"Are you sure you will not took a single magic core at all? After we come out, the gate will immediately be closed, you know," Osamu said, picking up the Magic Core from the corpses of monsters lying on the ground with a smile on his face.
While Karen who was seen moving the corpses of the Hunters who died by poison from Amami was previously seen disturbed.
"Hey, this isn't the right time to do that, right? Hurry and help me!"
But Osamu seemed to ignore Karen's words and continue to do his works, Karen who saw it sighed before glancing at Reo who was seen standing in front of Amami while holding his chin.
"Umm ... Shirogami-kun, is there really no other way than to burn these corpses here?"
Reo who heard that said casually without taking his eyes from Amami.
"Yeah, there is no way to bring their bodies out of the Dungeon so burning them here is the only choice."
"..." Karen who heard that was speechless and could only looked down with a pensive expression. After a while, she resumed her work.
While Reo, he seemed to be thinking about something. In front of him right now was Amami who was still tightly bound and unconscious.
Even though a day has passed since Gate turned into a Red Gate, and Amami lost his consciousness by Reo, but until now, Amami still hasn't come to his senses.
'Did I hit him too hard? 'That question came to Reo's mind, but still Amami's condition was very strange now. His heartbeat is normal and the his life sign can still be felt by Reo very clearly, but not with his awareness.
"Well, it looks like I'll leave this matter to the Hunter Association," Reo murmured.
He realized that his opportunity to interrogate Amami in person had vanished because after he left the Gate while carrying Amami, the Hunter Association certainly wouldn't remain silent and take full responsibility for Amami's condition. But honestly, Rei didn't mind that at all, because he might still be able to talk to Amami even though it was under the watchful eye of the Association.
After pausing for a moment, Reo then reached into his haori pouch and took the transparent crystal he had taken from Anaceen's body previously. He kept staring at the crystal in his hand in silence with a deadpan expression before Karen's voice awakened him from his reverie.
"Shirogami-kun, I have arranged all the corpses and ready to do the cremation process."
Hearing that, Reo then glanced at Karen who was behind him and smiled sweetly.
"Then I'm counting on you."
And then, according to the orders Reo gave, Karen used her fire magic to burn the corpses of the Hunter one by one. The cremation process is done as a final tribute to the Hunter while protecting their bodies from hungry monsters.
Light of fire in the dark forest emanated from Reo's golden eyes, making it glow. The pink cosmic light that had been seen enveloping the dark sky from the Poisonous Dungeon this time just disappeared after Anaceen's death.
And accompanied by cremation flames and black smoke billowing up into the sky, the Yokohama B-Rank Dungeon Raid was completely finished.
***
* Growwl *
Rumbling began to sound as the Red Gate in front of everyone slowly began to change color. Akari who was standing a few meters in front of Red Gate had a worried expression on her face.
How come, right now, there are only two possibilities that can occur when Red Gate has returned to normal gate, whether everyone has been slaughtered by a Dungeon Boss inside, or managed to kill him safely and came out of the Gate.
Whatever the outcome, Akari only wants the safety of Reo, whom she considers her own younger brother. Because she also feels responsible for not prohibiting Reo from making crazy bets with Goto which ends up being a mess like this.
'Please, at least let Reo come out safely. ' Akari thought in hermind, a very selfish way of thinking.
While Goketsu, he was seen standing behind Akari in the company of his men. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, and looked towards the gate with a serious look. His firm face gave everyone the intimidating impression.
After a while since the decrease in the amount of magic energy waves emitted by the gate, the Gate suddenly rumbled again the second time, causing a series of black lightning to strike around.
And--
* dap *
Gradually, several human figures began to be seen stepping out of the Gate and attracting the attention of everyone there. However, seeing that, a big smile appeared on Akari's face because at least the appearance of someone from inside Gate had made the first option impossible.
And then, an albino youth with pale skin and silky white hair was seen coming out of the Gate carrying a man who was tightly bound by a rope on his shoulder. His golden eyes scanned everyone gathered around the Gate with a disinterested look. The young man is none other than Reo.
Then, behind him Akari was seen carrying various kinds of relics from the hunters who were there in a cloth bag. And beside her, Osamu seen carriying a bag containing various kinds of Magic Cores from the monsters including Magic Core from Anaceen that they had taken earlier.
And with the three of them starting to come out of the Gate, the Red Gate that was there began to lose its red color and turn back into an ordinary Gate before it shrank and disappeared.
* zrap *
Goketsu widened his eyes when he saw Reo and the others coming out of the Gate. While one of his men, looked surprised because only four people including Amami who survived the Raid this time.
And for Akari.
"Reo-chan !!" She quickly approached Reo and hugged him very tightly, and even made Reo have difficulty breathing because of the super strong human body that Akari has.
"I'm glad you survived."
"Yeah, yeah, just keep hugging me like that if you really want to kill me." Said Reo who immediately made Akari aware and release her arms from Reo.
"Ah! I'm sorry."
Then, when Akari was seen talking to Reo, Goketsu who had previously only stood in the distance began to approach them all with a formal attitude. And that cannot be separated from Reo's view.
"Sorry to disturb your family moments but I don't think talking in a place like this is a good thing," said Goketsu, his eyes met Reo's golden eyes.
Reo who heard that understood what Goketsu meant, he glanced slightly towards the crowd of reporters who looked excited by their appearance before nodding.
"You're right. Let's go. "
"Come with me," Goketsu said as he nodded and began to walk towards the tents that had been set up around the gate before.
Seeing that, Osamu and Karen immediately followed Goketsu from behind without saying anything while Reo looked up and looked towards the bright blue sky, very different from the cloudy clouds that enveloped the sky before they entered the gate previously.
'Even though we have been in the Dungeon long enough before, it seems like time has only passed a few hours on Earth. Dungeon is really mysterious, huh.' Reo thought.
