New Member(2)

"Hunters are what you call people who hunt Gin. In short, they protect humans,"

Leonard began, his voice steady as he spoke with a casual authority.

He paused for a moment, crossing his arms in a relaxed manner before continuing.

"But not all of them are pure hunters. What I mean is, it's rare to find people who possess Mun. And even if some do, their Mun is often limited and gets depleted quickly. That's why organizations like ours exist in large numbers—to fill the gaps."

Leonard explained effortlessly, his demeanor calm yet commanding.

Haru nodded slowly, though his mind buzzed with curiosity.

"Gin?"

Haru asked, completely clueless about what Leonard was referring to.

His brows furrowed as he tried to piece it together.

Was this something taught in school? He wouldn't know—he had dropped out long ago.

As Leonard's words sank in, unfamiliar terms began swirling in Haru's mind.

He vaguely recalled hearing about a news story where someone's head supposedly exploded.

Leonard, however, wasn't surprised by Haru's ignorance.

In fact, he had expected this reaction. Looking at Haru, who seemed like someone who had just crawled out of a cave, what more could he expect?

Hm?

"You must have seen strange entities, like ghosts, roaming around daily, right?"

Leonard asked, his tone direct yet casual.

Haru's eyes widened in shock, his breath hitching.

Leonard's statement hit him like a thunderclap.

What he said was undeniably true.

Since childhood, Haru had been able to see "creatures"—entities that came in all shapes and forms.

At first, he had been terrified of them, but over time, he grew so used to their presence that he regarded them as nothing more than flies buzzing around.

Some were harmless, simply wandering aimlessly, while others were downright absurd.

Haru vividly remembered one particular incident: a headless man spying on women's underwear.

He didn't want to believe it at the time, but he had seen it with his own eyes. ಠ⁠,⁠_⁠｣⁠ಠ

The creature would probably have been traumatized if it discovered that the underwear actually belonged to a man.

Haru knew this horrifying detail because the ghosts—or whatever they were—made sure to tell him(he don't want to know tho)

He wanted to vomit just thinking about it.

Please. I didn't want to know that. Ever.

Despite his lifelong encounters, Haru often wondered if he was some sort of psychic or simply cursed.

"B-but how...?"

Haru stammered, his voice trembling.

Leonard smirked faintly at Haru's reaction, his smile not entirely friendly.

It was more like the grin of a teacher enjoying a student's confusion over a tricky question.

"Gin is what we call them,"

Leonard began, his voice steady yet grim.

"They're not ghosts. To be specific, they're hybrids—part ghost, part monster. They're born from intense human resentment and negative emotions. Gin are usually invisible to the naked eye, but the stronger their emotions, the easier they are to see."

"This phenomenon wasn't widespread for centuries, but..."

Leonard trailed off, allowing Lia to chime in with a frown.

"In the last few decades, they've resurfaced—and with a vengeance. They've become more aggressive and much more active,"

Lia said, her tone heavy with concern.

Lucy, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, nodded in agreement.

"Gin harm and kill countless innocent humans. That's why people like us, who can fight them, are so rare. But this guy..."

Lucy gestured lazily toward Leonard.

"He collects us like he's picking up random rocks off the street."

"Oi,"

Leonard muttered under his breath, though he didn't deny it.

"And Gin have levels too,"

Nay added with an unsettling cheerfulness, like she was explaining a fun video game.

"The higher their level, the more dangerous they are. And guess what? They grow stronger by consuming humans. They can drain blood, suck out souls, steal energy, or just chomp them down—yum yum!"

Nay clapped her hands for emphasis.

Haru was dumbfounded.

Wtf

His jaw dropped so low it might as well have hit the floor.

"W-what!?"

He exclaimed, his voice cracking with shock.

The world was already vast and mysterious, but this was beyond anything his mind could comprehend.

His entire body tensed at the thought of these horrifying creatures preying on humans.

It was terrifying!

Bzzzzzzzz.

