The First Letter (75)

Darkness had settled over the sky, but light and heat still lingered on the earth.

It was a sight as though countless stars from the night sky had been drawn down to the ground. The heat of a brilliant civilization warmed the land.

The radiant lights of nature had no choice but to yield their glorious place on earth for this one day. Only the moonlight retained its presence amid the contest between nature and civilization.

It was a scene heralding the end of the Hunting Festival. Before long, countless spectators had gathered in front of the academy’s southern forest.

The greatest spectacle of the Hunting Festival, which continued throughout the weekend, was about to begin.

Though it was a two-day festival, tomorrow was reserved only for the after-party celebrating the hunting results. No matter how one looked at it, the representative event of the Hunting Festival was the award ceremony held tonight.

It was also when the crowds scattered throughout the academy gathered in one place. Even students running street stalls would close them temporarily and come here when the award ceremony drew near.

That was what winning the Hunting Festival meant: becoming the academy’s best hunter and most closely watched student of the year.

In truth, by this time, word of who the winners were had inevitably begun to spread.

Hundreds of spectators were already encamped in front of the forest, waiting. Rumors about who had hunted which magical beast spread from mouth to mouth...