The same day, Laria and Mayumi returned with several workers in tow. They'd successfully procured funds and hired hands to aid them with interior design.

Loud hammering and bangs kept Artie bound to his room. He only exited when the racket made its way from the first to the third level, where he'd sheltered from the commotion.

A silent relief welcomed him when he descended to the office floor. No bodies wandered, and most doors were closed as he strolled down the window-lit, wooden hallway.

"It's quiet. Everyone must have their noses planted in work."

As he trekked down the walkway, he listened to each room but only heard subtle shifts and shuffles behind some doors. He thought it was very in-character of the workers to immediately begin their research after establishing their labs.

"Hunters hunt and workers work…. If Ryu was right about one thing, it's that."

"I always believed the other side was a breeze. But the amount of dedication researchers has for their work is screwy. Even doing something absurd like embarking on a dangerous journey in the name of science."

"Still, if this world were normal, I would have been content with life as a cook, blacksmith, or maybe a carpenter."

Once at the end of the corridor, a door blasted open. Harvey jolted out, gripping a white open-ended cylinder. The man appeared rushed and perturbed, so Artie reached to him in concern.

A hasty and obscure explanation ended with Artie holding the cylinder in his hand. Glossy brown, thin, spiraling strips were sticking out of the cup, and Harvey pointed him to shock the objects. Artie had no reason to refuse, so he complied. The cup he held warmed, and the strips inside retained the shock and illuminated before dimming seconds later.

Following an exhilarated slap of his hands, Harvey snatched the object and retreated inside the room. It was an exceptionally brief and vague interaction, yet it changed Artie's perception of the man. Not necessarily for worse; he just acknowledged the outdoorsy fellow was on the same boat as the other science gremlins who became enthralled by their work.

While strange, everything was peaceful, so Artie steered to the first floor to inspect the furnished space. He would have been content with a simple layout like the central guild hall. However, Laria and Mayumi had outdone themselves. They didn't spend a mince amount for subpar service, no. The hired workers plowed their souls into their work and excelled.

When he stepped off the stairs, his shoe touched down on a velvety, dark carpet. It covered every square inch of the floor except the kitchen area, which remained dark wood. Extensive shelves were built against the back wall and loaded with well-crafted bottles and cups. There were high stools and a sturdy countertop that compiled to create a mature "bar-look." Behind the bar area was an entrance to a prepped kitchen, not that any researchers would step away from work long enough.

Tables were spread across the floor, an empty quest board was set up, and a cozy lounge area posed on the left side of the house.

A quick glance revealed Mayumi sitting on the furniture, reading a paper. Aside from her, only three members he'd recently met were present in the ample space.

"Nows as good a time as any."

After solidifying his resolution to speak with the woman, Artie walked to the side of a cushy couch.

Mayumi raised her gaze to his and calmly brushed her hair back. When she did so, Artie glimpsed the piercing on her ear and sought to use it as a speaking point.

He didn't know much about her and figured it was an excellent opportunity to get her story. Between the piercings, tattoo, and blue highlighted hair, she didn't look like a psychologist but a hardcore performer in a band.

"Hey."

"Hey," responded Mayumi, lowering the paper she'd read.

"This place turned out nicely, huh," commended Artie.

It wasn't what he wanted to speak about, but he intended to lead up to the crucial questions after chit-chatting.

"It did," Mayumi simply sounded.

Soon after her easy response, she turned back to her reading and flipped to another page.

Artie opposed how she feigned normalcy. As if nothing happened between them. Still, he itched to speak with her more. Likely because, in a way, the spurred romance was the only ordinary thing about his life there. He felt like a regular high schooler who had a crush on the attractive, popular student.

"So."

"How long have your ears been pierced?" He started.

His question was unprompted and undoubtedly forced, but Mayumi didn't hesitate to reply coolly.

"Since middle school."

Another pithy response left little leverage for transition, but Artie was just glad she responded. There was plenty he could ask and even share if she was curious.

"What about th-"

"Artie?" Interrupted Harvey.

He'd landed on the base floor alongside five other researchers; all dressed lightly for a hike; Boots, vests, leather pouches, hats, even unlit torches. The timing was unfavorable, but the man had a fair reason for seeking Artie.

