Chapter 23

Third Person Point of View

In a massive stadium filled with Hunters, the C-tiered building could accommodate a total of 100,000 seats, divided into ten sections. Additionally, there were 20,100 chairs in the center, divided into three sections. All Hunters entered the stadium and seated themselves in their designated areas according to their classes.

On the left side, the seating began with the Love Hunters, followed by the Hunters of Energy, the Hunters of Wishes, the Hunters of Life, the Hunters of Knowledge, and then the Hunters of Sin. The Hunters of Sin occupied the center, emanating a dangerous aura. Next to them were the Hunters of Dreams, the Hunters of Pain next is Hunter of Amusement, the Hunters of Talent, and the Hunters of Curiosity, which radiated a bright aura on the right side. Each class of Hunter had a designated badge color.

The Love Hunters wore red badges, the Hunters of Energy had green badges, the Hunters of Wishes wore blue badges, and the Hunters of Life had obsidian badges. The Hunters of Knowledge had indigo badges, the Hunters of Sin wore grey badges, the Hunters of Dreams had yellow badges, the Hunters of Pain wore pink and Amusement wore maroon badges, the Hunters of Talent had gold badges, and the Hunters of Curiosity and Misery had light blue badges.

They all seated and arrived on time. Before 3 PM, many Hunters had already gathered, some arguing with neighboring seats, some glaring at each other, and others remaining nonchalant, but there were a lot of them. In the country of Elaria, it is divided into three sections: the main city Henerva, the southeastern Grent City, and the northwestern Denmart.

La-La Point of View

We seated ourselves at the top in the last row—Yuna and I. There were a few Hunters that I knew here, but they did not greet me; instead, they just looked. I scanned the area, looking for that woman, but she was nowhere to be seen. I remembered she was out of reach since they mentioned that her dog was missing.

“Senior, are you looking for someone?” Yuna asked.

“Oh yeah, but it seems I can’t find her. Maybe later,” I said, forcing a smile. She smiled back, and suddenly, a familiar figure walked toward us—it was Ellie. She greeted us immediately.

“Have a seat,” I said, and she sat next to Yuna. “Why are you not with your senior?” I asked her. She went silent.

“Oh, I didn’t ask who is the senior assigned to you again?” I asked her, but she was hesitant to answer.

“It’s Lloyd, Senior La-la,” she whispered. My eyes widened at hearing it. “You must have heard what happened to him since he is also your batchmate as far as I knoe. I have had zero contact with him since he was announced missing,” she said.

Then suddenly, a voice broke the tension. “Oh, isn’t this La-la the workaholic,” a familiar voice called out. “Joana,” I said, naming her. I looked at her—she had yellow hair, brown eyes, freckles on her face, and pale skin. She was my batchmate.

“I thought you were long gone since you kept running all around, you should been in farewell” she said, seating herself next to me, followed by a man who seated himself next to her.

“That was quite a greeting,” I said to her, and she gave a sly smile.

“Well, didn’t you miss me?” she asked.

“Missed? Oh, I never thought that,” I replied.

Joana laughed. “You haven’t changed a bit, La-la.”

Then an echo reverberated around the stadium, capturing everyone's attention. We couldn't see what was happening in the center, but they opened the screens for us to watch. A guiding spirit approached the mic. "Greetings to all Hunters—it is currently 3:05 PM, and we will proceed with the Catastrophe Assembly," it announced. The entire stadium fell silent.

Thirteen figures arrived on stage, each the head of their respective Hunter departments. The guiding spirit began the introductions.

"For Una, the Love Hunter Head," it announced. Everyone in our section clapped their hands. Una, our head, had brown hair in a ponytail, glasses, and always dressed neatly.

"For the Hunter of Energy, Bianca," the spirit continued. "For the Hunter of Wishes, Trey." "For the Hunter of Life, Quad." "For the Hunter of Pain, Quinta." "For the Hunter of Knowledge, Exta." "For the Hunter of Sin, Sienna." "For the Hunter of Dreams, Octivia." "For the Hunter of Amusement, Nina." "For the Hunter of Talent, Decimus." "For the Hunter of Curiosity and Misery, Undecimus."

The guiding spirit paused before introducing the last two. "And for the head of Special Forces, Dodeca, and for our head of the Guiding Spirits, Tricus."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The introductions concluded, and the crowd murmured softly, acknowledging the presence of these powerful figures. Head works as the president of each department,

Una, our head, stepped forward to speak. "Thank you all for gathering here today. I will be straightforward and not waste time on the issue that concerns our department. As widely known, the appearance of the Gold String has caused quite a stir. It is said to have the power to turn a Mythical Creature into a human upon contact. However, the existence of such a phenomenon is not true."

The crowd murmured in disbelief, but Una continued firmly. "The rampage caused by this false belief has created a dilemma for our work and caused a ruckus among all Love Hunters by the creation of other Hunters who want such a power. Although the matter is resolved, the chaos revealed the emergence of a 'Wild One'—a significant threat who only appeared as far a we know back before . As a result of the upheaval, a total of 15 Love Hunters have gone missing who 12 came back save, and as of now, 3 remain unaccounted for."

Gasps and whispers spread throughout the stadium. Hunters exchanged worried glances, realizing the gravity of the situation. They worried but they also the one who cause such a ruckus.

