Blade of the Demon Hunt

Chapter 7 Introduction

"Demon Hunter Weapons." Amir muttered as he stared at his wrist."That's right. Just like demons, no one knows where these weapons come from or when they first appeared in this world. It seems that they emerged at the same time as the demons. As demons pursued humans, these weapons also pursued the demons. What's attached to your wrist is one of them." D could tell from Amir's reaction that he understood what was meant."So, you're saying that this tattered dagger is a nemesis to those monsters?" Amir felt a sense of wonder, thinking, "This world is truly amazing.""Tattered, huh? Hehe." D chuckled at Amir's description and said, "The reason it looks this way is because it's still in its early stage. Unlike ordinary knives and guns, Demon Hunter Weapons strengthen with each battle. Simply put, the more demons you kill with it, the stronger it becomes, and its appearance will become more splendid. We refer to this as the weapon's growth. Once it reaches a certain level of growth, the weapon will evolve, breaking through from v1 to v2. By that time, your tattered dagger will surely become resplendent.""Is that so?" Amir frowned slightly. He understood D's description clearly, but he felt something unsettling inside. Weapons that grow by killing demons seemed almost alive, as if they were devouring demons just like demons devour humans. Though the types of food are different, their nature is quite similar."So, possessing a Demon Hunter Weapon means you're destined to become a Demon Hunter, whether you want to or not," D said, as if he hadn't noticed Amir's expression."What if I don't want to?" Amir looked up at D, feeling an inexplicable sense of dread rise within him. He increasingly wanted nothing to do with these things. "I found this dagger on the road; it doesn't belong to me. If you want to use it to fight demons, I can give it to you. You can find someone else to use it. I'm just an ordinary person with no combat abilities.""Hehe, while your suggestion isn't impossible, it's quite troublesome to implement," D said, resting his hands on the table and smiling. "Demon Hunter Weapons are different from ordinary weapons; not just anyone can use them. There are certain conditions required to wield them.""What conditions?" Amir didn't believe he had any special qualities that would meet D's requirements. If he did, he thought that at least one-fifth of humanity would meet these so-called conditions."Actually, we don't fully understand what the specific conditions are," D said with a shrug, looking somewhat helpless."What? You don't know the conditions and yet you're talking about them?" Amir was getting frustrated and felt like splashing the tea on the table directly into D's face."While we don't know the exact requirements, the weapons do," D said, shifting his tone. He pointed to Amir's wrist. "All Demon Hunter Weapons choose their own suitable individuals to form a contract with. We call this 'recognition of the master.' Once a contract is made, a totem representing the weapon will appear on the person. Once a weapon recognizes a master, it cannot be changed, unless the chosen master dies.""Death?" Amir felt momentarily blank, as if he had just heard something outrageous."That's right. Unless the host dies, the weapon will not break its contract. Once the weapon's master dies, the weapon will revert to its original state and wait for the next master to appear," D observed Amir's surprised expression with apparent amusement and continued cheerfully, "No matter how much it has grown or even if it has evolved to v2, the weapon will degrade to its initial state upon the master's death and will start growing again once a new master appears.""So, you're saying I can't get rid of this dagger?" Amir felt very uneasy; it was as if he was being held hostage by the dagger."Exactly. Unless you die, it will stay with you," D nodded in affirmation."If I don't want to fight and just keep it until I die, wouldn't it be powerless against me?" Amir was quite displeased. He hated being coerced and was even more frustrated about being pressured by a mysterious dagger."Of course, the weapon cannot force its master to do anything," D said with a smile and a nod. "However—""However what?" Amir suspected there was more to it."However, there aren't many Demon Hunter Weapons. Currently, we only have a few dozen in our possession, and most of them haven't recognized a master. You should know that unrecognized weapons can't be used to fight demons. So, when someone like you, who has been recognized by a weapon, appears, do you think the higher-ups at the guild headquarters will allow you to roam freely?" D squinted and looked at Amir. "Although I used a lie to get you to join, the truth is that even if you refuse me, the headquarters will send someone after you. And their methods won't be as gentle as mine.""Does your guild have such far-reaching power?" Amir frowned upon hearing this."Of course not," D said with a cheerful smile. "But dealing with someone like you, a powerless and insignificant individual, is quite easy."Amir was taken aback, but he indeed had no grounds for rebuttal. D was right; he was just an insignificant individual, a 25-year-old with no job and no influence. The