Grief. That was the word of the day for Raven. One that he knew but wasn't sure of how to process it. He can't even keep track of what day it is anymore. Though Lowell did mention that Raven would only have another 5 days before his RF Service is up. Lowell had to bench Raven from dungeon raids because of what happened the other day.

"Until you sort that out, Private. I do not want you near a dungeon. You lost people didn't you? Then take your time to grieve for them." What Raven did was go to a shrine with Renya. Following Renya's lead in climbing up the stairs.

"The path in the middle is for the gods. That's why we have to stay to the left and right." Raven followed with Renya's explanation as they arrived at the top. Where the shrine was a statue of a samurai clad in armor with a hanya mask. A katana to the hip paired with a wakizashi wielding a nagamaki.

"This is a God that has protected Cherry Blossom from its birth. Though the name..."

"Kura Okami." Raven called out as the statue began to glow. Hearing a loud yawn followed by the statue stretching the limbs.

"It has been too long since someone called me... Ah. It's you and I see you brought someone else." Renya was gasping as he was trying to understand what's going on. The statue was moving? And it was speaking too?

"Renya. I should've done this earlier but Kura Okami is the one who protects your family. He was your ancestor, Masaharu Tsurugi. Whenever you go into a dungeon, killing monsters and offering the corpses or weapons as tribute to him will grant you a blessing. Spend time training with Kura Okami and you'll learn more."

"You cut off my descendant's head?" Kura Okami bellowed as the air began to stir while Raven just lit a cigarette.

"It was the Empire that slandered my name, Kura. It's not like I wanted to kill him. It's kill or be killed. Even you know that." Kura Okami grumbled to that explanation before letting out a sigh.

"I'll take care of my descendant. But what are your plans now?"

"I don't know. I'm just out here because I need a break. This is all I needed to do for you Renya. The rest is up to you. Take care." Raven headed down the stairs. Finding Aisha and Rodin with bloodied kopis in hand.

"Enforcer." The pair greeted as they showed Raven the Book of Wrongs and the Book of Corrections. Updated with a few names and organizations in the list. The Seven Hells were involved in some dungeons but as stated earlier. Raven's allies left them to die. It was just how they operated. No matter how much was pleaded, they left any one from Seven Hells and the Subsidiaries alone. Word spread as the Seven Hells sent a letter of protest to Cherry Blossom which ended up reaching Raven anyway.

Demanding compensation but Raven sent them a well drawn middle finger. It's best to rile them up before the kill. Sometimes enemies that think they cannot be touched makes for the most delightful of foes. It's the expression of fear and disbelief when Raven cut them down. Taking a moment to glance into the potential applicants of the Hunting Academy back in Euphemia. A list that Aquila, Stervy, Falco and Dolores compiled.

From F-Ranks to A-Ranks. Various classes and skillsets. There was one that caught Raven's eye though. A Hunter who was a chef but her true class according to what Aquila saw was 'Adventuring Gourmet'.

"Mia Silvers. Orphan. Older sister Melissa Silvers. Melissa Silvers is a C-Ranked Hunter working with a smaller guild. Adventuring Gourmet... That's one of the best classes for food production. S-Class but the conditions would be for her to learn how to cook. She can cook but I guess this means cook with dungeon ingredients." Raven thought out as he prepped a list of recipes to teach Mia when he met her. Sending the text.

'Recruit her. I'll be back in a few days to teach her some stuff.' Going through the list as Raven turned to the list of new applicants to join the Black Wing guild. Another name stood out.

"Brandon Holt. Yeah. This was Aquila's second. F-Rank. Current class is Mana Soldier. I'll need to tell Aquila to train with this kid from day one. He's fresh from the academy. Crap in everything but the academy's assessment system is just based on stats and power. Not actual strategy or tactics. The one thing that made him stick out is his resilience. A dungeon survivor." The embers of Raven's cigarette soaked the clean air with tobacco.

