The world broke open, and monsters crawled out.
Gates filled with creatures ripped through cities. Normal military armies couldn't stop them. The answer came from Hunters—special humans who could use Mana, a magic energy inside them. They became the new heroes, new sector of defense.
Hunters then swore allegiance to either the public sector, embodied by a single worldwide organisation called the Hunter Association, or private sector under the banner of a guild. Be it the hunter association or a guild, the riches are plenty. Most monster byproducts can fetch a huge amount of credits on the market, not to mention black markets. If manufactured into drugs or weapons, then the value can be increased twofold or more.
Taxpayers have to pay huge protection fees, and on top of that, guilds make additional money from selling monster ingredients. In this era, hunters were everything, yet they were too few. If they were not rare, they would not have been elevated to a whole other social class. After all, gates were multiplying, and the hunters could not keep up. A continent had already fallen in the hands of magical creatures.
To be a Hunter, you need power.
This power can come from your family, passed down in your blood. The Fireheart family, one of the seven major hunter household, is born with pyromancy mastery. That's their innate spell. There were no stronger mages than the firehearts in terms of firepower.
Other hunter skills can be learned. Anyone can study it. The Steelguards, one of the seven major clans too, are masters of weapon fighting. They strengthen their bodies with magic ingredients. They don't have a special bloodline and are just as dangerous.
Most famous Hunters have both a strong family and lots of training.
=====
Greem Longlost, a 16-years-old D-rank hunter, came from a minor, outcast clan. One that dwindled with black magic, after they signed a pact with a serpent demon. This made his ancestors mad, but after generations of taming, they had adapted to their condition and became fine hunters.
The alley was dark and wet. A low growl came from the shadows. The thing looked like a big bug-dog, with too many legs and a shiny black shell.
"Greem! Now!" yelled Vanessa. She stood between him and the monster, an oversized shield blocking the beast from biting her down to shreds.
Vanessa Steelford was a warrior. She used learned magic to strengthen her body as a whole. Combined with her [Shield Mastery] skill, she was their front-line fighter. Unlike him, she did not have the backing of a hunter clan. Both her parents possessed a restaurant. Without a bloodline or backing, reaching D-rank at the age of 25 was already a big achievement.
Greem was different. His close combat skills left to be desired. He was a black mage
The monster charged again. Vanessa grabbed its legs, holding it back. It screeched and tried to bite her.
Greem's fingers moved. A weak, dark purple light glowed around them. This was his magic. Negative energy. People feared it and looked down on it.
"Acidic Bolt," he whispered.
A small dart of greenish colour shot out. It didn't kill the monster. It just stung it, like a bad pinch. The creature flinched for just a second, but quickly enough, the beast started to shriek. Without a doubt, the spell was effective.
That was all Vanessa needed. She slammed the monster into the brick wall. Once, twice. Coupled with the corrosive effects of Greem's spell, it stopped moving.
Silence returned, except for Vanessa's heavy breathing.
"Your spell grew stronger", she said, wiping goo off her arm, "But a real mage would have blown it up"
Greem didn't answer. He walked to the dead creature and knelt. His family name held a lot of weight. Long ago, they made a pact with a demon. His only gift was a strange bloodline.
He placed a hand on the corpse. A warmth, like a sleeping snake, stirred in his veins. The monster's body seemed to dry out a little. A red drop of liquid, glowing softly, rose from its wounds and pooled in his palm. Blood Essence.
As he touched it, simple words appeared in his vision, seen only by him. A perk from his family's artefact, the Longlost Ring.
[Blood Essence (Gutter-Scuttler) Acquired.]
[Purity: Low]
[5 EXP gathered]
He pocketed the essence. Then he pulled out his cheap, cracked phone. He took a picture of the dead monster. A message flashed on his screen.
[Bounty Claimed: Gutter-Scuttler.
500 Credits Transferred]
The number of credits was small. Just enough to get by for another few days considering his expenses.
Vanessa clapped him on the back. "Come on. You're buying drinks."
Greem looked at the dead monster, then at the credits on his screen. This was the bottom. The powerful guilds were at the top, getting richer. But Greem had a plan. He saw the world like a game, with stats and resources. And he was going to win.
He was going to get strong. Strong enough to be free. No matter what it took.
[Name: Greem Longlost | D-Rank Sorcerer (225 → 230 / 800 EXP)
Attributes:
Strength - E | Agility - D | Vitality - E
Negative Energy - D | Perception - D | Charisma - D
Perks: Longlost Bloodline II [D]
Innate spell: Venomous Fangs [D], Longlost Scales [D]
Spells: Acidic Cloud [D], Acidic Bolt [E], Water Cloak [E]]