Early one morning, just a couple weeks after the starting Fall semester of Gracie University, two young men quickly opened their eyes.
Their shared dorm sparsely lit by lines of illumination from the outside world, they suddenly shivered with a freezing cold.
Unanimously, decisively, with firm resolve and utmost determination, the likes of which they had never before felt in all their lives, they came to the same conclusion.
—I need to become stronger.
The Call of the Hunter was upon them.
…
Walking down the hallways, the two young men looked around. There were many students, coming in a wide range of builds. Some were towering, some were teensy; some were strong, some were weak. Yet, despite their many differences, they were all doing… whatever.
They were normal people, going about their lives to better their future.
And these two were hardly any different. Though both of them were quite the lookers – even if one of them walked incredibly awkwardly – they were still, ultimately, somewhat normal people.
Yet, they still felt a sharp alienation. A clarity that it seemed none but them truly possessed. To a certain extent, it was even frightening.
Despite that…
"Ah, whatever. It's time for magic class!!!"
"Yep."
The first to speak was… Garfield. Garfield Rain—quite a looker but not much of a talker. Or rather, whenever he did talk, he ended up making a fool of himself.
He wasn't tall, but he technically wasn't short. He had black hair, but it wasn't that dark. His brown eyes were almond-shaped, and his features were neither sharp nor fully round. He just… was.
Looking up, Garfield saw his childhood best friend, Jack Knight. He was quite tall, with dark gray eyes the reflection of a stormy night, barely covered by hair as white as a flash of lightning.
Quite literally skipping for joy, despite being technically above average in regards to intelligence, Garfield drew many stares… mostly from how silly he looked.
The exit of the building flung wide open, as the two entered a field. A vast, open space was given to the students, so that they could practice their magic on their own.
Of course, there was an instructor, but neither of them needed it. After all, they now knew what it was they wished to achieve.
Closing his eyes, Garfield focused and checked his stats. Or, at least, the stats that mattered for this class.
Intellect: 11.
Mana: 3.
Alright. I think I'll practice… Ice Magic!
…And he totally bombed it.
After several minutes of pitifully trying to reach a breakthrough in his Ice Magic, trying to get the mana in his body to properly come out as a stronger attack, he was left on the ground, exhausted.
And, glancing at his friend, Garfield saw him struggling much the same. For some reason, his desired magic, that of Lightning, just wasn't clicking in the man's head.
"Ah. Well, I mean, there's always Weapons class."
Despite being a university, the classes were set up all in one day, quite like the manner a highschool was set up.
But I mean, I don't mind it that way. Sure, it's pretty stressful, but it's the most efficient way of growing stronger.
"Stronger…"
That word settling in his chest, Garfield looked down with a soft, yearning smirk.
Closing his eyes, he looked at his failure with disappointment.
Ice Magic Lvl: 1
Or, in other words… zero improvement had been made. Then, he looked at his other stat.
Dagger Lvl: 9
With more classes in one day, a student would be able to naturally break through their stats and skills far quicker than they would otherwise.
Yeah. But since I want to get stronger… I guess the path to strength is to be fast. I mean, I can—
Suddenly, a large torrent of water launched across the field.
Immediately catching the attention of all, the genesis of the roaring talent merely stood, calm and composed.
His posture was utterly straight, like that of an arrow. In his hands, a sword with an intricate design stood tall and lusterless, a design along the blade—that of a fearsome Water Dragon.
The man quietly sheathed his sword. With medium length, ocean-blue hair and black eyes, this man presented himself as utterly mighty.
…And with how destructive his spell had been, it seemed he was not a man of hollow appearance.
Garfield gulped.
I guess I'm not as strong as I'd hoped.
He shrugged, looking back at Jack and climbing to his feet. "Anyways, class is done! Let's go!"
Jack got up, the class dismissed.
Walking down the hallways, the two focused on their current states, that same yearning for strength burning in their hearts.
Name: Garfield Rain.
Level: 12
Stat Points:
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 27
Intellect: 11
Endurance: 19
Charisma: 10
Mana: 3
Skill Points:
…Perhaps that was why he sucked at magic. After all, he was only slightly above average as a learner, and he also could hardly even use his magic before gassing out.
Well, not like it matters. I may not hit hard, but I'm fast and can take a hit. Besides, that's what a knife is for, isn't it?
Glancing over at his friend, walking past a group of three – two men and one woman, the woman turning her head briefly as Jack passed – Garfield saw Jack lost in thought, likely ruminating over his own state.
