Dungeon Raider System-Chapter 461: The kids aren’t alright Part 2

In front of the desk of the west gate Cryptid hunting agency branch, te hopes and dreams of the three young hunters that just came back from hunting were shattered.

"Miss, I think you made a mistake, this can't be all of it."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid the amount is correct. With the sudden increase in hunters, we've been receiving more flux orbs than we can use. I anything, you should be grateful we're still paying for them." The clerk replied in a somewhat troubled manner.

On one hand, she knew how unfair it was to pay less than half the former value of a beast rank flux orb, but on the other hand she was aware that unlike the older hunters, the kids in front of her didn't earn their traits. If it wasn't for the Fallen corporation, they would still be in highschool and would have needed to work hard to enter college.

"But I was injured and this doesn't even pay the cost of treatment!" Jeff cried. Just like the two girls by his side, he was a new hunter and couldn't afford a hunter's living standards.

"There's nothing I can do about that, but I heard the Fallen corp. just funded a free hospital in the south district. Perhaps you can try your luck there..."

"Thanks for nothing, you old hag!" The same girl that refused to call Uriel by his hunter name, shouted at the clerk and turned to leave.

"Bethany!" Her friend gasped and followed her, but not before apologizing to the clerk.

Their shouting called for the attention of the hunters hanging out in the lobby and although they knew their struggles, they weren't moved by them. They had it much worse than those kids and they took offense in them receiving for free what costed them so much sacrifice.

Jeff was the last member of the party to exit the cryptid hunting agency and he made sure to keep his gaze down, slowly limping his way towards the exit. Of all the emotions coursing through his heat the strongest one was embarrassment.

He always dreamed of becoming a hunter and earning big during his adventures. He couldn't believe his luck when his trait turned out to be of the ascended rank and also a pretty rare kind of elemental manipulation, but the best part was that Bethany chose to be his partner.

The prettiest girl in his school and her best friend, both decided to join him thanks to his newly acquired rank, it was pure bliss, but...

"Everything went to shit," he muttered as he exited the building, trying to hold the tears forming in his eyes from falling. "If it wasn't for that guy standing there like a useless dork, I wouldn't have been hurt and I'd have another chance."

The two girls waited for Jeff outside the Cryptid hunting agency with displeased expressions on their faces. In spite of her situations not being as bad as Jeff's, that didn't mean they had it easy.

living as a hunter was more costly than as a regular human, not just because of the food intake but also because now they were considered adults they needed to find a place to live and needed to save their money to pay for the next incursion tickets.

Unbeknowsnt to them, their struggles weren't particular to them, but to everyone who decided to become a hunter. It just happened that times were harsh for everyone thanks to the increase in hunters and also the sudden cryptid migration that decreased the value of flux orbs.

"Don't worry Jeff, things will get better soon. You're an ascended and your leg will heal in no time!"

"Thanks, but I can't afford to wait. I think I'll go to the hospital like that woman said. If what they say is true, the treatment will be free of charge and I should be able to go on an incursion tomorrow."

After so much effort chasing after the beast across the wilderness, they barely got enough money to pay for their tickets which meant that to participate in another incursion they would need to get a loan from the Cryptid hunting agency. But that also meant that the next incursion they participated in was an all or nothing situation.

If they didn't get enough credits to pay for the loan, they would be unable to participate in any more incursions. Seen that way, it wasn't so hard to understand why so many hunters turned to crime lately.

After taking the bus, the three hunters watched in silence the many commercial and residential buildings passing by them. It was the first time they went to the south district and they didn't expect the trip to last that long. After sitting for so long, Jeff's injury became cold which increased the pain he felt.

He did his best to hide his pain, but when he tried to stand up from his seat he couldn't help but let out a grunt. Had it not been for his friends, he would have had trouble getting off the bus in spite of being an ascended.

The two girls gently helped him down and led him towards the hospital with encouraging words, Beth even caressed his back to make him feel better, but all Jeff could thing was the throbbing pain of a broken bone. Pain was just one of the things he didn't think before choosing to become a hunter, but he was too focused on it to even regret his decision.

As soon as they entered the hospital they realized their struggles were far from over. The place was full to the brim with sick people, mostly from the slums, all waiting to be seen by a doctor.

They waited patiently for their turn sitting in one of the comfortable benches, watching the red number go up so slowly they couldn't picture how long it would take, until a distracted nurse accidentally stepped on Jeff's foot and he let out a shriek along with all the tears he'd been holding up for so long. After all, even though he was now a hunter he was also still a kid.

"Good graces, you're injured! How did that happen?" The nurse asked and Bethany replied.

"We're hunters and..."

"Then why are you waiting in line!?" The nurse cut Bethany short with a scolding tone and called for a wheelchair. "This is the general population wing, there's a special place for hunters!"

Maybe because of how desperate they were, they missed the strange glare the nurse directed at them. They also missed how excited she became when she heard they were hunters and didn't suspect a thing.

They also didn't suspect when they were taken to a different part of the hospital in a rush, nor did they suspect when they made the girls wait outside while their friend was being treated. More importantly, they didn't suspect a thing when the lights began flickering.

They were relieved Jeff was finally getting the medical attention he needed and couldn't wait to see him get well. The usual treatment for a broken bone was to immobilize the limb with a cast, but there was a substance called serum that helped speed up the healing process and depending on the patient's rank it could vary from days to even minutes.

After a couple minutes the nurse came out of the examination room and not long after, pained screams were heard from inside.

"Is that... normal?"

"Of course it is, we're a free hospital and can't afford to sedate all patients. Don't worry, it'll just be a couple hours. I'm more worried about you, are you girls fine? Do you want to also get checked up?"

"We're fine, it's just a few grazes here and there. They'll heal naturally in a few hours." Bethany explained, but the nurse wasn't giving up.

"At least let me patch you up, you're already here and it's free." The nurse insisted squinting her eyes and smiling at the girls. Bethany's friend was tempted to accept, but Bethany was embarrassed enough already.

She didn't like the idea of relying on other people, let alone use a service that was meant for people who really needed it. Though when the nurse became pushy, a strange feeling on the back of her head made her put up her defenses.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

She didn't know the reason, but each time the lights flickered and each time Jeff screamed as his bone was being fixed, her heart raced and she felt the need to run away. She was a rookie hunter and her trait wasn't that strong in the first place, she was so new to this she didn't even have a hunter nickname yet, but somehow her instincts were triggered whenever she looked at the nurse's face.

"I said we're fine!" Beth finally shouted, outshadowing Jeff's muffled screams for a brief moment, but when the nurse replied her blood became cold.

"No, you're not." The nurse said as her smile opened, parting her jawbone and revealing an unnatural mouth filled with pointy fangs.