Chapter 5: Chapter 5

In the morning, Mo Ying glanced at the alarm clock beside her bed.

Ten minutes until class.

Mo Ying thought about this, then rolled over in her blanket.

It's fine, today's class is with Teacher Liushu. He's sure to be late again; it won't matter if I nap a little longer.

She called her roommate's name a few times, but there was no response.

Xiya must have already left for class.

Might as well get up.

At 7:55, Mo Ying got out of bed.

She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and tidied her hair in an orderly fashion.

There was not the slightest hint of panic.

By eight o'clock, class had already started.

Mo Ying finished up as well.

Although the class had already begun, she didn't feel anxious at all, because Liushu was bound to be late.

Mo Ying left her dorm and walked towards the classroom.

When she arrived at the classroom door, however, she noticed an unusual silence. Follow current novels on NoveI-Fire.ɴet

Could class have already started? Could Teacher Liushu actually be on time for once?

Mo Ying poked her head inside.

"You're late again, Mo Ying."

Inside was another female teacher.

"Teacher Zhi Ying, why are you teaching?"

Mo Ying glanced at the class sign to confirm she wasn't in the wrong room.

"Your teacher Liushu might've had too much to drink yesterday. He's still snoring away, so I'm subbing for you this period."

Zhi Ying looked quite unwilling herself.

"Hurry up and come in. You've already made everyone wait long enough,"

"All right, all right."

Mo Ying hurried into the classroom.

She glanced around, but didn't spot Xiya.

Did she go to another classroom?

After all, she was a genius; she could go anywhere she wanted.

Mo Ying didn't think much of it, lowered her head, and prepared to nap.

Time passed swiftly. When Mo Ying groggily opened her eyes, class was already over.

She had slept through the whole period, and Zhi Ying hadn't said a thing.

Checking the time, it was already noon.

She had intended to eat with someone she knew, but she was now the only one left in the classroom.

Guess she'd eat at the canteen by herself. She couldn't take too long eating, or it would steal from her rest time.

Mo Ying left the classroom. The hallways were also empty—after all, it was lunchtime.

Suddenly, Mo Ying felt a sharp pain in her back.

She immediately turned. A girl with long, crimson hair stood behind her.

No, she wasn't wearing Dreamscape Academy's uniform—so she couldn't be a student.

The girl wore a white trench coat and exuded a dangerous, bestial aura. Her gaze swept the corridor, as if she was searching for prey.

The girl's gaze lingered on Mo Ying for a moment before moving elsewhere.

It appeared Mo Ying was not her target.

From the girl, Mo Ying perceived a gaze as sharp as a wolf's.

But the other party was no beastkin; at least, she didn't have a tail or beastfolk ears.

The girl descended the stairs and left the floor.

Dreamscape Academy's management is strict; this is Anzelona's best academy—no one but students and teachers should enter.

A guest invited by the academy?

Mo Ying couldn't think of any other reason.

Still, since the girl hadn't done anything to threaten the academy, Mo Ying couldn't just step forward and stop her.

She stood in place for a while, then decided to report this to Liushu during the afternoon combat class.

After lunch in the canteen, time quickly slipped into the afternoon.

"Since Teacher Liushu isn't awake yet, I'll be teaching your combat class again,"

Zhi Ying said while looking at her three students.

Teacher Liushu sure has it easy, only needing to look after three students.

"One point to clarify: I'm a Magic Department teacher, so I can't teach you swordplay or martial arts,"

Of the three present, only Xiya was from the Magic Department; Shuang Yun and Mo Ying were from the Martial Department.

"So, what do you usually do in combat class?"

Not getting a reply, zhi Ying tried another topic.

The three gave three different answers.

Teacher Liushu, you really know how to enjoy yourself!

Zhi Ying clenched her fist.

Just then, Mo Ying spotted the same crimson-haired girl from lunchtime on the sports field.

"Teacher, who's that?"

Mo Ying pointed at the girl and asked.

"That's... a Hunter?"

Zhi Ying was also startled to see the girl.

Xiya and Mo Ying exchanged a glance, clearly unfamiliar with the term.

"Didn't Liushu give you both any lessons about the world?"

Zhi Ying remembered that Mo Ying and Xiya came from another world.

"Teacher does review a lot about this world, but nothing about Hunters,"

"Then today's lesson will be about Hunters!"

"A Hunter is a kind of aberrant profession in this world,"

Teacher Zhi Ying said, producing a blackboard from who knows where.

