[The Hunter’s Followers]

The term “Hunter” doesn’t just refer to the protagonist of the Snow Castle; it also describes those who roam cities outside of Rondan, hunting down Outsiders, calling themselves “Hunters.”

In essence, they can be viewed as the followers of anyone bearing the title “Hunter.”

However, this particular man may have been a follower of the Hunter, but he treaded a different path.

The man, who belonged to that circle, held neither deep reverence nor awe for the Hunter. He was merely leveraging the Hunter’s achievements to carve out his own path, harboring some ulterior motives for potential gains.

In the process of being a follower, he acquired a unique skill: the ability to discern and judge things by scent.

Among the various skills he had picked up, the most useful one was the ability to perceive the scent of Outsiders in different colors. The color changed according to the rank of the Outsider, and the one time he had faced an Outsider, he had detected a fiery red.

It could be considered a survival skill of exceptional worth.

After that encounter, weighing the risks involved, the man quickly decided that he had more to lose than gain by staying and promptly made his escape to become a Candle.

His activities as a Candle weren’t bad. In fact, he could argue that getting in was a stroke of luck.

Roaming in the snow and picking people off was surprisingly lucrative. If he could just hijack the railway connecting the cities and steal from merchants, supplies would never run short; thus, he felt quite satisfied.

Indeed, he felt far freer than being under scrutiny by a Hearth.

As long as he was crafty enough to sniff out the most powerful Candles and Outsiders in the snowstorm, he didn’t foresee any problems.

“I’m lucky,” he thought. “No, it’s my skill and judgment that are sharp to have me riding high.”

That is until he stumbled upon something unexpected.

“What the heck is that?”

It was a dog. No, a wolf? Or perhaps a fox, but not really any of those.

It was an eye.

An eye that seemed to pierce through him, as though it wanted to preserve every ounce of his being for eternity.

The protective charm he had taken from a knight began to burn away.

His head spun as blood trickled from his nose inside his mask, staining the ground covered in snow with red.

His mind struggled to function properly.

He forced his bloodshot eyes shut, trying to block his view.

Then, a scent filled the air, one that screamed of danger.

Red.

Yes, everything was red.

Why? Why? Why?

Why had an Outsider suddenly appeared?

Then, a foreign scent other than the red alighted on his nostrils.

Another Outsider?

No.

The source of that scent had distinctly taken on a human form.

Along with the feeble whiff of flames.

Yes, this scent belonged to the human from Rondan whom they had been planning to pick off.

White hair, with a soft demeanor that made one think he could easily make a girl cry.

He had a face that suggested a mere threat could strip everything away from him.

Yet at this moment, the Rondan human looked far from human.

Ever since that Outsider had emerged, the scent had drastically changed.

Black.

It wasn’t merely red; it was black—lacking all colors, brimming with potential danger.

The warning alarms blared in this man’s brain, signaling jeopardy he had never been in before.

What on earth is that person?

Is he even human to begin with?

Overcome with overwhelming fear, his reasoning began to crumble.

—

“Ah, I’m becoming transparent again!” (Bell)

Oh, is it already time for another disappearance?

I could feel Bell’s body slowly fading, becoming more and more transparent until, eventually, she vanished completely.

But before I could even react, her playful voice echoed in the air.

“Heehee, I’ll be back again.”

In the back of my mind, I could sense the Watcher moving around, maybe scratching or licking the wall where the hole had vanished. It’s kinda nice to be missed so much, even if it’s a bit annoying.

Sorry, Bell, but I really don’t have time to chat right now.

A sudden shiver ran down my spine.

Even though the summoning was brief, the power of the Outsider, the Watcher, was intense. I hadn’t fully realized just how strong they were until I saw them in action.

I tightened my grip on the party whistle in my hand.

Being strong is great and all, but Bell’s time with me was way shorter than before. I wasn’t exactly sure why, but I had a pretty good guess.

It probably had something to do with the number of Outsiders we’d encountered. Even with the limitations at the Hearth, Bell had somehow managed to fully extend herself and save me—something she hadn’t done before.

Sure, the cooldown for the ability was long, but it bothered me that I could only summon Bell or the Gardener for such a short time.

Still, even in that brief moment, being able to call on an Outsider in a pinch was incredibly useful.

“…Hmm.”

