X-Rank Hunter

Thinking about Charley, she was the daughter-in-law of 'Laude Jabat', the guild master of 'Burning Legion', the current top 2 strongest guild in the Maharlika Kingdom. Charley was said to be an 'Advance Ranker' and was said that she was a 'former' member of one of the eight Royal Hunters!

It was 'rumored' that she 'retired' being a Hunter and 'quit' as a Royal Hunter after she was married 12 years ago. After which, she kept herself low and lived in a remote village as no one had ever managed to hold news regarding her interfering with the matters of the kingdom.

Of course, no one was allowed to retire as a Hunter for as long as one was not heavily injured and couldn't continue doing one's job any longer. But for some reason, though Charley was still at her peak, the rumors still spread far and wide that the Hunter Association and the King allowed her to retire.

Nowadays, people called her the Queen of Illusions but back then in the civil war 15 years ago when 'Min Region', one of the three regions of the Kingdom revolted, people called her... 'Sweet Death'.

A cold-blooded huntress that dominated the battlefield. Once you were caught by her illusions, you were more than happy willing to die for her. For behind the sweetness, death was hiding itself!

Even High Rankers were having a hard time getting away from her illusions.

Her armies were her enemies making them dance to the palm of her hands!

She was 39 years old right now but her beauty still remained, as if she was in her youth. It was said that whenever a Hunter becomes stronger, they age slower. And looking at her now, it seemed that it was true.

As for now, she had two sons and one daughter. She was living together with her eldest son and enjoying a happy and normal life in a remote village.

Her second son, though at his very young age of 7, he was so busy training making him spend most of his time at the Academy.

Her daughter was living together with her grandpa 'Laude' for some reason so Charley only had a chance to meet her daughter once in a blue moon.

As Jim entered his room while still thinking about his mother and his family, Jim felt rather envious in his heart. He gritted his teeth yearning to become stronger and refusing to stay for being a weak F-rank Hunter any longer.

He then sat on his bed but then again, he saw the old book on the bed beside him, lying leisurely as if mocking him for being too incompetent.

What the hell... Are we really playing hide and seek here?

Is it my turn now to hide and you finally showed yourself?

Jim hurriedly picked it up, afraid to lose it again but the moment he touched it... he saw in his mind a splitting image of a man in white with long shining hair having six white wings on his back. He was floating with the clouds and his face was somewhat dazzling that he could barely see it. He spoke in a loud voice saying,

"Your plea has been heard by the dungeon."

"?"

Jim wanted to say something but he found himself completely stifled. He couldn't even open his mouth to voice out his thoughts. He could only watch the man with wings slowly dissipating in the thin air.

What do you mean?! What dungeon? His thought that he wanted to shout, only remained as a thought.

"!"

"Jim! Jim!"

All of a sudden, his mother, Charley was already beside him calling out his name in worry. His position was still the same when he first sat on the bed after he entered the room.

He didn't notice when and how his mother just appeared suddenly right beside him, but he could tell that she was already there for a while.

"Mom?"

"Are you ok? I've been calling you out since forever and here you are, staring at the space. Is there a problem son?"

Jim just noticed that the book that he thought that he was holding had disappeared yet again and was nowhere to be seen. He then stared at his mom with a wide smile to calm her down.

His mother was always sad lately, maybe it was because she missed her family away from her. But Jim didn't want his mother to worry for him anymore and add fuel to her sadness. All he wished for her was to always become happy, though it really was impossible. But for someone we really love, all we wished for them was happiness, no?

"Nothing happened mom hehe. I just want to go home."

"..."

His mother calmed down a bit as she breathed a sigh of relief, "I-is that so? But why are you spacing out? You made me worried there you know!"

"Ah... That...?"

Jim scratched the back of his head as he was thinking of the excuses he would tell his mother. After a few seconds of thinking, he came up with a very nice reason that his mother would never doubt to believe.

"... I.. I just heard the news that the 'QUEEN OF ILLUSIONS!' who has already been 'RETIRED!' a long time ago, just got 'INVOLVED!' in a fight with a beast just now!" Jim paused for a moment as he stared at his mom intently with a frown and then he continued, "So I'm just a little worried about her!."

"Hehe, you heard that? So...sorry, I won't do it again hehe," Charley replied awkwardly.

"Forget it mom, I know you have your reasons."

"..."

Phew.

Jim was relieved that his mother somewhat believed in what he just said. Well, he really was worried about her.

Of course, he was worried not because a mere B-rank beast would hurt her but he was worried that his mother might actually turn back as a Hunter again and become a cold-blooded queen if she continued using her power.

If not for his father who defeated her in a final duel 14 years ago, one year after the civil war, she might remain as a cold-blooded Huntress. Long story short, after his father defeated her, she then confessed her love to him as well and her cold-blooded personality towards his father faded away. Just two years later, they got married.

"So can we go home now mom?"

"Ah. Yes, I already asked the doctor and he has allowed us. We can now finally go home as we like."

"Really? Then what are we waiting for, let's go home already!"

****

As they were walking out of the hospital, a silhouette of a certain someone at the top of a certain building could be seen, watching them warily.

His piercing glare could cause a chilling sensation in his surroundings as he muttered, "Sweet Death huh... you really are sharp as ever."

Meanwhile, Charley immediately noticed that someone was watching them from afar so she immediately turned her gaze to where that someone was but what she saw was an empty space.

"Hmph!" Knowing that the other party would not show itself, Charley retracted her gaze and summoned a giant eagle as their mount for them to go back home.

Charley then jumped to the back of her eagle as she engulfed her son with her World Energy to lift him up and protect him from the windblast or prevent him from falling from the eagle. After which, the eagle flew away as it dotted into the clear sky.

As they left the area, the silhouette had once again revealed itself and muttered, "You really are sharp."

The silhouette was clad in black clothes with a mark of a triangle on its back of which the word "SIN" was written in red inside of the triangle. The black clothes cloaked its entire body and its face was cloaked by shadows.

The silhouette gazed at the eagle that just left for a while before it vanished from where it was standing as if it was not in there in the first place.