S-rank Hunter

Hasha turned back and looked once again to vast pink grasslands. Even though it was daytime, the yellow moon and a small ringed brown moon in the sky were clearly visible. He entered the gate, walked past the streaming green lights, and came out through another, in Earth.

It was still night in there, stars filled the sky and the moon was shining brightly on the village.

Shin was reporting to hunter association people, some were checking the hunters.

Some people, wearing magic imbued gloves, checked the container bag that contained dead goblins.

Only dead monsters, artifacts, items were allowed to be brought. And for alive beings, hunters need a go through certain processes and inspections from Hunter Association. Beings that were alive in a fallen world; monsters, native animals, the beast couldn't enter the gate on their own but, if a hunter wished it to enter the gate while making skin contact with it, could enter the gate.

And it was a rule to inspect the stuff that hunters have brought and if it was a monster then it was more important be it dead or alive.

Besides hunters, guild members, and association staff, there were two or three reporters from a small company.

"Hasha," Ushio called. A tall, black-haired wearing glass and suit, Brother of Hiro in his thirties and currently Hasha's guild master. He asked, " Are you okay? No injuries, anything like that?"

Hasha plunged his large silver sword into the ground. He said, "No I'm okay."

"Good," Ushio said, "Thank you for your hard work! You just save the world."

"Well the thing is ...," Hasha said in a soft voice, " I didn't do anything out there. Others did the most work. They killed the goblins and I didn't get even one. I'm sorry."

Ushio patted on Hasha's armored shoulder, " Haha! It's okay. I know that getting a kill in an E-rank gate is difficult and it's not like you can't kill it. We can try next time."

"About the spoils, I didn't bring any, "Hasha said, " I couldn't do it since, I didn't contribute anything in this mission."

"It's alright," Ushio said, " You can get it next time."

"Thank you," said Hasha, " What's the time?"

"It's 1:42 am," said Ushio looking at his wristwatch, " You were out there about three hours."

"Three hours huh," Hasha said. "Armour off," he cast. His full body golden armor lit up and disappeared, revealing his normal dress; white sleeves, black pants, and white shoes. He then touched the large sword he had plunged into the ground, " Store." His sword, Slayer, lit and disappeared.

Did you take a rest?" Hasha asked.

Ushio answered, "I slept in the jeep."

Hasha looked around and saw a hunter association's female gate manager, putting her hands inside the bright green world gate.

Ushio said, "They are closing the gate now."

Hasha asked, "What about the dead goblin's body inside?"

Ushio replied, "They are few and aren't much value to them. It's an open gate, meaning it's for hunters exclusively, everything in it belongs to the hunters who applied for it. And besides, they can get such goblin from other gates too."

The suited female, gate manager, touched the pillar. Green lights were flowing up gently, touching her hand. She closed her eyes. She released mana from her hand, which was in contact with the green pillar. "Close, " she said and the bright green light pillar dissipate. The surrounding that was bright due to the gate's green light became dark.

Wishing the gate to close while touching it and pouring mana was how gates were closed that is after killing the source. Just as how gates were originated from beings, they could be closed by beings.

Everyone was wrapping up. Some hunters had already left while some were getting ready in their cars. The reporters were also leaving.

Hasha and Ushio got in the jeep.

"Let's go home," Ushio said, " Where's your house? I'll drop you. You live in Tokyo, right? Nerima?"

Hiro was surprised. He thought, "What should I tell him?" He said, "You can drop me anywhere in Shibuya. From there I'll go by myself."

Hiro was from Kyushu which was very far from Tokyo but when he registered as a hunter and filled paper during signing with Ushio's guild he wrote his address Nerima, a city in Tokyo.

Ushio asked," You sure?"

"Yes, " replied Hasha. "But can you drive it's really late you know?"

It was already 2 am, dark, and when most of the people were sleeping.

Ushio said, " Don't worry. I can. This is not my first time. Well if you want we can rest in a hotel nearby until it becomes bright. But I was thinking taking a day off, today and resting all day."

