Reawaken the World

Rules of Engagement (Part 1)

"There are ruins of residential complexes near the city of Kugamayama that can be reached by vehicle. The area was called the Higaraka Residence Ruin."

"The Hunters of the city had already considered it a depleted ruin because most, if not all, of the valuable relics of the place had already been brought out due to years of expeditions. But for Hunters who already had vehicles, it was still more profitable to search for relics in these ruins."

"Elena and Sara brought Katsuya and his friends to this place. But it wasn't to search for relics, the request Elena and Sara received from Drankam was to train Katsuya and his friends."

"Elena turned her head towards Katsuya and said with a serious face."

(“We will ask you to look for relics in Higaraka Residence Ruin. This is a ruins exploration training and we are here as your instructor. With that being said, I'm sure you guys aren't full amateurs, so we won't instruct you in every step. You will make your own decisions and move accordingly. ”) 

"Sara smiled as usual when she said."

(“Monster roaming in this area shouldn't be that strong, but in the end, it's just based on the latest information. So keep in mind that the chances of encountering a powerful monster are not zero. We will still be watching you from a distance and we will come to your aid soon if we judge that the situation is too difficult for you to handle. And don't worry, I don't think the monsters in this area can give us any trouble. ”) 

(“But try to decide and move on assuming that we don't exist. After we finish exploring the ruins, we will give you an evaluation. Usually, we will also evaluate the time when you decide to end the exploration and return home. But for now, you have at most 4 hours. So, any questions? If not, we will start soon. ”) 

"Elena looked towards Katsuya and his friends, and suddenly, Yumina opened her mouth."

(“I know you told us to search the ruins freely, but what should we do?”) 

"Sara answered that question."

(“That's also part of your practice, think for yourself. But well, you can only think that you are here for the usual exploration of destruction. ”) 

(“... But, if I'm not mistaken, there is no more precious relic in these ruins, right?”) 

(“You can assume that your training for today is to confirm that. After all, it's not like you can get training in the ruins with precious relics since powerful monsters will also roam the area. The request we took was also to make sure you guys came back alive. ”) 

"Elena then added."

(“We know very well that there is no more precious relic in these ruins. That's why, even if you guys can only return with a cheap relic, we won't give you a bad evaluation. So no need to worry about that. We will evaluate your performance based on other factors such as how long you spend searching in the area before moving or whether you are properly watching your environment and keeping your guard up etc. So please carry on as you usually look for relics. Of course, if you can find a valuable relic, it will give you a big boost. ”) 

(“Good.”) 

"Yumina nodded and ended her question. Airi asked next."

(“Is there a passing grade for training today? We may have to change the way we move according to graduation rates. ”) 

"Elena answered that question."

(“No, but if I had to say something, then it would get the greatest result from the least amount of work. Basically, we will also test whether you can accurately predict how much you can earn from doing something dangerous. It's important to make the best choice in our work as Hunters, you know. Initially, as Yumina had said, you should start from deciding whether you would look for relics in this place, but since this is only training, so just assume you chose this place for some reason. With that, you can also decide to go home immediately after a short search. And if you do that, you just need to explain to us why you made that decision and we'll evaluate you based on your reasons. ”) 

(“I understand, I will aim to do an effective exploration rather than just going home. ”) 

"After Yumina and Airi finished asking the question. The last one among the three of them, Katsuya, made a stern face as he asked."

(“Uhmm .. Who is the boy I saw coming out of Elena-san and Sara-san's house?”) 

"Sara and Elena turned around and looked at each other. While Yumina looked worried and Airi did not make a visible reaction."

"Elena then smiled at Katsuya, there was strong intimidation pressure from a Hunter veteran coming out of her."

(“It looks like our explanation is not enough. I mean the training question. ”) 

(“Uhm, it's just that it really bothers me. So I think it can disrupt my concentration during this training. ”) 

"Katsuya still stood by his question even though he was under pressure by Elena's gaze. So, Sara replied with a smile."

(“In that case, you have to experience for yourself how dangerous it is to not maintain your focus. It can also double as training to keep your mind off unnecessary things during dangerous work. ”) 

(“If there are no more questions, let's start training. ”) 

"When Elena's smile signaled that she would not accept rejection, Katsuya and his friends rushed to the ruins in a panic."

"Sara then turned away her bitter smile that she was just pointing at Katsuya to Elena."

(“I think it's okay if we tell them. We can only keep the fact that we know him as a secret and only say that he is someone who purchased your unused information collection device. ”) 

(“What if he has a lot of questions that arise from that statement and starts investigating further? I don't want to deal with that, you know. He may even ask questions that we have to answer very carefully. That's why it's okay like this. Since we promised Akira not to say or ask for anything unnecessary, we should also be careful not to reveal anything that might make others investigate about him. ”) 

(“... Now that you mention it, it makes sense. I think I should be more careful too. ”) 

"Sara's face stiffened a little when she remembered that after she had asked Elena and Shizuka a little about Akira, she could make quite a detailed guess about Akira."

