Becoming a Hunter in a Dark Fantasy

Chapter 7: The Village of the Dead XX (2)

It was like a tidal wave surging over a mountaintop.

Just as waves of color crash upon the shore, ‘corpses’ were swarming, stretching far beyond the horizon.

“A few hundred people—no, a few hundred creatures…”

It might have even been more. An overwhelming number.

Even from a considerable distance, their presence crackled with a tingling force.

Not an easy fight.

“Oh, damn.”

Gale, frozen stiff until now, muttered in resignation. With a hollow chuckle, he murmured,

“Didn’t think today would be my funeral.”

His tone was light—almost joking—but Gale truly meant it.

Though he had earned the nickname ‘Ashen Demon’ through distinguished achievements in battle and prided himself on his strength, this situation was different.

‘Can’t run. No reinforcements to hope for.’

Virga Village was deep in the mountains, surrounded by dense forests on all sides.

The only escape route was through towering, sheer mountains—and beyond them, the sea.

The southeastern edge of the Western Continent. The very end of the land.

‘And with the village burned down now, urban warfare’s impossible.’

That meant there was no open space to maneuver or terrain that could serve as cover.

Truly a situation with no way forward or back.

‘…This might get dangerous.’

Usually, battles between humans occurred within expected parameters.

From attire or weaponry alone, he could gather a lot of intel.

Who was a swordsman, what kind of magic they favored, whether they had any signature techniques…

With such minor ‘information,’ Gale could gain the upper hand—and ultimately survive.

‘It’s the same with war.’

Victory or defeat came down to information warfare.

…Though, to be honest, he couldn’t recall much detail from the wars he’d fought in—his memories always seemed to blur.

Still, this time was different. A complete blank slate.

He didn’t know who the enemy was—or if there even was an enemy. What exactly were those corpse-like things…?

He had no clue.

‘They look too perfectly human to be classified as monsters. What if they’re mutations? Or worse… a resurrection of some ancient monster species thought to be extinct for thousands of years!’

Gale had taken monster-slaying requests before as a mercenary, and had even been ambushed during night travels.

But those were mostly low-level monsters. Any trained human could handle them.

‘I can probably manage mid-level ones, but… upper-tier? That’s a no-go.’

High-tier monsters were extremely rare—appearing with only a 0.001% probability.

But once they appeared, the damage they caused was catastrophic.

Even the Hunter Association had specialized extermination teams made up of elite hunters for that reason.

This was one of Gale’s core beliefs… Hunters were all lunatics.

They didn’t just leave their lives on the line—they left their sanity at home too, like it was optional.

Especially the high-tier ones. They were the real deal—monsters beyond comprehension.

—Hm? You’re… human. Bit confusing at first, but I see it now!

When he had randomly encountered a Hunter once, Gale finally understood the rumors.

—Don’t worry. I’m on the side of justice. I won’t harm humans. …Now then, move along. Be careful not to lose your way again.

That reverent yet fear-tinged saying—that only monsters could fight monsters—was true.

Forcing the memory of that day out of his mind, Gale let out a deep breath.

“Phew…”

He managed to calm the rising wave of anxiety that had flooded his chest.

A mercenary must never lose their reason—no matter the situation.

He repeated that life motto in his heart several times, and a sharp glint returned to his eyes.

Thanks to that, he recalled someone he’d briefly forgotten.

‘…Ah, right!’

Gale, who had been biting his lip in frustration, suddenly remembered the other presence here.

The only human besides himself.

‘The kid!’

Gale had always moved like a lone wolf.

It wasn’t by choice.

He had no other option.

Every time he ended up in certain situations, his… “mania” would flare up uncontrollably.

Because of that cursed condition—one he couldn’t control or suppress—he had turned down every mercenary company offer and continued operating solo.

He never wanted to go through the horror of killing an ally again.

But this time…

He wasn’t alone!

That realization was both surprising and deeply moving. And, in some ways, felt only natural.

With a tightness in his chest, Gale took a moment to catch his breath. It didn’t feel bad.

