Missions were assigned at dawn.
That was the rule of Hunters College, a rule born not of discipline but of survival. Dungeon breaks did not wait for convenience, and monsters did not care for schedules. Every hunter who wished to earn coins, rank, and permission to take higher-level missions had to present themselves early—before excuses could form.
Lunaria Vale arrived before the sun fully rose.
The mission hall was already alive with muted voices and clinking equipment. Stone pillars lined the circular chamber, each engraved with rotating mission boards that shimmered faintly with mana. Hunters gathered in small groups, some confident, some tense, others pretending they were not afraid.
Lunaria moved through them quietly.
His hunter uniform was immaculate, pale and understated, fitted for mobility rather than intimidation. His moonlight-colored hair was tied neatly with a new ribbon—soft pink, freshly replaced. The sword at his side rested naturally against his hip, balanced and calm, as though it belonged there.
Eyes followed him.
They always did.
He ignored them with practiced ease.
"…Excuse me," he said softly to the receptionist behind the central counter.
She startled, then flushed faintly when she looked up. "Y-Yes! Your badge, please."
Lunaria nodded and placed his hunter badge on the counter.
Bronze.
The lowest tier above civilian clearance.
It was small, unadorned, and faintly warm to the touch.
The receptionist scanned it, mana flaring briefly. "Bronze-ranked hunter Lunaria Vale. Mission eligibility… F-rank extermination missions only."
"That's fine," Lunaria replied politely. "I'd like to take one."
She hesitated, glancing at the board. "There's… a combined extermination request. Twenty targets total."
"That's okay."
She blinked. "It includes F-ranked orcs, ogres, and aberrant flies."
"That's also okay."
"…The reward is two hundred coins."
Lunaria's eyes softened slightly. "That would help."
She swallowed and nodded, tapping the badge again. "Location is an unstable sub-dungeon near the eastern industrial sector. You'll need to generate your hunter badge imprint at the site entrance before entry."
"I understand."
She slid the mission parchment toward him. "Please be careful."
Lunaria accepted it with both hands. "I will."
[Mission accepted: Extermination – F Rank.]
[Targets: Orc (x8), Ogre (x6), Aberrant Fly (x6).]
[Reward: 200 Coins.]
[Current Coin Balance: 320.]
[Silver Rank Eligibility: Locked.]
[Requirement: 1000 Coins.]
Lunaria paused as he stepped away from the counter.
"…I need quite a bit more," he murmured.
[Efficiency will accelerate progress.]
"I'll do my best," he replied softly.
---
The sub-dungeon lay hidden beneath a fractured warehouse district, its entrance concealed behind collapsed concrete and rusted steel. Warning pylons surrounded the area, humming faintly as they projected a containment field to prevent civilians from wandering too close.
Lunaria arrived alone.
He stood before the dungeon gate—a warped oval of flickering energy embedded into the ground like a wound that refused to close. Faint roars echoed from within, distorted by layers of unstable mana.
He knelt and placed his badge against the activation sigil.
The bronze surface flared.
[Hunter badge verified.]
[Mission imprint complete.]
[Entry authorized.]
Lunaria rose slowly.
"…Alright," he whispered.
He loosened his grip on the ribbon slightly—but did not remove it.
Not yet.
Then he stepped forward.
The world twisted.
---
The dungeon opened into a ruined forest clearing, its sky a fractured imitation of reality—purple clouds drifting unnaturally overhead. Broken trees lay scattered across the ground, their bark corrupted and bleeding mana.
Lunaria's senses sharpened instantly.
[Multiple hostile entities detected.]
"I can hear them," he murmured.
[Aberrant flies airborne. Orc patrols to the east. Ogres deeper within.]
Lunaria adjusted his stance, one hand resting lightly on his sword hilt.
"…Let's start with the loud ones."
He moved.
Not with haste.
With intent.
The first aberrant fly descended from above, its grotesque wings buzzing sharply as it lunged. Lunaria sidestepped, pivoting smoothly, blade flashing in a short, precise arc.
The fly fell in two pieces before it hit the ground.
[Target eliminated.]
He flowed into the next movement, spinning lightly as two more descended. His sword traced elegant lines through the air, cutting wings, heads, bodies—never wasting motion, never hesitating.
The flies never touched him.
They died mid-flight, their remains dissolving into motes of light.
[Targets eliminated: Aberrant Fly x3.]
"…They're fragile," Lunaria observed calmly.
[Do not underestimate numbers.]
"I won't."
The ground trembled.
Orcs emerged from between the broken trees—green-skinned, muscular, crude weapons raised as they roared and charged. Their movements were aggressive, unrefined, relying on brute force rather than coordination.
Lunaria exhaled.
"…Too straightforward."
He stepped forward.
The first orc swung wildly.
Lunaria slipped inside the arc, blade rising in a smooth diagonal cut that opened the orc's torso cleanly. He pivoted immediately, using the momentum to turn, sword flashing again to sever another orc's throat.
Blood sprayed.
Lunaria was already gone.
He danced between them.
Each step placed him where attacks missed by inches. Each turn brought his blade exactly where it needed to be. Orcs fell one after another, their numbers dwindling as panic replaced aggression.
[Targets eliminated: Orc x5.]
An orc tried to flee.
Lunaria caught up in two steps.
One thrust.
The body collapsed.
[Targets eliminated: Orc x6.]
He paused only briefly, breathing steady.
"…I need to be more efficient," he murmured.
[Current performance is optimal.]
"That's reassuring."
A shadow fell over the clearing.
The ogres arrived.
Massive, thick-skinned, their clubs dragging grooves into the ground as they advanced. Their eyes fixed on Lunaria with slow, cruel intent.
He tilted his head slightly.
"…They're bigger than I expected."
[They are slower.]
"That helps."
The first ogre swung.
The impact shattered stone.
Lunaria leapt—not away, but upward—using the ogre's own arm as a step. He twisted mid-air, blade flashing downward in a precise strike that pierced the ogre's skull through the eye.
The body toppled.
He landed lightly.
Another ogre charged.
Lunaria rolled beneath its legs, cutting tendons as he passed. The ogre collapsed, roaring in pain.
Lunaria ended it with a clean thrust to the heart.
[Targets eliminated: Ogre x3.]
The remaining ogres hesitated.
Lunaria did not give them time.
He removed his ribbon.
The fabric fluttered to the ground.
His hair fell free.
The air shifted.
His movements sharpened, elegance deepening into something colder.
He advanced.
The ogres died quickly.
Too quickly.
[Targets eliminated: Ogre x6.]
The last aberrant flies fell moments later, cut down mid-descent.
Silence returned.
Lunaria stood alone, sword lowered, hair loose, breathing calm.
[Mission objectives complete.]
[Coin Reward: +200.]
[Current Coin Balance: 520.]
He sheathed his sword and retrieved his ribbon, tying it back carefully.
"…Still bronze," he murmured.
[Progress is steady.]
"Yes," he agreed softly. "I'll reach a thousand soon."
He looked toward the dungeon exit.
"…Then I can take silver missions."
[Correct.]
Lunaria smiled faintly.
"I'll keep going."
The dungeon began to collapse behind him, its purpose fulfilled.
And somewhere beyond its fading walls, a higher rank waited—one coin, one kill, one elegant step at a time.