Chapter 1: Awakening (1)
Chapter 1: Awakening (1)
"You sure are a reckless man, Little Hunter."
"I'm not as reckless as you, big sister."
"Well, I mean, you are a man! Wouldn't it be better for you to find a girl, take care of the house, and raise a kid instead of going with us to the hunts? Let girls do the tough tasks, Little Hunter!"
"…but my name is Hunter! I'm obliged to be different!"
"Different? Idiot! So you'll stay a virgin and follow us around? Just don't die! I don't want to grieve over a cute man!"
Warmly smiling at the woman he was forced to call a big sister, Hunter nodded and promised to stay alive.
Though he could tell that she and the rest of the team weren't fond of having him as a sidekick to their hunter team, everyone had already acknowledged his knowledge and wits, allowing him to go with them on dangerous missions.
No woman here looked at him as a hindrance no more.
'I didn't expect to hear the talk about starting a family and living a safe life under a resourceful woman at this point, though… is it because I am already of age? That's kinda cute of a big sister! I guess we have become pretty close… I still can't get used to calling her big sister, though. But more than anything… I don't think I will ever adapt to this reverse culture…' Hunter took a furtive glance at his seniors, who were all tall and muscular women.
If he were in his previous world… and its old times, the hunter team would have consisted of brawny men instead. But in this new world, he had reincarnated to, the whole culture and setting was pretty much reversed, and women were at the top, warming the authoritative seats and having the final say in all fields.
Although Hunter hadn't had an opportunity to adventure the world, he could imagine what kind of role men played in more prominent areas.
In his village, his new home, men were often left with the task of raising children and keeping their wives content and rewarded. They had their hobbies… but rarely paved their way to be as important as women.
'It's because of Lucifer… the demon lost the battle against the world and cursed it upon its death… which translated to the female species getting the upper hand against the curse. After a few generations, women replaced the men, and a new era began with them at the top… Lucifer, because of you, I'm called Little Hunter, and I must hide my real strength! Curse you, bastard! Can't discount your achievement, though… you made the world more interesting for men with strength… yeah, with strength…'
And as Hunter's mind drifted back to his previous life, he suddenly curved his lips and forgot about his complaints!
"Why are you smiling like an idiot? You're an idiot, but at least hide it!"
"Big sister! You could be nicer to me for once!"
"I'll never be nice to an idiot who risks his life just to be different!"
"You care about me so much?"
"Who cares about you?"
'Curse you, Lucifer!'
Hunter swore at the demon, for once again, he had to hide his strength from the big sister! If he could use at least some of it, he would be able to court her and make her apologize for forcing him to call her this way!
He never wanted to be her little hunter: he wanted her to be his.
In this village without many prospects, the real enjoyment stemmed from relationships and having strength… which Hunter had to hide… after all, if he were to tell his big sister that he had never slept, could go without food for years… and didn't even have to take a dump, on top of having more strength than adult women and high regeneration like some monster… wouldn't she think of him as a demon?
'I would be deemed Lucifer's servant or something, right? This village is outdated… I think… so. I surely would be burnt on the wooden cross or something! I wish I could look into myself to find what exactly I am…' Hunter sighed inwardly, troubled more by lack of information than the thought that he might not be a human.
Even if he wasn't one, he looked exactly like a human, so it wouldn't be a big deal at all!
"Anna… Hunter. Focus! The monster's about to leave the cave," The leader of the hunter team whispered to the archer of her group and the sidekick, yanking them from their idyllic mood.
Her serious voice erased all leftovers of Anna and Hunter's enjoyment, drawing their eyes to the cave's mouth in which their prey had been sleeping. It was some kind of a pig monster that had been affected by Lucifer's curse, turning itself into an abomination whose purpose was to grow in strength to turn into a demon… then bring the master back.
'It's said that half of the world drowned in those monsters… will resurrect Lucifer… but I can't tell if this is true or just the village's tale to compel people to become hunters,' Hunter inwardly thought as he focused on the darkness dwelling in the monster's cave…
It was strange, for the monster hadn't come out yet.
It should have already left the cave to hunt the monsters!
The circumstances were odd, but such things often happened in hunts, which was why hunters had to be patient.
Sensing that he had time to kill, Hunter silently curved his lips and whispered to his big sister, "We had to wait for this monster to lay out eggs. Maybe… you know… it might be busy inside. I heard a pig's orgasm lasts up to thirty minutes."
"Then you should dream to be a pig, virgin boy. You wouldn't last even a minute, I bet," Anna arced her lips into a lofty smile as she responded coolly to her friend's tidbit.
Her cheeks were slightly reddened, and so were Hunter's.
"Do you think demons lay out eggs?" Hunter, this time, asked an interesting question to kill time. "Since the curse makes all monsters lay eggs… even mammals… I think my suspicions are correct. I find it fascinating."
"What? You thought of wetting your rod in a demon's snatch?" Anna's eyes glittered with sharpness as she turned them to her Little Hunter, frightening him.
He shook his head and quickly responded, "It's just interesting! Maybe that would unveil some secrets of the curse. For instance, how come women's mana is stronger against cursed monsters… and more!"
"Let it stay as nothing but curiosity," Anna curtly replied, retracting her eyes to the cave.
A few breaths later, the first change occurred…
Intense wind flooded outside the darkness, carrying with itself a pungent stench of blood. As the wind scouted the expanse surrounding the cave, Hunter's and everyone else's noses were assaulted by this metallic smell.
A few hunters were concussed by how sharp it was.
Of course, Hunter narrowed his eyes and momentarily looked down to fake that he was also one of the affected.
Surprisingly, his big sister remained focused and on alert, piercing the cave with her brown eyes.
Soon… the monster came out of the cave. But what was supposed to be a pig monster was actually a hulking wolf whose jaw had closed in the corpse of the pig, its blood dripping down onto the ground in abundance.
The red-furred monster… locked its eyes on Hunter, considering him… the tastiest snack out of all.
'Am I damned to die at eighteen years old or what?' Hunter inwardly cursed as he came of age and already was at the life-threatening event… and in his previous life, he died exactly when he came of age…
What were the odds of that?!
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