"When Katsuya and his friends continue training, they can find some relics even if they are just cheap goods. They also managed to bring out the monsters they encountered. But as the exploration went smoothly, it gave Katsuya enough room to start thinking about Akira again."

(“Say, about the boy who came out of Elena-san and Sara-san's house .. He's the same hunter we met back then, right?”) 

(“Is that so?”) 

(“I don't remember very much. ”) 

"Yumina and Airi don't really remember Akira. After all, to them, he was just a fellow Hunter who happened to be in the same truck as them during one of their patrol jobs. And it wasn't like he left an impressive impression on the two of them."

"But to Katsuya, Akira left a deep negative impression on her. Although he was just another young Hunter more or less the same age as Katsuya, a Hunter who looked down on other young Hunters acknowledged his skills. And when Katsuya has no other choice but to sit idly by the truck to return home after Shikarabe challenges him, Akira, on the other hand, heads to the battlefield alone. Moreover, Shikarabe seemed to recognize Akira's guts when he saw her. All these things burned in Katsuya's memory and left a deep impression on him."

"Akira's image from that memory somehow stuck in his mind. Then he saw Akira coming out of the house of the Hunters he was looking at. So he can't get it out of his brain."

"Looking at how Katsuya acted, Yumina became annoyed."

(“Katsuya. I don't know exactly why you care so much about that boy, but as Sara-san said, you have to be straight. It's dangerous to lose your vigilance here, you know. Or do you also want to make Sara-san and Elena-san think that they are only here to protect us?”) 

"Airi also joined as she gave a strict warning."

(“If you keep bothering Sara-san and Elena-san, they might actually think like that. So, master yourself better. ”) 

"Yumina and Airi thought that their warning was only a little louder than usual. But they didn't expect Katsuya to suddenly lift himself up and make a serious expression."

(“You're right, I'm sorry. I need to master myself. ”) 

"If they make Elena and Sara take care of them, it will feel like they made Elena and Sara clean up their mess. It was something Katsuya wanted to avoid at all costs. Therefore, Katsuya immediately renewed his resolve."

"Airi and Yumina saw Katsuya's serious expression, he looked very reliable and cool. But on the other hand, thinking of the reason why Katsuya changed his attitude so quickly, Airi and Yumina felt a little displeased."

" *** "

"Elena and Sara notice how Katsuya and the other children move as they search for relics. They told Katsuya and his friends to stay within their detection range, while at the same time, the, they were guarding their guards just in case any monsters that the children could not handle appeared."

(“Elena. When we received this request, you said that this might be their first step to recruiting us to Drankam, right?”) 

(“Ya. But it's probably just me reading too much. After all, Drankam seems to be looking for Hunters to teach their young Hunters. That might also be the reason why they sent us some requests to cooperate with Katsuya and his friends lately. ”) 

(“Our recruit, yes …? Although we have always rejected their offer until now, what will we do from now on?”) 

(“It looks like they won't let us go once we join them. If they urge us to make a decision, we will reject it again. I think Drankam also knows this well, that's why they won't be in a hurry to make a decision. So let's take some time to think about it before making a decision. Sara, what do you think? If you think that it might be a good decision, I will try to be more optimistic. ”) 

(“To be honest, I'm not really sure yet. But are you okay with that?”) 

(“After all there are pros and cons if we accept their invitation. If we join Drankam, it is no mistake that we will have an easier life. We'll be able to get better equipment and all sorts of help from them. I'm sure they'll help us if we ever run into the same situation as back then when we couldn't even replenish your nanoscale reserves. ”) 

"Sara smiled bitterly and made a stern face as she said."

(“When you say it like that, it sounds very interesting ..”) 

(“But if we join them, we will lose some of our freedom at the moment. We must do the work assigned to us even if we do not want to do it, and not to mention that there will be many other problematic things that we need to solve in order to get along with other members.”) 

"Sara's "nano reserve is basically her life, so she usually welcomes the money she can get as insurance in case something goes bad. But there is also an opportunity for Drankam to essentially hold his life hostage because of it. There's also a very good chance that they'll include a clause in their contract that will restrict Sara and Elena's freedom in exchange for gang support."

"Whether it was for better or worse, Sara and Elena had already gotten used to living free as a team of two Hunters. Thus it would greatly affect them if they lost their freedom."

"Although she knew that it was important for her to stay alive, Sara also didn't want to make trouble for her best friend or make him worry. Seeing what the confused Sara had to do, Elena resolutely but gently smiled at him."

(“I'm sorry it seems I pushed the decision on you, but I think you're the one most affected. That's why I want you to decide first. But don't worry, you can take as much time as you need. And whatever decision you make, I won't complain. ”) 

(“Thank you, Elena. I will think about it carefully. ”) 

"Sara smiled back at Elena when she was happy to hear that her best friend was really worried about her."

" *** "

"There wasn't much time left until they reached the deadline Elena had set. And during this time, Katsuya and his friends continue to search for relics seriously. Although they were still a bit amateurish, they tried their hardest to show their promising potential to Elena and Sara, who were watching them from afar."

