1 Chapter 1: Dying To Be Reborn

Swords clash, fire swirls, wind blasts, dark matter explodes.

Over twelve B-Ranked hunters, as the world has come to know them, are in a deadlock with one single demon.

It towers into the air at six meters.

The demon bares the body structure of an orangutan, with horns protruding out of its arms, shoulders, and spine.

Its eyes are bloodred, and its fur is made of fire.

The battle continues and the hunters give it their all

A hunter wielding fire does his best to absorb the flames pouring out of the demon, but its fire is too much.

Hunters wielding dark matter fire their purple-black orbs at the demon, but the dark matter shatters once it makes contact with it.

The same goes for lightning, wind, and earth.

But they try no matter what.

Fire and lightning are shot, and the demon evades the attack.

The energy projectiles make their way to the far end of the dungeon, where a hunter hides behind a statue.

The projectiles disintegrate the statue and the hunter is brought into the open.

"Huh?" The hunter wonders before a lightning bolt is shot in his direction.

He funnily stretches his body and narrowly dodges the lightning strike.

After which his body proceeds to burn out of pain.

More energy projectiles are fired his way and his eyes widen.

He leaps, ducks swirls, and falls onto the ground to evade each.

At this point, he is completely drenched in sweat.

He scans the dungeon, searching for the way out.

Because he knows this fight is way out of his ledge.

It always has been, but this time...it is extra way out of his ledge pro max.

He narrows his and finds the exit just on the opposite side of the battle.

"Get up Mordecai, you're not dying today." Mordecai rises and makes for the exit while sticking close to the walls.

More projectiles are sent flying his way and he proceeds to dance, or breakdancing out of their way.

Except his breakdancing does little to help when a lightning bolt misses his chest by a hair, leaving behind a huge burn across his chest.

Tears well at the sides of his eyes, but he holds in the scream biting at his throat, else he wants to get destroyed by the demon.

Mordecai swallows the scream and the pain and makes his way for the exit, which is only seventeen meters away.

As he gets closer, he finds another hunter hiding behind one of several pillars holding up the dungeon.

"Kaido?" The Mordecai calls out and the hunter turns to him.

"Shush, you want to get us killed?" Kaido responds and sticks close to the pillar.

Another projectile is sent flying towards Mordecai but he jolts out of the way in time and stands in front of Kaido, thereby joining the protection of the pillar.

"what are you doing here? i thought you were told to stay back?" Morder whispers to Kaido.

"i thought i could sneak my way into a treasure, instead here i am." Kaido whispers back, feeling the need to cry.

"well, why aren't you getting out?" More projectiles fly and crash as Mordecai speaks.

"are you insane? so i'll get killed? thank you very much, but i'll wait till the real hunters deal with that demo..."

"AHHHHH!" A sharp multitude of screams freezes both Mordecai and Kaido in place.

What follows is silence.

Their eyes widen to the realization that the hunters are dead.

They both slowly slide their heads to the side of the pillar to make sure.

And when they get a good view of the picture, their fears are confirmed.

And what's worse, the demon is sniffing the air.

"sh*t." Kaido whispers and the demon turns to them and they shoot their heads out of the pillar and back in place.

"are you stupid, you just killed us." Mordecai whispers in anger as footsteps echoes to toward them.

"it doesn't matter, we're already dead. the hunters are gone." The footsteps get closer.

"we would have had a chance if you hadn't opened your big mouth." Mordecai whispers.

"yeah well, well..." The hunter pushes Mordecai out so the demon gets him.

Everything goes silent as Mordecai finds himself frozen out of fear.

The demon is just beside him, towering over him with its flames burning hot.

It's...over.

Mordecai doesn't move still, not that he is even able to.

So he shuts his eyes and prepares for the inevitable.

"Ahhh!" Pulls Mordecai's eyes open and he finds hunters attacking a frozen Orangutan demon beside him.

He wonders to himself why the demon is immobile, then he shoots his gaze to the ground and it is made clear to him why.

A time seal circles under the Orangutan demon.

A time seal to stop its flow of time.

And...if there is a time seal here, that could only mean.

Mordecai elongates his neck to the side of the demon and finds a blue-haired hunter with two seals floating just in front of his hands.

Upon seeing this hunter, Mordecai's eyes light up.

