Chapter 188: Monster Hunter Academy of the Endless Rain
The first leg of the journey finally came to an end.
[You have entered the Monster Hunter Academy of the Endless Rain as an outsider registered under another Monster Hunter Academy.]
[The Forest Hidden Monster Hunter Academy is recognized as an allied institution by the Monster Hunter Academy of the Endless Rain.]
[Your service tax rate for official academy facilities has been adjusted to 16%. Rates may differ in facilities operated by players or guilds.]
[Your affiliation, nickname, and guild are now visible to everyone on academy grounds.]
[Your guild’s standing with this academy: None.]
[Your personal reputation with this academy: None.]
"That’s good to know beforehand," Martin said as he skimmed through the system windows in front of him.
Beside him, Rias read them faster and with more attention to detail, the same way she handled contracts, schedules, and every other official headache in real life.
She nodded. "Having the tax already included in the listed price is such a comfort. I loved that about Europe."
"Now I’m jealous. I’ve never even been outside North America. How many countries have you visited?" Martin asked.
By now, he felt completely comfortable around Rias. Maybe her sitting on his lap had finally broken the ice. There was still a strange awareness between them, the kind that made him remember her weight a little too clearly, but it no longer made him nervous enough to stumble over every word.
If anything, it made the silence between them easier.
"I’ve visited all seven continents and too many countries to count..." Rias said with a sigh. "I don’t mean to brag. To be honest, I didn’t have much time to sightsee. It was all part of the job."
"You got time today?" Martin asked.
The answer was yes, though Rias had not expected her schedule to open up quite this much.
Elisebeth was too stubborn to focus on rehearsals or anything else, saying she would improvise tomorrow and follow her heart. Rias could hardly argue with that. Her best friend was a natural at what she did, so Rias could let her slack off once... or twice.
And the reason Elisebeth wanted nothing to do with her concerts right now was Martin himself.
Elisebeth wanted to prepare as much as she could and had even started calling Cassandra and the others again. She called it an investigation into the war, but frankly, she was gossiping and asking questions like, "How do you think he’ll react?" and stuff.
Either way, the diva was on the move, and so were the others.
So Rias decided to leave most of the work to their assistants. That way, if things went south, Elisebeth could truly show off her improvisation skills.
That meant Rias had the entire day.
"Yes."
Martin chuckled. "Let’s sightsee, then."
"Shouldn’t we hurry? There’s no teleportation, and our guild has an important quest going on right now," Rias said, her eyes on Martin.
He played dumb. "What quest?"
"Cassandra doesn’t like that attitude," Rias said with a smile.
A bit of Martin’s old reckless side slipped out as he replied, "Cassandra needs to get us an invitation to the Hidden Level Sixty Dungeon, but she’s not even online right now. If she gets to slack off, she shouldn’t mind if I do too. You in?"
"I’m in."
Rias took his hand and shook it, becoming his partner in crime for something that wasn’t even a crime.
Her hand was soft, but her grip was firm, and Martin noticed that small detail more than he should have. Rias didn’t let go right away, either. She held on for a second longer, properly sealing their ridiculous little pact.
Then she released him and looked ahead, composed as ever.
Martin hid his grin by glancing away.
And so, the two of them wandered deeper into the academy grounds, eventually reaching the vast central district of Endless Rain, built over the bones of an ancient city.
—
A broad thoroughfare ran through the heart of the district.
Countless towers rose on either side, tall and narrow, with petal-curved roofs beneath the endless rain. Blue Water Orbs hovered near their peaks, pulsing with a soft glow as they drank in the falling water.
Smaller orbs clung to balconies, shop signs, bridges, and even the corners of public benches. Together, they turned the district into a field of floating blue lanterns.
The sky was heavy with clouds, but Endless Rain itself was far from gloomy.
Rain tapped against crystal gutters, slid down carved stone walls, and streamed through channels built into the streets, giving the whole academy-city a constant sense of motion. A broad canopy stretched above the main road, shielding the crowds below.
Rain gathered on its surface in silver ripples before the droplets bounced, rolled, and were drawn upward into the nearby Water Orbs.
Martin slowed down without realizing it.
The whole place felt designed by people who had stopped fighting the rain and learned how to live with it instead.
Despite the constant rainfall, the streets beneath the canopy were mostly dry. Players and NPCs moved in steady streams, browsing stalls, talking with merchants, or staring up at the towers with open wonder.
Some shops had open fronts with curtains of water falling on either side of the entrance, making every entrance shimmer behind a liquid veil.
Weapons were displayed under glowing glass, while raincoats, charms, monster materials, waterproof boots, canal passes, orb maintenance kits, and strange blue potions lined the nearby stalls.
A few NPC children chased tiny water spirits around a fountain, laughing whenever the creatures burst into mist and reformed behind them.
Endless Rain’s identity was everywhere, but it was not just decoration. Here, rain was power, culture, business, transportation, and daily life.
The Water Orbs had to be emptied constantly, and that rule had become one of the district’s highlights. Homeowners turned the excess water into beautiful waterfalls that flowed down their exterior walls and into the ancient drainage network beneath the streets.
For some houses, those waterfalls became artwork. One building had three streams falling from dragon-shaped spouts, another guided its water through glass channels that wrapped around the walls in spirals, and a restaurant nearby let rainwater pour across its front sign in a thin, transparent sheet, making the letters shimmer whenever the light hit them.
The rainwater also became drinking water, bathing water, and more, but there was still too much of it to handle with those systems alone.
Because of that, vast canals cut through the academy grounds, turning boats into one of the easiest ways to travel through Endless Rain. Each canal was naturally connected to the old drainage system, but no one seemed bothered by it. Most people preferred to enjoy the experience of cruising through the academy-city.
Several boats drifted past the thoroughfare, moving under arched bridges decorated with blue crystal lamps. Some were small enough for two people, while others were wide enough to carry an entire party and their beasts.
Boatmen called out prices from the docks as passengers waved from beneath elegant umbrellas.
Martin leaned over the railing and watched a boat glide beneath them.
"Looks like it’s Venice-inspired," Rias said.
"Venice?"
"It’s a city in Italy spread across many islands, with canals everywhere and boats as one of the main ways to get around. It has its own unique charm. It definitely stuck in my memory, even though I didn’t have much time to see it."
"Ah, I see."
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