It had been two hours since Jacob was dragged onto the wrong train by a female hunter. He was now lying on what seemed to be a soft passenger seat with his eyes closed, convincing himself that he was only dreaming.
"Don't panic. Don't panic. It's just a dream. That hunter lady dragged me onto the wrong train, and the medal I found isn't real. I'm probably with my Uncle Ken, heading back to my country, GreenSun, where my parents are," Jacob said to himself.
"What are you talking about?" a female voice replied.
When Jacob opened his eyes, he found himself looking at the hunter lady, who was currently resting his head on her lap.
Her name is Marissa Everywyn, a 26-year-old human hunter, and she was staring at Jacob's wide eyes, ready to share exciting news with her new ally.
"We're heading to Athosity, the City of Hunters!" Marissa exclaimed joyfully.
Jacob paused for a moment, absorbing Marissa's cheerful words, then let out a loud scream inside the train.
Every hunter in the passenger car turned to watch as Jacob cried in his seat like a baby separated from its mother.
"OKAY, I GET IT!" Jacob shouted in frustration.
Marissa glanced around, then turned back to Jacob, who was hiding his face and sobbing.
"Cheer up, pal! Newbies always get nervous on their first day as a hunter. It's natural! Plus, you'll get to fight monsters, cast elemental magic, and best of all, travel across the other three continents! Oh, I can't wait to duel with the other hunters there! Even better, an adventure awaits!" Marissa said, her excitement palpable.
In a moment of desperation, Jacob grabbed Marissa by the shoulders, shaking her frantically while yelling, "WHY?! WHY?! WHY?! I TOLD YOU I'M JUST A CITIZEN! NOT SOME MASS MURDERER OF MONSTERS! WHY DON'T YOU LISTEN?! I DON'T EVEN HAVE MUCH MONEY LEFT TO GO BACK HOME!" He then buried his face in her shoulder, crying once again.
Feeling guilty, Marissa realized she had made a mistake in dragging Jacob into this world. All she could do was offer him a hand and try to introduce herself properly in hopes of calming him down.
"I'm Marissa Everywyn, 26 years old, born in New Collin Town. This is my 3rd year as a Hunter," Marissa said formally.
Jacob adjusted himself and then extended a handshake.
"I'm Jacob Bennett, 21 years old, born in GreenSun," Jacob replied.
"So, what is it like living in your country?" Marissa asked, intrigued.
"What do you mean?" Jacob inquired.
"You know, what do you think of your country? Is it great to live there, or not?" Marissa clarified.
"Well, for me, it's honestly great living there. The people are very kind; we share what we have harvested and celebrate with a party for every successful harvest each year. Every night, we gather to look at the night sky and challenge each other to 'catch' a star—it's truly wonderful. And the view from your window? The sunrise is beautiful too; it can brighten anyone's day," Jacob said, gazing out the window appreciatively.
"Wow, that honestly sounds like a fantastic place to live!" Marissa laughed, but her laughter slowly faded as she looked down at the floor.
"I wish my sister and I could live like that…" Marissa said quietly.
"What happened?" Jacob asked, concerned.
"It's… nothing. My little sister and I just have a rough life, that's all," Marissa replied, her smile fading.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Jacob said, trying to shift the mood by asking a random question.
"So, what's your reason for wanting to be a Hunter?" Jacob asked.
"Well, I wanted to become a Hunter so I could earn enough money for my sister and me to have a comfortable life and to pay for her tuition at her school in RiverDill. It might be a dangerous job, but you know what they say: 'High risk, high reward,'" Marissa answered, shifting back to her cheerful self.
"I see," Jacob said, thinking of what to talk about next.
As they continued their conversation, Jacob and Marissa became good friends. They shared their life experiences in their respective countries and personal goals—Jacob didn't have any goals aside from paying off his debt—while enjoying the new environment as they passed from a town nestled in the hills to a city of floating buildings. They spotted a few harmless creatures, like slimes floating and playing in the river, and a hybrid of a sheep and a hippo roaming the grasslands, along with some unfamiliar creatures Jacob had never seen before.
As they were nearing their destination, things took a rough turn when Marissa asked Jacob a question.
"I was wondering, why did you want to go back home?" Marissa asked, her curiosity evident.
"Well, actually my uncle wanted to send me back home," Jacob replied, a look of shame on his face.
"Oh really? Why is that?" Marissa inquired.
