Chapter 6: The Hunter’s Association
There was a reason why she was waiting for daybreak. Jasmine had things to do.
While she could sneak out at night and do things that would terrify the vampires, it was better to keep a low profile since she had just arrived at the school. Once daybreak arrived and the vampires were asleep, it would be more convenient for her to carry out her tasks.
Jasmine retrieved the casual clothes she had found in the box the previous night, changed into them, and quietly climbed out onto the balcony like a gecko. Her movements were agile and silent, and in no time, she had left the school grounds.
The school was also an ancient castle built on a hillside, resembling the school from a certain magical movie series that Jasmine had watched as a child. However, the difficulty of escaping was quite different. Although there were many different races in this world, there weren’t as many spells or magical creatures. And even if there were difficulties, they were nothing for Jasmine.
She quickly descended from the school to the small town below. In the town, there were more humans coming and going, but still not many. In the vampire-ruled territory, humans had to adopt a nocturnal lifestyle like the vampires. Every time she thought about this, Jasmine couldn’t help but complain: the vampires were scientifically managing the human population but neglecting the fact that humans were creatures who needed sunlight.
There were only humans on the streets, and only humans were allowed. In vampire territory, apart from herself and humans, no other races were permitted. But as an experienced hunter, Jasmine knew that those other races had already infiltrated the vampire-ruled areas, secretly establishing hidden bases known only to them.
Jasmine searched the streets, carefully examining every corner, and as expected, she found the mark of the Hunter’s Association.
In this world, anyone could become a hunter, regardless of their identity, whether they were a different race, a vampire, or even a human. As long as they could complete the tasks, no one cared about their background or race.
Although it was called the Hunter’s Association, what they hunted wasn’t prey, but bounties.
Jasmine felt that it should be called the Assassin’s Association instead. Because the most common tasks here were assassination missions, and every member of the Blake family had a hefty bounty on their heads.
Following the mark, Jasmine arrived at a warehouse and found a hidden door inside, leading to a secret passage. She descended into the sewers, the foul smell assaulting her nose. She wrinkled her nose, knowing that she would definitely need to take a bath when she returned, or she wouldn’t be able to fool the vampires’ keen sense of smell.
She also knew that she couldn’t just go to the Hunter’s Association like this. She extended her hand, and black threads emerged from her sleeve, attaching to her hair. Her short hair instantly transformed into long locks. She then touched her face, and the fine threads weaved themselves into a black veil, covering the lower half of her face.
She didn’t have to worry about her scent, as the stench of the sewers masked any other odors. The Hunter’s Association often hid their secret bases in the sewers for this very reason.
Jasmine followed the markings through the sewers, the foul-smelling sewage flowing beside her. Fortunately, the path beneath her feet was clean. After walking for a while, she saw a door with a faint light emanating from within. Two members of different races stood guard at the entrance.
Before she could approach, the two guards ordered her to stop. She showed her hunter’s token and was allowed to enter. Inside, she heard a cacophony of noises as hunters of various races drank and made merry. A bearded werewolf behind the counter was calculating accounts.
On a bulletin board nearby, various tasks for the region were posted.
The Hunter’s Association had only one rule: as long as the price was right, they would do anything.
Jasmine’s entrance caused the other races to pause. They instinctively assumed she was a haughty vampire, as vampires in human form closely resembled humans, with only their ears, fangs, and eyes being different. Come to think of it, werewolves also looked similar, but they had more distinctive features, such as animal ears, tails, and thick fur on their faces.
Her ears were hidden beneath her long hair and couldn’t be seen clearly, but her eyes were indeed ordinary black, making them realize that she wasn’t a vampire but a human. This discovery surprised the other races in the tavern even more. Although vampire hunters were rare, they were occasionally seen. However, a human hunter was a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence.
Humans were too weak. Their limbs were slender and lacked strength, and they had no magic. If it weren’t for the vampires’ need for their blood, they might have already gone extinct.
The appearance of a human in the tavern, especially a human female, was big news. They whistled at Jasmine, and some bolder members even stood up, offering her a drink from their glasses. Because of their resemblance to vampires, humans were also popular in the pleasure market. Many other races couldn’t handle vampires but would treat humans as substitutes, taking pleasure in humiliating them.