His application to being an academy teacher at the Euphemian Hunter Academy was approved by Shaw, Black and Aquila. It was enough to get him as an instructor for the worst class. The F-Ranked Hunter Academy Students but he was going to teach magic classes, aura classes, combat tactics and dungeon exploration in general. That was something to look forward to.

Raven headed back to the hotel where he found Ciara spending time with Corvus. The pair of them waved to Raven. Spending time in a cafe. It was interesting to say the least.

"Father!"

"Dad." Raven joined them as he made his order for a mocha and a strawberry cake.

"How was it, Corvus?"

"Fun. I've only read about most of my enemies in fantasy novels but facing them head on? That's a treat of its own. Working with my sister has also been great. She's been helping polish my techniques."

"You're already strong, brother. I can't believe you don't have aura or mana. Only using just your body strength." The pair complimented one another. With Raven just smiling, it was difficult to ascertain who would be older or who would be younger. To him, they were his children. His son. His daughter. What more else could he need. Just spending time with the two of them as time flew by.

Their time in Cherry Blossom had ended as Lowell used the newly earned money to get everyone on first class. Raven was seated beside Viktor this time around. Glancing at Viktor who did something similar to Fang with the in-flight entertainment. Documentaries on religion, movies about religion and anything about peace. Tilting his head to see Corvus and Ciara diving deep into sitcoms, romance and comedies.

A 22 hour flight. So it was going to take a while. During that time Raven used a tablet that Lowell had prepared for him. He had received his ID and access e-mail to be an instructor at the academy along with the lesson plans. Basics of Aura, Basics of Mana. Basic combat tactics and dungeon raids. Raven was also given the right to teach additional subjects which are Advanced Aura, Advanced Mana manipulation. Advanced combat tactics.

He'd be in charge of the first years. The program lasts for 3 years. Starting when they are 16 years old. It was s a new policy because the RF was slowly falling out of favor due to the high casualty rates in the past. Though now, being trained by Ulfang has granted the RF members higher survivability and training. The lesson plan the academy had was beyond bare bones. No structure. No syllabus or curriculum to be had. No wonder Hunters in Euphemia were weak. They earned the rest of their experiences in dungeons but the issue of getting the experience was not easy.

It's the dilemma of a job needing experience but nobody gives you the right to get the said experience. Raven had a bit to do as he worked on lesson planning. In terms of shards and summon tickets. He had quite a bit of those but for now, it wasn't needed. An e-mail stated that President Black had given Raven the S-Rank title because of his feats. Which were witnessed by all in Cherry Blossom, Rosenfelt and Euphemia.

Despite being an S-Rank he did not have an official nickname yet, but the online community just called him the 'Mad Massacre' because of the fact that Raven had been chuckling plentily in combat. It wasn't a bad sounding name but Raven just couldn't give two fucks about it because it's just a word. Taking the time to plan lessons as he would be reporting to the academy the next day after he returned to Euphemia.

The main goals of his lesson plans would be for them to solidify their mana circles and aura stages. Then for combat tactics. Raven was going to focus on showing them how their skills can be a tool to be used. Solomon would be a good example. Not using magic for attack but rather for defense, debuffing his opponents. Turning their weapons heavier, making their movements slower. Anything can be a tool. One just needs the creativity to bring it to life.

Arriving back to Euphemia where he would find reporters waiting for him. At least this time, they kept their distance. Raven also thought about it. He'll need to get a big space for his allies. They'll need a place to rest. His house was too small for that.

"Jersey."

"What's up boss?"

"Find me a good space that's large to keep everyone. Consult General Lowell, His Majesty Arcian and Her Majesty Sichilde on the size. Considering how fat our wallet's are. We should get a large place. It'll just keep getting bigger. That and we need to construct buildings as well. Set that up with him." Raven said as he heard a familiar voice.

"Uncle!" Ivona was running towards him as Raven picked her up.

"Ciara!" Ciara greeted with a head pat for Ivona. Where Raven passed her to Yennifer, then calling for Corona and Corvus. Signaling them both to his side where Raven introduced them as his wife and kid.

