Snippet: Hunter

Hunter
“Harry Evans.”

A lady's voice boomed through the speaker that was attached to the wall just above the door leading into one of the Testing Offices.

Currently, he was sitting on a chair in the waiting area, just like dozens of other people of his age who were here for the first time, for a very important event of their lives, waiting for their turns to enter the equally dreaded as well as anticipated rooms.

At the call of his name, Harry elegantly stood up from the spartan wooden chair, showing not a single iota of nervousness that the boys and girls around him were barely concealing. Walking gracefully towards the door, he moved like a trained dancer, attracting everyone's gaze with his silent confident strides.

He ignored their stares and whispers, and pushed open the door, stepping into the Testing Office. The door closed by itself without noise, leaving him standing there just ahead of the threshold.

He briefly looked around. The walls were painted white with a single window looking out to Central London from the 20th floor. A simple unadorned desk sat at one side with a middle-aged bald man in a business suit sitting behind it, staring at him from the perch of his stippled fingers, his dark eyes filled with curiosity as he signalled him to take the chair opposite him.

Harry nodded and took the seat, which was far more comfier than the one in the waiting room. Crossing his arms in his lap he met his gaze.

“Good morning, Mr. Evans, I'm Elbert Richer, your examiner. Please give me your form so we can get to the business right away.” Elbert said cheerfully, holding out his hand.

“Good morning, Mr. Richer. Here's the form and the other paperwork.” Harry smiled and declined the hand shake, pushing the paper sheet and his identity proof across the desk.

Elbert, not taking offence, briefly glanced at the identity proof and picked up the form, his eyes roving over the information quickly. But they suddenly gleamed in interest as he stopped at the section beside the ‘Mother's Name’.

“You're the son of Lily Evans, the Berserk Healer, the S-rank hunter?” He asked with wide eyes, his face telling Harry that he was barely resisting the urge to beg for her autograph.

After all, there were only five S-rank hunters in the UK. Just being one of them was enough to make her well-known even among the general populace. And on top of that, she was very popular throughout the world for her otherworldly beauty and unconventional fighting style.

“Yes.” Harry replied succinctly and a bit coldly, spilling water over the man's childish eagerness. This was the reason why he didn't usually advertise who his mother was. Because he would be buried in a body-pile of obnoxious fans otherwise.

Elbert cleared his throat to regain the professional air and hide his elation at meeting the son of the Lily Evans. An uncomfortable silence followed as he checked the form properly while Harry tried to forget the instance of the man's fangirling.

“Everything is in order. Now we only need to assign you a rank and you'll be good to go.” Elbert announced, putting the form over the stack of previous forms in the drawer before shutting it. “Please just put your palm over the Mana Meter.”

Harry looked at the small device on the desk. It was a strange instrument made from metal and the essence stones that the hunters received in the dungeons. It glowed lightly, flickering now and then like a defective bulb.

Suppressing his trepidation, he placed his hand atop the device. It was unexpectedly warm to the touch. The blue stone embedded in the gadget gave off a sudden flash of light before petering out slowly.

Harry took back his arm and Elbert picked up the Mana Meter, glancing at the glass screen on the foot of the device.

The man set it down and looked at him with a small encouraging smile.

Harry was shaking from anticipation and couldn't hide his emotions anymore. “So, what rank am I?”

“You, Mr. Evans, are presently at the lower tier of D-rank and possess the potential to reach the top of D-rank, barring the extremely rare case of you somehow Reawakening and jumping up ranks. Hereby, you're allowed to participate in dungeon raids. The Hunter Association will suggest you go only in E, D, or at most C-rank dungeons. Anything above and your chances of getting killed will skyrocket. While being a hunter is inherently a deadly job, it doesn't mean we should be reckless. Congratulations on your assigned rank.”

Harry's face was impassive as he nimbly got onto his feet and left the room, knowing that the man was giving him a pitying look.

