'A cigarette, huh. Hope you live long with that,' Kaiser thought, silently watching Brick pull out an old-fashioned brown cigarette—much thicker than the modern ones he was used to seeing back on Earth. He had seen similar ones before, usually used by the older men in the village. Though, Brick using a stick isn't really much of a surprise, considering his above twenty and all.

Brick lit the cigarette with the flame from his lantern, taking a slow drag with a casual air that made Kaiser shift uncomfortably. He never understood the appeal of smoking, honestly. As a partially delinquent himself back on Earth, he would be lying if he claimed to have not tried those things. But whether it was a drink or stick, he couldn't appreciate the appeal of its bitter taste. Not like he had the luxury of wasting money on something so pointless.

That said, if he remembered correctly, being near a smoker still exposed you to secondhand smoke, which could harm your health just as much. He found himself wondering whether his immortality would protect him from diseases like that.

'Who knows. But don't expect me to try and find out,'

Though, this wasted bastard is really getting on his nerves. Of all places, why smoke near him? Kaiser would have loved to teach him a lesson again, but decided against it considering the consequences.

Suppressing his irritation, Kaiser instinctively moved to put some distance between himself and Brick, hoping to avoid the smoke cloud that was sure to come. But before he could take a step, Brick exhaled a puff of smoke and turned his gaze on Kaiser.

"Hey, newbie," Brick said, his tone casual but tinged with judgment. "You know, I don’t really get people like you. Always avoiding people like you’ve got the plague, having a mouth yet barely saying a word, cowering in the corner and staying all lonely and stuff. How do you even stand being alone all the time?"

Kaiser hesitated, then responded in a low, deliberately gruff voice, trying to mask his true tone to conceal his identity. Still, his response was true.

"I, I don't know."

Brick let out a sudden chuckle, the kind that bubbled up like he couldn’t hold it back. When his laughter died down, he shook his head, still grinning. "That’s rich. Never figured someone like you could crack a joke. But seriously, I don’t get it. You’ve got strength. You could be out there, showing off, earning respect, getting your name known. You could have all the glory, women, the whole package. Instead, you’re just... wasting away in the shadows, why is that."

His voice rose with enthusiasm, taking on a wistful edge as he continued. "Me, I want to be someone who lives so loud that my name echoes even in death. I want my story told long after I'm gone."

Kaiser’s expression hardened as he stared at Brick, a mix of intensity and wariness in his gaze. He wasn't expecting a conversation like this from the boastful hunter, more importantly, what did he say just now?

Seeing his reaction, Brick let out a dry laugh, a mocking smile spreading across his face. "What’s with that look? I didn't expect you to be this naive. Did you really think I wouldn't notice? That body frame, the leather armor, and especially that sword you used against me—it’s not something a newbie would have. Starting interns don’t walk around with gear like that. And don’t even get me started on that pathetic attempt to change your voice. You might’ve fooled the others, but not me."

Kaiser's stomach dropped slightly as Brick's words hit home. He had been in this world for a while now, which is technically just one week and a few days. Not nearly long enough to fully grasp adapt to Green Land different nature. His mind was still tangled in the habits of Earth, where weapons were relics and combat was distant, just a thing from stories or games. But here, in this place, swords and armor were the difference between life and death. If he wanted to survive in this harsh land, he would have to shed his old mindset, respect his tools of war, and stop underestimating those who lived by them. Especially if it's a veteran Hunter.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

'Cat's out of the bag... That's a relief.'

Kaiser secretly heaved a sigh of relief despite his cover being blown. There was nothing he could do to change that now, but at least he was free to act as his true self for the first time in a while, no longer burdened by the ridiculous facade of Lolo. A smile crept across his face as he brought his hood down, revealing raven black hair and eyes, akin to two pools of darkness.

"So... what now? Should I offer you a candy as a reward?" he teased, then, his smile faded, followed bythreatening words.

"...Or maybe another kick in the ass?"

Brick stepped away from the wall, a cocky grin replacing the casual demeanor. He took a deep drag from his cigarette, puffing out a cloud of smoke. "You're getting cocky, rookie. this time, I'll be the victor, that's for sure."

Kaiser raised an eyebrow, sarcasm dripping from his words. "With your pals again?"

