"Aside from having good physical fitness, as well as being proficient in gun and fighting techniques, an outstanding Demon Hunter should at least possess a certain level of expertise when it comes to surviving in the wilderness, having the ability to treat themselves, and be able to understand the contents of secret documents as if it were the back of one's hand—information like the different clans and types of demons, or the classification of degenerates…"
In his memories, a commander, who had a head full of white hair, and eyes like a hawk's, loudly scolded him, "As a Demon Hunter, you'll have to know how to maintain your weapon in good condition. It's your comrade in wars, and a companion that's closer to you than your lover!"
Many fighting skills, gun skills, and wilderness survival memories, which formed the foundations of being a Demon Hunter, were discovered by Fang Yuan.
It's a pity that Hulk had an average aptitude and was only at a the level of a newbie even though he had trained so laboriously.
At that moment, Fang Yuan looked at his large sword.
It was an accurate depiction of a Demon Hunter's large sword; it was one meter long, broad handled, and its body was silver due to the Secret Silver that was added in when it was forged.
The Secret Silver in Alcala Mainland was a completely different substance from the Secret Silver that was in the legends of western fantasy from before.
Although it was also very precious, its production was adequate enough to be used by low-level Demon Hunters.
"Secret Silver and the Night Family Clan have the ability to burn, hence it was put in the weapons of all the Demon Hunters… Of course, the Secret Silver itself is fragile, and it would be suicide if it was solely used to create weapons. It can only be used when casted with gold through the various other secret formulas that the casting masters each have respectively…"
Fang Yuan stretched out his hands to hold onto his personal sword and felt as if he was connected to the sword—this was the result of endless training and practice. His own hands were very familiar with every inch of the sword.
"Starry Night!"
The sword's hilt was wrapped in a layer of thinly packed silk, and there were a few characters at the end of it that carved out the name of the sword.
"In the future… you'll come with me!"
He put on the black leather jacket and used a belt to hold the sword in place, on his back.
Starry Night was a heavy sword, weighing over 50 pounds. When it was placed horizontally, it was normal, but holding onto it now… Fang Yuan felt like he was carrying a large mountain.
"Phew…" Fang Yuan released a long breath and put away his lovely gun.
The redwood handle of this flintlock already had a layer of gloss that gave it an indescribable beauty. However, Hulk gave it a terrible name—Howling Grief!
"This sword and gun will be 'Howling Grief under the Starry Night' when they're put together?"
Fang Yuan was at a loss for words and looked into the mirror. "I can't believe that you actually had such a bad sense of humor…"
What appeared in the mirror was a youth's face. It had a tall nose, sunken eyes, and snow-white skin like a pure westerner. However, the pupils were as black as a gemstone. His head was covered in wine-red hair that stood on end as if they were sharp thorns, seemingly full of life.
"Time to leave."
He pushed open the room's door and arrived at the bar outside.
In an instant, the noise and the smell of alcohol surrounded him.
The bar was mostly filled with Demon Hunters from this area. They wore either leather jackets or windbreakers, a cap on their heads, and occasionally revealed weapons such as throwing knives. They were drinking wine and eating meat in a hurry.
As Demon Hunters, it was common to be in a precarious state. No one would know when they would actually die in the battlefield the next day, hence, they had the typical attitude of enjoying the present.
"Oh, look who it is?"
At that moment, a Demon Hunter with gold hair saw Fang Yuan and raised his cup immediately. "Isn't it lucky Hulk? We should applaud his ability to escape death!"
"F*ck!"
Many Demon Hunters either winked, smiled kindly, or loudly yelled out for the sake of finding an excuse to drink their beer, before finishing the beer in their cups in one go.
"I heard that you had an intense fight with that demon, are you missing any body parts?"
The gold-haired youth came closer harboring some evil intentions.
"Becky, stop your nonsense!" Becky was reprimanded by Uncle Jock who had furrowed his brows while cleaning the glass cups behind the bar counter.
"I'm not playing… I'm only concerned about Hulk!" Becky suddenly hit his own forehead and said, "Could the rumor be true… Hulk was seriously injured by the demon and has lost his ability to be a Demon Hunter?"
He intentionally talked loudly, attracting gazes full of pity.
If it were other teenagers that had poorer self-esteem, then he would've rushed out of the door.
However, Fang Yuan had a rich history and only smiled after hearing what he said. He suddenly went dangerously close. "Even if I suffered from a minor injury, I can still use one hand to kill you. Do you believe that, Becky?"
Despite currently not having the strength to even truss a chicken, he was still able to concentrate his loftiness and make Becky retreat several steps, to the point that he almost bumped into the bar counter.
This type of formless confrontation caused the eyes of Jock and a few other old Demon Hunters to light up in an instant.
"To think that Hulk has the stance of a strong man now, it's a pity…" Jock shook his head slowly and looked at Fang Yuan, who was sitting in front of the bar counter. "You can't drink!"
"I know, give me a cup of soda and one serving of steak please!" Fang Yuan smiled and placed a few notes on the counter.
"You're being way too polite. Mary! Mary!"
Jock was stumped for words before going on to keep the money and pour a cup of soda for Fang Yuan. "The steak will be served by Mary in a moment, eat more!"
A young girl came out from the kitchen behind him. She looked about 20 plus years-old, she had a sexy figure that made several drunk men whistle.
"Your steak!"
Thump!
She dumped the plate in front of Fang Yuan, and the table made a low thud.
"Thank you!" Fang Yuan nodded his head, took up the knife and fork, and began to wolf down the food. The rich steak was very chewy, and with the taste of black pepper, they formed a spark in his mouth.
Seeing how Becky was star-struck, he somehow knew why this young Demon Hunter couldn't look him eye-to-eye.
Being Uncle Jock's lovely daughter, Mary had a high position among the young Demon Hunters. Her presence was basically a goddess to them.
Of course, if it was only this, Becky wouldn't hate Hulk that much.
"Uncle Jock was an Elite Demon Hunter before he was demobilized. He had decent savings and also opened a bar like this… He only has this one daughter, if one were to marry her, then they would have both the daughter and the wealth… If it was only the daughter, he might not have lost control. However, with the wealth, especially since Uncle Jock thinks highly of me, I immediately became his greatest enemy!"
Fang Yuan's heart was like a mirror and was able to clearly reflect the state of the gold-haired Demon Hunter's heart.
"At the moment… he showed his power and prestige by attacking me as if he was a male animal showing off his muscles to fight for the chance to mate with the female, how childish!"
Of course, to idolize a strong person is also part of human nature.
Mary's attitude towards him had turned cold, and it was obvious what the reason was.
This is the hypocrisy of the world, there are few people who can be unyielding from the beginning 'till the end.
After eating his fill, Fang Yuan went in front of Jock and said, "Uncle… I'm here to bid farewell this time!"
"What? It seems like you still chose to go along with your childhood dreams!" Uncle Jock sighed. "Have you prepared to go to the Union's headquarter? I can arrange the way for you…"
"It's alright, I would like to wander around first to try my luck!" Fang Yuan smiled.
"Luck?!" A hint of suspicion flashed through Jock's eyes. "Could it be that you're thinking of… No way, that's too dangerous, you should at least nurse yourself back to full health before doing anything!"
"My body is already at its limit by being able to recover to this point… If I don't solve that problem next, then I wouldn't be able to recover fully!"
No matter what Jock said to keep Fang Yuan back, Fang Yuan had already made the decision to leave home.
How could he treat his wounds if he didn't leave this place? Furthermore, he would need to keep the secret of advancing quickly from these familiar people?
"Please don't worry, I guarantee that I would never provoke those things if I didn't have the confidence!"
Fang Yuan half-rose out of his chair in a polite gesture and said, "Thank you for the care that you've always given to me!"
He promptly left the pub without looking back.
"Sigh…"
Jock opened his mouth but didn't say any words of persuasion.
He went to the back of the kitchen, looked at Mary, who was pretending to be busy, and raged, "Why do you have to be like this? After all, he grew up with you."
As an experienced old Demon Hunter, he could sense that his daughter's cold attitude wasn't only about the small matter today!
"Why? It's to kill his hope of course!" Mary proudly raised her head. "If he was still the Demon Hunter from before, then I might've followed father's intentions and marry him, after all, he would only need to keep the family business going. However, it's obvious that he cannot provide me with shelter now, why do I still have to act like before? Father… you've done enough things for him. You can already pay his parents back solely based on the bottle of treatment water…"
"Wait, who told you about that matter? Sophia?" A large crease formed between his brows as he was able to quickly guess the answer.
At this moment, it was as if his bones were stripped away—he looked much older.
"Sigh… The affairs of youngsters, figure it out on your own!" Jock sighed and walked out slowly.
He originally had the idea of letting Hulk into the family, but at this point in time, he had no idea anymore.
After witnessing this scene, Mary didn't know why but she felt that her heart turned cold as if she had done something very wrong.
However, she promptly clenched her small fist. "I'm not in the wrong, I want to pursue my own happiness! To find a man that really loves me and can protect me!"
…
The night breeze was cold.
Amidst waves of laughter of either teasing or kindness, Fang Yuan left the alley that Axe Bar was in.
"My encounter just now seems to be a version of a novel with a good-for-nothing protagonist; I was seriously injured, then, the engagement was dismissed. I would feel sorry if I didn't rise up to prove myself…"
Fang Yuan wrapped the windbreaker closer to himself, and thought about it, seeking happiness amidst sorrow.
The gas lamps outside haven't been lit yet. Then, after walking two streets out, his surroundings began to darken.
Fang Yuan quivered, and solemnly held onto Starry Night.