Universal Slave

*Swish*

The arrow shot through the air at high speed and embedded itself in the eye of a small fox, killing it on the spot.

*Fire fox hunted. Points obtained: 1*

Luke lowered the bow and observed his progress on the hunting mission: 37/100,000

He sighed

"It's going to be difficult to complete this mission if I continue at this rate."

A full day had already passed since he had entered the forest, but the number of prey that gave him points when hunting them were very few. He was still in a low-level area, although Lunari control did not extend this far, there were not many high-level beasts. He would have to go deeper into the forest, but the danger would increase exponentially if he advanced to the area where the cultivation beasts were.

Another thing that worried him was mission 03, which required him to save a young Lunari. The problem was that he had no information on what Lunari it was, and he obviously wouldn't find it deep in the forest. There were only two days left until the mission time limit. Now he was torn between the two options available, abandon mission 03 and continue deeper into the forest, or return to Lunaria with his current loot and try to find clues before the time limit.

"If I want to get a good mount, I have to go deep into the forest anyway. I can't buy a common horse since if I did, the rewards for completing that mission would be horrible. Besides, a mount is a lifelong companion, you have to be judicious when choosing."

Luke skillfully skinned the fox, then placed the red pelt in his backpack with the rest of his loot. He took his dagger and cut the animal's head, exposing a tiny red stone. He removed the stone, quickly cleaned it, and put it in a separate bag, where he had a dozen similar stones.

He looked up at the sky. It was cloudy again, and it looked like it was going to rain at any moment. He remained silent, thinking.

After a few moments he closed his eyes and relaxed his body. He had made a decision.

He packed his luggage and began to move at high speed towards the depths of the forest. A young Lunari would die.

...............….............

Lanti woke up before the sun rose. Her biological clock was programmed in such a way that she would woke up in time, no matter how tired she was.

She washed and put on her work uniform. She had been promoted to captain of group 15 a little over a month ago, and she took her job very seriously, most people admired her responsibility, but there were also others who disdained her for it. As usual, where there are people there are always rivers and lakes.

She had a light breakfast in the company of her family. Even though the government had given her a personal room in the military quarter, she preferred to continue living with her parents and younger sister. The feeling of warmth she found in her home helped her clear her mind, there she could put aside the stoic personality she carried on a daily basis, and continue simply being Lanti, the daughter of some farmers, and the sister of a teenager who acted flirtatious every time she saw her and asked her for money.

"Old Letto, from the store, told me that lately there has been an increase in the number of human mercenaries lurking in the forest"

Lanti's father said, with a worried tone. His daughter did not usually tell them anything about her work, she tried not to worry them, but they worried even more.

"As usual, there is always some other human looking for death"

Lanti tried not to give importance to the matter. That way her parents would not worry about the rumors that had been circulating in the streets for some time now.

Her father saw that she did not want to talk about the subject, hesitated for a moment, but finally decided not to continue asking.

"The Froland's son asked about you, he is a very handsome boy and works in the mine…"

Lanti interrupted her mother before she could complete her usual sentence.

"I am not interested mom. I have already told you that I do not like him, to begin with he is more than ten years older than me, he is not handsome and he is not in shape"

"But daughter, you are already 19 years old, now that you have got a good job it is time to start a family, he has a great influence in the mine and if you get married he can surely help you in your career, besides we know his family and we know that they are decent people"

Lanti's parents were farmers without much education, their only wish was that their daughters could live a full life without difficulties. Although some of their precepts did not coincide with the ideas that both daughters had regarding how they wanted to live their lives and develop in the future.

"I'm not interested anyway! If he keeps insisting, tell him to come face to face with me in a duel, if he can beat me then I'll accept!"

Her mother sighed and did not press the issue any further. How could a man who had not even cultivated spiritual energy defeat her daughter, who was considered one of the greatest prodigies in recent years? It was partly because of this label that her parents were worried about Lanti. After all, a beautiful young prodigy was irresistible to some young nobles who sought to make their family roots even stronger. The problem was that nobles did not have a good reputation. Among all the nobles of Lunaria, there were only a few who could be considered decent by the common people. Although they never dared to say anything about it.

