"What parts of the orc bodies do we use?" The journey back is a lot more relaxed, and conversation flows freely. Teckar responds to my question. "The meat and the mana stone. There might be some demand for other body parts as well." "The meat! Are orcs tasty?" "Of course, did you smell the orc that Dain burnt?" "He smelled like burnt bacon." "What is bacon?" Teckar sounds curious. Seems like I accidentally said something that would not make sense in this world. I haven't seen any pigs, so there is a good chance they don't exist in this world. I pretend I didn't hear Teckar's question. The orcs flat nose does remind me of a pig snout. Wonder if orcs eat humans?

At the evening camp I worry he might bring it up again, but instead he asks something different. "There is a rumor at the guild. Is it true that you married the first four girls you met coming out of the wilderness." "Yes...that is true." I must seem like complete idiot to these guys when it is put like that. Sure enough, they all burst out laughing. "Dude why would you do that. There are so many women out there and you tied yourself to the first four." "Did they trick you? How did it happen?" "You do know that you will spend most of your life providing for them now."

Lak and Teckar seem to feel sorry for me. They clearly see me as a young man who has been taken advantage of by four unscrupulous women. I might look younger than them, but by my mental age I am far older. That being said, my values and theirs are clearly different. "Actually, they take care of me. Without them I would have been quite lost coming out of the wilderness." Lak and Teckar seems to listen. Lak still wants to know how it happened. "Well one jumped straight to confession, while another told her off. She was just as interested in me, so I asked all the girls who wanted to marry me. It sort of just happened after that."

All the guys are rolling in laugher. To them I am clearly naive. Dain continues to question me. "I heard that you rescued them from goblins. It is understandable that they were desperate to marry you if they had all spent some time as goblin wives." Both Lak and Teckar stop laughing. The sting of that last comment can clearly be felt. "You know you are fully within your rights to knock his lights out if he insults your women." Lak's comment kills the awkward silence. I make a move to get off the ground and Dain scrambles into the bushes. As I sit down again, the mood has been fully restored, with Dain still sitting in the bushes.

I am still curious on how guys in this world views girls. This would be my first chance to get a guys perspective. It wasn't a topic I talk to the blacksmith about. "I have noticed that there are a lot of girls in the guild." Lak picks up the topic. "Sure, they are attracted to all the awesome guys like us. Of course we rarely marry them. Far too binding. But they are a lot of fun." So hunters are like the rock stars of this world.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Teckar gives his view as well. "There are three types of girls at the guild. Firstly there are the girls who take hunting seriously and constantly try to improve themselves. The two other types seems to be mostly fishing for guys. One type happily sleeps around while the other girls stay chaste hoping to rope in some guy to take care of her. Only the first group is worthy of respect."

It might just be two guys views, but I am disappointed by how degrading my new friends are to women. It could be a matter of maturity, but they clearly think of girls as something that can be used and discarded when it is boring. They are completely ignoring the fact that many of the girls who are not suited as hunters are actually very active in the other much larger part of the guild, leasing out their skills to the commercial market. Lynne is a good example of that. She is the most steady earner in my home. At least Teckar sounds like he would respect Kira.

After we report back at the farmhold we continue back to the village to get a wagon back to our home town. I learn more about guys and their background. Mostly ordinary stuff. Dain learned magic from an old man he knew as a kid. Lak and Teckar seems to have known each other since childhood. Teckar is 25 years old and Lak close at 24. They are veteran hunters. Dain is actually older at 28, but clearly less mature despite his age. He has been stuck on D rank for a long time. He clearly has a higher opinion of himself than a D rank.

Our wagon journey back to the town starts very early in the morning rather than afternoon. The whole journey I get a good view of the countryside. This far from the core wilderness the rural countryside is decently developed, and the further east we go, the better it gets. Proximity to the wilderness is a clear risk to development. The farmholds close to the wilderness are risky undertakings done by people with little to loose. From what I have been told. The farmholds are made up of poor families sponsored and organized by the regional duke to expand the development westward.

At the town we report our success to the guild, deliver the dead orcs and troll to the dismantling department and share our reward. The guild still need to appraise the value of the orcs and the troll, but they will arrange the splitting of the reward and give it to us separately. The guild's heavy involvement seem to help ensure fights don't break out between hunters over money. When I bring it up with Teckar, he confirms that the guild is keen on avoiding disputes between hunters. "You are probably wonder what they do when hunter just need to punch each other. Come with me." Teckar leads me through the common area and into another large room.

It is an indoor arena. "So if I want to beat up Dain, I should just bring him here?" My question is only half a joke. "I doubt he will come with you. The arena is an outlet for excess energy and aggression. A lot of locals actually come to see hunters fight in the evening. The common room and the arena get quite lively in the evening. You should come. You can bring your wives as well."