Chapter 32: The Price of the Hunt
The sun had climbed higher, filtering through the treetops with golden slivers, painting the forest floor in shifting patterns of light and shadow. Rei stood at the edge of the lake, his boots crunching softly over damp leaves. Before him lay the three enormous Raptalians, their massive forms lifeless, dragged to a clearing where the earth had been trampled and water splashed in irregular pools. Ailith knelt beside the bodies, examining them with careful attention.
Rei hovered nearby, catching his breath. "So… what now?" he asked.
Ailith looked up, brushing dirt from her hands. "We gather the corpses," she said simply. "No skinning, no processing. The guild buys them as-is."
Rei frowned slightly. "We just… hand them over?"
"Yes," Ailith replied, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Guild takes care of the rest. You focus on your next mission, not butchery."
Rei nodded, though the sheer scale of the Raptalians still weighed on him. Their thick hides, the raw strength preserved even in death—he had restrained himself to preserve it all. The thought that it now translated into coin made him blink.
"How much money do we get?" he asked.
Ailith glanced at him, tilting her head slightly. "Well… at least fifty gold each, Rei. That's just the basic reward. You did a Level Seven mission, and there's extra for handling the corpses properly. That should add another hundred gold at least."
Rei's eyes widened. "So… that's two hundred gold total?"
Ailith nodded. "Yes. One corpse costs fifty gold. And we have three. You can see how that adds up."
Rei tilted his head, counting quickly in his mind. "Fifty gold for one corpse… that's enough to—"
"Buy a big house," Ailith finished for him. She chuckled softly. "With fifty gold, you can afford a respectable home. With two hundred… well, let's just say you could buy a small estate if you wanted."
Rei's gaze lingered on the corpses. For all the danger, the hunt had its rewards. He imagined a quiet house by a lake, far from prying eyes and endless danger. He exhaled slowly. "I see…"
Ailith's eyes scanned the forest suddenly, and her expression stiffened. "Get ready," she said, her voice dropping low. "Someone's approaching."
Rei followed her gaze, spotting movement through the trees. Three figures were emerging, their silhouettes distinct even from this distance. As they drew closer, the details became clear: a young girl wielding a staff, and two men, heavily armored, carrying swords at their sides. Their equipment gleamed in the sunlight, carefully maintained, clearly not hunters of the forest but professionals.
Rei's brow furrowed. "Who are they?"
Ailith didn't answer. Her face had gone pale, lips pressed tightly together. She didn't move, didn't even breathe audibly.
The girl's voice cut through the tense silence. "What was that?" she asked, eyes flicking to the lake, scanning quickly. "The men—"
"Let's go," one of the men said, his tone clipped, professional. "Someone's already hunting here."
The girl's gaze shifted, and she bit her lip. "No… we need to hurry. The corpses—they belong to us."
Rei's heart sank slightly. They were after the Raptalians. Whoever these people were, they weren't just another hunting party—they were mission hunters, probably tied to a guild or faction. Ailith tensed beside him, her hands curling into fists at her sides.
The three of them rushed forward, moving with urgent, practiced steps. But as they approached, their movements faltered. Ahead of them, the Raptalians' massive bodies had been dragged into a neat pile by a pale-looking figure. Rei hovered slightly above the ground, observing the situation carefully.
The girl stopped abruptly, her eyes narrowing. "Hey… see that?"
Her gaze fell on Ailith, standing slightly behind the corpses. "That's… Ailith. What? Why is she alive?"
One of the men muttered under his breath. "Shouldn't she have been killed by the Raindiger ? Someone must have helped her."
The girl's gaze sharpened. "The boy… he helped her?"
The other man shook his head. "I don't think so. He looks weak. Level Three, maybe. Nothing to worry about."
The girl's lips pressed into a thin line. "We have to kill her before they notice we failed the mission." Her tone was sudden, harsh, almost violent. "Let's go."
They moved forward cautiously, keeping their weapons ready. Rei's eyes tracked them, noting their coordination and awareness. They weren't amateurs—they were trained.
Ailith's face remained pale, her body frozen in tense anticipation. She said nothing, not a word. Rei shifted slightly, hovering between her and the approaching group.
"You guys—who are you? And what do you want?" Rei called out, his voice calm but carrying an underlying authority.
The girl's gaze snapped to him, eyes sharp and unforgiving. "Why do I have to tell that to some weakling?" she retorted, a trace of scorn in her tone.
The first boy, the one who had stayed slightly behind, now stepped forward, closing the distance between them. He moved with calculated steps, sword at the ready, armor clinking softly as he advanced.
Rei's mind measured the situation. Three opponents, all fully equipped, trained enough to coordinate without words, and a clear objective to claim the Raptalians. Yet he noticed the girl's hesitance, the split-second calculations in her movements. They underestimated him.
Ailith shifted behind him slightly, almost instinctively seeking cover. Her face remained pale, her lips tight. Rei could feel the tension radiating off her, sharp as the steel of the swords now pointed in their direction.
"Approach," the first boy said slowly, his voice steady, almost polite despite the deadly intent. "Let's see who we're dealing with."
Rei remained calm. His mind ran through the possibilities, the threads of psychic energy humming faintly in the back of his awareness. He had restrained his power before, measured each movement with precision. But this… this was simply observation for now. He didn't need to strike, not yet.
The girl shifted her grip on her staff, eyes darting between Rei and Ailith. "Hurry. Take her down quickly. We can't let them know we failed to kill her."
Rei tilted his head slightly, a faint glimmer of amusement in his gaze. "You're in a hurry, but you came too late," he said quietly, almost to himself.
The first boy stepped closer still, calculating. "The Raptalians… you've already killed them?"
Rei's voice carried, calm, measured. "Yes. They were mine. Mission completed. The reward is mine."
The girl's eyes narrowed, a flash of disbelief crossing her face. "Impossible… no one should have reached Level Seven efficiency this quickly."
Ailith's shoulders relaxed slightly, though her face remained pale. She didn't speak, letting Rei handle the confrontation.
The two men flanked the girl, forming a protective triangle as they advanced. Rei's eyes swept over them, noting armor, weapons, stance. Nothing unusual—just competent fighters. But even competent fighters were no match for his current level, even restrained.
"You're underestimating me," Rei said softly, hovering slightly above the ground, robes fluttering with the light breeze. "Don't make the mistake of thinking this is easy."
The girl's lips pressed together, and she gestured sharply to her men. "Go. Take them by force if necessary. They've interfered with our mission."
Rei exhaled lightly. Observation first. Strategy second. Force last. He didn't need to act yet. They had revealed their intent, their movement, and their urgency. Every detail fed into his understanding.
And then, before either side could make the first move, the scene shifted, a sudden memory overlaying the present—a glimpse of six days ago.
The city had been bustling, sunlight reflecting off the tall stone buildings and cobblestone streets. People hurried past the grand guild hall at the center of the district, merchants calling out their wares, guards standing at attention near the gates. The doors of the guild swung open constantly, admitting and releasing adventurers, merchants, and messengers alike. The hum of organized chaos filled the air, a stark contrast to the silent tension of the forest now.
Inside, the guild hall was alive with movement. Applications were processed, missions assigned, and rewards distributed. Adventurers and hunters mingled, exchanging news and tales of the field, unaware of the threads of fate that connected their paths to the forest now.