Unable to repay my student loans, I had no choice but to work part-time as a demon hunter.

Chapter 84 First Kiss

"Don't think you can get away with this."

"What's wrong, baby?"

"Don't always say that!" Charlotte gasped.

"Miss Monford, I have to move up. Solve all sorts of things. Obviously, it's a terrible world, and terrible things are always happening. Last night, when the whole house collapsed, I could only protect one person and hide in a tiny corner."

"But you succeeded."

"Yes, I succeeded, but I'm still not satisfied. If I were stronger, could I have done even better?"

What if I could fly? Could I teleport like Gray? Would I not have to risk my life to get through this? I often think that. I need more reliable companions, better equipment, more intelligence, more resources—”

"----Um."

"And this is not just about me; you are my reason and the driving force for me to move forward."

1

She was Gordon's reason. Charlotte tried hard to remain composed.

"Then you need to become stronger quickly."

"We're working on it."

"I will also find a way to become stronger."

"Once Vera recovers, we'll go back to the city. We'll deal with Green Shade Mansion first, and then settle accounts with that person who spread the news of my death."

"How do you plan to settle this score, Mr. Vic?" Charlotte placed her hands on Gordon's collar.

"Can I let you stay by my side, and pay you back a little each day?"

Charlotte gave Gordon a brief, restrained hug, her face lingering on his neck for a moment.

"Can."

"Very good, very good."

"Then, take good care of her, take good care of yourself, and don't make me come to pick you up in black again. I'm going back to the city now to settle all those accounts you're concerned about."

This incident has had significant repercussions, and she needs to control the spread of the good news, arrange the handling of the spoils, and ensure that Lundnim hears the precisely edited news during the day.

"I understand." There are still many good women in the world.

Gordon watched Charlotte leave from the doorway, let out a long sigh, closed the door, walked to the sofa, and collapsed onto it.

As soon as he closed his eyes, dizziness overwhelmed him.

When Gordon woke up, the pale morning light streamed through the window.

The first thing he sensed were two source materials.

The unbroken string has completely fused together, keeping in sync with his nerves and flesh.

The tide of fate, however, did not merge; it lingered within Gordon's body, subtly influencing the functioning of his blood, tissue fluid, lymph, and cerebrospinal fluid.

Feeling the injuries on my body, the wounds on my face had scabbed over, and the wounds on my waist and thighs had closed. My muscles were still a little sore, but they no longer affected my basic activities.

Vera was still fast asleep upstairs.

Gordon checked the supplies; there was some food in the kitchen cupboards: bread, cheese, and cold meat. For an average family, this would last a few days, but it was clearly not enough for Vera; she'd have to go out and replenish them later.

He ate a piece first.

Once food enters the stomach, it is immediately melted by enhanced digestive juices, and heat and nutrients flow into the limbs and bones, gradually filling the gaps.

Looking outside, the rain not only hadn't stopped, but it seemed to be getting heavier.

—Flow maneuvering.

He stretched out his hand.

The water droplets on the nearby grass trembled, detached from the leaves, and gathered in Gordon's hand, forming a water ball the size of a fist.

Under Gordon's control, it swayed constantly, sometimes stretching into a snake, sometimes flattening into a thin film, which he shaped into the five rings, and finally into a water bird with a clear outline.

Playing in the water is the simplest.

He looked ahead and could clearly see the trajectory of the falling raindrops, how they fell from the sky, and how the wind blew them. Gordon could clearly tell the difference.

Now that we can analyze it clearly, can we precisely influence their paths?

Gordon tried to sense the direction and speed of the rain, predict its landing point, and then apply a slight vector change.

He stretched out his hand, but the raindrops seemed to move away before landing on his palm, as if he had realized he had other plans.

One drop —

Ten drops —

Fifty drops —

He controlled it drop by drop, and soon exceeded the limit of his attention.

There are so many raindrops that each one has its own speed and trajectory.

Gordon adjusted his strategy.

He viewed the rain about to fall around his body as the overall flow field and pre-set the deflection trend.

Imagine the entire heavy rain as a body of water flowing downwards.

