"Clay! Hurry up! The group is preparing to return to the guild. Have you finished collecting the monster hearts yet?"

"I'm almost done, Leader! Just give me a second... here! Done!" Clay exclaimed, stepping back from the giant boar holding up its heart, glistening under the light like a fleshy pumpkin.

"Good. I'll let Sir Hunter know."

"We will now be moving back to the guild. Good job, everyone!"

Clay has been doing this since he was a child. His parents, once respected hunters of the village, had led many expeditions into the wild to extract monster essence. They were heroes in their own right, in this village at least.

Clay could still remember the warmth of their laughter, the way they would ruffle his haid before heading out on a hunt, and how his father would return home with tales of bravery and adventure.

But tragedy struck; they went on a hunt one day and never returned, leaving him orphaned at eight, forced to fend for himself.

The worst of all? No one knew how they died and where they died. They just went on a hunting expedition and the hunting party never returned.

The memory remained with him clear as day–a chilling void where their voices should have been, replaced by the cold whispers of villagers, their faces filled with pity. Clay pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on the task at hand.

Life as an essence extractor was gruelling but rewarding. Clay enjoyed the work, a welcome distraction from his lonely existence. The hunting parties typically comprised seven hunters and fourteen essence extractors, ensuring safety as long as one stuck close to any one of the hunters. 

But deep inside, a longing gnawed at him. It's a stress-free job, and pays well even for labourers like him... Perhaps, the only thing bothering him was the fact that he wanted to become a hunter himself–he yearned to wield a cool sword, swinging it around and carving a path through hordes of monsters, just like his parents from their tales at the dinner table.

The problem is, he has never received the necessar swordsmanship training. In fact, he never had the chance to even wield a sword. 

Remember, Clay, his father used to say. The blade for us hunters is not just a weapon, but responsibility. You cannot take it lightly.

Your father and I sacrificed out dreams so you could live a better life, his mother would follow up. A hunter is a dangerous job. You'll see one day.

Yet, Clay grew up working side by side with other hunters.

"Hey Clay! How's your expedition today?" 

Old man Ross, a familiar face among the essence extractors.

He had been a comforting presence in Clay's life since he became an extractor. He often shared stories of Clay's parents, painting them as brave and noble. 

one of the essence extractors from another hunting party. Ros has been in the guild ever since Clay remembered. usually takes part in expeditions to spend more time with him. He has been helping Clay out when he first became an essence extractor.

"It's not bad, I got seven silver coins." Clay replied, tossing his pouch into the air and catching it. "It could last be an entire week–no, month, on food."

"Good for you! Your parents would be very proud to see you taking care of yourself!"

"Thanks, Mr Ross."

"By the way–did you hear about the grand hunt tomorrow?"

"A grand hunt?"

"Yes! The guild from Riverville nearby is coming to collaborate with us. It's a large–scale expedition!"

"Really? How many hunters would there be?"

Ross's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Twenty-eight hunters in total! Not only that, but They'll be hunting for three days and three nights. It's basically a goldmine for us!"

"Wow, it does sound good. How much do you think we could earn?"

Ross chuckled. "It's all up to our hunters! But I'd say around fifty silver coins total. Are you planning to join?"

Clay's eyes widened. "Fifty silver coins? I could almost buy a house with this!"

"Haha, not just yet. But after ten of these, you could afford a small house on the edge of the village! What do you think, are you going?"

"Of course! This is a rare opportunity!"

"That's the spirit!" Ross laughed. "The group will be meeting up in the village centre tomorrow morning. Prepare some food and refreshments, and you're all set to go!"

Clay walked to the village centre and saw a large crowd buzzing with excitement. 

"I'm here for the grand hunt." he said, approaching the attendant.

"State your name and role in this expedition."

"Clay. I'm an essence extractor."

"Welcome to the party. You are assigned to Miss Barlow." the man pointed him to a female swordsman within the crowd.

Clay spotted Ross nearby. "Hey Clay, I see you made it in time!"

"Hi Mr Ross. I see we're in the same team." Clay replied with a smile.

"And... everyone is here, Captain Colt! We are ready to depart!"

At the centre of the group, three hunters stood on a small stage. The tall man in the middle nodded and raised his hand.

"Ahem–good. Attention everyone! We will now embark on our grand hunt. I'm Captain Colt, and I'll be leading this expedition. To my left are Sir Dunbar and Sir Hollis. Stick close to your assigned hunters, and we'll ensure everyone returns safely. Now, let's set off!"

"Mr Ross, do you know who Captain Colt is? Is he someone famous?"

"Of course he is! Captain Colt is the top hunter in the Riverville guild. This is his first time in charge of such a great event, a rare chance for us small guilds! I heard he's always wanted to progress further into the larger guilds and become a great hunter."

"Is he the strongest in this expedition?"

"Well... if you were to ask who the strongest is in this hunt, I would say it's between him and Sir Hollis, for sure. Sir Hollis carries himself differently; his sword is shinier, too. I heard he comes from one of the big cities, trained by some renowned swordsmen. He just recently joined the Riverville guild for "training". You know what they say–swordsmen from us small villages cannot be compared with those from big cities!"

"What about Miss Barlow? Is she powerful?"

"Miss Barlow is a rising star! She just joined our guild a month ago and has been hunting everyday. Some say she'll soon surpass Sir Dunbar in monster kills!"

"Wow! Do you think I could also one day become a hunter?" Clay asked.

"Well, I cannot be certain... It's just that hunters trained swordsmanship since childhood–eversince they were still crawling about on the ground. Not only that, some people even hire swordsmen or swordmasters to teach their children sword techniques. The hunters today have been honing their swords their entire life. You haven't lifted a sword your entire life–but who knows? You're still young, so the possibility is limitless!"

"Yeah, I get it."

"Don't lose hope. You're young, and there's always time to learn!" Ross added.

"Everyone, we will now set food into the wild! From this point onwards, we are in monster territory. Stay alert!"

The forest is quiet. Almost... too quiet, silent in an unsettling way.

"Miss, it's too quiet here. It doesn't feel right." Someone called out.

"It does seem a little strange, but Captain Colt from the front hasn't said anything yet." Miss Barlow replied, glancing at the front.

Clay stifled a yawn. This hunt felt more mundane than usual.

Something seemed to have caught his attention. He opened an eye. Nothing, it must've been his imagination.

As he turned back his head, there was a shuffle within the trees. Miss Barlow stopped on her tracks. Clay sensed it. No, everyone sensed it. 

Something's strange about that tree... Clay squinted his eyes... no, it's not a tree.

"An insect–"

Suddenly, cries rang out from the front and back of the group, drowning out Clay's words as the group fell into chaos.