Chapter 6

: A Hunter and a Stray Cat (1)
Usually, cities had big chip safes due to the threat of thieves. Storing chips at home was considered stupid. Merchants formed unions and stored all the chips in one safe altogether.
Occasionally, there were times when the guards would embezzle the chips, but storing chips inside the safe was considered quite secure. When someone had one’s chips taken away by the robbers, it was very likely that one’s life could also be at risk. As a result, the people established a bizarre rationale for using a safe.
Safes were supposed to be placed in secure locations, and secure locations were usually ordinary locations. People had similar thoughts, and so safes were usually placed in predictable locations. Zin entered a rather well-maintained four-story building.
Safes were usually in the basement of a safe building. Zin could not remember a time when this rule did not apply. Perhaps humans instinctively thought that it was more secure to be underground. Zin felt thankful for the tendencies of people.
As Zin walked down, he stopped at the sound coming from ahead.
—crunch! crrunch!—
A ghoul was sitting down and gnawing on something. As expected, there were corpses here—three to be exact.
I guess they were killed while trying to rob the safe.
The stairway was the only way down to the basement. Blocking the stairway, the ghoul kept eating the corpse and ignored Zin. In the midst of this tragedy, these people had died from their greed in robbing the safe. It probably wouldn’t be smart to get too close to the ghoul. The ghoul would react if one were to pass by. Fortunately, there was only one ghoul, so taking care of it was not a big deal for Zin.
Zin took out a gauntlet with blades. The ‘blade gauntlet’ was especially useful in dealing with small-sized monsters.
Slowly and quietly, Zin approached the ghoul that had its back against him.
—crunch! crunch!—
Krrr…! Krrrr…!!
The ghoul wasn’t aware of Zin at all as it continued to focus on its meal. Zin moved slowly, almost as if he stood still. Like a person walking for the first time, Zin very quietly drew close enough to the ghoul that he could see the soiled pores on its head.
Hunting was simple.
Approach quietly, and then—
—craack!—
When hunting, move swifter than sound.

Kr… aaaarggh…!

—crack! pow!—

Kraaa…k!

Zin grabbed the ghoul by the neck, breaking it and yanking it completely off the body. The blades on gauntlet slashed the ghoul’s neck apart. Zin overpowered the body of the ghoul and pinned it down until it stopped moving.
Hunting was different from fighting a battle.
Hunting involved the battle and the time taken to approach the enemy, or the time it took for the enemy to approach the hunter.
Overpowering the enemy within a split second was the most optimal method of hunting. The battle itself was important yet took the shortest time.
Zin stuck the blue chip extractor into the ghoul’s corpse. It extracted a total of three chips from the body. Zin pulled out the extractor and headed down towards the safe. He found a closed old steel door, but the locks were unfastened.
The steel door was so heavy that it would require at least three ordinary people to open. That was probably the reason why there were three dead people in here—they’d tried to open the steel door. And on the steel door, there were dozens of claw marks streaked across the surface.
For Zin, it wasn’t so hard to open the steel door.
—creeeeaaak!—
The heavy steel door scratched the floor as it swung open.
Zin felt stunned at the sight of the lantern light. Zin shook his head as he looked at what lay in front of him. A person woke to the sound of the opening steel door and looked sluggishly at Zin. The person smiled faintly.

It’s a human….

A girl was lying down on the floor.
The girl was so malnourished it seemed like a miracle that she was still alive. She slowly murmured:

Wa…water… plea…se.

The girl passed out after saying the words. Zin looked at the girl on the floor—her body had been tied up with ropes.
Zin looked around slowly to determine if she posed a threat. The exhausted girl did not wake up as Zin examined her like an object.
The hunter thought:
Looking at the color of her eyes, she’s not a vagabond, and since she’s a child, she can’t be a Reaver.
A civilian.
She looks extremely starved. It’s a miracle she’s still alive.
This door is too heavy for the Giant Wolf cubs to push open, and I wonder if that’s how she survived. The wolves tried to open the door after sniffing the girl’s scent, but the door wouldn’t open. That’s probably the reason for the claw marks on the door.
On the other hand, the door was too heavy for the girl to open. The safe saved her, but at the same time, she was starving to death inside the safe. I wonder how she entered the safe in the first place?
Did the dead robbers trap her inside?
The hunter analyzed.
I can use her as a witness.
This girl was a survivor of Zado City. She could be used as a witness for the Ard Point request. Or he could leave her alone after listening to her testimony. It would be cumbersome to bring this small child all the way back to Ard Point.
Zin searched the safe, leaving the girl alone. Soon, Zin found another reason to keep the girl alive.
No chips here.
There was not a single chip inside the safe.
When the girl woke up, the first thing she saw was a man boiling something in a pot. Inside the sealed safe, the man watched the girl.

