The 'Date', if that was what one wanted to call it, was progressing how Hunter had hoped for it. He and Riveria talked about mundane topics and ate in joy, which also ended up being a topic of interest to Riveria and, because it means a lot of money, Mama Mia. The reason? Hunter ordered several portions at once.

"That much? Are you even sure you can eat it?"

Hunter turned his eyes to Ryuu, who had a mixture of confusion and concern on her face, and nodded. "I don't have a choice. My body's metabolism is accelerated and works on a scale many times higher than the average persons. I heal much quicker than everyone else without needing healing magic and I don't have to work out a day in my life to keep an ideal physique, but there is a downside."

Conventional science, particularily in Biology, had been woefully neglected due to the existence of healing magic. Since precision and know-how was not nearly as needed as in his previous world, things such as the discovery of micro-biology and the body's more complex functions, like metabolism, had thus remained a mistery that did not need elaboration.

"Metabolism?" Riveria questioned, her eyebrows raised in curiosity, which was how Hunter figured out that it was not a known concept in this world.

"Yes, metabolism." Hunter started and put fork and knife down before he continued. "It is the body's functional conversion of nutriens into energies needed to function. Simplified as much as possible, the Metabolism is the chemical process that occurs within a living organism in order to maintain life. Think of it as a furnace. A strong furnace means faster natural recovery, less visible aging and reduced difficulty in maintaining a good figure. But the stronger the furnace, the more material it has to burn to function. And my furnace needs a ton more than yours ever will. The average healthy adult mortal needs somewhere between 2000 and 2500 calories. That's 3 good, balanced meals and some dessert. To avoid a malnourishment-induced coma, I have to eat roughly 5 times that much."

Fascinated by the subject, Riveria had an expression of curiosity and slight admiration. "That is fascinating. I have never heard of such an observation of the body."

Hunter took fork and knife back in hand and prepared to take another bite, but responded first. "Yeah well, no surprise there, it's not information the average person really needs, per say. For the average person, their metabolism is arbitrary knowledge at best and the only discussion you usually have regarding it is how much or how little it takes for you to gain weight. Only extreme cases, like my own, need any attention."

"Nevertheless, a fascinating subject" Riveria countered. "What else do you know about biology?"

And with that question, the entire latter half of their dinner was spent talking the parts of biology and conventional medicine that were common knowledge in Hunter's world, but lacking here, examples being what sepsis is, the fact that the body's immune system is blind to the existence of one's own eyes (no pun intended) and blood type as well as the catastrophic consequences of receiving the wrong type, which according to Riveria's limited knowledge has not happened all that much... as far as she knows.

After that, their dinner was concluded and Hunter, for the sake of impression, decided to pay for it all by himself... as if Riveria would pay a large family dinner when it's just the two of them, but that's a different argument to be made at another time. Their time together concluded by walking back to the Twilight Manor the slow way, continuing to exchange mundane topics of purely personal interest.

The High Elf's smile became softer when she saw the gates of the mansion and stopped, turning her body to fully face Hunter. "We have arrived. I have to thank you for tonight. For a long time did I wish to be treated normally, and you have given me just that."

Hunter gave a smile in return and put his hands on his hips. "Of course. It may partly be due to my unique philosophical outlook on freedom, but you do deserve the experience, and more than just once."

Riveria's brow shot up in curious interest. "Hunter, are you asking me out to another date?"

"Sure am, Riveria" The man responded before turning his head towards the mansion's gate. "However, I recommend not too frequent. Maybe in a week from now? No matter how mature and collected you are, this was your very first date, ever. It is a new experience and it requires proper self-discovered of its impact on you. After this, you may decide to be simply friends, maybe lovers, or maybe you don't want me around anymore, who knows, but I will not rush you to search your feelings and know what is to be true. Process this and decide for yourself, with no pressure and no demand for swiftness, how you want to proceed from now on."

At this, Riveria could not help but have a very kind, genuine smile on her face, a smile that was so pure and so bright it almost made Hunter hallucinate that her face had a light, holy shine to it. "That is very considerate of you, giving me the space I will need to make a decision. With this, I know as a matter of fact that I would very much like to see you again." Then, despite super speed thinking, Hunter somehow managed to be fully surprised when Riveria leaned in and gave him a small kiss on his right cheek. For all his calculations on how this would go, he did not expect this. And even if it is a welcome surprise, it remains a surprise none the less. "Then, in a week?"

