track how many you've killed. After you complete your missions, you come back and give us the chip.

Here, we count up the amount you killed and reward you accordingly. We automatically will send the extra funds to the school as long as you guys are a part of it. After graduation or dropping out, we'll start sending you the full reward instead. Not all missions include Grimm extermination.

As Hunters and Huntresses, your job is to protect the peace. You can work jobs on the walls, help transport materials, or even act as bodyguards for those that request it. Jobs are giving 7 different ranks.

At the top is S-rank, meant for levels 80 and above. A-rank is for level 70 and above. B-rank is level 60 and above, etc.”

“You will keep 85% of all your earnings.” Ted added on. “The rest will be donated to the school. You will be required to complete at least one E-ranked mission or four F-ranked missions a week. In the Hunter's Guild, there is a simple extermination mission available to all ranks. The rank and reward stays undetermined until you return with the kills you have acquired. If you so wish to do so, you may do more than one mission.

If it conflicts with school, merely have the Guild contact us to let us know of your absence. That way you may be excused from school during missions. However, you must show up at least once every week to take the quizzes and tests to prove you have not fallen behind in your studies. School events are mandatory.”

“Parties can attend missions of the highest ranked mission so long as there are at least two people in the group that is in that range. For example, in a party of level 20's and 30's, you can do F-ranked or E-ranked missions.” Thomas explained.

“Please note that we can reject any party from taking any mission if we so determine you are simply not ready for it.”

“That's all for the explanation.” Ted said. “Today we'll be doing the Unranked Grimm Extermination mission. Everyone, please line up and register at the counter.”

The class finished registering at the counter rather quickly, and then walked out of the kingdom's walls. They headed towards a familiar location just to the south. It was the Forest of Beginnings, named simply for how beginning Hunters go there to hunt low leveled Grimm. After arrival, Ted let them go free.

“Go out there in your own groups and kill as many Grimm as you wish. After either three hours have past or you've reached the goal of at least a fulfilled F-rank, return here and wait for the rest of the groups to finish.”

Team COBRA moved together just as always. The Forest of Beginnings was filled with enemies that never past level 35. Encounters with level 30 and higher enemies would require searching for Skull Grimms. Robin and the group were not interested in facing a bunch of Shadow Grimms. Despite that, they frequently came across low-level Grimm.

Shadow Warhog (Lvl 15)HP:150/150Appearance is similar to a pig, but has two tusks that jut outward on the side of its face. Watch out for its rolling attack.

Shadow Beowolf (Lvl 15)HP:200/200Appearance is similar to a wolf, but it is able to stand on its hind legs. Its arms are longer than a normal animal's, allowing slashing and larger reach. Be careful as Beowolves travel in packs and can call for allies when threatened.

Pantomath was in dual wield form. Robin quickly slashed through the enemies like it was jello. Shadow Grimm had weaker skin and no armor, making them rather simple opponents. The last of the Beowolves started to howl and call for other allies. Robin and the group had purposefully let them live. They're goal was accomplished when larger Beowolf showed up in the incoming pack.

“Sweet.” Conner said. “They even brought five of them as well.”

Skull Beowolf (Lvl 32)HP:255/255Appearance is similar to a wolf, but it is able to stand on its hind legs. Its arms are longer than a normal animal's, allowing slashing and larger reach. Be careful as Beowolfs travel in packs and can call for allies when threatened.

This Beowolf was larger and had bone armor that covered its face. As a Skull Grimm, its power and speed was much stronger than the others. With the new additions to the group of Grimm, they began to once again immerse themselves in battle. Using one arm to block an attack, Robin swung his other sword at the Grimm's shoulder. Since it was a bit tougher, the sword met some resistance this time in the swing.

However, the level difference was very apparent. The group made quick work with the Skull Beowolves. Blake's semblance, Schrodinger, didn't even give the poor Grimm a chance to retaliate. Every hit and slash it thought it would land, would only make contact with an empty clone. Blake stabbed the head of the Grimm and pulled the trigger. The glock at the hilt fired with a bang and made an extra hole in its windpipe.

Conner threw a square that transformed into a variant of a bear trap. The rather impulsive Grimm was easily led into the trap and became unable to move when it was sprung. The metal blades had a paralyzing poison in it and gave Conner an opportune moment to aim his weapon at the head and pull the trigger.