How disappointing, the son of Lily Evans was just a D-rank hunter. It was not the lowest rank, that position belonged to E-rank, but being assigned the second weakest and the second most common rank wasn't too fulfilling. Not when his mother was an S-rank hunter. Not when he wanted to outshine her.

Quickly stalking through the hall with his anger hidden behind his blank face, he halted before the lift and pressed the button extra hard.

As the door slid open with a soft ping, he stomped into it. But before it could close and allow him his solitude, another person ran into it, huffing and puffing with her hands on her knees as the door closed shut and the lift began moving.

Harry stood beside the black-haired girl, keeping his gaze locked on the display panel that showed their descent towards the ground floor.

“So, you a new hunter too?” The girl asked idly after regaining her breath.

Harry turned his head a little and gave her a once over.

Long dark hair bound in two braids that flowed down her shoulders, almost reaching her waist. Her eyes were warm honey, peering at him from behind the thin round glasses. And she was wearing casual black robes over a white shirt and black jeans.

She was pretty, like the picturesque early mornings when the dark orange sunlight merged with the retreating black night and bathed the entire world in its cool warmth. But Harry wasn't exactly in a good mood to appreciate her beauty.

“Yes.” He replied shortly, giving her a curt nod.

She chuckled at his answer. “Not much of a talker, are you?”

He didn't deign the question a reply and reverted his eyes back to the display panel that showed a down arrow above the number 10. Although what she said next made him snap his head towards her.

“You know, you look quite similar to James Potter, our Minister of Magic. You wouldn't be Harry Potter, would you? His estranged son?” She laughed at his surprised look.

“I'm Harry Evans.” He ground out, his wand flying out of the holster and into his ready grasp.

The girl stilled at the venom in his voice and raised her arms in surrender. “Fine, mate, just put away the wand real quick. We don't want to fight in this confined space, do we? And I don't think we want the muggles to know who we truly are.”

Harry breathed through his mouth and holstered his wand, still glaring at her. “You're from the Wizarding World?”

She shot him a brimming smile, apparently unbothered by his anger, and bowed with a flourish, the gesture doing funny things to her impressively large bust. “Yep, though I've shifted to the muggle London. Tracey Davis at your service.”

He nodded slowly, shaking her proffered hand. “Harry Evans, as you already know. So, why did you leave that world behind?”

“Well, I tried to work in the Ministry, but there's just too much discrimination against the muggle-borns and the half-bloods. And I'm ‘unfortunately’ a half-blood with no prospect of getting any promotion in my lifetime. Just one year in the Ministry was enough to show me that I wasn't going to get anywhere if I stayed where I was. Thankfully, I recently Awakened and got qualified to work as a hunter. And here I am. That's my story. Now your turn.”

He gave her an odd look, but she just bumped her shoulder against his with an expectant grin. When did she get this close? He didn't even notice.

“Come on. Tell me why the son of the war hero, James Potter, is here. I'm too curious and would just keep on bugging you until you spill.” She smirked at his pinched look.

“Mum decided to leave dad after it was revealed that he cheated on her and had a daughter with another woman. That's about it.” Harry shrugged nonchalantly. It wasn't a secret or anything, not that it was talked about too much either. The people of magical Britain would barely remember the first wife of James Potter nowadays. Tracey should have already known that bit of information about the Minister from rumours and gossip.

“I see. Thanks for confirming. Although Minister Potter didn't seem like an arsehole the few times I met him.” She added with a grimace, not able to match the great man she met with the one he just described.

“I can't say if he is or isn't. I was too young to remember him.” He said softly, his anger forgotten as he tried to picture the face of his father from his memories.

Before they could further continue their conversation, the lift opened on the ground floor. And they trickled out, strolling through the lobby of the Hunter Association Bureau and exiting the tower, standing outside in the late morning sunlight.

“What is your rank, Tracey?” He asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had unexpectedly grown between them during the walk from the lift to the exit.

Her eyes sparkled and she spoke up. “I'm a B-rank hunter.”

