Chapter 3: Report, Reunion and Revelation
(East Coast of Givnu Island, Samuh Kingdom)
In the restaurant's backyard, Mira's sister stood frozen in shock. She saw Timminy holding a human in his mouth — half in, half out.
"Timi! Timi!" Timminy shouted, snapping her out of her daze.
Completely confused and terrified, she spoke in a frantic rush:
"Wait, what?! Why are you holding a human? You don't eat him, do you? No! We might go to jail for that kind of crime! No, wait — we can escape it! We just need to bury the body so no one finds it! Yes! Or… you can just eat him!"
She was trying to find a way to save both herself and Timminy .
"Timi, timi!" Timminy shouted and tossed the man onto the coast.
"Hey! Don't throw him here! If someone finds out, what are we going to do?!" she cried.
"Timi, timi!" Timminy said again, shaking his head.
"What? You didn't kill him?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Then she noticed something strange — hanging from Timminy 's tail was Mira, unconscious.
"What are you doing there?!" she shouted furiously.
"...Oh— I'm alive?" Mira gasped, blinking at her sister. She climbed up Timminy 's head and jumped down onto the stone edge.
Mira ran toward Vibho, who had been thrown some distance away, and checked his pulse. Relief washed over her — he was alive, just sleeping.
But Hina (her sister) was furious.
"Mira! Answer me! Who is he? Where did you find him? Why are you late? Why are you injured? And what—"
"Wait, wait! One question at a time, okay? I'll answer everything, but first… can you treat him?" Mira said, giving her sister puppy-dog eyes.
"Ugh… fine. Take him to the second clinic so I can check him. And take a bath right after," Hina sighed.
"Yes! And I need to tell you something important," Mira said.
"You can tell me later. First, take him to the clinic."
Together, they carried Vibho to the clinic. Hina began her examination.
"He's fine. Just some new cuts — nothing serious. But he looks exhausted and hungry," Hina said, glancing at her worried sister.
"I can give him food when he wakes—"
"Food?! Where's food? I'm starving!" Vibho suddenly shouted, startling Hina.
"Oh, so you're finally awake?"
"Yes! Did someone say food?"
"Yes, you'll get it — but first, take a bath," Hina said firmly.
"Can't I bathe after eating?" Vibho asked hopefully.
"No. Bath first, food later," she said in a strict tone.
"Okay…" Vibho grumbled and ran off to bathe — in the wrong direction, of course — until Mira stopped him and showed the right way, handing him some men's clothes.
After a while, Vibho returned, freshly bathed. Mira and Hina served him food at one of the restaurant tables. He wore a big black shirt and short pants. Mira had already told Hina everything — including Serbhij's plan to rob the villages.
"Thank you for what you did for us. I'm Hina, Mira's sister," she said, smiling politely.
"It's fine. You helped me too —I can find Shunya because of her and you gave me food," Vibho replied between bites.
"Yes, but I need to ask — who are you, and why did you come here?" Hina asked, her tone calm but serious.
"Oh, yeah! I forgot to tell you. I'm Vibho. Like I told Mira, I got separated from my brothers during a tornado. I lost my Vad Stick, so I couldn't connect with them. Then I met Timminy in the middle of the ocean, and she said her friend could help me. So I came here with her. Thanks to you both, I was able to contact the reporters and tell them to send Shunya here," Vibho explained, smiling widely.
"Okay… but you still didn't tell me why you helped my sister," Hina asked again, this time more curiously.
"Oh, Shunya always says we should help people in need — just like others helped us when we needed it. Timminy and I heard how that guy was bothering you, so I just helped out," Vibho said with a carefree laugh.
"Yes, but won't those Hunters Association people create problems for you?" Hina asked worriedly.
"No, they won't. I'm an official hunter. They won't even treat it as a fight," Vibho said casually, still eating.
Hina and Mira froze.
"WHAT?! You're an official hunter?!" Mira shouted in shock.
"Hey! Quiet down — I'm talking!" Hina scolded, smacking Mira lightly on the head.
"You heard him right! We've barely even seen an unofficial hunter, and he's an official one! I was just shocked, okay?!" Mira said, rubbing her head and blushing.
"Alright, Vibho, can you tell me where the Association office is? Mira can register there. Also… what will happen to Serbhij and those other hunters? And who were those black-clothed men?" Hina asked sincerely.
