I can't imagine why Mr. Salde would be interested in the young man. I mean, he's only C-rank, or is it something about his unique talent?
Mr. Salde, the Association's strongest hunter. He also happened to be the world's strongest A-rank, not just our nation. Salde was often consulted by other nations. He would go render his service but never leave the Association. Top guilds would offer him top bucks, but he's always found denying. He probably has his reasons.
Pant, pant. Porter and Rean let out, huffing and puffing. It seemed like they had overexerted themselves.
"You two, good job," Amer said to the new hunter. "This will be the final hurdle, the inner combs of this cave. Here lies the ultimate task. You two are about to encounter your first dungeon boss," Amer said with a reassuring tone.
"We go in. I lead the charge. You two try your best to coordinate your attacks with mine."
The atmosphere changes. Something was about to happen. It wasn't just that these two noobs were entering their first dungeon. It was something else. A fearful anticipation that felt almost imminent.
"Oh, and one more thing," Amer said.
"Here it comes," Porter responded with a swiftness that implied he was expecting it.
"None of you are allowed to slay the dungeon boss. It's mine. I land the finishing blow, I take the reward points."
"Sure, man," Porter responded, feeling disappointed, not shocked. It was a D-rank gate, meaning the reward points would be worth about 100.
'If I slay the boss, I could evolve a full category. Imagine how strong I'd be with max strength or speed. This is all just insane,' Rean thought.
'I can't. This whole stuff is to help me get scouted. Who would even scout someone who can't take orders? No one. In this case, I'd not only be doing that, but I'd also be disobeying my commanding officer.'
'So what am I saying?' he continued. 'I guess this just means I'll be leaving it to the captain.'
The darkness of the cave seemed to be fading as they continued forward.
"This light, where did it come from? It's beautiful," Rean remarked.
Almost as if they were transported to a whole new world. It was, in a word, beautiful.
"Damn, didn't I tell you not to let your guards down?" Amer said.
In a flash, a small short figure flashed through their line of sight.
BAM!
Porter had hit the wall, now unconscious.
"What, that thing just one-shot Porter. I have to do something."
'Come.'
'Rootship.'
Rean waved his mana-skin-filled hand, his dominant right, and attempted to control the plants in the area. He found they were unresponsive.
'Oh no, it's actually ahead of me in convention, even though I was able to control those dungeon fodder. A boss is truly on a different level.'
'Come to think of it, how did I control those fodder? My conversation still reads as E-rank, but I could assimilate the talent of a D-rank,' Rean thought to himself.
'This could mean I can assimilate talents regardless of rank. I guess I just have to graze the dungeon boss, fulfill the condition, and test the new ability.'
'Damn. I am still not thinking things through, or even the right way. This could never work. I'd have to somehow scratch it with my dagger and then wait for its talent to evolve to the max before assimilation and then my counter. This is just too much,' he continued thinking.
'Even if I somehow grazed the boss, I'd somehow have to outlast that boss in a battle of attrition,' he thought.
"Is that even possible?" he said out loud with a nervous grin.
Bam! Sounds of thunder, sounds of clashes, speed unlike anything Rean had ever seen before.
"What... what am I looking at? That guy..." Rean thought.
He breaks his sentences. 'How is he keeping up? This guy is amazing. I thought the boss was on another level, but Amer has no issues. He's making light work of the boss.'
"Mana pulse, half output," Rean said.
In an instant, the entire space is enveloped in bright light.
'He... he did it. Amer destroyed the boss,' Rean thought.
"Damn, he's impressive," Porter responded, struggling to put his words together. He was still feeling the effects of that one attack.
"Wait," Rean said. "There was a struggle just now. Wait."
"That thing's still alive!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"I don't believe it," struggling to talk, Porter muttered.
"I'll just throw a couple—"
Suddenly stopped in his thoughts, Amer stood in shock.
Mere moments after he had exclaimed it was alive, Rean had already rushed in with his dagger.
First, second, third, fourth, fifth-fold consecutive strike.
Huff. He breathed heavily.
"I did it. I slayed the boss."
System notification pops up.
D-rank dungeon boss defeated.
Reward - 100 points.
Another panel popped up.
Reminder set.
Reminder to upgrade stats once user leaves the dungeon.
"Oh no," Porter managed to let out.
"What have you done?"
Almost as if high off his own win, Rean ignored the question. He was amazed by his own strength.
With a visible look of frustration on his face, Amer walked up to Rean, grabbed him by the shirt, and gave him a resounding punch to the face.
Rean, now on the floor after taking that hit head-on, looks to the ground.
Amer raises Rean's head violently, shouting, "Look at me, you damn piece of—"
Interrupted again.
Something was wrong.
Rean had just got his head smacked, but he was... he was smiling.
Rean's face said one thing and one thing only.
He was accomplished.
It looked like this was his goal all along and everything went as planned.
Picking himself up from the ground, Rean said but more thing with his hand pointed right at Amer.
'More.'
"Yessir, you called?" Tylan said while walking into an office.
"It is to my understanding that you have a brother who just awakened," a seated man declared, not asking but gauging Tylan.
"If I may be so bold, could you explain to me why he wasn't immediately referred to the guild by you? Now I am wondering why I just got off the phone with the Association president, hearing that your brother has a unique talent despite being only C-rank. You, more than most, know what that means."
"I want him, and I want him now. Dismissed."
Tylan walks out the room.
"Huh, here he goes being the only one who talks in a conversation. I'll have to make it work somehow," Tylan said.