The Hunt - 1
"Hey, have you heard the latest rumor?"
In any village near a portal connecting the Human Realm to the Demon Realm, adventurers were bound to gather in large numbers. The same held true for Soter City, an outer city of the Holy Kingdom. This place housed the largest adventurer guild in the south. Inside the guild, one adventurer brought up some recently circulating news.
"What rumor?"
"It's about the Demon Realm. I heard it from an adventurer who went through the portal recently and came back. He said there are almost no Guardians left."
"What?"
Guardians was the term for the demon soldiers who protected the borders of the Demon Realm. The other adventurer sitting across from him asked the blond male adventurer who had raised the topic.
"Is that story true, Luke?"
"It is. Dane, shouldn't we head over there, smash some demonic beasts and demons, and sell the loot?"
"I've heard ram horns have become popular lately and fetch high prices..."
At that moment, the female adventurer beside Luke spoke up.
"Oh, I know a dungeon where the ram tribe lives!"
"Eri, how do you know that?"
"I heard it from the receptionist sister last time~."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You just take the portal from Soter City and go a little north. There are lots of young rams there, and it looked like a good spot to gather horns."
After hearing Eri's information, Luke and Dane nodded slightly. They reached out and clasped hands in solidarity.
"Then let's head straight into the Demon Realm!"
"Yeah, let's go make a fortune~!"
"Not bad at all."
But they had no idea. Another group had been listening to their entire conversation.
Once Luke's party left the guild, they made their way to the portal closest to Soter City. The gateway to the Demon Realm was bustling as usual. The spoils from hunting the demonic beasts and demons that lived there sold for high prices back in the Human Realm. Lizard hides became premium leather goods, while ram horns served as top-grade medicinal ingredients. Hunting powerful, rare species like drakes, amphitheres, or basilisks meant there was nothing to waste. For anyone living as an adventurer, expeditions into the Demon Realm were less a choice than a necessity. The danger was real, but overcoming it was the true thrill of the profession.
Surveying the crowded scene, Luke remarked, "There are even more people here today."
"The rumor you mentioned must have spread. Looks like the Guardians really have vanished."
"Then hunting rams should be a lot easier, right?"
Just then, a hand clamped down on Luke's shoulder.
"From what I overheard earlier, you three know where to find a dungeon full of rams."
"Excuse me?"
When he turned, Luke saw a hulking man and a woman who appeared to be a priest-class adventurer. The rank marked on their pauldrons was A—two full ranks above Luke's party. They were opponents Luke's group could never hope to defy.
"Mind if we tag along?"
The words were polite, but refusing would clearly change their tone. Adventurers were not known for their kindness.
Luke, Dane, and Eri exchanged glances before nodding in unison. They might not get to keep all the ram horns, but causing trouble here and disappearing without a trace would be far worse.
The man smiled broadly and extended a massive hand. "Name's Riku Balvar."
Given his size and that distinctive barbarian-sounding name, he clearly came from the wild tribes. After his introduction, the priestess smiled gently.
"I'm Melissa."
"...Pleased to meet you."
"We're the ones joining you, so we should be the ones saying that. Shall we set off right away?"
Luke glanced back at Dane and Eri. They nodded indifferently.
"Yes, that's what we planned."
"Then let's not waste time. Ram horns are valuable. If someone else finds the place first, we'll lose everything."
"...Understood."
Though disappointed, Luke's party ended up traveling with Riku and Melissa.
Shortly after the group stepped through the portal to the Demon Realm, an adventurer nearby muttered to his companion, "Lots of people have gone into the Demon Realm lately, haven't they?"
"They have."
"I overheard something... No one's seen any of them come back."
Humans referred to the districts of the Demon Realm as dungeons.
Though these were merely administrative divisions created by the demon race for easier management, humans viewed them as habitats for specific monsters. This was evident in how they called the soldiers defending the Demon Realm Guardians and treated them like rare beasts. To humans, the Demon Realm was simply a peculiar hunting ground for adventure and profit.
"Miss Mage, where exactly is this place?"
"Just a little farther ahead."
Riku nodded at Eri's directions. With Eri guiding them using her precise knowledge of the location, Luke's party advanced without any hindrance. Just as the rumors claimed, not a single Guardian appeared after they entered the Demon Realm.
"Still, it's strange that the Guardians have vanished like they evaporated."
"Very odd."
"We shouldn't let our guard down. Stay alert at all times."
At Riku's warning, Dane and Luke—who had begun to relax—nodded. Yet even after walking all the way to the ram-filled dungeon, they encountered no interference. By now, even Riku and Melissa, who had remained somewhat tense, could breathe easier.
"Have they abandoned this floor?"
"Floor?"
To Luke's question, Riku replied, "There's a story that the Demon Realm consists of many floors. It's fairly well-known. You hadn't heard?"
"It sounds like a tower."
"A tower... Yes, that description works."
