Apocalypse Hunter

In fact, the area around the Hunter’s Nest did not have a single one of the billboards that were commonly seen everywhere else.

“Actually, in the past… There was a time when the corporations tried to get into the Nest because hunters bought a lot of weapons and needed ammunition and other things all the time. They tried to shove money and troops into the Nest.”

There was no better way to do business than to turn a huge group into your loyal customers. That much was good. After all, hunters only cared about getting supplies and weapons at lower prices, rather than ethics and morality.

The way the corporations entered the Nest was in the form of capital diversion, not violence. They offered weapons and ammunition at a low price until other, smaller competitors closed their businesses.

“What do you think they did after they took over the Nest’s market?”

Of course, there was no way Ramphil and Leona could predict such inevitable consequences. It was a difficult question for the two people who had just learned about the corporations, so Zin explained as he walked, “The price of all goods were raised to five times their original.”

After aggressively buying out all stores in the Nest and swallowing up the entire market, their intention to make enormous profits from the hunters was revealed. Because all other stores were shut down, the hunters had no choice but to get ripped off.

“What? What bastards!” said Leona with a frown.

“So, what happened?”

“Well, hunters don’t like to be taken advantage of.”

When the corporations showed their true colors, the hunters did not show their anger at the time.

“The corporate headquarters collapsed the next day. Um… Fenriar… Corporation or was it Industry?… Anyway, something like that.”

After the hunters launched a massive terror attack, the company disintegrated. For daring to take advantage of the hunters, the owner and the executives were thrown alive to the hunting hounds. The company’s security team, which was large enough to control the megalopolis at the time, was hunted down helplessly by the hunters.

The mere fact that they had become the targets of many hunters who were good at shooting, assassinations, and orchestrating terror attacks was enough to bring down the largest conglomerate in a single moment.

That was the moment when everyone in the big city learned what would happen if they were to handle their business with the hunters in a careless manner.

It was true that the corporations had approached the hunters with bad intentions, but it was also true that the hunters’ response was more cruel than necessary.

“After that, the Nest became a perfect neutral zone.”

Everyone agreed to keep the Nest as a perfect neutral zone in order to prevent the same mishap from happening.

It was impossible to know what kind of crazy tactics the hunters would use if anyone acted recklessly. After hearing that, Ramphil and Leona stared at Zin.

“You played a part, didn’t you?” asked Leona with a subtle look, and Zin shrugged.

“Let’s pretend you don’t know anything.”

The two found it surprising that Zin played a role in destroying a company, but it was even harder to understand why Zin had chosen to react in such an extreme way. Zin felt their gazes and sighed.

“Well… they were not just trying to monopolize the market. Their long-term plan was to use the whole group of hunters as their mercenaries. To put it simply, they were going to place every hunter under a contract and use them as they pleased. They had even killed the store owners in the Nest who had refused to sell their stores to them.”

They had been willing to kill for their aggressive business expansion, and their long-term agenda had been to enslave all hunters. It was the punishment for a reckless enterprise and also a warning to the entire metropolitan area.

Don’t mess with us. That was the message they were trying to convey. The fact that hunters defended themselves and were not affiliated with anyone was both the truth and a basic principle that was being announced to the world.

The Hunters’ Nest was not huge, but there were many shops, including gun shops and weapons dealers. Only a large sign hung on the arch of the entrance to the street without the ubiquitous advertisements.

[Hunters’ Nest ‘Red Dragon’]

Inside, the hunters were walking up and down the street. The roomy coats, sharp eyes, and the ease with which they carried their weapons revealed that they were undoubtedly hunters.

“Can only the hunters enter the Nest?”

“Not exactly. There are many shop owners who are not hunters.”

Leona’s eyes brightened as if she found it interesting that the people coming and going had an entirely different air about them. Ramphil also watched the people since he had never seen any hunters besides Zin.

Whatever their abilities might be, their sharp-edged senses were palpable to Ramphil.

The Hunters’ Nests sold handmade, special ammunition, as well as the weapons they needed most. They also had the biggest customizations.

[Red Dragon Academy]

That was written on the tallest building in the middle of the street. Ramphil pointed to the building.

“Could that be…”

“Yes…”

Zin looked at the huge building as if he hadn’t seen it in a long time. There was a dull sound coming from the inside.

“… It’s the training ground.”

The Nest had the very special function of cultivating new hunters. Zin put his hand on Leona’s shoulder. From inside the training facility, an indelible sound reverberated constantly.

‘Bang! Bang! Bang!’

It was none other than the sound of guns.

“Shoot as much as you want.”

Zin flashed his rare smile, and Leona was so surprised that she stared at him with her eyes wide open. But that was only for a short moment.

