The transaction quickly concluded, with Constantine giving Jeff the rest of the money.

Jeff invited them to stay for a while, and they accepted. Jeff and Jonathan shared their experiences from their work, while Constantine mostly listened or asked questions. Marcella decided to catch some sleep and went upstairs.

".. so I whispered to my client that the Monfound was actually C rank Eagle instead of the E+ Owl, and I took the money the seller was giving me under the table," Jonathan chuckled as he finished his third coffee. "And then everyone happily left. To this day, I do not know how the seller mixed the Monfounds and what did they think they were selling."

"Ha! Serves them right for trying to cheat a customer. My tip is they though it was E rank Parrot Monfound." Jeff was in great mood, and slowly sipped from his beer.

The conversation paused for a while. Then, Constantine asked a question he had in his head for a long time.

"Jeff, how did you start monster hunting? I am interested in it, but I have never done anything like it and I do not know if I am ready for it and where to start."

Immediately, both Jeff's and Jonathan's expressions turned more serious.

Jeff sized Constantine up, then sighed.

"Normally, when someone asks me this question, I tell them not to try it. Mostly because they just entered puberty and seem to be hot headed."

Constantine nodded in understanding, and waited for Jeff to continue.

"How old are you?"

"20."

"Hmm. Well. I started my hunting in the wilderness outside of Initi, in the east, which was way out of my depth, and nearly died. So, I would not recommend that," chuckled Jeff and sipped his drink. "After I nearly died, I understood I was senselessly risking my life. I joined the border guards, which was a bit better, but still not a good choice."

Jeff sighed and Jonathan nodded with understanding.

"Why was it not a good choice?" asked Constantine with confusion.

"I understand what you mean, the guards have a good reputation. But that is with the public, because they protect the cities. If you join them, they force you to absorb Monfounds if you do not already have some. And.. they do not give a lot of choices. Of course, you need to pay them back what they invested in you, so you are bound by contract for a few years. "

Jeff stared into the table, lost in his memories, as he continued the story.

"I had dreams of getting a high rank. B rank, maybe even A. Well, that eventually worked out, but not because of the border guards. From them, I got E+ Raccoon which is.. well. Not what I hoped for. But I refused to use my full monster form, otherwise my Raccoon form would stay with me forever, and I always hunted only partially transformed. So I looked for any information of higher Monfounds compatible with my Raccoon. And, after a year, I found that a Bear had compatibility."

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Both Jonathan and Constantine nodded, thankful for what Jeff shared, as each of them understood that the information about the monster form connections was hoarded.

"I stayed with the guards for a few years, gained money, gear and experience. Then, I formed a hunting party, and a bit later managed to get all Bear Monfounds and fully transformed for the first time, " Jeff finished the story and drank the last bit of beer he had.

"But, to your previous question. Join one of the City patrols."

"City patrols?" asked Constantine, not familiar with the group name.

"Yes. There are actually three types of City patrols. Outskirts, River and Underground. The River patrol manages the whole western part of the city where the Flum river flows. The north, east and south is under Outskirts patrol. Lastly, the Underground patrol takes care of sewers and underground structures."

Constantine's interest was picked.

"Huh, interesting. So, what do they do? Just walk around ?"

"Basically, yes. They hunt the unwanted monsters, like rats. There is a strict list, which monsters they are supposed to hunt, while the rest is forbidden. Should they find anything really dangerous, they pass it higher, either to police or professional hunters employed by the city, " answered Jeff.

"Alright. So, which of the three should I join? And why?"

"The Underground, " replied Jeff without hesitation. "Firstly, they often lack members. Not that they put the effort to actively recruit them... Secondly, of all the city patrols, the Underground patrols have the most encounters with aggressive monsters. It will be good experience for you, since most of the underground monsters are weak, "

Suddenly, Jeff grinned and his eyes gleamed a bit.

"And thirdly, in the City patrols, you get paid for the number of monsters you hunt, not for the time you spend on your shift. So, with Underground, you can actually earn something worthwhile. "

Constantine was quiet for a while, pondering his choices. Both Jeff and Jonathan stopped talking and gave him time to decide.

'I don't have that much free time. Between studying, my half-time job at the college as an assistant, most of my mornings and afternoons are already full. That leaves night or very early morning for the shift. Or maybe weekends.'

Constantine drummed with his fingers on the table, deep in thought.

'Money is always good. Although, it will depends how many monsters I will be able to hunt and how much is the pay. Hunting experience is something I really need. I do not have any real combat experience. If I want to have a chance of achieving a higher Monster form, I will need to gain some. Well, lets focus on getting another Monfound for the Komodo Dragon, the claws. And not getting killed by some monster rat, that would be embarrassing.'

"Do I get to choose the time of my shift? Are there some limits?" asked Constantine.

"You can do a shift whenever there is a free spot. You need to join someone when you hunt, can't go alone. You can not patrol longer than 8 hours in a single day."

Jeff thought for a while, trying to remember if he forgot to mention something.

"Yeah, that is probably all. "

"Then, I will try to join the Underground patrol, " decided Constantine.

Jeff nodded, somehow satisfied, while Jonathan seemed reserved, not showing his opinion.

"Good. Just go to the Town hall and apply there for the position. The clerk that handles it should be in the Monster section, take a look around."

Constantine nodded, already feeling exhausted from just the mention of the Town hall. The administrative tasks there always took a lot of time and patience from him.

"Oh!" said Jeff, as if he remembered something. "To join, you need to be healthy and adult, both of which you fulfill. You will also need to be tested for combat provess or have a recommendation from an official hunter."

As he was saying that, Jeff stood up and went to take piece of paper and a pen from a shelf.

"What do you say, I give you the recommendation, which you deserve as you have C+ Monfound fit for combat. That way, you keep your powers mostly hidden from the city officials, which want to poke their noses into everything. You also save some money by not taking the test, and in exchange, when something interesting happens in the underground, you give me some tips?" asked Jeff, and Constantine could see Jonathan rolling his eyes slightly in exasperation. What for, he did not know.

Constantine felt that Jeff was somehow too happy to assist him and get some info, but the man seemed fair to him. Constantine easily agreed to his offer.

"Great! Lets exchange contacts so we can keep in touch. I am always happy to know a new hunter," said Jeff, in a good mood, and they both exchanged their phone numbers.

With that done, Jonathan clapped his hands and stood up. "Well, I enjoyed the meeting and the drinks, but I have to go now."

Constantine stood up as well. "I should probably go as well. Thank you Jeff, for everything. Jonathan, how about I drive you back ?"

Jonathan agreed to the offered ride, and both of them shook hands with Jeff and said their goodbyes.

Walking out of the house, Constantine shuddered a bit from the cold weather.

Jonathan lit a cigarette. Then he turned to Constantine.

"This went well. Really well. You won't find many hunters as friendly as Jeff, nor as fair. Just a reminder."

Constantine nodded, and entered the car.

Jonathan opened the passenger door, but Constantine stopped him, pointing at the lit cigarette.

"Not in the car."

Jonathan's gaze moved between the cigarette and the relatively warmer interior of the car, hesitation showing on his face, his calm professional image slightly broken for the first time since they met.

Constantine could not help but smile at the sight.