Arcane Innovator

I stood in the middle of Ostengard's muddy main square, listening to the town crier's preposterous speech with a deadpan face.

'Good thing I decided to take on a new identity... With such an announcement, I'll now have all the bounty hunters in the whole region on my ass.'

I tried my best not to let any emotion show on my face as I slowly moved to the side and promptly left the area.

I only stopped when I entered a dark, empty alleyway some distance away from the market. There, making sure I was truly alone, I leaned over some empty barrels as I finally allowed myself to release my panned-up emotions.

I ground my teeth against each other, suppressing my growing anger. 'They not only took everything from me... But now they even want to treat me like some sort of outlaw with bogus accusations!'

Yet there was nothing I could do about it as instead of standing my ground and defending my honor, I cowardly ran out of the city, giving my enemies free rein to spin the story however they liked.

'Not that staying would make much of a difference...' I donned a bitter smile, realizing that the result would have been the same no matter what I did back then.

So, in the end, simply running away was perhaps the best option after all. Still, something about this didn't quite add up. '

I widened my eyes as I realized that the Town Crier never mentioned Jenny or anything that happened in the Fortress... 'Did they cover it up?'

Well, whatever they did, it didn't change my current situation one bit, so I was still standing in front of the same problem - what to do now?

'Should I run or should I hide...? Or should I simply accept the role of a heinous monster they are trying so hard to portray me as and simply burn Ereneth to the ground and be done with it?'

After a while of pondering, my head started hurting from all these difficult thoughts, so I took a deep breath and decided to take it a step at a time.

'No matter what, my priority right now is to find that bastard Dominic and all his cronies to show them that they should never have crossed me... and after that, I will have all the time to think about what happens next.' I clenched my fists, happy with my decision, as it greatly simplified things.

Still, before I can do that, I first need to find some sort of a job to act as a cover so that my clandestine activities wouldn't cause too much suspicion.

However, from my short observation, I discovered that getting any decent job in this town was all but impossible, given the ever-present poverty all around.

This town didn't even have a dedicated craftsman's district. Instead, the few businesses the Ostengard had were spread out between the shabby houses of the residential area, and none of them looked like they were particularly thriving.

I smiled bitterly, realizing my only remaining option seemed to be the Beast Hunter's Guild.

I still remember my utmost fascination with that place back when I first came to Ereneth all those years ago, shortly before I realized the grim reality of being a beast hunter.

'Well, at least it will be somewhat advantageous as it would allow me to walk in and out of Ostengard as I please without any questions asked.'

Thus, finally coming to a decision about what to do next, I retraced my steps, coming back onto the main street that ran through the middle of Ostengard and following it for a bit until I found myself standing in front of a quite large building which dwarfed all the small cottages surrounding it.

Despite this being one of the largest buildings in town, I noticed it was still significantly smaller than the one they had back in Ereneth. 'It's probably because Ostengard isn't on the Frontier, so there is little job to be had.'

Having already made a decision, I didn't want to prolong this moment any longer, so I took a deep breath and opened the sturdy-looking doors.

Stepping in, I looked around, filled with curiosity, as this was the very first time I had ever set foot inside a Beast Hunter's Guild.

Yet it wasn't what I imagined at all. I instantly crouched my nose as I was assaulted by a poignant stench. The air inside smelled of nothing but stale booze and smoke like I was entering some low-grade tavern.

The interior of the guild was dimly lit, with only a few torches now and there. Still, I could make out the outlines of a spacious room with several long tables sprawled across. Beside them was something that looked like a large map of the area hung on one of the walls and a lone wooden counter at the very back.

As I made my way toward the counter, I noticed that the walls were coated in a thick layer of grime and dust. Cobwebs hung in every corner, giving the impression that whoever was in charge of this place wasn't a great fan of cleaning.

Perhaps my perception was somewhat skewed by my experiences with the Merchant's Guild, which was always kept in pristine condition. Still, despite this being such an honorable institution, it was not well maintained at all.

I also noticed some rough-looking hunters sitting around in small groups, chatting among themselves. Yet nobody seemed to pay me any attention, which I greatly appreciated.

