Chapter 4: F-Rank Hunter, Yoschua Verdi

When I arrived at the Gate, I could see other Hunters who had gathered to enter the dungeon, as well as a few Association employees overseeing this dungeon subjugation.

This dungeon was an E-Rank, the lowest-rank of the Low-Rank.

Maybe that’s why, though I saw groups chatting together, no one seemed to have formed a party.

But perhaps because of this girl’s body, I ended up drawing everyone’s gaze.

‘Ugh…’

I felt a little embarrassed. If I’d known this would happen, should I have brought Mr. Luca along?

Just as I was spending time alone in a corner to avoid people’s stares.

“Miss, are you here alone?”

One of the men who’d been talking with a group approached and asked. I quietly nodded.

“This is a dangerous place. Not somewhere a kid like you should be. You should head back home.”

From his tone, it didn’t sound like he was mocking me. He was probably saying it out of genuine concern.

But calling me a kid!

I shot the man a sharp glare, then proudly held out the license I’d received from the Hunter Association.

“You’re a Hunter?”

The man’s eyebrow twitched as he looked at my license. I nodded without a word.

He made an awkward expression, then quietly returned to his spot. But he still kept his eyes on me.

‘Is it really that surprising?’

Well, if I were in their shoes, I’d probably think the same thing, wouldn’t I?

“Let’s go, Hunters!”

An employee shouted for us to enter, and without a second’s hesitation, I stepped into the Gate.

Except for the Abandoned Mine, this was the first dungeon I’d entered since my body changed, but I didn’t feel particularly nervous.

* * *

As I stepped inside the Gate, the city scenery I’d seen just moments ago vanished, and a cold wind greeted me as a high plateau revealed itself.

*SWOOSH—*

‘Ugh…’

The cold air seeping up under my skirt gave me goosebumps. Ugh, next time I’ll wear shorts underneath, or just pants.

And I’d forgotten, but this frilly, ribbon-covered outfit was hardly suitable for going in and out of dungeons.

The reason people were staring at me was probably partly because of these clothes.

For now, I had no other clothes and no money, so I couldn’t help it. And I didn’t want to borrow money from anyone when I was already in debt.

‘Just today. Just for today.’

I pushed down that pathetic feeling and was about to head off.

“Hey there, kid.”

I heard a voice from behind, and when I turned, there was a bearded uncle who looked like a bandit, smiling at me.

‘Ugh…’

Sensing something sinister in the uncle’s eyes, I barely managed to keep my expression from twisting.

A disgusting feeling welled up. Mr. Luca’s crazy remarks and gestures were still seared into my memory.

*Tap tap tap!*

Fuck!

“Kid, what’s your Hunter rank?”

Rank? Why was he asking that?

I hesitated, then held out my Hunter license to him.

“F-Rank, huh? Is this your first time in a dungeon, kid?”

I nodded.

“Then how about forming a party with this uncle? I’m D-Rank, you know. I’ll be helpful. Dungeons are dangerous to go alone.”

This time I shook my head. I had no intention of partying with anyone. Even if I did, I had absolutely no intention of doing it in a shithole dungeon like this.

“Uncle’s just worried about you. I’ve seen quite a few Hunters lose their lives going in alone like that.”

“…”

Hunters losing their lives.

The moment I heard that, I felt a strange tightness in my chest, and reluctantly, I nodded.

“Alright. My name is Sergio Moras. And you, miss?”

“…Yoschua Verdi.”

You already saw my name on the license.

“Then Uncle will take the lead, so you stick close and follow behind, kid.”

I nodded. I hadn’t planned on partying with anyone, but I never expected to end up in a party with someone right from the start…

‘Just this once.’

I resolved in my heart. Yeah, it’s my first time today.

True to his bandit-like appearance, Moras seemed to be a warrior type. With a shield in hand, leading the way, he actually looked pretty reliable.

But that didn’t last long.

This guy talked way too much.

“You’re an Awakened One too, right, kid?”

“…Yes.”

“Pretty impressive for someone so young. I didn’t awaken until I was an adult. No matter how much time passed after awakening, I could never get past D-Rank. Kept failing the exams.”

The timing of when someone becomes an Awakened One varies by person, but I’d heard the faster the better. That way you can get stronger sooner. But even that has its limits. Some people keep growing, while others stop growing quickly.

Moras looked fairly old, and from what he said, he seemed to fall into the latter category.

“I’m just asking, but why did you become a Hunter, kid?”

“Money.”

“Pfft! Puhahahaha!”

When I answered right away, Moras laughed heartily.

“Already worrying about money at that age, huh.”

“I have debts to pay.”

But his hearty laughter didn’t last long.

“So that’s how it is. Sorry, uncle. For laughing all of a sudden.”

“You don’t need to worry about it.”

Whether he felt bad or not, Moras quickly wiped the smile off his face and apologized, so I answered calmly.

It wasn’t like it had been just a day or two — I’d been in debt for over three years, so it didn’t bother me anymore.

Unlike the lively chatter from just a moment ago, silence fell for the first time. Was he that sorry for laughing?

I didn’t feel like making conversation, but I didn’t want an awkward silence like this either.

