Kael left the bouquet at Kyle's tombstone before he departed. When he reached the cemetery gate, he pressed the visible button on his watch. Right beside him, a black high end car appeared, parked neatly at the curb.
Just a second ago, the car had been invisible to anyone nearby. Now, it looked as though it had been pulled straight out of thin air.
Kael sighed and got inside. The car was infused with mana, allowing it to use mana transportation stones as fuel for an entire week. It did not run on regular gasoline like other vehicles. Pouring gas into it would cause the car to explode and become completely unusable.
Kael checked his mana transportation reserves and nodded inwardly. Using a single mana stone for teleportation barely affected his supply. He placed his hand on the mana stone holder and entered the address of the location he wanted to teleport.
Within seconds, a gust of wind gathered around the vehicle, and the car vanished from the spot once more.
Kael and his car reappeared at the heart of chaos. Mandel City lay in the far south, away from the capital.
Its population was smaller compared to Capital City, and because of that, there were fewer hunters stationed here than in other cities.
In recent years, dungeons had increased in number, while the time limit to clear them had shortened, at least according to studies conducted by the Hunter Association.
Hunters were in high demand. Anyone who awakened as a hunter was required to report to the Hunter Association to have their class assessed. Most hunters never finished their education, as it was nearly impossible to balance being both a student and a hunter.
Dungeons were also classified by grade. The darker the color, the denser the mana it contained inside. This also meant stronger monsters lurked inside. The higher the dungeon's grade, the longer its countdown before explosion.
Most of the dungeons appearing in Mandel City were D and E grade. Due to the shortage of hunters, some of these dungeons were not cleared before their deadlines. The Hunter Association prioritized A and B grade dungeons, leaving the D and E grade ones to explode.
The advantage of D and E grade dungeons was that they behaved like bombs. When they exploded, the monsters inside died along with the dungeon. In contrast, A and B grade dungeons explosion are two times stronger than D and E dungeons. What's worse, the monsters inside will come out and wreak havoc into the city.
Kael now stood at the epicenter of where a D and E grade dungeon had just exploded. They appeared in one intersection where its explosion doubled. Any houses and buildings within 10 kilometers were destroyed.
The citizens had already been evacuated. Non hunter military personnel were stationed fifteen kilometers away, barricading the area.
Kael stepped out of his car and straightened up. He took a silver coin from his pocket and twirled it between his fingers.
This was the city where he had grown up. He remembered walking through this very intersection with his sister on their way home. His old neighborhood and house were now owned by the Hunter Association, preserved as a museum.
Because that place had once been his home.
Kael Solace was a hero who died in the line of duty. He, along with the other forty - nine hunters, risked their lives to give everyone the peace we enjoyed up to this day.
This was the inscription engraved on the monument built in his honor. Everyone in his hometown believed he had perished while fighting monsters inside a dungeon.
Nobody knew the truth.
Except that person and his comrades…
Kael sighed and flipped the coin into the air. When it landed back in his palm, his phone rang.
He answered the call, and a firm voice spoke on the other end. "Hello, am I speaking with hunter Clyde McNeil?"
"Speaking."
"Hello, sir. I'm Sergeant Daniel. I've deployed my troops to guard the perimeter for the next forty-eight hours. Local citizens have been evacuated as well. If you'd like those outside the current perimeter to be evacuated, please inform us."
"No need. The dungeons have already exploded, and the damage extends ten to eleven kilometers. Thank you for evacuating the people in the area in advance. Please continue guarding the perimeter. Do not let anyone enter, not even you or one of your people," Kael warned.
The sergeant understood the danger and would heed the warning, just as he always had. In fact, he had spoken with this hunter several times over the past few years and had never had any issues with him.
Most hunters were arrogant and brute, thinking highly of themselves while looking down on others, even the military. Kind hunters were rare. Quiet, efficient ones were rarer still, like finding a matchstick in a forest.
That was how Hunter Clyde appeared to him and his troops. The guild Clyde belonged to, the Purple Guild, was calm, disciplined, and efficient. Despite their effortless guild name, its members were polite, capable, and reliable.
And perhaps, just perhaps, a little overworked.
Kael ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket. He positioned the silver coin between his fingers and whispered into it.
A golden beam shot outward, forming a curved dome that spread across an eleven kilometer radius, creating a cloak that shielded everything inside from outside eyes.
In an instant, golden light surged from his feet. It unraveled into countless strands, restoring cracked streets, collapsed buildings, and ruined homes.
Damaged signs repaired themselves. Debris and shattered walls pulled together, rising back into their original forms as though the explosion had never occurred.
In just one minute, Kael restored the area within one kilometer.
No, the right term for it was "reversed." He reversed the time on each object, back to what they were before the explosion. Kael discovered this ability five years ago.
Just before he joined the Purple guild. He watched as a hunter restored a building back to it's original state and decided to try.