‘A comrade… huh.’

Even if he and Elwin Krieger weren’t truly connected in any way, at the very least, Elwin wasn’t the type to just stand by and watch someone die.

‘…Wait. Am I trusting someone else? Me?’

It hadn’t been long, but in that short time, Elwin had never used force against Gale despite being much stronger.

Even when facing villagers he knew were clearly corpses, Elwin treated them with kindness, not contempt.

Those little acts had built up and up, and before he knew it…

Gale had come to trust Elwin.

Even if it was only a tiny sliver of faith—it was still faith.

‘Huh… What a weird feeling.’

…Even Gale had only just realized it himself.

And on top of that—Elwin was strong. So strong that comparing him to himself felt almost insulting.

‘Hah! To think a pathetic old man like me could be moved by someone like this. Just who the hell was he in his past life?’

Even if Gale’s mania did flare up in battle, Elwin wouldn’t get hurt.

‘If we both survive, maybe I’ll start calling him “sir.”’

Again, Gale Garav still believed that Elwin Krieger was a reclusive master who just looked like a child.

Even so, he continued pretending not to know anything—speaking informally and calling him “kid” in his usual cheeky tone.

Of course, the moment that misunderstanding would shatter wasn’t far off…

With his worries cleared, Gale turned to Elwin with a brightened expression.

“Hey, kid. You got some kind of plan or—”

And then.

“…?”

He abruptly lost his words.

“Up-cha, up-cha.”

Elwin was bouncing in place and stretching his arms straight out in some kind of mysterious workout.

“…Uh, Gale, come here and loosen up too. In about a minute, they’ll be swarming in hard. Gotta warm up. Do you know about the National Calisthenics?”

“HAAAAAAH?!”

Gale nearly popped his eyeballs out as he scrambled over to Elwin.

“What the hell, kid! Kid sir! This isn’t the time to be doing warm-ups, is it?!”

Elwin tilted his head.

“Why not? I always do this. You have to stretch properly before fighting. What if your limbs go numb mid-battle?”

“Why would you even worry about that!? Not the calisthenics—something else! Like setting traps or something… Wait, what. Kid? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Elwin had finished all his movements and was now staring intently at Gale.

Then, like a student who had just solved a difficult problem, he nodded and smiled proudly.

“Aha. I get it now! Seeing you acting like a caterpillar hiding in its shell… Gale, you’re scared, aren’t you?”

“I’m not! Not scared at all! This old man is super brave, okay?!”

“Aw, no need to deny it. Not between us.”

“Between what! You and I are total strangers, okay?!”

Gale looked appalled, but Elwin only shrugged.

“We are strangers. But we’re about to become contractors and mercenaries, aren’t we? That makes us somewhat close, don’t you think?”

“…You’re driving me nuts. More importantly, I haven’t officially taken the request yet, alright? So stop acting like I have, you little punk.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Huh? And since when do you give in that easily?”

Gale narrowed his eyes with suspicion.

Because at some point, Elwin had started to push back on everything Gale said—never backing down.

But this time was different. Elwin’s blue eyes had darkened, settled low.

“Gale.”

“What.”

“Just giving you a heads-up. You should start thinking about the contract terms in advance.”

Srrrng—

Elwin slowly, deliberately drew his sword from its sheath.

It was almost like he was putting it on display—for Gale to see clearly.

Wooooooong—

The moment the blade was drawn, it sang.

A pure, clear tone rang across the space, as if the sword was delighted to be reunited with its master.

“…Whoa.”

For a brief second, Gale felt goosebumps cover his entire body.

It was something you couldn’t not recognize once you reached a certain tier of strength.

—Right now, the predator known as Elwin Krieger was about to begin the hunt.

“Don’t worry. It’s not going to turn out like you’re imagining, Gale.”

Elwin smiled broadly.

“I’ve never lost a fight like this before.”

That annoyingly serene face. That comment, overflowing with arrogant confidence.

…And yet, strangely, Gale believed him.

“Alright then. This old man will hold out some hope.”

