The Huntsman Of Death:A Gamer's POV As Side Character

The boy became flustered because, under the book, he was hiding the comic, which he managed to swap with increased dexterity, startling me.

"You got some skills, Reed," I said, looking at the name in the notebook.

He seemed to be a lower-class commoner who didn’t even have the privilege of having a last name, or this might be a disguise.

He had brownish hair that drifted over his eyes like bangs, covering his eyes that were already obscured by specs. This made me wonder how this person even saw.

Reed, hearing this, laughed out loud suddenly. "Hmm! You don’t even know who you are sitting beside."

"Why? Who are you?"

"Me..." He pointed at himself, then raised his arm to flick his hair, exposing a crystal bluish clear eye behind his specs that just appeared for a brief moment before being hidden by swaying hair.

"Kekekekekek!"

"Foolish mortals."

I started feeling goosebumps and took a step back.

"Know your place, ’cause you are sitting beside the one and only, The Beholder of Ancient Follies."

"The Descendant of the Eternal Dragon God."

"And the one and only heir of the Ancient Ones."

Reed, saying this, looked at me with an intense gaze.

"Clap!"

CLAP!

I clapped, not wanting to partake in the follow-up relentless banter while cursing inwardly.

’What the hell? Now do I have to bear a chunniboy here?!’

Sighing, I took my seat while Reed spoke, bearing that smug smile. "Hey, become my disciple, and soon you will witness the glory of the Ancient One."

"Stop talking. The professor is here."

Along with him, the class started to fill up.

The man was a bit bald with deranged white hair scattered across, making him look like another version of Albert Einstein.

Professor Neil Smith, who would be teaching us about Monster and Abyss Lore Classification.

*********

Neil stared at the jubilant new faces with a plastered cold expression. He maintained a solemn demeanor.

Unlike others who loved teaching with smiles and laughs, he believed that such an atmosphere was unbecoming of the course they were to study.

Taking the chalk, he walked towards the blackboard and wrote under everyone’s intense gaze.

[What is the most important thing for you hunters?]

Adding a question mark, he stared around.

"Does anyone have a guess?"

An ample number of hands were raised.

His eyes darted towards the golden-haired, shining girl. "Miss Selena, is it? Let’s see what you have to offer."

Selena adjusted her stance as she began her answer in a clear, formal tone—the type often heard in classrooms but lacking any tangible experience.

"Sir, for a hunter, the most important thing is their ability. This includes their physical strength, agility, and endurance, which are essential for survival. Additionally, tactical thinking and the capability to analyze situations are vital for success. Tools and equipment also play a critical role, as proper use can determine the outcome of a mission. Finally, maintaining discipline and focus ensures they are prepared for any unexpected situations."

Her words hung in the air, crafted like a standard response from a textbook rather than the voice of someone who had faced the perils of hunting firsthand. Neil’s sharp eyes remained fixed on her, seemingly assessing the gap between theoretical knowledge and lived experience.

He turned back to the board, underlining the word "most" in the question, as if to emphasize its singularity. "A solid attempt," he said coldly, "but hunters who rely on many things often lose focus on what truly matters. Let’s continue."

"That’s a good answer. A very good one, but..." Neil paused, making Selena frown.

"You forgot the most crucial and basic thing. So, does anyone know it?" He looked around, searching for more options, but all he heard was the same thing repeated again and again.

Shaking his head, he went to the board and wrote it.

"Information!"

The students murmured as if realizing something.

"Yes, information. The most vital aspect of the hunt that can make the difference. So what if you are strong and have the ability? You can’t fight blindly because everyone has their own set of strengths and weaknesses."

"Every being in existence tries to hide its weakness and deploy its strengths, and you need to be aware of it."

"You people always focus on practicals, which is good, but most of you miss the incredibly crucial theory part. The vast amount of data that has been collected at the risk of life is discarded because you think you can deal with everything as long as you have ability," Neil spoke somberly in a melancholic tone.

"Our world at present is facing dangers from various fronts."

"The first one is unruly monsters."

"The second one is the appearance of labyrinths and gates from the abyss, sprawling with abysmal monsters."

"The third is Spectres and Wraiths who corrupt and trespass into our land unidentified."

"The fourth one is the most significant. That is, the approach of the abyss that is swallowing our world while we face the dangers it brings along."

"Knowing yourself and knowing your enemy is the key before you all engage in this. And in this class of Monster and Abyss Lore Classification..."

*********

I listened to the lecture with utmost focus. Since it was an introductory class, it contained information I already knew.

The abyss was a region—or, one could say, an outer part of this world—covered with darkness, ruled by Evil Gods and beings who lost the battle in the ancient era and were banished outside.

The primary goal of DeathBorne was to stop the descent of the Abyss and defeat the Evil God. In the process, you might even make an enemy of the Orthodox Gods, but that was for later.

It wasn’t that the gap between events was large, but it was useless to worry about moving a mountain with my ant-like power.

Feeling bored, I looked at Reed, who was reading comics underneath.

’That’s also good. At least he won’t disturb me.’

I decided to use Spectral Vision and observe everyone.

Unlike before, I could feel cold mana seeping into my eyes, emitting an austere aura. An influx of light flashed in my eyes abruptly, making my eyelids droop.

I closed my eyes, savoring the sensation before opening them.

The world soon flashed with myriad colors.

As I opened my eyes to the Spectral Vision, the world around me transformed into a vivid kaleidoscope of hues and shifting lights. The classroom now seemed alive with flickering currents of mana and swirling flashes of light.

The students around me appeared bathed in faint auras, their colors dancing like flames.

Neil stood at the front, his stern demeanor now encased in a heavy black hue that seemed to pulse with an ominous weight. His aura was dense and suffocating, like a storm cloud hanging over a battlefield.

Selena, on the other hand, glowed faintly with blue, her emotions calm but not entirely content. Her aura shimmered with a subdued warmth, yet streaks of pale gray revealed some lingering hesitation, perhaps from Neil’s critique. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Reed, seated beside me, was a peculiar mix of red and blue, his aura flaring in sporadic bursts as he flipped through his hidden comic.

The red spikes of irritation hinted at his annoyance with the class, while the blue patches showed the enjoyment he got from his distraction. His emotions were like a chaotic whirlpool, colliding and blending unpredictably.

My eyes locked on Ashton, who had dark shades, while Roderick had blue as he whispered something.

Edwin was encased in a silvery glow that radiated nobility.

’I blinked a few times, wondering if I was seeing correctly.’

’What the hell?’

’These colors... How am I able to identify the feelings behind them?’

The protagonist and main character didn’t have Spectral Vision, but I knew about it from a side cast.

Yet, despite the overwhelming beauty of this new perspective, I realized I couldn’t pinpoint a single, pure emotion.

The intensity of it all made me blink and turn away.

A faint chilling sensation hit me out of nowhere. All the hair on my body stood erect, and itchiness spread over my skin.

I turned my head towards the source and felt my heart skip a beat as I saw dark clawed hands grabbing the window pane.

I was about to focus when my vision distorted, and sudden rampaging screams erupted like blasts in my ears, whispering thousands of words, of which I managed to understand a sentence.

[Don’t Look.]