"How much for ten of these?"
The muffled voice of a hooded man broke through the hectic atmosphere of the Blackport Markets.
Behind his shroud, a dark beard with gray strands of hair clung to his face, his eyes of a similar hue to a rose.
However, this was simply a facade, one of great value to a certain challenger whose name had become world famous.
Using the power granted to him by Iktomi's core, Aaron Grimstall prowled the shopfronts in Blackport Ridge, the capital of the Sea of Mystery, in search of a specific class of item.
"It'd be 300 Emerald Myrqs for the batch. After tax, you're looking at around 350."
The salesman faced the disguised boy, a confused look on his face as he went on.
"I don't know why you'd want ten of these barrier charms… Unless you are in a less-than-legal business, then I just don't see the purpose."
Against common sense, the seller attempted to dissuade the buyer, half out of concern and half in hopes of selling him more expensive items instead.
Yet, as he tried to sway him towards more valuable items, he was stopped by the customer's sudden words.
"I'll take them."
Passing a bag of money over the counter, Aaron waited for the shopkeeper to count through the total, a greedy look coming over the man's face.
"You got yourself a deal."
The shopkeeper quickly shook his hand and passed him the charms, and then they parted ways, the disguised Aaron smiling as he clasped the items in his hands.
If three Sea Kings are going to be at the tournament, then I'll need to invest in stronger protections… If just speaking to two of their subordinates left me on the verge of passing out, then even one of the Kings would kill me.
Making his way through the hordes of tourists who had come to the city for the Hunters' Guild events, he slipped into a shadowy alleyway.
"Finally, I can get rid of this…"
Snapping his fingers quickly, his entire body morphed back to its original state, his blond hair bleaching away the black.
His turquoise eyes swirled through the darkness, breaking through and locking onto the charms he held.
Each of them was in the form of a ring; however, as he put them on, he felt a tingling sensation encompass his body.
"Eh?"
A flash of light flickered to life out of the sapphire circlet that was bound to his index finger, its sparks suffocating the charms.
There was no resistance from the tiny bands that he had fastened along all his fingers, their metallic forms turning into gray mist before vanishing.
After a few seconds, the light faded, and he was left with only one ring, just like before, his eyes wide in confusion.
Flexing and relaxing his grasp slowly, he could still feel the barrier magic coating his figure, even if it wasn't visible to the eye.
If this ring is just going to eat the others I put on, then what about my wedding band…
Chuckling at the thought of the sapphire gemstone devouring its diamond replacement, he turned his focus back to his surroundings.
The alleyway was covered in trash and sand, as various stores kept emptying their back ends into the corridor.
Shaking his head slowly, he turned his gaze upward, the hazy sky above shining with the evening sun.
Shooting mana through his metallic armament and crouching down, he stretched his arms out, feeling a rush of energy course through his head.
The ferry should be coming in today. Let's see who's here.
With that thought, he launched himself upward nearly four stories, landing on the copper roof of the nearest building.
The tightly packed cityscape that unfolded before him was unlike anything he had ever seen before, the technological marvels of Cauron Thorn surpassing his wildest expectations.
Each home billowed steam from chimneys installed at their highest points, bolts and wires connecting home after home to an intricate network that supplied electricity.
In the far distance, the factories worked away, extracting minerals from the sea itself through a deep-sea drilling mechanism pioneered in a rare sandpocket off the coast.
You really don't see this every day.
Taking a breath, he tasted the polluted air, his nose wrinkling up in disgust.
You definitely don't smell this every day…
Looking towards the southern harbor, he crouched before leaping forward and streaking across the orange sky like a bat in the night.
…
As Aaron watched the ferry pull into the dock and weigh anchor, he panted hard, the dirty air making the once easy run feel like a marathon.
『You shouldn't stay here longer than you have to. The air quality here reminds me of the God of Poisons…』
The blond boy furrowed his brow in response to Penelope's random statement, a follow-up question coming as a result.
"You met the God of Poisons?"