"As long as the pay's high enough, they'll do anything."

"Weeding gardens, finding lost pets, helping grandmas cross the street—they'll do that."

"Of course, that's only some. Only a few Hunters take on such trivial tasks."

"The rest—those people carry out revenge, kill, rob, frame, and even lead wars on commission."

"As long as you pay enough, hunters will do anything."

"Many people even hire them to kill Hunters just out of the hunting fields—that's why they're called Hunters."

"Teacher, what is a hunting field? What are Hunters?"

Mo Ying eagerly raised her hand.

"Cough, cough. You'll find that out next year as sophomores. It's not the right time yet,"

Teacher Zhi Ying brushed it off.

"Hunters are ranked from lowest to highest: D—C—B—A—S—EX—EA—EU."

"The higher the rank, the more expensive the hiring fee. 'S' and above can't even be hired unless you're extremely wealthy."

"If you were a Hunter, Mo Ying, your strength would be around B to A,"

Teacher Zhi Ying wrote Mo Ying's name between B and A on the blackboard.

"I'm strong! Don't look down on me, teacher Zhi Ying!"

Mo Ying protested at being ranked so low.

"I know, Mo Ying, but ranks are strict, listen."

"D, C, B, and A Hunters are called—Wind, Bamboo, Rain, and Clear."

"D is Wind Hunter, C is Bamboo Hunter, B is Rain Hunter, and A is Clear Hunter."

"The rest—S, EX, EA, EU—are called Star, Moon, Remnant, and Sovereign."

"S is Star Hunter, EX is Moon Hunter, EA is Remnant, and EU is Sovereign."

"What kind of person can become a Sovereign? Only those by the gods' side have the right to be a Sovereign among Hunters."

"A Star Hunter can be a country's supreme commander, just like our Captain Linna. A Moon Hunter can upend an army singlehanded."

"A Remnant can end a war instantly—once they're on the battlefield, if they tell both sides to stop, both must comply, or they'll be forcibly stopped."

"A Sovereign—those are the ones who serve by the side of a deity."

"Of course, our world is peaceful now. The gods maintain this peace, so hiring Moon-level or above Hunters requires a tremendous price."

"Those who dwell beside the divine..."

She'd been in this world for two years and knew it differed from her own only in that gods truly existed here.

Every history textbook proved the existence of gods, though Mo Ying had never seen one.

"The gods forbid large-scale war in this world, so Remnant and Sovereign Hunters are not allowed to intervene. If they force their way in, their powers are suppressed to the lowest level."

"Do they really do anything?"

"Once, someone in my family was targeted by a Rain-level Hunter—about Mo Ying-level strength. That Hunter wanted his life,"

Shuang Yun recounted.

"He had to spend even more money to hire a Clear-level Hunter for protection. The price: one Naye per second, 3600 Naye per hour."

"The Hunter protected him for two days. When he couldn't pay, the Hunter left. Overall, he spent 172,000 Naye."

"He also considered eliminating the Rain-level Hunter directly, but the cost was 19,000,000 Naye."

"He just couldn't afford that, and eventually, the Hunter killed him."

"A Dreamscape Academy teacher's monthly salary is only about 10,000 Naye. Ordinary people make maybe 4000 a month. They can only afford Wind or Bamboo Hunters—the lowest levels,"

"Only nobles, even royals, can hire higher-level Hunters."

"Can't you buy off the Hunter?"

"Good question. Let me explain,"

Teacher Zhi Ying wiped off the blackboard.

"When you hire a Hunter, you must meet face-to-face."

"The Hunter signs a contract with you called a ZL contract."

Mo Ying was confused.

"The basic stipulation is—the Hunter will do everything possible to accomplish the employer's request. So, hunters can't be bribed."

"Moreover, if you hire a Hunter to kill, you yourself cannot escape the crime of murder. If exposed, both the Hunter and employer will be arrested for murder."

"Most Hunters won't accept illegal jobs, but a few will take the risk."

"There are unspoken rules too."

"For example, if an employer hires a Hunter to kill, and the employer is exposed, the Hunter cannot be implicated."

"So... let's say, Mo Ying hires a Hunter to assassinate Xiya."

"Xiya is killed by the Hunter. Later, people find out Mo Ying hired the Hunter. Mo Ying will be punished by law, possibly death."

"But the Hunter cannot be implicated. This is part of the ZL contract—when you sign, everything the Hunter does, you are responsible for."