"The conclusion is clear: the Wild One is indeed real and poses a severe threat," Una said, her voice resolute. "We must be vigilant and prepared to face this danger head-on."

The tension in the air was palpable. Yuna, sitting beside me, looked visibly shaken. "This is worse than I thought," she whispered.

Then, the Head of Special Forces, Dodeca, stepped forward, his presence commanding attention. "As the existence of the Wild One is confirmed, we have also observed other Hunters going on rampages, injuring fellow Hunters at will," he declared sternly. "The Special Forces do not have enough manpower to contain every incident. Therefore, we issue a warning: any Hunter causing a ruckus here will face severe punishment." He had slick hair and eyes like a cat, which added to his intimidating presence. "We will ensure everyone's safety as far as we can; however, we will not go easy on those who defy the rules," Dodeca asserted firmly.

"The emergence of the Wild One is already a significant threat to our existence. The Wild One has the power to permanently erase a soul," Dodeca continued gravely. "And we cannot guarantee everyone's safety to one hundred percent."

"It's indeed scary," I murmured back, my thoughts racing. "A soul that's been erased means our very existence will cease to be. That's how frightening it is."

As we absorbed the weight of Dodeca's words, he continued, "We've been trying to resolve this issue by creating a weapon." His statement piqued our curiosity, and we exchanged a puzzled glance.

Suddenly, a member of the Special Forces approached the stage carrying a black box about the size of a computer. They handed it over to Dodeca, who opened it for all to see. Inside was a single gun.

"This gun is one-time use," Dodeca announced solemnly, holding it up for everyone to see. "Each Hunter will be provided with one. Its function is to paralyze a person for a day."

A Few Moments Later

The heads of the other Hunter departments took turns addressing their respective issues, but the most contentious topics centered around our department. I could feel the accusatory gazes of some Hunters fixed on us like owls scrutinizing prey.

"They're ridiculous," Joanna muttered under her breath. It was true; blaming us for the Golden String incident wasn't fair. Most of the damage in that chaotic situation had been caused by all Hunters, yet now we were being scapegoated for it.

"They're the ones who attacked us, and now they're blaming us," Yuna said indignantly.

"And because some Hunters are missing from our department, they assume the Wild One originates from us," I added.

"They've had missing Hunters too," Ellie chimed in. "But they're singling out the weakest. We're the lowest-ranked among all Hunters."

Discrimination among Hunters was based on power and influence. As Love Hunters, we were numerous but considered the least powerful. Love may be common, but it didn't mean we were responsible for every mishap.

"You've explained the rank dynamics to me before, Senior, but it's frustrating to see it used against us like this," Yuna said, her anger evident.

"Ignore them," I said to Yuna, Joanna interrupted with a scoff. "You never really care what others thinks huh"

"I have no reason to care about their opinions as long as we do our job well. That's all that matters. Don't we all share the same goal?" I replied calmly.

"You're too idealistic," Joanna retorted dismissively.

The meeting finally ended, and now they've given us each a box, as we were the last to leave the stadium. Joanna said "Let's hope to see each other again. If not, then this is our last meeting," she bid farewell, her criticism echoing in my mind for the past three hours. She had the same personality as our Senior, and it was annoying. I sighed deeply; it had been exhausting.

"Are you okay, Senior?" Yuna asked me, concern evident in her voice.

"Oh, yeah," I replied, trying to shake off the weariness. "Let's go," I said to her, and we walked outside the stadium. There, we saw Axel waiting with another man, who I recognized as Luke.

Compared to Axel, Luke seemed less rude—perhaps it had been the fifty years since I last saw him.

"Sir Axel," Yuna called out as we approached him. "This is exhausting," Axel muttered as we gathered around him.

"We all know," I replied with a sigh, feeling the weight of the day. I glanced at Lucas, who greeted us with a nod.

"Oh, and you are..." Axel began, noticing Ellie standing beside us.

"Yeah, she's Ellie. Really, Axel? You already forgot her name?" I teased, earning a glare from him.

Axel turned his attention to Lucas. "Oh, you might not remember him."

"No, I remember him—Lucas, right?" I interjected. "You might not remember me, but I'm La-La," I said to Lucas, trying to jog his memory.

"I remember you too. I won't forget you, Ms. La-La. It's been a long time," Lucas replied warmly. Wait-

"What do you mean you won't forget me? That's rare for your case," I said, puzzled by his statement.

"Well, for Axel, you're only his Love Hunter friend. How could I forget someone like you? Even if we don't meet often, I know you all well," Lucas explained.

I looked at Axel, expecting him to clarify, but he just shrugged, leaving me to wonder about Lucas's comment.

"Oh, well, by the way, this is our Junior Yuna and Ellie," I introduced them. Lucas looked at them and greeted with a nod. Oh well this is awkward.

Then suddenly a guiding spirit who passed by us stopped walking then looked at me he also wearing a white suit so yeah he is a guiding sprit. He was a handsome man with jet-black hair that framed his chiseled features perfectly. His piercing blue eyes shone with intelligence and a hint of mystery, drawing you in with their intensity. His strong jawline gave him a confident and rugged appearance, complemented by a subtle stubble that added to his allure. Standing tall with a commanding presence, he exuded an air of charisma and charm that captivated those around him.

He is familiar to me. So that I also have an unease feeling within me.