The morning was dull — no sun shining, no birds singing. Just a heavy silence hanging over the place. The usual workyard where we gathered was covered with a thin layer of dust. Every step stirred it up into the air. The big cart stood in its usual spot. Its rough wooden frame showed signs of age, and its wheels were sunk in the dirt as if it hadn't moved for days. Stacks of boxes and equipment lined both sides. The workers' voices faded with the wind, as if the place itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to come.
I walked toward the cart as the employer ordered. I stood among my usual coworkers, but something felt off.
I noticed faces I had never seen before.
A teenage boy with dark black hair, carrying a small tightly strapped bag on his back. He wore a black shirt topped with a light gray vest. His gaze was calm, but there was a spark in it that hinted at something hard to ignore... maybe curiosity, or something else.
Next to him stood a man in his forties, wrapped in a long dark blue cloak. His serious and steady appearance suggested he was used to waiting or had fought battles he never spoke about.
Across from us was a young man in his twenties, with shiny blond hair, wearing a white shirt under a black leather jacket and neat pants. His expression held a faint smile—not friendly, but one that said, "I know more than you do, so don't interfere."
I turned to my coworker and asked quietly, "Why do I see faces I've never seen before?"
Without looking at me, he replied, "Since you're new, it's normal. The employer has many workers. He sends them on long and distant missions. Looks like these ones just came back."
I was a bit shocked. I never thought the employer was this active. I imagined him as just a simple man who hires people to carry luggage or clean the cart... but I was very wrong.
I looked again at the new faces, but this time with different eyes. Something deeper—and maybe more dangerous—lurked in this place.
Minutes passed before the employer appeared. He walked steadily toward the cart, his face carrying a seriousness I wasn't used to seeing from him. It was clear what he was about to say wasn't ordinary... it could be the start of a whole new phase.
He looked at all of us, from the workers close to the cart to those standing at the back, then said loudly,
"I gathered you today, from the weakest to the strongest, from near and far, to tell you something important... something that may change the nature of our work forever."
He paused for a moment, as if giving us time to absorb his words, then continued,
"Are you ready?"
Everyone shouted in unison, excited and eager,
"Yessssss!"
The employer smiled a small smile, but it wasn't warm. It carried a kind of challenge as he said,
"Last night, an old colleague came to me. He told me monsters have appeared here recently—or rather, they've been discovered just now. He said a hunting office was opened in the neighboring village for this purpose, and that despite the danger, these monsters bring incredible rewards for those who dare to face them."
He fell silent for a moment, then looked at us one by one before speaking firmly,
"Those who don't want to go, raise your hand now. Hunting is not a game."
His words hit me like a slap, waking every bit of anxiety I had been trying to suppress.
Though I expected something like this—especially after what I heard last night—hearing it directly from the employer, in front of everyone, made it more real... and more terrifying.
I knew this world was strange, and things wouldn't stay the same, but I wasn't ready to move from carrying luggage to fighting monsters.
I looked around, watching who would raise their hand... who would dare to step back... who would hide their fear behind silence.
As for me... inside, I was boiling.