Lanti finished her breakfast and left the house after warmly greeting her parents. Despite her rebelliousness, at home she was still her parents' little girl.

As she left her house she looked at the sun shining brightly in the summer sky, and felt that this would be a good day.

Suddenly someone wrapped a hug around her neck. Her first reaction was to attack, but not feeling any malice, she relaxed her posture and let herself be hugged.

"Always so alert Lanti, for a moment I thought you were going to throw me over your shoulder" said the young girl who was hanging on Lanti's neck due to the height difference, smiling.

"Well you were lucky Sonya, if I wasn't in a good mood today, you would already be with your back on the ground looking at the sky!" Lanti joked with her friend.

Sonya Blair was a year older than her and they had been friends since childhood. They had entered the military academy together. And now they continued to work together since Sonya was in the group captained by Lanti. It could be said without a doubt that they were best friends, almost sisters.

"Oh, how scary~. That's why you can't get a boyfriend!" Sonya said and laughed.

"Hmpf, a man worthy of my love hasn't appeared yet!" Lanti continued to joke as they walked towards the barracks.

"How about that human we captured the other day? He was quite handsome, he sure falls into your category, pretty face loving lady."

"Don't talk nonsense! If I brought a young hybrid home my parents would faint from anger, you know how they are."

"Aha! You didn't deny that he's your type! Next time I see him I'm going to tell him that you plan to declare your love for him! Ouch!"

Lanti gently hit her on the head with the edge of his hand, which caused an exaggerated reaction from Sonya.

"Don't keep talking nonsense because I'm going to get angry. What if someone hears you talking nonsense and then rumors start to spread?"

Sonya stuck out her tongue and didn't continue playing with her friend.

The figure of the young man they had found in the forest appeared in Lanti's mind again, and she couldn't deny that he really fell into the category she liked. "What will his fighting power be like?" She thought. And immediately shook her head to get rid of those superfluous thoughts. Now the most important thing was to concentrate on work!

"Today we have to patrol the area west of the river, I've heard that there have been disappearances of hunters in that area. We must be alert for the slightest sign of trouble," Lanti said, returning to her usual serious manner, which she used whenever she was working.

Sonya gave an affirmative answer. But Lanti couldn't see that in the gaze that was now fixed on the ground, her childhood friend had an expression of indecision and concern.

...............…

In an orphanage in the slums of Lunaria, which is under the protection of the church of the moon goddess, a group of ragged children were eating some bread crumbs, after softening them a little by soaking them in water.

Their ages ranged from 3 to 12 years old, children over that age would be sent somewhere else, the options were to go to the military academy to undergo training, or to the house of some noble to enter servitude, or if they were lucky they could become an apprentice to some craftsman.

Flynn was one of the oldest children in the orphanage, being eleven years old. In just a few days he would turn twelve and would have to leave. He still did not know where he would go and felt a mixture of worry and hope for his future.

Flynn was a optimistic boy, he was orphaned when his parents who were warriors died in an altercation with the Sinoloa tribe when he was just three years old. Since then he had lived his life in the orphanage. As one of the oldest in the group he always tried to help his younger siblings, he was much loved and admired by all the children in the orphanage.

For this very reason his stomach was growling so much right now. For some time now the financial aid they received from the church and the government had begun to decrease, at first it was only a little, but over the years it had been progressively reduced to the point where the money was not enough to cover food for all the children.

Flynn was used to going hungry, as long as his little brothers could eat a little more. Still, all the children were hungry in the orphanage.

Flynn finished eating with his brothers and hurried out to the street. He had a hard day of work ahead of him. The only way for the children in the orphanage to survive was for him and other children who were among the older ones in age to go out and do all kinds of work. The adults did not seem to care about their well-being, the priests in charge of the orphanage did not even listen to them if they decided to complain, and the only time they had asked the authorities for help, it ended in tragedy.

Flynn still remembered the smile of his older brother Luca when he told him that he would go ask the government for help and that in the future they could eat without worries. That time was the last time he saw him. According to what the priests informed them some time later, his body had been found in the forest, devoured by wild beasts.

Every time he thought about that, Flynn felt a tickle in his nose. But he never allowed himself to show vulnerability, because he was a man! And the pillar of his younger brothers!

