Kaiser rushed out of the inn, practically throwing the doors open as he scanned the street, ignoring the stares that trailed after him. It didn’t take long for him to spot a Hunter standing nearby with his hound, the dog leashed to a wagon. Kaiser beelined for them, his gaze fixed.

“Wh-!? Ah, s-sir Kaiser, I mean, honorable Player, is there something I can assist you with?” The Hunter stammered, looking nervous. He was a young man, likely just a rookie assigned to menial duties with the hound.

“Skip the formalities, And for the love of all gods, please don’t call me an ‘honorable Player.’ There’s not a single video game around here, it sounds… weird.” Though Kaiser could see that the term held respect in the eyes of these people, he hated the weird disconnect it gave him. ‘Player’ sounded like a term straight out of some RPG on Earth.

'Who the heck even comes up with that bullshit*t title, there's so many suitable terms out there.'

Clearing his throat, he asked in a polite tone. “Anyway, I need a quick favor. Think you can help?”

The young man straightened.

“A-anything, sir!”

“Good, good… umm, mind feeding this to your dog?” Kaiser held out the half-bitten blue fruit, watching as the Hunter looked down, confused by the request.

“Uh… pardon?”

Kaiser sighed. “Just shove it in the hound’s mouth, I want to see its reaction.”

Still, the young Hunter hesitated, a mix of reluctance and fear crossing his face. “But it might… bite me…”

'And you call yourself a Hunter. Gods.' Kaiser swallowed his growing frustration. Seeing the Hound was breathing like a dog with its tongue hanging and jaw loss, he took it himself with a mischievous smile.

"You know what, I'll do it myself."

Before the young man could protest, Kaiser took the fruit back, crouched down, and threw it into the innocent hound’s mouth, intentionally crushing it first to make sure it would savor the juicy pulp.

The poor dog yelped, recoiling from the sour taste. Well, it clearly doesn't like it at all.

Watching the hound’s discomfort, Kaiser's face turned serious. No one knew what his thinking. Even the dumbfounded onlookers and the young man that would surely be in trouble for mistreating the borrowed Hound by his superiors.

Kaiser isn't a genius or a top grader in class, but his not dumb as to not learn that most animals dislike sour foods, especially bitter fruits for its uncomfortable acidic taste. It’s natural for them to avoid it instinctively. And yet... Kaiser's mind raced back to the odd behavior of Brick’s hound. That dog had devoured the same fruit given by the Goddess in one gulp, showing no reaction whatsoever. Rather, it was satisfied.

Furthermore, isn't one of the monster’s early victims had been a Hunter named Bara? Brick’s hound’s previous owner who put the 'Bara's property' in Hound's the name tag — What's up with that guy?— Paired with the monster's uncanny ability to shift its appearance, the pieces began to fall into place, one unsettling fragment at a time.

'Had it taken over the hound’s body?'

Another thought gnawed at him. The night of the hunt, the creature could’ve fled early on considering its elusiveness. But instead, it had toyed with the Hunters, leading them in circles before escaping towards the Inn, was it a pure coincidence? Or...

'It was aiming for Ariella! The distance it created between the pursuers is enough delay for it to take Ariella without getting caught.'

The Hound had shown interest to the goddess back in the armor shop that evening of their encounter, just like other animals, seemingly attracted by her divine presence. Kaiser didn't like the eerie dog one bit, however, he never expected it to be the devouring monstrosity in disguise, chills ran down his spine, remembering how close he had been to the frightening creature.

Though, to think that even beastial creatures wanted to take her goddess away, Kaiser had to step up his game.

'I never knew keeping a girl is this hard!' Kai never had a girl in life, how would he know?

But jokes aside. The revelation left a dark knot in his chest. The monster intelligence was startling, and with it, it had planned to get to her—to consume her, maybe. Fortunately, Kaiser's intervention had unknowingly destroyed its plan, but is it the end of it?

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Without another word, Kaiser turned back to the young Hunter, his expression grim. “Take me to Alfred, Quick!"

After traveling along a familiar path, Kaiser soon arrived at the Hunters’ lodge, the sturdy structure built from thick logs and stone. Kai would rather avoid this lodge of all places for his not fond of meeting Alfred, the head of the Hunters he despised. However, today's events had shifted his plans, leaving him no choice.

As luck would have it, Alfred and the senior Hunters were in the middle of a meeting, their schedules packed with the growing troubles surrounding the recent monstrous attacks that took many lives and presented a troublesome issue.

The mood told him to wait, but his own opinion suggests otherwise. They're discussing solutions for the monstrosity's threat, anyway, it would be a waste of time if he waits. Who knows what vile scheme the monster is up to now? He can't delay.

Originally, interrupting would be out of the question, but his title as a Player afforded him certain privileges aside from unnecessary fame, as well. Kaiser use them to barge in.

The door opened, revealing a dimly lit room where the Hunters were gathered around a large circular table, heatedly debating strategies. The low hum of conversation came to an abrupt halt as they turned to see who had dared to interrupt.

“What’s the meaning of this?” one of the high ranking Hunters demanded, clearly displeased.

The young escort accompanying Kaiser—the same rookie responsible for the hound Kaiser had abused earlier—bowed deeply in apology. His face was pale with worry, likely dreading the consequences for this intrusion. Kaiser had a hunch the young man’s career would likely be over soon, though he doubted the kid had the temperament for the rough occupation anyway.