Harry suppressed the flare of jealousy that erupted inside him at realising that she was just one rank below becoming a worldwide legend, and offered her an impressed smile. “That's quite a high rank.”

“I know right!” She grinned happily, and strangely Harry wasn't annoyed by her proud smile anymore. It was as if a warm breeze blew through him and washed away his negative feelings. “Though I'm still an ant compared to the A-rankers. And let's just not talk about the S-rankers, the latter are almost like gods.”

Harry nodded in agreement.

A-rank hunters were quite rare and were giants in terms of raw power, far surpassing the people below their ranks. And the S-rankers were even greater than them, beings with the power to wipe out small cities when they went full out. He should know, his mum was one of those god-level beings.

At the thought of his mum, he winced, recalling that she was against him becoming a hunter, not wanting to see him risk his life in the dungeons. She would be angry that he sneaked out and registered in the Hunter Association without telling her. Then again, he was eighteen years old now, he should get the freedom to do whatever he wanted.

“Tracey, I have to go. Will probably see you tomorrow for our first dungeon raid. I've heard that a new Gate opened up a couple of streets away. And it leads to an E-rank dungeon. A good place to start our hunting in my view. I'll be there. What do you think?” He proposed uncertainly, not exactly used to being friendly with people of his age. But Tracey was different, and she was a B-rank hunter, way more powerful than him. Her company and friendship might be beneficial to him in the future. Now was the opportune time to make a friend. And it wasn't as if she was unpleasant. Far from it, she had this strange aura as if she had been his friend his entire life, a sometimes nosy irritating childhood friend but a friend nonetheless.

“I think it's bloody brilliant. We'll meet there and begin our adventure together. Honestly, you took a load off my shoulders. It'll be great to have someone I know with me for my first dungeon hunting.” She smiled brightly, seemingly ready to jump around like an excited child.

His lips twitched at her bubbly personality and he offered her a nod after taking out his phone and exchanging numbers. “Okay. Goodbye for now then.”

“Goodbye, Harry. See you tomorrow.” She waved exuberantly and walked away, more like skipped away, turning her head now and then to see if he was still standing.

He rolled his eyes mirthfully and stayed outside the Hunter Association Bureau until Tracey disappeared down the curve of the street.

~xXxXx~

Harry apparated home, popping into his large luxurious bedroom to find an irate Lily Evans sitting on his bed.

He grimaced. This was going to be a chore.

His mother was a beautiful woman. The most beautiful being in his biased view.

She was like the heavenly full moon night that was able to be seen only once in a lifetime. The bright star studded sky that pulled on his heartstrings. Hypnotising, mesmerising and fulfilling, causing his very soul to overflow with awe and warmth.

But all the allure of her extraordinary beauty didn't stop him from freezing on his spot and being scared out of his mind.

She didn't say anything after his arrival, and just stared at him, making him squirm before her.

That was the power she held over him, having the ability to show her displeasure without the need of words. He knew he fucked up with the way her green eyes were glowing. It was the result of the ginormous amount of mana she possessed as an S-rank hunter, that was unconsciously leaking through her body and making her aglow. Even her soft pale skin, most of which was easily visible since she was just in a white camisole and blue shorts, gleamed from within due to the excess mana swirling violently inside her. And her unbound waist-length crimson hair swayed gently in the windless room.

Her presence was suffocating, trying to push him down and show him how worthless and powerless he was before her.

“I registered with the Hunter Association as an official hunter.” He revealed quickly, letting out a grunt and falling down on his knees as her presence intensified, stealing the air from his lungs and placing the weight of her anger over his shoulders.

He whimpered pathetically, reduced on his hands and knees as he fought against the pressure and tried not to fall face first, as he tried not to prostrate himself. This was his dichotomy. Outside the house, he was the epitome of silent confidence, but inside before here, he was just a bumbling teenager trying his best not to disappoint his mum, trying his best to win her acknowledgement.

A second later, the pressure vanished abruptly.

He gulped in a mouthful of air and panted audibly, slowly rising from the lavishly carpeted floor and keeping his eyes on her blank face as she reined in her turbulent emotions.

