After walking for about 5 hours, the sound of running water grew in his ears. It slowly increased until he could see a roaring river in the distance. It was almost noon, and the sun was high in the sky and the trees became fewer the farther they traveled.
Eric didn’t talk to any of the hunters for the rest of the trip, preferring to just listen to their conversations and gather as much information as he could, even the useless stuff.
After another half hour, he spotted Rivendell, a walled city built around a mountain. The river flowed up to the city and then twisted to the left, running along the high outer wall of the city.
Upon arriving in the city, the gate greeted the group. Simple stone walls, at least five meters high, protected the settlement. The gate remained open, but guards were stationed there to inspect the incoming travelers. Some stood atop the walls, bows at the ready, checking the surroundings.
The guards, dressed similarly to the three hunters, waved them in without a second glance. Although Eric found it odd that the guard didn’t ask about him seeing him handcuffed, he just shrugged it off.
The noise changed immediately as they passed the walls, muffled, and became clearer as they walked through a patchwork of mud and dirt. Eric had to ignore the stares he received from a few people walking along the path and curiously survey his surroundings.
They came to a large square and walked through a market area with hundreds of people milling about and merchants shouting their wares. Their makeshift stalls overflowed with vibrant displays of vegetables, meat, carpets, and an array of clothing. His stomach growled as the smell of freshly cooked food assaulted his nose.
In an attempt to distract himself, he noticed that not everyone dressed the same, and there was a great variation in the quality of their clothing. Some wore dull, dirt-covered robes that looked as if they had come out from the underground, while others wore vests and well-fitting pants made of leather or armor.
After about half a mile, the dirt road had become cobblestone, just before the bridge that led to another gate of the inner city. The gate was wide open, and no one tried to stop them as they entered the inner city, but Eric noticed that the number of guards was almost double that of the outer area. Almost all of them wore the same armor as Marco and the others, which made him conclude that this area must be where the hunters lived.
After walking for a while, Marco stopped and looked at the others. “You two are free to go now. I’ll take him to the investigation department myself.”
“Fine by me,” Hawk said before trotting off. He raised his arm as he walked away without looking back. “See you back at the dorm.”
“Yeah,” Marco said before looking at Mike, who hadn’t left and was still standing rooted in his place, seemingly hesitant to speak, as he opened and closed his mouth several times.
“Yeah, what is it, Mike? Something you want to say?”
Mike looked at the ground before lifting his head to meet Marco’s eyes. “Captain, about the test. Can you tell me the results of your evaluation now?”
“Hm, well, as you know, you’ll have to wait until I’ve submitted my report to the Department, and then they’ll be the ones to decide whether you’re eligible to transfer to the Assault Division.”
“Yes, I know that. But whether I pass or fail depends on the report you submitted and the evaluation you gave me in the test. Did I pass according to your standards or did I fail?” Mike asked.
Eric watched as Mike fidgeted nervously, a behavior uncharacteristic of him. It was obvious that passing whatever test he had taken meant a great deal to him, for Eric had never seen him so nervous in their interactions. He looked like a student, anxiously waiting for the teacher to announce the test results.
“We’ll talk about this later,” Marco said and gestured to Eric. “As you can see, I’m busy right now. Come find me in the Assault Division dormitory in two hours, and we’ll talk.”
“I understand,” Mike said with a downcast expression before walking away, not even sparing Eric a glance.
“Come on, follow me.”
Eric didn’t resist when Marco pulled his arm in a firm grip and led him through the inner area. He was already in a city teeming with hunters, and if he tried anything funny, he might not even make it to the headquarters in one piece. So he followed, taking the opportunity to look around.
In contrast to the outer area, the buildings here were larger and taller, all made of wood and colored stone, with opaque glass windows preventing a view of the inside. Brick roofs covered most of the buildings.
Eric noticed that the quality of life in the inner area was significantly higher than in the outer area. There were stalls selling fruit, meat, furs, and various types of weapons and armor. Off to the side of their path, he spotted a blacksmith’s shop where a few burly men were hammering away at a glowing piece of metal held against an anvil. Various swords and hammers hung on a wall behind them, displaying their craft. A few hunters surrounded a shop that sold potions of various colors and some herbs he recognized.
After a few twists and turns, they finally reached their destination. Eric looked at the enormous building in front of him and noticed the large sign above the sturdy wooden double doors.
“Investigation Department,” he read the sign.
People streamed in and out of the door, most of them carrying stacks of papers and appearing to be in a hurry. Some glanced at him for a few seconds before continuing on their way, while others ignored him completely.
The lack of reaction to seeing him handcuffed and escorted felt strange to him. He had expected more curiosity from the people, but all he got was a few glances before being ignored.
“I guess it’s not an uncommon sight,” he thought to himself.
“Let’s go inside,” Marco said, interrupting Eric’s thoughts and dragging him into the building.
The inside of the investigation department was even more chaotic. People rushed from one place to another, but Marco didn’t stop to wonder why. He continued to pull Eric along until they reached a staircase on the side and ascended to the second floor.
