Just ntioning Uma Musu hunters was enough to ignite Kitahara Sota's rage.
Aside from their utterly inhumane thods, what infuriated him most was that these bastards seed to follow him everywhere he went, striking wherever he turned up.
Before entering Tracen, when he chatted with a trusted veteran—one of the few adults he respected besides the retired designer—he learned there had been 68 Uma Musu hunting incidents throughout JP in recent years.
And he alone had encountered 64 of them.
Are you assholes hunting Uma Musu or hunting ?
Where are the Three Goddesses when you need them?!
Despite preferring a calm, plant-like existence devoid of trouble, the Uma Musu hunting business was clearly beyond his limits. This was sothing he couldn't simply ignore.
While most incidents could be resolved by informing the police or Uma Musu security teams—or even simply alerting nearby adults—not all were that easy.
For instance, the incident involving Special Week. By the ti he'd discovered what had happened, Special Week had already been captured and loaded onto a transport. He'd had no ti to call for help; his only option was to act personally.
Sure, he could've asked the police and local villagers to form a search party and scour the mountains. But Uma Musu hunters weren't like ordinary traffickers. They wouldn't hesitate to kill if cornered, since even a dead Uma Musu fetched a high price—easier to transport, too.
He wasn't about to gamble Special Week's life on their desperation. Instead, he tracked them himself, found an opportunity to free Special Week, and together they subdued the hunters and escaped.
However, before leaving, he'd told Special Week he needed a bathroom break. Then he discreetly drugged the hunters further, crippled their ability to move, and left them bleeding, scattering their blood around.
Unable to move, bleeding out in the wilderness—what would happen next?
Kitahara didn't know and didn't care.
He hadn't killed them directly, after all. Being attacked by wild beasts in the mountains was entirely plausible, wasn't it?
Yet even Special Week's incident wasn't the worst he'd experienced—it only ranked slightly above average difficulty among the situations he'd faced.
Most Uma Musu hunters were amateurs blinded by greed: poorly ard, small in number, and lacking experience.
But not all were that easy.
The toughest group he'd encountered consisted of nearly thirty trained professionals—disciplined, organized, and dangerously well-equipped:
Crossbows, hunting rifles, tranquilizer darts, night-vision goggles, bulletproof vests…
This was a world with almost no major conflicts, where military technology and weaponry were incredibly limited. JP was particularly strict on firearms, making such an outfit absurdly overpowered.
So how had Kitahara dealt with them?
Simple: he hadn't.
He'd only been a child back then. Incapacitating four or five adults through drugging and ambushes was already pushing his limits. Taking on a trained unit directly was pure suicide.
But did that an he stood helplessly aside while they captured Uma Musu?
Of course not.
He couldn't face them alone, but who said he was alone?
First was Eclipse, who refused to heed his warnings and insisted on joining him. As for the other…
To this day, he still didn't know her na.
He only knew she was around the sa age as the retired designer, had a terrible temper, and was frighteningly strong. Ard with nothing but a wooden sword, she'd easily cut down half the enemy force.
Eclipse had dealt with the remainder.
And Kitahara himself?
He'd quietly followed behind the two girls. For each opponent they knocked down, he delivered a final blow, ensuring no survivors.
Unlike Eclipse, who fought viciously but not necessarily lethally, Kitahara preferred quiet efficiency—he simply finished them off.
After dispatching half of them, the older Uma Musu wielding the wooden sword noticed him, her eye twitching slightly in annoyance.
"I was leaving them alive for interrogation."
Ah. Well, my mistake.
He imdiately withdrew.
After that incident, he'd beco acquainted with this fearso person.
However, likely due to her occupation, she was often busy and greatly disliked interruptions. Unless she approached him first, even a casual holiday greeting via LINE risked earning a scolding.
Unlike the retired designer who expressed displeasure verbally or through petty revenge, this woman preferred settling matters physically, often quite harshly.
Thus, even after a month at Tracen, Kitahara hadn't contacted her once—not even to inform her of his arrival—fearing it might disturb her work and earn him a beating later.
Curiously, despite eting many kind elderly Uma Musu in his travels, these two with unpleasant personalities had ironically beco the closest to him.
It was odd if he thought about it, but Kitahara didn't dwell on such things.
Though he considered this woman one of the only two elders he genuinely trusted, he still didn't know her na.
But does it really matter?
A na was just a title. Whatever she was called wouldn't change their bond. And asking might lead to another beating—so why bother?
Yet, even this fierce senior made exceptions: when it ca to Uma Musu hunters, she never got angry if he sought help, even proactively assisting him when needed.
But contacting her required substantial evidence first. With rely vague information—like Tracen knowing little beyond soone manipulating the Black Forest—he'd definitely earn another beating.
Despite extensive experience, Kitahara didn't consider himself an expert on Uma Musu hunters.
Hunters weren't a single organization but rather a profession—diverse, inconsistent, and totally unregulated.
At their best, they ford professional teams of thirty skilled operators. At worst, there were lone idiots attempting to abduct Uma Musu single-handedly.
In one case, Kitahara arrived to find a solo hunter barely alive after attempting to abduct a recently-matured Uma Musu—and nearly getting kicked to death.
Such extres made it impossible to define a clear "expertise."
Still, that made sense. Under the Three Goddesses' watch, if Uma Musu hunting truly beca standardized, Kitahara would seriously question the goddesses' competence.
…Why did it suddenly feel chilly?
Just my imagination.
Shaking off the strange sensation of being watched, Kitahara turned back to Chairwoman Akikawa.
"Though I'm no expert, I've dealt with them enough to have so practical experience. If possible, I can investigate the Black Forest and see if I can uncover anything new for you."
Chairwoman Akikawa clapped her fan decisively.
"Excellent! Then we'll entrust you with full authority over the remaining Black Forest investigations!"
Kitahara blinked. "…What?"
Hold on—what do you an, 'full authority'?
Hayakawa Tazuna looked apologetic, shifting her gaze slightly.
"Well, Trainer Kitahara, the situation is…as previously ntioned, we have many new transfer students arriving soon. The first group arrives next week, so I'm completely tied up handling academy preparations…"
Kitahara's eye twitched, turning to Symboli Rudolf, who appeared deep in thought.
"And what about her?"
"With more students arriving, the Student Council workload will only increase. President Rudolf will also be extrely busy…"
Kitahara stared in disbelief.
"You can't just push this onto a rookie trainer!"
Was Tracen so kind of exploitative sweatshop? Grabbing soone useful and working them to death?
"But you're our leading expert—I an, the academy's most experienced in this area," Tazuna quickly anded. "And based on my observations, despite forming your team, your daily schedule isn't very demanding…"
Kitahara flinched.
Crap. Caught slacking by the boss.
He hurriedly sought an excuse, but Tazuna spoke again first.
"Of course, Tracen isn't so heartless corporation. If you're truly unwilling, we won't force you. But considering your recent…financial situation, if you accept—"
Thunk.
With a warm smile, Tazuna brought out a large case and opened it, revealing neat stacks of cash inside.
"This is only part of your compensation—and not just financial. Should you accept and produce results, the Chairwoman is willing to grant you certain special privileges within the academy. Though specifics are confidential, you'll at least have free access to the confinent facility…"
"No way."
Kitahara cut her off abruptly.
Tazuna paused, confused, then quickly added, "Was that offensive? If so, I sincerely apologize. I didn't an—"
"No," Kitahara interrupted, shaking his head with a smile. He rubbed his fingers together lightly.
"I ant the Black Forest issue is too dangerous, so…"
"You'll have to pay more."
User Comments
0 comments from readers