"Yeah, that's about it. Now close your mouth—oh, a fly's already in there,"

Lucy commented, her expression contorting into one of pure disgust.

Her brow furrowed, and her lips twisted downward as she gritted her teeth.

ಠ⁠益⁠ಠ

Haru, mortified, quickly shut his mouth.

He didn't want to leave a bad impression on everyone, but he had completely forgotten about the fly.

His face, which had just started to regain some color, flushed red with embarrassment again.

Bzzzzzzzzz. (Still inside his mouth).

Everyone's faces collectively shifted into expressions of shock and disbelief.

ಠ⁠益⁠ಠ

'The fly... it's still in there!'

Bzzz!

BZZZZZzzzz!

HOK!

"That's sounds like a pig.whose pig is that?"

Nay asked, her confusion evident.

But then her face morphed into pure horror when she saw Haru.

"!"

Haru was now lying on the floor, clutching his throat with both hands as if something was lodged inside.

His eyes turned red from coughing too hard.

The fly, unable to find an escape route, mistook the darkness of his throat for an exit and confidently flew deeper.

EHOK HOK HOK!

Panic spread like wildfire.

"Are you okay?!"

"Hey! Breathe, idiot!"

"HAKU?!" (Nay forgot his name. Again.)

Haru's face turned pale and bluish as he struggled to breathe.

Nay, panicked beyond reason, grabbed the first thing she could find and hurled it at Lucy.

"TAKE THIS!"

Nay shouted, throwing a gas pipe she had forcibly yanked out of the kitchen.

"THIS IS A GAS PIPE, YOU IDIOT, NOT AN OXYGEN TANK! WHAT'S THE POINT?!"

Lucy screamed, dodging it.

Suddenly—

"WHO PULLED OUT THE GAS PIPE?! WE'RE GONNA BLOW UP!"

From every angle, it was clear that none of them possessed enough Mun to handle the situation.

If anyone were to die first, Lucy would likely burn to a crisp in an uncontrolled blaze, or Nay would suffocate.

Lia might have been helpful in theory.

But the noise was overwhelming for her.

Lia couldn't focus or remain calm in chaotic situations; the tranquility that fueled her Mun vanished in an instant—much like the money of those reading this story.

"Lia, do something with your wind!"

Lucy shouted desperately.

"Oh, yeah!"

Lia responded, suddenly snapping out of her daze.

"But how?!"

Lia froze, unsure of where to start.

"WHAT"

Out of nowhere, Lucy jumped into the conversation.

"Guys, I found something useful!"

She held up an old, rusted plunger.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT PLUNGER?! PUT IT BACK!"

Lia screamed, incredulous at the absurdity of it.

Among them, Leonard, the eldest and most experienced, was the only one who remained calm.

He exhaled slowly, closing his eyes before opening them again, his composure unwavering.

Sigh... What would happen to these kids if I weren't here? He thought, already preparing to perform an emergency technique.

But it didn't come to that.

The fly miraculously exited Haru's mouth, making its way through his nostril.

Bzzzzzzzz (I'm free!)

The room fell silent.

"..."

.....

"Cough cough...you probably already know my uncle's name. I'm Lucy Beauregard, a fire Mun user, as you can see. Welcome to hell, new member."

Lucy slumped into one of the few intact chairs, her posture relaxed but her expression sharp, despite the room around them looking like an abandoned ruin.

"...."

"What?"

"My name is Magnolia Quinnell. I'm a wind Mun user. Nice to meet you, Haru."

Lia introduced herself, offering a small but polite smile.

"Hey, hey! I'm Nayla, but you can call me Nay. I'm a water Mun user!"

Nay's voice brimmed with excitement as she bounced slightly, her energy infectious.

Haru nodded slowly, but before he could respond, Nay lunged at him with a death grip of a hug.

"..!"

Oxygen!

Please!

Help!

Haru felt like he was being crushed beneath a massive boulder.

"I'm... Haru Kugaru... an earth Mun user..."

