Chapter 22: A Man Should Shoulder Responsibilities

The bracelet on the Hunter's left wrist was the one given by the black market merchant to repay the favor of saving his life. Reaching out, he gently stroked the bronze bracelet, feeling its simple and solid weight, a thought arose in the Hunter's mind.

Could Mori be the legendary benefactor to me? Not only does he give money and experience, but now he even gives equipment. I must thank him properly next time.

With this thought, the Hunter withdrew his gaze from the bracelet and asked the strange wolf, puzzled, "It's clearly a holy artifact, so why didn't my appraisal spell work before?"

"Boy, do you really think a holy artifact is just a magical item? Appraisal spell? Hmph..." Even though he couldn't see the strange wolf's face, the Hunter could still imagine the disdain in the other's eyes. However, to get an answer, the Hunter remained silent and continued listening. "Do you know why holy artifacts surpass ordinary magical items and are so rare? Because each holy artifact is imprinted with the soul marks of countless powerful figures from history, or even evolved from the fall of gods and demons! They cannot be appraised by simple appraisal spells, but require resonance between the user and the holy artifact, gaining the holy artifact's recognition!"

So that's how it is! No wonder the Hunter's headquarters holds a gathering every five years to 'distribute' a holy artifact, without any restrictions on background! It turns out the holy artifacts 'choose' people, not the other way around!

Ye Qi, who had never believed the Hunter's Guild could be so benevolent, finally understood the reason. But soon another question arose in his mind: "Since a holy artifact can only be used after resonating with the user, why can you help me gain its recognition?"

"I am Amon! If it were a holy artifact formed from the Heart of the Bronze Titan, I might not be able to help you gain its recognition in my current un-restored state. But a mere finger-formed holy artifact is still within my capabilities! I need to continue sleeping to replenish my energy! Remember to get the soul of the Demon Servant for me!" The strange wolf, who had finally revealed his name, disappeared silently once again.

Standing in place, Ye Qi began to search his mind for information about Amon. After thinking about it twice, Ye Qi could confirm that he had never read about or heard of this demon or deity in any book. However, after two not-so-pleasant transactions, Ye Qi clearly understood Amon's power. The fact that he could achieve such a level in his un-restored state meant he was definitely not an unknown figure.

For a moment, Ye Qi felt that although he now knew the other's name was Amon, it did not help him understand the other at all. Instead, it made the other seem even more mysterious, like being shrouded in a fog.

Thinking about the shared contract he had signed with Amon, but knowing nothing about the other's background, Ye Qi's originally joyful mood due to obtaining the holy artifact turned sour. Recalling the tricks Amon had used during the two transactions, which always left him speechless, his mood worsened. This led Ye Qi to subconsciously kick a pebble on the ground to vent his negative emotions. However, this action clearly misled John, who had just finished dealing with Parker's body.

John walked up to Ye Qi and patted his shoulder, "Don't be sad! We are Hunters, living day by day without knowing if we'll see tomorrow! Parker is already fortunate to have us help him with his funeral!"

The originally humorous comfort now seemed particularly bleak. Watching Parker's body, already placed in a body bag and being wheeled past, Ye Qi saw countless Hunters who had died for the so-called 'peaceful era' of today.

Will John and I also end up like this, silently leaving the world in a body bag? No! Never! I don't care about others, but I have my family and friends, and I won't allow this! With the system's help, I can continuously increase my strength. One day, my strength will be enough to make my world my own!

The agitated aura around Ye Qi suddenly calmed down. John, seeing Ye Qi return to normal, immediately smiled, "Yes, very good! Every Hunter must go through this stage! Only by experiencing and overcoming it can one truly become a Hunter! Ye, congratulations on graduating from me! From now on, you can soar freely like an eagle!"

John, once again misunderstanding, was happy that Ye Qi had overcome the hardest and simplest stage of being a Hunter. However, he didn't know that Ye Qi had already chosen a path that would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens. Looking at the laughing John, Ye Qi also smiled. As for the decision he had just made, it was best that only he knew. Otherwise, he might never see such a happy John again.

John often says that a man who dares to shoulder responsibilities is a mature man. I'll be mature this time!

...

Using his Special Operations identity, Ye Qi quickly resolved the issue of Parker's body—since they still had to complete the mission, the two decided to temporarily store Parker's body in the police morgue and cremate it and bring it back to Tallinn after completing the mission—most Hunters have no family, and after death, they are directly cremated and buried collectively at their respective branch.

"Ye, we might be in trouble this time! I just found traces of sulfur around Parker's body, which is likely related to a demon! Combined with the four people who died earlier, I suspect a Demon Servant is performing a ritual!"

Back in the hotel room, as soon as Ye Qi sat down, John spoke. After all, unlike a rookie who had only been in the business for two months, John, with over ten years of experience, was well-versed in most of the dark world's tricks. Although he might not have been able to deduce it at first due to insufficient clues, with the continuous actions of the Demon Servant, John could now make a rough guess.

"Be careful tonight, I suspect that guy is already watching us!" John warned Ye Qi, then continued making arrangements, "When it's light tomorrow, we'll investigate the town's eccentric and reclusive individuals. We'll definitely catch that guy!"

"Okay!"

Ye Qi nodded solemnly and began checking his equipment. This was his first encounter with a Demon Servant. Thinking about the strange abilities bestowed by demons and the evaluation of this mission, even with John by his side, Ye Qi had to be on high alert.

...

The fog characteristic of the Winter Forest area arrived as expected at night, gradually enveloping the town of Leafless. At this moment, a strange black shadow appeared at the hotel entrance.

---

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends