The Hunter Association cafeteria was a loud, chaotic hive: trays clattered, metal spoons sang off bowls, and rookies shoved food into their mouths like it was a race. Kyron, Ali, and Luca sat at a battered table near the window, their trays piled with stew and flatbread. Kyron leaned back, hands behind his head, chewing slow and easy. Luca nervously picked at his food, while Ali shoved a mouthful of meat in and spoke with the kind of confidence only ignorance can gift.
"Hey — you two," Ali said between bites, grinning. "What do you think about the Elites? We never actually saw one up close. They're supposed to be the pillars of humanity or some dramatic nonsense."
Kyron snorted. "Pillars of humanity? Sounds like architecture." He swallowed, smirked, then added, "No, for real — those guys are the real deal."
Luca swallowed so hard he nearly choked. "They— they're not the kind of people you want to mess with, Ali. Rumors say they can wipe out the biggest Smilers alone. They're—" He faltered, searching for a calmer word. "They're terrifying."
Ali waved a hand. "Terrifying, shmerrifying. I could beat one in a fight. Hand me an Elite and I'll show them who's boss." He jabbed the air with his spoon for emphasis.
Kyron and Luca exchanged a look and answered in perfect unison: "Hell nah."
Ali's grin faltered for a second, then returned full force. "Whatever. You're both chickens." He shoved more stew onto his fork. "By the way — when do we get our real swords? I'm bored. I want to slash something that isn't a training dummy."
Luca checked his pocket as if expecting a scroll to magically appear. "We got that note yesterday. It said the blades were ready and a blacksmith would deliver them by sunset." He tried to sound calm. "He'll be here any minute."
Kyron shrugged, relaxing his shoulders. "Blacksmiths take time. They hand-forge emotion-katanas — that's delicate work. Besides, the guy's probably on the road. Roads aren't exactly paved with smiles."
Ali snorted. "Road excuses. It's almost night already — if he isn't here, that's on him. I want my blades now."
Before either argument could escalate, the entire table trembled. A spoon skidded and clattered against a bowl; dishes rattled in the hands of half the room. Conversation stuttered into a dozen nervous breaths.
Something massive pounded across the outer yard. Footsteps—so heavy the floorboards seemed to shrink away from them—approached with an uneven thump that swallowed the humming background noise. The canteen gate creaked, then exploded inward, the great iron door tearing off its hinges like paper.
Silence fell like a blade.
A shadow filled the doorway. A silhouette nine feet tall stepped inside, broad as half a tree trunk. When the torchlight hit him, the students finally got a look: a man in a heavy leather apron, arms webbed with muscle, and a face hidden behind a grim, battered metal mask with a simple white smile painted on its forehead. He smelled of coal and hot iron.
He roared in a voice that could have split boulders. "WHO ARE THE IDIOT TRIO? I'VE COME TO DELIVER THEIR SWORDS!!"
Every head in the room swung to the trio. Ali puffed up instinctively. Kyron sat straighter. Luca turned visibly pale.
"Hey, what the—why are we called that?" Ali snapped, rising to his feet. "We haven't even done a proper mission yet!"
The giant walked straight to their table, each step sending tremors through the floor. He stopped, towering over them, and reached down in one motion like a hawk plucking prey. First, he grabbed Ali by the scruff of the collar—fast, precise, and somehow not quite painful—and then he scooped Luca by the back of the head, lifting them both an inch off the ground.
"Here," the giant rumbled, slapping a set of weapons into their hands as if passing out schoolbooks. Two heavy blades clanged onto the table in front of Ali, bright and sharp, their edges catching the torchlight. A sleek, lightning-etched katana slid into Luca's grip, lightweight and keen.
Ali blinked, then mumbled, "Uh… these are kinda… small."
The giant peered down, the mask's painted smile held low and deadpan. "You should've asked for bigger ones, kid. You looked like you wanted to do flashy slashes, so I didn't waste iron on heavy toys." He handed Kyron his blade next—simple, honest, its steel humming faintly as if it remembered fire. Kyron turned it in his hands, feeling the balance.
