Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 40

Chapter 40 Chapter 10.5 - First Dungeon

I am back from my project trip. From now on, updates will go as usual.

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After resting for a while and sleeping, I was now ready to go again.

'Stage 1 is cleared, and it will take at least one and a half days for the dungeon to respawn the monsters.'

That was how things went most of the time.

If the dungeon's mana level on one side was dropped by killing the monsters inside, then the dungeon would try to replenish those sides by cutting down on the mana supply of other parts.

In a way, it followed the principle of equilibrium from chemistry.

'Then, the only thing left for me is moving forward.'

I still had at least 6 hours more before I needed to clock out, thus I wanted to make the most of the time I would be spending here.

'Considering the amounts of Kobolds I had hunted, I think I made around 40k Valer alone.'

I thought. It was the amount of money I had borrowed from the academy.

'But that is only if I exclude the expenses of coming here.'

Instantly calculating the amount of money I would be spending and needed to cut off, it became evident that my haul was around thirty-five thousand.

Even though I got a bracelet that could breach any type of detection, I still needed to show some sort of haul so that I wouldn't look suspicious.

But a little and young hunter like me would be expected to hunt at most ten kobolds in this amount of time, and that would make them cut off around one or one point five thousand Valer.

And that was fine. However, aside from that, I also needed to buy some other bullets, potions, clothes and etc. That was the reason why being a hunter was not a free job.

The pay was good, but at the same time, it was expensive. Hunters are always putting their life on the line, so to protect them, they would never spare any money.

At least, that is what it is advised.

'And there is no way I could just use the arrows given by the academy, and arrows are a lot more expensive than bullets.'

Since arrows occupied more space and more material, making them with good mana conducting material was alone expensive.

Anyway, that was about to become my haul, but I still had more time, so I started venturing deeper into the woods.

The mana rain had finally subsided, leaving behind a fresh scent in the air.

The dense vegetation became even thicker, and the shadows of the tall trees stretched across the forest floor. The sound of my footsteps was muffled by the soft moss that covered the ground.

WUSH WUSH

As I walked cautiously, I noticed a change in the atmosphere. It was as if the forest itself held its breath. The chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves had ceased, replaced by an eerie silence.

Then, I heard it - a low, rhythmic sound, almost like a soft melody. It was a sound I had never encountered before, and I strained my ears to listen more closely. It seemed to be coming from deeper within the woods.

Immediately I understood the source of the sounds.

'To think that they would try to lure me there first.'

Harmonic Chatterers.

As I previously mentioned, they were a type of monkey-based monsters that were labeled as rank-2 intermediate monsters.

Even though their physical strength was weak, they had a rather different type of strength. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

'Sound mana.'

They were known for their sound affinity, and their musical abilities were said to have strange effects on those who listened. Some hunters spoke of being mesmerized by their melodies, losing track of time, and wandering deeper into the forest, never to return.

However, I still decided to investigate the source of the strange sound. As I moved closer, the sound grew louder and more distinct.

'From the looks of it, they are not directly aiming at me. I think their focus on somewhere else.'

I concluded.

From the small traces that was on the ground and those marks on the trees, I could infer that the place I was in was commonly used by these monkey-types of monsters.

'But, it is mostly used for scouting and patrolling. This place is not their home.'

However, because the traces were rather faint, I could infer that not everyone used here every time of the day.

MELODY

Then the melody continued to enter my ears, whispering softly. It was trying to mess with my head, and if I was subjected to the sound longer, I would be seduced as well.

Then, slowly amplifying my mana into my ears, I blocked the sound affinity mana entering my ears.

SHRIEK SHRIEK

Thus resulting in pure sound coming.

It was an ugly shriek that one would expect from a monster. I could finally see their true colors.

'Hmm….But they are a lot louder. They really want to gather someone's attention.'

I was confident in my hiding abilities, which meant there was another group of people there.

I stealthily made my way toward the source of the sound, careful not to step on any twigs or make any noise that could alert the Harmonic Chatterers to my presence.

As I approached, I saw a clearing in the forest where the sound was originating from.

Peering through the dense bush, I saw a group of five individuals standing in the clearing.

They were armed and seemed to be seasoned adventurers. Their gear and weapons indicated that they were experienced hunters.

In front of them were the Harmonic Chatterers. They were swaying rhythmically as they played their melodies, and the hunters seemed to be mesmerized by the sound.

'Hmm? Are they pretending like they were bewitched by those monsters?'

Looking at their small body language, I thought. No person would shake his hands or grip their weapon with a lot of strength when they were bewitched. And they would also tense their muscles.

'Smart decision.' From their looks alone, it was not that easy to gauge their strength, but unnecessary conflict could prove to be fatal in this place filled with villains and criminals.

SHRIEK SHRIEK

As the Harmonic Chatterers approached, their swaying and melodies became more aggressive. The hunters were prepared for this and activated their own skills to counter the monsters' attacks.

One hunter lunged forward, utilizing their swift swordsmanship skill to strike at the Chatterers with lightning speed. Another activated their defensive stance, using a skill that created an impenetrable barrier to protect themselves and their allies.

Despite the monsters' agility and sonic attacks, the hunters' skills allowed them to dodge and deflect the incoming strikes. At the very least, they didn't seem like they were struggling.