Being a huntsman was supposed to be his dream, the one thing in life he wanted to aspire to.
Why exactly?
At first, it was to show his father he could amount to something, that he was worthy of being his son and carrying the Arc name.
Soon after, legacy meant nothing to him, seeing people get ripped apart by Grimm did that to you. He didn't give a shit about pleasing his father anymore, he wanted to make sure no one became chow for the Grimm.
So he'd be a hunter, he'd go to Beacon, but not to please his father but to keep people safe from the Grimm. People didn't deserve to live in fear of the Grimm, and he had aura and training to keep them safe, so he would, Arc's word.
After graduating from Beacon he spent a few years travelling through the frontier of Vale, keeping towns and settlements safe from Grimm and bandit attacks. It was hard, every day he had to be aware of any dangers, if he wasn't, someone would get hurt or get killed. There were a few moments of guilt he suffered through, reminders that he wasn't fast or strong enough to keep someone safe, or where he came across a town he had saved only to see it destroyed, but he found ways to soldier on. It was tough work but he enjoyed it, seeing people smiling and laughing and being able to live in peace was more than enough for him.
After two years he decided to go back to Vale, resupply and restock, then return back to the frontier. While in Vale, he realized that people in the city had it just as bad as people in the frontier. Sure, they were safe from the Grimm, but not from hunger, poverty, crime or homelessness.
Most of those people had no way out, which gave way to criminal organizations exploiting them. Promises of money, food and shelter were enough to attract people, people who had no other choice unless they wanted to die.
It caused a cycle of exploitation, where people were treated like slaves and paid barely enough to make it, constantly forced to live with the threat of being killed hanging over their heads.
It was horrible, watching people who just wanted to survive being forced to commit criminal acts just so they could survive.
What was worse, was that no one bothered to help them, they were ignored and ridiculed, treated like they were garbage.
This was Vale, for dust's sake, it was supposed to be a safe haven for people, a place where people could be safe and happy. Not a place where crime ran rampant and people were ignored as they starved to death.
The guilt of watching people suffer tore away at him. Helping people was something he always wanted to do, to keep people safe. And yet, what could he do for these people? Killing a thousand Grimm didn't fill people's bellies or give them shelter. The only way to keep these people safe was to help them, help them by feeding and sheltering them and giving them the chance to live a life where they aren't beholden to anyone and they were free to pursue their dreams.
It was idealistic without a doubt, something most people would laugh at out of pure disbelief.
After all, some people were too prideful to accept help, others were too corrupted by crime to suddenly turn their life around, and some would just try and take advantage of him.
He didn't give a shit.
He wasn't doing this for them.
He was doing this for the people who struggled to get by every day, people who needed someone to give them a hand and pull them up and he'd be fucking dammed if he sat on his ass and didn't pull them up.
It was a hard decision to make, if he stayed in Vale, he could help a lot of people, but at the same time he was condemning people out in the frontier to fend for themselves.
Eventually, he decided to stay in Vale, people out in the frontier were tough, and there was always a few huntsman travelling through who wouldn't mind giving a hand, at least he hoped so.
People in Vale didn't need a huntsman or an officer to keep them safe, they needed a hero, and if no else would step up, then he would.
He'd be their hero and keep them safe.
And that was for sure sworn on his name as an Arc.