The giant snorted. "Your taste is small too, kid." He spat a laugh and set his hands on his hips, looming like an iron sentinel.
Luca swallowed hard, fingers shaking. "We… we're not strong yet. Starting small is better."
Ali rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the pleased curl at his lips. "Small or not, they're mine."
The giant set them down and straightened, finally giving them his name. "Kenichi," he said, voice a low drum. "Official blacksmith of the Hunter Association. I forged these with holy temper and emotion-forged cores. They'll warm to you... eventually." He tapped his massive chest once and the metallic mask tilted, like a nod. "And by the way—" he added bluntly, pointing a knuckle at the three of them, "—you're idiots. So I call you the Idiot Trio. You're loud, reckless, and stupid — but you survived. That alone's worth a nickname."
Ali opened his mouth, looking ready to argue, but then Kenichi wrapped a knuckle around the handle of the bowl on the table and with one effortless heave flipped the heavy metal down, setting it upright. The roar of his laugh filled the room.
Kyron sheathed his new blade on reflex, feeling the hum settle against his side. He met Kenichi's masked gaze and gave the giant a slow, cool nod. "Thanks," he said simply.
Kenichi grunted and turned to leave. "I'll be back at the forge. If you break them, don't cry to me. If you use them right, they'll make a Hunter of you." He paused at the gate, glancing back once, the mask's smile oddly warm in torchlight. "And don't go getting yourselves killed before you've learned how to swing them."
With that, he stomped back out of the dining hall, the gate clanging shut behind him and leaving the trio with new metal belts around their waists and a nickname to carry.
Ali bounced the blade in his hands like it was a toy and barked a laugh. "Well—idiot or not, these are sick."
Luca sat very still for a moment, then gripped his katana and whispered, just to himself, "Don't break, don't break…"
Kyron watched the doorway for a beat, then sighed and stuffed another piece of flatbread into his mouth. "Kenichi seems fun," he said, mouthful chewing. "Also terrifying. Good combo."
[Scene inside an Oak Forest]
The forest outside the Hunter Association was quiet, drenched in the gold of morning. Birds sang from the canopies while the wind carried the scent of earth and dew. Kyron sat cross-legged beneath a tree, a small, worn book open in his hands. Ali was nearby, cracking his knuckles out of boredom, and Luca leaned against a trunk, half-asleep with his sword beside him.
Kyron's eyes scanned the page before him, his lips moving faintly as he read.
"Breathing Technique — an ancient art used by Hunters to equal the strength of a Smiler. By mastering the control of oxygen intake, a Hunter may increase physical ability up to fivefold…"
Kyron blinked.
"Five times stronger just by breathing?" he muttered, rubbing his chin. "What is this, some kind of miracle yoga?"
Ali leaned over, peering into the book upside down. "What're you mumbling about now?"
"This thing—" Kyron turned the book toward them. "It says there's a technique called Breathing Technique. Apparently, it lets Hunters inhale pure oxygen to boost their strength. Makes your body five times faster, stronger, everything."
Luca blinked awake, instantly interested. "Wait, five times? That's… absurd."
Ali grinned, already rolling his shoulders. "Sounds perfect for me. I'll learn it first."
Kyron closed the book and stood. "Then let's train for it. The description says something about lung control—holding your breath under water to strengthen them."
"Under water?" Luca repeated. "We have to drown ourselves to get stronger?"
"It's not drowning," Kyron said, laughing. "It's training."
Ali cracked his neck. "Whatever it is, it's nothing! I can hold my breath longer than you both combined."
"Sure you can," Luca replied dryly. "You couldn't even hold your temper for ten seconds yesterday."
"Shut it, frog boy."
"Frog boy!?"
Before the argument could escalate, Kyron raised his hand. "Alright, alright—less talking, more breathing."
They all dove into the nearby river.
---
Half an hour later
Three heads burst above the water, gasping and coughing like drowning puppies. Kyron flopped onto the grass, Ali rolled onto his back wheezing, and Luca collapsed face-first on the shore, muttering curses between breaths.
