Blade of the Demon Hunt

Untitled Part 21

Amir felt somewhat puzzled about why he was being asked to proceed alone. Was it possible that his teacher was different from Will's?With this thought in mind, Amir nervously addressed Luay, who was walking ahead. "Excuse me, Mr. Luay.""What is it?" Luay responded without turning around, his voice tinged with a hint of coldness.Amir found Luay's attitude odd compared to before, but he quickly dismissed it as a mere impression."Mr. Luay, could you tell me who my teacher is?" He wondered if it might be the general he had in mind. If he was right, he wasn't sure whether to consider it fortunate or unfortunate."You'll find out soon enough," Luay replied, still not turning around, and continued walking straight ahead.He even heard a cold snort; it was definitely not his imagination. This guy's attitude had indeed done a complete turnaround. Was it possible that this head of the research department had some issue with him? They had only met today and had never interacted before, so even if he wanted to offend him, he hadn't had the chance.Could it be that Luay had a split personality? It was said that many researchers had peculiar quirks, and this guy might be one of them.The more Amir thought about it, the more he felt his guess was reasonable. His gaze towards Luay's back even changed. People with split personalities were generally quite terrifying; you never knew what they might do next. It was better to keep a distance from such people.As Amir's thoughts wandered, Luay led him out of the castle."Where are we going?" Amir couldn't help but ask again."You'll find out soon enough." Luay's response was still the same, seemingly not interested in engaging with him.Well, at least he wouldn't be sold. Even if he was, it wouldn't fetch much money, Amir comforted himself. They were from the same guild; surely they wouldn't harm him.Following Luay, they circled the outer perimeter of the castle and arrived at the edge of a cliff.The wind here was extremely fierce, howling and battering the rocky cliffs. Amir felt he was having trouble standing firm.Before long, the sound of rapidly spinning propellers filled the air as a helicopter approached them.After boarding the helicopter with Luay, they began a vertical descent toward the dense forest below the cliff. As they were nearing the ground, Luay stood by the door of the cabin, pointing ahead and indicating, "That's the destination."Upon hearing this, Amir stepped forward and looked in the direction Luay was pointing.Before he could steady himself, Luay suddenly lifted his leg and kicked him in the rear. Amir barely had time to let out a surprised yell before he tumbled out of the helicopter.During the free-fall, he collided with various branches and was occasionally suspended in mid-air by the trees for a few seconds. When he finally landed on the thick bed of leaves, his body was covered in scratches. Fortunately, the wounds were all minor, and he didn't sustain any serious injuries.After jumping up from the ground and cursing at the helicopter, which was already heading back, Amir grumbled as he looked around.The forest around him had been around for thousands of years, with trees so dense that hardly any sunlight penetrated. Looking up at the sky, the intense green of the foliage nearly stung his eyes. Light trickled down through the gaps in the leaves, swaying gently with the wind.The silence was so profound that it felt as if the world had gone still. Aside from the rustling of the wind and the chirping of birds, it seemed that all other sounds were absorbed by the thick foliage and soft soil beneath."You're the little brat from D's side," a deep and resonant voice from behind broke the tranquility of the forest.Amir was startled and immediately turned around to see a robust man sitting on a bare root of a large tree, quietly watching him.The man had reddish-brown long hair, casually draped over his shoulders, and his facial features were very rugged. His dark eyebrows framed hawk-like eyes, and vertical creases between his brows hinted at years of frowning. His thin lips were tightly pressed together, and the corners of his mouth turned down slightly, giving him a rather fierce appearance. He wore almost nothing on his upper body except for a black trench coat draped over his shoulders, with the open coat revealing a well-defined chest. His rough burlap pants and leg bindings, along with a pair of straw sandals, completed his rugged look. He held a slender smoking pipe in one hand and rested his face on his other hand. Amir hadn't noticed him sitting there at all."Uh, hello. I'm Amir. May I ask who you are?" Amir inquired, though he already had a guess. What surprised him was how young the man looked—no more than thirty."'Amir' is indeed a rather dull name, much like its owner," the man sneered with a frown. "I wonder if the person is just as dull.""Are you General Samir?" Amir asked tentatively."Well, it seems you're not quite as dull as your name," Samir said, his lips curling into a slight but humorless smile.Amir nearly burst into tears. "This conversation is going nowhere," he thought."What's wrong? You look disappointed," Samir said, his gaze fixed coldly on Amir's eyes."Oh, no, not at all," Amir quickly waved his hand, thinking, How could I be disappointed? A legendary hunter like you willing to be my teacher? I'd be crazy to feel that way. "I was just surprised to hear that you don't take students."Samir narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at Amir for a long while, his gaze filled with a scrutinizing intensity.Under Samir's intense stare, Amir felt as though he was completely exposed, with nowhere to hide."Let's go," Samir said abruptly, standing up and turning to head deeper into the forest."Where to?" Amir asked, still a bit dazed by how quickly everything was unfolding."You're really clueless," Samir muttered, glancing back at Amir with a hint of disdain. Without bothering to answer, he tapped his cigarette holder lightly against his shoulder and continued walking.Amir, realizing there was no point in asking further, hurried to catch up.Although Samir appeared to be strolling leisurely, Amir soon discovered that his pace was incredibly fast. He had to jog occasionally just to keep up with Samir's strides.After walking for a while, Samir suddenly came to a halt. Amir, unable to stop in time, crashed into Samir's back. The solid and broad back felt like slamming into a metal plate, making his nose sting painfully.It was only then that Amir realized just how tall and imposing this man was. Despite his own height of 1.76 meters, he only reached Samir's shoulder when standing next to him, which was somewhat disheartening.Samir glanced back at Amir from a downward angle, his eyes filled with clear disdain."Seriously, just because you're a bit taller doesn't mean you have to look down on people," Amir thought to himself.Well, it turns out this guy isn't just tall but also extremely well-built—broad shoulders, narrow waist, and tight muscles. His physique was definitely something Amir envied."Forget about height," Amir thought to himself, "but is it too late to start building muscles now?""Here we are," Samir suddenly announced."Huh, what?" Amir felt a bit lost, unable to keep up with Samir's rapid shifts in thought.Without acknowledging Amir's confusion, Samir resumed walking, heading towards the side.Amir looked at Samir in puzzlement and then noticed, hidden among the trees, the outline of a wooden cabin emerging from the foliage.