"Well… because…" Jacob leaned closer to Marissa and whispered, "I have a 48 billion debt from gambling."
Marissa burst into laughter, drawing confused stares from the other hunters in the cart. Jacob buried his face in embarrassment, while Marissa struggled to catch her breath, tears of laughter streaming down her cheeks.
"What the heck happened?" she exclaimed, continuing to laugh.
"Look, I was jobless for two months, okay? I thought I'd try my luck at the casino. I never imagined it would turn out this way," Jacob replied, still covering his face.
The laughter soon attracted attention. A male hunter with a big ego, "Iz Edgeford" A human Hunter who had a reputation for being a bully like in one of the Asian movies—whispered to the hunter next to Jacob.
"What's that guy's problem?" Iz asked, glancing at Jacob.
Then, in a loud voice that commanded attention, Iz stood up and announced to everyone in the cart, "EVERYONE! LISTEN! This dude right here, the one hiding his face, wanted to come to Athosity to earn big money to pay off his 48 BILLION DEBT!" With that, he erupted into laughter again, prompting the other hunters to join in.
Jacob buried his face deeper into his backpack, overwhelmed by humiliation and regret, wishing he had stayed with his parents. As Marissa watched Iz mock Jacob, a painful memory surfaced—her and her little sister being beaten by their father. Fueled by rage, she stood up, glaring at Iz, ready to throw punches.
When Iz noticed her standing, he rose as well, a mix of excitement and lust in his eyes, thinking of what he could do to her later.
The train roared while everyone in the cart held their breath in anticipation. Jacob and the other hunters prepared for a confrontation. Hunters slowly equipped their shields, and mages began casting spells to create a protective barrier around the train and themselves. Jacob huddled behind his backpack, seeking protection.
Now, Iz and Marissa stood face to face, the air tense with anticipation. Marissa glared at Iz, fist clenched, prepared to brawl with the so-called "Golden Boy," while Iz examined her, harboring his own intentions.
"Well, hello my lady~ My name is Iz Edgeford, 2nd year as a hunter leader of the Golden Guild. It's a pleasure to meet someone as strong as you, Iron Maiden~" Iz said in a sassy tone.
Marissa stood there, glaring at him with her fists clenched, ready to deliver a blow to his face.
"Tell me, why do you associate with this countryside commoner? You do realize he doesn't belong here, right? He should be with his parents, picking cotton and melons every day for people like us— the rich and the strong~" Iz said, glancing at Jacob before returning his gaze to Marissa.
"Actually, he's not technically black, but rather a little tan, similar to people from other countries—" Iz's companion began to explain.
"OKAY! I GET IT, BARK! NOW SHUT UP!" Iz yelled at his companion.
His companion fell silent and sat up straight.
"Anyways, where was I? Oh yes, want to join my Guild?" Iz said with a grin, looking back at Marissa. Before he could say another word, she thrust her fist into his face, sending him flying from cart to cart until he landed inside the cab, where the train operates.
All the engineers and conductors gathered around Iz as he coughed up blood, clearly surprised by how far she had thrown him. Slowly, Iz got up and looked around, only to find Marissa right in front of him. She grabbed him by the neck, choking him, and stared into his eyes, expecting him to seek forgiveness and apologize to Jacob. Instead, Iz simply smirked and pointed behind her.
When Marissa turned around, she was thrown out of the cab by Iz's comrades, landing at the end of the train and nearly falling off.
She regained her footing, trying not to lose her balance. When she looked up, she froze in shock as Iz and his four comrades stood before her, ready for a fight, though Iz had a devious plan in mind.
"You shouldn't have punched me, huh?" Iz laughed, then coughed up more blood.
"Coward," Marissa muttered to herself.
"I'll give you one last chance, Iron Maiden. Be my maid, and I'll spare you and that kid below too," Iz declared confidently.
"How about you go fuck with that Mage member you have there!" Marissa yelled furiously.
"Already done with her twice today, so I'm bored with her. She is a whore anyway~" Iz replied, smirking, as his comrades looked at him in disgust while their female mage member turned away in guilt.
"YOU SICK BASTARD, YOU KNOW THAT, IZ!" Marissa shouted at him.
"Money solves everything, darling~. Ladies and gentlemen, finish her for me, and bring her to me alive~ I want to taste her rough ass~" Iz said, laughing like a lunatic as his comrades slowly approached her, wielding their weapons and their only mage casting spells.