At that moment, Eri pressed a finger to her lips, signaling for silence. She beckoned Luke closer. When he and Riku approached, she pointed ahead. A large group of ram tribe members came into view, peacefully going about their daily lives, unaware of the danger.
"This is ideal."
"Good. Let's begin the hunt immediately."
Luke drew his sword. Riku stopped him.
"Luke, I have a proposal before we start."
"Yes?"
"I'll be taking the horns from those rams. You three can have the rest. How does that sound?"
Riku's suggestion left not only Luke but Eri and Dane visibly shaken. The horns were essentially the only valuable part of a ram. Everything else was considered worthless scrap.
"Th-that's..."
"Listen, Luke."
Riku drew his enormous battle axe.
"If you want to keep your body in one piece, you'd best do as I say."
At the open display of killing intent, Luke, Dane, and Eri tensed instantly. Luke swallowed hard.
"...I understand."
"Luke!?"
When Eri gave him a look of disbelief, Luke answered helplessly.
"...We'll do as Mr. Riku wishes."
"Wise choice."
As Riku rose with his giant axe, Melissa stepped forward and laid a hand on him. Powerful holy energy—fitting for an A-rank adventurer—enveloped his body. Luke felt resentment, but he knew his decision had been correct.
There's no way three of us could overpower an A-rank who's received a holy blessing.
This was the best they could do. If they obeyed, perhaps they would still receive at least a few horns.
Luke added, "You'll need to handle the fighting yourself, Mr. Riku."
"Of course. I never planned on relying on any of you."
Even at the blatant dismissal as amateurs, Luke kept his emotions hidden. C-rank adventurers had long outgrown the novice stage, but in an A-rank's eyes, they were all the same.
"Then..."
It happened in an instant.
BOOM!!
The ground shook violently, as though something incredibly heavy had just landed. Luke's party lost their balance and fell, while Riku and Melissa barely kept their feet.
"Wh-what was that!?" Eri cried.
Riku glared at her. "Quiet! If the rams run away because of you—"
But the rams had already sensed the tremor and were fleeing to safety. Seeing them escape, Riku cursed and dashed forward.
"Damn it, they're getting away!"
Bursting from the bushes, Riku charged at the nearest ram. His goal remained unfulfilled.
BOOM!
"Found you."
A colossal statue blocked his path. Larger than most high-rise buildings, it glared down at Riku with glowing red eyes.
"The last little rat."
"What the hell is..."
CRUNCH!!
The giant statue brought its foot down instantly, shattering Riku's battle axe. Riku stared in horror at the ruined weapon.
Melissa, who had been hiding among the bushes to provide support, gasped.
"...A gargoyle?"
"A gargoyle!?"
Gargoyles were rarer and more powerful than the already scarce drakes, amphitheres, or basilisks. Some even speculated they had gone extinct after vanishing for decades. But that was not the real problem.
To most adventurers, a gargoyle was an insurmountable wall. Its body, harder than stone, ignored blades and ordinary magic alike. It even possessed resistance to holy power. Most adventurers who encountered one had no choice but to flee, unable to breach its defenses. The common wisdom was that only S-rank adventurers or higher could defeat an aged gargoyle alone. For a party of only A-rank and C-rank members, it was an overwhelmingly powerful foe.
As the leader, Luke made a swift decision.
"If that's a gargoyle, we need to run immediately! We can't possibly fight it!"
"B-but Riku—"
"Mr. Riku..."
There was no chance he could escape. Though massive, the gargoyle was also agile. It hadn't killed Riku yet for some reason, but the speed with which it had destroyed his weapon proved it was far faster than him.
"We have no choice, Miss Melissa! At least we can still survive...!"
"Luke, just leave them! Let's run while we can!" Dane urged.
"Those people were trying to rob us. Why help them? If you don't want to die, run!"
"He's right, Luke! Hurry!"
Luke hesitated briefly at Dane's words, but Melissa showed no intention of abandoning Riku. Lowering his head slightly, Luke began to flee with Dane and Eri.
"Huh?"
They barely managed a few steps. The path had been clear on the way in, yet now countless Guardians stood behind them.
One of the Guardians spoke.
"What are your orders?"
"There is only one."
Twitch. Cat ears flicked. Hair the color of rippling water shimmered beautifully, like a clear flowing stream. Yet her gaze was ice-cold—chilling enough to raise goosebumps. She stared at Luke's party as if they were nothing more than insects.
"Disarm them and capture every one alive."
"Yes, ma'am."
At the command to take them alive, Luke was utterly bewildered. Why would demons capture humans instead of killing them? Amid his confusion, something caught his eye: Riku, who had just lost his weapon to the gargoyle, was being thrown alive into a massive iron cage. Inside were not only Riku but many other humans, stripped down to their underwear.
Even as the swarm of Guardians forcibly stripped Luke of his weapons and tore off his armor, he could only stare blankly at the cage.
"They've... captured humans...?"