Volume 2 Chapter 20: Gathering

“Doctor Stan, let’s go. I’ll take you to meet the other Demon Hunters of the Aodia Region!” Bonnie appeared outside Qin Lun’s door and waved for the doctor to follow him.

“Oh, have they all gathered so quickly?” Qin Lun smiled, but inside he was grumbling.

He had spent almost twenty days in this world. Although his Otherworld Mission had changed, the task content was not much different and the difficulty level had not increased, so his stay was still the original thirty days.

By this calculation, the satellite-level world plot “Investigation” only had ten days left. Waiting five days for the other Demon Hunters to enter the Great Forest Maiar was a complete waste.

“Haha, they all live in the Aodia Region and could have arrived in one or two days. However, the descendants of these Demon Hunters all have their own families. Before starting the mission, they must make arrangements for their families. This was to ensure that if they were lost in the Great Forest Maiar, their families would not be left without support!” Bonnie said calmly.

“Left without support?” Qin Lun raised his eyebrows slightly. “Does the Exorcist Organization and Albert Castle not provide them with compensation or make arrangements for their families?”

“Haha, Doctor Stan, it seems you still don’t understand what my father said that day. Although the Exorcist Organization has a headquarters and an organizational system, overall, it is just a loose mutual aid group,” Bonnie said seriously. “The battle between Demon Hunters and Evil Creatures is not for money. The missions of Demon Hunters are not mandatory; they can choose to go or not!”

“You mean, it doesn’t matter if the Demon Hunters of the Aodia Region don’t respond to Albert Castle’s call?” Qin Lun asked in surprise.

“Yes, those Demon Hunters can completely decline the tasks issued by Albert Castle. Of course, under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t do that. First, because it is the duty of Demon Hunters; second… Albert Castle, as the representative organization of the Aodia Region, has the right to evaluate and review the Demon Hunters belonging to this region,” Bonnie said with a slight smile.

“Evaluation and review?”

“Yes. If a Demon Hunter does not participate in the tasks issued by the organization for several years and does not perform their duties independently, their evaluation within the organization will only get lower and lower until they are expelled from the organization!” Bonnie added quickly, afraid that Qin Lun wouldn’t fully understand. “That means using magical power to erase the Demon Hunter’s name from the oath.”

“That’s possible…” Qin Lun was speechless. “Would the Demon Hunter die after their name is erased?”

“No, they wouldn’t. But they would become an ordinary person and still have the duty of confidentiality. Even if they are no longer a Demon Hunter, they cannot speak carelessly!” Bonnie said softly. “Otherwise, the Exorcist Organization would have them detained through official agencies. If the circumstances are serious, they might be kept in prison forever!”

Qin Lun nodded to show he understood. The descendants of Demon Hunters could be afraid of death and choose not to take on their original duties. But if they spoke carelessly and caused panic in the ordinary human world, it would definitely not be forgiven.

“The profession of a Demon Hunter requires fearless courage and a spirit of sacrifice. Due to the many restrictions, most Demon Hunters are members of demon-hunting families. But there are also some exceptionally brave ordinary people who, after learning the truth, join this heroic group that protects the world.”

Bonnie said with some emotion, “In my opinion, you are such a hero from among ordinary people!”

“You are too kind!” Qin Lun replied modestly.

“Of course, most Demon Hunters do not lack sources of money!” Bonnie said with a laugh. “The Exorcist Organization does not provide monetary rewards to its members, but with the organization’s vast connections, Demon Hunters do not lack job opportunities.”

“Oh, what kind of job opportunities are there?” Qin Lun asked with interest.

“For example, a skilled doctor like you can be recommended to wealthy people, nobles, or even royal families of various countries. These people like to hire doctors among Demon Hunters at high prices for their illnesses and injuries!” At this point, Bonnie couldn’t help but grin. “Actually, they don’t know that some Demon Hunter doctors’ medical skills are not as good as those of ordinary doctors!”

“What about those Demon Hunters without special skills?” Qin Lun nodded and continued to ask.

“Even Demon Hunters without special skills can find high-paying jobs through the organization’s introductions!” Bonnie shrugged and gave an example. “Such as police officers, bodyguards, soldiers, bounty hunters, and other professions that use force. Doctor Stan, you must know that most Demon Hunters without other special skills have passable combat abilities.”

“This… Are you sure there are no exceptions? Half-trained Demon Hunters like me don’t seem to have much fighting ability!” Qin Lun’s eyes gleamed as he asked with a smile.

“Haha, you are certainly not an exception! The Guardian Power of the Demon Hunter Oath will slowly affect a human’s Constitution. You will naturally experience this in the future. Even without physical improvement, you still have excellent medical skills to help other Demon Hunters. Otherwise, we would not have let you join the Exorcist Organization,” Bonnie explained without looking back as he walked.