"Reminds me of the old days, right, fucking dad?" Marissa let out a roar and charged at them with fury.
The battle intensified, metal clattered, and large ice blocks pierced through the roof of the train cars. One of Iz's comrades got thrown out of the train—oh wait, that was Bark.
Anyway, the battle was becoming more intense as they got closer to the tunnel entrance of Athosity.
Meanwhile, Jacob sat there, staring at the ceiling, listening to her grunts and roars as she fought for her life above. He couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency; he couldn't just sit there and do nothing while she was getting beaten up. Even though they had only met for an hour and she was a stranger, he couldn't let someone be hurt without intervening. Despite being inexperienced as a hunter, he was willing to save her. So, he gathered all his courage, stood up, and sprinted to get to her. He quickly snatched a sword from another hunter and apologized.
After a while of fighting, Marissa was pinned down by Iz's strongest comrade; battered and wounded, she had ice covering half her face and torso. All of Iz's comrades, except Bark, were heavily wounded and exhausted. Iz was just sitting at a distance, watching, then slowly approached them.
"I must admit, you put up a hell of a fight against my comrades. Great job, everyone! You all deserve a raise, especially you, Ralph," Iz complimented his comrades.
Iz then knelt down in front of Marissa, looking down at her with a smirk on his face.
"You are one tough woman, and that's a fact. Listen, I'll give you one last chance before I turn you into my sex slave: join my guild, and I'll provide you with strong items and equipment that you couldn't afford, just like my comrades, and make you rich like me. What do you say?" Iz said.
Marissa spat on his shoe and gave him the middle finger.
"Go to hell," Marissa replied weakly.
Iz's smirk turned into a look of disappointment.
"Very well…" Iz said in a deep tone. He stood up and commanded his comrade to force her to kneel and look up at him.
As Iz was about to unzip his pants, a loud scream cut through the air behind them. They all turned around to see Jacob standing his ground, sword pointed at them with an angry expression.
"Let her go! Right now! Or... I'll fight you!" Jacob yelled at Iz.
"Bold of you to come up here alone, kid. I'm impressed. But this is where your ride ends, commoner, because the strongest will always rise to the top, while the weakest will go DOWN," Iz threatened him.
"I'll call the cops on you! I swear! You'll be behind bars!" Jacob yelled at Iz.
"Look at this uneducated kid," Iz sneered, causing his comrades to laugh. He pulled out his sword and slowly approached Jacob, who began to back away.
"Oh! I have an idea. Here's a little fact kid, Did you know that when it comes to being a hunter, most usually die inside the warp right? If we capture you and Marissa and sneakily throw you both into the warp, no police or detectives will investigate your whereabouts because it's too DANGEROUS. I'll pay everyone on the train to keep quiet. As for the damage to the train? I'll just tell them my comrades were frustrated and needed to calm down. After that, we'll be in the clear as if nothing ever happened," Iz said to Jacob with malicious intent.
Jacob reached the end of the train and stopped, looking back at Iz, who was slowly closing in on him.
"Nothing personal, kid; it's just BUSINESS!" Iz shouted as he charged at Jacob and swung his blade.
Jacob dodged the swing, causing Iz to overreach and lose his balance. He slid dangerously close to the edge of the train, almost falling off. Iz breathed a sigh of relief until Jacob poked his blade into Iz's back, startling him and causing Iz to fall off the train. Jacob watched as Iz rolled onto the ground, stood up slowly, and screamed curses at Jacob and Marissa as the train moved further away.
Jacob felt a sense of relief knowing Iz was gone for now, but he suddenly realized something was missing. As he turned his gaze to the end of the train he saw Iz's other three comrades were still pinning down an injured Marissa. They locked eyes for a moment until two of Iz's comrades began running towards Jacob, ready to attack. Jacob panicked and started running. Glancing back, he saw that the train was nearly at the entrance of the mountain tunnel leading to Athosity City. Without a second thought, he quickly lay down on the ground just as the front of the train entered the tunnel. The other two comrades, too focused on Jacob, didn't notice the tunnel entrance above them and were smashed against the mountain at full speed.
Seeing her chance, Marissa quickly punched off Ralph, Iz's strongest comrade. She then lay down flat, and Ralph, stunned, found himself caught off guard by the mountain. As the train slowly faded away Deep inside the tunnel, all three of them were hanging half conscious above the tunnel entrance.