He realized he wasn’t tense anymore.

And Elwin kept his word—

—with a flawless victory.

***

The moving corpses—more accurately, the ‘corpse puppets’—creaked like broken dolls. They came in all ages and genders.

“Welcome, welcome to Virga Village. Welcome, welcome to Virga Village. Welcome, welcome to Virga Village.”

Their chattering mouths repeated the same words like over-wound clockwork.

“Check out our Virga specialty, the wooden crown! Come take a look! Come take a look! Wooden crowns, wooden crowns, wooden crowns!”

But their bodies suddenly sprouted weapons that were anything but harmless.

Blades, saws, awls, drills, sickles—

Weapons hidden inside them transformed freely, and they twisted into grotesque poses only dolls could manage, launching unpredictable attacks.

“The ancient ruins are just over that mountain! The ancient ruins are just over that mountain! The ancient ruins are just over that mountain!”

They all shared one thing in common…

They were deeply grotesque.

Shhk—!

Elwin slashed diagonally through the approaching corpse puppets.

Even though they looked exactly like living humans, he didn’t hesitate in his swing.

Disgusting, he thought.

Of course, as a human, Elwin did feel his brow furrow at the sight of such pitiful, monstrous things.

But compassion and combat were separate matters.

“Kyahhh! Please spare me…! Spare me!! Spare me!!! Kyahhh! Please spare me…! Spare me!! Spare me!!! Kyahhh! Please spare me…! Spare me!! Spare me!!!”

“Please! At least spare the child! Please spare the child! Please spare the child!”

“Waaaah—waaaah—waaaah—!”

Whooosh!

As if he couldn’t stand it anymore, Elwin poured magic into his blade and swung wide. The dolls surrounding him were cleaved clean in half.

And just like that, the area around Elwin cleared out.

“Phew. That’s done. Next up…”

With some breathing room now, Elwin glanced over to where Gale was fighting in the near distance.

He’s doing well.

True to his reputation as the “Demon of the Battlefield,” Gale seemed right at home in this chaotic brawl.

Moments ago, he’d looked uncertain—but now he moved like a fish in water, tearing through enemies.

But… it was starting to get in the way.

‘I’d really like to wipe them all out in one go…’

Magic users could channel their mana in a variety of ways—

Mana bursts, mana shaping, physical enhancement…

Among those, Elwin frequently employed mana bursts.

Because the amount of mana he possessed was incomparably greater than that of an ordinary human.

That was why most of his missions involved one-against-many extermination battles.

“There aren’t any survivors in the village anyway.”

He intended to do the same this time.

Of course, he’d have to restrain his power a bit to avoid too much environmental destruction.

“As for Gale… yeah, maybe I should send him ahead to the mastermind.”

By now, the true culprit behind everything—and Jaigo—should be in the same place.

From his own experience, Elwin wanted to root for Jaigo’s actions.

“Yeah… but I guess it’s too much for a low-rank Hunter to handle alone.”

It seemed better to give him some help. Elwin quickly approached Gale and grabbed him by the back of the neck.

“Geh?! What the—?! Is this an ambush?!”

“No, Gale. It’s me.”

“…Hey. Kid. What the hell’s with you? This old man’s getting choked, here. Mind letting go?”

“Sorry about that. But I think there’s someone right now who really needs your help. Lend them a hand. I’ll make sure the pay is worth it.”

“What?! What the hell are you talking about?!”

Ignoring Gale’s protest, Elwin gently wrapped his own cape around him.

“For reference, if you press the shoulder clasp, you can fly. I’ll finish things up here and catch up soon—so go play for a while!”

Long ago, Gale would’ve sensed the danger and tried to back away.

But now? He was a mouse in the lion’s grip.

There was no chance.

“Well then, I’ll be counting on you, Gale!”

Elwin smiled brightly—

—and without a hint of hesitation, hurled Gale into the air.

With every ounce of strength he had, Gale screamed:

“YOU CRAZY BASTAAAAAAAAAARD!!!”