"Whatever the guild master says," said Hasha.

Ushio laughed and started the jeep. Hasha sat in the front seat. beside Ushio. They rode off in the dark road towards Tokyo.

Ushio asked, " So how was it? Your first hunt or mission. How was the fallen world? Wasn't it beautiful?"

"Although I didn't do a thing, it was great and fun," Hasha said, "and the world, it was ... beautiful, I felt like an astronaut standing on a foreign planet. Next time, I am taking my phone there to take pictures."

"Haha, astronaut," Ushio said, " I'm glad that you enjoyed it. There are many worlds like that out there, just beyond that gate."

Hasha said, "Yes, more than 40, it's said."

Ushio looked at Hasha and then looked in front of the road. The roads were dark but lit by the jeep's front lights. It was dark and quiet. Ushio seemed a little worried. He asked, "Did something happen in there? Two hunters got out earlier than the rest of you and they looked really angry."

Hasha rememberd Mianto and Kotaru. He thought, "It must be them." He said," Yes, there were two who were ... arrogant, selfish, doing whatever they want. How did they become hunters? I just don't want to see them, anyone like that."

"Right," Ushio said. He fixed his glass and said, "There are good people and bad people everywhere and the world of hunters is no exception ... not all hunters are there to save the country and it's okay, - to be a hunter for wealth, fame, and power but - not all work hard," he gripped the handle tightly."

Hasha looked at Ushio.

Ushio loosened the grip. He continues, "They say that beyond the gate is the lawless world. The duel between hunters, the conflict between hunters and guilds, crime happens there just like out here."

Ushio stopped the car. "Huff! I should have told you before," he said and looked at Hasha, "I've heard that as you get high in rank and do mission in higher gates, the otherworldly beings are not the only ones you have as your enemies, you will have hunters as you enemies." Ushio looked at the front, " Not all hunters that will be your mission mates will help you, some will stab you from behind in that lawless world." He asked," Do you still want to be a hunter? especially for an unranked guild with no power. "

Hasha looked to the front, in the dark road lit by the jeep's front lights. "I know " he remembered the past: a house in flame, debris, firefighter, and firetruck. He said, " I know how some hunters are the same as criminals and how dangerous it is in the fallen world... but ... I still choose this job besides, having few more enemies won't be a problem. I just need to wipe them out like the other monsters."

"Wipe?" Ushio was surprised how Hasha was calmed and confident. He smiled and turned on the jeep. "Well, it's not like they are everywhere and you will always meet them. Let's pray that you don't have to." They rode off.

The sun rose, while on their way to Tokyo. Hasha was asleep and Ushio was driving.

After some hours they reached the outskirts of the Shibuya.

Hasha had already awakened. "You can drop me here," he said.

"I can drop you at your house, you know," Ushio said.

Hasha smiled, "It's okay! I can go on from here. You should go and rest, you have been driving for a long time."

"Okay!" Ushio said, "About your pay just as you said, I will give it to you in cash tomorrow in the office."

"You mean your apartment," said Hasha.

"Let's take it as a temporary office," Ushio said.

Hasha watched Ushio leave.

"Bro looked happy," Hasha said. He then went to the large green park with trees. He went to a place with no one. "Portal," he said.

A vertical ray of white lights appeared in front of Hasha. It was a portal back to his ship, Oasis, in Antarctica. It was one of his skills, to open a portal, only to his ship, from anywhere. He can go in and anything from the other side comes out.

Hasha thought, " It's really annoying hiding and teleporting but ... I feel like I should hide this teleportation skill of mine, also, I haven't seen others using it nor talking about it. - I think it's okay like this since this teleportation of mine only leads to my ship, not other places." He went in and the portal closed and disappeared. Hasha came out to the throne room.

A large circular room with gray walls and in middle was a half back, u shape stone throne.

Hasha looked around and said, "Visible."

The whole room became transparent, giving the outside view. The whole room became white above, around, and under.