Flynn turned a corner running at high speed and collided head on with someone who was walking on the other side. He fell to the ground sitting down and his butt scraped against the ground.

On the other side, Sonya, who was preparing to insult whoever was running without paying attention, saw that it was a child and immediately her expression softened. She helped him to his feet and said, "Be more careful next time, if you had collided with a noble you would be in trouble."

Flynn nodded nervously and apologized to the young girl who was dressed in the royal guard uniform.

Sonya waved her hand indicating that it was no problem and continued walking. In the distance she saw her friend Lanti, standing in the middle of the street looking at the sky thoughtfully. She stopped dead for a moment and a desolate expression appeared on her face. Then she took a breath, returned her condition to normal and crept up to Lanti.

Flynn watched as the young guard he had just collided with hung on the neck of another royal guard who had a uniform indicating her higher rank. There was a certain longing in his eyes. If he could enter the royal guard and rise through the ranks like that beautiful woman, he could certainly help improve the lives of his brothers in the orphanage. He stood there for only a moment, and then immediately ran off towards the central square. He had to get there before the trading posts opened, he would work as a peddler for one of the merchants in the square and earn some coins, but he had to get there early because the job offer was much lower than the demand.

Finally, he managed to secure a position as a peddler at a food stand.

Armed with a basket full of delicacies, he began to walk through the streets looking for customers.

Suddenly, a gentle voice sounded behind him.

"Excuse me, little one, do you know where I could buy a map of the forest?"

Flynn turned around, and opened his eyes in surprise. "A human?" He thought.

"There is an adventurer supply store two blocks away," the young Lunari indicated, not forgetting his courtesy, despite his surprise. It was rare to see a human in Lunaria, very rare. Perhaps it was a hybrid, he thought.

"Thank you very much, boy. Would you spare me two of those stuffed buns you're selling?"

Flynn immediately went into sales mode, and skillfully handed him two stuffed buns wrapped in some leaves. He took the money and was preparing to give him the change when the human said.

"The change is the fee for the information you gave me. See you later, boy."

And without waiting for an answer, he disappeared without a trace.

Flynn opened his eyes wide. "It wouldn't be a ghost, would it? But ghosts don't eat." He had a little internal dialogue that didn't last too long. Because ghost or not, a sale was a sale, and he had to keep selling. If he sold the whole basket, he would have enough money to buy dinner.

Flynn continued walking around the city. When he was about to reach the slums, he stopped. It was dangerous to go in there with a basket full of food. He knew that better than anyone since he had lived there all his life. He was about to turn around and walk back to the central square. But at that moment, a voice called out to him from a nearby alley.

it was a familiar voice. A voice he thought he had forgotten.

He turned around and saw a familiar, yet somewhat different face.

"Luca?" he said uncertainly.

"Hey! Flynn, how have you been? I see you still remember me," said the young man who was covered in a black robe and hooded.

If it had been under any other circumstances, Flynn would have run towards the central square without hesitation, but the familiar face he had seen so many times in his dreams kept him from leaving, anchoring him to the ground.

"Luca… You were alive? But-"

"Hey hey, don't say such scary things, you'll attract bad luck!" Luca said smiling before Flynn could finish speaking.

"Let me guess, they told you he was dead, but you never saw the body, right?"

Flynn's mind was working at high speed, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Don't worry, look at the worried face you have. To tell the truth, I wanted to come see you many times, but they just wouldn't let me. Before you ask, let me tell you. That time I went to ask the government for help and I almost died. It seems that the orphanage is in the middle of a power struggle between nobles. I don't have all the details, but that time I almost died at the hands of a noble. Luckily, I was saved by my current master."

"Master?" Flynn exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, the master found out that I have talent in a certain type of magic, so he recruited me. I'm now serving a noble. I just came back from a mission and heard about the situation at the orphanage, so I came to see you in secret. I'm here to help."

Listening to the words he had hoped someone would tell him countless times and seeing his brother's familiar face, Flynn let his guard down imperceptibly.

Luca, from the dark alley, smiled, showing his white teeth. The wheels of fate were turning.

Meanwhile, at the same time, a young man was leaving the city towards the forest, behind him two groups with completely opposite goals followed him silently.