"We demand paid leave!"
"We demand extra pay!"
What had once been a peaceful chat had now turned into a riot, with twenty members protesting against their Guild Master. In fact, it was nineteen, if Kael was excluded.
Their Guild Master, Luther Kingswood, was a man in his fifties. He was still in his prime and would personally take on work if his members were overwhelmed. He treated each member with great care and compensated them fairly. If the guild received extra bonuses from the Hunter Association, he shared them equally among the members.
If the public provided additional tips for their services, he made sure those were also divided evenly. He was transparent with the guild's income. He asked what each member needed to perform their duties and invested in upgrading equipment and weapons so they could work more efficiently.
He was generous with money.The only thing he was not generous with was granting leave.
Due to the heavy workload and limited number of members, losing one member for a day was tolerable. Losing one for two consecutive days, however, placed a heavy burden on the rest. With no other choice, the remaining members would have to divide the tasks assigned to the absent member.
But there were certain tasks that were difficult, if not outright impossible, for others to perform.
Just like Clyde's.
His restorative ability was rare, and none of the Purple Guild members possessed the same skill.
If Clyde took leave, the Purple Guild would struggle to respond to restoration calls following dungeon explosions. In fact, hunters with restorative abilities were in extremely high demand and incredibly difficult to find.
"Oh, Clyde, dearie. I may not be able to approve your leave, but I can definitely raise your pay to twice your current rate. And this will be per hour, all right?"
Kael's lips curved slightly. "Then I can finish the work within twenty-four hours."
"No, no, no! I know you can finish this within twelve hours! I'm willing to double your hourly rate for the next twelve hours, provided you finish the job by then!"
The Guild Master felt a headache coming on.
"I can finish it in twelve hours," Clyde replied calmly, "But the buildings and other structures won't be in good condition. With a tight deadline, I'd be focused on finishing quickly instead of restoring everything to its optimal state. And knowing you, Guild Master, you wouldn't want me to deliver subpar work, especially after the sergeant promoted us on national television."
"The public is now focused on seeing the hometown of national hunter Kael Solace restored to its best condition, not on witnessing bare minimum repairs."
The Guild Master's instincts were right.
Clyde was a smooth talker, especially in moments like this, when his abilities were in high demand.
He knew it was a trap, a very obvious one meant to force him into doubling Clyde's pay. He knew it, and yet he couldn't refute a single word. The public's attention was now fixed on Clyde's results.
They expected to see Kael Solace's hometown restored to perfection.
Anything less would reflect poorly on the Purple Guild. Worse, it would also affect the military's reputation, especially Sergeant Daniel, who had openly praised them on national television.
The Guild Master wanted to cry without tears.
In the end, he gritted his teeth and sent a reply.
"Twenty-four hours. I'll double your hourly rate for up to twenty four hours. Just make sure the city is restored to its optimal condition, especially North Cross Street!"
"Gladly," Clyde replied triumphantly.
He was now standing inside his room.
His math textbooks were still stacked neatly on the shelves. His old clothes remained folded inside the closet.
And the family photo of himself, his parents, and his sister is still sat atop the cabinet.
He picked it up and ran his fingers across the frame.
There was also a picture of him with his sister, taken before the school incident. Clyde couldn't help but smile. He took an album from the shelf and began flipping through its pages.
His house had long been heavily guarded by the Association, and he had never been allowed inside. Only now did he finally have the chance to return, to sit in his room and look through his memories.
He couldn't take the pictures with him.
But he could make copies.
So that, at the very least, he would have something to look at whenever the urge to end his life resurfaced.
His fingers stopped when he came across a photo of his sixteen year old self. It was taken during his training days, alongside the first awakened hunters in the country.
And in this picture, he was standing beside a young man. A youth with brown flaxen hair, freckles, wearing an innocent smile.
Kael's fingers began to tremble. His entire body shook as memories of that man came flooding back.
He had met him when they were both sixteen. They trained together. They fought together. They were dispatched to dungeon after dungeon without rest.
Yet they had always stayed together.
When dungeon clearing demands consumed their lives, they moved into a dormitory. Kael and that man shared a room. It was there that they confessed their feelings for each other.
Their first night together was unforgettable.
It felt as though God had answered their prayers, because no summons came that night. No incident or dungeon appearing was heard. They slept in the same bed, wrapped in each other's arms.
Thinking back, they had been together for years.
Kael exposed himself and gave everything he has for this man… never expecting that he would be the very person to betray him in the end.
Kael's breath became ragged and irregular. Just thinking of both the painful and the happy memories he spent with him worsen his panic attacks. His hand dropped the album. His figure slumped into the ground.
Kael hurriedly took a medicine from his pocket and took two pills. He took out a bottle of water from his inventory and drowned his throat with it.