Composing himself once he heard Nine Hells talk, Hunter nodded his head and his smile grew slightly proud. "In a week as planned, maybe beforehand by chance. Life is unpredictable like that" he said, with a tone that betrayed only positive, calm joy.

"Good night, Hunter."

"Good night to you as well, Riveria."

And with this, the Alf Maiden turned towards the gates of the Twilight Manor while Hunter turned around the opposite direction, disappearing out of sight soon after.

Freya was spending her night the same way she does most of the time, up at the penthouse suite of the Tower of Babel, wine glass in hand, watching the city while her trusted confidant, Ottarl, was besides her. Or rather, he just arrived.

"What news do you bring me, my dear child?" She spoke, her tone as perfect and soothing as always, mixing authority and sensuousness flawlessly. It was clear that she was in a good mood.

"I have had a thought I wish to voice regarding this... Hunter, regarding what he told us about how Evilus smuggles in people into the city."

Freya's curiosity was peaked and she lowered her wine glass and turned her head slightly, but enough to see Ottarl from the corner of her eyes. "Then speak freely, you never have baseless and random thoughts, so whatever came to your mind will have some merit to consider."

"My utmost thanks for your high praise, milady" The King answered at first before he moved his eyes to stare forward at nothing. "Hunter said that someone with influence and reach is aiding the smuggling. So my thoughts naturally lead to familias that frequently leave Orario with caravans or are heavily engaged in transportation of large masses of goods, goods voluminous enough that its contents will never be inspected down to the last crate by the Ganesha Familia. As such, my suspicion naturally lead me to two familias that fit this criteria. Demeter and Ishtar."

If Freya was curious before, then she now was a bit amazed. It was so simple, so obvious, yet maybe it is precisely because of how obvious and simple it is that it may have been dismissed as a thought. Occam's Razor, as they say. "And what are your thoughts on their familias? Who out of those two would you rather have investigated for human trafficking?"

The Boaz hummed for a moment, analyzing his thoughts to form an answer he believes would be thorough and satisfy his beloved goddess. "Ishtar Familia strikes me almost as the natural suspect. Her character is known to be rather... spiteful and uncough, if I may speak so harshly of a deity. But more importantly, she is a schemer, evident by her past plots to usurp your place at the top. She surrounds herself with plans and calculations and has little value of what morals she may offend in her pursuit of besting you, milady."

Freya was about to praise her captain and favorite child, but then she saw the glint in his eyes and understood he was not done, so she kept silent to listen to the rest.

"However, Demeter... she leaves the city much more frequently, and every delivery she makes in or out is at least 8 carriages large. However, if, and I may add that is a big if, she is the suspect, then I would assume her to be involuntarily involved."

Freya eyed her confidant with even more curiosity and licked her lips, genuinely intrigued by what he was conjuring up in his mind. "And pray tell, why do you think that?" She asked, knowing fully well that Ottarl had good, logical deductions. He may be a mass of muscles, but unlike the stereotypical hulkish men, he was not a brainless brute. On the opposite, being captain of Freya Familia requires strength, yes, but also a lot of intelligence and the ability of precise deductions on the spot in order to navigate its chaotic, battle-maniac members. Ottarl certainly does not get enough credit for his smarts.

The Boaz narrowed his eyes slightly. "Despite her massive familia of well over 2000 members spread across the entire agricultural structure of Orario, some have noticeably disappeared. Official word is that these people left Orario. In itself, not even remotely unrealistic and suspicious... but one of those members is her captain, Persephone. It is a very well known fact across the city that Persephone is so beloved by Demeter that she thinks of her as an actual daughter, which makes her leaving the familia and city rather unreasonable and unbelievable. No, I think her disappearance may be leverage."

If someone were to manifest from our world into this one and tell Ottarl just how unknowingly spot on he is regarding this thought, he would certainly be shocked. It was almost funny, as an outside observer, to know that Ottarl may have unwittingly solved half of the entire mistery behind Enyo, but of course neither he nor Freya knew anything about that and, to them, it was merely a theory, a hypothesis that required extensive investigation and a collection of facts and evidence before it can become a statement with any kind of weight.

"Your thoughts are certainly very interesting, my dear child. You deserve much more praise than I voice it" The Goddess commented before she emptied her wine glass and set it aside. "You have opened my eyes to contemplating Ishtar's potential involvement. However, her Berbera are rather annoyingly tight-lipped, so sending any of you to investigate will not do."

Ottarl's eyes widened slightly, understanding right away what she was insinuating. "Milady, you don't mean to go to the pleasure district yourself?"