"Just.. How big is your family?" Falco inquired with arched eyebrows as he thought about it.

"I lost track. General Lowell!" Lowell walked on over with Jersey by his side.

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"My allies will be their own guild. If you need them. Just tell him. He'll be in charge. But we have to go to the Black Wings office today don't we?"

"Right. It's your first day. What about them?" Aquila gave Raven his ID-card for Black Wing.

"They'll be handling some other work. They need to sort out their living space. Shall we?"

"Of course. Ivona." Ivona walked over to Aquila who held her father's hand. Raven bid his allies farewell, getting into the cars as they headed to the Black Wing's office. A large office that was the same as a corporate building. Located just near the borders of the capital. This was a newly made building that housed all they needed. Raven's appearance in the guild was met with the various Hunters who greeted him proudly. Ivona walked with Dolores to greet the other Hunters. All of them were doting on her.

"Welcome, sir!"

"Don't sir, me. So which division am I responsible for?"

"Division 9. It's one that's going to be under your command. We got fresh talent from the academy and some are chosen because of their class." Raven turned to the 10 team leaders who were a mixed bag of classes. Warrior, Ranger, Berserker, Gunman, Monk, Priest and the like. All of it was standard.

"Team Leaders of Division 9.Send me reports on your daily dungeon raids. I'm not going to be here often because I'll be heading to the Hunter Academy to train some students." Watching Ivona heading to the cafeteria which gave Raven the greenlight to cuss a little bit.

"I took the job at the Hunter Academy because I wanted to understand what's going on over there. Turns out. The Hunter Academy's syllabus is fucking useless. It doesn't teach jack shit that is practical for actual Hunters. You ask a fish to climb a tree. It'll feel stupid, right?" Some of the new members giggled to that remark.

"Team Leaders. I'm not going to ask you to teach the rookies. Just keep them alive. My allies may join you from time to time to supplement the numbers to enter a dungeon. So don't worry about it. Now, another thing. Take it easy. You don't need to deep dive into dungeons day in and day out like I do. Pace yourselves accordingly. As long as you clear the dungeon. It's fine. You're not as strong as the other divisions yet. You can't be jumping into dungeons too fast. Clearing it slow to get experience and experiment with tactics. Then you speed up slowly. You start running before you crawl and you'll fall. Keep that in mind."

"Yes, Division Head!"

"I'm going to the academy for two purposes. To look for potential Hunters and to see what needs to be fixed. Fundamentals are important. You train with a fucked fundamental, then you're fucked for maybe a couple of years until you realize it. Brandon Holt!"

"A-Ah, Yes!"

"Don't be too nervous. You'll be training under the guild leader. You use a short sword right?"

"Yes!"

"Time to switch. Use two sabers. You'll be practicing with the guild leader for half an hour everyday. Then spend time working on your mana circle with the mages. This isn't favoritism by the way. Brandon's going to go through hell every half an hour for the next few months. Because the guild master will be fighting to kill. He doesn't spar often. But with Brandon it's going to be pushing him to the limit. I read your file. Says here you've got grit and a desire to be strong. That desire is great and all but you'll have to be gutted more than once. You'll be dying often. Aquila."

"You're not letting me go easy on him?"

"Maybe for the first week. Later on you need to push him to the limit." Raven yawned as he stretched his limbs.

"What's the training plan for them, Raven?"

"Falco, teach hand to hand combat for the ranged Hunters. We need them to have a close range option in case of annoying bastards. Stervy work with Hunters that can use aura and mana to their weapons. I'm feeling like I have the worst hangover in the world. Any dungeons do we need to dive into today? I need to make some cash for my allies."

"We have a few there. You want to take Division 9 with you?" Raven glanced into the dungeons that were selectable for the raids. A C-Ranked Dungeon.

"Alright. Massive dungeon raid. Division 9 members. Gear up. We're going into a dungeon that'll fit 50 of us. Brandon too."

