As Yuan and his wives approached the entrance of the Hunter Association, the lively sounds of people within reached their ears. It was an expected and welcome commotion.
“Oh my, it seems the atmosphere within the Hunter Association is quite lively. I expect no less from the Hunter Association of the second largest city within the Windfall kingdom,” Anna remarked with a smile, noting the energetic ambiance of hunters inside.
“Indeed. Now let’s go inside, shall we?” Grace nodded with her usual cold expression, leading the way.
Yuan and his other wives followed her lead, entering the association building. Once inside the reception hall, they were met with a vibrant scene.
Hunters were engaged in various activities – some submitting proof of mission completion, others negotiating the sale of monster corpses in exchange for coins or other items.
On the left side of the reception hall, there was a built-in tavern where many hunters sat with their party members, enjoying their time after completing missions. Laughter and chatter filled the air.
At the reception desk, four beautiful female receptionists handled the hunters, verifying mission completions and rewarding them accordingly.
Yuan’s attention was drawn to one of the receptionists in the middle. She had gray hair and animal ears atop her head, resembling those of a horse.
‘Is she a horse beastman?’ Yuan wondered, noticing the characteristics that matched a horse.
Emma leaned in to inform him, “Husband, that receptionist is a Demi-human from the horse tribe. They’re quite agile with sharp instincts, and they’re also very talented in magic.”
‘Ah, my guess was correct. She is indeed a horse beastman,’ Yuan thought.
“I see. I was surprised to see another Demi-human for the first time, since I’ve never seen another aside from you, Emma,” Yuan remarked, a smile playing on his lips. Inside, he was quite excited to encounter members of various beastman tribes.
After that, Yuan and his wives made their way towards the reception table, ready to sell the monster materials they had collected on their week-long journey.
As they moved through the reception hall, the other hunters present couldn’t help but notice their presence. They gazed at Yuan’s wives with dazed looks, their faces illuminated by dreamy smiles. The mesmerizing beauty of Yuan’s wives left them stunned.
Meanwhile, the female hunters couldn’t help but feel a sense of inferiority in comparison to Yuan’s wives. All attention was drawn to them. However, when their eyes landed on Yuan’s otherworldly handsome face, their heart rates quickened in response to his striking appearance.
Yuan and his wives paid little mind to the surrounding gazes and continued to the reception desk.
The receptionists also noticed their approach and were equally captivated by Yuan’s exceptional looks. Their hearts raced at the sight.
‘Wow! What a handsome young man. I’ve never seen anyone this handsome before. This feeling… Is this perhaps… love at first sight?’ The receptionists mused, gazing at Yuan with dreamy expressions.
‘H-He is coming towards me?’ The horse Demi-human girl thought with a flutter in her chest, observing Yuan and his wives nearing her station.
‘He looks even more handsome up close…’ She blushed faintly, finding herself entranced by his presence.
Observing the Demi-human girl’s reaction, Yuan’s wives exchanged knowing looks.
‘My Darling is amazing! No woman can resist his charm… hehe!’ Grace giggled inwardly, delighted by the Demi-human girl’s blush.
“Cough! Cough!” Yuan cleared his throat, noticing the dreamy smile on the receptionist’s face. His wives couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I… uh!” The receptionist snapped out of her daze, her face flushing with embarrassment at her previous behavior.
“I… uh. I’m sorry for my rude behavior,” she stammered. “You seem new here. How may I help you?”
“We’ve just arrived in this city a moment ago, and we would like to sell some monster materials we have with us,” Yuan explained.
“Do you have a hunter ID with you? Only hunters can sell monster materials in the association.”
“I do,” Yuan nodded and promptly retrieved his hunter ID from his system storage, handing it to the receptionist. “Here you go, this is my hunter ID.”
The receptionist took Yuan’s hunter ID and, after inspecting it, her astonishment was clear on her face.
‘Unbelievable! He’s only 19 years old and he’s already a C-rank Hunter?! Moreover, he doesn’t appear strong in the slightest. I can’t even sense any mana from him, as though he’s manaless! How did he become a C-rank hunter?!’ She marveled inwardly, observing Yuan’s flawless complexion that could put even a girl in her early twenties to shame.
