Giving me a weapon. I wasn’t naive enough to think the man didn’t have something else in mind. Still, I accepted his offer and waited until he returned with the promised weapon.
It was a short sword. The sheath had runes carved into it, which looked unique.
"This is a shortsword I bought from a hunter who found it inside a rift on a Pacific island."
I picked up the weapon. It was really light, like a feather. I tried a few slashes to see how the blade felt. My skills with it were pretty basic, but the sword was so light that even I could use it without struggling.
"Why are you giving me this, though?" I asked him, looking him in the eyes, trying to see what his true reasons were.
He sat back down in that same chair, pouring more tea into his cup.
"I won’t lie, I think you’ll become someone powerful in the future, and this skill of yours is quite good for someone like me. Maybe we can work together one day?"
Of course, a merchant like him wanted to make use of my pocket dimension. Why didn’t I think of that earlier?
The thing was, I really wanted the sword. It was a high-grade weapon that would cost a fortune if I wanted to buy it. In fact, it might even be impossible to buy.
"I do want the sword, and I can think about working with you, if it’s not dangerous. But that’s something for another day, since I still need to get my hunter ID."
When I said that, the man almost choked on his tea.
"What? You had 500 monster crystals with you, and yet you didn’t even have a hunter ID? How did you enter a rift, then?"
He was already thinking I’d stolen the crystals, so I had to explain how they hired me and everything else.
"See? I told you your ability is quite unique. Are you planning on entering the New Order Hunter’s Academy?"
It was the most prestigious academy in the region, so of course everyone thought I wanted to go there. Everyone wanted to, but not everyone could.
The older man from before didn’t give me a sword, so I hadn’t answered him. This time, it was different.
"I am, yes. Why?"
"I can write you a recommendation letter. It’ll make your life a lot easier during the exam and after you become a student. What do you say?"
A recommendation letter! That was huge. But not everyone could write one. The academy only took it seriously if the person who wrote it was important.
Who was this guy? I had to ask.
"Who are you?"
I wasn’t ready for what he said.
"Leo, known as Lion Heart."
"Lion Heart, the S-rank hunter?"
My hands were shaking. I’d seen him fight on TV and online before, but he hadn’t looked like this. He’d looked huge, like a fucking titan, but now he was just a normal dude.
He laughed while scratching his head. "Haha, yes, correct. You probably pictured me pretty differently, huh? That’s when I use my ability."
I had no idea what his ability did. Most S-rank hunters didn’t publicly share what they could do. People just speculated based on the fights they saw.
"Sorry, sir, but it doesn’t make sense," I said. "You’re much stronger than me, more famous, wealthier. Why do you want to help me?"
I was never the type to trust in kindness. Most of the time, there was always something behind it.
"The new generation of hunters is lacking. I try to help when I see someone with potential. So, will you accept my recommendation letter?"
"Yeah, yeah, of course. Thank you."
Leo got a pen and paper and wrote the letter, signing at the bottom and stamping it with his seal to make it official. He also gave me his number.
"They might not believe you, since this is the first time I’ve done this. Call me if you need to."
I thanked him more times than necessary before leaving the shop and heading back to my place. There was a burger joint not far from it. Yeah, I know, it was early in the morning, but I really wanted a burger.
And just like that, a month passed. Nothing happened during that time. Nothing important, anyway.
I couldn’t enter the dungeon anymore, and I wanted to avoid Mike, since he definitely knew I was alive by now. Maybe he’d even come looking for me to get his monster crystals back.
Didn’t matter. The entrance exam finally arrived. I’d filled out the online form a few days earlier, and they’d accepted me, all thanks to my newly ranked C ability.
Rank C was the bare minimum to get in, so I got lucky.
I waited in the city of Monroe. A private bus would be there to take us to Chelan. From there, we’d catch a boat all the way to Stehekin. That’s where the New Order Hunter’s Academy was.
The academy sat in a secluded spot, hidden from outside threats. It had to be that way so they could train their new heroes without drawing attention.
Not only that, but everyone knew they ran experiments in those secret bases, so the more hidden, the better.
A driver came to my house and took me to Monroe. Pricey, sure, but I had the money for it, and if everything went as planned, I wouldn’t be crawling back to that shit warehouse anytime soon.
When I told my landlord I was leaving, he didn’t look surprised.
"Going to live under a bridge, huh? Get the fuck out of here," he yelled, flipping me off.
He never imagined I’d be trying to get into a prestigious hunter’s academy.
When I reached Park Meadows, I spotted a bunch of young people there. Every one of them an aspiring hunter.
I could sense their strength. Most had lower attributes than mine, but I couldn’t tell if their abilities outranked mine or not. They had to be at least rank C.
Nobody talked to each other in the park. Everyone found a spot and sat, waiting for the bus. They kept glancing at each other, though. Good idea, sizing up the people you’d be tested against. I did the same thing.
"Heyyy, Vince."
Someone yelled my name. How? Who could possibly know me here? Everyone in the park turned to stare.