"Yes, sir!" The Hunters from Division 9 got their gear, running out to the trucks as Raven hopped into the backseat. All 10 team leaders were present in the first truck. Where one passed a communicator for his ear. Glancing at the ID Tag 'Kim Marlou' Team 1 Leader.

"Testing. Everyone can hear me?"

"Yes!" They chorused loudly.

"I like the enthusiasm. Oh one more thing. My class is Madness which means I've got a screw loose and I can't give a fuck about anything. But, there will be time that I'll take command. Let's do some basic rules. Rule 1. Don't be a hero. Do whatever you can and if shit hits the fan you move your ass out of the way. Rule 2. Keep track of each other at all times. Basic shit. Rule 3, cover your weaknesses. I mean it. Team 5 is primarily ranged so Teams 1,3,7 and 9 need to pick up the slack. Ranged Hunters always keep your distance. Rule 4, a knife should be on you at all times. Gun's jam. Swords break. Polearms can be broken. Having a knife means you can stab something when your main weapons down. Rule 5, Expect the Unexpected. Dungeon seems too easy? Prep for shit. Dungeon doesn't have enemies?Caution is your friend on that one. Keep those 5 rules and you'll be alive. Remember treat this as a job and you'll be fine. When it's done, walk away from it. Rule 6 is one that applies for dungeon breaks. When a dungeon breaks. Even if you don't have your equipment, keep civilians away from the danger. Hold enemies off with your bodies if you can. We can't save everyone but we can sure as hell try." Raven's briefing had brought some motivation for them, silence on the other end but seeing the team leaders smiling was a good sign.

Arriving at the dungeon entrance where Raven noticed the Seven Hells members who were present along with the Blue Vipers. Plenty of other guilds were present on this one. Allocation of 50 Hunters per guild with the cap at 250. Kim gave the dungeon permit to the association agents who let them step inside. Finding themselves in a huge fortress.

The objective popped up before their eyes.

'Defensive Dungeon. 20 waves. First Wave in 3 minutes. Orcs and wild boars. Protect the dungeon core.' Then Raven also noticed the students of Hunter Academy led by a B-Ranked Hunter. Raven went over to check on them.

"Is this their first time in a C-Ranked dungeon?" Their instructor was a full-figured beauty with a staff, luscious blue hair who was wearing a witch's dress.

"Yes, this is their first time. And you are?"

"Raven Ashenworth." Those words alone had the other guilds staring with fear in their hands, the students felt the air stir violently. Some of them felt uncomfortable but Raven's calmness had a calming effect to them. Just a slight calming effect as they watched his cigarette light itself up.

"Congratulations on your S-Rank! I hope that we can make it through this easily."

"Your name, Miss?"

"Brigid Irsla. I'm the coordinator for dungeon raids. This is supposed to be a field trip for them so I believed it would be good." A moment to look at all of their classes, there were a few F-Ranks in the mix. One of which was Mia Silvers.

"Well, you'll be seeing more of me. I'll be joining the academy tomorrow. Anyone here know how to cook?" Nobody raised their hands, Mia slowly raised hers.

"Have you ever cooked orcs before?"

"No, Mister Ashenworth.. Sir."

"Don't sir me. We're all Hunters here. Ready to learn? Our enemies are orcs and wild boars. The beauty about wild boars is that some of them have herbs and spices on their bodies. If this was any other dungeon, I'd tell you to join the frontlines but this dungeon is different. You'll be responsible for cooking meals and maintaining our stamina." Raven said as the other Hunters began to work on their defenses. Setting up their firing lines, the tanks on the frontlines. Leaning on the crystal as thick tobacco lingered in the air.

The timer continued ticking as Raven decided on his personas, this time using his phone. Readying up with Smiling Mime. His outfit changed as he cartwheeled his way to the watch tower. One hand holding on to the flag while the other hovered above his eyebrows. A piss poor attempt to block out the sun.The tanks were feeling the recoil from the boars that struck into them. Warriors trying to cut through what they could.