A vein throbbed on his forehead, seemingly hit where it hurts. But unlike before, his composure remains intact without the effects of alcohol.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I sent Kayla off with the others already, so it's just the two of us in this area."

"How kind of you." Kai rolled his eyes, making Brick smirked in retrained outrage.

"It’s only right for me to smash you into the ground to reclaim my pride and prove that a rookie who doesn't even know how to wield a sword properly can't defeat me in a fair fight!"

He spat his cigarette, then drew his cutlass, pointing it at Kaiser in challenge.

"Kaiser, alive or barely alive. Guess it would be the latter, I'll make sure of that."

He nearly laughed, finding that part funny.

"Did you really believe Mr. Alfred's joke?"

Though, differ to his expectations, Brick frowned and said in a serious tone.

"Joke? As long as I've known him, the boss never jokes around."

The arrogant Hunter... Doesn't seem to be fooling in that statement. There was confidence in his voice and righteousness in his eyes. Which contradicts to his image of Hunters. Weren't they stern individuals? Boastful at times, but discipled in duty? Akin to what Brick is showing him now, attentive, sharp and alert despite his arrogance. A subtle sense of amiss dawn on him, something is wrong here.

"Come on, that makes absolutely no sense. It’s too idiotic to put me on the hunting list when there’s a clear target."

The Hunter tilted his head a little.

"You're really naive, aren't you? You don’t understand that this operation isn’t all that necessary, especially with the migration just a few days away."

True, why lunch a massive sweeping for a single monster if all residents would be leaving soon. It's a good idea, but not a crucial solution.

His frowned deepening.

"Where are you going with this?"

Brick didn't answer for a while, but eventually sighed.

"As the target, I guess you deserve to know. This is about you, Kaiser. By now, you probably heard that the boss's former village was raided by the bandits."

"And what does that have to do with me?!" Dread began crawling in his heart.

"Isn’t it obvious? Because you’re a descendant of an original Player in this land—Bakar, the Undying. The bandit's head is a descendant, too, for your information. The boss has been planning to eradicate them for years, but someone else took care of them. And then, wouldn't you know it? A stranger shows up in the village just days after the infamous bandit eradication. Coincidentally, he seems to have that same rapid healing ability that Bakar’s descendants share."

"Now that I think about it. Actually, I owe you an apology for confirming the boss's suspicions. After our brawl, he asked me how deep my blade went into your forearm that night. I only told him the truth that it reached the bone and there you have it. This massive hunt was launched after that. You know what that meant, right? Oh, and don't even try pretending, Kaiser. No normal human could recover so quickly from that injury. It would take months, if not years, before you could use that arm again. Yet here you are, in a really good condition."

It wouldn't take a genius to gasp the situation... For the stoic Alfred to abuse his authority to this extent, he must have loathed the Bandits so much so that he won't tolerate the existence of Bakar's false descendant, Kaiser. Of course, he knew of the Bandits leader, the big, bad Boss of the mansion they burned. His regeneration ability is potent, even Zara struggled to bring that bad guy down. However, the so-called Player had nothing to do with him, in fact, his immortality is superior to that glorified Player. Let alone, a descendant. Still, their physical recovery matched well. Making it safe to assume his a descendant of the Player, Bakar, which connects him to the blood of the Bandits Boss that slaughtered Alfred's family and brought his home to ruin.

However, as someone who had a reputation to uphold. Punishing a teenager without solid evidence of Kaiser's crime and involvement with the Bandits, coupled with old man Garba's blessing of approval, who seem to possess considerable reputation. Touching him discreetly is only possible through this operation. Where even if he dies, he won't be held accountable for it will be treated as an accident. They could even put the blame on the monster. Though, considering his name are put on the distributed maps, Alfred doesn't seem to want his life, only beaten to a pulp as vengeance for his family. Or perhaps, being the sole descendant of his loathed foe, Alfred's spite might be more horrible than death...

Kaiser's expression darkened.

That advice about humanity, compassion and sympathy. To not view everyone as enemies... Was it, was it all done for the sake of separating him from his valued companions? Did Alfred purposely loosen his guard, then dragged him here, for what?

For what!?

'A-ariela... Cia...'

His heart cracking.