The Animagus: From Hunter to Monster

Chapter 25 The Night Before

Buji stood in front of the blue shimmering portal, adjusting his uniform as he gazed at the portal in his front. He glanced down at his weapon—a sword, not too long but has sharp edges enough to slit a throat with one swing. 'Not bad, from an old friend anyway.'

He suddenly remembered what had happened the night before then. He was in his room, practicing the new moves he learned from sneaking around combat lessons when he had a knock on his door.

Even though he was hesitant to open the door at first, on a later thought decided to check out who it was. Lo, and behold, it was Emra. And that kept him thinking, 'What was she here for this time?'

Allowing Emra to come in, he poked his face sideways, from left to right, to be sure it was only Emra who had come. Nobody seemed to be working on the corridor way, so, Emra was here alone.

But why? Was it not risky for a boy to visit a girl's room or vice versa?

Whichever the case might be, he hoped nothing was wrong. However, he closed the door behind him and was sure not to lock it, in case things turned out unexpected.

Emra would be a tough match for him. So, if what he was thinking should come, he could easily run out of his room.

On his right hand, was the mob stick which he used to practice, held in a slant position. While hung on the room's ceiling fan hanger, was a pillow.

Emra chuckled after observing this. Putting her observation behind, she decided to start up the discussion.

"You're going for your first raid tomorrow, no?"

"Yeah. Why do you care?"

"Well, I won't be engaging myself with the raid tomorrow that was why I came by."

"Excuse me, what do you mean?" Buji asked to clear the confusion that was about setting in.

"You should have known. Everything is there in the student's group chat."

"And what if I say I've gotten no time to check out the thousands of messages in that chat? That day, my phone won the award for the best beep sounder and dancer. All as a result of bothering messages."

"Buji, no message you will find in the group is bothering anyway. They just ease of bored most times, and pass out information sometimes. You should only get used to it."

'Even at that, stop blabbing already and state your reason for being here.'

"Of course, I don't have to await your reply. Let me be straight to the point. Only you won't be raiding the fake dungeon tomorrow, you were teamed with the second year's team to raid a real dungeon."

"You're getting me confused. What's all this fuss about real and fake dungeons? Make things clear, at least this last time," Buji managed to ask.

"The only difference between these two kinds of dungeon was that treasures weren't hidden in the fake dungeons."

'Did she just say treasure? What treasure? Oh...'

The findings any team will make after a raid determined the amount each member of the team was going to be receiving as payment. Totally, the hunters will be earning the stipulated salary for their rank plus the worth of their gifts or treasures.

So, in a day, someone can make up to a million huncoins. Solely depending on the treasure found inside. Most high paid hunters were the B, A, and S-rank hunters, because, they found more expensive treasures inside.

'Now, I get the whole jerk,' Buji analyzed, nodding his head in affirmation of his thoughts.

He, however, decided to listen to Emra's sermon. Somehow, he felt she hadn't told him what she had come to his room for. But he has decided to trail the bull at the back until it clears the way for his path. He decided to wait a little longer.

"I really don't know how well you've prepared since I had for this past weeks, you weren't with an instructor that would guide you. So, I brought you this since I'm sure you have got none," Emra claimed, unfolding a wrapped clothe on her hand to reveal a short sword.

Normally, once you begin lessons, you are made to choose your best weapon for use, especially the Combat awakeners.

Handing over the sword to Buji, Emra let him know that it was from her dad. He had asked to give it to Buji a day before his first raid. And beside her was a book, the book Buji had longed to get but knew not how to.

'Why am I just seeing these now? Had she come inside with them?'

Just then, Emra handed out the book Buji had seen earlier. It was his old book which he was instructed to read a day before he went for his first raid.

Buji dropped the sword on the desk beside his window and quickly collected the book from Emra. He rubbed his hands against his front and back surface as if welcoming its return and his mind drifted back to what Emra had said earlier. He just didn't understand.

"Excuse me. Had you said I was going to be raiding a real dungeon?" Buji asked, and the reply he got was affirmative.

And that was how he got himself in front of this blue-lighted portal, which shimmered with intense energy.

'What... just what am I going to meet in there?'