"And it's worth it, Katsuya and his friends can collect a large number of relics from the Higaraka Residence Ruin. But Katsuya was not satisfied with the result. Therefore he could not help but grumble when he found a relic while he was searching for an abandoned house."

(“Actually there is nothing but cheap relics here. ”) 

(“Well, it's inevitable. Elena-san and Sara-san said that there are no precious relics left in these ruins anymore. ”) 

(“Ah, the deadline is near, I think it's okay if we finish here. So what if we stop looking for relics now? Katsuya, what do you think? ”) 

(“... Say, how much money do you think we can get from all the relics we collected today?”) 

(“Only a few of them have the technological value like the relics of the old world. So I'm sure it won't fetch us some money. ”) 

"After hearing the realistic but expected answer from Airi, Katsuya sighed and looked very disappointed."

"Although she got her motivation from the words of Airi and Yumina from before, deep in her heart, she also wished for better results."

"Despite the fact that they collected quite a number of relics considering they did everything themselves, the results remain unsatisfactory. And if they used Elena and Sara's abilities as the standard, their results were not worth the hard work. Not to mention Elena and Sara were contracted to keep Katsuya and his friends alive, so in short, they were there as mercenaries. So, if the rewards Drankam had to pay to Elena and Sara were included, it was unmistakable that they would end up winning."

"Looking at her pessimistically, it seems like they made Elena and Sara watch over them using Drankam's money. Although Katsuya may not realize it himself, those thoughts are already deeply rooted in his mind, which is why he subconsciously hopes for enough results to cover up for it. And now that the deadline was near and he still had not gotten the desired result, he started to panic."

" *** "

"Suddenly, Elena's face turned grim as she monitored the area. That was because his information gathering tools detected a large-sized monster not too far away from Katsuya and his friends. The signal emerged from a place not directly visible from Katsuya's location."

"Elena adjusted her detection tool to gather detailed information from that signal and tried to guess from the shape of the image she got. But his face turned even gloomier after he guessed what kind of monster it was."

(“Greed Crocodiles .. So they are also here, yes?”) 

"Greedy Crocodile is a type of monster that looks like a crocodile. It had two tails and strong metal scales, and its large, powerful jaws could easily pierce through mechanical monsters. His food was clearly reflected in his appearance. All the mechanical monsters he ate grew weapons on his back and all the tanks he ate caused the tank cannons to grow from his body, even some of them had tank wheels under their bellies."

"Elena was able to confirm the size and shape of the voracious crocodile and guess its firepower from the data she got from her information-gathering device. Fortunately, this monster did not have any weapons growing out of its body. But even so, he still had a powerful jaw that could easily tear through metal, a strong hard scale, and a strong vitality like any other biological monster."

(“Sara. I don't think it's heading here, but just to be safe, be sure to prepare yourself if that happens. I don't think Katsuya and his friends can handle it. ”) 

(“Then, should we go there and kill him?”) 

(“Let's just leave it as long as it doesn't come here. It seems like it doesn't pay attention to Katsuya's group either, so it shouldn't matter if we let it. ”) 

(“Well, there is no need to kill him if it does not attack us, yes?”) 

"Then they decided to keep an eye on the crocodile for a while."

"Katsuya and his friends almost end their search for relics and return to Elena and Sara. Suddenly he saw a faint signal from his information gathering device. It was so dim that a normal person would not notice it, but Katsuya was able to realize it due to his rare talent as a Hunter."

"Therefore, Katsuya got ready and turned in that direction. What he could see at the end of his gaze was a voracious crocodile creeping slowly from behind the ruins."

"Katsuya then thought."

('That greedy crocodile .. The relics we collected today are not good. But if I kill that monster, then it might leave a good achievement for training today as a monster subjugation rather than a relic quest. If I remember correctly, the reward for killing greedy crocodiles should be quite high. At least higher compared to all the relics I gathered today. And if I defeat that monster .. Maybe Elena-san and Sara-san will recognize my skills, right?') 

"Ts: this code is the sign → (‘......’) to indicate a thought or word bubble that appears in someone's mind."

"He was in a position where he made his first attack against a monster that would give him a real achievement if he could kill him. Not to mention in fact, Hunter jobs were mostly about hunting monsters rather than hunting relics. Plus it was the perfect opportunity to reverse their results. These reasons prompted Katsuya to make a decision."

"Katsuya asked Yumina and Airi while making a serious face."

(“Yumina, Airi. Do you think we can kill that monster? ”) 

(“... Voracious crocodile, yes? It's still far from us and doesn't seem to notice us yet. There seemed to be no weapons growing on his body as well. I think we have a good chance of winning against him if we ambush him ..”) 

(“We might be able to focus on his head and kill him before it notices us. ”) 

"When Katsuya took a serious look at Yumina and Airi, their answer prompted Katsuya's decision to attack the monster. Yumina said that they had a good chance against her and Airi came up with a strategy to kill her."

"After hearing their answer, Katsuya judged that they had enough chances of winning."

“Thank you” to read to the end & ask for your support. ️👜 🌹(👒) 

When Reading Please Remember the Author's Acceptance *Very.Lecsyan-Imut*..🙃