Then, he mustered his courage and stepped into the rain.

As the heavy rain approached him, it suddenly changed direction, sliding to both sides along an almost transparent arc, as if there were an invisible umbrella overhead.

Be yourself in the rain!

This is an excellent opportunity to hone your mental and physical abilities.

He stood in the rain, trying his best to stay focused. If he relaxed his attention even slightly, the rain would hit his collar and make him feel a chill.

Each time he trains his abilities, his fusion with the source essence deepens slightly.

He attempted to materialize the "tide of fate" in the same way he materialized the "unbroken string".

but-

It's like trying to bring an ocean into reality; that's incredibly difficult.

Just the thought of it gave Gordon a splitting headache.

The rain poured down, soaking his hair. He took two steps back and went back inside.

As expected of the Tide of Destiny, its size and imagery are extremely mysterious.

The flow of liquids, pressure and vectors, the migration of information, the trends of all things, the flow of fate—its imagery seems to cover all levels from the concrete to the metaphysical, forming a complete ladder.

If we were to visualize it in reality, it would be far more than simply summoning a giant wave.

With this in mind, Gordon perked up. He continued to train his mental strength in the rain, deepening his fusion with the source matter and enhancing his understanding of its core.

I don't know how much time passed—

Gordon sensed something was wrong on the second floor; Vera had woken up.

He flicked his hand.

Water droplets from his hair, coat, and even the fibers of his clothes all rose upwards, gathered in a ball on his head, and were then thrown back into the rain.

It only took a few seconds for it to go from wet to dry.

He returned to his room and went upstairs in a calm and composed manner. This is the method of speed.

Vera lay curled up on the bed, looking listless, her eyes open, her breathing uneven, as if she were about to embark on a new battle.

He could feel her rapid heartbeat, hear her stomach contracting with hunger, and feel her muscle spasms.

Sweat on forehead —

"Had a nightmare?" Gordon squatted down in front of her.

"Blood Moon." Vera turned to meet Gordon's gaze. "There are no people, no houses, just endless wilderness. I've been hunting things—wolves, deer, and otherworldly beings, and people whose faces I can't see. I catch up, kill them, and then they rise from the blood and keep running. I die sometimes, and each time I wake up in another place, unharmed, but starving—"

The hunting grounds, the blood moon. Is this a mythical image? Or Vera's domain and soul? Gordon is still unsure.

He found Vera's health management records and wrote on them.

"And then?"

"Then I saw you."

"I hope I haven't done anything wrong."

You stood beneath the blood moon, your back to me. I wanted to go to you, but the chains held me back. In the end, you walked away, and I couldn't catch up.

The room fell silent.

"That was just a dream." Gordon took her hand. "The crocodile man is dead, the dragon lizard demon is dead, there's no blood moon, and I haven't gone far. You're on a ranch in the suburbs now, surrounded by grass, horses, and cows. The only problem is, the food in this house is only enough to whet your appetite. I'll go for a walk around the neighborhood and bring back some food."

Vera kept looking at Gordon. She had never been nervous about nightmares before, but now there was an indescribable unease in her eyes.

After a long while, she turned around, staring at the ceiling, unwilling to return to that eternally dark dream.

When Gordon returned, he had several baskets of food: bread, bacon, eggs, beef, roast chicken, honey, pickled beans, and lamb pies.

He fed her piece by piece, and to be honest, it was the first time Vera had ever been truly fed by someone, so she was a little unaccustomed to it.

She was used to wolfing down her food alone, but now there was someone waiting for her to swallow each bite.

There's a first time for everything, so open your mouth.

A hint of helplessness finally appeared in her eyes. She opened her mouth and ate the food Gordon handed her, finishing off all the food he had brought back.

Food is converted into energy needed by the body.

Gradually, her fingers stopped trembling, her stomach cramps subsided, her heartbeat stabilized, and her face finally regained its color.

"That's so nice, so nice." Gordon wiped her mouth with a cloth.

"You have a wound on your face."

"It's alright." As soon as Gordon finished speaking, her hand was already touching Gordon's cheek.

"You said some things that day."