After they climbed the stairs, Marco led him down a bustling hallway until they halted in front of a nondescript office door.
Shortly after Marco knocked, a voice came from inside.
“Come in.”
Without hesitation, Marco pushed the door open and motioned for him to follow.
The room inside was both cluttered and organized, with piles of papers filling the space. However, Eric’s attention focused on the desk in front of him, where a man in a chair sat, busy writing. Marco signaled for him to be quiet by placing a finger over his mouth.
After waiting a while, just as he was starting to get bored, he heard the man sigh.
“Ah, my back is killing me,” the man said. He dropped his pen, stood up, and stretched, the sound of cracking joints echoing through the room.
“You look like a changed man. The Jonathan I know was always a lazy bum,” Marco said with a smile.
“Marco, you workaholic bastard,” Johnathan said with a smile before moving closer to hug Marco. “How have you been?”
“Same as always, one boring mission after another. Nothing interesting happened,” Marco replied.
“Haha, right? You should have listened to me when I suggested that you join the Human Department to enjoy life a little. “It has been almost three years since this place formed, and there isn’t much left to be explored.”
“I’d rather be out there fighting monsters than stuck behind a desk.” Marco pointed at Johnathan’s stomach. “Look at you. You’ve gained weight since you left the Hunter Department.”
“What are you talking about? Those are loose muscles, muscles,” Johnathan replied, slapping his rounded belly and laughing.
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“Jokes aside, you didn’t come to see me because you missed me, right? So tell me, what is the reason for your visit? Is it because of your new friend over here?” Jonathan stopped laughing and asked, his tone changing from playful to curious as he turned his attention to Eric, who examined him in return.
Jonathan’s appearance was that of a middle-aged man with a round face framed by short, unkempt hair. His slightly disheveled appearance matched the chaotic state of his office, but his eyes held sharp intelligence beneath the surface.
“I met him on my last mission,” Marco explained. “He was in a newly discovered dungeon I was supposed to scout.”
“Oh really? Who is he then?”
“I don’t know. He tried to act like one of us, but he had no temple stigma on him, so I captured him.”
“He doesn’t seem to be in good shape. Did he resist?” Johnathan asked, looking at Eric’s bloodied figure.
“A little,” Marco replied nonchalantly, shrugging off the confrontation as if it were a minor inconvenience, which left a bitter taste in Eric’s mouth.
Jonathan scratched his untrimmed beard and examined Eric from top to bottom before asking, “Friend, can you tell me your name?”
“Eric Walker,”
“Is that your real name?” When he saw him nod, he continued, “Strange name, but never mind. Can you tell me what you were doing in the dungeon?”
“That’s what I was trying to tell these people. I didn’t want to get in there willingly,” Eric continued, a little frustrated. “The last thing I remember was going to bed in my house, which was far away from here, and then suddenly I woke up in this damn forest, chased all day by monsters I’d never seen before in my life until I was forced into this dungeon where I almost died.”
He did his best to tell the truth this time, only hiding the fact that he was one of those devils, knowing that revealing anything about the system would be like sentencing himself to death. Oh, and that he was from another world. He didn’t know how they would react to this information, whether it was a normal occurrence or a unique phenomenon.
But after he finished his story, Jonathan’s reaction surprised him.
“Wait! You said you were in your house, and then the next thing you knew, you found yourself in the forest. Like you teleported?” Jonathan asked.
“That’s right,” Eric confirmed.
Does he know anything about it?
“I see,” Johnathan murmured, scratching his beard and looking pensive.
“Do you know what happened to me?”
It was obvious from the look on Jonathan’s face that he knew something. This was his chance to prove his innocence and find out why he was transported to this world.
Instead of answering, Jonathan walked over to his desk, sat down in his chair, and opened a drawer before pulling something out. Eric examined what appeared to be a crystal ball, but there was something strange about it. He could swear he saw it move on its own. Squinting, he noticed that the crystal was attached to the back of a creature that resembled a snail. Instead of a shell, however, the creature had a transparent, crystalline structure.
Jonathan held the strange crystal before a bluish aura surrounded his hand and seeped into the crystal, causing the snail-like creature to awaken from its slumber and let out a creaky scream as energy absorbed into the crystal.
After a while, its four tentacles lowered, and it seemed to fall into a slumber. And just as the screaming stopped, the crystal began to flicker before a faint light appeared from within and materialized into a man’s face.
Before Eric could say anything, he watched Jonathan speak as soon as the man’s face appeared in the crystal.
“Hello!”
But what was even more bizarre was that as the man’s lips moved, his voice rang out from the crystal ball into the room.
“Hello, sir. Do you need anything?” asked the voice that Eric could only assume belonged to the man from the crystal.
Although he had gained some knowledge about this world from the knowledge books, he didn’t recognize this creature. It seemed to work similar to a phone—a communication device.
“Yes, send two guards to my office; I have another one here,” Jonathan said.
Huh, another one? Does that mean I wasn’t the only one they caught?