"That is precisely what I will do, my dear Ottarl. My charms will loosen their mouths and I will find out if she is guilty or not" she answered before standing up from her seat and began stretching herself. Sitting on a chair for hours every day was quite stiffening to the joints, after all. "Get me my cloak, and let Horn know that she is to take my place until I return. Naturally, that also means that Syr will be taking the day off."

The King gave a small nod, followed by a bow. "Your word shall be done, milady."

Later, deep into the night, Hunter was resting within his inn room, but not sleeping. No, rather, he couldn't. He literally couldn't. Ever since his powers reached a certain stage, the need for sleep had disappeared and he entered a state of permanently being awake. He had several theories as to why that is, but he couldn't formulate an answer because, as far as he knew, back in his world, science had not yet discovered a definitive answer as to why humans even sleep in the first place. It only conclusively discovered the side effects of what happens if one does not.

He had thoughts like these a lot of the time. Back in his original world, he was someone who invested himself heavily in academics. Top grades in every class, studied up many topics in his free time to widen his knowledge extensively. However, none of that was done out of personal interest. And neither would be his next endeavor, something he had done in his past world and would do again in this one.

And as it just so happened, the person he was going to seek out for it came to him instead.

Fels materialized from the shadow of the room's corner, seemingly appearing from nowhere. "Hunter, Ouranos is ready to receive you for an audience. He wishes to personally evaluate you before finalizing any agreements to allow your hunt on the remnants of Evilus."

The male smirked lightly, his deviousness slipping out into his expression. "Very well. Since it is deep into the night, we will have all the cover we need, so let us just go" he voiced and got up from his bed, turning towards the door. "Oh and by the way, I need the guild to see a request through for me."

Fels was naturally caught off guard by this. "The guild? Why?"

"Simple" Hunter explained as he opened the door. "Because I said so."

Almost 30 minutes later, Fels and Hunter arrived at the hidden corridor beneath the Pantheon, the building from which the Guild operates, and stopped in front of a large gate. "This is where we part for now. Know this, however, I will not be far from here, so should Lord Ouranos deem you a threat instead of an assett, I will dispose of you immediately."

Hunter whistled slightly, more amused than anything else. Apparently Fels was not a fool, either. Hunter was beginning to like this city, this is the second person who recognizes him for what he is, what he truly enjoys doing, and it was ecstatic. "You are welcome to try" He responded before pushing the gates open, and simultaneously, Fels disappeared from sight.

The first thing Hunter noticed within the hall he entered was the large throne, one that was positioned rather highly. He counted well over 40 steps. "That's the height of the average second floor. Pompous much?" He spoke to his thoughts and stepped further into the hall, the gates closing by themselves behind him.

Sitting on this throne was Ouranos, a god who's appearance depicted him as a visibly aged man with grey hair and an intense pokerface that was perfectly maintained, making him an enigma to read. His eyes slowly opened and he hummed. "Hunter Thraune."

"Ouranos" Hunter answered with a small nod of his head. "You and I are both no-nonsense people, so lets just get this over with quickly. I want to sink my teeth into Evilus, and you want to ensure I got just long enough a leash on me so I don't stray too far and bite someone innocent."

"Naturally" Ouranos spoke, his wizened voice indifferent in its emotion. "You are very observant and highly intelligent. A true shame it had to be developed under such circumstances, your natural genius would have been a most fortuitous gift to humanity."

Scoffing at this comment, the mortal man crossed his arms. "If Evilus is gone, it still could be. I have no plans with my life for after my revenge is through, so for all you know, I could still deliver on that hope."

"Assuming your pursuit for blood does not destroy your mind, that is" The God of the Sky fired back, making Hunter weave a slightly impressed expression. "Your goal is not simple revenge, but the complete and utter destruction of those involved in your suffering. Physical as well as Emotional Damage. You seek to revel in their pain as they sought to revel in yours. I have seen your kind of anger once before, not too long ago."

Hearing this, Hunter whistled slightly. "Let me guess, Gale Wind? I've been doing a LOT of reading on Orario's history, far past and recent. Gotta say, I like her work. But I cannot admire it fully since she didn't finish what she started."

Ouranos felt a tinge of irritation at hearing this. For a mortal to so blatantly endorse the way Gale killed those who she suspected to be associated with Evilus, including a handful of false suspicion leading in a few innocent deaths, was nothing short of contemptuous and vile. Ouranos underestimated how far gone Hunter was, and it made him wish to rid the world of him here and now. "You understand that such words only make your desired wish that much more difficult."

