The sky was clear, streaked with a beautiful crimson line that painted the horizon. The plants and grass shimmered with morning dew, each droplet catching the light like tiny gems.
Taya stood quietly, taking it all in, her gaze lingering on the calm scenery. She had woken early, preparing herself for the day ahead.
The two of them carried the remaining cash they had split with the other girls and continued on their journey. Since both were new to hunting and dealing with monsters, every step was a mix of excitement and anxiety.
"Hunters" was the collective term for people who regularly went out to hunt abominations, following quests issued by the guild hall. But before anyone could truly be recognized as a hunter, they had to undergo a ranking procedure, determined by the type and number of top-level monsters they had hunted and killed. Only after meeting certain quotas could a new rank be declared.
All hunters started at F-rank, the lowest, and could advance according to their capabilities. Ranks ranged from A++ at the top, followed by AA, A, B, D, E, and finally F. Each city or town had a guild hall, staffed with officials who updated ranks based on completed quotas.
Currently, Taya and Lucy were in Denmu Town, heading toward the nearest guild hall. As they arrived, the large building came into view—each town, district, and city had similar halls, bustling with activity. Quests were assigned and updated through a surveillance network that monitored threats via satellites, quickly detecting hidden monsters and categorizing them by difficulty and danger, though it was only focused on areas where the monsters could come closer to human settlements, but outside the zone of red, the odds to come up with unknown horrors was incredibly high.
Inside the hall, a giant screen displayed available quests, including emergency missions. Some quests involved supply protection, while others focused on dealing with monster hides, depending on the number and strength of the beasts.
As they wandered, a woman approached.
"Good morning, ma'ams. Can I help you with something?" she asked softly.
After explaining the reason for their visit, the woman escorted them to the ranking room and then returned to assist others.
In the ranking room, Taya and Lucy were interviewed with several questions—why they wanted to become hunters, any prior experience, and so on.
After completing the process, both were officially issued F-rank tags and allowed access to the main hall.
___
Despite the huge challenges, hunting remained one of the most lucrative and prestigious professions, attracting mostly awakened humans, although some non-awakened individuals joined as well.
During hunting missions, the primary goal was to defeat adversaries, and there possible infiltration into the human settlements but another significant reward was the Aggress Crystals. These strange, unexplained substances appeared after a monster's death. Some scientists theorized that the crystals were formed from the undying will of these abominable creatures, though their exact nature remained mysterious.
The crystals were invaluable—they contained pure energy and upon years of research and studies it was found that these crystals could be forged into powerful weapons and armor, enabling humans to rival even the most fearsome monsters.
As Taya and Lucy entered the hall, they saw people laughing, excited, and forming teams. Lower-ranked hunters often grouped with higher-ranked ones to reduce casualties, while experienced hunters sometimes could handle lower ranked quests alone, but mostly they were reserved for the lower ranks to avoid disparities among the hunters.
After observing the place, Lucy was the first to speak.
"Hey Taya, don't you think we're the only ones without a weapon or armor?"
Indeed, everyone in the hall had been hunters for years, while Taya and Lucy were newcomers. They were doing this not out of choice, but because there wasn't anything else left for them to survive.
"Well, why don't we take a look at the weapons section," Taya replied.
The guild hall wasn't just a place for quests and hunts. It also housed custom weapon makers and a crystal collection area. Hunters could trade Aggress crystals for cash or digital credits—or use them to upgrade their weaponry.
Heading to one of the weapon stalls, they skimmed through blades and bows, scanning the price tags—and their eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets.
"Damn, I thought we had enough money to buy at least something… but this won't even cover scraps," Lucy said in shock.
As they lingered by a rack, the owner barked at them.
"If you're not here to buy, then don't block other customers! Get out of the way, girls."
Feeling stung, they moved on, hoping to at least find some cheap daggers.
Then, a dagger caught Taya's eye. She studied it carefully when the vendor of the shop leaned forward with a delighted smile.
"Hello, young ladies. That dagger caught your attention, did it not?"
Taya nodded. "Yeah… it radiates a sort of power. Do you mind telling us how much it costs?"
The vendor flipped through his list, pausing before answering.
"That one will cost you 15,000 credits."
The number crushed Taya's hope instantly.
"Sorry, sir… but we don't have that kind of money."
Still, she pulled out their entire stash and showed him.
"Is there anything we can get with this?"
The vendor gave them a pitying look.
"I'm afraid not. But you could afford some iron alloy blades. They won't last long, but better than nothing."
Taya frowned. "Sir, is there any way we could buy one of these proper weapons?"
The vendor thought for a moment before replying.
"Well, one option is to bring me Aggress crystals. With those, I could forge a weapon for you. Of course, I'd need a few as payment too. Or, you can exchange the crystals directly for some of the weapons here."
Taya leaned in. "And how many crystals would it take for this dagger?"
"At least fifteen basic Aggress crystals… or if it's of high tier, fewer would be needed."
Their throats ran dry. They hadn't even tried hunting a monster yet. Still, it sounded like a fair deal.
Taya extended her hand. "Alright then. It's a deal."
The vendor grinned wide. "Excellent. I'll be waiting for you ladies."
Taya turned to Lucy, her eyes burning with determination.
"It's time to hunt some monsters."