The Acknowledgement - Volume One

The Monstrous Man Hunter

                A foot stomped on wooden flooring, getting a better position while they brought down a training sword with both hands. Fully kitted out with training gear. The other person blocked with his training sword, with only one hand. Both attacked back and forth. Training rigorously. "You've still got it, coach," commented a feminine voice. "Stop teasing me, I'm just an old man," replied a thin middle-aged man with blonde hair, prominent wrinkles, and no left arm. "I could tell you were going easy on me," he looked down at his student, sitting on her knees. "You loosened your grip out of consideration, right?" He asks. "Oh, that was barely a handicap," she replied, "If only you still had your other arm maybe-" She was interrupted-. "Enough of that, it's been months since that incident," he explained, looking down at his ringing phone. "An urgent call, again?" He sighed, "Low-ranking Mythics like me get annoying last-minute calls," He complained, "Looks like we'll have to wrap things up here today," He turned to face his student. "Coach, are you not going to retire?" She asks confused, "Tsk, retired?" He scoffs with an amused smirk on his face. "I won't be alive for much longer. I want to help this world be a better place with the time I have left," He replied, facing his student. "But never mind that I'm quite surprised to have an S-rank like you learning the way of the sword from a lowly Mythic," He replied. "I may be a higher rank, but my skills are still lacking," She explained, brushing this compliment off.

                The same man walked down the street, deep in thought. "A D-rank dungeon this time?" He thought, looking down at his sleeve waving in the air. "My sword doesn't work against magic beasts because my physical abilities weren't enhanced when I awakened. Why did a swordsman like me get awakened as a mage?" David thought with annoyance. "I spent years honing my swordsmanship, but it's useless in the dungeon," He added, with an external sigh. "There must be a reason for this," David thought, clenching his fist with determination. Just at that moment, David's shoulder met another man walking out of a dress store. "Crap, I'm so sorry, I wasn't," he looked up to see a familiar face. "Wait, no way, is that really you, Winter?" He asks with surprise. "Uncle David?" Winter asks with just as much surprise. "I barely recognized you! There's no trace of your younger self left! You've changed so much within the course of a few months!" He placed his only hand on Winter's shoulder after Winter flinched. "What happened to you?!" David asks. "Ah, wait! I shouldn't have asked," he remembered Winter's home life. "No, it's okay. I left that place. I'm living on my own now," he explained awkwardly, a hand on his neck. "It's great that you got out of that hellhole, Anyway, it would've been a tragedy if a young man like yourself was broken down so much," David smiled proudly. "I'm so glad you're okay. Thank God!" He continues loudly, smiling brightly.

                In that same moment, Winter saw the sleeve waving in the wind, remembering that tragedy. "Don't worry about me! It's a miracle that an old man like me never had an accident up until then," he explained, " I heard rumors that you ran away, but I still can't believe you're in front of me like this!" He explained. "Did you get a call from the Association, too? Where are you on your way there?" Winter asks, "Yeah, they've been flooding my phone with calls," David replies, "I can barely teach my classes!" He added with a laugh from both. After some time of walking up trails, they make it to their location. The dungeon was open wide with a breeze of mana rushing out. "People have already started to gather here it seems," David greeted them without Winter. There was a fighter, a tank, a healer, an assassin, and finally a mage. A car drove up. And drop off more squad members. "Woah, are we on a movie set or somethin'?" Asks a man walking up with handcuffs, "Sure looks like one," they add. "Shut up, you idiots," Kang hissed. The man with purple hair and eyes walked up to the first who spoke, intimidatingly continuing "This isn't a picnic," he added. The first man with handcuffs shrugged it off and continued to walk up to the open dungeon.