"Why are you just standing there, let's go into the tent, Reo-chan." Said Akari who immediately revived Reo, and without saying anything else, Reo then started to towards the tent.
***
Inside the tent, it was seen Reo who was sitting crossing his legs while reading Shoujo Manga in his hands casually. He is seen to have released his Haori which was previously slightly wet due to Anaceen's poisonous mucus.
He is currently waiting for Akari who is talking to Goketsu directly, because Reo has no other ride to take him home besides Akari. It was actually quite surprising for Reo because he did not expect to be allowed to go home just like that.
He initially thought the Association would arrest the survivors for direct questioning about what had happened inside the Gate, but apparently not. That's quite strange considering how surprised the Red Gate incident this time.
A quiet atmosphere enveloped Reo's tent before suddenly the front door of the tent opened and displayed a figure of Karen who looked tired and listless.
"* sigh *" She sighed before walking and finally sat in front of Reo and leaned her cheek on the table. Sensing Karen's presence, Reo then muttered.
"Did the reporters already leave this place?" Reo asked without looking away.
"They did... well, they left after the Hunters from the monitoring team ordered them all to leave when they asked a lot of unnecessary questions, you know yourself how stubborn they are, right?"
"Are you talking about yourself or the reporters?"
Hearing that, Karen looked sullen and said in a lethargic tone.
"What do you mean, I'm not stubborn at all."
Then Reo just shrugged his shoulders and smiled thinly. The atmosphere then became quiet before Reo closed his manga and opened his mouth.
"By the way, where is Glasses-kun? I haven't seen him since, did he go home first?" Reo asked.
"Ah, yes ... After handing all the Magic Cores obtained from the Gate to the Association, he immediately returned home and looked in a hurry." Akari answered.
In accordance with the provisions that were written in the contract when they join a Guild, all the loot they got from inside the Gate would be fully handed over to the Guild be it Magic Cores, Monster Corpses, or Mana Crystals.
Instead, the Guild will replace all of those things in the form of money and give them to the Hunter in accordance with the results of the loot they managed to get from the Gate. That was a natural thing considering all the facilities needed by the Hunters to do the Raid had been provided by the Guild.
Including the Gate and permission to enter it. Of course some people are not happy with the contract and end up doing an action that violates the contract such as hiding valuable magic cores for personal use. Either sell it by themself or use it for something.
Like Reo doing now.
"I just hope he doesn't do stupid things like hiding the Magic Core and decides to sell it himself on the internet. Because if you look at his expression when getting Magic Core from that giant monster before, I doubt he will do everything that written in the contract." Karen murmured, seen leaned her chin on his hand.
"Yep, he will not."
"Right? * Sigh *" Karen said before she sighed tiredly.
Reo and Karen then continued chatting. While Karen is waiting for her agency's pickup, Reo waits for Akari to finish chatting with Goketsu. Karen told a lot about her life as an idol and public figure to Reo, the ups and downs behind it and the things that caught Reo's attention.
And after a few minutes talking to each other finally one of the women sent by J.F Entertainment, the agency where Karen worked came and approached the two of them.
"Looks like our pleasant chatting time has to end here, Shirogami-kun," said Karen who began to stand up from her chair.
"It seems so," Reo said, smiling sweetly.
"Yes, and I hope this is not the last time we meet and chat casually like this." Said Karen smiled Reo smile.
"The terrible events that I face today are experiences that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Death, despair, and betrayal, from now on all of this will continue to make an impression in my memory and become part of my life." Karen then smiled sweetly, her beautiful face seemed to emit a different impression than before, right now.
"But I'm grateful, I'm grateful to see it all, and I'm grateful to meet you."
Reo just kept quiet and didn't say anything. Allowing Karen to continue her speech. Karen then smiled before she bowing to Reo.
"Thank you for all your help, Shirogami-kun." Karen thanked Reo earnestly. She realized that the reason why she was still alive until now was because of Reo.
After staying like that for a few moments, she then stood up and said while smiling.
"Then I'll go first, see you later, Shirogami-kun, hehe ~."
"Yes, I only imitated this sentence from Shoujo Manga but ... Good Luck."
After that, Karen then went out of the tent and followed the woman who picked her up and left Reo who was still sitting relaxed in the tent alone.
And right after Karen actually left, Akari who Reo had been waiting for quite a while finally finished all her business with Goketsu and entered Reo's tent.
"You took a long time, what are you talking about with that man, huh?" Reo asked, then stood up to take his Haori that was hanging above him.
"Of course I'm talking about the person you brought with you, Amami Nakamura, the person who poisoned the hunters using mysterious poison according to what you said," Akari said.
"Hm ... What about that person? What decision was taken by the Association after learning that the Hunters who entered there were not killed by monsters but by other Hunter?"
Akari who heard that then made a stoic expression and seemed to think of something.
"I do not know, they have not given a concrete decision on this matter."
"What?" Hearing that, Reo who was seen carrying his Haori raised his eyebrows in confusion, before he thought.
'No, it's only natural considering they are just a monitoring team that does not have the authority to decide somethings like this. This matter will of course be taken care of by the higher ups and the decision will be taken after a careful consideration and proper interrogation to scout-san.' Reo thought.
He then started walking towars Akari and came out of the tent while looking thoughtful of something. Akari who saw that then walked beside him before returning to speak.
"Because of that, the Association said that they need testimony from you three more days at the Association's office."
"Three more days? Isn't that too long? What are they really thinking," Reo murmured.
"I don't know, I also don't know anything about this, and only convey the results of my conversation with Goketsu before." Akari said as she unwrapped the lollipop candy she had taken from her hoodie pocket.
The two of them then continued chatting before finally arriving in front of Akari's car which was parked not far from the place where the Gate was open.
