Than notices Rey staring at the card he was holding.

"You want the card that bad?"

"Huh? No, there was just something on my mind..."

The familiar feeling kept bugging him. He doesn't understand why he's feeling a sense of hostility towards the card and its unknown owner. Ever since he saw that card his body became restless and his instincts were firing red signals, he cant help but feel uneasy.

"Well then. Anyone know a place where we can sell this?"

Maki looked at Than who was waving the card around.

"Will someone really buy a single card? Won't they want a whole deck instead?"

"Fair point, we're keeping it then."

Than slides the card back in his pocket and gestured the party to enter the gate.

The people inside the city were looking at them with disgust and pity. Zen was oblivious why they were looking at them, but the other three knew why. The foul stench still emanated from Zen and he was covered in dried blood, he looked like he just came out of a bloodbath.

They ignored the gazes aimed at them and continued walking back to their lodgings.

A plain looking building stood in front of them, it was the accomodation for beginner hunters that are not contracted to a company. Once a hunter is able to reach the 48th floor, they are expected to create a steady income for themselves and move somewhere else to create room for new beginners.

Of course, the party didn't report their capability to enter the 48th floor so that they could stay longer.

They entered the building. Unlike the plain appearance it has outside, the inside looked luxurious. The lobby they were in was filled with new hunters applying for a chance to get a room here. The lobby was their meeting place before they went out to hunt.

The rooms were paid by the government to promote the growth of the beginners, so that they didn't need to worry about paying for rent so they can focus on their own income and circulate goods to the economy.

Before they went their own ways, Maki asked Rey a question that shouldve been asked earlier.

"Why did you want to hunt an Acid hound?"

"I thought you knew?"

"Why would I be asking you then?"

"You should've asked me before we left to hunt."

Rey activated his translucent bracelet and a screen popped up.

"Oh? not an adult model this time?"

"Shut up."

The screen was showing different names of beasts and how much their corpse could sell for, specifically beasts that were found in the 50th to 47th floor. At the top of the list was the Acid hound.

"It's in high demand right now for some reason. Its not that strong compared to the other beasts in the 47th floor, and my bank is kinda empty at the moment..."

"Good thing we got lucky and got a pneuma stone huh?"

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Rey nodded. An awkward silenced dawned on the group. Zen was wondering about the Adult Model that Maki mentioned and Than was busy looking at the screen.

"What's the price of an Acid Hound corpse again?"

It was the voice of a young woman. Rey who wanted to break the awkward silence quickly answered.

"Eight hundred and four— oh, crap."

As Rey was answering the question, he looked behind him and a woman was standing there looking at his screen. She had silver blonde hair that reached her waist. Her skin was as pale as snow and there were no blemishes present on her skin. Her eyes were large and she had rosey cheeks. Her lips were luscious. She looked like a piece of art.

She had a joyful expression on her face. She was the overseer of the building and she overheard the party talking about the Acid Hound.

"Oh my, it looks like you guys are capable of hunting in the...47th floor."

Her expression suddenly turned cold as she uttered those words. The party swallowed dry saliva and avoided the gaze of the overseer.

---------------------------------------------------

Somewhere in a distant world....

A huge castle dyed with a scarlet color could be seen. It looked like it was in bad shape, bad enough to be called a ruin. Inside one of the rooms of the castle two figures were talking to each other.

One was sitting down a scarlet throne decorated with red gemstones, there was light coming from behind the throne. Only the silhouette of the person could be seen. The other one was kneeling on the floor with his head bowed down. It was a man wearing a red hood that masked his appearance, a small heart symbol with a snake twisting around it was tattooed on his right arm.

"Sire, I come bearing good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear."

"Tell me the good one first."

The voice was gruff and a sense of nobility and power emanated from it.

"The black side has suffered a surprising loss. Their Jack of Spades perished with the 2 of clubs. Cause of death was unknown."

Under the silhouette that masked the mysterious man's appearance a smile formed. He reached out towards the empty air with his right hand and a wine glass appeared. He reached out once more and this time it was an expensive wine.

A clear liquid poured out of the bottle and the man took a sip. The man shook the bottle and it disappeared in thin air.

"Continue."

"Sire, one of our Jacks also died."

"Which Jack?"

"Diamond division, sir."

The man sitting on the throne swirled his wine glass. He seemed to have expected this. He knew the Jack of Diamonds very well. The Jack was a careless person who would always dive in head first towards danger. Nonetheless, the loss of a Jack in his army was something he couldn't ignore.

"I told that fool to not carelessly challenge the Necropolis. Look where that got him."

"No, Sir the Jack of Diamonds perished somewhere else."

Silence covered the room.

"Well? Im listening."

"He perished in the Beginners Hunting Ground. 48th floor, sir."

The glass the man was holding shattered, but the wine inside it magically stayed afloat. The man's eyes glowed red piercing through the silhouette. The red glow was shaped a diamond and a heart.

"How did he die?"

The voice was calm, but there was hidden anger behind it. The kneeling man flinched when he noticed this.

"C-cause of death is also unknown, sir."

The wine that was floating mid air trembled for a second and calmed down.

"Any clues?"

"Y-yes, sir. There were traces of energy all around the scene. The energy seems like it came from an Early Exalted class hunter, sir."

"Did you get a hold of his Card?"

"N-no, sir. When we arrived at the scene the corpse was already a few days old. His belongings have also been taken including the card..."

The air around the man sitting on the throne trembled. The wine which was floating in the air was releasing steam. The pressure weighed down on the kneeling man.

"Where do you think it's located? You are a card from the Hearts division, you must have a vague feeling on where it is."

"V-Vardle c-city, sir."

The pressure on the kneeling man intensified. He was forced to prostrate on the floor.

"So you're saying the guards might have the card?"

"Y-yes, sir."

The pressure further intensified. The man felt like his whole body would be crushed by the pressure.

"S-sir, allow me to retrieve the card. Earth is only a few worlds away from ours. Theres a chance that a hunter is in possession of it."

He gasped for breath as the pressure crushing him suddenly disappeared. He looked at the man sitting on the throne with fear.

"Failure is not an option, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. You may take your leave."

"Thank you, sir."

The man stood up and exitted the room. His mind was filled with thoughts on how he can retrieve the card.

Inside the room the man sitting on the throne was laughing all by himself. He found the death of Both Jacks very suspicious. It seemed like someone was trying to start a feud between the two sides.

His laugh became even more hysterical. If his suspicion was correct, he would be happy to oblige. A dangerous light glinted in his scarlet colored eyes.