It was the day of my first hunt. Julian and Kasen were my assigned companions, and our target was a cluster of Moltens that had accumulated in the east. According to the guild, it was a relatively simple mission—ideal for a beginner like me.
Upon being assigned to their group, the guild's system automatically created a group chat between the three of us. We quickly agreed to meet up in Skyridge, a small town in Eastern Novasurge, not far from our destination.
With what little money I had left, I had purchased a dagger—my only weapon. I also packed the free breakfast provided by the guild before setting off.
By the time I arrived in Skyridge, Julian and Kasen were already waiting for me.
"Ah! There you are... uhmm..." Kasen started, scratching his head.
"Abaddon. Abaddon Alabaster," I replied.
"Oh, right! Abaddon. Sorry, I can't remember names too well, haha..." He sniggered, an easygoing grin on his face.
"Dementia..." Julian muttered under his breath before continuing, "We should get going. The Moltens are a couple of miles from here. We can take the train—Kasen rented one."
I blinked. "I see—wait… Kasen rented a train?" I feigned surprise. It was a skill I had honed over time. To fit in with everyone around me.
Kasen's expression soured for a moment before he answered, "Yes. I did rent a train. My family is actually quite rich."
"Oh, I see... Well, no point in standing around. Let's go," I replied. He stared at me for a second longer before shaking his head and leading the way. Julian followed suit, and we boarded the train to the hunting grounds.
The Moltens loomed ahead, their molten forms writhing in the distance. I prepared to hop off, but Julian extended an arm in front of me, blocking my path.
"Hey… why don't you just sit back and watch your seniors handle it?" he said with a smirk.
I stared at him blankly. I wasn't sure what kind of expression to fake in response. Julian's smirk faltered at my lack of reaction before he turned away, jumping down alongside Kasen.
The Moltens took notice, their burning bodies shifting as they began crawling toward them.
"Better keep them away from the train," Kasen remarked. "We don't want to walk home."
Julian scoffed. "You act like that's even a possibility with so few of them."
In a flash, Julian's body dispersed into streaks of lightning, crackling through the air. His ancestral remnant—something tied to lightning, it seemed. He reappeared behind one of the Moltens, his electrified hand plunging into its body. A second later, he materialized again, holding a glowing Molten Core in his grasp.
"You're slow," Kasen teased.
"Shut up, you useless four-eyed albino," Julian sneered. Kasen only laughed.
"Useless, huh?" Chains slithered out from Kasen's sleeves, surging toward a Molten creeping up behind Julian. The chains impaled the creature, wrapping around its core before yanking it free. Kasen hummed, twirling the core between his fingers. "I wouldn't say so to be honest" he teased.
Julian gritted his teeth before dashing into the fray, lightning trailing behind him as he cut down three more Moltens. Kasen's chains danced through the battlefield, claiming even more.
In no time, all twenty Moltens were eradicated.
Julian dusted himself off before turning to me. "You see that? That's the kind of performance you need to deliver daily. Think you can keep up?"
There was something almost considerate in his tone, as if he was genuinely concerned for my safety. But because I lacked even the fear of my own demise, I simply nodded.
Then, the ground trembled.
A monstrous form erupted from a fissure in the earth.
Kasen's eyes widened in horror. His chains shot forward, wrapping around Julian and yanking him back just in time.
"What the fuck was that abou—" Julian's protest died in his throat as his gaze locked onto the towering beast before us.
"Molten... They're never this huge..." Kasen whispered.
This mission wasn't so simple