That was when it happened. Moras, who had been walking ahead, reached a hand back toward me. A signal to stop.

“They’re out.”

Moras and I quickly hid behind a nearby boulder. Peeking over the rock, I could see a group of green-skinned Demon Beasts.

“Goblins. E-Rank. Low-Rank and low intelligence, but if there are a lot of them, they’re a pain.”

Moras spoke as if he knew his stuff.

Considering his age and rank, this was probably a familiar sight for Moras.

“You said you can use magic, right? I could take down a goblin by myself, but since this is your first real fight, I’ll leave it to you. I’ll draw their attention, so you handle them with magic.”

At Moras’s words, I nodded.

‘I need to control my power.’

And a lot, at that.

I had to make it look weaker than when I burned the Gigas. After all, I’m an F-Rank Hunter now. If I showed my real strength and Moras had a loose tongue, rumors could spread and cause trouble. Mages aren’t as noble as priests, but they’re not exactly common either, and since their firepower is guaranteed, there are plenty of parties looking for them.

I don’t plan on joining a party.

If too many eyes are on me, my identity might get exposed someday. I didn’t want that.

—Murderer!

I am Yoschua Verdi. Not Yoschuko Verdiol.

‘I’m… not a murderer anymore.’

While I was thinking that, I saw Moras take a step forward.

Moras picked up a stone rolling on the ground and threw it at the nearest goblin.

THUD.

“Grrrk!”

With a dull sound, the goblin let out an irritated noise and turned toward us. Whether it spotted us or not, it charged straight at us.

“Kid!”

CLANG!

The goblin swung the club it was holding, and Moras raised his shield to block it. There was a sense of ease in Moras as he blocked the goblin’s club.

Moras shot me a look. Telling me to use magic. I immediately pulled out the staff strapped to my back and pointed it at the goblin.

‘Normally I wouldn’t need to chant, but.’

[ Flame Element — Fireball Lv.1 ]

In this world, there’s only one magic-type Hunter who can use Incantationless Casting.

So I just muttered whatever came to mind.

“O flames…!”

The weakest of the flame magic, but still enough to easily burn a goblin.

A magic circle glowing red formed at the tip of the staff, and flames burst out from it, passing over Moras and engulfing the goblin.

“Grrrk! Grrrrrk!!”

The goblin, wrapped in flames, writhed in pain before spinning around and collapsing.

“Not bad, huh?”

Moras, standing in front of the goblin’s corpse, smiled at me.

“This one’s yours.”

Then Moras picked up a small Magic Stone from the goblin’s body and held it out to me.

I took the Magic Stone and put it into the pouch hanging at my waist.

My first income. Of course, since it was a low-grade Demon Beast, it wouldn’t be a huge profit… but maybe because it was my first earnings in a while, I felt a sense of pride.

“Alright, shall we take care of the rest?”

At Moras’s words, I nodded.

After that, we wiped out every single goblin that appeared before our eyes without leaving a single one.

“Kid, you’ve got some real skill. Doesn’t seem like this is your first hunt. Did you learn somewhere?”

At Moras’s praise and question, I shook my head. More than that, I’d gathered quite a few Magic Stones.

They were E-Rank Magic Stones, so the price wouldn’t be much, but since I hadn’t had any income for a while, just looking at them made my mouth water.

“Kid, look over there.”

I was in the middle of happily pondering where to spend this money.

Moras called me over and pointed a finger at one spot.

“That door. Do you know what that is, kid?”

What Moras pointed at was a black door that didn’t fit in with the surrounding scenery.

The door, which looked artificially made, gave off an ominous vibe.

“I’ve heard of it. It’s the boss room, right?”

“You know your stuff.”

Moras nodded at my words and spoke.

“It might be a bit different from the goblins we’ve been dealing with so far… but don’t you think the two of us could handle it?”

If goblins are E-Rank, then a goblin boss would be somewhere between E and D-Rank.

Normally, when dealing with a boss-rank Demon Beast, it’s standard to organize a party with multiple people or a large subjugation squad.

But this is just a dungeon with at most goblins in it. And Moras is a D-Rank Hunter.

With my magic that easily burned up the goblins just now and his own tanking, he must have judged that the two of us could clear it well enough.

‘…If I were a real F-Rank Hunter, I’d have flat-out refused.’

Yoschua Verdi is a rookie Hunter who just debuted today.

Even for an E-Rank dungeon, going into the boss room on the very first day of your debut is something that would normally feel like a huge burden.

Because you have to risk your life. A single small mistake can lead straight to death — that’s the life of a Hunter.

But I’m not an ordinary F-Rank Hunter. I can’t say it outright, but I can confidently say my experience and power are above that of an S-Rank Hunter.

So I nodded. If anything happened, I could just use a slightly more powerful spell.

“Haha, you’ve got some guts, kid.”

Right now, I wanted to earn money. And taking down a boss-rank Demon Beast would be a big help in qualifying for the rank advancement exam.

“Alright. Looks like no one’s found it yet, so let’s take it on ourselves.”

At Moras’s words, I nodded again. We immediately opened the door to the boss room.