“Why?” She asked, standing up from his bed and approaching him.

“I have my reasons.” Harry whispered reluctantly, lowering his gaze and refusing to meet her eyes.

He heard her disappointed sigh, shivering as she placed her index finger below his chin and lifted his head. She framed his face between her soft warm palms, and looked at him beseechingly, her gorgeous emerald eyes filled with unconditional love. “Why can't you just remain home and be safe? What do you want that needs you to go out and seek death? It's not like you need the money after which all the hunters run. I have amassed more than enough wealth during my career, and I'll give you all of that right now if you just ask. Please tell me what you desire that I can't give you?”

Putting his arms on her waist, he gave her a mirthless smile. “I'm not a dog, mum. You can't just keep me and feed me, and then expect me to give away my freedom. I don't want you to give me anything. I want to earn it myself. I want power. I want enough power to surpass you and everyone. I want to be the strongest. Or at the least stronger than you. ”

“Why? Do you hate being in my shadow that much?” She mumbled in a pained voice, caressing his face, aware how his entire identity revolved around being her son.

Surprisingly, he shook his head. “It's my greatest honour to be born as your child. I don't care that I'll only be known as Lily Evans' son. I don't really fear your shadow. I fear for you.”

Lily stilled and stepped back, to Harry's great disappointment, and gave him a dubious look. “Fear for me? Darling, you do know that there are only a few other S-rankers who can challenge me? I'm too strong to need your fear. You don't need to worry about me.”

In lieu of a reply, he uttered. “Ocera Island.”

And that left her speechless. Because she couldn't give a reassuring response to that horrifying word. She still had nightmares about it.

“An S-rank dungeon opened on that island five years ago. You, along with five other S-rankers and twenty A-rankers from across the world, formed a party and ventured into that dungeon to close it, but only you were able to return while your comrades died. You were injured so badly in the dungeon that you were bedridden for three months. Now, tell me again that I don't need to fear for your life.” Harry spoke calmly, but his hands were shaking.

Lily couldn't do that.

Not when as a sign of her failure, Ocera island was still overrun with creatures strong enough to destroy a whole country. It was a blessing that the island had been evacuated beforehand. And a double blessing that the monsters that crawled out from the dungeon were unable to fly or swim. She could only imagine the havoc they would have caused once they reached the mainland.

Truly, S-rank dungeons were cataclysmic disasters that even people of her calibre could do nothing about. There had been only one S-rank dungeon opening since first the Gates began appearing. And even that one time hadn't ended so well for humanity. Even now, the entire world dreaded the possibility of another S-rank dungeon opening.

At least the Gates had some rules that gave them enough time to evacuate. You see, the Gates leading to the dungeons remain inert for the first seven days, giving the hunters a fixed time period to go inside and kill the dungeon boss and thus, destroy the Gate. But if even a minute passed after seven days and the Gate wasn't closed, then the monsters within the dungeon were allowed entry into the world. That phenomenon was called Dungeon Break, an event where the creatures from the dungeon spilled out into the world and caused a calamity. Thankfully, Dungeon Break wasn't common. And the few times it happened, the hunters were able to kill all the monsters before the casualties reached sky high.

“So, you want to become strong enough to protect me?” She questioned, stepping close and patting his head. She couldn't help but smile when she noticed that he was a couple of inches taller than her. He really had grown into an adult, she thought wistfully.

“Yes, mum. If again an S-rank dungeon opens up, I want to be by your side and help you.” He declared with determination, wrapping his arms around her waist and giving her a squeeze.

She loved him. More than anything and anyone. And truly appreciated this heartwarming gesture. But she had a duty as his parent to show him the truth. It wouldn't do to let his delusions continue. “Then tell me what's your rank?”

And she immediately knew from his expression that it struck a nerve. While his thoughtfulness and protectiveness caused her heart to brim with fondness, the reality was still that he was too weak to even enter an A-rank dungeon.