Although Jasmine’s face was hidden, her eyes were beautiful, and coupled with her slender and graceful figure, she was indeed an easy target for the other races.
But if these guys thought they could succeed, they were sorely mistaken. Jasmine didn’t even make physical contact with the creature who tried to touch her. Black threads wrapped around his arm and flung him away. Jasmine looked down at the creature, his clothes soaked in the spilled drink. Her black eyes were devoid of emotion, as cold as an icy mountain.
“Next time you won’t be so lucky. I’ll cut off your hand.”
Inwardly, Jasmine marveled at how cool and awesome she was. These creatures probably didn’t even see how she had flung the guy to the ground. They must be wary now, afraid to approach her because they couldn’t gauge her strength.
She was indeed a bit chuunibyou, but it couldn’t be helped. After all, if someone had such a powerful cheat and didn’t show it off a little, their cheat would cry.
Jasmine walked past the other races, her steps light and graceful. She approached the counter, and the werewolf inside bristled, his animal instincts sensing that the human before him was not to be trifled with. Jasmine took out a small pouch from her pocket, and the clinking sound of coins inside indicated its contents.
If possible, Jasmine would have preferred to produce a check, as it would have been more impressive. However, the banks in this world were under the control of vampires. Humans and other races like her couldn’t open accounts or use checks. Even if paper money occasionally circulated among them, it wasn’t widely accepted as a common currency by most other races. Instead, these gold coins, with their low gold content, were widely circulated in the underground market.
“I want to post a task.”
The werewolf glanced at Jasmine and then nodded, accepting the gold coins and handing her a task form to fill out.
Jasmine clearly stated her requirements. She actually only needed the recipient to deliver a letter. Jasmine had a cheat ability and was physically formidable, but unfortunately, she didn’t have any teleportation abilities. She couldn’t instantly travel to the human base she had established, and if she suddenly lost contact, it would surely cause them to panic. To prevent them from becoming leaderless, Jasmine could only rely on the Hunter’s Association and have a member of a different race deliver her message.
Of course, she wouldn’t have them deliver the letter directly to the base. Instead, she would have it sent to a disposable outpost. Her letter was also written in code, only understandable by those at the base. Even if the hunter delivering the letter opened it, they wouldn’t be able to decipher its contents. After delivering the letter, they also needed to bring back a token from the recipient, only then would they receive the reward that Jasmine had paid in advance to the Hunter’s Association.
As for whether they would kill and steal after obtaining the token, there was no need to worry too much. Although most hunters lived a dangerous life, if they did such a thing, the Hunter’s Association would issue a kill order, leading to an endless pursuit. In the vampire-ruled territory, the other races already lived a difficult life, and they wouldn’t sever their last lifeline.
After filling out the necessary information on the form, Jasmine placed the letter she had written, along with the reward and the form, in front of the werewolf bartender and turned to leave the tavern. As she walked through the labyrinthine sewers, Jasmine could sense someone following her. The Hunter’s Association had many rules, but it didn’t restrict members from fighting each other. Jasmine had just spent a considerable amount of money to have a letter delivered, making her appear wealthy in the eyes of the other hunters present. It was no wonder they wanted to follow her and see if they could get a share of the riches.
However, they had chosen the wrong target. Jasmine deliberately led them deeper and deeper into the sewers until they reached a dead end.
At this point, the hunters who had been following Jasmine revealed themselves. “Well, well, well, it seems this young lady has lost her way. If you’re smart, hand over all your money and entertain us for a bit, and maybe we’ll spare your life.”
Jasmine truly detested vulgar language, and there were no onlookers for her to put on a show for. There was no need to pretend in front of a group of soon-to-be-dead individuals. So Jasmine swiftly and decisively eliminated them, even taking the opportunity to empty their pockets.
Despite her earlier display of wealth, Jasmine was actually quite poor. After all, she had a large group of humans to support, and no amount of money was ever enough.
“What a bunch of paupers.”
After rummaging through their pockets, Jasmine couldn’t help but curse. However, even a small amount of money was still money, and since they were hunters, they did have some savings. Jasmine poured the coins from their pouches into her own and then left them where they lay, without looking back.
After emerging from the sewers, Jasmine sniffed herself and sighed, “I stink.”
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