Chapter One: Desert Hunter

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The sun was blinding.

Beneath a sky so clear that not even a wisp of cloud could be seen, the word “sunny” no longer represented merely warm, pleasant weather. It also signified extreme heat and drought.

The air twisted into transparent flames beneath the scorching temperature. Along with the ceaseless desert wind, it stripped away the last trace of moisture from the ground, leaving behind only a handful of fine sand to dissolve into the gale.

The dunes, built grain by grain from those tiny particles, maintained a still yet surging form, becoming a sea that symbolized death as it spread toward the ends of the world.

Then the golden waves crashed against a patch of green.

That green was so jarring, like mold inexplicably growing across pure gold—abrupt, glaring, and difficult to remove.

Death ought to be capable of devouring everything, yet there were always things it could not swallow for a time, things left behind by the rest.

—Life.

Even in the sea of sand that symbolized death, there were always oases.

...

“Graaagh!”

The oasis, usually filled with nothing but the sound of wind, was unusually lively at that moment.

A Yellow Velociprey shrieked as it accelerated toward its opponent.

Common in desert regions, these small monsters possessed the slender build characteristic of the Velociprey family. Their scales were a drab yellow-green, providing excellent camouflage among the wastelands and oases.

Unlike their relatives that prowled the forests, Yellow Velociprey had very short claws and little destructive power.

The truly dangerous weapons were the two hollow fangs in their mouths.

Once they bit down, the paralytic toxin injected into the victim’s body would strip away its ability to resist in an extremely short time. The potency of their venom was so great that even large monsters could not afford to ignore it.

The young hunter, his head wrapped in a dust veil, pulled the Hunter’s Knife—the Iron片 Hand Sword—from the body of his prey. He gave it a casual flick to shake the blood from the blade, then turned to face the Yellow Velociprey rapidly closing in on him.

Another Yellow Velociprey lay at his feet, its limbs twitching.

Its heart had been pierced by the blade, and its vitality was rapidly draining away with its blood. In at most a few seconds, it would become a corpse. It was not worth his concern.

As the monster sprang at him, the young hunter turned sideways and let it pass. Following through with the motion, he slashed diagonally into the side of its head.

The iron blade tore through scales and flesh, opening a wound at the junction of the Yellow Velociprey’s head and neck while also blinding it in one eye.

The Yellow Velociprey howled in pain, but did not retreat. Instead, its ferocity was aroused, and it lunged again without regard for its own safety, snapping at the hunter beside it as he prepared to continue his assault.

“Quite the backbone, huh?”

The hunter snorted. With a movement rather awkward by ordinary standards, he forcibly halted his sword stroke, raised his shield to protect himself, and nimbly sprang backward.

Driven mad by pain and leaving nothing in reserve, the Yellow Velociprey snapped at empty air. Its momentum carried it forward, throwing off its balance. It shrieked as it tried to adjust its posture and regain its footing.

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The hunter seized the opening and swung his sword, carving another wound several dozen centimeters long across its chest, the flesh hanging open and bloody.

There was something strangely satisfying about matching his attack perfectly to the instant his opponent exposed a weakness. The young hunter was preparing to find another opportunity and strike again when a momentary lapse in concentration disrupted his rhythm.

His subsequent attacks no longer possessed that feeling of everything falling perfectly into place.

He clicked his tongue. Abandoning any concern for timing or rhythm, he simply increased the speed and force of his sword strokes, brutally hacking the Yellow Velociprey to the ground.

Without giving his opponent a chance to rise, he pounced, pinning the monster’s slender neck beneath his knee. He pressed the Hunter’s Knife against its throat and pulled hard.

The windpipe and arteries were severed together, and foul-smelling blood gushed forth.

The Yellow Velociprey convulsed violently, struggled a few times, and soon fell still.

The battle over, the hunter boy—who looked no older than sixteen or seventeen—put away his weapons.

The Yellow Velociprey hide, hacked to pieces during the fight, was no longer worth much effort to strip.

Its scales and fangs, however, could still fetch a modest sum.