So, what now?

[A Sudden Chilling Voice]

That voice, which made the hairs on my back stand up slightly…

“…I said I would help too, but I see it’s not really needed.”

That voice, which seemed to carry an oddly wistful tone, could I just be imagining it?

…I thought to myself that the next time I call someone, I must definitely summon the Gardener first.

Lost in my thoughts, I noticed that the Candle, which had earlier been brimming with murderous intent, was now trembling in fear, likely thanks to Bell’s appearance.

“What on earth happened?”

“I have a headache.”

“Blood’s pouring out of my nose…”

Was this a way of protecting their brain from indescribable fear?

Some of them appeared so stunned by the Watcher’s short descent that they seemed to have lost their memory.

The others, it seemed, had either managed to withstand the shock or began to throw down their weapons and flee in a panic.

Among the fleeing crowd, one of them was the Candle known for its keen sense of smell.

Figures, a Candle that looks tough is as loyal as a wet noodle.

Well, why would raiders have any loyalty, after all?

Bang!

The sound of a gunshot rang out.

Huh.

I turned my head and saw a Candle hiding a gun under its cloak, now pointing it at me.

Of course.

If the Hunter uses a gun, there’s no way these guys wouldn’t have one, too.

However…

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Despite the multiple gunshots, the shooter looked utterly flabbergasted.

“Damn it! Why aren’t any of my shots hitting?”

Thanks to the food the Cook had given me, even with Bell gone, I was still able to dodge the incoming bullets with minimal effort.

Yeah, let’s put that Cook’s food buff to the test right now.

In this Dark Fantasy world, it’s kill or be killed!

When the bullets proved ineffective, I decided to charge at the fleeing lot.

As I got closer, someone swiftly whipped out a dagger and threw it at me.

They probably intended to increase the distance between us.

Smart move.

But…

Just like I did back at the Cook’s restaurant, I found that my body wasn’t quite cooperating.

“Ugh, Aaaah!”

“What, what the heck! Argh!”

With newfound physical prowess, my body moved as I envisioned.

I caught the incoming dagger and hurled it back.

I didn’t hear the sickening squelch that should have accompanied it.

Instead, there was a “poof!” sound, and it fell to the ground without a scratch.

It felt like I was playing a game.

Even as the next opponent approached me stealthily from behind, I swung my fist, and the sound of armor crashing against armor echoed as they hit the ground.

Although I disliked scary things, I had always taken PvP games seriously.

Yet, with the impact sounds like that, it kind of took the wind out of my sails.

Perhaps the forceful action activated something.

“Ow, ow…”

My fists were starting to hurt, even if my durability had overwhelmingly increased.

Isn’t it the case that when physical strength rises, everything else goes up too?

Why had only my strength improved?

Another mystery of being an Outsider.

Still, with this level of ability, I felt confident I could take down all the remaining Candles without breaking a sweat.

Given I couldn’t tell how long this Americano-fueled heat would last, I stood up again to take down at least one more.

“Stop moving! Or this one won’t come out of this in one piece!”

Just then, one Candle pressed a knife against the Undying Woman’s neck, threatening her.

Ah, right.

I had completely forgotten about her while too focused on not letting my guard down.

After all, she probably wouldn’t die, so it could be fine to leave her there, right?

The Undying Woman captured by the Candles stood there with a blank expression, seemingly unfazed.

Even though it was a dangerous situation, she was awfully at ease about it.

“Hey, can’t you hear me? If you don’t surrender and follow our words, this one is in danger!”

Guess they are merciless killers, after all.

Since they couldn’t take me by force, they chose to use hostages.

If I had my way, I’d love to say, “Go on, give it a try,” but maybe I could take advantage of this chance to strike back, so I decided to keep quiet.

If they did try to attack, I’d just wait for the gap to counterattack.

Just as I was thinking that…

Twang!

Suddenly, a loud springing sound echoed.

“…?”

My jaw dropped at what was unfolding before me.

The Undying Woman, previously standing still, pulled her right hand free from her captor, then with a fist, struck the Candle holding her down near the face.

That was it, but the Candle’s head flew off in a flurry like LEGO pieces scattering everywhere.

Thud-thud-thud.

Thanks to the Mode, it sounded like plastic hitting the ground.

“E-eh?”