Northern opened his eyes, emerging from the plane of the Limitless Void.
A remnant of blissful joy still lingered on his face as Annette opened the door and walked in.
“Huh? Were you dozing off?” she asked, arching an inquisitive brow.
Northern rose to his feet, shaking his head slightly.
Though he longed to revel in the wondrous experience, he swiftly composed himself. “Not at all,” he retorted, his expression turning impassive as his azure eyes swept over Annette’s humble abode.
The living space bore a rugged, roughly-hewn charm.
A simple carved table and chair stood beside her bed, antique brown papers resembling dried animal hides resting atop the surface.
Overhead, the makeshift ceiling was fashioned from the skins of slain monsters.
“The rain here can be brutal at times. It broke through once, so I had to improvise,” Annette explained, noting Northern’s lingering gaze upon the unimpressive ceiling.
She scratched her head sheepishly. “Why am I even justifying myself…”
“Don’t you often get attacked by monsters at night?” Northern interjected, his solemn eyes meeting hers.
“Over a hundred kilometers from here, that area seems infested with them. Being this far from the main settlement must make you a frequent target.”
Annette’s brow furrowed momentarily before her lips curled into an amused smirk. “Are you worried about me?”
“No. I’m merely asking,” he stated flatly. “I want to understand why you’ve chosen to reside so far away.”
‘Wait a minute? How is he able to tell the distance… has he been there before?’
She studied him for a few beats, then shrugged nonchalantly.
‘Seriously, this guy… I’m so lost!’
“Well, I was staying there until three months ago. A lot of things started pissing me off, let’s leave it at that. And yes, I get attacked frequently. Thanks to that, I might become a Savant sooner than expected.”
Northern’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh, that’s fortunate.”
“Indeed.” Annette nodded, a glint of pride in her vermillion eyes. “When you reach the Master rank, it’s as if you hit an invisible wall. Advancing to the next level becomes exponentially harder, haunted by the thought of when your soul core will finally be satiated. Generally, it takes years of relentless hunting to progress, but I’ve managed it in mere months.” She paused, a sly grin tugging at her lips. “Do you know why?”
“Because of the sheer number of monsters you encounter here,” Northern deduced.
“Precisely. And their ranks too – the weakest around here are of the savage rank. There’s even an apex-level savage lurking towards the northern part of the capital…” Annette trailed off abruptly, biting her lip to stifle the laughter threatening to erupt.
“Don’t…” Northern warned, his tone flat. “Just continue.”
But Annette could no longer contain her mirth, dissolving into raucous laughter as she stumbled backward.
“The NORTHERN part of the capital! Northern, I mean – the northern part!” She guffawed loudly, clutching her sides as tears of amusement pricked her eyes.
Northern watched in awkward silence, painfully accustomed to such mockery over his name – a cruel twist of fate courtesy of his whimsical father, Shin.
He could vividly recall the day they discovered him, when Shin decided to name the newfound child after the forest that had ‘blessed them with a son.’
Though it deeply embarrassed his mother, she hadn’t the heart to defy her husband’s wishes.
Ultimately, she bestowed upon Northern a secret name originating from her tribe.
As Annette’s laughter finally subsided, her dancing eyes met Northern’s frosty glare.
“Ahem…” She cleared her throat, endeavoring to recompose herself.
“Forgive me… I’ve been looking forward to that ever since learning your unfortunate name.”
“I presume the Headmaster gave it to you?” Northern extended his hand expectantly.
“Of course.” Producing a folded, antiqued brown paper akin to those on her table, Annette’s lips twitched with the effort of suppressing another grin.
“But I’m concerned… the location he provided points to the northern side – the very area we discussed.”
Though she struggled valiantly, her expression still grated on Northern’s nerves.
He shrugged dismissively. “It’s fine. That’s precisely where I wish to go.”
Annette studied him intently for a moment, then sighed in resignation.
“I can’t fathom what’s going through your mind. But do not grow overconfident.” Her gaze intensified. “You may have emerged from a tier V rift, but the monsters here are not to be underestimated either.”
A small, confident smile played across Northern’s lips as he nodded obediently. “I’m not overconfident. I’m simply confident in my abilities.”
Annette’s eyes widened briefly before she scoffed lightly. “I see…”
Extending the paper, she continued, “This is a map of the city. Dangerous areas are marked in red, your abode in black.”
“Thank you,” Northern murmured softly, accepting the map.
“Think nothing of it. Though I am curious…” She eyed him speculatively. “What will you be doing? Are you truly uninterested in joining any parties?”
He nodded, his expression stern. “I have no interest in parties. After battling monsters for six months, I think I’d like a respite before venturing into anything of that nature. Anything I do will be aimed at returning to the Central Plains.”
A contemplative look settled over Annette’s features. “I see.” She hesitated, then continued carefully, “One final question, then…”
Northern met her gaze expectantly.
Drawing a steadying breath, she asked, “What happened in that rift? Why was it growing? How did you survive… alone?”
A enigmatic smile curved Northern’s lips as he closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them.
“What’s the hurry? You can always learn of those when I choose to reveal it generally.”
Annette held his inscrutable gaze for several heartbeats before scoffing lightly.
“Honestly, I can’t make heads or tails of what’s going on in that head of yours. And it’s frustrating”
She scratched her hidden scalp absently.
“Anyway, there’s a massive wolf at the castle that won’t let anyone near. It’s fiercely guarding a satchel in its jaws.”
Northern arched a brow. “Mr. Fluffy?”
For a few moments, Annette could only gape wordlessly.
She had suspected the peculiar wolf’s connection to Northern, yet simultaneously doubted such a fantastical notion – it was impossible for monsters to simply accompany drifters of their own accord unless tamed.
And true Tamers were incredibly rare.
Hearing him casually refer to the beast by name utterly confirmed her suspicion, leaving her momentarily speechless.
‘At this rate, I’m not even surprised anymore. He’s probably not going to explain how the hell he managed to acquire a monster companion without being a Tamer.’
She sighed heavily. “I guess your father isn’t the only one with issues regarding names.”
Northern’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Ugh?”
Waving her hand dismissively, Annette refocused her vermillion eyes upon him.
“I have a hunt in a few minutes. Feel free to stay around for as long as you’d like. It would be nice to catch up when I return, but I doubt that will be possible.” A wry smile tugged at her lips.
“Whatever you do, don’t get reckless.”
Northern responded with a small, sincere smile. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Turning to depart, Annette paused as Northern’s voice halted her steps.
“Um, Instructor Anne…”
She glanced over her shoulder inquiringly. “Yes, Northboy?”
“Forgive me for asking, but how does one transfer items to another person? Let’s say I want to sell items – how would I go about that?”
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “This guy… you really survived that rift without knowing a damn thing!”