Hunter Of The Six Realms

Chapter 25

Three days later

"Twelve portals... all in one damn hour?" One of the guards leaned against the edge of the outpost wall, brows furrowed. "What the hell is going on."

"It's strange," the second muttered,"Feels like the realm's choking on its own mana. Hunters are gonna be running nonstop at this rate."

The third one scoffed under his breath. "Running? More like dying. You hear what happened last week with Black Veil?"

"Yeah… full squad wiped. Only one guy made it out alive."

"And he ain't doing so good either," the first one added. "i heard that he's still traumatized and had to take some time off."

"Damn…" The second shook his head slowly. "If even Black Veil's getting clipped like that, we're screwed."

There was a pause.

"Something's off," the third guard muttered, voice lower now. "Like… worse than just too many portals. I don't know how to explain it, but I've had this pit in my gut since last night."

"Same," the first replied. "Whatever's coming… I hope we don't get affected. I still got a family waiting and I'm not ready to die just get."

---

All hunters of Crimson dusk had been summoned, including Kaizen who had taken some days off too. They were now gathered in the hall, all lined up and ready to be assigned to portals. The process wasn't usually done like this, but at the moment, they needed as much hunters as they could get and as soon as possible. The hall was full, more than ever.

No one knew what else could go wrong, but they couldn't risk leaving portals unattended to.

"I feel like something big is about to happen. This many portals have never opened in such a short time." One hunter spoke, drawing everyone's attention.

"I was taking a nap when I suddenly got summoned for an emergency raid. This better be worth the pay."

"Silence." Wraith's voice echoed from above, he was standing on the second floor that opened into the hall below, like a built-in balcony inside the building

Everyone's attention turned to him, he had his hands clasped behind his back, several captains of Crimson dusk standing beside him, including Hawk.

"You all must be aware of the reason you've been summoned so suddenly." He started, everyone remained silent, an obvious sign of approval. They all knew why.

"This raid is going to be different from all other raids you've experienced. We want to use this opportunity to retrieve as much gemstones as we can from the beast realm. Which is why we're making a new rule."

"A new rule?" Someone from the crowd whispered.

"Any gem you get whether it's from killing a beast or finding it out there in the beast realm, you hold onto it and turn it in. Your pay next month depends on how many gems you bring back. Simple way to put it, the more gems you bring back, the bigger your cut. That's the rule." Wraith announced.

"But isn't that forcing hunters to compete against each other? Some people could seriously get injured." Someone from the crowd asked.

Most of them were happy about the new rule, this was an opportunity for them to make a lot of money, but some hunters seemed displeased by the new rule, especially the weak ones who knew that they were more at a disadvantage.

Although Kaizen had his own opinion, he chose to remain quiet. Speaking in public wasn't really his thing.

"That's the reason why we set a second rule." Wraith replied, placing his both hands on the rails and looking into crowd of hunters with a cold intense gaze.

"You're to only submit the gem you retrieved yourself, any gem stolen from someone else is invalid."

"Like they'd know which gem was stolen and which one wasn't." Someone from the crowd scoffed with a mocking tone.

"We'd know." Wraith's voice dropped a little lower, enough to send a slight chill through the hall.

He turned his eyes toward the hunter who scoffed.

"And if you're thinking of testing that rule," he continued, "just make sure you're ready to get stripped of your license the moment we find out."

The hall fell quiet, no one dared speak again. They all knew the consequences of breaking rules here in Crimson dusk.

Hawk took a step forward beside Wraith and cleared his throat. "Captains will be leading each squad into the assigned portal zones. You're to follow orders and keep casualties to a minimum. Our numbers are stretched thin as it is, and there's no room for reckless hunters."

He paused, scanning the sea of faces below.

"Everyone is being evaluated during these missions. Don't forget that."

"Damn," one hunter whispered under his breath, elbowing the guy next to him. "It's like they're setting up an examination not a raid."

"As long as the reward is more money, I don't mind."

"Kaizen," A familiar voice called, and Kaizen turned to look at whoever had called his name. He was sure he had no friends here so what could that person be calling him for? Another bully? But to his surprise, it was Real, and he had a big smile on his face.

"It's been a while, how have you been?" Rael waved, he was one row away from Kaizen, but they were close enough to hear each other's voices.

Kaizen finally smiled, he had kept a straight face since coming here, but seeing someone who was once an enemy wave at him like a long time friend forced a smile to his face.

"I'm good," Kaizen replied. "I haven't seen you since the last raid..."

Rael smiled. "You didn't come visit, Hawk and the rest squad came to check up on me cause of my injury. But I'm all better now, thanks for last time."

Kaizen raised a brow, still surprised by Rael's sudden shift in attitude. They weren't exactly friends, but something about him seemed different now, a lot less arrogant, more friendly it was almost unbelievable.

"Let's try not to die this time." Rael added with a smirk.

Kaizen gave a small laugh. "You first."

Before they could say more, Wraith raised his hand for silence.

"Everyone, get ready," his voice echoed. "We'll now begin calling out squads. Make sure you listen carefully and follow your team captain's instructions once assigned."