The dusk sun is seen emitting orange light reflected by the surface of the water from the Tokyo bay, street lights installed in the futuristic seaside area, Minato Mirai 21 starts to ignite. The crowd began to be seen walking around there to enjoy the beauty of the evening sky in the bay of Tokyo.
While the Association members were seen starting to tidy up the temporary tents that were erected around the place where the Gate appeared and removed the boundary line installed there. Reo, who has changed, is wearing a simple beige sweater with a red scarf wrapped around his neck to warm his body.
The autumn wind shook his white hair as he looked towards the horizon. Somehow Reo recalled his conversation with Hiesatsu five years ago.
'A traitor huh, has the association been this bad all this time? 'Reo thought as he rubbed the crystal stored in his pocket.
"Hey, why are you just standing there? Let's go home," Akari said from her car window. Hearing that, Reo without saying anything went straight in and their car finally actually went from there. It was the end of Reo's first Dungeon expedition and the beginning of his involvement with something he should not have known.
***
The next day.
"I see, so he managed to get out of the Red Gate safely. It doesn't look like he is exaggerating himself that time, huh."
Currently, in his office, Goto is seen sitting while crossing his legs. He put on the usual stoic expression on his face.
"That's right, besides that ... according to the information given by Osamu Satō, it seems like Amami really did that heinous act to Araki and the others, Goto-san," Hanekawa said.
"Yes ... I know that, for the time being there hasn't been a call from the Association on this matter but it is certain that we have to take full responsibility for this terrible event."
Hanekawa nodded at Goto's words. Even if this is an internal affair of his guild, Goto must still provide compensation and insurance to the Hunter's family who lost whether it was their parents or child.
"But Goto-san, I do not understand the motives of Amami at all so he could do such a cruel act to his colleagues." Hanekawa looked down and doubts enveloped her.
"Even though I am not too close to him so that I can correctly state that we are friends, but I have spoken to him directly for several times. And as far as I know, he is a very good and kind person."
"Moreover, I am the one who tell him to join Araki team because I think he is fit to be in that team. They have succeeded in clearing dozens of Dungeons and so far, I have not seen any rift between them. So I had no idea he would do all of this. " Hanekawa said.
It seemed like he felt guilty about this incident, despite the fact that he had nothing to do with Amami's cruel actions.
"humans are an easily influenced creatures, Hanekawa. Friendships like that are very fragile things. And you really expect someone like him to maintain such a relationship?"
Hanekawa remain silent. While Goto then turned his chair and glanced towards the night view of Tokyo Downtown from his office window.
He was then seen taking a cigar from the pocket of his pants and began to light it with a jet flame stored in his desk drawer.
* fwuh *
'Yes, even for me ...'
And when Goto was seen drowning in his reverie, suddenly the ringing sound of the phone awakened him.
* kriiing *
It was the sound of Hanekawa's phone ringing, feeling the vibrations in her pocket, Hanekewa then immediately took her smartphone to answer the call.
"Hello, Hanekawa here."
"Um, I understand."
"All right, I'll deliver it soon," Hanekewa said, nodding with a deadpan expression. Then, she hung up and put the smartphone back in her blazer pocket before saying.
"Goto-san, the Association requests your presence to discuss the crime committed by Amami Nakamura at the Hunter Association's office right now," Hanekawa said.
Hearing his secretary's words, Goto then sucked his cigar before standing up from his fancy chair.
"Then get my car ready soon."
" Ok. "
***
After driving home for about an hour from Minato Mirai 21, Yokohama to Tokyo. Reo finally arrived at the Shirogami residence together with Akari at 7:30 PM.
Even so, Akari said she still had to do something in the Guild office so without saying anything else she immediately left in her car and left Reo alone.
"Ah ~, I'm tired ... I think tonight I'll spend my time soaking in warm water." Reo murmured slowly approaching the front door of the house. After arriving at the door, he then immediately rang the bell.
, * Ding * * dong *
"Wait a minute ~."
It was the voice of a little kid, and then the sound of footsteps stepping on the wooden floor could be heard in Reo's ears before the door handle began to move.
* clack *
And when the door opened, there is a little Char figure who was eating ice cream in her hands with a mess to greet Reo's return. When Char saw Reo, her eyes then glowed and she immediately smiled broadly.
"Reo-nii chan ~ Welcome back !!" Without thinking, Char happily approached Reo and hugged him. Reo who saw that did not smile as he should, he instead tilted his head before crouching in front of Char.
"Yes, I'm home," Reo said, stroking Char's head gently, which made her smile happily.
"But Char, isn't it dinnertime? Why are you eating your ice cream now? Did Iris-nee give it to you?"
"Uh, Ice Cream?" Char tilted her head in confusion, her face full of ice cream stains looked very cute. And a few moments later, Char realized that she had just been caught eating ice cream by Reo.
"Ah!"
She shouted before innocently hiding her right hand who holding the ice cream behind her back so Reo could not see it.
"Hoo ~, so Iris-nee doesn't know, huh ..." Reo grinned before continuing.
"Looks like you have guts, Char," he said, smiling. Hearing that, Char didn't understand and continued innocently trying to hide the fact that she was eating ice cream right now.
Reo was then seen reaching into the pocket of his pants, and took a tissue. He then approached Char and started to rub the ice cream stains that were sticking to her face.
"Come here, let me wipe it for you," said Reo, and Char seemed to enjoy it.
" Umumumumu~."
After finishing, Reo then stood up.
"Alright, since all the evidence is gone now, let's go in quietly so we don't get caught up by Iris-nee, okay?" Reo said with a mischevious smile to Char.
"Um!" Char said while smiling innocently, still holding the ice cream in her hand. But, when the two of them tried to sneak in, suddenly Iris's voice could be heard which of course destroyed all their efforts.
"So you're here, bad girl. Didn't Nee-chan tell you not to eat ice cream before dinner?"
Iris, who was still wearing an apron and holding a spatula, had a cold expression when she said that, but her expression changed when she saw Reo who was beside Char, acting stupid like a child.