…
Name: Jack Knight.
Stat Points:
Level: 9
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 19
Intellect: 17
Endurance: 15
Charisma: 17
Mana: 8
Skill Points:
Despite being quite a few levels behind, Jack still possessed better genetics than Garfield. He was the descendent of Lightning itself, after all.
Regardless, he continued, letting Garfield take the lead on the way to the class.
Unlike the area of Magic class, Weapons class was much more closed off, taking place inside of a gymnasium. With weapons along the walls for students to borrow, it was in quite a large class.
Yet, despite its size, he still noticed that man from earlier. Not that it was particularly difficult, considering the constant, hanging presence he exuded.
Regardless…
He's notable, at the very least, Jack thought.
Their instructor began to tutor those who needed instruction, while those who had already shown themselves to be capable wielders of their chosen weapon would be allowed to refine their techniques.
The two young men went towards a dummy. On it, a circle of magic had been drawn, the catalyst for an enchantment.
Taking a greatsword from the wall, Jack glanced at his friend, seeing the man take up a dagger.
Suddenly, Garfield lunged. With a quick slash, he violently slit the dummy's throat—a fairly easy thing to do against an unmoving target.
The grown adult smiled ear to ear, leaping up with a notable spring in his legs, raising his hands into the air.
"Hooray! I did it!"
"Yes, you sure did."
Then, turning to face the dummy in front of him, Jack took a step forward. Using the chain of the body in tandem with an intensely focused edge alignment— his sword, mundane as it was, delivered a downward sweeping cut that cleanly beheaded the dummy.
From that…
A warm sensation traveled through him, causing Jack to check up on his skills.
Greatsword Lvl: 8
His skill had improved, recognized by the System.
…Unfortunately, Garfield himself did not receive the same boon, having only done what he'd call a "Meh" that entire class.
—Finally, lunch came around. As the two sat by themselves in the middle of the cafeteria, they began to chat.
"So, last night… Well, no. More accurately, this morning, I felt it. Y'know? The Call of the Hunter," Garfield said, taking a bite of pizza. Admittedly, for someone bestowed that Call, his diet didn't exactly seem like he was taking it as seriously as he should have.
Jack narrowed his eyes.
"I did as well. Same time too, I'd say."
Garfield's eyes widened, his mouth dropping. He placed his hands behind his head, staring in as much shock as his facial muscles would allow him to conceive.
"Seriously!? You too? That's so friggin' sweet! Heheheh, y'know what they say about people who are given the Call of the Hunter, right?" Garfield smugly stated, flipping from shock to an incredibly snide grin, resting his elbow on the table.
"...That some of them receive that feeling for a few days and suddenly lose it?" Jack answered, eating his Chinese food.
Really, Hunter colleges were some of the best. Due to the danger of the job, they wanted to make the learning processes as easy-to-swallow as they could. Thus, the cafeterias typically featured a wide array of restaurants to choose from—which was surprisingly affordable, considering the wealth even a weak Hunter could quickly achieve after selling a few mana crystals.
Garfield blew his lips, taking another bite of pizza and speaking before swallowing. "No, not that. I mean, admittedly, sure—statistically, yeah, a lot of the Called end up losing it after a few days. Buuuut, we are different! We're special!"
Jack rested both his elbows on the table.
"Yep. You are special. Very 'special.'"
"Of course I am. I'm the strongest, after all."
The two continued eating their food, nourishing their bodies. Well, Jack was at least getting his carbs and protein from the rice and beef. Garfield was just eating his pizza and washing it down with Sprite.
Regardless, they made their way to Gym class, re-entering the gymnasium. Only, this time, they went away from the weapons and combat training areas, breaking off into smaller rooms full of gym equipment and the like.
Though, I can't help but wonder who decided to put gym class after lunch?
Today, they simply had to do sprints around the track. Which, in and of itself forced them to walk out of the gym their particular class had to meet up in.
Standing around the track, it was once again a very self-paced environment, where the students received direct instruction only when necessary.
The two Hunters-in-training waited their turns until other students broke off into their sprints, not wanting the track to be immediately cluttered.
With Garfield on the first, innermost lane, and with Jack on the second, they took up their positions.
Jack's face steeled, readying to give it his all. Though his dexterity was still above average for a human being by roughly nine points, monsters were simply much faster.
And being able to avoid attacks would be incredibly useful. And so, he had to ensure he grew well in that regard. With his already-low endurance, being speed-blitzed was one of the worst ways to go out—even despite the Final Stand humanity possessed.
