"Haaah! Run!" Those were the very first words out of his mouth. He and his two companions immediately bolted, sprinting as fast as their legs could carry them. Behind them, a massive fur-covered silhouette gave chase—long limbs outstretched, its arms shaped like wings. It was a Wyvern Bird, a mid-rank monster.
"Haa—! Why is there a Wyvern Bird here!? Isn't this supposed to be rookie Hunter territory?!" his companion—the Archer—exclaimed.
"How should I know! The only thing that matters is getting out of here alive!" shot back the Swordsman who'd yelled for them to run. Their third companion, the Catalyst user, glanced over her shoulder; the Wyvern Bird was still closing in fast, its long legs eating up the ground with every stride.
"Haaah!! It's getting closer! What do we do?! I don't want to die yet!" she whimpered in terror, forcing her trembling legs to move faster.
They couldn't outrun the beast. For a split second, they thought their end had come—until a wooden sign came into view in the distance.
Jump
The sign stood before a mound of leaves, almost too neatly piled—as if hiding something beneath.
"Jump?! Should we follow whatever this sign's telling us?!" the Catalyst user cried, completely panicking.
"Hmph—let's do it!" the Swordsman said firmly. Just as the Wyvern Bird was about to reach them, all three leaped in near-perfect unison over the leaf pile and landed on the other side. The creature, however, stepped right onto the mound—and triggered a trap.
CRAAASH!
The Wyvern's massive body plunged into a pit several meters deep, and rope mechanisms snapped to life, coiling tightly around it.
The trio finally drew a breath, listening to the Wyvern Bird thrashing aggressively behind them as it fought to break free.
"Haaa! Thank goodness we're alive! My legs are shaking…" the Catalyst user gasped, collapsing to the ground as she panted heavily.
The Swordsman and Archer bent over, hands on their knees, taking deep breaths. "That was way too close."
"You're right… But who built that trap?" The Swordsman turned around. "It's crafted so neatly—I'm sure it was made by an experienced Hunter."
But moments later, the Wyvern's frantic movements suddenly stopped. Slowly, it opened its mouth—and a glow began to build deep within its throat. FWOOSH! The creature spewed scalding liquid in all directions.
"Huh?! Look out everyone!" The Swordsman spun around instantly, shielding the Catalyst user. The hot fluid hit the ropes binding the beast. With a single sweep of its wings and a powerful push from its legs, the Wyvern Bird burst free and roared loudly.
The Archer froze, intimidated by the creature's presence; his legs refused to move, and he stood rooted to the spot, sweat beading on his forehead. But the Swordsman stepped forward, drawing his blade—a long weapon with a blade forged from bone. Though he looked brave, cold sweat ran down his face and his legs trembled.
"C-come here! I-I'm not scared! …Haa!" He charged at the Wyvern, swinging his sword in a desperate flurry. Not a single strike landed. Instead, the creature's tail lashed out and sent him flying.
His companions found their courage again and moved to help him. The Wyvern didn't attack right away—instead, it tensed its body and opened its glowing mouth, preparing to spew its scalding fluid once more.
The three friends could only stand still, squeezing their eyes shut in fear. But then—BANG!!! A gunshot rang out, and a large-caliber bullet tore into the Wyvern's body, ripping a pained roar from its throat. Another shot followed from the same direction, striking true again.
The once-dominant beast immediately fled, blood streaming from its wounds.
The trio stood stunned, processing what had just happened. "H-hah… Ha! Hey! Are you okay?!" the Archer called to the Swordsman, who gave a slow nod.
"W-who saved us?" the Catalyst user asked.
"Whoever it was, they're the same one who built that trap. But right now, we're safe."
From several hundred meters away, a figure clad in full covering stood watching—wearing a cream-colored jacket with its hood pulled up, goggles over their eyes, and a black scarf patterned with white insects covering half their face. They'd just released the trigger of a bolt-action single-shot rifle. With practiced movements, they worked the bolt to reload a large-caliber round and closed the action.
Standing at around 168 cm tall, they held a custom bolt-action rifle designed specifically for hunting mid-rank monsters, with a long barrel. Strapped to their back was a smaller, standard-issue bolt-action rifle.
The figure immediately moved off in another direction to pursue the fleeing Wyvern Bird. Soon, they reached an open area atop a hill, with the Wyvern still running below. Without hesitation, they leaped onto the creature's back and gripped its neck tightly.
The Wyvern jolted in surprise, bucking wildly to throw off its rider. The figure calmly drew a bayonet from their waist and repeatedly stabbed the beast's soft, furred hide. In agony, the Wyvern charged headfirst into a tree, sending the human tumbling to the ground.
