Chapter 49: The Third and Fourth Members
Calix frowned sharply at Gale’s loud shout and clicked his tongue in clear irritation.
“Uncivilized fool. Do you even know where you are? Mind your manners.”
His voice turned as frigid as a midwinter gale.
“And where did you learn to point fingers at people? Disgraceful.”
“Argh! You crazy bastard…!”
Calix swiftly twisted Gale’s outstretched index finger, making the latter grimace in pain—his lips curled in open scorn.
Normally indifferent to others, Calix had no intention of hiding his displeasure toward Gale. He felt no obligation to be courteous to someone like him.
“Ow-ow… So you wanna pick a fight, huh? Let’s go, pretty boy!”
But Gale was no pushover. Clutching his aching hand, he scowled, his naturally sharp eyes narrowing into something downright thuggish.
“Guess your obsession with swords ate your brain too. That skull of yours must be filled with steel shards, not gray matter.”
His voice was drenched in sarcasm as he taunted,
“Don’t swordsmen aim to become one with the blade or whatever? Must be nice, looks like you already achieved that dream.”
“…I see now. That filthy mouth of yours needs correcting. I’ll do it myself.”
“Yikes, scary. What, you gonna beat up a poor commoner now? Wow, aren’t you the model noble—such refined hands.”
With a murderous glare, Calix began closing the distance. Gale met him head-on, eyes blazing.
Ching—!
In a flash, both drew their swords, pointing them at each other.
Their blades clashed in midair, and an invisible tension crackled between them.
From one side, a pure white magic aura leaked out. From the other, a piercing blue.
“So childish.”
Only Sercia, still seated in the room, looked at them with open disdain.
She ignored the two noisy fools and flipped the page of her book.
When she’d first brushed past them at the central arena in Mediale, both Gale and Calix had left decent impressions.
—“Ugh, I hate nobles.”
—“…That guy looks fun.”
Gale had dismissed Calix easily, but Calix, intrigued by Gale’s strength, had even looked forward to crossing swords with him.
However, ever since the joint battle against the Manticore—
—“You idiot! I told you to dodge!”
—“Tch, I can handle myself, alright? Who do you think you are, barking orders out of nowhere?”
The two had begun to clash in earnest.
Gale and Calix were opposites in every sense. Two extremes.
Instinctively, they recognized each other as the other’s antithesis.
—“A dumb mercenary who can’t even follow orders. Are you a beast?”
—“A pompous noble prick. Disgusting.”
In life-or-death battles where focus was paramount, it was hard to feel anything but irritation toward someone who kept getting under your skin.
Both Gale and Calix felt the same.
“Well then. Might as well test our blades properly. I’ve been curious which of us is stronger.”
“Great! Time for this old man to teach the spoiled brat a little lesson.”
“Brat? Don’t you dare call me that, you uncouth swine!”
Shing—
Just as Calix’s eyes sharpened and he raised his sword—
──WOOOOOOOOOM!
“…!”
“What the hell!?”
“Ugh, what was that!? Was this your doing!?”
“Are you blaming me, lady!?”
All three flinched. Only Sercia, seated comfortably on the sofa, was spared the worst.
The airship had suddenly tilted to one side—
“W-whoa?!”
“Guhk!”
Crash! Bang! Thud!
Gale and Calix, unable to maintain their footing, tumbled like clowns.
Unfortunately, the exact spot they fell was lined with expensive-looking ornaments.
“Oh no.”
“We’re screwed.”
And to make matters worse—
Clack!
The door to the lounge burst open.
“Everyone. I trust the introductions went well?”
The person who entered was one they all knew well.
Elwin Krieger, the Gold-rank Top Hunter.
“Ah…”
He scanned the wrecked room, sighed deeply—
“All that in just a few minutes…”
And pinched the bridge of his nose as if already developing a headache.
“Doesn’t seem like we can talk here. Let’s move to another room.”
“Oh my, sounds good.”
Elwin and Sercia exited, chatting pleasantly.
“…”
“…”
Gale and Calix, left speechless, turned bright red as they stood.
They suddenly felt like kids caught misbehaving—despite being much older than the two who just left.
“Mr. Gale. Mr. Calix. Thank you for giving me more work to do.”
As they sheepishly tried to leave the room, Nahrhan stood calmly outside and spoke in a polite, almost amused voice.
He was smiling—but his eyes were dead serious.