"Good thing we drank Tough Potion this morning, huh?" the female mage spoke weakly.
"Oh, shut up! I never thought you were sleeping with Iz" Ralph yelled at their female comrade.
"You know, I honestly expected something intense from that kid," their third comrade said weakly.
Meanwhile, on the train, both Jacob and Marissa were holding on for dear life to the roof.When suddenly, they began to phase down and fell inside the train. Jacob grunted as he noticed a pair of feet in front of him. Slowly, he looked up and saw a man smiling down at him. The man was wearing a white robe with gold stripes and had a large book chained around his waist. He raised his hand and cast a spell, causing Jacob to levitate and be dragged back to their original seats.
"Very interesting…" The man said before everything turned dark.
After a couple of minutes, Marissa slowly woke up from her unconsciousness, as she opened her eyes she saw a male druid assisting her.
"How long was I out?" Marissa asked weakly.
"Not long. Ivan saved you from the roof; you both might have died if he had left you there," the male druid replied.
"Thank you…" Marissa said, grateful.
"You don't need to thank me. The guy you were fighting was a real jerk; you did us a favor. We were too scared to confront him because of his crew, so we appreciate your help," the druid added.
Marissa noticed something tightly holding her hand—it was Jacob, who was knocked out cold. Without hesitation, she quickly hugged him in relief, waking him up. Jacob was stunned to see Marissa hugging him and she pulled away, surprised he was awake.
"Oh, did I wake you up?" Marissa asked.
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just closing my eyes," Jacob replied.
Marissa hugged Jacob again. "I'm glad you're alright…"
"Yeah, me too…" Jacob said, hugging her back.
Then a slow clapping sound echoed toward them. Marissa and Jacob broke their hug and looked in the direction of the sound.
"My word, how touching," Ivan said.
"Who are you!?" Jacob exclaimed in shock.
"That's Ivan Swiftul, a librarian and one of the greatest mages from Athosity. Why are you here?" Marissa asked, both confused and curious.
"Well, I was drawn here by something extraordinary happening on the train, Ms. Everywyn—something unusual happened… any who, would you mind telling me whatever earlier? " Ivan replied, glancing at Jacob for a moment before looking back at Marissa.
"Well, we're in big trouble with Iz Edgeford and his crew, and I'm sure they'll come back for us," Marissa said, concern etched on her face for Jacob.
"Edgeford is a powerful family, Everywyn, but I assure you it will take them a while to arrive in the city," Ivan replied.
All of a sudden, a bright light filled the inside of the train.
"Speaking of the city, it looks like we have arrived at our destination," Ivan pointed out the window.
Jacob, Marissa, and a few Hunters aboard the train turned to gaze at the city they had anticipated.
A grand city nested at the center of a vast valley, its streets wound like veins across the land. Rows of buildings clustered tightly together, their rooftops steep and shingled in dark slate.
Far beyond the city's edges, towering stone walls stretched endlessly to either side. They not only enclosed the city but extended outward, as if framing the valley itself. The walls ran along the slopes like ancient arms guarding the land, with watchtowers rising at intervals like eagles in the sky.
In the center drew every gaze—a colossal stronghold of pale stone and age-darkened brick. It rose from the heart of the city like a mountain carved by kings. Its towers were taller, thicker, and more commanding than any the Hunters had ever seen. Banners snapped from iron spires, while balconies extended from the central keep like cliffs.
Bells ringing from deep within the stronghold, their sound rolling across fields and through the train's windows like a loudspeaker call.
The train began to slow, its wheels groaning as if even they understood the weight of what lay ahead.
They had arrived at "Athosity"—the home of Hunters.
"Welcome to your new beginning, Mr. Bennett," Ivan said.
Jacob was stunned and amazed by the Athosity he had imagined, but at the same time, he felt a knot of fear in his stomach.
"Uncle Ken is going to kill me," Jacob muttered to himself, feeling apprehensive.
What a great way to end the chapter.
"Okay, now you're being lazy!" Jacob yelled at both the narrator and the author.
"I'm sorry! I'm running out of ideas for the next chapter, okay?! I gotta Use a Fucking Grammarly on this!" the author replied.
An exciting adventure awaits our hero within the city. A new ally will assist him on his journey, while a new enemy has risen, ready to take revenge for what our hero has done. What will happen next? What will be his fate?
To be continued.