"Huh ... You're already come back?"
"Ah ~, Iris-nee, I'm home," Reo said, standing back as usual with a smile on his face.
"Come in, dinner is ready," Iris said with her usual flat expression.
"Ok~."
After that, Char who was caught red-handed eating ice cream before dinner finally received a punishment to eating vegetables for one full week.
While Reo went straight back to his room to put his belongings before going to the dining room to have dinner with the others. While in the dining room, Reo didn't talk about anything about today events because Heisatsu told him to talk to him privately after dinner was over.
And after dinner was finished, Reo was finally able to go to soak in warm water for several hours to get rid of the dirt and toxic mucus that was still clinging to his body.
The fact that the mucus no longer affected his body made him wonder what had happened to his body. But he thought that the question might be answered after he tested the pink Ki that he planned to do the next day.
Because tonight, there were many things he wanted to talk about with Heisatsu personally.
*
Currently, in his Japanese-style room, Heisatsu is seen sitting cross-legged while enjoying a bottle of traditional sake. He was seen wearing only a simple kimono.
The room is quite spacious, it is divided into two rooms. The room where he slept and the room where he is currently, which he usually spends his time relaxing there. The room is quite dark and only relies on candle lighting and moonlight.
And when Heisatsu was enjoying the leaves falling outside his room, suddenly there was a knock on the door of his room.
* tok * * tok *
"Come in." Heisatsu said in an old, hoarse voice. Then, the door to the room in front of him began to open and display the figure of Reo.
Without saying anything else, Reo then immediately closed the door and sat in front of Heisatsu. His golden eyes then glanced at the sake bottle in Heisatsu's hand before said.
"Hey old man, i'm amaze you can still live up till now by drinking all of this regularly every day."
"Huh, what nonsense are you saying !? Sake is good for my health, besides drinking sake is also a tradition of the Shirogami family ... you should try it occasionally." Heisatsu offered the sake bottle in his hand to Reo.
"No, thank you." Reo refused, because he was not very fond of alcoholic drinks.
"Tsk, boring," Heisatsu said before returning to drink a bottle of sake in his hands as casually as someone who drank a mineral water.
* gulp * * gulp * * gulp *
"Ah ~, too bad you can't feel the pleasure of drinking sake, what a poor young fellow ..."
"..."
The atmosphere became quiet before Heisatsu glanced towards Reo and their eyes met with each other.
"So, what about your first Raid? I heard that the B-rank gate that you entered turned into a Red Gate suddenly."
"Yes, it looks like you seem very calm about that, I think your reaction will be similar to Akari-nee's. Aren't you worried about your cute student?" Reo said with a smile.
"Heh, cutie my ass. Besides, if you can't even survive a B-Rank Red Gate like that, then the training that you've been living all this time ia useless," Heisatsu said, even though he lied a little bit because actually he was very worried about Reo safety. It's just that he did not show it directly to Reo.
"Haha, I think you're right ..." said Reo laughing lightly.
"Of course, I let you enter the Gate. That means I have fully believed that you can protect yourself from the dangers of the monsters that are there. All of that I have thought carefully since I first decided to pass down Shirogami Swordsmanship to you." Heisatsu, hearing that Reo can only be silent.
The trust given by Heisatsu is something that Reo really considers valuable, because his trust is not just a blind faith but a trust that is held after seeing the results, and considering all the possibilities that will occur.
Because of that Reo was curious, which one is better between the two beliefs.
While the atmosphere became quiet, Heisatsu then resumed his words.
"Then, what about my hypothesis? My hypothesis which states that your neutral Ki can be strengthened by killing other living creatures."
Hearing the question from Heisatsu, Reo without hesitation answered.
"Your hypothesis is correct."
"Ho ~." Heisatsu immediately put a serious expression on his face.
"I was also shocked by that fact but it really happened. The warm feeling I felt all over my body when I claimed the lives of the monsters using Honjo Masamune was stunned me." Reo's golden eyes then glanced at Heisatsu.
"That's also what makes my body feel strange, especially the feeling of tension when I kill a Dungeon Boss who certainly has a much greater amount of Life Force than other monsters."
Heisatsu who heard that nodded.
"I see ... So you really can get stronger like the users of Negative Ki, by killing other living creatures," Heisatsu said. But, there is one thing that can not be separated from his mind.
'Then, what about the side effects of using it? Did the thoughts of the living things he killed did not affect him at all? Or ... '
Although his hypothesis was proven correct and proved that Reo's Neutral Ki could be strengthened in two different ways, but there is one thing that remains a big question in Heisatsu's mind.
How come only Reo has neutral Ki so far? Heisatsu had never heard of anyone else who had the same type of Ki Reo had. Does Reo have something special that makes him not classified into negative or positive?
However, when Heisatsu was thinking hard about all those things suddenly Reo opened his mouth.
"Actually, there are more important things I want to discuss with you, old man." Reo said with a deadpan expression.
Hearing that Heisatsu raised his eyebrows in confusion.
"Hm? More important things? I thought you came here to discuss your neutral Ki with me?"
"Yes, that is indeed one of them." Reo murmured seen taking something from his pocket. He continued to say.
"At first I didn't want to talk about this with you because it has nothing to do with you at all, but after I thought about it, with your years of experience as a Hunter. You might know something about this."
"Oi, Oi, what's going on? Just tell me directly what you want to talk about?" Heisatsu said.
And then--
* cling *
The clanging sound was heard when Reo casually placed a transparent crystal he had previously gotten from Anaceen's body on a wooden table, making Heisatsu's sake bottle vibrate.
"So the thing I want to talk about has something to do with this thing, old man ... do you know anything about this crystal?"