I like you.

You like me.

"certainly."

"And now?" Vera wanted to confirm whether it was an impulsive remark, a comforting thought, or a joke that would be taken back.

"Same."

Vera had clearly prepared something else to say, but the words were too heavy and complicated for her.

She abandoned her attempt to organize her thoughts, straightened up, and pulled Gordon closer, the distance between them suddenly shrinking.

Their hearts raced, they were at a loss, and tried to get closer.

"Golden————"

"I am here."

These words finally broke the chains of my dream.

Vera closed her eyes and Gordon moved forward, but the movement was so stiff that it could only be described as a facial collision at first, with their noses bumping together and their lips barely touching.

The two stopped at the same time. Vera shrank back as if nothing had happened, a kind of caution when facing something completely new.

Gordon realized that neither of them would succeed.

The more you don't know, the more you need to practice.

Gordon took a deep breath, embraced her, and lowered his head to kiss her lips again, slowly deepening the kiss and giving her enough time to adjust.

This time it will be much slower. The room is warm and cozy.

After a long while, they slowly separated, looked at each other for a moment, and couldn't help but kiss again.

Soft, delicate, and warm. Vera initially seemed to be on the offensive, but slowly realized that there was no need for a decisive victory; each brief separation brought them closer together for the next encounter.

This can really be addictive.

Vera's gaze towards Gordon had completely changed; it was the clearest signal Gordon had received so far, burning with intense passion.

We must fight until the world turns dark.

"Go home," Vera said.

"Yes, we have to go home."

After the weather cleared up in the afternoon, Gordon settled Vera in, then boarded a stagecoach to go to town to find Martin Hote.

In one of the Bureau of Demon Affairs' outposts, Martin sat behind his desk, his arm bandaged and splinted, with a mountain of files in front of him.

"I have a report on the deaths of the Crocodile Man and the Dragon Lizard Demon, to hand over some evidence, to request the agency to seal off Green Manor as soon as possible, and then there are some personal requests," Gordon said, bowing to Martin.

"————" Martin couldn't move his arm, but he could nod to the person in the opposite seat.

"Who beat you up like this?" Gordon asked, surprised. "I heard you say you were going to monitor the Empire's greatest enemy, but now it looks more like a brawl."

"The Doomsday Gospel Church"

"What is that?"

"The Empire's greatest enemy." Martin repeated, as if that was enough to sum it all up.

Martin used his other hand to pull a document from the mountain of files.

"—I heard the news of the enemy's annihilation. You did well, Gordon."

"Killing two important targets, aside from the bounty, is at least a significant achievement."

"A small achievement. You accomplished it with Vera Cartret and Arthur Grey; the credit is split equally."

"That means if you want to achieve legendary feats, it's best to save the world alone."

"That is indeed the case."

"You are the most boring person in the world."

"Many people say that."

"You're quite proud of yourself."

"Otherwise what?"

Gordon changed the subject.

"Could we end Vera's internship and allow her to enter the third-tier hunter promotion process?"

"Third tier————"

"I can testify that she was the key to killing the Dragon Lizard Demon. She possesses the practical skills of a professional hunter, has protected pillars of the nation like myself on numerous occasions, and can even activate her domain, albeit only a little bit."

Martin thought for a long time, but his eyes were always cold and almost blank, so Gordon couldn't tell if he was simply daydreaming.

"When did you become a pillar of the nation?"

"You should focus your attention on more important things."

"Can she open a domain?"

"Even a moment's domain is still a domain. The baby was very small, but the Empire registered him."

Gordon knew that Vera was very strong, but she had been stuck in the internship stage. Now he was going to take back what was rightfully hers.

"Okay," Martin said slowly. "I will issue relevant instructions to the Hunter Administration, recommending that they end Vera Cartret's internship. She still needs to complete some paperwork and simple tests. After passing the assessment, she can become a professional hunter."

"A professional hunter, does that mean she can register her own demon-hunting agency?"

"Indeed," Martin thought, this could introduce a new variable into the city's demon-hunting market. "Where is the office located?"

"Number 9 Knight Road"