How does one be a good hunter?
Secrecy, patience, flexibility, wisdom... and always maintaining the heart of a hunter rather than the prey.
When one side loses their cool, they reveal a flaw, and that flaw is why they become the prey.
"BOOM—"
However, that applies to normal situations. When you intend to hunt Godzilla or King Kong, hiding in a haystack with a pitchfork is useless.
Wind pressure surged. Lin stayed low, pressing himself against the ground to avoid being blown away. He stared unblinkingly at the "Godzilla" who had likely revealed herself out of impatience.
...Damn, why are there so many girls lately?
Lin had seen soft ones, big ones, small ones, firm ones... he meant types of girls.
But it was rare to see one this... valiant.
Lin didn't have color vision, but he felt the tall girl before him must have hair of a dazzling gold.
She wore form-fitting armor that exposed her shoulders and back, accented with earrings. The back of her suit trailed into a long skirt, while black thigh-high stockings and armor encased her powerful, explosive legs.
In her right hand was a massive, ornate lance. The tip gleamed with a cold light; it was even taller than her, making her look like a Valkyrie from Norse mythology.
"Hello." The opponent spoke first, waving an armored hand at Lin.
Out of politeness, Lin should have responded, but her prior stalking and the weapon in her hand forced him to be cautious.
He found himself thinking the cloaked man was right—if one came for a fight, it was much more convenient to just start swinging rather than pretending to be polite and civilized to discuss intentions first.
"Who are you? Why are you here? Where did you come from?"
Lin fired off all his questions at once. He could tell the girl, who had been enthusiastically greeting him, froze slightly.
"Before demanding someone else's name, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" The girl swung the lance—which weighed at least a hundred kilograms—and pointed the tip at Lin.
Lin frowned and replied immediately: "But you are also demanding my name now, so you should introduce yourself first."
The girl blinked. "No, you asked first, so you go first."
Lin argued calmly: "According to your theory, as long as a demand is made, one should state their own name first. Although I asked first, you asked after me, which should override my request. Therefore, yours should be executed first."
The girl got a bit stubborn. She was naturally stiff-necked. If someone else was right, she might listen, but she wouldn't back down from this kind of pure, warped sophistry. "But you are also demanding of me now, so it's your turn."
"You're right. So it's your turn now."
"Your turn..."
"Your turn..."
"Your turn..."
The two stood there pointing at each other, refusing to budge. By the time the girl's throat was dry, Lin still showed no signs of fatigue.
The girl was the first to stop. "Wait, stop. We won't get a result by arguing like this."
So she knew? She had repeated the same sentence with Lin for half an hour.
Was she finally compromising?
"So you introduce yourself first."
"..."
"Or." The girl raised her armored arm and said with a serious face, "Let's settle this with Rock-Paper-Scissors."
"..."
"How about it?" The girl was dead serious.
"...Fine."
Lin silently raised his hand above his head, just like her.
The girl counted down: "Three, two..."
"I'm going to throw paper."
Eh? What did he say?
The girl's mind raced like lightning. After Lin said those words, her brain went into overdrive.
He's going to throw paper?
Then she wins if she throws scissors?
Their hands were already descending; she didn't have much time. Instinctively, she wanted to throw scissors.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the man's face remained expressionless—utterly cold.
No, he's bluffing! He's going to throw rock!
But what if that was his plan? No, too late—
"One!"
Paper met rock.
The girl looked at her clenched fist in disbelief. She thought it would at least be a tie...
"Despicable!" she barked at the innocent-looking Lin.
"Noble."
"What are you saying!"
"Antonyms."
The girl had to admit, this person was more infuriating than even that Grandmaster she knew. In less than an hour, he had left a terrible impression on her heart.
But she was a woman of her word. She always had been.
Unlike this guy who used tricks even in Rock-Paper-Scissors.
"I am Durandal. I came here to investigate an abnormal quantum phenomenon. I come from outside this World Bubble."
As expected, from outside the bubble. But what was an abnormal quantum phenomenon?
The girl was still angry, but she controlled it well. She said to Lin syllable by syllable: "Your. Turn."
"I am Lin."
"..."
Lin nodded solemnly to show his friendliness.
"That's it?" The corner of the girl's eye twitched.
"You can see for yourself," Lin said indifferently.
"I think there's a more convenient way to make our communication smoother." The girl realized Lin was messing with her. She raised her lance, looking menacing.
"What's going on?"
Lin sighed in relief. Finally.
Rita stopped a short distance away. She must have rushed over the moment she discovered the situation; Einstein was left far behind.
She stared at Lin and the girl with the lance in bewilderment. Upon hearing Rita voice, the girl turned around in surprise. "Rita?"
Rita was also surprised to hear her name called, but seeing the girl's delicate face, she also spoke a name: "Bianka..."
Bianka quickly sized up Rita. "Long hair... You're not the Rita I know, are you?"
"And you are not the Miss Bianka I know... or the ones I know."
"And Einstein..."
Bianka gaze shifted between Lin, Rita, and the arriving Einstein.
Lin spread his hands and magnanimously "forgave" Bianka. "It's all a misunderstanding. I didn't intend to have a conflict with her."
...Bianka truly couldn't find a reason not to hate him.
...
"So none of you are natives of this World Bubble?"
Bianka took the coffee Rita had brewed. She usually drank tea brewed by Rita, so this was a change of pace.
"To be precise, even this World Bubble was born in an accident." Einstein took charge of communicating with Bianka. It was clear the stubborn girl didn't like Lin.
And Lin?
Lin was whispering something into Rita ear that only the two of them could hear. They looked quite... intimate.
Seeing this, Bianka irritation grew even further.