And sure enough, the look of surprise displayed on Heisatsu's face answered it all. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open, he was speechless before saying--
" This Crystal!! "
"Are you sure you will not took a single magic core at all? After we come out, the gate will immediately be closed, you know," Osamu said, picking up the Magic Core from the corpses of monsters lying on the ground with a smile on his face.
While Karen who was seen moving the corpses of the Hunters who died by poison from Amami was previously seen disturbed.
"Hey, this isn't the right time to do that, right? Hurry and help me!"
But Osamu seemed to ignore Karen's words and continue to do his works, Karen who saw it sighed before glancing at Reo who was seen standing in front of Amami while holding his chin.
"Umm ... Shirogami-kun, is there really no other way than to burn these corpses here?"
Reo who heard that said casually without taking his eyes from Amami.
"Yeah, there is no way to bring their bodies out of the Dungeon so burning them here is the only choice."
"..." Karen who heard that was speechless and could only looked down with a pensive expression. After a while, she resumed her work.
While Reo, he seemed to be thinking about something. In front of him right now was Amami who was still tightly bound and unconscious.
Even though a day has passed since Gate turned into a Red Gate, and Amami lost his consciousness by Reo, but until now, Amami still hasn't come to his senses.
'Did I hit him too hard? 'That question came to Reo's mind, but still Amami's condition was very strange now. His heartbeat is normal and the his life sign can still be felt by Reo very clearly, but not with his awareness.
"Well, it looks like I'll leave this matter to the Hunter Association," Reo murmured.
He realized that his opportunity to interrogate Amami in person had vanished because after he left the Gate while carrying Amami, the Hunter Association certainly wouldn't remain silent and take full responsibility for Amami's condition. But honestly, Rei didn't mind that at all, because he might still be able to talk to Amami even though it was under the watchful eye of the Association.
After pausing for a moment, Reo then reached into his haori pouch and took the transparent crystal he had taken from Anaceen's body previously. He kept staring at the crystal in his hand in silence with a deadpan expression before Karen's voice awakened him from his reverie.
"Shirogami-kun, I have arranged all the corpses and ready to do the cremation process."
Hearing that, Reo then glanced at Karen who was behind him and smiled sweetly.
"Then I'm counting on you."
And then, according to the orders Reo gave, Karen used her fire magic to burn the corpses of the Hunter one by one. The cremation process is done as a final tribute to the Hunter while protecting their bodies from hungry monsters.
Light of fire in the dark forest emanated from Reo's golden eyes, making it glow. The pink cosmic light that had been seen enveloping the dark sky from the Poisonous Dungeon this time just disappeared after Anaceen's death.
And accompanied by cremation flames and black smoke billowing up into the sky, the Yokohama B-Rank Dungeon Raid was completely finished.
***
* Growwl *
Rumbling began to sound as the Red Gate in front of everyone slowly began to change color. Akari who was standing a few meters in front of Red Gate had a worried expression on her face.
How come, right now, there are only two possibilities that can occur when Red Gate has returned to normal gate, whether everyone has been slaughtered by a Dungeon Boss inside, or managed to kill him safely and came out of the Gate.
Whatever the outcome, Akari only wants the safety of Reo, whom she considers her own younger brother. Because she also feels responsible for not prohibiting Reo from making crazy bets with Goto which ends up being a mess like this.
'Please, at least let Reo come out safely. ' Akari thought in hermind, a very selfish way of thinking.
While Goketsu, he was seen standing behind Akari in the company of his men. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, and looked towards the gate with a serious look. His firm face gave everyone the intimidating impression.
After a while since the decrease in the amount of magic energy waves emitted by the gate, the Gate suddenly rumbled again the second time, causing a series of black lightning to strike around.
And--
* dap *
Gradually, several human figures began to be seen stepping out of the Gate and attracting the attention of everyone there. However, seeing that, a big smile appeared on Akari's face because at least the appearance of someone from inside Gate had made the first option impossible.
And then, an albino youth with pale skin and silky white hair was seen coming out of the Gate carrying a man who was tightly bound by a rope on his shoulder. His golden eyes scanned everyone gathered around the Gate with a disinterested look. The young man is none other than Reo.
Then, behind him Akari was seen carrying various kinds of relics from the hunters who were there in a cloth bag. And beside her, Osamu seen carriying a bag containing various kinds of Magic Cores from the monsters including Magic Core from Anaceen that they had taken earlier.
And with the three of them starting to come out of the Gate, the Red Gate that was there began to lose its red color and turn back into an ordinary Gate before it shrank and disappeared.
* zrap *
Goketsu widened his eyes when he saw Reo and the others coming out of the Gate. While one of his men, looked surprised because only four people including Amami who survived the Raid this time.
And for Akari.
"Reo-chan !!" She quickly approached Reo and hugged him very tightly, and even made Reo have difficulty breathing because of the super strong human body that Akari has.
"I'm glad you survived."
"Yeah, yeah, just keep hugging me like that if you really want to kill me." Said Reo who immediately made Akari aware and release her arms from Reo.
"Ah! I'm sorry."
Then, when Akari was seen talking to Reo, Goketsu who had previously only stood in the distance began to approach them all with a formal attitude. And that cannot be separated from Reo's view.
"Sorry to disturb your family moments but I don't think talking in a place like this is a good thing," said Goketsu, his eyes met Reo's golden eyes.
Reo who heard that understood what Goketsu meant, he glanced slightly towards the crowd of reporters who looked excited by their appearance before nodding.
"You're right. Let's go. "
"Come with me," Goketsu said as he nodded and began to walk towards the tents that had been set up around the gate before.
Seeing that, Osamu and Karen immediately followed Goketsu from behind without saying anything while Reo looked up and looked towards the bright blue sky, very different from the cloudy clouds that enveloped the sky before they entered the gate previously.
'Even though we have been in the Dungeon long enough before, it seems like time has only passed a few hours on Earth. Dungeon is really mysterious, huh.' Reo thought.