"They're like your shadow: Mo Ying hiring a Hunter to kill Xiya is the same as personally killing Xiya."

"If, during the assassination, other people die, that responsibility also falls to the employer."

"Of course, the ZL contract also benefits employers: if you have a Hunter rob or kill for you, all the spoils belong to you—the Hunter won't take a cut, just the agreed pay."

"Second, the Hunter never reveals the employer's information."

"Third, the Hunter will protect the employer, as payment comes after the job—if the employer dies, the fee is gone."

"The ZL contract is beneficial to both sides. Its details vary with the mission. You must check the contract carefully when hiring a Hunter."

"If an employer breaks the contract, all Hunters will have a bounty on his head."

"If the Hunter breaks the contract, she must pay ten times the agreed amount to the employer, and her rank will drop by one level—which is very hard to raise."

"By the way, the payment to Hunters isn't always coins—it can be jewelry, precious herbs, magic relics, powerful weapons—Hunters set their own price."

"Not every Hunter can do every job, and if the mission fails, there's no punishment—they just don't get paid, since they did their best."

"This is practically a public assassin's guild—how can such an organization exist?!"

Mo Ying finally understood.

All Hunters were simply money-driven killers.

"Mm, you're right, Mo Ying. When Hunters appeared, there was plenty of criticism, but the protests were quickly silenced—do you know why?"

Mo Ying certainly didn't know.

"Hunters can kill monsters plaguing villages, find your lost pet, rescue kidnapped children from bandits, safeguard families, wipe out marauding robbers—they can even serve as our teachers."

"So, naturally, everyone came to accept Hunters, even nations."

"Countries sometimes need Hunters for war or to eliminate certain targets,"

Teacher Zhi Ying's tone deepened.

"To this day, hunter organizations are everywhere. If you want to find one, it's easy—just ask around."

"Everyone wants to be a Hunter, but requirements are strict, with many tests and hurdles. So, the number is not huge."

"Hiring a Hunter to kill is incredibly expensive, so you don't have to worry about being targeted. As Dreamscape students, your value is at least several million Naye—no one will spend that much for no reason. Relax."

"So, how much does it cost to kill an ordinary person?"

"A murder contract starts at five hundred thousand. That price only gets you a lower-level Hunter."

"An ordinary person earns about fifty thousand Naye a year, not eating or drinking. It'd take a century's wages to hire a Hunter to kill just one ordinary person."

"Since the average lifespan is three hundred years, ordinary folks will never save enough to hire a Hunter."

"So, unless it's a blood feud, no one will hire a Hunter for murder."

"Even then, if a tycoon wants you dead, there are many ways beside hiring a Hunter,"

"Also, not all Hunters are scary people."

Zhi Ying waved to the distant girl.

The crimson-haired girl spotted her and blinked over in an instant.

Very skilled spatial magic.

"Hello, hunter Miss. Are you working right now?"

Zhi Ying greeted politely.

You could just talk to a Hunter directly?

Mo Ying was surprised.

"As long as they aren't after your life, hunters aren't so scary,"

"You could say so." the girl replied.

"Why are you at our school? Is it part of your work?"

"Delivering something," the girl answered directly.

"They do everything,"

"Ahem, that's my package,"

Liushu suddenly appeared.

The girl handed over a parcel.

"Ah, thank you, Akina,"

Liushu opened it; inside were a few packs of cigarettes.

"Time to pay, two hundred Naye."

The girl named Akina demanded.

"At your speed, you could walk that distance in under a minute, and you want two hundred Naye? We're old friends—how about one hundred?"

"Two hundred Naye. That's the ZL contract terms,"

"Kidding, kidding. Here,"

Liushu swiped his Sky Crystal Id and paid two hundred Naye.

"What are you staring at?"

Liushu asked at their stunned faces.

"Nobody smokes cigarettes now—it's all e-cigs. Why can't I ask a Hunter to buy me some smokes?"

"Teacher Liushu... you always show up at interesting times,"

"Let's end the lesson here for today."

"Two important points."

"Hunters aren't that scary."

"When you hire a Hunter, you must bear the consequences of whatever they do."

"Remember that. Next time, bring your notes to my class. You're dismissed."

Teacher Zhi Ying packed up the blackboard and left.

PS: Hunter ranks: Wind, Bamboo, Rain, Clear, Star, Moon, Remnant, Sovereign.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Hire a hunter to kill someone? No.

Hire a hunter to buy cigarettes? Yes.