“I understand, sir. We’ll be there in a minute.” The man seemed to know exactly what Jonathan meant because he answered quickly, with no need for clarification.
Jonathan nodded, the blue aura slowly dissipating from his hand. The light on the crystal flickered, distorting the man’s face before it disappeared completely and the crystal became transparent again. Jonathan then placed the crystal back in the drawer before closing it.
Eric glanced at Marco, who was calm and looked thoughtful as he continued to look at the floor with a pensive expression on his face.
“So, what are you planning to do with me?” he asked, shifting his attention back to Jonathan.
Jonathan tapped his finger on the desk in rhythm before meeting his gaze. “Well, I don’t know if Marco told you, but trespassing on temple grounds is no joke, especially in the forbidden zone,” he continued. “The usual punishment for such an act is death.”
Eric didn’t panic when he heard Jonathan’s words, for he caught the meaning hidden behind them.
“You said ‘usually’,” he continued. “Does that mean my situation isn’t typical?”
“Right,” Jonathan nodded.
“So, what do you want to do with me? I don’t suppose you’re going to let me go, are you?”
Jonathan laughed. “I like to speak to smart people who understand quickly; it makes explaining less exhausting.” He paused, then looked at him seriously. “You’re right, although your circumstances are unusual. The higher-ups have already issued orders not to let go of variants like you, especially when the date of the eruption is close.”
Variants? I guess he means those who have been transported, like me.
“And what were the orders you received?” he asked.
“Well, here’s the deal,” Jonathan said, elbows firmly planted on the desk, fingers interlocked and drawn close to his mouth. “There are only two choices for you: live or die.”
What kind of question is that? Eric thought. “I don’t quite follow. What do you mean by that?”
“There is no other meaning to my words. The temple gave variants like you these two options and gave you the choice to live or die.”
What kind of bullshit is that? Eric wondered. “What crazy person would choose to die? It’s clear that the temple is forcing them to choose without giving a damn about their will.”
“So, what’s your choice going to be?” Jonathan asked. “To live or to die?”
“Is it necessary to ask?” Eric said with a smile. “The choice is obvious.”
“I see. So I take it you have chosen...” Jonathan looked at him seriously. “... death.”
“No, I chose the other option,” Startled, Eric said quickly after seeing Jonathan raise his seat.
Jonathan looked at him with a hardened expression for a while before bursting out laughing.
“I was just messing with you; you should have seen the look on your face,” he said, wiping away his tears. “Why so serious?”
Because that's my life you’re messing with, bastard. Eric muttered in his mind, but he kept it to himself and didn’t let his anger show on his face.
“Anyway, I thought it would be good to lighten the mood since you looked so depressed,” Jonathan said. “Relax a little; it’s not like we’re going to kill you. We might even become colleagues shortly.”
Eric glanced at Marco but found him still silent.
Isn’t he going to tell him? But a knocking sound interrupted his thoughts.
“Yes, you can come in,” Jonathan said.
Just as Jonathan gave permission, the door creaked open to reveal two guards in plate armor. Their stern expressions softened slightly as they focused their attention on Jonathan.
“Sir, you requested our presence?”
“Yes, thank you for coming,” Jonathan replied, gesturing for them to enter.“This is Eric Walker. He’s another of the recently found variants. You can put him with the others.”
The guards nodded in acknowledgment, their eyes shifting back to Eric with a hint of curiosity.
“Understood, sir,” the other guard replied. “We’ll be keeping an eye on him.”
“Good.” Jonathan nodded before turning his attention back to Eric. “You can follow them, and they will take you to where the other variants like you are.”
“You still haven’t told me what will happen to me now that I’ve made a choice,” Eric asked, narrowing his eyes.
“No need to give me that look,” Jonathan reassured. “You don’t have to worry about anything, alright? You’ll just have to follow them and see for yourself.”
Despite Jonathan’s reassuring words, Eric still had a lingering suspicion that he wasn’t telling him everything and was hiding something important. But he couldn’t do anything about it because he couldn’t exactly force him to say what he didn’t want to. He saw how Marco and the guard treated him. So he must have had an influential position in the temple and probably had enough strength to back it up.
So, despite his hatred for being passive, Eric had no choice but to follow the guards without getting answers.
But before he left the office, a voice stopped him.
“Wait.”
Looking behind him, Eric found Marco was the one stopping him. He looked at him with flickering eyes.
Is he going to tell them?
Eric tensed as he saw Marco slowly approaching him, thinking he was going to reveal his suspicions that he was a devil.
If push comes to shove, I’ll just have to fight my way out of here.
Even though he knew he had almost no chance of escaping from this room if the situation deteriorated, he was determined to fight to the end and take some people down with him.
But contrary to what he expected, Marco didn’t say anything. Instead, he pulled out a key and unlocked his handcuffs.
“All right, you can take him away now,” Marco said.
Eric looked at Marco and saw him looking back at him. They exchanged glances for a while, but in the end, neither said anything. With lingering doubts, he followed the two guards out of the office.