"Why are you just standing there, let's go into the tent, Reo-chan." Said Akari who immediately revived Reo, and without saying anything else, Reo then started to towards the tent.
***
Inside the tent, it was seen Reo who was sitting crossing his legs while reading Shoujo Manga in his hands casually. He is seen to have released his Haori which was previously slightly wet due to Anaceen's poisonous mucus.
He is currently waiting for Akari who is talking to Goketsu directly, because Reo has no other ride to take him home besides Akari. It was actually quite surprising for Reo because he did not expect to be allowed to go home just like that.
He initially thought the Association would arrest the survivors for direct questioning about what had happened inside the Gate, but apparently not. That's quite strange considering how surprised the Red Gate incident this time.
A quiet atmosphere enveloped Reo's tent before suddenly the front door of the tent opened and displayed a figure of Karen who looked tired and listless.
"* sigh *" She sighed before walking and finally sat in front of Reo and leaned her cheek on the table. Sensing Karen's presence, Reo then muttered.
"Did the reporters already leave this place?" Reo asked without looking away.
"They did... well, they left after the Hunters from the monitoring team ordered them all to leave when they asked a lot of unnecessary questions, you know yourself how stubborn they are, right?"
"Are you talking about yourself or the reporters?"
Hearing that, Karen looked sullen and said in a lethargic tone.
"What do you mean, I'm not stubborn at all."
Then Reo just shrugged his shoulders and smiled thinly. The atmosphere then became quiet before Reo closed his manga and opened his mouth.
"By the way, where is Glasses-kun? I haven't seen him since, did he go home first?" Reo asked.
"Ah, yes ... After handing all the Magic Cores obtained from the Gate to the Association, he immediately returned home and looked in a hurry." Akari answered.
In accordance with the provisions that were written in the contract when they join a Guild, all the loot they got from inside the Gate would be fully handed over to the Guild be it Magic Cores, Monster Corpses, or Mana Crystals.
Instead, the Guild will replace all of those things in the form of money and give them to the Hunter in accordance with the results of the loot they managed to get from the Gate. That was a natural thing considering all the facilities needed by the Hunters to do the Raid had been provided by the Guild.
Including the Gate and permission to enter it. Of course some people are not happy with the contract and end up doing an action that violates the contract such as hiding valuable magic cores for personal use. Either sell it by themself or use it for something.
Like Reo doing now.
"I just hope he doesn't do stupid things like hiding the Magic Core and decides to sell it himself on the internet. Because if you look at his expression when getting Magic Core from that giant monster before, I doubt he will do everything that written in the contract." Karen murmured, seen leaned her chin on his hand.
"Yep, he will not."
"Right? * Sigh *" Karen said before she sighed tiredly.
Reo and Karen then continued chatting. While Karen is waiting for her agency's pickup, Reo waits for Akari to finish chatting with Goketsu. Karen told a lot about her life as an idol and public figure to Reo, the ups and downs behind it and the things that caught Reo's attention.
And after a few minutes talking to each other finally one of the women sent by J.F Entertainment, the agency where Karen worked came and approached the two of them.
"Looks like our pleasant chatting time has to end here, Shirogami-kun," said Karen who began to stand up from her chair.
"It seems so," Reo said, smiling sweetly.
"Yes, and I hope this is not the last time we meet and chat casually like this." Said Karen smiled Reo smile.
"The terrible events that I face today are experiences that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Death, despair, and betrayal, from now on all of this will continue to make an impression in my memory and become part of my life." Karen then smiled sweetly, her beautiful face seemed to emit a different impression than before, right now.
"But I'm grateful, I'm grateful to see it all, and I'm grateful to meet you."
Reo just kept quiet and didn't say anything. Allowing Karen to continue her speech. Karen then smiled before she bowing to Reo.
"Thank you for all your help, Shirogami-kun." Karen thanked Reo earnestly. She realized that the reason why she was still alive until now was because of Reo.
After staying like that for a few moments, she then stood up and said while smiling.
"Then I'll go first, see you later, Shirogami-kun, hehe ~."
"Yes, I only imitated this sentence from Shoujo Manga but ... Good Luck."
After that, Karen then went out of the tent and followed the woman who picked her up and left Reo who was still sitting relaxed in the tent alone.
And right after Karen actually left, Akari who Reo had been waiting for quite a while finally finished all her business with Goketsu and entered Reo's tent.
"You took a long time, what are you talking about with that man, huh?" Reo asked, then stood up to take his Haori that was hanging above him.
"Of course I'm talking about the person you brought with you, Amami Nakamura, the person who poisoned the hunters using mysterious poison according to what you said," Akari said.
"Hm ... What about that person? What decision was taken by the Association after learning that the Hunters who entered there were not killed by monsters but by other Hunter?"
Akari who heard that then made a stoic expression and seemed to think of something.
"I do not know, they have not given a concrete decision on this matter."
"What?" Hearing that, Reo who was seen carrying his Haori raised his eyebrows in confusion, before he thought.
'No, it's only natural considering they are just a monitoring team that does not have the authority to decide somethings like this. This matter will of course be taken care of by the higher ups and the decision will be taken after a careful consideration and proper interrogation to scout-san.' Reo thought.
He then started walking towars Akari and came out of the tent while looking thoughtful of something. Akari who saw that then walked beside him before returning to speak.
"Because of that, the Association said that they need testimony from you three more days at the Association's office."
"Three more days? Isn't that too long? What are they really thinking," Reo murmured.
"I don't know, I also don't know anything about this, and only convey the results of my conversation with Goketsu before." Akari said as she unwrapped the lollipop candy she had taken from her hoodie pocket.
The two of them then continued chatting before finally arriving in front of Akari's car which was parked not far from the place where the Gate was open.