“Please forgive our intrusion, Sir Kaiser requests an audience with Sir Alfred.” The escort muttered.

Alfred’s deep voice cut through the silence in response. “Very well. You may excuse yourself.”

The young Hunter hurriedly left, retreating hastily and closing the door in the process. leaving Kaiser alone to bear the scrutinizing gazes of the veteran Hunters donned in feral fashioned attire with scars and harshness on their faces. There was a familiar face aside from Alfred. Brick was here, too, surprisingly remaining silent as he looked at Kai with restrained anger.

Alfred’s voice broke the tension. “What brings you here?” His tone was deep, as steady as a rock like usual, yet carrying a hint of weariness.

Kai opened his mouth, but his voice was driven out of his control by the nervousness.

"Ow, ah... Ahem, Um, I just kinda figured something out."

"Speak. Louder. We can't hear you here." Someone on the backside demanded in a rough tone. Silencing Kaiser.

A single lantern hung over the center of the table, casting a dim glow around the room, illuminating the rough faces and hardened eyes that glared at him with weary eyes. The Hunters were clearly strained, with dark circles under their eyes and tense expressions. The hunt for the monster had worn them down, each day bringing fresh casualties, and the recent disaster had taken the lives of multiple people under their commands. And rumors of the creature’s increasing strength only added to their burden. Because it's now confirmed to be true.

Some of them have even expressions, and some are clearly dissatisfied by his intervention. They're stressed, busy warriors in command of an army's life, each decision they made could either kill or save. In their world, listening to the young man was a bother. They would have driven his out already if not for his Player title.

Under the gripping pressure of these individuals, Kaiser's hand became cold, his heart beat faster as uneasiness churned in his stomach. He doesn't feel too good... In fact, he felt worse than the times he stood before the entire class for a reporting task.

Well, his audience here isn't average people, nor professional professors. Each of them was a seasoned warrior in their own rights, the scars they wore telling stories of countless battles with beasts and vile peoples alike. Leather armor adorned with beastly trophies accentuated their imposing builds, and the weight of their presence was palpable, differ to normal humans that haven't killed anyone yet.

Before the silence stretched too long, Kaiser tried speaking again in a louder voice. However, no voice came out. Because his mind had gone blank, what was he supposed to explain again? anxiety had messed up his thinking.

"Kid, will you speak, or what? We're having our own important discussion here, if you don't have anything important to say, go." Commented a elderly yet bulky man.

Though, his not the only one that had grown impatient to listen to him practice public speaking.

Someone clicked his tongue. "Not because you're a Player you can do whatever you want."

"Youngsters this days sure are careless."

"Oh, please. Time is running, people, where are we last time?"

"Hey, let's calm down, let the young man speak."

"Hold some respect, his a Player."

"Come on, his shaking! What good is he to battle if he can't even explain anything."

Their stress, impatient and displeasure gush out as criticizing words, drowning his ears with sentences he doesn't want to hear. Kaiser can't deny their comments, either, for they are true. His was lost in the pressure of mental burden. different from battle where he only needed to think of killing his opponent.

He lost his words and unconsciously stepped back, his eyes searching whatever and saw Alfred, the Hunters head are supposed to compose his people, right? Kai's eyes turn hopeful, only to dim again as Alfred shook his head, remaining silent for a reason. His a leader, not a babysitter.

Making Kai realize that his alone... His expression darkened, his head hung low, blending in the background as the superiors continued their heated discussion, ignoring him.

No one would help him, and no one would heed the word of a kid. They hold no respect for someone that haven't achieve anything. Even if his a Player, that's nothing in the grand scheme of things without the capability to back it up.

Why did he came here, anyway? They're still figuring out the monster capability and other bullshit*ts, instead of formulating a plan to kill the creature. So leaving them in their slow progress would be a nice pay back. Not his fault if more people died, they doesn't want to listen, after all.

He sighed. Why did he go through the trouble of coming here again?

'...Yeah, I remember.'

It was to use these bastards.

A smile creeped on his face, finding the situation oddly amusing. He had experienced many horrible things - Impalement of blades, strike of arrows, diving on a snake stomach, killing someone, dying again and again... So, why is he so nervous in speaking his opinion? He himself was curious in the answer.

Earth modernization still had a grip on him, especially the academic standing where his trained to be obedient, humble himself and lower his voice to the superiors.

However, in this Realm. The system was messed up. A testament that there's little to no order in this world, no face to keep clean or people to please, no resume or track records to avoid. Heck, he could have blood on his hands and still get a normal job in Green land.

There's only the laws of the jungle here, the strong devour the weak and was allowed to do whatever he wants if he had the strength to back it up.

So, he dropped formalities taught by modernization and care for these bastards. He let himself lose, thinking of the gathered people before as just like any other people, completely erasing his high regard towards these individuals.

His no longer the obedient student.

'Let me be straightforward then.'

Taking a deep breath, Kai stepped forward and kicked the large table! The heavy wood slightly lifted from the ground before landing with a groan.

Silence finally returned and all confused heads were on him, their dumbfounded gazes asking many questions. Kaiser nonchalantly looked at everyone, amused by their varying expression, placed one foot on the table then spoke casually.

"Sorry about that, I just remembered what I came here to say... I NEED YOUR HARD ASSES!."

Kai came here to used them to kill the monster that wants to take his goddess.