He managed to gasp out, his voice muffled by Nay's embrace.

Nay's sparkling blue eyes lit up like the morning sky as she released him, practically vibrating with excitement.

"THAT'S SO COOL!"

She exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

"Earth? That's a rare Mun, too,"

Lucy said, her disbelief evident.

She leaned forward, scrutinizing Haru as if trying to figure out whether he was real.

Based on her knowledge, Muns like fire, water, wind, earth, and a few others had been passed down from ancient times.

They were incredibly rare in the modern day, almost unheard of.

"Yeah,"

Lia agreed, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Leonard.

She had noticed a trend.

Rare Mun users seemed to be drawn to him, even though they were nearly extinct.

Is this fate, or is Leonard just ridiculously lucky?

She wondered.

"Leader, congrats! You got another rare member. You're so cool!"

Nay chirped, giving Leonard a thumbs-up.

Leonard's metaphorical pride grew so much that his imaginary nose extended to the ends of the earth, outdoing even Pinocchio.

Lucy and Lia exchanged deadpan expressions, silently judging him.

Meanwhile, Haru was stunned.

He couldn't stop saying that this was the first time people didn't insult him for his Mun.

Instead, they praised it—even if only a little.

For once, he didn't feel like a freak or an outcast.

No insults.

No hatred.

Is it because they're like me? Do they understand what it's like?

In the past, whenever Haru's Mun leaked accidentally—even when he wasn't doing anything—people would curse him as a "monster," a "prick," a "loser," or, worst of all, tell him, "You don't deserve to live," or "Just die already."

They insulted his mother, calling her a "whore" for giving birth to a "monster," even though they'd never met her.

He hated it.

Hated it.

Hated it.

Sometimes, they threw stones or rotten food at him, other times they beat him, or they simply avoided him entirely.

It was one of the reasons he dropped out of school, isolating himself from the world.

Whenever he was hurt, the only comfort he had was holding himself and whispering reassurances into the silence.

He'd attempted to take his life several times. But each time, he'd end up sitting in a dark corner, crying, hugging himself, repeating, "I don't want to die," over and over.

The thought of killing those who hurt him often crept into his heart, but the memory of his mother's warmth held him back.

But her warmth was fading.

Each day, it became harder to remember.

One day,Haru had overheard rumors about people with strange powers in the City of Haven, one of the largest metropolises in the world.

And so, he came here, hoping to find something—or someone.

Now, for the first time, he smiled.

A warm, gentle smile that seemed almost foreign to his own face .

Everyone stared at him, bewildered, wondering if he had lost his mind after two back-to-back incidents.

But they had to admit, his smile made him look more alive.

It was oddly reassuring.

But there's always this one creature who broke the moment.

"Ahhh, you actually look human when you're smiling!"

Nay blurted out, grinning wide.

!

Everyone's eyes widened in alarm.

They knew what was coming next.

They needed to stop her. NOW.

"You know, I thought you were a robot before! You're so stiff! You're so skinny—eat more later. Your hair looks like seaweed. I'll ask Lia or the leader to cut it for you. Don't let Lucy do it; she'll shave you bald and make you look like an egg! Do you wa—HMMMMPH!"

Lucy and Lia tackled Nay, clamping their hands over her mouth to stop the flood of words.

Haru shocked.

If left unchecked, Nay's honesty could set the world on fire—or, at the very least, cause massive embarrassment.

She had a habit of saying whatever came to mind, no matter how blunt.

Still muffled, Nay looked confused.

What? Did I say something wrong?

Mini Theater #001

Leonard: "The question is, have you ever been to school?"

Lucy: "Of course! I just graduated last year. Isn't that normal?"

Lia: "I only did online school."

Lucy: "Rich kids really are on another level, huh."

Haru: "Me? I dropped out of school, haha..."

Lucy: "No need to say it. Just looking at you, I could tell."

Nay: "That sounds so fun! Should I try going to school too?"

All: "..."Should they laugh or feel sad?