The dusk sun is seen emitting orange light reflected by the surface of the water from the Tokyo bay, street lights installed in the futuristic seaside area, Minato Mirai 21 starts to ignite. The crowd began to be seen walking around there to enjoy the beauty of the evening sky in the bay of Tokyo.
While the Association members were seen starting to tidy up the temporary tents that were erected around the place where the Gate appeared and removed the boundary line installed there. Reo, who has changed, is wearing a simple beige sweater with a red scarf wrapped around his neck to warm his body.
The autumn wind shook his white hair as he looked towards the horizon. Somehow Reo recalled his conversation with Hiesatsu five years ago.
'A traitor huh, has the association been this bad all this time? 'Reo thought as he rubbed the crystal stored in his pocket.
"Hey, why are you just standing there? Let's go home," Akari said from her car window. Hearing that, Reo without saying anything went straight in and their car finally actually went from there. It was the end of Reo's first Dungeon expedition and the beginning of his involvement with something he should not have known.
***
The next day.
"I see, so he managed to get out of the Red Gate safely. It doesn't look like he is exaggerating himself that time, huh."
Currently, in his office, Goto is seen sitting while crossing his legs. He put on the usual stoic expression on his face.
"That's right, besides that ... according to the information given by Osamu Satō, it seems like Amami really did that heinous act to Araki and the others, Goto-san," Hanekawa said.
"Yes ... I know that, for the time being there hasn't been a call from the Association on this matter but it is certain that we have to take full responsibility for this terrible event."
Hanekawa nodded at Goto's words. Even if this is an internal affair of his guild, Goto must still provide compensation and insurance to the Hunter's family who lost whether it was their parents or child.
"But Goto-san, I do not understand the motives of Amami at all so he could do such a cruel act to his colleagues." Hanekawa looked down and doubts enveloped her.
"Even though I am not too close to him so that I can correctly state that we are friends, but I have spoken to him directly for several times. And as far as I know, he is a very good and kind person."
"Moreover, I am the one who tell him to join Araki team because I think he is fit to be in that team. They have succeeded in clearing dozens of Dungeons and so far, I have not seen any rift between them. So I had no idea he would do all of this. " Hanekawa said.
It seemed like he felt guilty about this incident, despite the fact that he had nothing to do with Amami's cruel actions.
"humans are an easily influenced creatures, Hanekawa. Friendships like that are very fragile things. And you really expect someone like him to maintain such a relationship?"
Hanekawa remain silent. While Goto then turned his chair and glanced towards the night view of Tokyo Downtown from his office window.
He was then seen taking a cigar from the pocket of his pants and began to light it with a jet flame stored in his desk drawer.
* fwuh *
'Yes, even for me ...'
And when Goto was seen drowning in his reverie, suddenly the ringing sound of the phone awakened him.
* kriiing *
It was the sound of Hanekawa's phone ringing, feeling the vibrations in her pocket, Hanekewa then immediately took her smartphone to answer the call.
"Hello, Hanekawa here."
"Um, I understand."
"All right, I'll deliver it soon," Hanekewa said, nodding with a deadpan expression. Then, she hung up and put the smartphone back in her blazer pocket before saying.
"Goto-san, the Association requests your presence to discuss the crime committed by Amami Nakamura at the Hunter Association's office right now," Hanekawa said.
Hearing his secretary's words, Goto then sucked his cigar before standing up from his fancy chair.
"Then get my car ready soon."
" Ok. "
***
After driving home for about an hour from Minato Mirai 21, Yokohama to Tokyo. Reo finally arrived at the Shirogami residence together with Akari at 7:30 PM.
Even so, Akari said she still had to do something in the Guild office so without saying anything else she immediately left in her car and left Reo alone.
"Ah ~, I'm tired ... I think tonight I'll spend my time soaking in warm water." Reo murmured slowly approaching the front door of the house. After arriving at the door, he then immediately rang the bell.
, * Ding * * dong *
"Wait a minute ~."
It was the voice of a little kid, and then the sound of footsteps stepping on the wooden floor could be heard in Reo's ears before the door handle began to move.
* clack *
And when the door opened, there is a little Char figure who was eating ice cream in her hands with a mess to greet Reo's return. When Char saw Reo, her eyes then glowed and she immediately smiled broadly.
"Reo-nii chan ~ Welcome back !!" Without thinking, Char happily approached Reo and hugged him. Reo who saw that did not smile as he should, he instead tilted his head before crouching in front of Char.
"Yes, I'm home," Reo said, stroking Char's head gently, which made her smile happily.
"But Char, isn't it dinnertime? Why are you eating your ice cream now? Did Iris-nee give it to you?"
"Uh, Ice Cream?" Char tilted her head in confusion, her face full of ice cream stains looked very cute. And a few moments later, Char realized that she had just been caught eating ice cream by Reo.
"Ah!"
She shouted before innocently hiding her right hand who holding the ice cream behind her back so Reo could not see it.
"Hoo ~, so Iris-nee doesn't know, huh ..." Reo grinned before continuing.
"Looks like you have guts, Char," he said, smiling. Hearing that, Char didn't understand and continued innocently trying to hide the fact that she was eating ice cream right now.
Reo was then seen reaching into the pocket of his pants, and took a tissue. He then approached Char and started to rub the ice cream stains that were sticking to her face.
"Come here, let me wipe it for you," said Reo, and Char seemed to enjoy it.
" Umumumumu~."
After finishing, Reo then stood up.
"Alright, since all the evidence is gone now, let's go in quietly so we don't get caught up by Iris-nee, okay?" Reo said with a mischevious smile to Char.
"Um!" Char said while smiling innocently, still holding the ice cream in her hand. But, when the two of them tried to sneak in, suddenly Iris's voice could be heard which of course destroyed all their efforts.
"So you're here, bad girl. Didn't Nee-chan tell you not to eat ice cream before dinner?"
Iris, who was still wearing an apron and holding a spatula, had a cold expression when she said that, but her expression changed when she saw Reo who was beside Char, acting stupid like a child.
