The armed mercenaries has surrounded her while the normal customers who does not want to get involved or get caught up in the cross fire are carefully slipping out of the line of fire.

“Shit! I’m surrounded.” Azalea starts processing the situation, analyzing and figuring out what her next move should be. “The easiest way out… should I just kill them all? I could… but is it worth it? Must I carry these deaths for the rest of my life?”

Azalea takes a step forward.

The mercenaries flinch.

For a moment, something glows like a tiny spark in a pitch black room.

Azalea just then walks pass the people. They all look dazed, staring blankly into the air. She calmly walks out of the bar with her luggage and spear floating behind her. After getting out, she still tries to blend in with the peaceful yet grim atmosphere of the slum while at the same time picking up her pace. She walks faster so that she can get away from that dangerous place as soon as possible. They will not be able to follow her easily as the gunshot wound she received has already closed, so there will not be any drops of blood to serve as clue for them.

“Fuck! The bullet is still inside.” She grumbles as she takes a turn towards the narrower alleys. “I will have to take this out later. I can’t even get a decent rest now… What the shit.”

Meanwhile inside the bar, the crowd only regained their awareness a minute after Azalea got out of the door.

“W-what happened?”

The mercenaries who drew their weapons looked at each other with total confusion.

“Where’d the li’l bitch go?”

“Ah-! The bounty is gone!”

“Right in front of us?! How the fuck is that possible?!”

“She used some magic?”

“They said she’s a healer! They won’t lie to us!”

“Maybe the information is just incomplete.”

“Fucking braindead nobles! They can’t even do research?! So we have to do the information gathering on our own too?!”

“They better pay us more.”

∞×∞

In a dark alley…

Azalea hides herself in a corner, away from where people would normally pass by. There are some old boxes filled with unknown materials. Based on the dust and dirt on the boxes, these seems to have been left here for a long time and nobody has touched it since then. It looks like the perfect place to hide for a while.

She starts pressing over the closed wound on her shoulder. The bullet must be lodged somewhere and she have to take it out. After pressing around the wound area, she has determined where it could possibly be. She uses ice magic to create a small, sharp ice-blade which she uses to cut and dig into the healed wound. She tries her best to ignore the pain, only focusing on getting it over as fast as possible. When she feels the bullet at the tip of the blade, she quickly takes it out. Blood pours out of the newly opened wound again.

“Argh-!! This is ridiculous. Goddamn it.” She grumbles leaning at the dirty boxes. She takes a deep breath while deep in thought. “I’ll have to lighten up my luggage.”

She turns towards her luggage thinking that she should just keep the most necessary things. She does not have that much stuff in the first place anyway. In her hand is the bloodied piece of metal. She clenches it before throwing it away.

I feel sick…

She closes her eyes. For a while she wants to rest but Pulse will not let her. Especially not in this situation. The skill that she cannot turn off has helped her a lot, be it avoiding danger or in battles. But then again, it is draining.

“I’ll just… try to rest… a little…”

I don’t wanna think of bad things for a while…

She stays still in place, leaning on the boxes. The wound on her shoulder is almost closed. She wants to restore some energy back so that she can move away the next day.

Seriously… what the hell am I doing?..

She cannot help but overthink and recall unpleasant memories during this time. And what’s greatly bothering her is something that happened not too long ago.

∞×∞

It has been more than a year since Master Lone has passed away. Since then, Azalea has not returned to Yelkh Village. Ever since she got her license, she has only been hunting demons here and there without a clear destination. Sometimes she would help small villages that are close to an active demon territory. She only takes a few loots and then leaving the reward for the village chief to claim, so that it can help the village grow. She also joins small scale monster hunts as a support healer. She learns and practices her spells through these experiences.

Traveling around is fun. Even though she does not have a specific place in mind that she wants to go to. Just seeing and learning more about the world while also improving her skills is all she has as a short term goal. She is just going with the flow.

She got to know a number of people. They come and go.

She visited many places. She comes and go.

She was lost. And she continuous to stay lost.

