Chapter 17: Unexpected
Holy Healing City, City Center.
A carriage drove down the street, kicking up dust. It stopped beside Su Xiao, and several men and women jumped off. Their clothes varied, and their weapons were bizarre—some carried hooks and crossbows, while others even bore anchor-shaped weapons.
The group headed toward a magnificent building, which was the headquarters of the Holy Healing Church. Though grand, it looked somewhat worn, clearly aged, with some parts of the outer wall beginning to weather.
The first floor of the Holy Healing Church was open to the public, while the upper floors were restricted to internal personnel. It was dusk, so when Su Xiao entered the church’s hall, it was empty.
On one wall of the hall was a large wooden board covered with wanted posters, both new and old, some of which had yellowed paper.
The hall spanned several hundred square meters but was simply furnished. Straight ahead was a staircase leading to the second floor, to the left was a bulletin board, and to the right was a commission counter, where civilians could submit information and bounty intelligence.
Behind the counter sat a blonde girl, who kept a smile on her face. However, judging by how she occasionally glanced at the clock, she was probably about to clock out.
Su Xiao approached the counter, and the blonde girl stood up politely.
“Hello, how may I help you?”
Her voice was crisp and courteous, clearly professionally trained.
“I want to join the Holy Healing Church.”
“Is that so? Please wait a moment.”
The girl picked up a wooden board covered in black graffiti. Paper was a luxury in this world, so for civilian commissions, they used these reusable writing boards.
“You’ll need to provide identification first, then wait for the monthly Holy Day. As long as you’re devout enough, you’ll definitely be able to join the Holy Healing Church.”
Her tone was gentle; she repeated similar lines dozens of times a day.
“With this, I should be able to become a Witch Hunter, right?”
Su Xiao tossed a small pouch onto the counter. The girl sighed inwardly, frustrated. She encountered this situation many times a week—not everyone could become a Witch Hunter.
“Sir, if you want to become a Witch Hunter, you need to start training from at least six years old…”
Out of politeness, she opened the cloth pouch as she spoke. Several hot, orange-red crystal shards slid out.
“These are…”
The smile faded from the girl’s face. She touched the orange-red crystal shards with her finger.
“The carrier after an avatar manifests?”
As a civil servant, receptionist, and customer service representative for the Holy Healing Church, she naturally recognized these crystals. They could only be obtained by shattering an elemental avatar, and even then, only if the witch was still alive when the avatar was destroyed.
“Where did you get these?”
“I killed a witch. Her avatar shattered and left these behind.”
Su Xiao had no identification, but he had killed two witches, one of which was in a public place.
“Please wait a moment.”
The girl picked up the pouch and went through a wooden door behind her. Su Xiao waited about ten minutes before the blonde girl returned with an old man descending the stairs from the second floor.
The old man wore a white robe and carried a metal cane. Su Xiao could tell it was a weapon.
“Holy Councilor, this gentleman…”
“I know.”
The white-robed old man had a severe hunchback. He leaned on his cane as he approached Su Xiao.
“So… there really are monsters like this in the world.”
The old man looked Su Xiao up and down, clicking his tongue in amazement.
“Are you from a different race?”
The old man grinned, revealing only two intact front teeth; the rest were either broken at the root or only half remained.
“No, I’m from the Northern Border.”
“Oh, I see. That ‘bear’ in the Northern Border—still alive?”
The “bear” the old man referred to was the Northern Border’s Fierce Winter King.
“Bear?”
Su Xiao knew what the old man was asking but didn’t show it.
“Heh heh heh, forget it if you don’t know. You want to become a Witch Hunter?”
“That’s right.”
“Good. Then you’re a Witch Hunter now.”
The white-robed old man grinned again. Like recognized like; the reason he had called Su Xiao a monster earlier was that this old geezer was a similar existence.
“Shirley, handle the paperwork for him.”
“Holy Councilor, this…”
“Do as I say.”
“Yes.”
The girl, Shirley, bowed in agreement. She couldn’t understand the Holy Councilor’s reasoning. In truth, this councilor, named Carmen, was shrewd. The moment he met Su Xiao, he sensed the blood aura and the dangerous vibe around him.
From Carmen’s perspective, whatever Su Xiao’s intentions, he would let him join the Holy Healing Church first. If he came sincerely, he was welcome. If he had ulterior motives, it didn’t matter—keeping the threat in sight was better than letting it lurk in the shadows.
“I’m Carmen, your sponsor.”
The white-robed old man extended his withered hand. Su Xiao shook it. Behind him, Bubu Wang raised an eyebrow, as if to say, “Hello, old sir. My name is Ka Shiyue, and I have a little brother named Ka Zouwei (Amu).”
“Little one, you’re not bad either.”
Carmen turned and smiled at Bubu Wang, his cloudy old eyes seeming to notice something.
Carmen soon left, and Su Xiao followed Shirley to handle the Witch Hunter paperwork. It was much simpler than expected: an approval document and a ring set with a white gem.
[Notification: The Hunter has joined the Holy Healing Church.]
[The Hunter has become a ‘Witch Hunter’.]
[Special reputation quest ‘Witch Hunter (2/10)’ has changed. The obtained title has been significantly enhanced.]
[Because the Hunter has joined the Holy Healing Church, successfully killing a Black Witch will grant the Hunter reputation with the Holy Healing Church.]
[Current reputation: 0/100 (White Level). Witch Hunters are divided into three ranks: White, Black, and Red.]
[The Hunter has joined the Holy Healing Church and can use the following facilities: Library (located on the second floor of the Holy Healing Church), Faction Store (located on the fourth floor; requires promotion to Black Level to access the faction store area), Weapon Forge (standard weapons forged for free).]
…
Joining the Holy Healing Church and becoming a Witch Hunter was far simpler than expected. In truth, the Holy Healing Church was so short-handed that they wouldn’t reject anyone with extraordinary abilities.
The three ranks of Witch Hunters were straightforward: White Level witches called them “rabbits,” as harmless as little white rabbits. Black Level was called “night hounds”—to witches, Black Level Witch Hunters were as elusive as hunting dogs in the night.
As for Red Level, that was terrifying. Witches called these hunters “Blood Hunters.” Every Blood Hunter had killed over twenty witches—they were experts in witch hunting.