“A-Are you really a C-rank hunter?” she asked Yuan with a trembling voice, struggling to believe it. How could someone with skin so smooth it could rival a young woman’s in her twenties be a hunter?
Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly as he responded, “Didn’t you see it’s mentioned in my Hunter ID? How could you miss something so important like that?”
The receptionist felt embarrassed by his words, while her colleagues couldn’t help but chuckle at the situation.
“Ahem, Yuan, what kind of monster materials do you want to sell us?” She cleared her throat, eager to change the subject.
“On our way here, we encountered a group of 27 Greater Flame Wolves. I slaughtered them all, skinned their pelts, and would like to sell them to you,” Yuan stated calmly, as though the Greater Flame Wolves were no more than a pack of stray dogs in his eyes.
The receptionist was utterly stunned. “G-Greater Flame Wolves, you say?! And 27 of them?!” she exclaimed in a trembling voice, struggling to believe his words.
“That’s right.”
“Don’t joke with me, kid!” The receptionist couldn’t fathom the truth of his words. “Do you have any idea how many B-rank hunters it would take just to bring down one Greater Flame Wolf? And here you are claiming to have slain 27 of them alone? This is simply ridiculous!”
The commotion drew the attention of everyone in the reception hall. Whispers filled the air.
“HAHAHHA! Slaying 27 Greater Flame Wolves alone? This is the dumbest joke I’ve ever heard.”
“Well, I’m not sure if he’s telling the truth or if he’s lying. But one thing is for sure, the women by his side are simply too beautiful, and he doesn’t deserve their company at all.”
“I couldn’t agree more. There’s nothing good about him except for his good looks. No wonder the beauties are accompanying him.”
“I’d do anything to get a woman as beautiful as them to be my wife.”
“Agreed.”
“I suspect that he’s only trying to impress those beautiful ladies by his side with his bragging. With his skinny body, how can he have the ability to go against a Greater Flame Wolf?”
“Hahahha!” Laughter erupted among the hunters, finding the situation highly amusing.
Yuan’s wives were seething with anger at the hunters’ provocative and demeaning words. Grace and Xi Meili felt an intense urge to silence them, feeling their words were an insult to their beloved husband.
Suddenly, a burly man with a large sword strapped to his back approached, holding a tankard of liquor in one hand. He lecherously licked his lips while eyeing Yuan’s wives.
“Hey, beautiful ladies, why don’t you accompany me for a drink? I can promise you it will be very fun.”
Yuan and his wives exchanged frowns upon hearing the unwelcome voice behind them.
‘Oh no, this is bad. It’s Joe. I have a bad feeling that this kid and the women by his side will suffer greatly at Joe’s hand,’ the receptionist lamented inwardly. Everyone at the hunter association knew that Joe had a reputation for pursuing beautiful women.
Since Yuan’s wives were strikingly beautiful, possessing an unmatched beauty in their world, how could a womanizer like Joe resist approaching them?
As Joe made his move, the other hunters began to murmur among themselves.
“This kid has the worst luck encountering Joe on his first day. I’m sure Joe will not give up on those beauties.”
“That’s for sure. He even dallied with a noble’s daughter during an escort mission assigned to protect her.”
“I feel bad for this kid, and those beauties.”
The whispered conversations filled the air.
“Hey, beauties. Why are you ignoring me? I’m talking to you—” Just as Joe was about to touch Anna’s hand, Yuan swiftly grabbed his arm, preventing him from getting closer to his mother.
“Keep your filthy hands away from my women!” Yuan’s voice was cold and laced with disdain and a chilling intent.
Joe scowled at Yuan. “Huh? Kid, don’t meddle in my busi—”
Bam! Crack!
Before Joe could finish his sentence, a powerful punch landed squarely on his chest, the sound of bones cracking echoing through the hall.
Joe was sent hurtling, moving so fast that he almost broke the sound barrier, leaving a shockwave in his wake from the force of Yuan’s blow.
He landed outside the building, blood streaming from his mouth, and he lay unconscious. Yuan’s punch had left a deep imprint on his chest, along with a few broken ribs and internal injuries.