Shun asked the nearest guy, "What is he talking about? What's this ground rule stuff?"
"You don't know? Oh, you must be new. The ground rule is simple, don't kill each other."
"That's it?" Shun tilted his head slightly.
"Yup."
Without another word, the group began to move. Shun followed and asked the same person, "What if someone breaks it?"
"Then we'll kill them," he said calmly.
Shun grunted in acknowledgment and fell silent.
The ground rule was simple but effective. Hunters didn't like being tied down by too many rules, especially in a Tower. But one rule that guaranteed their safety? No doubt everyone would agree to that.
Following this logic, and knowing what humans are capable of, Shun had a feeling this would be a chaotic hunt.
"What are you going to hunt today?"
"Anything's fine as long as I can get out of this damn place quickly. It creeps me out."
"Do you need your mom to comfort you, little guy?"
"Oh, shut up. You know what I mean."
"But it's not as bad as you think. As long as you're not trying to escape, you'll be fine."
Still, the group seemed to get along well. There was no visible malice among them.
A bit bewildering at first, but it made sense the more Shun thought about it.
"Did you get here unprompted?" Shun asked.
"Yeah, I was in the shower when all of a sudden my phone rang. I picked it up and something forced me to lift it. Then it turned into this… monster door.
"It swallowed me, and by the time I realized what was happening, I woke up in that city."
"Were you with anyone?" Shun kept asking, almost like an interviewer.
"Yes. When I woke up, my roommate was there. I haven't seen him since I entered the Dream Realm.
"Well, since he's not here, it probably means he's following the rules."
From the conversation, Shun gathered that most of the hunters here didn't even want to be in the Tower, they just wanted to return to the real world safely.
No wonder they were more docile than usual.
It would've been a different story if this were a Tower the hunters wanted to conquer. In that case, people would've had their own goals, and some wouldn't hesitate to betray teammates to achieve them.
Still, it was a good thing. But Shun remained cautious. They seemed tame, but who's to say it wasn't a façade?
Just as Shun got lost in thought, a loud explosion echoed in the distance, shaking the earth beneath their feet.
Everyone turned toward the source. A small dot was flying through the sky, leaving a smoky trail.
It came closer and closer before crashing into the ground with a heavy rumble, kicking up a cloud of dust.
About three people from the group, including Shun, went to inspect it.
As the dust settled, they saw what they had first hoped was a treasure.
Their expressions quickly changed, some to pity, others to annoyance.
"Poor fellow."
It turned out the dot was a severed head. The expression on its face was frozen in fear and agony, eyes wide open in horror. Blood trickled from every orifice.
It belonged to the same person who had tried to escape.
"At least it kept that beast full."
"With that size? This guy's only a snack."
The hunters were unbothered by the sight. Understandable, given their profession—they'd likely seen worse than a beheaded corpse.
They turned and rejoined the main group that had moved ahead. Shun lingered a little longer, kneeling and gently lowering his hand over the head, closing its eyes.
He stood to leave but caught a glint of light that briefly blinded him. Looking toward the source, he saw a necklace near the head.
He picked it up.
---
[Necklace of Thousand Promises]
Description: Upon equipping, grants the owner invincibility and stealth. Attacks made in stealth mode deal 5% more damage. Attacking or receiving damage will deactivate this state.
Type: Consumable
Usage: 2/5
Rarity: Limited
---
A panel appeared before him. His eyes lit up with joy.
There's no time limit on invincibility, Shun thought, excitement bubbling up.
'I hit the jackpot!'
He quickly stored it in his inventory before anyone noticed.
Returning to the group, he quietly fell in line.
"Where are we going?" Shun frowned slightly.
The same guy from earlier replied, "To the hunting spot. There are lots of beasts there."
"What are we going to do with the beasts we kill?"
"You can exchange them for items back in the prison."
Shun perked up. "Oh, really? What kind of items?"
"Basic hygiene stuff, soap, shampoo, medicine, and weapons. Though we can't use weapons in the prison; you'll get in serious trouble if you try. The punishment's no joke." He warned firmly.
"Weapons?" Shun asked, slightly confused. Then again, it made sense. Many hunters didn't store their weapons in inventories; they carried them physically.
To look cool, to be efficient, or both.
Carrying a weapon had a slight advantage: you could strike first before your opponent's weapon had time to fully materialize from inventory.
But it also had its disadvantages. A weapon could be stolen if the owner let their guard down or was forced to leave it behind, like during showers, while using the toilet, or at airports.
For some hunters whose weapons had low durability, exchanging beast carcasses for new ones was a better deal than just smelling nice.
"They sell everything?"
"Yeah. Guns, staff, swords, you name it. They've got weapons for every type of hunter."
How convenient! Shun thought. He couldn't wait to get his hands on one, but first, he had to take down a beast worth the price.
"We're here," someone said.
The group stopped moving.
Shun peered ahead and saw a small settlement operated by figures with faceless faces.
One of them noticed his gaze and slowly turned its head toward him.
Their eyes locked.
Oh crap. I can't move! Shun realized in horror. As soon as they locked eyes, his body froze.
His heartbeat raced.