During the time when she wanders aimlessly, she stumbles upon a small village located far south of Laamhi. Roham Village is built close to the wider segment of the river Ybal that crosses the forest towards the boarder of northern region of Surus.

“Good day, young hunter.” An old lady greets her as she enter a small resto-inn. “What brought you to our small village?”

“I’m just passing by.” She answers with her usual friendly smile.

“I see. There is nothing much to tour about in this place. Have you decided on a place to stay in yet?”

“Yes, just now.”

“Oh.”

“I’d like to order a light meal and then rent a room, Granny.”

The old lady has a very nice air around her. Most inn owner are like her, though this old lady gives off a more soothing feeling.

∞×∞

Revan Huenfield.

He was friendly and head strong. He was decisive, which made him the leader of their group. But maybe, he was too unguided to be that head strong for his age.

Sola Hanes.

She was kind and observant. She always made sure to steer clear of trouble and sticky situations. I hope she just kept being like that, prioritizing safety over anything.

Clayborn Lewis.

His recklessness made him to be always the first one to quickly run forward. He has small build agile body that made him fit as the groups trust worthy scout. He should have known that hunt was not worth it.

Aldwin Loza.

He was gentle and strong. As the big brother of the group, he was always the one who took care of everyone. They should have listened to him when he warned them of the danger.

Kanon Seto.

She was very reasonable and smart. She knows how to analyze the situation and then find solutions to the problems. However, things do not always go according to plans.

“In the end… they too… joined my other friends, and became ghosts living at the back of my mind… haunting me every now and then.”

Still she is just going with the flow.

∞×∞

While staying in Roham Village, she hears about the awakening of a demon living just a few kilometers away. It is way too close. It could be too late for this village once the Hunter’s Council, or any demon hunting party, makes a move to take it out. In this case, it will not be that bad for to look into it first.

The demon Lo’une has been assessed to be around C or B rank once it starts to become aggressive. There is not much information about its ability because scouts form the Hunter’s Council is yet to be dispatched. In this case, Azalea can take on the role of a scout and asses the demon’s ability in order to inform the Hunter’s Council. HC will then decide what should be the appropriate step to follow.

The first thing that Azalea need to do is to inform the village chief of her plan, so that they can be at ease. Some villagers have heard about this and they are offering her their assistance. The owner of the inn she is staying insisted to give her free lodging and free meals while she stays in the village. The others asked her if she needs any resources for the hunt and they will gladly give it to her. She tried refusing at first as she does not need anything special to perform a scouting mission, however when they are very persistent about the matter she could not help but just accept their good will.

“Hey! It’s her!” Clayborn shouts while hurrying towards Azalea on the streets. “She’s that young demon hunter!”

“Oh, I’ve seen her.” Revan follows. “From Granny’s resto-inn.”

“She’s not just a young demon hunter.” Kannon adds. “She’s the youngest to pass the demon hunting licensure exam. I’ve read about it a year ago.”

“Right, I remember.” Aldwin recalls as they all come closer. “It was pretty big news.”

Sola smiles. “You must be very strong.”

All of a sudden she has been surrounded by people who are around her age. Since becoming Master Lone’s apprentice, she was almost always surrounded by adults.

“I didn’t know that I am this popular.” She smiles back at them while observing their appearance. By looking at how they are wearing a light armor and carrying some weapons, it seems like they have experience in hunting. “Are you hunters in training?”

“Good guess,” Revan chuckles. “But, we are already licensed Monster Hunters.”

“Yes!” Clayborn puts his thumbs up. “We’re officially a part of this village’s defenders. Sounds cool, right?”

“How about this? If you need assistance in hunting then you can ask us out.” Revan suggests with a confident smile. “You don’t seem to have your own regular party yet.”

“I’m not looking for one at the moment.” Azalea responds.

“How about you hunt with us?!” Clayborn raises his voice.

“Come on, don’t be so persistent.” Sola pulls Clayborn by the collar. “The elders are very thankful that the young miss is looking out for us. You don’t have to annoy her.”

“Won’t it be fine?” Revan backs Clayborn. “We would be the ones to face that demon in the end, I mean if there are still no demon hunters by the time it targets our village.”

