Gerard sat on the platform steps. Looking down at the adventurers lining up for their injections, his thoughts drifted back to himself 134 years ago.

Back then, he had taken the Institution Examination three times before finally gaining admission, just shy of the human age limit of twenty-five. Academic study never interested him, so he joined the Heresy Court as an ordinary hunter instead.

The senior assigned to guide him belonged to the Blood Saint Clan. The man loved smoking and idling away his time. Whenever paperwork came up, he would head to the restroom right on time, earning the nickname Toilet Hunter. He gave the young Gerard a thorough lesson in what the job truly meant.

Being a hunter was nothing glamorous. The daily work consisted of the same petty, wearisome matters as any other profession. That era still carried the residue of racial discrimination, gender...