Scene 1: Echoes of the Mansion
The heavy iron doors groaned open, revealing the labyrinthine interior of the Hunter Mansion—a cold, silent monument of history and discipline. Inside, flickering torches lined the stony corridors, casting long shadows as the masked man led the new Hunters forward, his steps echoing like a slow heartbeat.
Each step deeper into the mansion felt like shedding their past lives.
At the end of the hallway, they entered a chamber where folded uniforms lay stacked on polished wooden benches. Black coats marked the lower ranks. Gold-edged ones for elites. Kyron, still stiff from the exam, stared at his—mid-rank, gray with crimson trim.
A voice called out.
"Kyron. Your trio has been decided. You'll be working with Ali and Luca."
Kyron blinked.
"Ali? Luca? You've got to be kidding..."
His stomach dropped. Ali was loud, reckless, and cocky. Luca was awkward, and last Kyron checked, barely passed the exam.
Ali waltzed in with a smug grin, tossing his coat over his shoulder.
Luca followed, holding his neatly folded one like it was a relic.
Ali (grinning): "Looks like we're the dream team, huh?"
Luca: "Heh. Don't worry. I don't snore."
Kyron gave them a polite nod, but his thoughts were a blur of doubt.
"Why them? Why not someone I can trust?"
Still, complaining wasn't an option. Orders were orders.
---
Scene 2: Fires, Fears, and First Bonds
The trio picked a secluded training spot—a forest clearing behind the mansion, where the sun filtered softly through rustling leaves. A breeze carried the scent of pine and old rain. Fallen logs became seats. Birds became audience.
They sat in a triangle, weapons laid aside. Time to talk.
Ali stood first, stretching his arms behind his head.
Ali: "I use Bravery Emotion. My strength scales with my pain. The more I bleed, the stronger I get. Even if my bones snap, I keep swinging."
He punched the air with confidence.
Ali (smirking): "I call it—'Victory by Stubbornness.'"
Kyron raised an eyebrow. "...That sounds suicidal."
Ali (grinning): "That's courage, baby."
Next was Luca, nervously rubbing his hands together.
Luca: "I, uh… I use Anxiety. It makes me fast. Real fast. But it drains me like crazy. I've only unlocked one move so far. The second one… I've never dared to try."
He looked down.
Kyron smiled gently, tapping his chest with a closed fist.
Kyron: "Trying is already braver than giving up. I use Anger Emotion—Bird Style. I've unlocked three techniques. Still feels like not enough."
Luca smirked. "You've already taken down a Beast Smiler. You've got protagonist privilege."
Ali cracked his knuckles. "Alright, enough feelings. Let's punch something."
---
Scene 3: Training Ritual
They trained until the sunlight dimmed.
Ali used his body like a battering ram, challenging gravity and pain itself. Kyron controlled his inner flame, practicing the delicate rhythm of rage. Luca blurred through shadows, weaving between trees like wind incarnate, sparks trailing in his wake.
Kyron noticed something. Despite all their flaws—Ali's recklessness, Luca's cowardice—they never stopped.
"They're raw, but not hopeless."
Their weapons clashed in friendly sparring. They groaned in pain, laughed when they fell, and picked each other up.
For the first time… it felt like a team.
---
Scene 4: The Mission Board Mistake
Later that night, they gathered around the glowing Mission Board at the mansion. Dozens of assignments floated mid-air—each a contract, each a risk.
Ali (eyes wide): "Ooooh! This one! Crystal Smiler. Look at the rewards!"
Kyron squinted. "That's a Frozen Forest mission… Crystal Smilers are high-tier. We're barely out of training."
Luca (panicking): "Guys, maybe we pick something smaller. Like pest control. Or babysitting."
Ali ignored them both and slammed his hand on the confirm sigil.
Ali: "Big points, big glory."
Kyron sighed. "This better not be our last mission."
---
Scene 5: Enter the Frozen Forest
A cold wind howled across the frozen forest as the trio trudged through a blanket of snow. The icy terrain crunched beneath their boots, but their minds were focused on the mission ahead.
The train had been a grueling, silent journey. Now, as they ventured deeper into the forest, they could almost feel the tension thickening the air. Ali, Kyron, and Luca had grown accustomed to their new roles, but this was the first time they had to face something truly dangerous—something that could rip them apart.
The mission had been clear: hunt down the Crystal Smiler rumored to be hiding within these ice-laden caverns. They had no idea what kind of terror waited for them beneath the ground, but they knew the Smiler's strength surpassed that of any ordinary beast.
> Kyron (thinking): This is different. We're not facing a regular Smiler. It's been said that Crystal Smilers can regenerate faster, adapt quicker, and even control the battlefield with those damn crystals.
Luca's shivers weren't just from the cold. The echoes of past Smiler battles haunted him, but he held his tongue, not wanting to seem weak in front of Ali, who was already itching to fight.
> Ali: "I can't wait to smash this one. Big points. Let's do it!"
> Luca: "Yeah, but… I don't think this one's going to be easy."
Kyron just nodded, looking ahead. Let's hope he's wrong.
---
Scene 6: The Cave Entrance
They arrived at the cave entrance just as the sun dipped below the horizon, leaving the forest cloaked in shadows. The entrance to the cavern was surrounded by jagged rock, but the glittering crystals embedded in the walls gleamed like stars in the night.
> Kyron: "Stay alert. This place… feels off."
Ali was already stepping forward, his usual cocky grin spreading across his face.
> Ali: "I don't need any warning. Let's crush this Smiler already."
Kyron grabbed his shoulder before he could charge in.
> Kyron: "We need holy water. If we get hit, we need to be ready."
The three uncorked their holy water bottles and took a swig. The cold liquid burned as it slid down their throats, ready to heal any wounds they might face.
