The Porter is Secretly an SS-Level Hunter

Chapter 63: One Year Later

Neban was unconscious for a day before he opened his eyes. He felt something heavy on his chest as he looked around the room; there was even something soft under him. 

The room's whiteness was the first thing that hit his eyes before he took in the people. His parents rested in chairs on his left side while Wey, Isona, and Owain rested on the right. Neban glanced down, moving his stiff head as he saw that Theo was lying on his chest. 

His son looked like he spent the night crying again. 

He took in the smell of sanitation as he realized that he was in a hospital. Neban pushed himself in a sitting position, ignoring how stiff his body was. 

Theo slipped down a bit, moving in his sleep as Neban resting his hand on his head. 

'Siren?' Neban called. 

'I am angry with you, but at least you did not die,' Siren answered before saying, 'I do not feel like talking to you.' 

They sounded like a petulant child as Neban rolled his eyes before leaving the dead conversation. 

He glanced back at Theo, running his hand through his son's hair as he felt guilty for making the boy worry about him again. There was even red under his eyes. 

Then, like his mother sensed that he was awake, her eyes opened as she rubbed them. When she saw her son sitting up, she quickly called, "Neban!" 

Surprisingly, her shout did not wake anyone up. 

Neban turned towards his mother, giving her a half-smile as he was getting ready to apologize to her. But when he opened his mouth to speak, his throat was too dry to form words. 

His eyes started to water from the itching feeling of his throat as he gave a small cough. Neban's mother quickly stood up, grabbing a water bottle as she opened it and gave it to him.

Neban drank the water as his mother was looking at him with a complicated expression before sighing. "What am I going to do with you, Neban? A mother should not worry about burying their child before them. It should be the other way around." 

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Neban put the water bottle down as his throat felt better. "I am sorry, mother." Those were the words he could only think to say because he did not know the right words. 

His mother shook her head as anger crossed her eyes, "Sorry, does not change your reckless behavior. Did you also forget that you have a son to take care of? I knew being a hunter or porter was never going to end well." 

"I know. I do not know what to say, mother. I cannot go back and change my decisions; I can only move forward and fix them." 

His mother hummed before grabbing his arm, pulling him closer as she kissed him on his forehead. Her expression was soft as her voice was lower, "I know." 

It was silent before his mother pulled away. The conversation changed to something else as they talked for a few minutes before everyone else started to wake up. 

His father and the group simultaneously woke up as they began to crowd Neban, checking on him. Wey and Isona looked like they wanted to hit him but held onto his arm instead. His father gave him a stern look that spoke many words while Owain was glad that he was okay. 

Theo was the last to wake up as he popped up and threw his arms around Neban's neck. Neban held him as he rubbed his son's back, who started to cry again. 

Neban could not help but be surprised with how many tears the boy had. 

They talked for a while before Neban asked, "Did Mother return?" 

The mood dropped as Isona answered, "Not yet. The government has been preparing for her return, knowing that everything will become chaotic. They are acting like someone declared war on us." 

"Isn't it kind of like that?" Owain started. "The monster wants to take over our world." 

'Let that woman come back, I am ready to fight her again, and this time kill her.' Siren sneered in Neban's head. 

Neban was getting ready to say something back to the others and Siren at the same time when a 'boom' sound resonated outside. Then an earthquake followed right after. 

His parents and group held onto the bed rails to keep their balance as Neban kept a tight hold on Theo. 

The door to the room slammed open as they could hear the people outside running while the nurse who opened the door yelled, "We need to evacuate! The monster is back." 

They quickly moved as Neban got off the bed with Theo in his arms. He stumbled from the stiffness in his legs, but he pushed through it. 

They ran out of the room and building to find a safe place. 

And on that day was a turning point for Oskana as everything changed. 

****

One Year Later: 

The Country of Oskana was divided. 

One side of the country was the monsters, while the other was the humans. 

When the world turned into death and destruction, the humans moved to one side of the country. And before the monsters could take them, the Warrior classes banded together as they created a barrier strong enough for no monsters to pass through. 

On the monsters' side, or Mother's Palace, the cities were ugly as the buildings were destroyed except for five buildings. Five buildings were beautifully designed as one looked better than the rest (which housed Mother). 

The monsters scattered the other four buildings around the cities as the clans rested in them. The stronger they were, the close they were to Mother's Palace. 

Monsters walked around the streets that they dyed in red. The air around the cities was heavy and sometimes hard to take. The sky even looked darker there. 

On the other side were the humans. The buildings were still intact there as A-levels, and higher levels stayed in houses. The government forced the others into apartment buildings. 

After the first few months, food had become scarce until the government assigned people to become gardeners. 

And if they craved meat, the humans began to eat the monsters. 

Hunters, porters and citizens did not mean anything anymore. There were still hunters, but they were the ones who walked out of the barrier to hunt the monsters. 

Levels did not matter; as long as the hunter brought back food, anyone could be one. 

Money has become a pointless thing as everyone started the trading system. If the person were not a gardener or hunter, they would have to trade something if they wanted anything. 

The more valuable the item, the better return a person would get. 

Although, since the government still had power, they exempt A-levels and higher from the rule. They thought that if the monsters invaded them, they needed the strength to stay in top condition. 

Surprisingly, people did not complain about the rules because it was easy for them to adapt to their new life. They thought about how they could not help the situation. Monsters took half of their country, so they had to deal with what they had. 

For a year, it has been peaceful. Well, agreeable to the people as the deaths slowed down while the monsters could not bother them beyond the barrier. 

But they knew that it would not stay like this for long. And the people were right. 

Mother's Palace: 

Mother was sitting on her throne as her eyes looked whiter than before. Her skin was pale as her body looked thin. She ran her long fingers along the chair's arm as her thin white hair fell against her arm. 

Her hair seemed to have grown, but it had also become thinner than before. 

She has not had a human in months as they decided to hide behind a barrier that the others could not break. Her lips turned into a sneer at the thought as he slammed her hand on the chair's arm. The thing cracked as small pieces fell off. 

Mother's condition worsened as she could not move from her throne without the risk of stumbling to the ground. And she did not want the clans to see how weak she had become. 

They would try to take her position, and she will never allow that. Mother was the only one allowed to be above the rest. 

She gritted her teeth before calling, "Narith." 

A man quickly appeared as he bowed down in front of Mother's feet, "Mother, you have called?" 

Mother hummed before speaking, "What have the clans been doing? We are already in a year, and I have not had my fill! Are they that weak that they cannot take down a simple barrier!" 

After she yelled, she started coughing, seeing blood in her hand before clenching it in a fist. Narith smelled the blood but did not say anything about it as he kept his head down. 

"Mother, they have been useless of late. Why don't I bring out 'the thing' to deal with the barrier?" 

Mother leaned forward, looking interested, "Is it ready?" 

"Yes." 

Her smile grew as she thought about having the taste of humans again. Her main thought was on having her powers back. "Do it." 

Narith disappeared as Mother leaned back in her seat; both of her hands drummed along the chair's arms as she started to laugh crazily.