[14th Everdusk 2103] – DC-23 City, Dyna Crest Country – CGA Branch, Beast Grove Fields
After exiting the Beast Grove Fields, Evan headed toward the place where hunters typically check out and pay their dues. Around him, the area buzzed with activity—dozens of hunters moved from stall to stall, either selling their prey or discussing future hunts.
The scent of blood and burnt mana hung in the air.
Many of the stalls were manned by butchers—some freelance, charging hefty fees for their work, while others belonged to guilds offering free corpse processing to their members. It was easy to see why most solo hunters eventually joined a guild: the perks were undeniable.
Evan ignored the bustling crowd and walked toward a designated tent bearing flags with the CGA's insignia—this was the exit checkpoint, where daily deposits and tolls were handled.
"Hello, sir. Do you need assistance?" asked a uniformed officer posted near the entrance.
"Yes. I'm exiting the dungeon and here to settle my charges," Evan replied calmly.
The officer gave a brief nod and gestured for Evan to follow him. They walked to a secluded inspection booth.
"Please eject all items from your inventory so we can verify you're not transporting any restricted materials or unregistered corpses. Also, allow me to check for any spatial storage," the officer explained.
Evan stiffened.
'Shit… if I eject everything, the vial and egg will come out too… I can't have that.'
He kept his voice calm. "Sir, one of the items inside is very fragile—it might break if force-ejected. May I take it out manually before ejecting the rest?"
The officer raised a brow, then nodded. "That's acceptable. Remove the item manually, then continue with the rest."
Evan hesitated briefly before nodding. He fished around inside his inventory with his mind—but to his surprise, the vial and egg didn't respond. He took a deep breath, selected everything else, and ejected it in a flash of light.
He braced for the sound of the vial hitting the ground… but nothing came.
"Huh…?" He blinked, then glanced at his inventory—and there they were. Still resting inside, untouched.
'Why didn't they eject like everything else?' he wondered, but quickly shoved the thought aside. At least they were safe.
The officer was already cataloging his haul.
"Seven boars and one stag? Not bad. Especially for your first solo hunt," the man commented, arranging the corpses in an orderly row while setting Evan's weapons and armor aside.
"Yes, that's everything," Evan replied, though his eyes darted one last time to double-check.
"Alright, sir. You can pay today's dungeon fee with either one stag body or one and a half boars. However, as a solo hunter, you're granted a reduced rate—just one boar or one stag is enough, and you'll even get partial returns from the chosen body."
Evan thought for a second before replying, "I'll pay with one boar. I'd like to sell or butcher the rest myself."
"Very well," the officer said, setting the payment corpse aside. "You're free to go."
"Actually, can you recommend a decent butcher? Somewhere I can get both money and some meat out of these?"
The officer nodded and pointed in a direction. "Walk down that road, past the second guild tent. You'll find The Deepdelve Butchery. They handle all types."
"Thank you." Evan gave a nod and walked off.
—
The shop was busy, with a dozen hunters lining up to offload their catch.
"Hello, sir. Welcome to The Deepdelve Butchery," a friendly worker greeted him and ushered him to one of the counters.
"So, what can we help you with?"
"I want to sell these," Evan said, placing the bodies beside the counter, "and I'd also like to buy some meat—same type as these boars."
The worker inspected the corpses carefully. "Hmm… seven boars and one stag. We can offer 35,000 CP per boar and 42,000 CP for the stag. The price is a bit low due to the visible injuries—they affect the yield."
Evan glanced around at the other hunters, most of whom seemed satisfied with this place. He nodded. "That works. Please proceed."
The man nodded back. "We can't use your hunted boars for meat sales due to regulations, but we've got prepped meat in stock. How much do you want?"
"About one and a half kilos. Just enough for a meal."
"Got it. I'll get it for you in a moment."
As the worker left, Evan walked over to the stag's body and whispered under his breath.
"Plunder."
A faint, dark shimmer washed over the beast's corpse. A system prompt appeared in front of his eyes.
[
[+3 STR, +4 AGL, +2 STA, +2 INT, +3 VIT acquired.]
[Skill obtained: Leap (Auto-modified for host's physiology)]
[Other unsuitable skills disintegrated. Skill Fragments gained: 9 (1^ Tier Fragment)]
Evan's eyes gleamed.
'A new skill and stat boost… This system's too good.'
He was about to check the details when the worker returned with a thick slab of neatly packed meat.
"One and a half kilos. That'll be 4,000 CP. Want it deducted from your total?"
"Yes. Deduct and proceed with the transfer," Evan said, taking the meat and storing it in his inventory.
—
Once outside the dungeon's barrier, the worker took out his phone.
"Please confirm your account details, sir," he asked.
Evan gave the info, and within seconds, a soft chime rang out from his device.
=========
Total Transferred: 283,000 CP
=========
"All clear. Thank you," Evan said.
The worker nodded and walked away, leaving Evan staring up at the darkening sky.
'It's already overtime…' he thought with a tired sigh. "Let's go home."
—
After a short taxi ride through the glowing streets of DC-23, Evan reached his apartment building.
"Sir, this is your stop," the driver said.
"Thanks," Evan paid the fare and climbed up to his floor.
With heavy limbs, he opened the door, stepped inside, and let gravity do the rest.
Flop.
He collapsed onto the bed—armor, dust, and all.
"Hah… Finally," he muttered into his pillow.
The city never slept—dungeons still buzzed with activity, hunters continued their bloody work, and guilds remained open all night.
But for Evan Ravencall, the hunt was over.
-< To be Continued >-