Gray and Raine walked down the dusty road leading to the village. The setting sun painted the sky crimson, as if warning of coming bloodshed. Yet unlike other settlements, this place carried no aura of fear.
The village looked... almost prosperous.
Houses stood sturdy—not shacks of scrap, but solid structures of dark wood and stone. Fences stood straight. Crops grew in nearby fields—a rare sight in this broken world. People moved about their business without cowering.
The smell of fresh bread hung in the air. A shepherd led his flock back to the pens.
— Your doing? — Gray asked, taking in the scene.
Raine smirked:
— Partly. But the key is order. People here know they won't be robbed or murdered on a whim. They have something to lose—so they don't break at the first threat.
Gray nodded. He'd passed through before, but back then, the village hadn't needed a monster hunter. Clearly, Raine kept things under control.
To one side stretched a scorched wasteland—scars of some ancient cataclysm. To the other, a dense forest where branches whispered secrets. Beyond the fields, jagged cliffs framed a sliver of dark sea.
— You'll stay here until you're stronger, — Raine stopped before a house. — Then we'll talk about real work.
Gray tensed at "real work"—this clearly meant more than killing stray beasts.
— Your name's Gray, right?
— Grayner. But Gray's fine.
— Gray, why do you crave power?
— To kill the man who destroyed my village.
Something flashed in Raine's eyes—something Gray recognized.
— You're like me then. I want to kill someone too. You'll help me, and I'll help you.
— Who?
— Krayk. Our leader.
"Krayk... They say he's as strong as an Administrator."
— You want to rule this dimension?
— Exactly. But first... — Raine's smile turned razor-sharp — you'll help me with his stupid missions.