Chapter 2: Loss
(West Coast of Givnu Island, Samuh Kingdom)
"What? You want to rob us?" Mira shouted, her voice trembling with fury. Her hands clenched, her body shaking — she was furious, sad, and on the verge of tears, but still holding them back.
"But why? We aren't some rich village or city — we're just normal people! We haven't even done anything to you! Who are you, and why do you want to rob us?" she asked, still crying.
"I am Serbhij, an unofficial hunter. It wasn't me who came here to rob you; it was you who were in need of our help, weren't you?" He smirked, adjusting his long coat. "At first, I thought I'd help you for a good amount of money, but I found out you're all really weak. Even if we protected you for a while, someone else would just loot you after we left. So why not me? Saves time. But before that, I wanted to enjoy my life for a bit — and these morons ruined my plan," Serbhij said lazily. "Anyway, please finish faster. I have many houses to rob," he said to Dulga.
"Yes, Boss, but don't you think we need to ask who he is?" one of Dulga's men muttered quietly.
"No, we don't. Whoever he is, I don't care. Just kill him already!" Serbhij roared and punched the man.
"Yes," Dulga said, and started attacking Vibho.
"Hey, you know the rules, right?" Vibho said calmly. "Any unofficial hunter can't fight anyone without a commission, request, or quest. If you do, you can be suspended for five years or even get your card canceled."
"Oh, is that so? I don't need a Hunter's Card to fight you," Serbhij said, starting to laugh.
"If you return the money, apologize to them, and go back where you came from, I won't complain about you to the association. How about it?" Vibho said in a serious tone.
"No, I don't need your sympathy. Just die! Dulga, what are you doing? Kill him!" he shouted.
Dulga clenched his teeth in irritation but nodded. He began swinging his twin swords like a veteran of war, slashing fast and sharp. His left sword came down toward Vibho's right shoulder.
Vibho dodged and stepped back.
Dulga lunged again, his right sword cutting toward Vibho's exposed stomach. Vibho moved back again, but before he could take two steps, Dulga kicked him in the stomach, pushing him near the cliff's edge.
Finding an opening, Dulga swung his left sword downward toward Vibho's head — but before he could strike, Vibho's Meteor Punch landed square on his face, sending him flying backward toward Serbhij.
Serbhij glared at Dulga. "Can't you even handle one man?" he snarled, kicking Dulga to the side. "Now you won't be getting away from me," he said and pulled a mace from his pants.
"Wow! How did you fit that in there? Can you teach me?" Vibho shouted, genuinely amazed. (He was 5 feet 9 inches tall — and that mace was nearly four feet! Impressive.)
"Now you won't be getting away from me," Serbhij repeated, lunging forward. He swung the mace toward Vibho's head. Vibho dodged once but got hit the second time, taking a heavy blow to the head.
Vibho countered with a Meteor Punch, sending Serbhij stumbling backward. He rushed forward again, unleashing a Meteor Shower, punching at his head, stomach, and limbs in a flurry of blows. After several rapid strikes, Vibho stopped, panting.
But Serbhij was laughing — laughing like he hadn't felt a single hit. His body was covered in wounds, but they healed before the blood could even drip. His flesh stitched itself together unnaturally fast.
"See? You can't kill me, nor can anyone else! I am invincible! I can't even feel your attacks!" he howled, charging again and swinging his mace wildly.
Vibho took a few hits but managed to grab Serbhij's arm, flipping him over his shoulder and slamming him into the ground with full force. Then he seized Serbhij's leg, planted his feet, spun once with all his weight, and hurled him through the air.
Serbhij crashed into a tree, but he stood up again, laughing more loudly, expressionless — until a massive branch broke and fell on him.
This time, Serbhij screamed. Before he could recover, Vibho jumped on his back, pinning him down.
Meanwhile, Mira and Arun were fighting the remaining eight men. Working together, they pushed the bandits toward the cliff's edge one by one while Timminy struck with her tail, knocking them unconscious. They tied up the fallen men with ropes.
