The morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains in the living room, casting a golden glow on the floor of the house. Dzeth sat back on the sofa with a book in his hand the title related to the history of the old world organizations that once shaped the era before the Hunter age began. His eyes were calm, fully focused, but from the subtle tremor of his fingers gripping the pages, his mind was actually drifting far from the content he was reading.
Footsteps echoed from the kitchen.
"I'm stepping out for a bit, got some work," Syafi's voice broke the morning silence.
Dzeth looked up and gave a faint smile. "Okay."
He slowly closed the book and placed it on the coffee table. His body rose from the seat, stretching slightly before heading out of the house but his direction was different from Syafi's.
The morning air was still fresh, carrying the scent of wet foliage. As he walked along the tree-lined sidewalk, Dzeth's gaze fixed on a modern supermarket. Without much thought, he changed direction.
"Hmm... The food stock at home is running low," he muttered to himself.
He pushed a trolley and walked down the supermarket aisles, picking up some basic supplies rice, eggs, frozen vegetables, and a few packs of snacks. When he reached the dairy section, a loud voice broke his focus.
"Hey, look! A Hunter from Malaysia is fighting a Curse!"
His eyes instinctively turned to the large screen hanging in the center of the supermarket. The display was clear a Grade S Hunter from Malaysia was engaged in an intense battle with a dark creature roaring with immense strength.
The audience cheered, raising their hands, excited to witness the fight. However, Dzeth didn't cheer. His face grew serious, his sharp eyes tracking the enemy's movements on the screen.
"That... that's the Blitz Army," he thought to himself, his heart suddenly racing. "Lucky there's only one…"
A few seconds later, the screen went black.
The broadcast signal was instantly cut off.
The audience started murmuring some anxious, others curious. Although the Hunter wasn't from Japan, the tense atmosphere was palpable.
Dzeth gripped the trolley tightly.
"Can he actually fight...?" he thought.
But then he realized his purpose there and continued his shopping.
-
Nizar
That afternoon, Dzeth returned home and placed his groceries on the kitchen table. He stood for a moment, gazing out the window.
"(It feels like there's no mission... All my friends have completed many missions each day... But me... I'm just a Grade B, still looked down upon...)" he sighed inwardly.
A sense of boredom began to settle over him. He then went out to the backyard and began his usual light exercise routine push-ups, Sit-ups, and Squats.
After finishing, he threw on a hoodie and took a walk around the neighborhood to clear his mind.
However, the peaceful atmosphere turned tense when he saw a group of men gathered near a small field. In the center, stood a man with an arrogant face, walking like a gangster, looking down on everyone.
"Oi, I'm Nizar," he said loudly, taunting. "You look tired, huh? Hahaha."
Dzeth turned his face. He didn't respond. Silence. The deepest form of insult to an egoist like Nizar.
That reaction sent Nizar into a rage. "HEY! Everyone! Beat him up!"
Several men ran toward Dzeth without warning.
Dzeth took a slow breath and then spoke in a calm voice, trembling with warning, "Come... if you want to die."
The first man to arrive was met with a powerful punch from Dzeth full force, no restraint. The man's body was thrown back, crashing into a small tree, his bones clearly breaking from the loud crack that followed.
A shock rippled through the group. But Nizar was still unsatisfied.
"HEY! ATTACK ALL AT ONCE!"
Over ten people now charged simultaneously.
Dzeth closed his eyes for a moment.
And when he opened them again, his eyes shone calm, yet full of warning.
His right hand raised to the side, then he spoke loudly,
"Want to play with teams?"
"LET'S SEE YOUR ARMY'S STRENGTH AND MINE... EXCHANGE... DIVINE SUMMON!"
A small tremor rippled through the ground, followed by a burst of thick smoke from the air around Dzeth. An aura so dense, like it was compressed around his body, began to spread.
From within the thick fog, ten figures clad in golden-white armor appeared eyes glowing faintly blue, wielding various weapons that looked both sacred and deadly.
The sky seemed to press down.
The wind ceased.
Nizar's gang was frozen, unable to move.
One of them spoke with a trembling voice.
"THIS PERSON CONTROLS THE CURSES BEING!!"
To Be Continued...