Chapter 45 A man’s team (1)
Chapter 45 A man's team (1)
Chapter 45: A man's team (1)
Hunter could see where Aimee was coming from.
After all, she wasn't a woman who would give up on her dreams or make them secondary for the sake of joining someone else's team.
But on top of being ambitious, Aimee also had a clear understanding of the world and could see that Hunter had more than enough potential to become a top dog in the First Hunter Union.
With his gender and strength, he'd draw the attention of many people.
He already did, in fact.
And with more achievements lining up in his wake, people with similar dreams to her would get interested in him. His potential seemed boundless, at least for now, but that didn't mean Aimee would blindly follow him and join his team.
Which was because she wanted more than his strength.
She wanted to ensure their goals and their paths at least crossed a few times and that there was more than Hunter's interest in her skill and beauty.
Therefore, Aimee shared her skill, wanting Hunter to do the same.
Alas, he remained silent, keeping his origins and innate skill hidden.
If that were the case, wouldn't he keep more of his goals hidden to himself and just go around the world, collecting strong and beautiful women like her to his collection? At some point, he'd forget about her dream, resulting in Aimee wasting a lot of time under his team.
Still, Aimee's feelings that she had developed toward Hunter were genuine and warm, enough to melt the cruelty of the hunter world and even her own conscience.
Unaware of it, Hunter was inwardly crafting his next words.
He was before a first serious test.
Perhaps it was the top out of the yearly exam!
'I don't want to let her go… if I do that, the same thing will happen in the future. I'll meet a lot of precious women, only for them to see better alternatives in others, all because I can't share my SSS skills. No, curse that. I don't want Aimee to leave me! I've also taken a liking to her.'
Which meant that it was time to be selfish.
Something that Hunter understood well already.
"I told you, didn't I, Aimee? I'll hunt monsters, demons, and beautiful women. At that time, for some reason, I hadn't said to you that I'd also hunt humans. That was naive of me, but we had already done that. We killed aspiring hunters on the first and second exams and even a strong descendant from the famous guild. In the demons' invasion, Seraphina and I faced a C-Ranked Monster and an experienced hunter. The monster was so strong that it drew out our strongest skills… and the experienced hunter seemed like an unkillable beast whose mace was enough to take down Seraphina and me… but I still managed to kill her."
Peeking at Seraphina's shocked face, Aimee could read the strength of that experienced hunter. Someone from the Beast Domination Guild had descended to kill them off… yet Hunter ended up overpowering her.
Was he about to reveal his innate skill? His origins?
"It's because of the adaptation dwelling within me. As I experience more of the world, I naturally become stronger. And I will be much stronger than you can imagine. Than I myself can imagine. Which means you won't waste your time by joining me and building my team by my side."
All of it were still empty words, an empty declaration.
Which Hunter understood well as well.
The experience with Seraphina in the exam taught him that.
As Aimee parted her lips to tell him that, Hunter used his thumb to draw a bloody line on his palm, bringing out a red tendril that swiftly blossomed into a blood rose.
The coldness sank into the room, seemingly freezing the attention of two beautiful women on Hunter's face.
His eyes were only on Aimee, peeking into her hazel hues.
Sealing her lips with the crown of the bloody rose, Hunter shifted to the most important part of his show.
The confession.
"I've taken a liking to you and your dream, Aimee! Your royal hunter world holds so many opportunities and challenges that I can't imagine you overcoming them without me! I can't see you without me! Yes! I am that selfish! Your background, too, is just so full of them! I can imagine you returning home with a new fame, power, and self! I want to be by your side by then and support you as you turn over the image of a laughingstock in your entire family! And you yourself are in your prime, with your curves and pretty lips waiting for opportunities to be claimed! I already fondled your chest! First time, right? I still remember that slap, Aimee! And so, I shall claim more of you! Never ever I'll allow some flower boy or some motherfucker even get a chance to enter your heart, to steal all those thrilling opportunities! As you work hard to become stronger and fulfill all I have just said, I want to be by your side and use what dwells within me to make you stronger and happier! You're my opportunity to be him… and I'm your opportunity to be at the top of this world."
As Hunter froze her lips, the same couldn't be said about her heart.
Which was rocking and beating against her chest, drenched in warm feelings.
Laughingstock she was, Aimee was often surrounded by people who never wanted to work with her, and she self-trained herself to reach her current strength. Her life and hobbies were also a lonely voyage, as all attention was stolen by her elder sister, the talented royalty.
And here was someone whose origins and innate skill possibly outmatched her, his eyes only reflecting Aimee's frozen face barred by the blood rose.
Worse, the bastard took off the flower and turned it into blood, which returned to his system, having now an entire look of Aimee's conflicted face.
As her heart's warmth touched her face, melting her lips, Aimee unconsciously said, "Is that all you have?"
"Of course not."
Leaning down, Hunter tucked Aimee's hair behind her ear and held her cheek in his palm, looking into her eyes. As she shut them tightly and puckered her lips, Hunter had all the consent he needed.
His drumming heart became so heavy with emotions and excitement that his face was brought down to Aimee's, compelling him to share the happy burden with her, finally kissing her lips.
As it was their first kiss, it was innocent and sweet at first, with their lips pressed together.
Which was not something these two were looking for.
Aimee was already in her prime, and Hunter was Hunter.
Well, he failed at first as by going further, he struck Aimee's tooth, stopping for a second from embarrassment, which Aimee used to get a lead, slithering her tongue around his and winning the advantage.
The friction of their lips, the wrestle of their tongues, and breathless intervals were precious and fraught with immense warmth and feelings.
Before Hunter noticed, he had Aimee's arms wrapped around his neck, drawing him closer to her. She thoroughly healed off her wounds and was now using her strength to keep him rooted to her softness, taking the property of his first kiss and lips.
And he was on board with her feelings, enjoying every second of it, and naturally fought to get more of a lead, practicing to be him!
"You're mine, there's no going back, Aimee!"
"If you mess it up, I'll turn tails!"
"No, you won't!"
On that day, Hunter finally got a girlfriend!
It was so exciting!
"Your pearly annoying smile is not so annoying to me now!"
"It was never annoying to begin with!"