I cautiously approached the counter, deciding to keep an open mind and look past the shabby interior. Instead, I focused my attention on the old, wrinkled receptionist who sat there with closed eyes, seemingly asleep.

I stood there for a moment, looking at him incredulously before I loudly cleared my throat to attract his attention. "Excuse me, sir..."

The receptionist lazily opened his eyes and, with a raised eyebrow, looked me over. "What do you want, boy?"

I smiled broadly, trying my best to act with the utmost respect as I remembered the role I now must play. "Good day, mister; I'd like to register myself as a beast hunter."

"You, a hunter?" A crackling of laughter escaped his aged lips as he measured me with his sharp eyes.

I fought back the urge to scowl at his condescending tone. Instead, I straightened my back, trying to project nothing but confidence. "Yes, sir, I want to become a hunter."

The receptionist snorted, "You don't look like a hunter, boy. You look like a scrawny little runt who's never held a sword in his life."

'Well, that's kind of true, but still...! You don't have to say it like this.' I felt a twinge of annoyance but did not show it and kept my tone polite, "With all due respect, sir, I believe I have what it takes to become a hunter!"

"Oh? It seems you have some spirit, at least." He chuckled, looking at me with sparks of amusement in his eyes.

"Alright, if you are so eager, I guess there's no harm in putting you through the test." The receptionist added after a moment of silence.

"A test? What kind of test?" I asked cautiously, fearing that I would have to trudge again into some god-forsaken wasteland to prove myself.

Seeing my guarded expression, the old receptionist laughed. "What? Did you seriously think we would just accept any stray kid from the street? You'll first have to prove to us you have what it takes to be a hunter..."

"Oh, don't worry! it's nothing too dangerous..." He grinned with a toothless smile. "One of our Instructors will simply test your mettle with a sword."

Hearing this, I exhaled with visible relief and nodded with a smile.

"Although it's a shame..." He looked into the distance with a wistful look. "Back in my days, they used to send the recruits into the woods to hunt monsters, but the Guild recently changed it as not many would come back alive."

I exhaled in relief, happy that I didn't have to go out again so soon after finally getting back to civilization.

"Anyway, follow me. I'll take you to the training grounds." He gestured as he promptly stood up and began heading toward the back entrance, and I hurriedly followed after him.

Soon, we came to what looked like a sizable courtyard behind the main building. I could see rows of training dummies on one side and several fenced-out areas reserved for training on the other.

There was also a tiny archery range and some other training equipment whose purpose I wasn't sure of.

At least two dozen people were busy training, with several seasoned-looking veterans giving tips and recommendations.

"Hey, Wolf! I've got something for ya!" The receptionist shouted in a certain direction.

I turned around and then froze. 'What is this?'

When I laid my eyes on the Instructor who would be testing me, I couldn't help but blink a few times.

If I could describe him in a single word, he looked menacing. He was a half-naked mountain of a man with huge bulging muscles glistening in the morning sun.

Walking over with slow, measured steps, he seemed to pay me no attention as he smiled at the old receptionist. "Hey, Gramps! What brings ya here so early in the morning?"

"I brought ya a new recruit to be tested..." The receptionist replied with a mild annoyance as if he couldn't wait to sit back in his creaking chair behind a counter and doze off.

"Who? Wait... ya don't mean this little runt over here, do ya?" The Instructor regarded me with nothing but amusement, as if this whole notion was one big joke. "I swear, Gramps... Each new recruit ya bring me lately is scrawnier and scrawnier."

The old receptions burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Well, this one has some spirit in him, at least."

"Spirit, eh? I'd wager three coppers that he won't be able to take a single hit." The Instructor snickered.

"Hmph! As if... I won't let ya manipulate me into another stupid wager!" The receptionist spat out and hurriedly exited the training area.

"Hey, wait! Ya're no fun! Oh, whatever..." While shaking his head dejectedly, the giant Instructor finally turned toward me with a raised eyebrow.

"Huh? Ya didn't run away yet? Well, maybe there is some courage in ya after all... Alright, grab whatever weapon ya like from the stand over there and get ready." He smiled at me with a menacing-looking grin.

I raised my head, taking in his massive frame, and I couldn't help but break down in a cold sweat.

'Am I really supposed to fight someone like him with nothing but a flimsy training sword?'