Chapter 32 - 32 – Anthony
A young girl and an old man were walking around the town. The old man looked friendly and kind with simple robes adorning his body. He used a cane as support because of his crooked back. Long grey hair and a long grey beard showed his experience.
The girl was around 16 years old and had long purple hair bound into a ponytail. She smiled happily as she walked around the town. She was dressed in similar purple robes and was carrying a long wooden staff with a purple jewel, on her back. Everyone was stunned by the beauty she radiated, but they didn’t dare get closer for some reason. The people didn’t know why they didn’t dare. They just didn’t.
"It seemed like we found a good seedling in this town, miss. Who would have thought?" the old man commented with a polite smile.
The girl’s smile brightened. "I know, right? That Jonathan had a nice heart and motivation. Maybe he’ll manage to repay us in the future. So, what do you think of my idea, teacher?" she asked as she turned to the old man.
The old man laughed slightly. "It’s a good idea," he nodded. "Though, they can only be of help if they grow up quickly. That Jonathan should be able to get into the Proxy-Elemental Guilds, and with some luck, he should be able to repay you." The old man smiled.
Her smile brightened further. "Alright, so let’s quickly go to the next town." The girl ran excitedly to the exit of the town, and the old man followed helplessly. Even though he seemed to just be walking, he somehow kept up with the young girl.
Just when they left the town gate, the old man stopped, with shocked eyes. "Miss, wait!" he shouted. The girl stopped and looked back at her teacher, confused. Her teacher looked towards the east of the town, and the girl could see shock and excitement in his eyes.
She gasped in shock. Her teacher never grew excited or shocked, and he always acted stable and friendly. Yet, in this backwater town, he found something that excited him. The girl’s emotions riled up in anticipation. This would be fun! "What is it, teacher?" she asked impatiently.
The old man continued looking to the east. After a while, he turned to the girl with a smile. "I feel a strong Will-Aura from the east," he explained.
The girl gasped in shock. "A Will-Aura? Here? Is someone from the central continent here?" she asked in shock.
The old man shook his head. "I don’t think so. Judging by the power of the Will-Aura, the person should be in the Body Tempering Realm. Yet, they have a Will-Aura. Even more so, their Will-Aura seems stable. This means they have not condensed it just recently," the old man continued to explain. "Do you want to take a look, miss?"
The girl excitedly nodded. The man nodded back and began to walk towards the east, right towards the Hunting Guild. The girl eagerly followed.
-----
Gravis initially didn’t care about the hunters blocking his way. He simply continued walking like they were not there. But when they pulled out their weapons, his eyes narrowed, and he released his Will-Aura.
The whole Hunting Guild fell silent, and everyone felt an ominous, cold wind blowing lightly. They felt like a wild beast was stalking them. The hunters in front of Gravis had it even worse. They fell back, and breathing became increasingly more difficult. Cold sweat was pouring down from their whole bodies, and their hands shivered. Due to the shivering, their weapons released a continuous rattling noise.
"Move!" Gravis ordered.
All the hunters moved to the side, except Anthony. He was just as scared as the others, but he stood his ground with courage. Courage didn’t mean that one was not afraid, but that one was able to persist even when they felt fear. By withstanding Gravis’ Will-Aura, he showed great courage.
"E-Everyone nee-needs missions to-to survive," he managed to say through chattering teeth.
Gravis narrowed his eyes, and Anthony felt even more pressure. This continued for some seconds until Gravis sighed, and the atmosphere returned to normal. "I know," he said with a sigh. "I know that I am using up all your work. I know that you all need this money to survive. I feel ashamed by not leaving you all anything," Gravis clenched his teeth. "But I need money!"
Silence descended on the hall again, but this time, for a different reason. Gravis was no longer releasing his Will-Aura. For the first time, the hunters found something on Gravis that they could empathize with, even if it were only one thing. Just like them, he needed money. Gravis had also shown shame about what he had done, which made some hunters sigh in bitterness. Everyone needed money.
"How much do you need?" asked Anthony now more relaxed. He felt like he could understand the young man. Why was Anthony hunting low-grade demonic beasts, even though it always endangered his life? It was because he needed money for his son. Just like him, Gravis also only needed money. Maybe in all their bitterness, the hunters forgot that Gravis was a human, like them.
Gravis smiled bitterly. This was the first time the guild has seen any kind of smile from Gravis. "About 50 Gold," he stated.
A collective gasp of shock echoed throughout the guild. Why did he need so much money?
Anthony’s mouth opened wide. He thought about pooling together some resources to lend Gravis some money to get this whole fiasco over, but 50 gold was impossible. Gravis had already made tens of gold by finishing all missions, yet he needed about the same amount again. This was ridiculous.
"Why do you need so much money?" asked Anthony.
Gravis sighed. Just because he was always acting coldly to other people didn’t mean that he didn’t feel alone. He always felt alone, but he couldn’t get close to others. He might be able to survive having no karmic luck, but others won’t. Yet, even though he knew that, Gravis’ loneliness overpowered him, and he opened up a little today. "I need seven more Skin-Pills to temper my skin," he confessed.
Another gasp echoed throughout the guildhall, this time, for multiple reasons. First of all, Gravis was hunting low-grade demonic beasts without tempered skin. Without tempered skin, one couldn’t temper their muscles. So how did he actually kill all those beasts? The other reason was the crazy amount of Skin-Pills he needed. One pill was generally enough to temper the skin. Maybe, someone would need two, but that could be replaced with some months of training.
Anthony was just as shocked, but he started to rub his chin in thought. "Hm, maybe we can do something about that," he muttered but continued thinking. After a while, he nodded and turned to Gravis. "I think we can help you, but only if you stop hunting for a while. We are a lot of people," Anthony gestured to the whole guild. "If we put our minds together, we may find a way for someone of your strength to earn some money."
Anthony smiled and offered his hand. "What do you say? Friends?" he smiled at Gravis.
For the first time in this lower world, Gravis felt a brotherly warmth. He had taken the living of tens of people, yet, Anthony was offering to help him. Anthony could have been stubborn and could’ve said that this had nothing to do with him. Gravis probably wouldn’t be able to be so cold-blooded that he would continue. He already felt enormous shame because of his actions.
Gravis felt warmth, and his insides were shaking a little. He felt his eyes producing some tears but suppressed it. Finally, He took Anthony’s hand and shook it.
BANG!
The door behind Anthony opened and smacked him in the back. He stumbled forward, but Gravis quickly supported him so he wouldn’t fall.
A young girl and an old man were looking at Gravis with interest.
"This is him," the girl heard her teacher’s voice appearing in her head.
"Hello, I’m here to offer you a trade," the girl said to Gravis with a smile.