One-Eyed Monster

Chapter 48: Chapter 47 Sol’s Story

My family bears an ancient emblem, so ancient that even the monarchs of the Yowein Continent’s empires would bow to kiss it upon sight.

This emblem signifies the highest glory of hunting, representing the hunting achievements of my family on this continent for generations. Unlike present-day Hunters, my family belongs to a branch of an ancient line of Hunters. Regardless of whether they possessed Spirit Sensing, our people carried the innate blood of Hunters.

Our kin could procure Snow Lotus from atop vast ice mountains, pick Ice Grass from amidst the boundless sea, cut off the testicles of a fierce tiger from the Myriad Beast Jungle, and pull out the fangs of the Wolf King from the Wolf Pack Plains.

Generation after generation, my ancestors relied on their innate hunting skills to supply the entire continent with all sorts of rare and extraordinary treasures. It was these treasures that allowed my family to stand at the apex of all ancient Hunter families.

No other family could easily shake our position, for they could not match our ability to provide goods to those in need across the world with such timeliness, efficiency, and perfection. After all, pulling the fangs from a Wolf King takes more than mere courage.

The Sol Family’s Deer Horn Emblem became renowned throughout the continent, carried on a chorus of praise from those we supplied. In the whimsical Wensi Empire, the Sol Family’s Deer Horn represented superb hunting skills and unwavering integrity. Our fame echoed through various realms, whether it was the savage Ghost Realm or the unremarkable Kayne Realm.

When it came to prey and Hunting Beasts, my family had reached the zenith.

My family’s glory shone across the continent for centuries, until my great-grandfather’s generation, when the first signs of decline appeared.

The profession of ”Hunter” struck like a bolt of thunder, shattering the barrier between ordinary people and the traditional Hunters. It allowed anyone who could sense Spirit Power a chance to become a Hunter.

The Secret Sensing Skills associated with Spirit Power became a new point of contention among the ancient Hunter families. My great-grandfather and other traditional, powerful families clung to bloodline and heritage; they scoffed at these Spirit Power skills that demolished the barrier for ordinary people. They considered Secret Sensing Skills mere parlor tricks designed to impress the ignorant, believing they only allowed more commoners to glimpse a fraction of a traditional Hunter’s daily life. However, some families, particularly the Gaoju Family—who had long been overshadowed by the brilliance and glory of my Sol Family—disagreed. They viewed the Secret Sensing Skills of Spirit Power as a new technique that should be absorbed and integrated into the Hunter’s bloodline. Compared to my great-grandfather, the Gaoju Family was more inclined towards reform and integration.

To some extent, the Gaoju Family’s push for reform was born from a desperate, all-or-nothing gamble fueled by years of helplessness. For centuries, the Gaoju Family had lived in our family’s shadow. At best, they were mere assistants or attendants during hunts; if we told them to go west, they wouldn’t dare glance east.

Ultimately, the Gaoju Family’s desperate gamble paid off. The books painstakingly written by Scholars did indeed provide detailed summaries of various Hunter skills. This Spirit Sensing Skill, so disdained by our family, soon led to a significant improvement in the abilities of the Gaoju Family’s Hunters.

No one took this improvement too seriously. The Sol Family’s Deer Horn remained the symbol of Hunters on this continent. Although these upstart Hunters had subdivided the primeval skill of hunting into something ugly and unrecognizable, the highest realm of hunting was still controlled by the Sol Family.

Speaking of how these later Hunters dissected hunting, the families of the ancient Hunter lines were still resentful. These upstart Hunters calling thievery ”hunting” was utterly preposterous! To the ancient families, a Hunter’s prey was only rare natural treasures. How could such despicable thieves who stole objects also be called Hunters? Furthermore, these upstart Hunters even added a ”man-hunting” category. This was intolerable to the ancient Hunter families! Their creed was: ”We do not hunt our own kind! We do not kill our own kind!” These assassins who hunted their own kind would never enter the true hall of Hunters.

The rise of the Gaoju Family, much like the emergence of these new Hunters, was imperceptible and without warning.

I remember when my father recounted this part of our history, his entire body would tremble involuntarily. It was the lingering effect of a family’s sudden fall from its zenith, an effect like watching a sharp knife slowly pierce one’s own body—terrifying, agonizingly painful.

At that time, my great-grandfather had just retired. My grandfather, full of youthful vigor, was leading our family to continue providing hunted goods for clients in every corner of the continent.

Queen Wensi of the Vero Realm, drawn by our reputation, sought us out. Her messenger requested that the ”omnipotent” Sol Family hunt a Tree Spirit’s Ear for their queen.

My grandfather refused this handsomely rewarded commission on the spot. The Tree Spirits of the Vero Realm were an Alien Species. They were not beasts; they possessed intelligence far surpassing humans, had peculiar and cunning habits, and preferred to live in communities. Whenever our family members hunted in areas inhabited by Tree Spirits, we had to give them a wide berth, sometimes even needing their permission to enter the forests. Hunting such an unprovokable Alien Species was tantamount to suicide; one might not even leave any remains. Although Tree Spirits weren’t inherently cruel, if they truly attacked, they were incredibly difficult to stop. These Tree Spirits understood Natural Force, and their abilities were even more elusive and unpredictable than the Spellcraft of High Rank Wizards.

Generally, if the Sol Family refused a task, no other family would dare to accept it. Hunting an Alien Species one knew nothing about was an incredibly unwise choice. But the Gaoju Family took this ”hot potato,” making what seemed a very unwise decision. Although my grandfather was somewhat displeased, he didn’t reprimand them, because the proud Sol Family had never held the Gaoju Family in high regard.