Divinity

--- [Leon’s perspective]

That’s three more.

Only 30 more to go now…

My left arm hurts like a bitch, but the power this gives me is letting me clear through this way faster than before.

It’s only been about three hours since the exam started, but I’ve already found and killed 70 people…

This is already more than enough to prove I’m worthy of joining just about any guild.

Except for that shitty guild Red Knights, and of course the one I want to join; The Reapers…

--- [Alex’s perspective]

“I’m so sorry!” – Alex

“You don’t have to apologize every time you hit someone, Alex… The last few times you even managed to control your power and you didn’t knock them out.” – Shin

“…” – Alex

I know I don’t have to apologize, but I just feel bad for them.

They’re so weak, it feels like I’m bullying them.

On top of that, every time they lose a fight, it just makes them that more unlikely to get invited by a guild.

They all have their own reasons for risking their lives to become a hunter, and I’m crushing those dreams…

“We’ve probably already done enough, so let’s rest for a little while. We can continue again later, okay?” – Shin

“Yeah… That would be nice.” – Alex

We walk around for a little bit before we find a nice hiding spot.

It’s a medium size house at the very edge of the colosseum.

No one is going to come here.

We open the door, and enter the house.

“Let’s chill on the second floor.” – Shin

“Sure.” – Alex

We walk up the stairs, but…

As soon as I get to the top, I get pushed.

I fall, but I’m able to land on my feet.

“Oh god… Rin! Someone is here! Take Lett and leave, I’ll fight them off!” – Dan

“Hey, wait! We’re not here to fight.” – Alex

“It’s true! If you don’t trust us, we can stay down here on the first floor. We just wanted to stay out of trouble for a little while.” – Shin

Wait, holy shit…!

What the hell happened to her arm?!

“Is she okay? What happened?” – Alex

“That’s none of your business, just stay down there!” – Dan

“Wait… I heard an explosion a while ago… Was she…?” – Alex

“…” – Dan

“Is there anything we could do to help her?” – Shin

“You could stay away!” – Dan

“Dan… What if they’re not lying? What if they actually want to help? Remember, if Lett dies, then none of us gets to become hunters, that might as well be death for people like us…” – Rin

“Tsk. Fine.” – Dan

‘Might as well be death for people like us’…?

Are they also from small, starving, villages?

“You with the black hair, keep applying pressure to her arm.” – Dan

“Alright.” – Alex

“And you with the white hair, go with Rin and find some water.” – Dan

“Kay!” – Shin

“I’ll stay here and protect Lett.” – Dan

The injured girl starts coughing.

“Lett! You’re finally awake again!” – Dan

Lett…

Now that I think about it, I feel like I’ve heard that name before.

I’m not exactly sure when though…

“Who’s that guy?” – Lett

She starts coughing more.

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t seem like he’s here to hurt you, Lett.” – Dan

“It’s true, I’m not going to hurt you. I came here because I wanted to get away from the violence for a little while.” – Alex

“What’s your name?” – Lett

“I’m Alex! Alex Minima!” – Alex

“Minima… Wait, isn’t that where my brothers buddy is from?” – Lett

Hold on…

I think I remember now!

“Wait, are you Vic’s little sister?!” – Alex

“You know my brother?!” – Lett

“Wowowow, hold on here. You guys know each other??” – Dan

I knew I’d heard that name before…

While training, Vic liked talking about his family and home.

Lepus is a small town in the outer area just like Minima.

Vic is Lepus’ only hunter, just like big bro is our only hunter.

Just like my brother, he’s very rarely home…

And when he is, it’s never for long.

He’s always on missions, giving most of what he earns away so the people of Lepus don’t starve.

The way he talked about her made me think she was a little kid, but she’s the same the same age as me…

Her arm is completely blown off…

Now I really want to help her.

It’s the least I can do after all Vic did for me.

“No… Not exactly. I know her brother, Vic. He’s my brother’s friend, and my teacher. He came to my village six months ago to train me to become a hunter. He taught me all sorts of stuff about the world, including BDM.” – Alex

“Ah, so you’re Leo’s brother…” – Lett

“Do you know my brother?” – Alex

“No, not really. All I know is what I heard from Victor. He’s a C-rank hunter and can control fire, right?” – Lett

“Yup.” – Alex

“Wait, hold on…” – Dan

“What?” – Alex

“You said he came to you six months ago to train you to become a hunter, right?” – Dan

“Yeah?”

“Well, you made it sound like you started learning BDM six months ago…” – Dan

“That’s right.” – Alex

“What? That’s not possible… It usually takes years just to learn BDM. But not only have you learned it, you’re really good at using it too. When I pushed you earlier, that wasn’t just a normal push… If I did that to a normal person, their ribs would shatter. You were even surprised when I pushed you, so you didn’t even have time to prepare for it and defend.” – Dan

“…” – Alex

“It’s not possible to reach that level in six months. It’s just… not.” – Dan

“I don’t know what to tell you… Vic said I was talented, is it really that big a deal?” – Alex

“Talented? No amount of talent can give you these kinds of results in just six months! Lett, he’s lying to us. I don’t think he is who he says he is!” – Dan

I don’t even know what to say…

“I-” – Alex

“Dan, it’s fine. I trust him, okay?” – Lett

“How can you though? He is clearly lying! He’s trying to trick us!” – Dan

“If he wanted to hurt me, he could have done it ages ago. Like you said yourself when I woke up, he’s not here to hurt us. He’s even helping me by putting pressure on the wound!” – Lett

“… Fine! I don’t trust him, but… I’ll put my trust in you.” – Dan

I don’t know what more I can do to prove I’m not here to hurt them…

“Let’s talk about something else… Alex, what guild do you want to join?” – Lett

“The Red Knights! Just like big bro and just like Vic!” – Alex

“Same! Hehe…” – Lett

“What about you, Dan?” – Alex

“Tsk.” – Dan

He looks away and crosses his arms.

“Come on, Dan, don’t be like that. Answer him!” – Lett

“To me it doesn’t really matter, I just need the money.” – Dan

“But what if everyone invited you, who would you choose?” – Alex

“First of all, that’s not happening. But IF it did happen, I guess I’d choose… The Dwarfs. They’re known for their ability to clear lots of dungeons quickly. That would make it a lot easier to earn lots of money… I guess…”

“That’s a great choice, Dan!” – Lett

Dan blushes a little.

“The Dwarfs… They’re also one of the guilds with the most members in it. Although quality is important, when it comes to clearing out a bunch of weaker dungeons, quantity is definitely also very important.” – Lett

CRASH!

Suddenly Shin comes flying through the wall.

He’s carrying Rin, she’s hurt.

“Quickly! We need to get away from here!” – Shin

“Shin! What’s happening?!” – Alex

“It’s Leon! He tried killing Rin, but I just barely managed to get her away from him in time. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but he’s very injured too. If he dies then… Whatever, we don’t have time to worry about him now. He obviously won’t kill us, that would only be a hindrance to himself. But… He might still hurt us if we try to stop him.” – Shin

“I’m not gonna leave them here to die!” – Alex

“I’m not either! Come on, grab the girl! We need to leave! NOW!!” – Shin