---
Scene 7:The Smiler's Awakening
The deeper they went into the cave, the brighter the crystals grew, casting eerie hues of pink, purple, and green across the stone. It was beautiful—but unsettling. There was a sense of something watching them, something waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Suddenly, a loud crack echoed from the far end of the cavern. The walls shook, and the crystals rattled.
> Luca (whispering): "That… wasn't us."
Without warning, the ground beneath them trembled violently, and from the walls, large crystalline growths erupted, shattering into shards that exploded outward. In the middle of the chaos stood the Crystal Smiler, its massive body draped in jagged, glimmering crystals that seemed to pulse with an unnatural light.
> Crystal Smiler: "Ah, the hunters come. You seek death… and I shall gladly oblige."
The Smiler's grin stretched impossibly wide, revealing rows of sharp, crystal-like teeth. Its eyes, red as blood, gleamed with malice.
---
Scene 8: The Battle Begins
The Smiler didn't wait for them to make the first move. It leapt into the air, its body twisting and turning with unnatural agility. From its back, jagged crystal blades shot out, hurtling toward the trio like spears.
> Kyron (shouting): "Get down!"
The three ducked as the crystals missed by inches. But the Smiler wasn't finished. It whipped around and summoned a giant crystal pillar from the ground beneath them.
> Crystal Smiler: "I'll bury you beneath my glory!"
> Ali (grinning): "I've had worse!"
Ali ran forward with lightning speed, charging the Smiler head-on, his sword raised high. His Bravery Emotion kicked in, and his muscles bulged, his body glowing with golden light.
> Ali: "Take this, you overgrown rock!"
He slammed his sword into the pillar, shattering it into a thousand pieces, but before he could strike the Smiler, a sharp, crystal-covered tail lashed out and swiped him away.
> Luca (panicking): "Ali!"
But Kyron was already moving. His Anger Emotion flared up, and his sword ignited in flames, the air around him shimmering with heat.
> Kyron: "Flame Rush!"
Kyron surged forward, a comet of fire. His blade cleaved through the Smiler's crystal armor, leaving a trail of molten destruction. But the Smiler barely flinched, its body reforming faster than Kyron could burn it.
> Crystal Smiler: "You're all so slow."
---
Scene 9: Smiler's Counterattack
The Crystal Smiler raised its arms, summoning a blinding wave of energy that erupted from its body in all directions. The crystals formed a shield around it, as if protecting its core.
> Kyron (thinking): It's adapting. We need to find a weak point.
But as the trio tried to adjust, the Smiler launched another attack. Crystals rained down on them from above. The air was filled with a violent crash as the shards pummeled the ground around them.
> Luca (gritting his teeth): "This is bad. We can't keep dodging forever."
> Kyron: "We don't have to. We need to push through."
Kyron activated Flame Slash, releasing a wave of fire that cut through the falling crystals. He leaped into the air, following it with a rapid Bird Dash, but the Smiler was too quick, dodging his attack by a hair's breadth and retaliating with an Ice Crystal Beam, freezing the air around Kyron.
> Kyron (struggling): "No… I'm not going down here."
The ice shattered as Kyron's flames broke free, but the Smiler wasn't finished.
> Crystal Smiler: "Let's see how much you can handle."
---
Scene 10: The Turnaround
It was clear they were tiring. The Smiler's speed and regeneration were overwhelming. But as Kyron fought, he began to realize something. The more he burned the Smiler, the slower it seemed to regenerate.
> Kyron (thinking): Emotion techniques… burn through their virus. The more I hit them, the weaker they become. But this Smiler's not like the others. I need to focus.
With newfound resolve, Kyron's flames blazed hotter. His Anger Emotion surged, and the fiery aura around him intensified.
> Kyron: "Flame Rush!"
But this time, the fire seemed different—stronger, fiercer. The Smiler's regeneration slowed down as Kyron's flames hit its core. The battle was still far from over, but Kyron could feel it now. They had a chance.
---
Scene 11: The Final Blow
Ali and Luca were recovering, finding their footing again. The trio had fought hard, and the battle had pushed them to their limits, but they weren't done yet.
> Ali (grinning): "Come on! Let's finish this."
Ali charged forward again, his muscles crackling with the power of his Bravery Emotion. Luca, now more confident, moved faster than ever before. He dodged the Smiler's attacks with lightning speed, his every movement a blur.
Together, they closed in on the Smiler. Kyron's flames blazed high into the air as Ali made the final charge. With one powerful, sweeping slash, Ali's blade cut through the air like a meteor, striking the Smiler's head with a sickening crack.
> Ali (panting): "Eat this, you ugly piece of crystal!"
With one final, crushing blow, the Crystal Smiler's head fell to the ground with a heavy thud, its body crumbling into shards.
---
Scene 12: Aftermath
The cave fell silent, save for the trio's heavy breaths. They stood in the middle of the shattered battlefield, their bodies battered but victorious.
> Kyron (smiling, exhausted): "We… did it."
> Luca (grinning): "I think I can live with this."
> Ali (punching his fist into his palm): "Big points, baby."
They returned to the mansion, bloodied but victorious. The mission was complete. Another step forward on their journey.
---
---
Scene 13 Embers of Triumph
Back at the Hunter Mansion, they dropped the Smiler's head on the counter.
The receptionist blinked. "You three? Crystal Smiler?"
Kyron smiled. "Told you we'd survive."
Luca (laughing): "I feel like I aged ten years in one mission."
Ali: "Worth it. That's how legends start."
The Mission Board glowed bright.
MISSION CLEARED. POINTS AWARDED.
Their ranks ticked upward.
Kyron looked at his new teammates. Not the best. Not the strongest.
But they were his.
We're just getting started."
End Of The Chapter