Azalea laughs at them as if she recalls something similar from her distant past.

“Wow, you’re around a year younger than us but you’re already licensed.” Kanon says while scrolling on her phone.

“Can you teach us some pointers about hunting while you’re here?” Aldwin’s tone is filled with awe. “We’d like to become demon hunters too in the future.”

“Maybe you can share some stories about your adventure too!” Revan is enthusiastic.

“I’m not an expert, but sure.” Azalea responds.

They joined her on her way to the resto-inn where they properly introduce themselves. There, they converse to know each other better while enjoying some snacks and drinks. Through them, she has learned a lot about the village and the demon’s sudden presence. In exchange, she also told them about her previous hunts and some of her plans regarding the demon Lo’une. According to the reported sightings, it is a humanoid demon that wears a full-body armor. It’s most eye-catching feature is that it has an orb embedded in its chest. The orb is usually colorless, but sometimes it glows or pulses red light.

The demon territory had always been there and it has been a restricted area for the common villagers for decades now. It has been over a century since the last demon was born from that area. Because of this, the last demon hunter from their village has retired and moved with his family to live in the city. It has been over ten years since then, but the young hunters still remember the thrilling adventure that he told them like bedtime stories back in the day.

It is clear from their facial expressions that they idolized this man like a hero.

The other villagers that have potential to become a demon hunter decided to stay as a monster hunter because the long absence of the threat brought by a demon seemed that it will never come again. It has been easier and more profitable to keep a monster hunting license. The forest around the village is filled with monsters that they can hunt for their loot which then they can sell for cash or exchange for other goods. A demon hunter is required to join a demon hunt at least once every three years in order to maintain the validity of their license. A monster hunting license is more lenient and has no such rule.

On the fifth day of Catra’xahr, the day Azalea plans to study the demon territory, she receives a disturbing news. As she is preparing to leave and scout the forest, the old lady of the inn knocks on her door.

“Azalea,” The granny calls as soon as the door is opened. “Have you made plans with Revan and his friends today?”

She tilts her head wondering what it is about. “No, I’m going to scout today.”

“Oh god-!!” Granny gasps as she covers her mouth. “Did you not arrange to take them with you?”

“What? No, I did not.”

Her face turns pale. At that moment a number of possible scenarios started playing in her mind. After being in daze for a couple of seconds, she instantly picks up her weapon before dashing out in panic.

“I’ll go look for them!” She says while running down the stairs. “Tell everyone to just wait in the village, I’ll bring them back!”

Stories about adventures and demon hunts are very fascinating until one gets to experience the dangers that comes with it.

They may be experienced monster hunters according to what she heard from them, but still demon hunting is different. It is far too different from the grandiose way of storytelling that the adult imparted to the innocent imagination of these children. The hunt has its procedures to ensure the survival of the hunters, but nobody taught them about that. None of these villagers knows that demon hunters would not just recklessly charge at the demon in its territory.

What the hell…

What the hell!..

What the hell-!!

Demon hunting have its procedures. Most of a demon’s attacks can potentially kill a person in one go if they cannot evade or counter it. Their attack patterns can be recognized either by observation and analysis or through researching existing records. The surrounding of the territory must be studied as well. Some demons can control monsters and order them to attack the hunters. These monsters may be weaker but they are very dangerous with their overwhelming number.

This time… for sure… I will make it in time!

Her heart beat is increasing, not only because she is running as fast as she could but also because she is extremely agitated. She pants heavily, catching up to every breath. Her eyes are only focused forward looking for any sign of the teens. Eventually, she heard the sounds of battle close to the demon territory.

“It’s them!” She says loudly as she shifts direction, going toward where the noise is coming from. “They’re already fighting!.. No, it’s okay. They are still fighting. I can bring them back!”

When she reached the location, she saw all five of them posed in their fighting stance. She quickly observes if they are still alive and safe. It seems that they are able to carry themselves well in this battle. Aside from minor bruises, they are fine. And in front of them is the demon, Lo’une … with its right arm cut away and legs severely injured.

They made that demon kneel.