After hiring hunter escorts, they planned to begin mining outside the town. In addition, he wanted to put in a request on the quest board for the bodies of the lizard monsters.

Artie didn't think it'd be possible, but he learned that the fiery God-type had survived and repopulated its area. Hunters generally avoided the region for fear of running into the God, but money was an excellent motivator for humans.

Of course, Artie couldn't refuse. Harvey took his role seriously and deserved the necessary resources to succeed. Mayumi gave him the remaining funds from their renovation and the man, for whatever reason, swore success on his mission.

Artie subtly smiled and wished Harvey good luck as he and his crew strolled toward the exit.

"Now, back to her…."

Just as Artie returned his engagement to Mayumi, a thunderous crash broke his concentration. He snapped his head over only to notice the door to the building destroyed and being sent flying along with Harvey.

Someone had kicked in the door, and Artie became outraged. Not only was it the second interruption he'd faced while chatting with Mayumi, but a friend of his was unexpectedly bashed down.

A hefty thud echoed as the brazen grey-haired hunter named Skull took one giant step into the doorway.

"I'll give you asshats five minutes to get the fuck out of my building!"

Not just him but his entire guild had arrived on site. Because of their light injuries, Artie assumed they came straight there after a hunt and hearing the news of his purchase.

Irked, Artie trudged toward Harvey, leaned over, and offered him a hand.

"You alright?"

"Yea, just a little disoriented," admitted Harvey, concealing his bleeding forehead.

Artie frowned, reached for the man's utility belt, and retrieved the attached leather gloves. At the same time, Skull observed what they'd done to the building before continuing.

"Not bad."

"Now grab all your shit and clear out."

"Especially you, long ears."

After he equipped the gloves, Artie straightened and raised his brows at the man.

"You're one to talk, Dumbo."

The man had what looked like swollen ears. A characteristic commonly seen in sports like wrestling and MMA. Because of the size, Artie compared him to an iconic elephant.

Skull didn't look older than 23 but had the menacing aura of a veteran. He opened his mouth wide, cursed, then grabbed the collar of Artie's shirt.

"What was that, freak?"

"Don't think I forget about what you did to my lovely."

Having to listen to the man refer to Rachel as his "lovely" was vexing enough without already being jacked up by his only shirt.

"Three seconds," Artie threatened, grabbing the man's wrist.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Or what, you gonna cry for help like last ti-"

Skull was cut off when a nonlethal wave of electricity surged from Artie's claw and through his body. The man rattled like maracas, then fell back where his guild mates caught him.

"I don't remember ever crying for help. But since we're revisiting the past, I still owe you for that beating," reminded Artie, pulling his glove tighter.

The heavy hunter recovered quicker than he anticipated. Snatching his arms away from the individuals that sustained him and smirking as if unfazed.

"Add it to my tab cause I'm about to fuck you up again, catboy."

As they squared up, Mayumi neared, checked on Harvey, then walked past them both.

"Don't kill anyone," she warned in a lackluster manner.

"Leaving?" Asked Artie, dispirited by her exit.

"I don't want anyone to think Scorching Sun's had any part in this dispute," she explained.

There wasn't an offense to her leaving. But Artie did express how awful he thought her guild's name was.

She agreed but also let him know it was his fault she wasn't in town to slap some sense into Ryu before their guild was officially named.

With Mayumi then gone, Artie became even more irritated. One of Skull's lackeys pointed out that Sebastian was away and only workers were present.

Upon their broadcast, Harvey and the other researchers situated themselves behind Artie, unwilling to become bystanders.

It was unanticipated, and he found it thoughtful even though he didn't require the help.

"At least take your shoes off first. This is a new carpet."

"Ah, yes, of course," smirked Skull.

He stepped forward and leaned down toward his boot. But, instead of untying his shoe, Skull clenched his fist and then drilled upward in ambush.

Artie tensed his forearm and effortlessly caught the man's fist. The bold strike felt bizarre and incorrect, so he questioned him.

"Huh?"

"What level are you?"

Skull's right brow raised in confusion, and he yanked his hand away. He must have believed it was a fluke because he unattached his vest and tossed it before chuckling.

"Why, you scared?"