Ophelia's weapon was a rifle that could become a naginata. She fired off accurate shots that disabled the Grimm's legs and then simply sliced off the head of the Grimm in one swing. For Adam, he used his unique skill, Sliding Combo, which apparently lit up the ground with where he was supposed to move to. Following the correct movements gave the illusion he was sliding across the ground, all the while slicing up anything that followed his path.

The group finished them off rather quickly and when they looked around, about 200 corpses of various Grimm littered the field. As they began to evaporate, a window message popped up to signal their victory.

+54 Exp.

Mission Update: Grimm Extermination Rank E (Complete)You killed:13 Shadow Warhogs (+13 Exp)

31 Shadow Beowolves (+31 Exp)

1 Skull Beowolf (+10 Exp)

“My god.” Ophelia said. “They only give 1 experience each? Aren't they supposed to be giving more experience than training?”

“Our levels are too high.” Blake commented. “I can't believe they used to give us 50 experience.”

“The simpler they are, the easier it is for me to train my Exhibitionist Stat.” Adam said.

“Lets see if we can find some Ursas.” Robin said.

The group moved along. There were very few Ursa in the Forest of Beginnings, but if they found any they would be extremely lucky. The weakest Ursa was around level 25. After walking for about 30 minutes without meeting any enemies, they found Raven walking in the opposite direction.

“Raven? Where are you going?” Robin asked.

“I'm finished, so I'm heading back to rest.” She said indifferently.

“Hey no need to say it like that.” Blake admonished.

“I'll say it how I want to.” She retorted and continued walking.

“By the way, I don't think there's anymore Ursas.”

Robin and the group looked into the clearing where she came from. It was filled with corpses. Here and there they could see the outline of some Ursas frozen or sliced up. Even inside the ice, it was unable to stop the Black Dust's decay. Robin looked at this death field with a frown.

= At least 50 corpses are here. Just how many did she kill? Even though I won the spar, she really is too far above me. I gotta try harder. =

Robin and the group continued to wander and kill more Grimm. In total honesty, the small amount of experience was not worth the physical effort they had to exert. Although their health was full, their body was getting tired. After another hour past, they made their way back to the class. Their status plates had a map function which they had marked the location of where Ted was waiting for them.

Upon arrival, Ted checked to make sure everyone was present and fulfilled the mission they took. They took a break and drank refreshments Ted had set up for them. After three and a half hours had past, the class packed up the supplies and headed back to the Guild. They turned in their missions and received their rewards.

The students took the same mission again since there was always Grimm to be cleared out. Some decided not to and signed up for other missions. Robin and the group decided to be bodyguards for some miners in order to keep them safe from Grimm attacks while they worked. After the kids finished signing up, they all started to get back into the bus to head back into school-- all except Raven.

“Oi, Raven. We're leaving.” Robin said.

“Then go ahead. I'm gonna do some more missions.”

“Really? There's no need to be in such a rush you know.”

“We're allowed to take more than one. I'll be fine as long as I show up at least once to take a test right?”

“She's not breaking the rules.” Ted interrupted them. “Just make sure you have the Guild contact us on what missions you're taking. Pay attention to your messages. You might be excused from class, but you must attend any events we tell you in return.”

“Got it.” She said.

With that, the rest of them left and headed back to school. She walked back up to the counter and asked Thomas.

“So what new information do you have for me?”

“No new info on Jack, I'm afraid. There have been an increase and burglaries and kidnapping though. There are rumors that some criminals are trying to make a name for themselves like that Roman guy.”

“Give me their names and location. I'll take care of them by the time the week is up.”

“..You know. I have a daughter just two years younger than you. She always bothers me about hanging out with her friends, and she doesn't even consider doing a job like being a Hunter. She goes on and on about the boys she likes and not having enough money to play with and--”

“Your point?” Raven interjected.

“My point is that the Robin kid over there was worried about you for good reason. You're 14. Take it slower and enjoy school. I feel you two could make a pretty good couple as well.”

“Sorry, but I don't have time to play house. He's an ok guy, but I can't be as carefree as him.”

“That's a terrible thing to say.”

“And I'm a terrible person. Now the list, Thomas.”

“..Fine..”

Sorry guys. I forgot to update a chapter yesterday. As an apology, I'll update more than once today. I hope you guys enjoy! Rate, comment, thanks for reading!