NOVPUBThe one who broke the quiet tension was none other than Seridan—the same one who’d poked Hans with that cat’s tooth.
“Alright, me next! I’m Seridan Ironfeet. As you can see, I’m a Dwarf!”
Her twin white braids bounced up and down with every excited move she made.
Ruby-red eyes, softly tanned skin.
She looked like an absolutely adorable little girl, but anyone who actually knew her wouldn’t dare think of her that way.
Because inside that cute exterior {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} was a whole different kind of monster.
“My hobbies? Tinkering and inventing! I love messing with all kinds of gadgets! Sure, I mostly like machines, but what I really love are explosives and bombs!”
“If Seridan ever gets her hands on explosives, stop her. Immediately.”
Unless, of course, you’ve got a death wish.
Ludger didn’t usually give these kinds of warnings, but when he did, it meant this Dwarf girl wasn’t just dangerous—she was uniquely dangerous.
As soon as Seridan wrapped up, the next one to step up, hesitantly, was Bellaruna.
“H-Hehe... Hi there. I’m Bellaruna Petana. I’m, uh, as you can see, an elf. M-My specialties are alchemy, drug-making, and mixing chemical stuff. Oh, and if anyone gets hurt, I can patch you up. I don’t have a license or anything, but I used to work as, like, a street doctor, so...”
Her long, tangled hair, the color of autumn leaves, was so unkempt it practically covered her eyes.
What stood out most was how unlike a typical elf she looked. Instead of graceful and poised, she seemed messy—borderline unhinged.
And honestly, given how she was constantly surrounded by the smell of chemicals, calling her a little crazy wasn’t exactly wrong.
Even among elves, Bellaruna was considered a weirdo. She’d been shunned, practically bullied.
So she ran from the forests and ended up in human cities, living as an underground, back-alley medic, too off-putting to fit in anywhere.
But looks were deceiving—her skills were real.
The potions she brewed were way more potent than anything you could find on the market. Word had spread about that.
Even the mana recovery pills Ludger used? Bellaruna helped make those.
“Aha... looking forward to working with you~ hehe.”
Despite her words, her eyes were locked on Hans. He shivered.
That made three introductions so far, counting Hans.
The vibe in the room made it clear—there was no getting out of this without speaking up.
Next up was Alex.
“Well, can’t just sit here in silence now, can I? Name’s Alex. No last name, just a plain ol’ commoner.”
With a grin, Alex took off his hat, idly running his fingers through his golden hair.
“Unlike the rest of you, I don’t have any flashy traits or talents. But if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s charming the ladies.”
“And lying.”
Violetta cut in sharply, clearly still holding a grudge.
Alex just chuckled, nodding without shame.
“Sure, sometimes my artistic endeavors involve a little... let’s call it creative truth. But really, who cares? A lie, as long as it’s never found out, is just another version of the truth.”
Alex—the con man.
A strikingly handsome man with exotic looks.
He chased women, sweet-talked his way into hearts, and could act and lie so naturally that his targets barely noticed until it was too late.
“I’ve picked up a bunch of random skills too, but nothing worth bragging about in this crowd.”
And with that, his intro was over.
The next to step forward was the giant—his long white hair cascading like a lion’s mane.
Even though Ludger and Alex were both over 180cm, they looked like kids standing next to him. The guy was huge.
So huge, in fact, that he had to tilt his head to avoid hitting the ceiling.
“I’m Phantos. Nice to meet you.”
“That’s it? That’s your whole intro?”
Alex blinked.
Phantos just clamped his mouth shut, offering no response.
The awkward silence was broken by the young man who had come with him.
“Phantos doesn’t talk much. He’s got a pretty quiet nature. I can introduce him instead.”
“And you are?”
Hans raised a brow at him.
There was something odd about this guy. He had an easy smile, sure, but something about him didn’t quite fit.
He looked somewhere between a boy and a young man—the youngest here, probably, if you didn’t count the Dwarf girl.
Face-wise, he was the kind of pretty boy noble ladies adored.
Neatly trimmed dark brown hair, dressed in a spotless suit.
“Oh, right. Name’s Arfa. Like most of you, no last name.”
“You got any special skills? How’d you end up with the boss?”
“You mean Ludger? Hmm. I guess you could say I’m kind of like his kid.”
“...What?!”
Violetta practically yelled.
She turned to Ludger, wide-eyed.
No way... he’s got a kid?!
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’ve never married, and I don’t have a child.”
“B-But he just said—”
“He said like a child. Not actually. And Arfa’s a bit... unusual.”
“Yeah, I’m special.”
Arfa smiled, nodding along.
“I haven’t been around long, so I don’t know much about the world. But Leader’s the one who’s taught me everything. That’s why I think of him like a father.”
“Not been around long...?”
He looked at least seventeen or eighteen.
Could he really say that out loud with a straight face?
As everyone stared, trying to figure him out, the mysterious boy kept smiling and continued introducing the giant.
“Anyway, back to the intro. This guy here is Phantos. Yeah, he’s huge and kinda scary-looking, but he’s actually super gentle. Oh, and he’s not human. Phantos, would you mind taking off your hat?”