"Snow?" Hasha said after seeing everything white, " Are we buried under the snow.? Let's have a look outside." He swung his hand vertically making the same, white ray, vertical portal. He got in and came out on top of thick snow. He looked around, everything around was mostly white due to snow; the mountains, lands, even the sky were white due to clouds. He was on top of his airship. He could open a portal to any part of the ship.

Oasis was a massive roughly round, black airship. A 2km diameter with four double-pointed legs extending both at the top and below on its outer wall. It looked like a thick saucer standing on its thick pointed metal legs.

Hasha looked around. He thought, "The ship is covered in thick snow. Good! - No one should see it."

The ship was hidden in the mountainous valley, surrounded by mountain ranges.

"I am in Antarctica, yet I'm not feeling that much cold," Hasha thought.

Hiro thought, "It must be because Hasha is strong. In the game, Hasha was already a high-rank adventure and was very strong. He was an S-rank in the game. The rank in the game was based on real-life hunter rank but I doubt Hasha is similar to the S-rank hunters of this world."

S-rank was the highest rank in hunter ranks.

Hasha was wearing summer clothes; white sleeves, black pants, and white shoes and was not affected by the coldness of Antarctica.

He looked around at the beautiful scenery. He thought, " Suddenly I am in Antarctica." He was mesmerized by the beauty of Antarctica. "I should go home before Uncle comes to wake me up." He opened the portal and went in, out to his chamber.

A large room with medieval royal interior with few modern designs. Lit by magic lamps and a large bed.

"I should keep this body on the bed and log out," he thought, " No, I should clean up after all it is my second body that will be using it a lot more." He went to take a shower.

The bathroom was large and had both medieval settings as well as modern.

Hasha looked at himself in the mirror. He observed his body. There were thick purple patterns all over his body. On the face, he had a horizontal thick purple line across the face, under the eyes.

Hiro thought, "This is nothing like my body."

Hiro compared to Hasha was a thin boy, and short 5.7ft. compared to 6.6ft Hasha. Hasha had a lean muscular body, with his height and lean body he looked strong and while wearing full-body golden armor he would look bulkier and menacing like a warrior.

Hasha came out of the shower, with a towel. "Hmm," he had something in his mind. "Clothes, show clothes panel," he tried calling out the game system's panel. "It's not appearing out like in the game," he thought, "It seems Hasha has become a part of reality and everything works like how it should in the real world. But still, Hasha is himself a cheat, of real life."

"Clothes," he called. There was light over his body. It turned into a casual dress: a dark blue shirt, black pants, and black shoes. "The clothes have changed to fit this world, "he thought, "Even though there is no more game's window board, I know what I have with me. Everything is in mind, from clothes to artifacts and weapons, like a memory. I just need to think to know."

In the game, there were panels or boards showing messages, items, weapons, and many other things. Now, there wasn't anything like that. If he wanted to know what stuff he had, stored, then he just needs to think and he would remember.

Hasha then laid down on the bed. "Logout," he said and closed his eyes.

As Hasha closed his eyes, Hiro who was in a gaming pod opened his eyes. He took off his headgear and got out of the gaming pod. He was wearing white sleeves and gray pants.

"I'm not tired," Hiro said, "The other body seems to be asleep when I switch to another body." He looked outside the windows. He said, "It's morning and my day off."

"Hiro," his uncle called from downstairs," Come have breakfast."

"Okay, Uncle," Hiro replied. He thought, "Yesterday, it really was a good idea, pretending to sleep and switching body for tea and dinner. Otherwise, they might have come here and woke me up while I was in the gaming pod. If they have wakened me up then, Hasha might have fallen asleep there. Huff - Looks like I need to somehow manage here and there." Hiro went down for breakfast with his uncle and aunt.

The day before when Hasha and Ushio were on their way to the Tenkawa Village where the world gate was, Hasha had logout two times while pretending to sleep in the jeep. Then back at home Hiro woke up and made time for tea, small talks at first, and in the second he made time for dinner, also told them that he will be busy gaming. This way he made time as Hiro in a faraway village and as Hasha at another village as Hunter for his first hunt.