"Huh ... You're already come back?"
"Ah ~, Iris-nee, I'm home," Reo said, standing back as usual with a smile on his face.
"Come in, dinner is ready," Iris said with her usual flat expression.
"Ok~."
After that, Char who was caught red-handed eating ice cream before dinner finally received a punishment to eating vegetables for one full week.
While Reo went straight back to his room to put his belongings before going to the dining room to have dinner with the others. While in the dining room, Reo didn't talk about anything about today events because Heisatsu told him to talk to him privately after dinner was over.
And after dinner was finished, Reo was finally able to go to soak in warm water for several hours to get rid of the dirt and toxic mucus that was still clinging to his body.
The fact that the mucus no longer affected his body made him wonder what had happened to his body. But he thought that the question might be answered after he tested the pink Ki that he planned to do the next day.
Because tonight, there were many things he wanted to talk about with Heisatsu personally.
*
Currently, in his Japanese-style room, Heisatsu is seen sitting cross-legged while enjoying a bottle of traditional sake. He was seen wearing only a simple kimono.
The room is quite spacious, it is divided into two rooms. The room where he slept and the room where he is currently, which he usually spends his time relaxing there. The room is quite dark and only relies on candle lighting and moonlight.
And when Heisatsu was enjoying the leaves falling outside his room, suddenly there was a knock on the door of his room.
* tok * * tok *
"Come in." Heisatsu said in an old, hoarse voice. Then, the door to the room in front of him began to open and display the figure of Reo.
Without saying anything else, Reo then immediately closed the door and sat in front of Heisatsu. His golden eyes then glanced at the sake bottle in Heisatsu's hand before said.
"Hey old man, i'm amaze you can still live up till now by drinking all of this regularly every day."
"Huh, what nonsense are you saying !? Sake is good for my health, besides drinking sake is also a tradition of the Shirogami family ... you should try it occasionally." Heisatsu offered the sake bottle in his hand to Reo.
"No, thank you." Reo refused, because he was not very fond of alcoholic drinks.
"Tsk, boring," Heisatsu said before returning to drink a bottle of sake in his hands as casually as someone who drank a mineral water.
* gulp * * gulp * * gulp *
"Ah ~, too bad you can't feel the pleasure of drinking sake, what a poor young fellow ..."
"..."
The atmosphere became quiet before Heisatsu glanced towards Reo and their eyes met with each other.
"So, what about your first Raid? I heard that the B-rank gate that you entered turned into a Red Gate suddenly."
"Yes, it looks like you seem very calm about that, I think your reaction will be similar to Akari-nee's. Aren't you worried about your cute student?" Reo said with a smile.
"Heh, cutie my ass. Besides, if you can't even survive a B-Rank Red Gate like that, then the training that you've been living all this time ia useless," Heisatsu said, even though he lied a little bit because actually he was very worried about Reo safety. It's just that he did not show it directly to Reo.
"Haha, I think you're right ..." said Reo laughing lightly.
"Of course, I let you enter the Gate. That means I have fully believed that you can protect yourself from the dangers of the monsters that are there. All of that I have thought carefully since I first decided to pass down Shirogami Swordsmanship to you." Heisatsu, hearing that Reo can only be silent.
The trust given by Heisatsu is something that Reo really considers valuable, because his trust is not just a blind faith but a trust that is held after seeing the results, and considering all the possibilities that will occur.
Because of that Reo was curious, which one is better between the two beliefs.
While the atmosphere became quiet, Heisatsu then resumed his words.
"Then, what about my hypothesis? My hypothesis which states that your neutral Ki can be strengthened by killing other living creatures."
Hearing the question from Heisatsu, Reo without hesitation answered.
"Your hypothesis is correct."
"Ho ~." Heisatsu immediately put a serious expression on his face.
"I was also shocked by that fact but it really happened. The warm feeling I felt all over my body when I claimed the lives of the monsters using Honjo Masamune was stunned me." Reo's golden eyes then glanced at Heisatsu.
"That's also what makes my body feel strange, especially the feeling of tension when I kill a Dungeon Boss who certainly has a much greater amount of Life Force than other monsters."
Heisatsu who heard that nodded.
"I see ... So you really can get stronger like the users of Negative Ki, by killing other living creatures," Heisatsu said. But, there is one thing that can not be separated from his mind.
'Then, what about the side effects of using it? Did the thoughts of the living things he killed did not affect him at all? Or ... '
Although his hypothesis was proven correct and proved that Reo's Neutral Ki could be strengthened in two different ways, but there is one thing that remains a big question in Heisatsu's mind.
How come only Reo has neutral Ki so far? Heisatsu had never heard of anyone else who had the same type of Ki Reo had. Does Reo have something special that makes him not classified into negative or positive?
However, when Heisatsu was thinking hard about all those things suddenly Reo opened his mouth.
"Actually, there are more important things I want to discuss with you, old man." Reo said with a deadpan expression.
Hearing that Heisatsu raised his eyebrows in confusion.
"Hm? More important things? I thought you came here to discuss your neutral Ki with me?"
"Yes, that is indeed one of them." Reo murmured seen taking something from his pocket. He continued to say.
"At first I didn't want to talk about this with you because it has nothing to do with you at all, but after I thought about it, with your years of experience as a Hunter. You might know something about this."
"Oi, Oi, what's going on? Just tell me directly what you want to talk about?" Heisatsu said.
And then--
* cling *
The clanging sound was heard when Reo casually placed a transparent crystal he had previously gotten from Anaceen's body on a wooden table, making Heisatsu's sake bottle vibrate.
"So the thing I want to talk about has something to do with this thing, old man ... do you know anything about this crystal?"
And sure enough, the look of surprise displayed on Heisatsu's face answered it all. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open, he was speechless before saying--
" This Crystal!! "