"Just want to make sure I don't kill anyone," Artie answered.

The extras at Skull's beck and call found it hilarious and erupted into laughter.

"His brain must've shaken after taking one of the boss's punches."

"Ha, a real joker," laughed Skull.

Artie found the situation aggravating, so he pivoted to Harvey and shared his peeved expression.

"Do you have the slapstick?"

Harvey retrieved the upgraded level reader and passed it to Artie, who immediately whipped it across Skull's face. The grey-haired man stopped laughing, either because he didn't expect it or because of how fast Artie's hand flung at him.

One look at the hunter's level and Artie froze over. Thirty seconds later, he defrosted, turned from the opposing guild, and hastily covered his face.

Harvey didn't need telepathy to understand the reason for Artie's unexplained acts. He rubbed the back of his head, glanced over the invaders, then urged them in a pitiful tone.

"Please reconsider; no one needs to get hurt."

A cackle escaped Artie's muffled face, so he further rotated his entire body to mask his laughter. Skull boiled, pulled back his fist, then launched it at the back of Artie's head while roaring.

"This funny to you!?"

When the attack anchored, there was a slight jerk of Artie's upper body, but he was barely fazed. He'd tanked the punch like a bike to a brick wall and even chuckled more after.

"Funny? No, it's hilarious."

"What were you doing this whole time, training your ears to fly?"

Artie thought it was pathetic. Soo much so that he wondered if he'd even find fulfillment in revenge. Unlike those that'd wronged him, Artie didn't relish beating on the weak.

After wiping the amusement from his face, Artie drew his fist back, then slugged the man in the gut. His lungs emptied, gripping onto his stomach while dropping to his knees. Skull appeared to be in pain but raised his shaky head and smirked.

"Y-you hit like a girl."

"Which one?" Questioned Artie, tightening back his right fist exactly as Mayumi had taught him.

Jaw-dropped, their leader was so easily overpowered; Skull's guild yelled out and tried to stop Artie's decisive strike. However, before anyone could intervene, he swiftly jabbed Skull in the jaw and flipped the switch on his consciousness.

Not even a wink after, Artie tugged his right arm back and smashed his elbow against the nose of the hunter rushing from his east. Following up, he propelled the same arm forward and devastated the fighter at his west with a shattering uppercut.

More bomb rushed, so Artie chained the uppercut into a diving elbow, bringing down the bone like Thor's hammer; onto the tip of a hunter's head.

Four bodies dropped with a series of strikes from his right arm alone. Melee wasn't his specialty, but he was landing KOs like he was spamming the B button.

Instead of falling discouraged, the rest of the guild raged and flooded into the building. Artie and even the researchers with him combated the assault of the remaining twenty. Neither side was armed; Only men and women fitted with their bare fists and anger against the opposition.

Fighting against able-bodied hunters naturally proved challenging for the researchers. With Artie forcing back most of the squad, he had little room to assist others; still, they fought along side him to protect their home. He even felt slightly guilty for indulging in the brawl rather than just electrocuting their intruders.

A nearby pained grunt was among the sounds of a scuffle, roars, and filthy boots stomping their fresh carpet. Artie swept the feet from underneath an individual that endeavored to grapple him, then rotated. A lab-coat-wearing man was being slapped around by a hunter, so Artie stomped the back of the attacker's knee. They crumpled, then the researcher nodded to Artie in thanks before finishing the deed, bashing his knee into the kneeled opponent.

With his back turned and the commotion, Artie didn't sense the incoming trouble, and before he knew it, a wooden chair slammed against the rear of his head.

"..."

His eye twitched in irritation, and he turned and bore his fangs at the person who; returned an expression that showed their instant regret.

"Do you know how much we paid for this furniture!?" Harvey appeared, cocked back his arm, then thrashed his knuckle into the discouraged man's temple.

Due to the natural vigor of hunters, the man didn't sink after the punch. So, Artie snapped his finger and projected a tiny spark of hazardous electricity that made him wish he'd fallen.

With the obstacle down, Artie turned to Harvey in awe. He'd rarely seen the man riled up and over furniture, no less.

"What the sizzling hell are you lout doing! Exploded an infuriated individual.