Constitution improvement? Qin Lun shook his head slightly. He had the Death Notice, so even the smallest physical changes could be directly reflected. He did not feel any Guardian Power changing his Law Body.

In fact, Qin Lun did not know that the Guardian Power of the Demon Hunter Oath had already taken effect on him. Of course, this Guardian Power could not directly affect the inside of his Law Body; instead, it attached to the surface of Qin Lun’s body like a membrane.

The Guardian Power manifested in many forms. Some Demon Hunters gained strength, some gained Agility, and others enhanced their spells. Since Qin Lun’s Law Body did not accept the Guardian Power entering it, it could only manifest in its most basic form—the evil-repelling protection of the “life” attribute.

In other words, the Guardian Power of the Demon Hunter Oath became Qin Lun’s… “magic resistance”! Of course, this “magic resistance” was only effective in this world. Once Qin Lun left this world, the Guardian Power would disappear.

As they spoke, Bonnie brought Qin Lun to a Subsidiary Keep hall. This was the third Subsidiary Keep Qin Lun had seen, besides the library and the Arena. Through Bonnie’s explanation, he learned that this Subsidiary Keep was specifically used to receive “special guests.”

Thinking of the three Subsidiary Keeps he had seen, each with its own purpose, Qin Lun became quite interested in the last Subsidiary Keep. However, he did not ask Bonnie about it. The most important thing now was to participate in the reconnaissance mission in the Great Forest Maiar. Everything else could be put aside for now to avoid complications.

Qin Lun had a vague intuition that as long as he entered the Great Forest Maiar where the witches resided, he would certainly gain something.

Entering the hall, Qin Lun found Baron Albert already inside. Besides him, there were more than twenty Demon Hunters sitting or standing around. Most of these Demon Hunters were male, of various ages. The youngest looked just barely adult, probably under twenty, and the oldest was likely the same age as Baron Albert.

There were only four female Demon Hunters, or… five? Qin Lun’s face twitched slightly as he looked at a burly Demon Hunter in the corner of the hall. If not for the two huge “meat bombs” on “her” chest, the doctor would have definitely mistaken her for a man.

This powerful heroine was currently devouring a large basin of lamb. Leaning against the wall behind her was a huge Horse-Cutting Saber, or perhaps a guillotine? In any case, that blood-stained large toy was definitely not used for cutting people on a normal day—cutting cows seemed more appropriate!

Qin Lun only glanced at her twice before quickly turning away. He had a feeling that the lioness might have already noticed his gaze. If he continued to look, he might annoy her, which would be troublesome. But if it sparked her interest, that would be even more troublesome!

She was not Katharine; he had no interest in experiencing another kind of novelty!

After observing the other Demon Hunters, Qin Lun noticed many familiar faces among them, ones he had seen a few times in Audiya Town. The most familiar one was the middle-aged man who owned the inn next to Katharine’s.

He was actually a Demon Hunter too! Qin Lun was slightly surprised.

The middle-aged man was very perceptive. Noticing Qin Lun looking at him, he immediately smiled and walked over.

“Doctor Stan, I am Odo! I heard about you back in the town. I didn’t expect to see you at Albert Castle! It seems you’ve also become a Demon Hunter. Welcome!” The middle-aged innkeeper extended his hand to Qin Lun in a friendly manner.

“Hello, Odo. It’s nice to see a familiar face!” Qin Lun’s eyes brightened as he shook Odo’s large hand. “How many Demon Hunters living in Audiya Town are here?”

“Probably more than a third. Actually, the reason why news of the Epidemic Disease hasn’t spread in the Aodia Region is because of the extensive cleanup work done by the Demon Hunters present,” Odo said with a bitter smile. “But after you appeared, the news of the Epidemic Disease actually became public!”

“I’m truly sorry. I didn’t expect it to cause such a reaction,” Qin Lun said apologetically.

“It’s alright. Actually, even if you hadn’t shown up, the Epidemic Disease situation was worsening. Our efforts always have limits. At this point, it’s hard to keep it hidden any longer,” Odo shook his head and said with a heavy heart.

“Has the spread of the Epidemic Disease expanded again?” Qin Lun was slightly taken aback.

“Yes. During your days in the castle, public places in all nearby towns have had patients with the Epidemic Disease. So far, the number of deaths counted by Demon Hunters and town officials has reached over three hundred, and the number of sick people is as high as a thousand, accounting for more than 8% of the region’s total population.”

A trace of gravity appeared in Odo’s eyes. “It’s precisely because of this that so many Demon Hunters have gathered at Albert Castle this time. Everyone wants to know if this Epidemic Disease is the work of the Witch Maiar.”