“I never imagined grown men would do things even young Master Elwin wouldn’t have done. I suppose this is what people mean when they say ‘some make messes, others clean them.’”
A verbal blow. If words could do damage, Nahrhan would’ve been invincible.
He added, with a cold face:
“Clean it up. All of it.”
“Yes, sir…”
“…We’ll do that.”
***
Shortly after, everyone was finally gathered in one place.
“We had some rough patches getting here…”
At that, Gale and Calix glanced at Nahrhan, who was smiling far too innocently.
“But with this, most of my members are assembled.”
“Members?”
Sercia tilted her head in confusion at Elwin’s words.
She’d already committed to following him for now—but the term “members” sparked her curiosity.
“Yes. You heard correctly.”
Elwin nodded and continued.
“As you all know, I haven’t been active publicly for a while.”
Everyone was aware.
For five years, Elwin had withdrawn from the spotlight, becoming a recluse—the elusive Gold-rank Top Hunter.
The shock of his retirement had never really faded. To this day, curiosity about him bordered on obsession.
“But I figured it was about time I formed a direct group. Like the other Top Hunters. My own organization.”
“…!”
“…!”
Everyone collectively inhaled. A chill ran down their spines.
They understood exactly what those words meant.
“The time has come. The moment I’ve long awaited.”
Elwin had declared his intent—
To stand and move again, no longer lying in wait.
‘Goddamn… this is serious.’
Gale now understood why Elwin had pushed him to take the Hunter exam.
There was only one condition for joining a Top Hunter’s direct group:
—You had to be a Hunter.
He hadn’t realized the full implications.
The appearance of a Gold-rank Top Hunter, and the birth of his direct organization, would shake the entire world.
As a carefree mercenary who once followed the winds, Gale wouldn’t have known.
But after his brief stay in Mediale, he’d picked up a lot of useful info.
—“Every Hunter dreams of joining a Top Hunter’s squad at least once in their life!”
—“Exactly! Just working under one of them is a badge of honor!”
—“Huh… really?”
Over drinks, Gale had learned all about the Top Hunters’ privileges and influence.
“One of those privileges… is the right to form an autonomous, centralized group.”
A self-governing unit with a single command structure.
Which meant: their true leader was not the World Hunter Association, but the Top Hunter who led them.
In effect, the Association allowed internal factions to exist within its ranks.
It was a testament to how much they valued the Top Hunters.
“You all have your own goals, don’t you? Desperate, burning objectives you must achieve.”
The group exchanged glances.
Now, those words hit harder than before.
“That’s why you accepted my offer—and why you’re all aboard my airship today.”
Each of them wanted something. Craved something.
That’s what led them to Elwin.
And by that logic… the others must’ve had the same desires.
“To gather people whose goals align… I like that. It suits me.”
Elwin brushed his lips thoughtfully, then smiled.
“Now, let’s focus. This is important.”
He spread his arms wide and struck the long table with both hands to draw attention.
His cape flared dramatically behind him.
“As you may have guessed… you’re now my members.”
In that moment, his golden eyes gleamed—and an eerie magic power radiated from him.
An invisible force that overwhelmed and led others. What some would call charisma—and this was overwhelming.
“Just follow me in silence. The journey will be long… but in return, you’ll achieve what you’ve long desired.”
Elwin spoke softly, almost serenely.
The others, struck dumb by his sheer pressure, felt their bodies tingle and their minds blur under the weight of it.
“Lord Elwin. May I ask one question?”
Nahrhan, long accustomed to Elwin’s charisma, recovered faster than the others.
“Yes?”
“I’d like to ask… what is the name of the organization you’ve formed—and we’re now a part of?”
Elwin tilted his head lightly.
“Hmm, good question. I’m not great with names…”
Top Hunter squads were always distinct.
—Aradion, loyal knights under the Blue Top Hunter.
—Phoenix Monra, bold warriors under the Red.
—Murius, the sanctuary of mages under the Black.
—Wollo, home to a diversity of mystics under the White.
Depending on what Elwin named this group, its future direction would be shaped accordingly.
They waited, tense, for his next words.
“Alright. I’ve decided. The name is…”
Elwin declared it with glowing golden eyes.
“Spero.”
Once again, a Top Hunter stirred the tides of LAMPAS.
Whether for better or worse, the world had no choice but to be swept away by the waves.
“Welcome to Spero, my dear comrades.”
And at long last, after a long silence…
The time had come.