Compared to adventurers, hunters lived noticeably more dangerous lives.
So why do they still continue being hunters?
The pay was simply better.
If given the chance, most people would do anything for money, and hunters were no exception.
The Kingdom of Lionheart had a strict class structure.
While commoners weren’t to be mistreated outright, being born as one was already a disadvantage. To them, nobles were distant figures—people they could only admire from afar.
Nobility was something to yearn for but was almost impossible to attain. Even wealthier commoners who lived comfortable lives still felt this divide.
Yet, while this reality made many commoners respect nobles, it also made a good number of them resent and even hate them.
It didn’t help that not all nobles were actually noble in character.
The Hunter’s Guild and the Adventurer’s Guild were among the few places where commoners could acquire wealth, power, and status.
High-ranking adventurers and hunters were said to be treated no less than nobles—even by nobles themselves.
This was why, despite the dangerous nature of the job, people still flocked to join the guilds.
However, it wasn’t easy.
To avoid overcrowding, registering required an expensive fee paid with silver— a huge obstacle for most.
The situation was even more complicated.
Since being an adventurer or hunter required supernatural abilities to succeed, many would rather spend their hard-earned silver on dojo training to gain access to the supernatural world first.
It created a conflicting cycle.
Pay to earn wealth, then use wealth to gain strength, only to use that strength to earn even more wealth—an endless loop.
This was why nearly everyone Michael saw in the guild looked rough. Because that was their reality.
Just like him.
They were broke.
They were poor.
Weapons needed maintenance. Potions, cultivation resources—everything cost money.
Whether one was a hunter or an adventurer, it was a never-ending cycle.
The path promised riches and power, but the journey itself could be brutal.
This was why most hunters and adventurers tended to have a certain rough edge to them.
Or, as the nobles called them with disdain—barbaric brutes.
The drunkard approaching Michael wasn’t just any hunter—he was one of the many commoners who despised nobles.
For people like him, life had always been an uphill battle.
From the moment of birth, a commoner’s future was set in stone: struggle, toil, and hope for a miracle that would likely never come.
No matter how hard they worked, no matter how much they risked their lives in the wilds hunting monsters or in the wild seeking treasures, they would always be at a disadvantage.
Meanwhile, nobles were handed everything on a silver platter.
Wealth. Power. Status. Connections.
They didn’t need to risk their lives to gain strength.
From birth, they had access to the best dojos, the finest mentors, and the rarest resources.
Expensive potions that could enhance strength? Magical artifacts that could protect against deadly attacks?
These were things commoners could only dream of, but for nobles, they were mere conveniences.
Even their access to supernatural abilities was different.
While commoners had to scrape together everything they had just to afford a chance at awakening their powers, nobles were given elixirs and cultivation manuals from childhood.
Some were even born with inherited abilities, making the entire process effortless.
And what made it worse?
The arrogance.
Many nobles looked down on commoners, treating them as nothing more than tools or background characters in their own grand stories.
If a noble committed a crime, there was always a way out—a bribe, a connection, or simply the power to ignore the consequences. But if a commoner stepped out of line?
Punishment was swift and merciless.
The drunkard had lived this reality firsthand.
He had spent his childhood in the slums, watching his mother work herself to the bone just to keep them alive.
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He had seen his father—a man who had once been a promising hunter—get crippled in a monster raid, only to be tossed aside by the noble that had used him.
And when his sister was taken by a noble for his own twisted amusement?
No justice was served. No punishment was given.
The noble walked free.
That was the world he lived in.
That was why he hated nobles.
Because no matter how hard commoners fought, nobles had it easy.However, he was blinded by his own hatred, fueled by alcohol, and made the mistake of touching a noble.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, he had even drawn his weapon.
That was why fear gripped him instantly.
In his panic, another thought surfaced—why was the other party so strong?
Though he wasn’t the most impressive hunter in the guild, he was nearly at the peak of the Primary Stage. That was plenty strong. At the very least, he wasn’t weak when compared to the gate guards.
Yet this young man had handled him effortlessly.
Even if his cultivation technique was inferior, this shouldn’t have been possible if they were at the same power level.
That meant only one thing.
This noble youth had to be at least at the Intermediate Stage!
And at such a young age!
He was screwed.
A chilling voice pulled him back to reality.
“Do you know what that means?”
Michael’s voice sounded like a devil’s whisper.
Of course, he knew what it meant.
His face paled.
If he had only touched the noble, he might have had a way out. The guild could have stepped in, offering some protection under the guise of supporting one of their own.
But the moment he drew his weapon?
Even the guild wouldn’t be able to help him.
He might die!
The now-sober drunkard swallowed his fear as he waited for the noble youth’s next words.
However…
What was he saying?
“You’re going to have to pay for the damages here—all of it.”
“I’m going to… pay for damages?”
The drunkard felt like he had heard wrong.
And he wasn’t the only one.
The crowd, which had been silent in anticipation of a brutal punishment, also felt like they had misheard.
Then came Michael’s next words, spoken with an almost baffled expression.
“You don’t expect me to pay for the damages caused by you, do you? Are you dumb?”