You finally woke up.

Zin passed a cup of water to the girl, and the girl barely grabbed the cup to drink the water. The girl felt more energized, as if her thirst had disappeared with the crispness of the water.

Who are you?


A hunter.


I see. I thought I was gonna die. Thank you.


No need for that.

Zin passed a bowl of soup to the girl, and she ate it quickly. Burning her tongue as she drank the hot soup, she finished it completely.

I gave you water and food, so now answer my questions.

The girl understood what he was about to ask. Zin was not a polite person, and spoke harshly.

I’ve got three questions for you.


…


First, what caused the destruction of Zado City? Second, how did you end up inside the safe? Third, where are all the chips in the safe?

Zin asked the three questions quickly, while the girl stayed still and alert, looking at Zin. In the wilderness, safety was not guaranteed. If the hunter didn’t get the answer he wanted, there was no knowing how he would react.

What happens if I don’t answer?


I will make you answer them.


How?


Well, are you curious?

As Zin spoke, the girl’s face hardened. The girl talked slowly and with great animosity.

You’re going to kill me after I answer, aren’t you?

The girl’s suspicions were understandable, since people frequently killed others after gaining the needed information.

If I’m someone who’d kill you after listening to your answers, don’t you think I’d kill you if you don’t answer?


…


Speak.


Then, I am going to ask you one thing too.

The girl spoke brazenly, seemingly unaware of her situation. The world was full of countless crazy and weird fools, and this behavior was nothing new to Zin. He asked:

What is it?

The girl showed him her empty soup bowl.

This. I chewed on something meat-like?

She’d eaten it in a hurry, and the food had the texture of meat. It was very tough and smelled bad. She’d eaten it first, but felt uneasy afterwards. More importantly, meat was not something that people shared with strangers so easily.

Of course it tasted like meat because it is meat.


…what meat?

The hunter started eating the soup and pointed at the steel door.

I just hunted a ghoul.


Huh…? What?


You don’t get it, do you?


So you’re saying that this meat is….


What else? Ghoul meat.


Oop… blaargh…!

The girl started throwing up as soon as she heard the words. Zin sighed as he watched the girl throw up.

Kids these days….

Spitting out words like an old fart, Zin continued to eat the ghoul meat soup.
The girl seemed hungry again after throwing up and started eating the soup, stuffing it down her throat. She felt nauseated, but she continued to eat since she felt that she’d surely die if she didn’t eat anything.

Phew…

The girl looked better after eating, and she glanced at Zin.

I’m Leona. What’s your name?


I didn’t ask for your name. Answer my questions.

Leona pouted.

If you forgot the questions, let me repeat them. First…


I remember them all. You don’t need to tell me again.

Cutting him off, Leona became more attentive.

What guarantee do I have that you’ll spare my life if I answer all your questions?


Well, I am planning to take you to Ard Point, which is four days away out west, to use you as a witness for a request. Without you, I won’t get paid 100 blue chips, so killing you is not in my interests.


That’s hard to understand. Can you explain?

Leona made a face as though she couldn’t understand Zin’s words, and Zin lamented that kids these days weren’t quick to pick up on things.

You are a survivor, so you should know the full details about the city’s demise?


What does ‘demise’ mean?

Zin felt helpless thinking about how he’d need to explain his words in layman’s terms. After a short pause, Zin started speaking once more to the puzzled Leona.

I need you because you know better than I do how this place ended up as a dump. Without you, I cannot solve my homework, understand?


Ah.. okay! That’s better.

Zin sighed again at seeing Leona understand his ‘easier’ words.

So you’re telling me that you need to tell someone why Zado got trashed, and because I know it the best, you need to take me to the boss, and that’s the reason you can’t kill me?


As dumb as you are, you’re starting to get it.


… Hey, what do you mean?


Just joking.


Joking?

Leona shook her head, but didn’t ask again. She started answering the first question.

I don’t know exactly when I started hearing the wolves howling all over the place, and then big and small wolves starting killing people.


Weren’t you trapped in the safe?

When the monsters came, the wolf cubbies trapped me inside the safe so that I couldn’t run away.


Hmm… those Giant Wolves don’t form packs. Those monsters. Do you know why they were forming packs?

Leona shrugged.

I don’t know? They were just doing it.

There was no way she would know. As Leona answered the first question, she answered the second question as well. Suddenly, the attack began, and she was trapped in the safe. It was not by her will.

Did you cause some issues in the city?


I killed two people.


Why?


One tried to steal my chips, and the other tried to rape me.


I see.

Zin was surprised by the fact that this small girl was able to kill people, let alone that she killed without any remorse.