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

Reed’s eyes lit up, his chuunibyou energy flaring. "Emergency? What emergency? As long as I’m here, who dares to harm you?!"

His voice rang through the temple, and he struck a ridiculous pose. "After all, I am—"

I panicked, clamping a hand over his mouth before he could finish spouting nonsense. Reed struggled against my grip, his muffled words still trying to escape. "Mmff! Mmm! I am the—"

"Ashton," I muttered, glancing at him with urgency.

Ashton sighed but leaned closer. "What now?" he whispered.

I quickly murmured something into his ear. His expression immediately turned pale, his eyes widening in alarm. Without a word, he grabbed one of Reed’s arms while I took the other.

"Hey, hey! What’s going on?!" Reed shouted, flailing like a wild child.

"No time to explain," I said firmly.

Together, Ashton and I dragged a protesting Reed out of the temple. His indignant cries echoed behind us, but I couldn’t help feeling a grim sense of amusement. Whatever Reed had planned to say, I’d stopped it just in time.

For now, at least, we were safe.

Who knows how the Goddess would react to Reed’s bullshit.No, leaving that aside the Priest might chase us with a cleaver.

The moment we stepped out of the temple, Reed immediately turned on me, his voice echoing through the quiet path.

"Why did you do that?!" he shouted, his face a mix of indignation and confusion.

I scowled, refusing to slow my pace. "Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because we’d all be dead if I left you in there to spout your ’great heir of the Ancient One’ nonsense."

"That’s not nonsense!" Reed shot back, puffing his chest. "It’s the truth! I am the heir of the Ancient One!"

Hearing that, I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to facepalm. Ashton, walking quietly beside me, merely blinked, caught between surprise and secondhand embarrassment.

Before I could retort, a deep, hearty laugh cut through the air. Startled, we all turned to see an old man leaning on a cane, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"You’ve got quite the colorful imagination, young man," the old man said, grinning as he approached.

We froze for a second, exchanging panicked glances, and then almost instinctively—Ashton and I took a step away from Reed, pretending we didn’t know him.

The old man chuckled, clearly enjoying the awkwardness. "Relax, I’m not here to scold you. So, which year are you all in?"

Before Ashton or I could speak, Reed proudly stepped forward. "We’re in our first year!" he announced, his chest puffed out like he’d just declared victory.

"First year, huh?" The old man nodded thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "Got a lot of spirit, don’t you? Let me ask you this—who do you think wields the most influence in your year?"

Reed opened his mouth without hesitation. "Of course, it’s me—"

Before he could finish, Ashton and I clamped our hands over his mouth. "Not you," I muttered, glaring at him. Reed mumbled something incoherent under our hands, his eyes wide with indignation.

The old man raised a brow, clearly amused. I sighed and decided to answer. "I think it’s Freya," I said, keeping my tone even.

Ashton shot me a surprised look. "Freya?" he whispered under his breath. "What are you talking about?"

The old man tilted his head, intrigued. "And why do you think that?"

I shrugged. "Edwin might be stronger, but he keeps to himself. Freya, on the other hand, has influence. She’s got a group of followers who do her bidding. In a way, that makes her more dangerous. But..." I paused, meeting the old man’s curious gaze. "She abuses her power. It wouldn’t surprise me if someone tried to take her down."

Ashton pinched the back of my arm and whispered urgently, "Lukas, what are you doing? You’ll get in trouble if someone hears you."

I shrugged off his concern. "Trouble doesn’t bother me," I said coolly. "As long as it doesn’t get me killed, I’ll deal with it."

Ashton opened his mouth to respond but then closed it, clearly unsure how to argue.

That’s when Reed, as expected, broke the silence. "He’s lying!" he exclaimed, shaking my shoulder. "I’m the most fearsome guy in the academy!"

The old man stared at Reed for a moment, then looked back at Ashton and me, his expression saying what we were all thinking.

Is this guy alright?

Ashton and I sighed in unison, stepping back in unspoken agreement. "I just remembered something," I said quickly. "I have somewhere to be."

Ashton caught on instantly. "Yeah, me too. Important stuff. Real urgent."

We didn’t wait for Reed’s reaction. Turning on our heels, we walked briskly away. Behind us, Reed’s voice rang out, indignant as ever.

"Hey! Stop running! I wasn’t done talking!"

We didn’t stop. If anything, we picked up the pace, leaving Reed to chase after us, shouting all the way.

The three ran away leaving the old man alone who muttered, "Freya...Hmm!"

....

Next day..

It was early morning, and the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, casting long shadows across the land.

A crisp breeze swept through, rustling the leaves of the towering trees that made up thorny gribe a dense forest known for its labyrinth-like paths.

Inside it, there were portals of created dungeons that had appeared here and were kept in check for students’ use.

They know they will be entering the dungeon but that’s the extent of knowledge they know.

The cadets stood at its edge, their faces a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. Today was an important day.

"Line up!" Emilia called out, her commanding voice cutting through the stillness. She stood at the forefront, her sharp eyes scanning the students as they scrambled into position. Beside her, Alex maintained a rigid posture, his gaze cold and critical.

Emilia glanced at him and asked casually, "What do you think of this year’s batch?"

Alex’s lips curled into disgust, "Too much pretentious."

"Vague arrogance that isn’t backed up with skill and those who have skills, it might get rusted by their attitude.

Emilia didn’t respond, turning her attention back to the cadets and sighed.Looking at class that had the strongest and the lowest, she didn’t need to comment about the atmosphere that was filled with nosy noble brats.

Once everyone was assembled, she spoke again. "Today’s task is straightforward.You will form teams and hunt together. The forest is stocked with beasts, each varying in difficulty. Points will be awarded based on your teamwork, strategy, and efficiency. You have until sundown."

The murmur among the cadets grew louder as they exchanged glances, some with excitement and others with nervous energy.

"Now, on that note, please welcome Professor Linden, Professor Melty, and Professor Haven" Emilia stepped aside, her voice carrying a hint of respect.

From behind her emerged a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and kind hazel eyes. He wore circular gold-framed glasses and carried a polished wooden cane. Despite the cane, he moved with surprising ease. His warm smile immediately softened the tense atmosphere.

Following him was a middle aged woman with tied ponytail hair with a cold expression, and a middle-aged man with sunken cheek pale skin that seemed to be devoid of any warmth.

The place buzzed with the nervous chatter of students, their voices bouncing off the stone walls. A heavy silence fell when Professor Melty and Haven stepped in. The two instructors stood at the front, scanning the young faces before them.

Professor Melty, a tall man with thin-rimmed glasses and sharp eyes, cleared his throat. "Welcome," he said flatly as if he had already grown tired of their presence. His tone wasn’t warm or inviting; rather it was distant, almost annoyed.

Haven, his assistant, stood beside him, arms crossed. Unlike Melty’s cold detachment, she looked almost irritated, her gaze flicking over the students like she was sizing them up. "I assume you all know why you’re here," she said, her voice sharp. "This is not a place for the weak or the unprepared."

A few students exchanged uneasy glances. No one dared to speak.

Melty sighed, adjusting his glasses. "We don’t have time for foolishness. If you’re expecting a warm welcome, you’re in the wrong place. The only thing that matters here is survival."

Haven smirked slightly, though there was no humor in it. "Don’t bother introducing yourselves. Most of you won’t even last long enough for us to remember your names."