“OK!”

She grinned widely.

—————————–

Large cities were naturally governed by the rules of market. And as such, since the place had high levels of production, it was easier to get supplies here than anywhere else. Other regions had to rely on landfills, but things were being produced here.

Therefore, it was easier to get bullets than anywhere else, and those bullets were very cheap. Some companies were even building and selling guns for self-defense purposes.

The hunters-in-training learned about their job and how to use guns at this place. Zin and his team entered the Academy and passed by a class in progress.

The Academy had dormitories for students and also sleeping quarters for active hunters. It was a system designed to encourage students and real hunters to interact with each other.

Aspiring students earned their own education by working at the Hunter’s Nest. They cooked, cleaned, did laundry, and even farmed if they were not stationed in a big city. They were learning that there was no free meal in the world as they trained to become hunters.

“So are all teachers hunters, too?” Leona asked, and Zin nodded.

“Usually, they’re retired hunters volunteering their services.”

The hunters became teachers when they got tired of hunting or were no longer able to fight. There could be no happier outcome for a hunter.

“It’s amazing that the hunters are volunteering.”

It seemed as though Leona couldn’t quite understand that the people who normally didn’t lift a finger unless they were paid would be volunteering their service for free.

“They’re the types who’ve grown tired of it. It might be the natural course of things.”

Because they had grown tired of a life where they only did things to get paid, they decided to volunteer as they neared the end of their lives.

Leona listened to a retired hunter’s lesson coming from a classroom as she walked behind Zin.

“The important thing to remember when your taking the gun apart is… ”

“Shoot first, attack is the best…”

“When you’re fighting Reavers…”

“Don’t just pass by on object you see in the field…”

Ramphil had a question.

“Can this place really be self-sufficient, though? The place is pretty big…”

Surely, because the Academy was in a big city, the number of students they had here couldn’t even compare to other Nests. Just feeding all of the students would be impossible to achieve with just simple labor.

“The teachers and students work for the Academy, and the rest is handled by donations made by hunters.”

“What an amazing place…”

Finding it impossible to believe that Zin made donations, Ramphil and Leona had a confused look on their faces.

It didn’t make sense that the place where they were teaching students not to work for free was being operated by donations and that the hunters were actually making donations.

“That just shows you what a very special place the Nest is for hunters.”

The Nest was the only place where hunters, who wandered around the world fighting for survival, could let down their guards and rest for a little while.

And since it was the only place where hunters felt accepted, they readily donated their money to support the training of new hunters. The hunters were born of many different places, but they were usually reborn as hunters in the Nest.

Of course, there were special cases like Zin.

In the end, the Hunter’s Nest seemed like it was financially comfortable thanks to its location within a big city, and the quality of the classes also seemed quite high thanks to the considerable number of hunters that gathered here.

Zin headed to the Dean’s Office.

The Dean of the Academy, of course, was an old-time hunter who played a senior role not only within the Academy but also in the Nest itself.

He was not a leader, but he was involved in both big and small affairs of the Nest, and people acknowledged his strong influence. The position of leader was recognized, but not enforced. And that worked fine for the hunters.

“I’m going in alone,” said Zin, so Leona and Ramphil waited outside. There was no need to take the two, who were clearly not hunters.

‘Knock, knock!’

“Come in,” a voice answered from inside.

When Zin opened the door, an old man with a calm facial expression and white hair neatly combed back was sitting on a chair. The three vertical rows of scarring over his right eye added the look of a seasoned hunter to his cool demeanor, and even though his face was wrinkled, his bright left eye revealed that the old man still hadn’t lost his wild animal instincts.

Zin noticed that his left arm was loose in the sleeve.

‘One-eyed, and one-armed.’

His features showed why he had to retire. The Dean smiled softly, and Zin smiled bitterly.

“It’s been about forty years since the Penrier Industry gig. I was expecting to see you again.”

The Dean recognized Zin, and Zin recognized him as well. It was not difficult for Zin to see the face of a young hunter in the old man’s face. The intelligence in his eyes had now turned into wisdom, but the Dean had lost his left arm and right eye during that long stretch of time.

“Where did you leave your left arm?”

To Zin’s question, he pointed at his feet.

“I was ambushed at the hybrid. I barely made it out alive.”

“The Hive? You’ve found that place?”

“Well, yes… but as you can see, I failed.” And after that statement, he intentionally changed the subject. His face seemed to say that it was painful for him to simply remember that time.

“You haven’t changed a bit, as I’d expected.”

“Ha-ha, not exactly.”

Those who met Zin more than once always had the same thought.