“I'm a D-ranker and lack the potential to climb up ranks.” He sighed, tightening his hold on her, pulling her tighter, and looking at her vulnerably, an emotion he wouldn't ever show to anyone else.

“Then there goes your stupid dream. You'll never be strong enough to protect me. So, why don't you stop this stupid madness and listen to your wise, powerful mum?” She told him frankly instead of supporting his hope, deciding that his naive dream must be crushed before he committed to this foolish path and got himself killed.

Her heart ached at his wounded expression. But she persevered instead of caving in, and cupped his face, pressing into him, squashing her soft body against his. “Let it go, darling. There's no need for you to go outside and risk your life. You have everything in this mansion. Food, water, entertainment and me. There's nothing more you need. Be my dog—if that's what you want to call it— instead of a senseless moron.”

Her every word seemed to cruelly chip away his hidden excitement at finally becoming a hunter, his posture deteriorating until he was slumped down on his knees with an angry hopeless look in his defeated eyes.

Lily too was there with him on her knees, her hands still on his handsome face while she systematically ripped his self-confidence.

“I hope you understand that being ignorant of one's self-worth doesn't make one daring or inspiring. While for me, you're everything and worth the entire world, in the real world you're just above worthless if an S-rank dungeon ever opens again. You will seriously hurt yourself if you do this. So, please stop this lunacy, will you?”

Seeing that he wouldn't respond anytime soon, her eyes getting watery for doing this to her own precious son, she planted a kiss on his head and pulled him in her arms, cradling his head against her bosom, mashing his face against her breasts soothingly. When his hands remained limp at his sides and he refused to hug her back, she sighed hoarsely and got out of his room, wiping her tears and leaving him down on his knees and in spirit.

Gathering a little energy that was left in his weak body, he clambered into the bed and slumped face down, pulling the blanket over him and hiding away from the world. And from his mother's judgemental tone.

Alas, her words pierced his every barrier even when she was not there, repeating harshly, forming a loop of depression that consumed him from within.

It had always been like this. Whenever he tried to do something his mother disapproved of, she would tear him into pieces with cold hard logic and leave him to drown in his loud pathetic thoughts. And when he would come out of this, she would be there to hug and kiss him and see him on the ‘right’ path.

He should dislike her.

He should despise her.

He knew she was too controlling, too clingy. He should leave her and this mansion, and unfurl his wings. He should start his own life and get out of her shadow. He was an adult now. That was exactly what he was supposed to do.

But he never could. He was sick in the head and could never hold a grudge against her. She could even stab him and he would still find a way to blame himself for it. The mere thought of leaving her behind and running away made his very soul quake with repulsion.

He really was a loyal dog who couldn't leave his master, no matter what the master did to him.

He was chained to his mother, and he was hopelessly in love with this chain, uncaring that a metaphorical collar was tied around his neck which she tugged whenever she wanted to show her disapproval.

Still, he wasn't done. For the first time in his life, he wouldn't cave in and follow her order. He was a hunter. An official hunter. A special man who had been awakened. Given power that the general population didn't have. Even the E-rankers were 20 times more powerful and resilient than normal people. And he was a D-ranker, way more stronger than E-rankers. He was unique and blessed. Yes, he wasn't on the top beside the A-rankers and S-rankers, but he wasn't a weak normal man either. That had to count for something. And combined with his magical heritage, he could go toe to toe with C-rankers even if his magic was useless in the dungeons.

Yes, he wouldn't give up. He would fight. He would destroy the monsters within the dungeons and get stronger. And maybe he would be lucky enough to reawaken and jump up ranks. Who knows, anything could happen.

A.N. This was supposed to be the new main story after OP Gamer. But somewhere along the line I just lost interest in it. And since it was very AU with Solo Levelling elements mixed in, I didn't think many would like it. But I thought I better post it instead of letting it rot in the pit of my docs.

A.N. Just so we're clear, it is not related to the Black Tower fic I'm currently writing. It is totally different story that I was working on before Black Tower.