Leaving aside the fact that his ability is named after the nickname this world has given him, the fact that he can consume the souls of dead beings and that this grants him all the power that said being had before dying is something enviable, amazing, but at the same time dangerous.
In this world, evil creatures are spiritual beings with physical bodies; internally, they have souls. Hunters often hunt them precisely to acquire these souls, although not for the soul itself, but for the so-called Soul Core.
This core can be used to strengthen a person and is the fastest, but most dangerous, way to improve one's own soul.
The problem lies in the fact that absorbing a soul core involves fighting against the will of that soul, which, even though the core has less of it, is very dangerous. Many hunters don't take the risk because, if they lose control, death is the best option.
If absorbing the core is so dangerous, how much more dangerous would it be to absorb the soul directly? Not only would it carry the soul's entire will, but also its memories, abilities, ego...
Arthur swallowed hard and smiled strangely.
'That looks interesting.'
His heart raced. He never thought he would feel excited about that, but as someone who had been on the brink of death so many times, he was overwhelmed by the possibility of seeing a new world.
Just then...
Knock*
A sound at the door opened it. Then, the sound of heels hitting the floor struck his ears.
A beautiful woman entered the room. She wore combat armor made from expensive minerals, glistening in the sunlight streaming through the windows. A sword hung from her waist, while two gloves completely covered her hands.
Her large chest stood tall beneath a strong breastplate, a garment not typical in this modern era, but very common in today's world.
Arthur looked at her. "It seems I've caused you trouble again, Miss Rose."
It was Rose, from the Dark Rose Guild, one of the most powerful people in the city.
"When haven't you?" Rose shrugged as she approached; her icy face and carefree but firm gait revealed incredible strength. "Ever since you've been in my city, I've had to wield my sword countless times because of you. I must say, your misfortune is unparalleled."
"Haha." Arthur laughed awkwardly. "Thanks." He was sincere, as he always had been.
"Don't mention it." She stood beside him without giving the matter any further thought. "I came because they told me the ceiling hadn't fallen and nothing strange had happened. I thought you were finally dead, but it seems not."
"Somehow I'm wondering the same thing." Arthur looked at the ceiling. "When will it fall?"
"Maybe something has changed." She looked at the floor. "And maybe it will be the floor that falls this time."
"It's possible." Arthur didn't hesitate to try to stand up; he wanted to test if that was true and wasn't afraid of the consequences.
That was something admirable about him. He had the guts to live, despite his misfortune, and wasn't afraid to seek it out, because it surely made him feel alive.
Even Rose admired him for this because he didn't seem to know fear.
'If he were a hunter...' Rose couldn't help but let her mind wander, imagining such an outstanding hunter whose body recovered extremely quickly and who knew no fear.
It would be a wonderful sight to behold, even for her.
When he stood up, nothing happened. Neither the floor collapsed nor the ceiling caved in. To avoid misfortune, there were no deadly tools or objects in the room, so there weren't many things that could kill him.
Therefore, Arthur walked to the window. He opened it under Rose's gaze and leaned out.
Many times, something had fallen on him from the top floor just for doing this, or his body had mysteriously slipped, and he had ended up falling... but this time, nothing like that happened, forcing Arthur to return to his bed.
"Just as I suspected." Rose sighed. "What has changed?" she asked directly.
Arthur smiled. "You are very perceptive, Miss Rose."
"If I weren't, I couldn't run a guild."
"Why don't you let me join your guild then?"
Rose frowned. "Did you become a Hunter?"
He smiled. "It seems so."
Rose was silent at his answer. 'The Dead Man Alive has really become a Hunter…' she thought.
Although she felt excited... she didn't know if this was a blessing... or a curse.
Hunters already tend to spend their lives fighting on the edge of death. What would happen if they were joined by someone whose life as a civilian human had been to constantly live on the edge of death, in different situations?
Everyone should know that, this month alone, he has been on the brink of death in 600 different ways. Obviously, many of them happened simultaneously, on the same day, which is why he was able to recover and wasn't crushed at any point.
But this month was surely a record. And Rose had to save him in more than 200 of those instances.
Even she couldn't guess what would happen in the future if he became a hunter. Even for them —the hunters —this man was always an enigma.
Superhuman resilience, but human strength. An unbreakable mentality, even though his body was constantly injured.
It was as if... the world itself wanted to kill him, but something was opposing it.
She nodded slowly. "Having a new Hunter in our ranks is always a good thing, but... taking you will be a problem."
"My reputation isn't the best, is it?" Arthur stretched lazily; it had been a long time since he could do that. "But isn't it also the best? If it turns out that the misfortune that haunts me has ceased, you would have the famous Dead Man Alive in the palm of your hand. The whole city might be jealous of you."
"You're praising yourself too much." She emphasized.
"But am I not right?" He looked at her with a sly smile.
He was telling the truth. Allowing a man who could be an enigma to hunters as a civilian to join another guild now that he was a hunter would be like shooting herself in the foot. She had the advantage that they knew each other quite well and had chatted a few times; that he respected her and was grateful to her. If she didn't take advantage of it... she might regret it.
"I'll take you, but I can't guarantee that you'll become part of the guild. You'll have to fend for yourself to beat the other applicants," she replied.
He finally stopped stretching and stared at her. Their eyes met, and there seemed to be a spark between them that... intimidated Rose? Although she didn't look away, her hands moved slightly.
That feeling she had felt was really strange. Was she under threat?
While her mind was reeling, Arthur's hand rested on her shoulder.
"Thank you, Miss Rose." That was all he said.
Yes. Thank you. It was a genuine thank you that came from his heart, and it even left Rose stunned. He had thanked her so many times that she thought she had gotten used to it... But this time was different.
He had nowhere to go, let alone a place to call home.
He lived on the streets and slept on sidewalks to prevent his misfortunes from affecting innocent people. He kept himself away from society. He used abandoned public restrooms, which he kept in good condition. And he managed to eat a few times a week.
That's why, even though he was originally tall and handsome, his figure was emaciated and skinny. His yellow hair, even though he always washed it, no longer shone, and his peculiar gray eyes with green hues had long since lost their sparkle.
Just allowing him a place to go and saying he could belong there was already a great gain for Arthur... Perhaps it was a place he could call home in the future.
All of that was hidden behind his small thank you, which, although it seemed frugal, was the most sincere he had said in years.
"Aren't you coming, Miss Rose?" Arthur turned to look at her as he reached the door.
She immediately snapped out of her daze with a smile. "I'm coming. Don't go ahead, they won't let you in if you go like that."
"Like what? I can't change my face."
Sighing, she touched his clothes. "Too worn out. Come on, I'll get you something new at the corner store to make it quick."
"Oh." He realized. Indeed, almost all of his clothes were worn out. He could barely afford to eat. Where was he going to get the money to buy clothes? So he followed her closely.