Chapter 172
All of the Hunters sitting at the table in the Castellana Hotels sky lounge were at least rank 6, so they'd each received a black card from the Association.
There was another important character in the raid of the national-level calamity, 'Sardonyx'.
"The archbishop and I thank you for having come here for Italy We will not forget this."
Aventino.
Aventino, who was wearing a priest's robe and glasses, looked like a normal priest, but he was an active rank 7 hunter. He was the 1st apostle among the 'Blue Apostles', a group that could only move with the Popes permission.
Since Arden wasn't active anymore, he was one of the most important hunters in Italy.
"So If anyone needs help in the future, the Blue Apostles will move to repay today's debt." A promise from him was very valuable. Rosa, his partner, looked at him in disapproval.
"Aventino~ Repaying debts is something to discuss once this is done, so let's leave that for later. Okay?" Rosa tilted her head at the hunters. Her face was beautiful, but her eyes were unnaturally big, which made her look chilly.
"Among the five avatars: hands, feet, body, head, and tail, which will you pick? We're going to take the head, the strongest one. No one has any complaints, right?"
Rosa was the leader of the Green Forest Guild, which was composed of elites, and she was a hero who'd defeated a rank 7 monster alone with her guild.
To agree for Aventino and Rosa to take care of Sardonyx's head was like admitting they were stronger.
Rosa's attitude didn't push Mei Lin. She calmly said, "I don't mind Rosa and Aventino being in charge of the head."
Sardonyx, who was greedier than others, had divided her strength into five avatars, the strongest of which was the Avatar of the HeadThe Avatar of Fire, Ignis.
Slide.
Mei Lin stood up and looked at Rosa.
"What we're after is the body, so if the Association allows it, my mentee and I will deal with it."
Mind's Eye Shoichi stopped Mei Lin.
"That wont be possible. Everyone here wants the body, right?" Shoichi said with a smirk.
Ultra burst into laughter. "You're right!" Sardonyx's Avatar was divided into parts because of the artifacts that drop! Leaving aside the Elemental Stone, the Dragon Heart is the most important!"
A red flower made of mana appeared on Eliza's hands. "Sardonyx's Dragon Heart is the highest-quality one. Hunters worldwide are after it; it's too sweet to let someone else take it." She blew on the flower in her hands, and the red mana fluttered to the ground.
Ju HimChan also stood up, his eyes shining. "One could also be targeting the dragon's bones or scales! Thinking about hunter equipment made of Sardonyx is"
Sardonyx's remnants were invaluable for even Ju HimChan, a rank 6 hunter, so it was only obvious that all of the hunters would be after it.
Rosa let them know that if things went on like that, they wouldn't be able to reach a conclusion, so she tried to set a standard.
"So that means everyone's after the body, right? Since Crupeos is the strongest avatar, I think the strongest duo after us would have to be in charge of it."
There was silence after Rosa's words. Letting someone else have Crupeos was like admitting defeat, but hunters were pridefuleven more so if it was about their own fighting capability. Nervousness crept over the meeting room.
Ultra scratched his head. "Ordering us by strength This is going to make the discussion hard"
Ju HimChan confidently said, "Every hunter here is rank 6! There's no point in trying to see who's stronger"
Mei Lin didn't agree with him. "No. Even among rank 6 hunters, some are stronger than others. For example, Ultra's been a rank 6 hunter for more than five years, so his strength and experience cant be compared to yours since you've just become rank 6."
"Haha! This is a bit embarrassing." Ultra seemed to be in a good mood.
It seemed Mei Lin was trying to make Ultra her ally and push Ju HimChan aside from the candidates.
"Not only am I basing this on experience, but just seeing what I'm in charge of in the Association makes it clear that I'm your higher-up. Wouldn't doubting my strength be like suspecting the Association's system?"
As Mei Lin tried to put the last nail in the coffin, Elisa opened her mouth, "Experience is strength? I can't admit that."
Eliza was the hunter that, among the rank 6 hunters in Italy, was the closest to becoming a rank 7. She wasn't about to let Mei Lin do as she wished.
* * *
* * *
Swoosh.
Blue light spread to the surroundings.
Eliza took a beautiful rapier from her Pocket and sent mana through her fingers and up the blade.
"If you want, I'm willing to spar right here. The loser having to give up doesnt sound so bad," she firmly said.
Mei Lin narrowed her eyes and spoke in a chilling tone. "I don't want to waste the party's strength before the raid"
Hunters were known for their greed and national pride. Rosa laughed as she observed the discussion happening before the raid started.
"Castellana Cave will soon become hell. Its hard to predict the consequences that well suffer if we fail the raid. If you're planning to mess things up out of greed, then get out of here. I won't try to stop you."
Even if her rank was high, talking to hunters from other Associations like that was considered rude. Still, there wasn't anyone who didn't recognize Rosa, who'd successfully cleared a rank 7 raid before.
As if Ju HimChan had been waiting for that moment, he smiled confidently and said to Rosa, "I also agree with Rosa in that the stronger one must be in charge of the most difficult Avatar!" Then, he looked at Mei Lin. "But there's something that Mei Lin has forgotten about! This is a party raid. Deciding who will be in charge based on their strength is unfair."
"I know that student Shin YuSung is strong, but this subjugation is based on rank 6 hunters," Mei Lin said, and a victory smile appeared on Ju HimChan's mouth.