The paralysis fangs in particular, saturated with paralytic toxin, were essential materials for crafting paralysis ammunition. Gunners had great demand for them, and general stores bought them in unlimited quantities. They were never difficult to sell.

While keeping part of his attention on his surroundings, the boy wielded a small skinning knife and methodically removed and stored the scales, paralysis fangs, and the crests serving as proof of subjugation.

Before long, the gathering was complete.

The boy, whose name was Oran, exhaled softly. He scooped up a handful of the dry yellow sand scattered everywhere and rubbed his hands together, wiping the blood from his palms and the knife handle.

The smell of blood in the air was quite strong. Before long, it would attract carnivores.

The first to arrive would most likely be other Yellow Velociprey.

Monsters of the Velociprey family were accustomed to hunting in groups. Before attacking, the two Yellow Velociprey that were now corpses had already called for their companions.

Enough time had passed that some Yellow Velociprey should have reached the area. The reason they had not appeared immediately was probably hesitation.

Many people thought they were merely bloodthirsty beasts, but in truth, these gregarious little monsters were unexpectedly cunning.

They would follow the calls of their companions, only to find the sounds had vanished when they drew near, replaced by the familiar scent of blood. Such circumstances would put them on their guard.

They would not turn around and leave at once, however. Instead, they would linger nearby, waiting for more companions to gather. Once they formed a small group, they would launch a coordinated attack.

Why was he so familiar with Yellow Velociprey?

Naturally, it was because he had encountered them so often. He had suffered losses and been injured, so he knew them inside and out.

As for how to deal with them, he had a solution for that too.

Oran cupped his left hand around his mouth, then placed his right thumb inside to press against his tongue. A call identical to the one Yellow Velociprey used to summon their companions came from his lips.

“Chik-gaah—”

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After making the call several times, he hurried to a cluster of sand willows roughly twenty meters from the corpses and concealed himself within it, holding his breath and masking his presence.

Sure enough, only a few minutes later, several more Yellow Velociprey appeared, cresting a dune and entering the area where the oasis met the sand.

“Three of them? A little troublesome, but that’s fine.”

The young hunter in the sand willow thicket rolled his wrists. “Take care of them all at once, and that’ll be enough for the assignment.”

Oran did not immediately leave his hiding place. With his abilities, facing three Yellow Velociprey at once would be risky, to put it mildly.

If possible, he wanted to eliminate one through a sudden attack or ambush.

Dealing with two at the same time would be much easier.

The three newly arrived Yellow Velociprey looked around, searching for the companions that had made the call.

Soon, they noticed the two corpses drenched in blood.

Unable to resist the lure of the scent, the two larger Yellow Velociprey rushed forward at once, tearing and gnawing at the bodies in a frantic struggle over the food.

The smaller one also tried to approach, but was driven away with bites and swipes. Its status within the group was low, and it had no right to eat first.

“They possess a fairly developed social structure, yet feel no aversion whatsoever to fighting over and devouring the corpses of their own kind.”

Watching from nearby, Oran’s face showed undisguised disgust. “What repulsive creatures.”

He patiently waited a little longer.

The two Yellow Velociprey had initially remained somewhat wary, lifting their heads now and then even while feeding. Only after they gradually became completely absorbed in their meal did he charge out from the bushes.

At the fastest speed possible, he would eliminate one first!

As though wielding twin blades, he thrust both arms outward. A thin yet unmistakable burst of Demon Mode aura flashed and vanished. Drawing power from his legs, he transformed into a blur and shot forward.

The two Yellow Velociprey still feeding had barely begun to react when he was already in front of the smaller one, which had been waiting off to the side.

His steps crossed as his body spun at high speed. The edge of his iron shield nearly shattered the Yellow Velociprey’s lower jaw, and the Hunter’s Knife followed immediately with a sweeping cut.

His entire body swept past the monster like a whirlwind, blade and shield crossing as they left a series of wounds along its side, skin and flesh torn open.

The poor Yellow Velociprey was hacked to the ground on the spot.

Oran delivered a merciless finishing blow, ending its life.

Two remained.

He pulled back his hunting knife, raised his shield, and fixed his gaze on the remaining prey.

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