Hunter's expression turned into a feral, toothy grin. "You say that as if you have the power to stop me. You gods cant use your Arcanum, you especially since you are what keeps the Dungeon at bay. And despite the knowledge of its necessity, you know very well that Fels cannot defeat me."

Ouranos' poker face broke and his eyebrows furrowed in irritation. "Your arrogance is as unbecoming as your bloodlust."

"Oh please" Hunter scoffed mockingly. "Compliments won't get you far. So, the simple way to conclude this is to just ask the question: Will you stand in my way? Yes or no?"

The God of the Sky furrowed his brows once more before relenting his frustration, exhaling a tired sigh. "No, you will find no resistance from the guild, under the condition that you are to disguise yourself. When you dealt with Arachnia, you became someone high on the Remnants' list of people they wish to see gone, as Arachnia was one of their major forces. If you were to continue attracting attention to yourself, you might spur them into becoming fully active, which would plunge the city into a second Dark Age." Under normal circumstances, Ouranos would never approve of this, but loathe as he is to admit it, Hunter was right. Ouranos had a sense much more refined than any other god, so he could feel the power resting within the man and recognized its divine origin. A mortal with access to powers of the divine, however fragmented it may be, was something almost no one could take on. Maybe if Loki and Freya's executives worked together, but Ouranos had serious doubts about it. The world is ignorant to just how far the distance is between mortals and divines.

Hearing this, the speedster relented his predatory grin. "So you want me to, what? Get a costume or something? Be some kind of vigilante like in some of the more outlandish stories written down?"

The God nodded. "Yes. Fels has already begun working on something for you. From his observations earlier this night, your abilities are-"

"Excuse me, earlier tonight?" Hunter interrupted and now his brow was furrowed. "He was spying on me when I was with Riveria?"

A small nod came from the deity. "Indeed. Do not act surprised, you yourself should know you are a person deserving of close attention at all times. As such, he witnessed your display of your ability with Nine Hells. Superhuman speed to the point you are an invisible blur even to the trained eyes of high level adventurers. As such, your suit will be crafted to be friction- as well as impact-proof. It will also be made with some Mithril so it can interact with your powers so you don't accidentally strip yourself, amongst other things."

Hunter changed expressions and grinned again, because never would he expect Ouranos to make a remark of humor, it being the callback to when he was being checked up by Airmid and confirmed that indecent exposure was a crime. It was unexpected in all the right ways, causing the man to chuckle. "I seriously like you, old man. It is like having an opponent at a table of chess, a battle of wits where fists are unwanted. You see right through me and do not hold back on your contempt while knowing that you have no power in this bargain, but that doesn't stop you from finding out how to create some."

Ouranos concluded that, if they could stray from the topic like this, then the discussion was finalized. "Now begone, I must return to my prayers, and you know the way back well enough on your own."

Seeing that there was nothing else to be said, Hunter nodded in agreement. "See you around, Ouranos" he voiced before disappearing in a burst of superspeed.

Once back in his inn, Hunter began an extended inner monologue to process everything.

"I now have free reign to rage across the city, provided my... costume, ugh... is delivered. Well, you win some, you lose some. A shame those bastards won't know it was me..."

"On the other hand, with how things with Riveria are progressing, using her trust and affection to receive need-to-know information is assured. Despite Loki's initial agreement, it takes a special kind of stupid to think she won't withhold some information. The Elf will be my key to that information. A shame, though, she really is my type."

"Now, I just need to create a public profile for myself, something to separate me from my... ugh, vigilante alter ego. Seriously, that is so boring. Anyway, the public needs to get to know me in a good light... let's see how fast Fels can come through with my request."

"Then... there is one loose end to cover. Arachnia. No doubt will she know right away it is me if she gets wind of my alter ego. She may be imprisonated, but wardens love gossip, it is a matter of when, not if, so before my 'debut', I will have to get rid of her. Spiteful and petty as she is, she will rat me out to Ganesha's bunch just for a crumb of revenge for bruising her ego. The only issue I have is finding a place to hide her in that will not be found by the public. I need my own little basement dungeon... maybe I should go explore Daedalus Street and see if I can find a remote, abandoned home. Yes, let me do just that."

And so, his inner monologue had reached its end and he had asserted where he stood in regards to every part of his process to tear apart Evilus, and in another burst of speed, he was gone, racing across Daedalus to scout it out for suitable hideouts.