They felt the cruel passage of time as they realized that they had gotten old while the other person remained the same. And this also reminded them of the people who were no longer alive and with whom they couldn’t reunite ever again.

Zin approached him and reached out his right hand, and the Dean shook his hand with his only hand, the right hand.

“I’m glad you’re still alive, Tae-hon.”

“So am I, Zin.”

The two exchanged a powerful handshake as they reunited after forty years. The names of the people he had fought with never came out of Tae-hon’s mouth. That alone said a lot to Zin.

Of all the people who knew Zin, Tae-hon was the only one still alive. Either that or they had gone to a far away place, but Zin wanted to believe the former and didn’t ask any questions about it.

Not talking about the dead was an unspoken rule among hunters.

—————–

Zin and his team were personally assigned lodging under the guidance of the Dean. The Academy was made up of several buildings, and Zin headed to a building that was being used as sleeping quarters and inn. Hunters could get free accommodations at the Nest.

Of course, it was customary for hunters to pay for their own food and lodging, so the money paid to the inn actually served as donation to be used for maintaining the Academy.

“It’s still big.”

“It’s a well-built building, so it doesn’t require much maintenance, which is good.”

Leona’s jaw dropped seeing the lodging that was almost like a hotel, and Ramphil also had a look of satisfaction on his face, as if he liked the place.

Tae-hon never asked about Zin’s two companions. Hunters tend to respect each other’s privacy and did not ask each other about their missions.

In the huge hall, the hunters were sitting down and eating their meals, and everyone was sitting alone. Hunters were not the type to get together and talk loudly, and they usually liked to be alone.

Hunters liked to draw clear lines between themselves and others, and that made them seem lonely and secretive.

The bartender, who was also the innkeeper, greeted the Dean, “Hello, sir.”

“Please prepare a nice room for them. They are really valued guests.”

“Very well. Attendants, please clean up Room Nine for the guests.”

“Yes!” The three boys who had been standing by, quickly went up somewhere. The children, who looked about Leona’s age, were now acting as the attendants of the inn. Each had a set working schedule, and the rest of the time was spent in training.

“Would you like to have a meal?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll prepare a meal for three. If you need anything, please ask the children or come to the Dean’s Office.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, no. This is hardly enough.”

The bartender thought it was strange that the old dean was using a respectful tone with the hunter who looked way younger than him, so he stared at the both of them, but didn’t ask any questions. Sitting at a table in the large hall, the three waited for the meals.

Leona sat closer to Zin and whispered her question, “Do you know that grandpa?”

“Well, yeah. The Nest is a big place, so you’re bound to run into someone you know, don’t you think?”

“Is there anywhere you haven’t been in the world?”

Zin chuckled at Ramphil’s strange question.

“Not unless it’s a far away island across the ocean.” That meant that he had been to all parts of the continent. “It’s rare to run into people you know, but this is a special place in many ways.”

“But even the Lord of the Heavenly Castle knew you.”

Was there anyone else who knew people all over the world?

Zin didn’t say that there used to be a lot more people he knew, but that they were all dead now. The meal was soon ready, and it was a simple meal, made up of manufactured goods, perhaps because they were in a big city. Although the quality was certainly worse than the meals at the Fortress, it was much better than the ones at other places, which served a single potato.

“I’m sure that if I lived in a place like this, I’d eat very well.”

“You must have a lot of chips for that.”

“So true.”

It seemed like Leona and Ramphil were beginning to understand the big city as they talked about this and that.

Other hunters paid little attention to Zin and his team. But Leona was looking at the other hunters and looking at the numerous leaflets on the wall. She seemed more interested in checking things out than eating.

The leaflets that covered the walls were divided into three main categories, and a few hunters who were not eating were standing in front of them:

[Monsters] [Reward] [Gigs]

The Nest was full of hunters, but it was also filled with people who wanted to hire hunters. Once a request was placed here, one of the resident hunters could simply satisfy it.

In the leaflet, was a brief description of the client’s residence, payment amount, and the mission objective.

Leona poked Zin’s ribs and asked, “I understand the monster category, but what are the other two?”

“Everyone you’ve seen so far is a monster hunter. Most hunters who roam remote areas are monster hunters. They are also the most widely known. But strictly speaking, hunters are divided into three different categories.”

“There are categories of hunters?”

“What they focus on is different.”

Unlike the hunters in remotes areas, the hunters in big cities could pick and choose what their main focus would be and decide what kind of hunter they were going to be at the beginning of their career.

“Those who kill monsters and get paid are monster hunters, those who collect bounties after tracking down criminals are bounty hunters, and private detectives who handle unsolved cases for payment can also be considered hunters, although those only exist in big cities.

The work of the hunters changed depending on the environment.