After dungeons emerged. The world was in chaos.

The common man who once didn't have any power gained the power to revolt while the conventionally powerful people became weak. That stirred world politics.

In that cataclysmic powershift, heads flew and corpses littered the world.

A change was on the horizon. And those who solidified the change and made the new world were the first generation superhumans. They used their superhuman ability to aggregate power and quell the chaos.

The new world was not exactly peaceful, but it was bearable. At the same time, dungeons became a part of human civilization and the superhuman who explored them became the saviours.

Nova City is one such aggregation of power. From superhumans to elites in politics, art, business and science all came together to form Nova city, one of the few cities which have a permanent portal within.

The city functions as an umbrella that protects the people around it from all elements of danger. Especially dangers from dungeons.

But dungeons were not the only danger humanity had to face. Just like how humans evolved to use mana, all life on earth was evolving. And the places that were not under the protection of superhumans were becoming more and more dangerous.

That forced the government to relocate people more towards the cities and isolate them from dangerous areas.

Although Nova city was only a couple of hundred square kilometres in area. The area that comes under its protection was in the tens of thousands of square kilometres.

That was how important Nova city was to the country. The vast majority of humans populate cities like nova city and its perimeter to survive. While very few explore the dangerous areas outside.

It took Alex and Emily a twenty-minute train ride to reach Emily's hometown, the Razorback town. It was a small town with a population of less than a thousand. If you call the outer region that's out of Nova city's protection as the wilderness, Razorback town is closer to the wilderness than to Nova city. But it was far enough from the wilderness that it was a safe zone.

—------------------------------Alex POV—----------------------

Inside Emily's parent's house.

Leo was fidgeting nonstop. I knew he was uncomfortable the moment he saw Emily's father, Cyrus Vulcan. Typical Leo, afraid of anything that could threaten him.

But I commend his sharp senses. It was hard for inexperienced people to measure someone else's strength. Yet, Leo nails it every time.

"It's been so long since you said you will introduce your boyfriend. Why are you shying away now that you have brought him home." Emily's father asked with a caring smile.

The question was not directed toward me. All I could do was sip the tea served by her mother while expecting Emily to pull some miracle. It will not be easy to pull something over the eyes of this geezer.

As a retired army veteran. He was no joke.

'Wink! You can do it!' I winked at Emily with expectation.

"His name is Alex, my boyfriend." Just as Emily said those words, Cyrus Vulcan waved his hands and stopped her from continuing.

"I know his name. I know that he is a diligent police officer with a promising future. I even heard he saved your life twice. There is no need for an introduction. I was just joking with you, my dear daughter." Said Cyrus while laughing.

For most people, his laugh felt natural and comforting. But for me, it felt like a devil was breathing down my neck. Was he even really laughing?

"Stop it, dad! We travelled so long to visit you, yet you are joking around. Are you not going to visit Edward? This time, his injuries are serious. I would like you to go and visit him."

*Snort*

"Don't mention his name anymore. That ungrateful son of mine. If only he had the ambition and vigour that I once had. Wasting his life in the name of dungeon exploration. What does he think he is? Sigh! If he really want to get strong, I can always help him. But does he deserve the strength without putting in any hard work. He should be ashamed about thinking he can gain everything form dungeons. He should learn that life is more than just dungeon exploration." Dissatisfaction and disappointment were evident in Cyrus' voice. But with it were his care and love towards his son.

"Emily, you call the hospital and check on him. If he can walk, get him here as soon as you can. I will drill some sense into him myself."

"Alex, you are free now, right?" Suddenly Cyrus turned towards me and asked.

Obviously, I was free. Why else would I come to his house and sit around drinking tea? But, I couldn't say that, I dared not say it. Although Cyrus Vulcan was very welcoming toward me. He was not an easy person. His every action had intent.

So, that means my life depends on how I answer his question.

"Yes, I am." I used the least amount of words that I can use to give a reply. My purpose is to hide my amnesia, and ignorance about this world. I did want to let him nitpick on my mistakes.

"That's great. I was just about to leave to hunt some wild boars. How about you follow me this time? This will be a great learning experience." This was not a question. It was an order hidden beneath a question.

I could only nod in affirmation.

"Yes Sir."

"Nice kid." He praised me and nodded his head.

While we were speaking. Emily's mother pulled Emily away and they were having a conversation of their own.

"Sigh! If you had called me before coming, this wouldn't have happened." Emily's mother Mary Iridian stressed the words 'wouldn't have happened' while speaking.

"I suppose so. Dad with his hunting rifles is going to hunt, right? This is the absolute worst timing. I hope Alex will not be the prey this time."

"Let's just hope Alex will come back in one piece. The previous ones were broken mentally or physically. This time, I hope you chose a durable boyfriend."

"Yeah! HA ah aha ha…" Like a broken doll, Emily laughed.

*Sigh!*

*Sigh!* Both Mary and Emily sighed heavily before turning to look at Alex.

'Sorry! Such a pity!' They thought at the same time.

—----------------------------------------------------

Alex POV

I left the house with Cyrus.

Unlike Cyrus, I did not have much luggage other than the small backpack with essential items. Cyrus graciously gave a scoped hunting rifle too.

But there was a slight problem. I never ever used a gun in my entire life. You never expect an eighteen-year-old to be a combat veteran in my previous world. In a broader sense, I was a domesticated human. There was no ferocity or primal instincts left in me. I am a byproduct of thousands of years of human civilization. And I do not know how to hunt.

Other than my brain working nonstop to find a solution. I do not have any knowledge about hunting.

But people in this world were different. They fight to survive on an everyday basis. Basic weapon and combat knowledge were imparted to them at a young age. While some of them specialised in those activities.

Although this was a novel experience. I hid my irregularities perfectly.

The twenty-eight-year-old Alex would have been better at handling this situation. But the eighteen-year-old me has its own perks. The most important being my ability to adapt to any environment.

Unlike what I expected, Cyrus drove a mini truck. We had to drive to the borders nearing wilderness to hunt. And what we were hunting were not normal animals. They were mana beasts.

Now it makes sense why Cyrus drove in a mini truck. Mana beasts were usually larger in size than regular animals. And carrying the body in a smaller vehicle might be impossible.

The journey toward the border was not eventful.

Unlike the cheerful Cyrus that I saw before. He was focused and silent throughout the journey.

Finally, we reached the hunting ground after an hour. Cyrus stopped the truck near the outskirts of the forest. No more path was there ahead of us for the truck to pass through.

"Alex, let's have fun!" Cyrus said while smiling.

The sudden smile caught me off guard and I too smiled in response. But I felt something off about the whole situation.