Brigid's students were taking the hits, a tank was pushed down by a wild boar's strength. Leaving them open to an orc, that was when Raven took his chance. Leaping into the fight as he readied his karambits. Diving straight as he lacerated the orc's limbs and shanking the orc's throat.

"Yeah. This'll take too long with me. Better swap out." Raven said as they see his outfit fade away. Swapping to Durandal's Chief, where he used his serpent blades to thin out the herd. Readying a pair of machine guns as the serpent blades went after his foes. Skewering through a dozen orcs all at once.

"Kim. Report."

"We're still holding sir, but the other guilds seem to be struggling." Then Raven switched to Crimson Rain Petals. Drawing out the saber that unleashed petals all around the fortress. Forming a dome over the area. Leaping into the air as Raven snapped his fingers. The dome of petals tore through the first round.

"15 minutes break. Alright... Get the wild boar corpses and the orcs. Mia! Let's get to work!" Raven shouted as he landed. Turning to the Seven Hells members who were injured along with the others. Items that he had in his phone, where Raven would tap it. It would appear before him. Multiple grills, a kitchen counter top. An entire cupboard with knives inside.

"Grab a knife all of you. Students of Hunter Academy, defense dungeons might seem easy but the trick is keeping your stamina intact. So we got food. Wild boars have herbs on their bodies that you can use to craft potions if you got an apothecary or for a chef like Mia. Food." Raven said as they see him sharpen his knife. Going straight to skin the orc away. Grabbing the best parts of the meat as the Hunters watched on. He was going slow and steady, explaining where to make the cut and what not to do.

"Try and do it like that." Raven put the meat on the table, then glancing at Mia who still seemed uncertain of what to do.

"The second drawer of the counter has plenty of our world spices. Feel free to use it. Now, you're a chef. You're alone and you got 250 Hunters to feed. So right now what you need to focus on is making food count. It has to taste decent enough but if it tastes great. It changes our mindset. I see Orcs as food. You see them as monsters that can kill you. I'll do it this time, the next wave is going to be on you. Miss Irsla. Put a flame on the grill." Brigid's staff glowed as she motioned it to the grills that began to heat up. Raven sliced the meats thinly as he rubbed some spices on it. Some were rolled with herbs inside. Placing it on the grill as he explained what was the plan.

The spices woke their appetites, with Raven giving them an explanation to the arrangement. The numbers will get bigger and supplies can only make it in the 5th wave. Hearing the stomachs salivating as some of the Hunters tried to keep it hidden. Watching Raven pull out plates to serve along with utensils for them to use. Mia took notes as Raven explained how long the meats needed to cook depending on the cuts. Then when she was working with the knife, she just watched how Raven kept an eye on her. Using his words to correct her movement as he served the meats for the Hunters who took their chance.

"Whoa.... I can see my aura replenishing!"

"My mana too!"

The Hunters began to eat more as Mia continued to do her best. She had to keep up with the appetites of the hungry Hunters who were taking big bites out of the meats provided. A smile on her face as Hunters went to fill their plates with more food. Raven cleaned his hands with mana as he turned to the Hunters. Another 5 minutes before the timer was up.

"Since this one will take sometime. We'll need to plan a strategy. Students. What's the priority in a dungeon?"

"Clearing them out!"

"Follow the objective!"

"Yeah. We're following the objective. We need to keep this crystal safe right? So let me worry about this. I'll give you all a simple strategy. Seven Hells and Blue Vipers too. We're going to focus on tightening their areas of attack.We'll use the entrances. Make a choke point. Ranged Hunters take them off at a distance, focus on damaging. Kill them if you can. Tanks behind the entrance in an arching formation. Melee teams go in for hard strikes then back off..." Raven laid down the strategy and the plan, focusing more on efficiency. Planning the switching out phases between the guilds.

"Mia. Keep cooking the meals. Hunters burn a lot of energy. Doing this makes it simpler for all of us. Now we've got another 19 waves. Try and survive. If I see a group slowly breaking. Then I'll give you some breathing room. Let's get this done, people."