"Victor." Mordecai screams when he finds the one and only, A-Rank time wielder hunter.

The demon moves its arm and knocks down one of the hunters attacking him.

This is a good incentive for Mordecai to make a break for it.

He heads over to the exit while still sticking close to the walls.

He finds Kaido just up ahead, also trying to escape rather than stay behind.

"Bastard, once I get out of here, you're dead."

"Right, cause the weakest hunter in the world is angry with me, I'm so afra..."

*FWOOSH* the Orangutan's flames pour out in every direction.

Mordecai would be in direct collision with the flames, had he not just stepped into the protection of a pillar.

When the flames stop, he finds ash where Kaido once stood.

The flames return, repeatedly and frequently.

Mordecai sticks close to the pillar, despite the exit just being two meters away.

Why did fate have to be so cruel?

He waits and waits.

But as the seconds pass and the flames keep returning, the integrity of the pillar begins to fade.

And Mordecai can feel it.

Mordecai shoots his gaze to the exit, wishing he could just make it there.

So far, but yet so close.

The integrity of the pillars fades and fades until...

*CRASH*

The flames break through the pillar and Mordecai is sent flying and crashing into a wall.

Everything goes dark and his life flashes before his eyes.

He sees himself rummaging through the mud, trying to kill a measly warm demon. He sees himself getting paid a portion that the word meager wouldn't begin to cut it.

He sees himself eating a single slice of bread for breakfast, another for lunch, and another for dinner.

He sees himself sleeping outside, in alleyways because he couldn't afford rent.

All of this eats into Mordecai in these last moments and he wonders to himself what great sin he committed in his first life, so have been dealt such a horrible life.

No matter what he did, or how much he tried, he could never carve out a better life for himself.

And after everything, this is how it ends.

Pity.

Or at least that is what Mordecai had thought until muffled voices ring into his ear and lights begin to protrude through the darkness.

When he comes to, he sees the hunters that had come in to battle the demon helping him up.

He sees Victor, standing a feet away, hands in his pockets looking all cool.

And he sees a notification.

[Damage Received - 9]

[HP: 1/10]

It is now Mordecai realizes, that he is alive.

"I'm...I'm alive." He says with a great smile on his face.

Victor walks up to him and pats him on the shoulder.

"I'm glad to see you are." He smiles a very gentle smile, a smile that carries with it years upon years of hardship and pain.

A smile meant to hide this fact, but does the opposite.

Mordecai accepts this smile still and lowers his head, feeling tears well at the edges of his eyes.

"Let's pack it up." Victor says and the hunters scatter.

He makes to leave, but Mordecai doesn't follow.

"You okay?" Victor notices and turns to Mordecai.

"Ah yes, it's just...I feel I'm still shaken up."

Victor produces candy from his inventory and tosses it to Mordecai, who clumsily catches it.

"Candy." Mordecai says with a smile, knowing well that candy is one of Victor's favorite things.

"Give it a go, it'll help you calm down." Victor says.

"Thank you." Mordecai unwraps it and tosses it into his mouth.

The flavor is truly a nice antidepressant to him and at once, he finds himself moving.

"Let's go." Victor says and Mordecai follows.

The hunters take each other's side as they make their way out.

Mordecai at this moment feels alive, more than ever.

If he had ever taken his life for granted, he won't anymore, he'll try harder and make sure that he'll give himself a better life, no matter what.

Mordecai raises his head high and takes a deep breath.

But then, he finds he swallowed the candy.

And, it gets lodged in the wrong pipe.

"Urk, urk." Mordecai gags and all the hunters turn to him.

"Urk, urk."

"What's going on?"

"Is he okay?"

"I think he's choking."

"He's choking?"

Mordecai falls to the ground, holding onto his throat.

"Quick, does anyone know the hamsterlick."

"Hamsterlick, what's that?"

"Honestly, that sounds like a p*rn website."

"This isn't the right time!" Victor says.

"Urk."

"Wait, do you mean heimlich?"

Everything goes dark and Mordecai feels every strength seep out of him.

He no longer feels anything, hears anything, or sees anything.

Only darkness.

But then.

"Bwahahahaha." Echoes into Mordecai's ears and he finds himself in the presence of an enormous man with an equally enormous beard dawning white overalls.