Artie turned and witnessed a tall, grimacing female scolding her guild members. Her black hair was tied into a ponytail, and she was dressed in full leather armor, with thick eyebrows and a scar across her left cheek.

"L-lieutenant Steel," coughed one of the disputers, slowly picking himself up from the floor.

The terrorizing woman scooped the banged-up hunter off the ground, then gave them all an earful.

"Losing to a bunch of wimps, how embarrassing!"

"And you cat ears, don't think you're gonna get away with messing with the Skull Bashers Guild."

She raised her stance and prep to attack, but.

"Stop," interrupted Artie, holding out his arm and placing his palm in her face.

The crowd had silenced, and the floor cleared for their battle. Or, what could have been a fight, except Artie was done.

"What, you terrified, or are you some kinda chivalrous beanbag that refuses to hit a woman!?" Shouted the female addressed as lieutenant Steel.

Artie's shoulders shuddered, and his body jittered before he face-palmed himself. It had nothing to do with gender but the sheer cringe of the names he was hearing. It was like she'd taken his will to fight behind a shed and shot it.

Artie curbed the woman and tried to persuade the guild to take the loss and leave. Resilient, they refused and combated him until another player entered the stage. Sebastian barged into the facility, hurried to Artie's side, then started throwing heavy blows at the air. He'd dashed there after Mayumi found and notified him of the battle.

A quick recap of the situation didn't solve it but triggered the man, who collapsed in laughter.

"Skull Crushers?!" he rolled, hollering with an outstretched mouth.

"Take this seriously, you brick for brains!" Roared Steel.

While he and Artie disengaged, Harvey stepped up and announced that the brawl was over. No one on the opposing side accepted his statement, so he explained.

"I don't know about our leader, but Sebastian must be around level 15. And now that they're together... You get the message."

"No fucking way that oaf is that high!" Shouted Skull, reemerging after his snooze.

Sebastian rolled onto his bottom, glanced at the irate man, then shot him a peace sign while beaming in triumph. Skull wouldn't take their word for it, so Sebastian acquired a moonstone and awaited their aghast expressions.

The clear stone lit up and altered into a shady, misty gray. The level had also increased to 16, but it was a minor fact.

"Huh?" He nonchalantly sounded, not yet processing what he'd been seeing.

"..."

"WHAT?!" Shouted both Sebastian and Skull.

"Why are you surprised, you bastard!" Yelled the big-eared man.

Artie lightly punched Sebastian's shoulder and congratulated him for advancing from a colorless. The man's eyes swelled, and he pounced forward to hug Artie, who; almost evaded but decided to let Sebastian cling for the moment.

"There you have it, get out," commanded Artie, beginning to escape Sebastian's sticky grip.

Skull proclaimed it wasn't over, then he and his guild cleared out.

With the situation defused, Harvey and his group departed for their mining appointment.

Once Rachel caught wind of Sebastian's development, she finally stepped out of her lab. The woman was not interested in the brawl that'd come to pass but became jubilated when she saw the stone.

Tests were run, and she was given the full briefing of what had transpired in the dungeon. Mayumi concluded the gray color he bore was resistance to sound. It was the only explanation for how he'd suffer minor damage to a sound attack compared to the sturdy Mayumi.

They sought Laria for additional assistance, who theorized the God-Type singled Sebastian out during their fight because it favored the blood of someone of a compatible nature.

Their hypothesis solidified, and Sebastian ceased his celebration to apologize. He regretted missing the brawl, but Artie thought nothing of it.

Sebastian explained that his old guild insisted on him rejoining and leading them on an excursion. Apparently, between Artie revealing the existence of a tutorial zone and Mayumi later exposing her level to the town, many hunters became gun-ho about exploring beyond their reaches.

Artie cared little about what the town did. Yet, he worried Mayumi and Sebastian's associates would drag them into danger at the expense of their own growth.

Since Sebastian planned to return to the central guild hall and continue the discussion of expeditions, Artie announced he would accompany him. He wouldn't dare speak up in a hunter's meeting but sought to convey his thoughts via another.

Rachel and Sebastian were less likely to have pitch forks raised at them, so it was decided they would be his voice in the matter.

After meticulous planning, the group collected a few items and then ventured to the meeting location.