And so, once the signal was given to sprint, he gave it his all.
Bursting into a sprint, he rapidly accelerated past a strong number of his fellow students. Yet, despite that, Garfield had managed to forcibly overtake almost everyone.
That fearsome Water-Swordsman was not part of this class. And as such, Garfield's measly 27 dexterity was able to overcome the class, primarily composed of hardcore mages.
…Yet, in the end, Jack hadn't been able to reach a breakthrough in his sprints. Though it placed a burden on his heart, which had been tampered with by the Call of the Hunter, he recognized that as long as he had legs, he was capable of growing his speed.
Garfield, meanwhile, had grown his dexterity—a fact he was quite pleased with, considering his stupid grin didn't change for a while.
An hour later, as the two young men sat down on a bench, exhausted from their training, Garfield looked up at the sky.
"Aghhhh, the Call of the Hunter… it's making me feel funny."
"What?"
"Yeah, dude. Y'know how the Call is, like, a physical feeling? Like, you feel a sudden resolve to get stronger, and you can kinda feel it in your chest?"
Jack nodded his head.
"Well… Dude, oggh, I can feel it in my stomach now! Is that a normal symptom?"
"...No?"
Then, it seemed like the "Call of the Hunter…" or whatever it actually was… grew stronger in Garfield's stomach. And stronger.
And stronger.
…Until they both realized that it was, in fact, not the infamous spiritual awakening.
Instead, the fact that he'd eaten five slices of pizza downed with Sprite, ten minutes before doing all-out sprints so intense that he managed to level up his dexterity stat.
—Several minutes later, after a trip to the bathroom more harrowing than even facing a pack of monsters, Garfield looked like death.
"...I feel like trash right now. I need something to make me feel better. Not Sprite, though—water only from here on out. At least then, it doesn't burn on the way up…"
Jack sighed. "Well, we both know how the Call of the Hunter is. Pretty famous for making strength the most enjoyable sensation of all."
At the thought of growing stronger, the Hunter-drunk Garfield's eyes seemed to light up. "Ooh, true that! Hmmm, but what can we do?"
Going with the obvious answer, Jack informed Garfield of the Hunting Club.
Considering that most of the other clubs in the school were meant to provide the students with a sense of relaxation, centered around a topic that wasn't killing monsters, the Hunting Club truly was their best bet.
"Oh, yes, let's do that!"
And so, they went to the clubroom and signed up.
…
Shortly afterwards, a woman…
Nay, a goddess! My goodness, this woman's built like a… like a… a tall glass of water! I want to give this Hunter a Call!
Practically drooling, Garfield stared in awe. Tall, with long brown hair and electric green eyes, as well as—
Heheheh.
Keeping his unsavory thoughts to himself, Garfield listened intently to her.
"Alright. Everyone, I'm the advisor of the Hunting Club, Ms. Thiena, and I'll be present in our expeditions through the nearby forest. I will be—"
"Excuse me!" Garfield called out, raising his hand.
Ms. Thiena looked at him, nodding her head to permit him to continue.
"Ms. Thiena, why do you have big tubes?"
"...?"
The woman tilted her head. "What?"
"I meant, uh, why do you—sorry, I misspoke, uh… nevermind, sorry."
Such a way with words.
Suddenly shrinking, losing all the confidence he initially had at shooting his shot after he stammered over his words like a drunken idiot, Garfield buried his head as far as he could, wishing to never be seen again.
"...Regardless, I'll be able to heal any wounds you all may encounter. Let's begin."
…
Entering the forest, the two Called and many other students, part of the Hunting Club, followed behind Ms. Thiena.
While talking with Garfield, Jack turned around, once more finding that mighty Water-Swordsman in the same club as them.
It might be a good opportunity to see how strong he truly is. After all, since the first month of the semester is halfway done, we'll have about two weeks to prepare for the end-of-month tournaments.
And considering the level of strength he's showing off as of late… It's better to try and get a good grasp on how powerful he truly is.
Inevitably, seeing as the two only talked to each other and no one else, they split off from the main group of students. Though, after a quick glance, Jack found that the Water-Swordsman had done the same. Only, entirely on his lonesome.
After walking for a bit, they came across what it was they were seeking.
Among the many goblins inside the larger overall territory they explored, they got lucky – or perhaps unlucky – and found some.
…Only, there were six of them, all armed with spears.