"I don't know where the office is or what'll happen to them — but Shunya will know where it is for sure. You can ask him when he arrives. As for those black-clothed men, they're reporters.
They report everything to the Association and add rewards to hunters' accounts. That's all I know," Vibho said while eating.
"Alright, I'll ask him. Until then, you can stay here in one of our rooms—"
"Why don't you join us as a member? You look pretty strong. I can ask Shunya on your behalf if you'd like — he won't be against it, for sure," Vibho said, cutting in with a smiling grin.
"Wait— for real?! I can join you?!" Mira said excitedly.
"Yes, please ask him. But before that… who is Shunya?" Hina asked.
"Oh! Did I not say? He's my brother," Vibho said proudly, grinning wide.
"Oh, if that's the case, then please ask him. And you're not fully healed yet, so stay here until then," Hina said warmly.
But before they could go, one last question slipped out of Hina's mouth, her tone filled with curiosity.
"But tell me one thing, Mira — why was Timminy holding Vibho like that in her mouth? And why were you unconscious, hanging from her tail?"
"Well, that's because I told Timminy to swim faster since Vibho was unconscious—" Mira paused, correcting herself with a small sigh. "Actually, he wasn't unconscious at all. He was just sleeping! I don't think if he ever gets lost again, he'll even know how he got lost in the first place."
Mira shook her head with a tired smile. "Anyway, Timminy swam too fast, and we ran straight into a tornado! The waves were massive, and Vibho slipped off her back. So Timminy grabbed him with her mouth while I was still hanging onto her tail."
Hina sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. "You two… really are unbelievable."
Hina sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. "You two… really are unbelievable."
"Okay," Vibho agreed, finishing his food.
After dinner, they all went to sleep. Mira lay awake for a while, thrilled about her new adventure, while Hina still had a dozen unanswered questions — like why Timminy was carrying Vibho in her mouth.
Eventually, all of them drifted off to sleep.
(Somewhere in Hunters Association Office Building No. E08)
"Sir, we've collected all the details and reports with evidence," said ZE1708, one of the black-clothed men.
"Serbhij, an unofficial hunter, has been sent to Hunters Recovery and Compensation. The records and rewards have been credited to Vibho's account — an official hunter. Serbhij was planning to rob an island village to buy a Base Animal or Base Ship, but got caught," ZE2510 reported.
"It seems he was also forming a group. Two key members: Dulga, a former army soldier turned unauthorized hunter after losing his Kingdom — defeated by Vibho, still unconscious. And Nuva, a postman from the Samuh Kingdom who lost his job when the Kingdom switched to Flash Pigeons. He left the guild before the fight, so we let him go.
"As for the other twenty-nine members — all small-time unauthorized hunters or newcomers with no prior records.
"And their guild master, Serbhij, is one of... [Confidential Material — revealed in upcoming chapters]. He also has one of the Ver-dan. We don't yet know its name, but it might grant him immortality, sir," ZE1708 said.
"But Vibho was able to stop him — a big help to us. Otherwise, Serbhij could have used his Hunter Card to rob more villages and become a Hunter Killer. That would've been a disgrace to all hunters."
"Vibho… He's the one who destroyed Hunter Office No. E93 in the Indha Kingdom, right? But why is he alone? What happened to his friends?" asked the man sitting in a luxurious chair, his face hidden under black robes — only his eyes visible, marked by a black-rose pattern.
"Yes, sir. It seems they were separated by the tornados happening across regions, and he lost his Vad Stick. But we've informed Shunya, as ordered," ZE1708 replied.
"Good. You may go now. I will go somewhere tomorrow and I'll return the day after tomorrow. Please pack my lunch and dinner tomorrow," the man said.
"Yes, sir. What about breakfast?" ZE2510 asked.
"It'll be my treat — order on my behalf for everyone," he said, walking toward the window.
"Yes, sir," ZE2510 replied and left.
The black-robed man stared out at the swirling winds.
"How many days has it been without you, dear? Looks like I still have work to do. Wait for me a bit more okay.
But I still can't believe they all survived something even I wouldn't dare dream of and passed a test no one was supposed to pass... Tornado… tornados…"
He whispered to himself, gazing out at the massive spiral storms in the distance.