I smile a little when I see a bipedal cat wearing ninja garb and a blue dog walking toward me. I kneel and start to rub them. Both creatures start to purr at my touch. Thank you, Sticky Finger. I chuckle a little and put away my hand.

I can see the disappointment in their eyes, and the cat says.

"You are great, Meowster! That was great!"

"Thank you. Can I have your name?"

"Meow's name is Kuku!"

The cat points her finger at the dog.

"And She is Hina. We will be in your care from now on, Meowster!"

"Me too, Kuku. I will be in your care."

I smile at them and see them standing next to me. I can see the others also done introducing themselves to their partner. Master Utsushi and his partner, or buddies for the people in this village, walk toward us.

"It looks like you guys have introduced yourself to your partner. Remember! Your buddies are your companions for life. They will protect you, and you will protect them. Think of them, your family, your brother, and your sister on the battlefield. Take care of them and make sure to treat them well."

"Yes, master!"

Master Utsushi nods and says.

"Your next assignment is to hunt monsters. That's right! This will be your first official hunt! The monster you hunt is yours. All of the material will be yours."

The others look excited by the news. I don't blame them. I am also excited to do a real hunt. After a month of vigorous training with Master Utsushi and Tsukuyo, I'm ready to test my fighting ability in a real fight.

"Now. Now. You will not go alone. You will go in pairs. Not only that, a full-fledged hunter will come with you and watch over you."

After he says that, a group of people walk from behind and give us a grin. They are carrying an awesome weapon behind their back. I want that.

"Other than me, my friends will also come with you and watch over you from a distance. They will not help you hunt and only interfere when the situation goes dire. Fight with all you got and show us that you deserve the title of a hunter! You will depart tomorrow morning! For now, go and find your partner in this hunt!"

Before I can even move, Tsukuyo quickly jumps at me and hugs me like a koala hugging a tree.

"Terry! Can we be partners?!"

I chuckle a little and say.

"Very well. I will be in your care, Tsukuyo."

"Yay~"

It takes the other a few seconds to find their partner, and when they are done, Master Utsushi nods and says.

"Good! For now, there will be no training. Rest your body and prepare! I will deliver ammo and ration to your house this evening. This is the standard ammo and ration given to all hunters whenever they want to do an official hunt from the village. If you want more, you can buy them yourself. Anyway, that is all. Go home, rest, and get close to your new partner. See you in the evening!"

After he says that, Master Utsushi and his friend leave the dojo. I look at Tsukuyo and say,

"Hey, do you want to come to my home? I will cook you something."

"You can cook?"

"Yup. I'm good at it if I say so myself."

"Really?~ I may not look like it, but I'm judgmental of my food, you know? Some even fear offering me food because I will judge their food."

I can see a sadness in her expression that she tries to cover with a playful tone. That is sad. I smile at her and say.

"Don't worry. I know you will like it. I bought fresh fish this morning. Come on"

~Half an hour later~

"Let me help you, meowster!"

"Thank you, Kuku. Can you carry the fish?"

"Nyou course!"

I carry the massive pot filled with rice and also vegetables while Kuku takes the fish. We place the food on the table, and I open the lid. A delicious aroma flies out of the pot, and I can see Kuku and Hina drooling at sight in front of them.

"Ohhh! What a delicious smell!"

I look to my door and see Elder Fugen standing there with a massive grin on his face. I know I don't lock the door, but at least knock. Oh, well.

"Elder Fugen! Welcome to my house! Do you like to join? I make a lot of food."

"Bwahahaha! Don't mind if I do!"

I took another chair for him to sit on. Kuku and I put the rice in the bowl and passed it around. With food in front of us, we start to eat. Elder Fugen is the first one to take the vegetable and a piece of the fish.

When the food touches his tongue, his eyes widen, and he opens his mouth.

"Delicious!"

I can feel my ear ringing at the loud voice he releases. Bloody hell, he is loud.

"This is delicious, Terry! I don't know that you could cook this well! Fantastic! Take some Tsukuyo! I know you will like it!"

Tsukuyo nods, takes a piece of the fish, and eats them with her rice. Just like Elder Fugen, her eyes widened, and she said (luckily, not as loud as Elder Fugen).

"Delicious. The fish is tender. The spices are not too strong but not too bland as well. It is a perfect combination of salty, sour, and sweet. Perfect."

"Thank you, Tsukuyo."

We continue to eat the food, and when we are done, I look at Elder Fugen and say.

"I don't mind you are coming to my home, Elder Fugen, but I feel you come here not for the food."

"And you are right. I came here to give the two of you this."

He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and gave it to me. I open the paper and see that it is a map.

"That is the map of your hunting ground. This is Shrine Ruin. Once a place where people prayed for protection, this shrine has fallen into decay and is now haunted by the roars of monsters, day and night. However, it still maintains its holy nature and exudes a mysterious aura."

"How does this place fall?"

"It is a long story, my boy. However, long story short, a monster outbreak, and we came too late."

"I see."

"Yeah. Anyway, our scout saw a Great Izuchi in the area. This is your target."

After he says that, he gives me a painting of a monster resembling a dinosaur.

"Can you tell what kind of monster this is? Its weakness, strength, and its hunting habit."

"Bravo! Many new hunters are too prideful or reckless to ask for the monster's weakness, strength, or habit. Now, let me tell you about the Great Izuchi."

Tsukuyo takes out a notepad and pen from her pouch.

"Great Izuchi is a pack monster. When encountering Great Izuchi, you must watch for its pack member. Usually, one Great Izuchi has at least three Izuchi. I once encountered a Great Izuchi with thirty pack members. Their hunting habit is to make their prey or hunter focus on the Great Izuchi while its members attack from the flank or the rear. You need to make sure to watch your surroundings, don't let your guard down. Great Izuchi is a fast monster. It can run at a very high speed and jump really high. Watch for its tail attack, for its tail is like a scorpion. It did not have venom like a scorpion, but it is sharp enough to destroy armor if hit by it multiple times."

Tsukuyo wrote what Elder Fugen said while I thought about how to hunt this monster.

"As for its weakness. Great Izuchi is weak against lightning. That means Shock Traps, Flash Bombs, and Lightning Ammo are perfect weapons against this monster. Its weak spot is its head and its tail tip. The head is an obvious target, while its tail tips to reduce its combat prowess and it reduces its balance. Terry, talking its tail will be challenging, but you can try and hit its head. However, you don't always need to try to hit its head. Hitting a body is more important than not hitting the monster at all. You also need to watch your surroundings as a Heavy Bowgun user is Izuchi's favorite prey as they are too focused on the big target most of the time."

"Yes, Elder."

"Good. Tsukuyo, your job is to make sure Great Izuchi does not get close to your ally, and it would be great if you could cut the Great Izuchi's tail. However, just like I told Terry, don't focus too much on cutting its tail. Focus on hitting them. Small damage is more important than no damage."

"Yes, Elder!"

Elder Fugen grin and nods.

"Great! I know you will make me proud! Let me give you one more piece of advice."

This time he looks serious, the first time I see him like this. By the look of it, Tsukuyo was also shocked at his expression.

"Don't push yourself too hard. Failure in hunting is not a shameful thing. Many hunters failed at least once, even me. Learn from it and be better. If you die, you will never learn. So, live. Fail, live, and be better. Do you understand?"

Tsukuyo and I nod and say.

"Yes!"

"Yes!"