Mira looked toward Vibho, still sitting on Serbhij's back. She ran to him with another rope and helped bind Serbhij tightly so he couldn't move.
"Release me, fish girl, or my men will burn your whole village!" Serbhij shouted.
"No, they won't. I already took care of them," Mira said, trying to sound brave — though her voice still trembled slightly.
"You think tying me up means you've won? Once I'm free, I'll burn your village to the ground! You can't kill me, and I don't feel pain! I'm immortal!"
Mira froze. She had seen how quickly his wounds healed, how little he reacted to pain. He really did seem like a ghost — or a monster.
But before she could speak, Vibho said, "You also have a Ver-Dan, don't you?"
Her eyes widened in shock. "You mean a Ver-Dan? The thing people can't even dream of having? He has one? Doesn't that mean he's… extremely strong?"
"Yes, it is a Ver-Dan," Serbhij said, annoyed. "It won't let me die or feel pain from anyone who tries to harm me. And I'm not weak, fish girl. But how do you know about it? No one here should even know that name."
Just then, two men appeared — dressed entirely in black, from head to toe. Each had a serial code printed on their headband and back: ZE1708 and ZE2510.
"Give me the report," ZE1708 said coldly.
Vibho walked up and whispered something into his ear. They spoke briefly.
Mira noticed ZE2510 collecting Serbhij's men one by one — lifting their unconscious bodies effortlessly, bundling them like packages, and walking away without a word. Even Serbhij, now bound, followed quietly as if under command.
On the other side, Vibho was laughing, but ZE1708 looked irritated. "You don't need to tell me anything. We have Shunya's vad Code. We can contact him. Just go away!" he snapped.
As he turned to leave, Vibho grabbed his arm. "Can you tell Shunya to come here? I don't have my Vad."
"Okay, but let me go first," ZE1708 said. As soon as Vibho released him, he ran off — fast, almost as if afraid of Vibho.
Mira stood there, watching them disappear, the setting sun casting long shadows across the coast. Then she turned to Arun and said, "Please deliver all the goods as fast as possible. I don't want you or me getting into any more trouble."
"Yes, you should go home too. It's late. I need to deliver these to Madam D and explain everything before she punishes me again," Arun said, calling for workers as he left.
Mira looked back and saw Vibho had fallen asleep on the ground. She sighed, lifted him onto her shoulders, and said to Timminy , "We need to take him to my sister for a check-up and to thank her. Help me."
She placed Vibho on Timminy 's back, climbed up, and said, "Let's go — and be fast."
(She was totally going to regret saying that.)
(East Coast of Givnu Island, Samuh Kingdom)
A young woman ran through the bustling crowd. Her outfit told a story — half performer, half professional. She wasn't just serving drinks; she was commanding the room. Her clothes were as much a part of her craft as the bottles behind the counter: a burgundy-and-white shirt with sleeves rolled neatly to the elbows, a snug black vest, and a confident stride. Her red hair and red eyes glowed under the fading sunlight. She was Mira's older sister.
"We're closing early today!" she shouted across the bar. "Mira is late again, and we're out of bottles and food supplies!"
"Oh no, again? That's the third time this month! Don't tell me it's because of those hunters!" someone complained.
"Yes! If they do anything else, we won't sit quietly like last time!" another shouted.
"Right! They take tax every month and demand more! Next time, I'll beat them to a pulp!"
"Okay, okay!" Mira's sister said with a laugh. "You can do anything you want later, but for now, enjoy what we have and go home. There's still some daylight left — and don't forget your dinner boxes!" she added, pointing toward the setting sun.
Everyone started eating and drinking, laughter slowly fading with the light.
Two hours later, she stepped into the backyard — the small lakeside area where Timminy usually rested — and called out, "Timminy ! Are you back?"
No response.
Then, a faint sound came: "Timi… timi…"
Her face lit up in relief — but it turned pale just as fast. She froze.
Timminy was standing there, holding a human in his mouth — half inside, half out.