most prestigious person in his family was a cousin who was a police officer; beyond that, they had no connections to power or wealth."Moreover, do you think demons will let you go once they know of your existence?" D then dropped a bombshell."What? How could they know about me?" Amir was astonished. If that were the case, he was indeed in great danger."Although most demons act alone, they do have a special way of communicating with each other, possibly through their own unique signals or something similar," D explained. "Once one demon discovers you, it means your existence has spread among them. Even if you want to stay out of this now, it will be very difficult."Amir was on the verge of tears. He didn't want to deal with those terrifying creatures, nor did he want to fight them. All he wanted was to be an ordinary person, find a simple job, marry a simple woman, and have a simple child. Just these small wishes—why had they led to such a situation?"Don't worry, though. Since you've joined the guild, we will provide you with various services, including security," D said, seeing Amir's distressed and troubled expression, and offered some comfort.Amir sighed. Since things had come to this point, no amount of anguish or frustration would help. He had to pull himself together and think about the future."In general, you don't need to worry too much. Once demons know your identity, they will usually keep their distance and won't actively approach you," D observed Amir's recovery and nodded inwardly. The kid might be weak, but his resolve was commendable. "However, they will definitely keep a close watch. Knowing that you're a member of the guild, they won't dare to provoke you directly. But if they discover you're acting alone, your troubles will become much greater.""So, demons are also afraid of powerful organizations," Amir thought. It seemed that no matter the race, everyone feared powerful factions. It was just in their nature to pick on the weak."You might not feel much of a difference right now, but once your weapon starts growing, you'll discover that it brings many benefits," D continued. "Each weapon has its unique abilities. I think you might have already noticed some of this."Amir recalled the few times when everything around him seemed to slow down, which he presumed was due to the special abilities of the weapon."That's just one of the special abilities," D said. "Weapons can even gradually enhance your body's various functions. This will become more apparent as the weapon grows." D added, "In a while, when we take you to the headquarters, you can consult with other Demon Hunters about these aspects.""Headquarters." After hearing D mention the term several times, Amir couldn't help but feel curious."The Demon Hunter Guild is spread across the world. What we're in right now is just a branch of the guild in the Magic City district. Conveniently for you, this branch is located in the city where you live. As for the location of the headquarters, I can't tell you yet.""You keep talking about the guild. What exactly is this so-called Demon Hunter Guild?" Amir couldn't help but ask. It seemed like a company but also a bit like a criminal organization, giving him a rather frightening impression."Well, it's quite complex to describe in detail," D said. "Originally, the guild was just a small group formed by individuals dedicated to exterminating demons. Since fighting demons alone was impractical, the early Demon Hunters spontaneously came together to cooperate. Over time, they developed and expanded into the organization we have now."D thought for a moment and then explained to Amir from the beginning: "The guild's influence is now quite vast, beyond your imagination. However, the internal structure is actually quite simple. The guild has a president and vice presidents, who are the highest leaders. Below them is the Elder Council, composed of nine elders. Major decisions are generally made by the council. As for the branch's affairs, they are handled entirely by us branch leaders. Besides the hunters, the guild also has departments for internal affairs, research, and investigation. The roles of these departments are pretty clear from their names."Amir nodded, understanding the roles of the departments from their names. However, he was curious about one thing."What exactly does the research department do?" It seemed odd to have a research department in such an organization."Of course, it's for studying demons and weapons," D said with a natural smile. "Occasionally, hunters capture demons alive, and these demons become research materials. We also aim to develop tools to combat demons other than Demon Hunter Weapons, so ordinary people can fight demons too."After thinking it over, Amir could understand. The use of Demon Hunter Weapons was very limited, so if they could develop other weapons or tools effective against demons, ordinary people would at least have means of self-defense, even if they couldn't hunt demons themselves. In that sense, the research department was indeed quite useful."Besides the strict management of these departments, the guild is quite lenient with you hunters," D continued. "You don't have to do anything else or follow additional orders. Your only task is to hunt demons."