"This…" Luca gasped, "is nonsense. We can't… do this… yet."
Kyron spat water. "Agreed. My lungs feel like molten lava."
Ali tried to speak but only managed a broken "W-water—hurts—lungs—burn."
They lay there for a few minutes, letting the wind dry their soaked uniforms. Kyron finally sat up, brushing his hair aside. "Guess the Breathing Technique isn't something we can master overnight. Let's take a mission instead."
Luca nodded weakly. "Yeah. Let's just… do something that doesn't involve drowning."
Ali pushed himself up, grin returning almost immediately. "Finally! Time to fight a Smiler."
---
At the Hunter Association Headquarters
The trio stood before the glowing mission board, where dozens of colored cards fluttered inside enchanted frames. Each card pulsed with a faint hue—green for beginner tasks, blue for standard missions, and the infamous red for high-risk, high-reward operations.
"We should start small," Luca said, pointing at a green card labeled 'Minor Smiler Nest in North Outskirts'. "Something manageable."
Kyron nodded. "Yeah. No need to rush into danger—"
"THIS ONE!"
Ali's voice cut through the hall like a siren. He grabbed a blood-red mission card and slammed it onto the receptionist's desk. "Red mission! Highest points, highest pay!"
Luca's jaw dropped. "A red card? Are you insane?!"
The receptionist flinched slightly at Luca's volume, but Ali only leaned in with a proud smirk. "Bigger risks, bigger returns."
Kyron rubbed the back of his neck. "You do realize the note says thirty-seven Hunters already vanished on this exact mission, right?"
Ali shrugged. "So? They weren't me."
Luca threw his hands in the air. "They weren't idiots either!"
Kyron sighed in defeat. "Well, we're already called the Idiot Trio. Might as well live up to it."
"Damn right," said Ali, flashing a grin.
The receptionist slid them a small satchel containing three bottles of golden-glowing liquid. "Before you leave, take these. Holy Water — standard Hunter supply."
Kyron tilted his head. "Holy Water?"
"You've never heard of it?" Luca asked, baffled.
"Not really," Kyron admitted. "I used to drink this stuff every New Year with my parents. Thought it was just a fancy juice."
Ali nearly dropped his bottle. "You DRANK Holy Water?"
Kyron blinked. "Yeah. Why, is that bad?"
Luca face-palmed. "It's not juice, Kyron. Holy Water boosts your body, enhances emotion energy, heals wounds, restores stamina — and it burns Smilers on contact."
Ali followed up, tapping his bottle with a grin. "Exactly. It's our biggest trump card. Also, it's made from blessed springs and emotion-infused metals. You spill this, you're spilling pure money."
Kyron examined the liquid closely, the golden shimmer reflecting in his eyes. "So this is what separates us from them," he murmured softly. "The one thing that can burn away their Smile."
Ali smirked and pocketed his bottle. "Yup. And maybe make us rich while we're at it."
Luca shook his head. "You really think about money before survival?"
Ali shrugged. "Someone has to."
Kyron stood, tying his new katana to his waist. "Alright then, team. Let's go hunt our first Smiler."
He looked up at the board one last time. The mission's name glowed across the red parchment:
> "Target: Moonlight Crystal Smiler."
Ali clenched his fists. "The Moonlight Crystal Smiler, huh? Sounds fancy."
Kyron smirked. "Fancy or not—it's our first hunt."
Luca sighed. "And probably our last if you keep picking red cards."
The three stepped out of the Association's main gate, the sun dipping below the horizon as the air turned cold and blue. The sound of their footsteps faded into the forest path.
Ali swung his blades once, the metal catching moonlight. "Alright then—Moonlight Crystal Smiler, we're coming for you!"
Kyron and Luca exchanged tired looks.
"Do you think," Luca whispered, "he even knows what we're walking into?"
Kyron exhaled slowly, lips curving in a faint smile. "Nope. But that's what makes it fun."
And with that, the Idiot Trio vanished into the dark forest, their first official hunt awaiting under the moon's pale light.
[TO BE CONTINUED...]