Becoming a Hunter in a Dark Fantasy

Chapter 4: Virga Village (1)

Virga Village was a quiet countryside settlement.

A small village nestled deep between the mountains at the far edge of the Western Continent.

A place where daily life spun on like a waterwheel, with not a trace of anything special.

“…Think it’ll be the same today?”

“Of course! The sun’s already high in the sky.”

But recently, this dreadfully boring village had gained a new source of entertainment.

The villagers—who normally had nothing better to do—had started to quietly look forward to this particular time.

“Oh! Speak of the devil, and the goblin appears. Look, there they come.”

At the tip of a man’s pointing finger, a trail of dust could be seen rising.

And faint footsteps could be heard in the distance, kicking up dust.

The footsteps grew louder and louder.

Eventually, as the sound drew near, voices became audible.

The first to appear was a man with ashen-gray hair. Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead—who knows how long he’d been running.

“You damn brat! I told you not to follow me!”

He shouted in frustration, his voice nearly breaking with exasperation.

“I’m not a brat, my name’s Elwin! Gale, you’re just heading to the tavern again anyway, right? Let me come with you! I’ll treat you. I’ve got plenty of money!”

But the golden-haired boy chasing him down showed no signs of giving up.

That boy was none other than Elwin, who replied cheerfully with a bright smile.

“I told you…! I don’t drink with fuzzy little kids!”

The man with gray hair—Gale—beat his chest like he was going insane.

“No matter how broke I am, I’m not the kind of guy who takes pocket money from a kid, you little rascal!”

“I’m not fuzzy! I’m an adult now! And it’s not pocket money…! More importantly, why are you still running away? Just stop already, Gale!”

As Elwin shouted, Gale screamed back like a man under siege.

“No way! And you should stop following me…!”

“I don’t want to! I’m gonna chase you until you agree to work with me!”

“Ugh…! I’ve already turned you down how many times?! Take a hint already, you stubborn little punk!”

Like that, the two disappeared into the distance, kicking up another cloud of dust.

“Tsk, tsk! Poor Gale, he’s got it rough.”

“What do you mean? Elwin’s the one struggling more. Seems like he just wants to be friends, but isn’t Gale being a bit too harsh?”

“How much longer do you think this’ll go on?”

“Hmm… maybe two more days? Elwin’s as persistent as elder leather.”

“Bah! Don’t underestimate Gale’s tenacity! I’d say he can hold out for four more days, at least!”

The villagers, who had stayed behind to watch the spectacle, began placing bets.

This had been going on for a week.

Meanwhile, Elwin thought to himself:

This is tougher than I expected.

He was still running full speed after Gale, legs moving non-stop.

A week ago, Elwin had successfully arrived at Virga Village—or more precisely, at the forest nearby.

Thanks to his vertical drop from the sky, he had made it before nightfall despite a later departure than planned.

“Up we go.”

Landing as lightly as a feather, Elwin patted the buckles on both shoulders.

Clack-clack.

His golden cloak, which had been spread like giant wings, retracted to fit his frame.

He looked around briefly before settling his gaze in one direction.

“…There it is.”

Smoke was rising from not far off.

“Good. I should look like a wandering traveler.”

He checked his appearance one last time in a nearby stream, then began walking.

[Virga Village]

As was typical for a closed-off mountain village, the moment a stranger entered, all eyes turned toward him.

“Excuse me, is there a tavern nearby?”

“Oh, uh… There’s only one tavern here… Over there.”

“Thank you.”

He smiled harmlessly at the wary villager, and walked straight into the building where his target was located.

Well, here we go.

Just like in the village square, the moment he stepped in, the entire tavern fell into a hush and turned to look.

Maintaining a smile despite the awkward tension, Elwin walked straight forward.

The bartender, who was wiping a glass, glanced up at him.

“…A traveler? What a surprise. Didn’t think anyone would come all the way out here.”

“Haha! I heard there were ancient ruins near here, so I came to see them. I’m really into ruins and stuff.”

“You’ll be disappointed. The government took every last artifact, and now there’s nothing but an empty foundation.”

“Still, seeing it with my own eyes gives it a special kind of feeling.”

With his pre-prepared excuse, Elwin got a nod from the barkeep.

“Hmm… Want something to drink?”

“Hmm, I’m not too familiar with alcohol. Do you have a recommendation?”

“We’ve got some hawthorn berry liquor that’s aged nicely. It’s a specialty of Virga. Want to try it?”

“Ah, I’ll have that, then.”

Though the bartender still found him a bit odd, Elwin had succeeded in lowering his guard. Elwin’s lowered gaze glinted sharply.

As he sipped his drink, he asked innocently,

“There are a lot of people carrying weapons in here, huh?”

Truthfully, with Elwin’s level of skill, the moment he stepped into the tavern he could already sense the presence and combat level of every person inside…

But he chose not to reveal himself.

“Ah, yeah, there are quite a few. Virga might be remote, but it’s peaceful. For some reason, the Demonic appearance rate here is extremely low.”

“Heh, that’s interesting.”

“That’s why a lot of retired mercs settle here for their twilight years. They help with patrols and village defense, so no complaints from us. Occasionally, you get the odd visitor coming to see the ruins like you.”