At Arfa’s request, Phantos removed his hat.
Revealing his ears.
“He’s a beastkin.”
Phantos was a beastkin. 𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Not someone like Hans, who could temporarily shift due to his condition—but a true-born beastman, with innate animal strength.
Beastkin were already stronger than humans by nature, but even among them, Phantos was massive.
“Phantos was just born with an insane body.”
“Looks like he’s done some heavy lifting in his day.”
“Right you are, Alex. He’s got incredible strength, done all kinds of work. But the most notable? Whale hunting.”
“Whale hunting?”
Alex blinked, as if something didn’t sit right.
Everyone turned to look at him.
“Uh... this might sound weird, but isn’t it true that beastkin are afraid of water?”
Alex wasn’t just spouting nonsense.
Beastkin usually lived in the southern regions—vast grasslands and deserts.
Sure, they were naturally strong, but they were few in number, and most avoided water at all costs.
They never lived near coasts or rivers.
So whale hunting? That meant going out to sea.
All eyes turned to Ludger, the only one who could really clear it up.
“It’s true. Phantos is different. He’s not afraid of water.”
“Damn, boss. He’s like a perfect beastkin.”
A beastkin who’d overcome his species’ greatest weakness.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Phantos wasn't just big and strong for a beastkin—he was massive, even by their standards.
Just look at those arms. You could clearly see the muscle definition bulging beneath his custom-tailored clothes. It looked like all he had to do was flex, and the fabric would rip apart like paper.
“With his strength and skill, Phantos could easily be considered a hero among the beastkin. But he doesn’t care for that sort of thing. That’s why he walked away from leading his tribe and came to the outside world.”
“Why would he do that?” Alex asked.
“Because there's prey.”
This time, it was Phantos himself who answered.
Prey. That was why he went to sea.
He had overcome the beastkin’s instinctual fear of water, grabbed a harpoon as big as he was, and sailed into raging oceans to hunt whales.
Because they were there to hunt.
“What, is hunting your specialty or something?” Alex asked, a bit skeptical.
Phantos said nothing.
He’d answered before—why the silence now?
Hans was visibly annoyed by the lack of response but didn’t say anything. One swing of those fists could turn his head into a smear on the wall.
Ludger picked up the explanation again.
“Phantos likes to hunt what can’t be overcome. He considers it his life’s purpose.”
“So how did you two meet, boss?” Hans asked.
“He tried to hunt me.”
“...Huh?”
Everyone blinked.
Had they misheard?
Only Phantos and Arfa remained unfazed.
“He tried to hunt you? That big guy?” Hans repeated, confused.
“Yeah. That’s how we met. He came looking for me. Wanted to hunt me.”
Seridan tilted her head. “But boss, you’re not a whale. Was he... hunting people?”
“The word prey is a little metaphorical,” Ludger explained. “He wasn’t just hunting whales. He sought things that felt like walls—obstacles so big he had to throw his entire self against them.”
In other words, Phantos didn’t just hunt sea creatures.
He hunted anything that could challenge him—terrifying storms, massive beasts, and people who radiated an overwhelming presence.
It was a kind of ritual for him. A sacred test of will.
Which meant that eventually, Phantos’s hunt extended beyond animals.
“To him, it’s about value. He only fights those he considers worthy. Those who push him to the brink.”
“So he came for you because you’re strong?” Alex asked.
“That’s right.”
Ludger nodded.
So the guy was just insane, right?
‘Wait. If he tried to hunt the boss... why’s the boss perfectly fine?’
As if answering that thought, Seridan asked innocently, “But boss, you look fine?”
“Well, of course. I won the fight.”
“...Whoa.”
Ludger’s answer rang with absolute confidence.
Everyone glanced at Phantos, silently asking is that true?
The giant man gave a small nod.
“Yeah. I fought this man. But he was too strong. I attacked with everything I had... and I lost.”
Phantos hadn’t forgotten that fight.
No—he couldn’t forget it.
He’d traveled across the continent in search of stronger prey. If someone seemed like a giant wall, he’d go straight to them and challenge them.
He’d racked up countless victories that way.
Then he heard rumors of a wandering mage. A terrifyingly powerful one. Someone nobody dared mess with.
His beastkin instincts screamed—That’s your prey.
So he found Ludger and challenged him.
And he lost.
“He was strong.”
No grand speeches, no excuses. Just calm, honest admission.
Ludger, arms crossed, gave a small shake of his head.
“Must’ve been rough, huh, boss,” Hans muttered.
“Well, if I’m being fair... that fight was a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?” Seridan echoed.
“Phantos wasn’t actually looking for me at first. He came for a different mage. We met by chance, and things just escalated.”
“Wait, what? So you weren’t the original target?”
That only raised more questions.
Did this giant just mix up his prey and accidentally fight Ludger?
“Th-Then... who was he actually trying to fight?” Bellaruna asked, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
Everyone stared at Ludger, waiting.
He let out a long sigh.
“...My mentor.”