The figure quickly regained their stance and raised their bolt-action rifle. The Wyvern roared and thrashed about, spewing scalding liquid everywhere—but the hunter remained calm. They ran toward the creature, dodging the bursts of heat with precise movements. When they were close enough, the Wyvern swung its tail—but the human dodged it, then drove their bayonet deep into the beast's thigh and kept their distance.
The Wyvern still managed to move, limping on one leg. The hunter stepped back a few paces, then leaped just as the creature lunged to snap at them with its sharp beak. Twisting their body mid-air, they aimed their rifle directly at the Wyvern's head. Even so, the large-caliber round failed to penetrate the beast's skull—yet a smile curved beneath their scarf.
"Asti Kala Cosoa"
It sounded like a prayer as they pulled the trigger. This time, the bullet turned pitch-black, its form solidifying as it shot forward—and CRACK! It shattered the Wyvern's skull.
Silence fell. Only the soft breeze could be heard, stirring the smoke rising from the rifle's barrel. The figure stood frozen for a moment, then looked up at the sky—now turning orange with the approach of evening. They walked slowly to the Wyvern's corpse, pulled out their bayonet, then began skinning it and harvesting valuable parts: hide, meat, heart, and the organ that produced its scalding fluid.
...
The Guild doors swung wide open, and the three rookie Hunters—the Swordsman, Archer, and Catalyst user—stepped inside, their minds still replaying the day's events. They couldn't stop wondering: who had saved them? And was it the same person who'd built the trap?
They headed straight to the reception desk, where a friendly female receptionist greeted them. "Welcome back! Did you manage to complete your quest?"
"Y-yes. We took down five small reptilian monsters. Here's the proof." The Swordsman gestured for the Catalyst user to pull out a pouch filled with the reptiles' tails and teeth.
"Is that so? Congratulations! Here's your payment—" Before she could hand over their reward, the Archer cut her off.
"H-huh… We… we actually ran into a Wyvern Bird earlier."
"Huh? A Wyvern Bird?!"
"It's true. We were shocked—we thought that area was outside their territory."
"O-oh… Are you all alright?"
The Catalyst user nodded slowly. "We are now. Someone saved us."
"Someone? What were they like?"
The Swordsman replied, "We… we didn't get to meet them properly, but they seemed to be a Marksman. Used a rifle, and we think they're the one who set that trap too."
"A Marksman with trap-setting skills… I feel like I've heard of someone like that… Ah! Right, I remember now!"
"Really? Do you know who it was?"
"If what you're saying is true, then you were saved by Axia Soma."
"Axia Soma?" all three said in unison.
"What's Axia Soma like?" the Swordsman asked.
The receptionist scratched her head, looking uncertain for a moment.
"Umm… how do I put this? They're… well, a little odd."
"Odd? How so?"
"They always cover their face—never say why. No one's ever seen what they look like. We don't even know if they're male or female; their voice is pretty androgynous."
"That doesn't sound too strange to me," the Archer said.
"That's not all. They always ask about the most basic things. They don't even know what the sky is. Or the ocean. Or trees."
"Wow, okay—that is weird."
"And that's not the strangest part… They say they were born underground, and that this is their first time on the surface. Doesn't that sound bizarre?"
"Y-yes, that's definitely odd," the Catalyst user agreed.
"…But regardless of all that, they're a skilled Hunter and one of the best Marksmen I've ever seen. Plus, they're kind and gentle—so we don't mind their quirks at all."
The three rookies were amazed by what they'd heard. "I hope we can meet them someday to say thank you."
"Hmph! You're right about that."
"Yeah, I want to meet them too… I'm curious what they look like under all that gear."
...
The crackle of burning wood was soothing and warm enough to make one drowsy. The warmth of the fire made Axia's eyelids grow heavy. Next to them lay the pile of valuable parts harvested from the Wyvern Bird. For a while, only the soft breeze and the fire's gentle pop could be heard.
"Oi Axia, wake up! You can't sleep out here like this." A voice came from a green canvas pack lying on the ground.
"Huh? I'm not sleeping… Just resting my eyes," Axia replied, rubbing their eyes with their right hand. "Besides, why haven't you said a word since this morning?"
A small creature emerged from the pack—about the size of Axia's face, with a pale gray oval body and two pairs of antennae. It looked like an insect. "Nothing much—just been sleeping."
"I see. So you're one of those… what do you call it? Nok-niktir?"
"Nocturnal?" the insect corrected.
"Ah right, nocturnal." Axia snapped their fingers. "Nah. You just like sleeping… Anyway, what are you planning to do next?"
Axia fell silent for a moment, and a smile formed under their scarf. "…Isn't it obvious? I want to learn more—about this place they call the 'surface'."
They sat quietly for a long time before the beetle-like creature spoke again, in a flat tone.
"What about her?"
"Huh? Her—who?"
"…Never mind, forget I said anything. In that case, let's go explore this 'surface' place together."
Silence returned, broken only by the crackle of the fire. It was wonderfully warm.