Pour—

The barkeep refilled Elwin’s glass.

“Any mercenaries here who take requests? I’d like to hire someone to guide me to the ruins.”

“Huh? Judging by the fact that you’re traveling alone, you seem confident in your own strength.”

“Haha… Actually, I’m terrible with directions. I made it here somehow, but I’m not confident I’ll find my way through the mountains.”

“What? Hahaha! I thought so from the moment I saw you—you’re a strange one!”

As the bartender laughed with his whole face, Elwin offered an awkward smile in return.

Of course, it’s all a lie.

Elwin was a Hunter.

Hunters were not only meant to slay demonic beasts. They were also duty-bound to protect humanity.

In other words, they were also meant to save people.

And Elwin was well-versed in the art of tracking.

Still, I need to approach like this to avoid raising suspicion.

—From the protagonist.

He was probably on edge from a request that had gone longer than expected. Acting too friendly too quickly might land Elwin on his blacklist.

The tavern owner stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Hmm… There’s really only one guy in this village who takes requests…”

“That’s fine! Please introduce me. I’ll pay you a generous referral fee.”

After all, that one guy was Elwin’s goal. But the barkeep scratched his head awkwardly.

“Well, the thing is… Even if it’s a paid job, I’d feel kinda guilty. Better to see for yourself. Speak of the devil, here he comes. Gale!”

The moment the tavern owner raised his voice, a man opening the door and stepping inside looked over.

“Yo, Jake.”

A man with an overall disheveled appearance. Mid-thirties, perhaps.

A worn, soot-colored robe that hadn’t seen a wash in ages, scruffy beard growing wild, dark circles under his eyes—everything about him screamed “mess.”

“What’s up?”

“This customer wants to hire someone for a request.”

“…Customer? Weird timing.”

The man—Gale—glanced at Elwin. For a brief second, his gaze flickered with something sharp before it disappeared.

“Hello. My name’s Elwin.”

“Gale.”

The man answered curtly. A breeze drifting in through the open window fluttered his ashen hair like soft feathers.

His long bangs hid his right eye, but his left eye was fully visible.

…Blood red.

Elwin was sure of it. This was the man.

The protagonist of the game LAMPAS, and now of this world.

Gale Garav.

And the first companion Elwin had chosen to recruit.

“Hmmm.”

Meanwhile, perched on a bar stool, Gale stared at Elwin like a cat sizing up a human—part curious, part wary.

“Haha… That kind of stare makes me a little nervous.”

Despite the scrutiny, Elwin kept his easygoing smile. Keeping a poker face was a specialty of his.

Although it did feel like he was a product on display.

Not exactly wrong, I guess.

After all, Elwin would have to prove his worth if he wanted to make Gale a companion.

“….”

“….”

But even after several minutes, the conversation showed no sign of progressing.

Building rapport is important too.

Elwin’s ultimate goal was to recruit Gale Garav, after all.

Just as Elwin was about to steer the conversation in a new direction—

“Um, I—”

“Ugh, what are you?”

Gale’s sudden grimace sent a chill through Elwin’s chest.

D-Did he find out?

In the game, the protagonist had a surprisingly sharp intuition.

Though Gale usually acted sloppy and careless—enough to be considered a washed-up drunk—in critical moments, he often showed uncanny perception.

Even at this point in the story, Gale is already pretty strong.

According to the game lore, Gale started out nearly complete as a character.

A seasoned mercenary and bounty hunter, well-versed in all forms of combat and deception.

In the game, it was easy to forget since everyone began at level 1—but this was reality.

A mercenary of Gale’s caliber might have already sensed Elwin’s true strength.

This could be bad.

Elwin hadn’t expected things to go sideways right from their first meeting. He swallowed nervously and tried to stay calm.

Then Gale opened his mouth.

“You’ve got that sunny-boy protagonist vibe. Like someone who just shrugs off hardship and pain like it’s nothing. Even got the golden hair. You look like the main character!”

“…Excuse me?”

Elwin froze. Then, true to his sincere nature, he protested inwardly:

No, you’re the protagonist…

“You seem like the kind who gives cringey speeches to redeem wayward teammates, and always gets dragged into every imaginable incident…”

Elwin briefly paused.

That… was literally what Gale had done in the original story—and what he would do going forward.

Elwin started to feel oddly wronged.

“And I’ve got a bad feeling. Like if I start hanging around you, I’ll end up living a clean, sober life without gambling, booze, or nicotine!”

…Well, that doesn’t sound like a bad thing, but… Why is the example so specific?

“Yeah! That’s the feeling I get! Just imagining it is horrifying! I’m already a fully tainted grown man!”

“…”

“I know how this goes.”

He clearly didn’t.

With a smug expression, Gale began rambling nonsense.

“Kids like you are always the eye of the storm—dragging chaos wherever you go! No way an old geezer like me can handle that. It’s physically impossible!”

He sighed dramatically and shrugged his shoulders.

“More than anything, I hate kids. Request declined. Go find someone else. Now this old man’s gonna have a drink, so off with you—shoo, shoo~”

He waved his hand like someone chasing birds out of a barley field.

“….”

A tiny crack formed in Elwin’s picturesque smile.