"That's right. Rank 6 hunters! The Association gives the ranks and evaluates each hunter's fighting capability."
Mei Lin looked at Ju HimChan with suspicious eyes. 'The Association President? If he did something like that, there's no way he wouldn't have told me'
Paf-
A blue hologram appeared in the air, the new profile that the Association had created for Shin YuSung.
[ID: Shin YuSung]
[Affiliation: Gaon Academy]
[Rank 6 hunter]
"Th-that's"
Mei Lin's expression darkened when she read the hologram. If Secretary Mei Lin didn't know that YuSung had ascended to rank 6, then that meant Kang YuChan had purposely hidden it.
'Don't tell me he did it for this moment'
Even if he cared for YuSung, to think that he'd hidden this from her Ju HimChan continued to hammer his argument home.
"Mei Lin, you're part of the Korean Hunter's Association, so I'm sure you won't express any doubts. Basically, our party has two rank 6 hunters, so there's none better than us to deal with the second-strongest Avatar of Sardonyx, Crupeos."
Mei Lin was aiming to become the next President, so she couldn't say anything else.
'There's no way Shin YuSung has hunted a rank 6 monster Then is it because of the Room of Time he cleared in the Tower?'
The Room of Time was a hidden stage that, no matter your rank, you couldn't clear unless you reached the truth. It was harder to clear than a rank 6 boss.
'Judging by his battle sense and how he doesn't seem to have a limit, he's worthy of being a rank 6. The Association President probably took that into consideration.'
Mei Lin gave up and nodded. "Since there are two rank 6 hunters in the party I have no choice but to admit it."
"What about the rest?" Rosa asked the other hunters besides Mei Lin.
It was a fierce competition no one wanted to lose, but no one tried to refute it when they saw YuSung had become a rank 6 hunter.
"Colt is still a rank 4 hunter. If the mentee is rank 6 I have no choice but to admit it." Ultra nodded with his arms crossed.
"I'm curious about the seriousness of Korea's Hunter Association for making a student a rank 6 but I'll take a step back." Even Mind's Eye Shoichi had no option but to recognize Ju HimChan's party. Eliza just remained silent. In the end, Rosa picked Shin YuSung and Ju HimChan.
"Okay, then Korea will be in charge of the Body's Avatar, Crupeos."
Thanks to the strength of the mentee, Ju HimChan was able to defeat his sunbae, Mei Lin.
'As expected of student Shin YuSung' He'd heard that YuSung was receiving the support of the Association's President, but even he was surprised by Mei Lin accepting the result.
'Well! Better for me! That means I can focus on the subjugation!' He was sure he wasn't the best mentor, but he'd for sure selected the best mentee. Although he was had to lead his junior, it was he who gained confidence thanks to him.
* * * *
As Adela and YuSung reached the lobby, Colt quickly tried to leave.
"Th-then I'll be going I have something to do."
It seemed like he'd remembered his bitter defeat at the hands of Adela. On the other hand, Wei Lin's eyes shone while looking at YuSung.
"You're Korea's party leader, right? Come here, sit next to me! I'm your fan." Wei Lin grabbed YuSung and made him sit next to her.
'I didn't know it was to this extent while looking through the screen but he's really good-looking. However, his atmosphere is different from Li Jns. Maybe this is also okay?'
Wei Lin smiled at YuSung and then spoke to him in a friendly manner. "You~ Did you see our match? We've also been doing well in the International Competition~ Hngh~ I'm sure we will meet."
"I saw it. You're in the same party as Li Jn, the disciple of the Sword God."
If Korea had YuSung and Italy had Adela, China had Li Jn, the disciple of the Sword God.
'It's a necessary team if we consider the European Union on the final.' As Shin YuSung nodded, Wei Lin smiled. She edged closer to him and rested her hands on his leg.
"Really? Then~ Do you want to meet later on? I feel like we should talk with the remaining Asian teams~"
However, Wei Lin hadn't shown interest in Isshin, who was from the Japanese team, so her intentions were obvious.
"Hmm~?"
As Wei Lin moved closer to YuSung, Isshin clenched his teeth.
[But still, I'm thankful to you, Kirishima. After all Thanks to you, I met YuSung.]
At that moment, Sumire's face appeared on his head. Isshin couldn't stand it anymore and stood up. "Shin YuSung!"
His anger only lasted for a short while.
After regaining his composure, he looked at YuSung and said, "Uhm Let's talk for a moment."
"Okay, Isshin. I also wanted to talk with the Japanese Team." Shin YuSung seemed happy at Isshin's attitude.
'As expected, it wasn't just me who was wary about the European Union.'
YuSung had misunderstood something.
Ishhin looked around and sighed. "Haa There are a lot of people watching here, so follow me. I've been wanting to catch some fresh air."
"Okay. Then let's talk first."
As Isshin took Shin YuSung out, Wei Lin looked annoyed and frowned.
'Why did that guy interfere?'
That dissatisfaction only lasted for a short while.
Wei Lin smacked her lips. 'It seems like I won't be bored here.' She smiled and went back to her room.
Adela felt weird when she saw how popular Shin YuSung was. 'I also have Many things to talk about with him'
Everyone left, and she remained there alone. She always received everyone's attention, so it was the first time she was treated like that.
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