There was a light tingle in the front half of his head, a clear signal of affirmation to the boy's query.
『She was quite the horrible Goddess. When we took her head and delivered it to the heavens, it was surprisingly welcomed as a gift, not as a warning…』
Reminiscing on the slaying of a deity like it was a fond memory, she trailed off, immersed in her thoughts about the past.
Aaron himself only sighed, placing that strange tidbit of information in the back of his mind for whatever situation it would be useful in.
Placing his focus back on the arriving vessel, he nearly did a double-take as he watched a black-haired figure deboard.
Finally!
Leaping off the roof he had perched on, he practically glided through the air, landing only meters away from his target.
Standing up straight and sloppily fixing his hair, he smiled broadly as he faced Ezra Flock, his hand outstretched for a handshake.
"Aaron?"
The black-haired boy was left dumbstruck at the sudden appearance of his friend, his eyes wide with surprise.
"How did you—"
Not allowing him to finish his words, the turquoise-eyed boy walked over, patting him on the back and locking shoulders.
"How about we get out of the public space, eh? Quite an audience we have attracted…"
Ezra blinked for a moment, then turned his gaze beyond Aaron and to the massive mob of people left staring at the top-ranked and fourth-ranked challengers in the ongoing Hunter exam.
"Isn't that the Perfect Rookie?"
"Yeah, I think it is!"
"Hurry, get his autograph!"
"No! Find out about their past!"
Before the two boys could even think about escaping, they were overrun with crazed fans from all around the world who had taken the ferry to Blackport Ridge.
As this was the first year a tournament had been held, the buzz for the event reached an all-time high.
Not only was it a global phenomenon hosted by the Hunters' Guild, but it would also be attended by three Kings and eight Marshals.
Therefore, a staggering eight thousand individuals made the trek across the seas to reach the city and join the festival.
Each of the challengers was thought of as a celebrity with merchandising opportunities and casino gambling held throughout the venues.
So, as the crowds descended upon the pair of boys who had little to no historical information publicised about them, the duo was left flabbergasted, not sure how to get out of the situation.
Thinking on his feet, Aaron tapped his hand against a random civilian's bald head, memorizing his face and transforming fast.
Grabbing Ezra by the collar and yanking his hood upward, they vanished into the horde of tourists, unseen by all.
After making their way nearly a kilometer out into the city, they finally stopped running, ducking into a local tavern for privacy.
Flashing their credentials to the staff inside, they were ushered into a booth away from the public, allowing them to relax.
"Jeez, man… Ain't this a little much for an exam?"
Straightening the scarf that was wrapped tightly around the scars on his neck, he faced the blond boy with a ragged expression, picking up the menu and studying its contents.
Aaron himself could only sigh as he transformed back into his normal state, the grotesque noises that accompanied it making the black-haired boy roll his eyes.
Taking a deep breath and speaking aloud, Aaron addressed his friend whom he had picked up from the harbor at last.
"It's been a while, Ezra. How have you been?"
Before answering, the heterochromic boy passed him the menu and then straightened his posture.
"It's gone well. I was able to complete eight quests in the past month while remaining mostly intact."
Raising his sleeve slightly, he showed off a grizzly bullet wound that had pierced straight through his flesh.
"You shoulda seen what the other guy had… Without dis mana immunity, I woulda been toast!"
Throwing up his hands in a crazy gesture, he drew an amused chuckle from the boy across from him, who shifted in his seat.
"Like this?"
As Aaron placed his entire lower leg on the table, Ezra was left wide-eyed and silent, staring at the metallic prosthesis.
"That's sick, bro…"
Ezra reached out his hand subconsciously to touch the limb, which made Aaron furrow his brow, glancing at him sideways.
"Your first thought is to touch it?"
The black-haired boy pulled back his hand quickly, realizing what he was doing, only to get a laugh from his friend.
"Nah, if I were you, I would've done the same damn thing…"
His words made both of the boys break out laughing, and the waitress, who had just come in, was left to stand awkwardly as she waited for them to order.