Chapter 17: Chapter 17- Two Odd People
Chapter 17- Two Odd People
"..." Zen stared at her silently for a few seconds, with the only sound permeating the atmosphere being that of the rest of the customers and the food sizzling in the distance. The two stared at each other without blinking.
Eventually, Zen blinked and leaned forward. "Are you serious?" Zen asked. "Did I hear you correctly?"
"Yes. I am very serious about it. It is my ultimate goal." Cipha replied with a very serious expression on her face. If someone heard her say that, they would find it to be quite a funny joke. No, it wasn’t even a funny joke.
Taking down the four pillar clans was simply not even a thought for anyone in their right mind. The four pillar clans are the four strongest clans in the world, boasting a strength that rivals that of nations or even more. They were the true powerhouses of the world. Each move they make shakes the entire world and changes things completely.
Forget about taking down four; taking one down is quite certainly impossible. They were simply far too massive and far too strong to rival or even dare to offend. The four pillar clans were:
The clan of eternal night: Nightingale
The clan of the divine fire: Nar
The clan of the heartless beat: Varos
And finally... The clan of the enriched soul: Heavensoul
In other words, the same clan Cipha belonged to. Each one controlled an entire region with an army of millions of hunters under their command. They were also the main defenders of the human world against the ravaging beasts and the terrifying abominations lurking within it.
"Wow... I’m..." Zen looked down. "That’s a very, very, very ambitious goal, Cipha. In other words... It sounds utterly ridiculous."
Zen, naturally, already knew of this goal. Cipha had told him about it, and they had made it their biggest goal. It was the reason why they were antagonized and defeated later on, and it was why his wife died in the first place.
"I know," Cipha replied. "Yet, I still want to do it. It is dangerous, and your life would be put at a lot of risk with no guarantees that you would get it done. It would also make you the enemy of countless dangerous people."
"..." Zen stared at her with a calm expression. "Hm, you’re being very honest and direct about it. How are you sure this is a good way to pitch the idea for me?"
"I don’t care about pitching this. I am simply giving you the reality of things without sugarcoating so you know what you are signing up for."
"Hmmm, I see," Zen replied with a whispering tone.
"If you want to pull out of it, then I won’t hold it against you. It is not even one of your goals, and you probably would want to lead a simpler lif-"
"Who said that?" Zen asked as he cut her off.
"Hm?"
"Who said I want to lead a simple life?" Zen asked with a terrifying look on his face. "Well, since we are on this topic, I might as well tell you what I want to do."
"..."
"From the moment I awakened earlier... And the rush of power I felt, I want more of it... I want a lot more of it. You were talking about wanting to be the strongest hunter in the world." Zen leaned back as a smile formed on his face. "We share the same goal, Cipha."
"You want to..."
"Yes. I am aiming for the peak, the highest of highs." Zen replied. "No offense to you, of course."
"... None taken," Cipha replied as she snapped out of her daze. She could see that he was very serious about it. "I’m just surprised that’s your goal. Not many people dare to aim that high."
"I’m ambitious."
"I see." Cipha nodded her head. "So, you are still interested in joining me?"
"Yes. This idea of yours, it is ridiculous and insane. But, I like it." Zen smiled as his eyes flashed with a mysterious thrill. "Flipping the entire world upside down and changing history? Why not? We will be written down in legends as the greatest hunters to ever do it."
"My goal isn’t glory," Cipha replied. "But, I don’t mind what goal you have in mind. As long as I can get your help, then I’m eternally grateful for it."
"So, what’s the plan for your ambitious takedown of the four clans?"
"It’s very simple," Cipha replied. "We need to get stronger, and while doing that, we are going to travel and meet several potential candidates we can scout. Once we have a good enough team, then... We will aim to take down one of the pillar clans and get even stronger."
"Well, if things go without a hitch, which is impossible."
"I’m ready for the consequences of what could happen. It doesn’t matter if it costs me my life or not, I will do it." Cipha clenched her fists tightly as she stared down.
Zen watched her expression in silence. He felt the pain that appeared within her eyes, and he knew why she felt so adamant about doing it. The life that Cipha led so far was never the glamorous and perfect one of an important young girl like her... It was far from.
’She suffered through so much and faced so much as a kid...’
The pain he felt from hearing about it the first time was still there, as vivid as ever, so he could imagine what Cipha was feeling.
"In any case, we will take things one step at a time. But, I must warn you, we will be on the move for a long time. It is safe to say we won’t be back in the capital for a while. Are you fine with that?"
"Yeah, I don’t have a family or friends. I am as free as I can be. I love adventures, so this is perfect."
"You are oddly so carefree about it, even though I can tell that you are aware of how immensely difficult it will be."
She could see that Zen wasn’t naive or stupid; he knew that this was going to be extremely dangerous and his life would be at serious risk.
’Why... Why doesn’t he care at all?’
"Hmmm, let’s just say..." Zen leaned forward as he smiled. "I’m just happy being here."
"..."
"Hahaha, what is that look on your face?"
"You’re... odd."
"Ouch. I didn’t mean to sound odd."
"No, it isn’t a bad thing. I am also... odd." She replied. "Being odd is probably the best way to cope with what this world could do to you."
"Two servings of ramen coming right up!"
At that moment, the chef came with two bowls in his hands and put it in front of the two with a smile.
"Enjoy."
"Mmmm, this smells really good," Zen said as he stared down at it.
"Feel free to start eating before it gets cold," Cipha said.
"Thank you. I’m starving." Zen said as he started eating the ramen with a delighted look on his face. Cipha watched him for a second before she looked down and started eating herself.
The awkward atmosphere between them slowly melted away.
