"Kanae, what's got you so lost in thought?"
Within the delegation, a girl with her hair in a bun and a lollipop in her mouth was listening to the rules of the friendly match, but she noticed the dark-haired senior beside her seemed distracted.
And her gaze wasn't fixed on Goto Ryuji.
That was pretty rare.
As far as she knew, Goto Ryuji was both an idol and a mentor to Tawata Kanae.
Though there was no romantic spark between them, what they shared was a bond of admiration stronger than that.
Normally, Tawata Kanae wouldn't miss a word Goto Ryuji said.
Called back to her senses by the voice beside her, Tawata Kanae withdrew her gaze from the two young women in the Korean delegation.
"Just a bit curious, seeing S-Rank Hunters from another country," she said calmly.
"Ah… now that you mention it, it really is unusual."
Shimizu Akari blinked, then piped up on a whim: "Want to invite them out for a meal later? As a way to build some camaraderie."
Hearing that, Tawata Kanae nearly let out a bitter laugh.
She was Goto Ryuji's disciple, trusted by him and also one of his closest confidants. Because of that, she knew about DFN's plan this time.
If it succeeded, these Korean Hunters would all die on the island. Building camaraderie…?
Her eyes returned to Goto Ryuji.
The admiration she once held for him stemmed from his noble willingness to protect the people without regard for personal gain.
But now… that nobility she admired had become a flickering candle flame in the wind.
She couldn't accept it.
"Then it's decided. Our side will field Tanaka Kenzo, Hoshino Minoru, Kumamoto Atsushi, and Tawata Kanae," Goto Ryuji announced.
"Our selections are also ready: Ma Dongwook, Cha Hae-in, Baek Yoon-ho, and Lim Tae-Gyu," Go Gunhee stated with a smile.
"Lim Tae-Gyu… who might that be?"
Down in the spectator area, Castorice looked curiously at Choi Jong-In.
Even though he'd somehow ended up as the de facto commentator and know-it-all, Choi Jong-In's smile remained.
This was a chance to get closer; no reason to miss it.
"He's the guild master of the Field Guild. It used to be Korea's top guild, but when Baek Yoon-ho left, he took many members with him, causing the guild's strength to drop significantly. It's still one of the Five Major Guilds, though."
He didn't voice the more offensive thought: that the Fiend Guild remained among the Five Major Guilds almost entirely because Lim Tae-Gyu was carrying it solo.
The guild's overall strength was actually much weaker than White Tiger's or Hunters'.
White Tiger had the strongest overall strength, but Hunters had the top high-end combat power.
Besides, 'strongest overall' was only by a slight margin, not a clear gap.
And with Hunters boasting Choi Jong-In with his ultimate firepower and Cha Hae-in with her top overall capability, that cemented Hunters' reputation as the number one guild.
Castorice nodded thoughtfully.
If before, Cha Hae-in was merely the strongest in overall strength, not necessarily able to decisively overpower Baek Yoon-ho in a life-or-death fight, then the current Cha Hae-in could truly claim the title of Korea's strongest S-Rank Hunter.
Of course, excluding Go Gunhee.
And the match's progression confirmed it. After Castorice's guidance, the broadening of her horizons, and the trial by fire in the extreme survival test, the current Cha Hae-in possessed a completely different aura and level of strength compared to just days ago.
Her magical energy hadn't increased at all, yet her aura clearly set her apart from the others.
Even Ryuji realized belatedly that he'd been so focused on Castorice he'd overlooked such a genius within the Korean ranks.
"What in the world… that girl."
As she shifted into a combat stance, Cha Hae-in's power became unmistakable.
The calm yet profound magical energy radiating from her made Shimizu Akari, watching from the side, swallow hard.
'It's like she's a completely different person.'
The Korean Hunters naturally noticed the change in Cha Hae-in too.
Choi Jong-In smiled and cast his gaze toward Castorice.
He didn't know how Cha Hae-in had undergone such a transformation in such a short time, but he knew it had to be related to Castorice.
This fact didn't even require deduction; it was obvious from Cha Hae-in's reactions.
Castorice was a bit puzzled by that look. Why the sudden 'proud parent watching the teacher who shaped their child' expression?
Cha Hae-in was, of course, aware of her own change.
If Baek Yoon-ho feared losing control, Ma Dongwook had low output, and Lim Tae-Gyu and Choi Jong-In dreaded close combat, then Cha Hae-in was pure strength—a hexagonal warrior with no weak points.
With insufficient stats she was little more than roadside trash, but with enough stats, she was utterly overpowered.
The fight unfolded like a one-sided crushing.
With the overall power levels of both sides not drastically different, Cha Hae-in—clearly a notch above—tore through the battlefield as if she were walking through no man's land.
Tawata Kanae, who faced her first, was forced to withdraw in less than ten moves.
Lying on the ground, she hadn't even processed what had happened. If not for the special rules and the other party's lack of intent to kill, she would have been dead within two moves.
'This is the power of the Dancer? You had an S-Rank this strong in Korea and never let her onto the international stage?'
After the brief 'friendly exchange,' the faces of the DFN Hunters darkened completely.
Although no Mages participated in this test, the thorough, cathartic defeat had made them lose all face, especially since they had initially been boasting about Korean S-Ranks lacking real strength.
Even if that was an act they'd been asked to exaggerate… it was still utterly humiliating!
"It seems everyone has gained some understanding of each other's strength," Go Gunhee remarked, stepping forward with that knowing smile of his.
Goto Ryuji frowned slightly, then continued, "It's not over yet. As mentioned earlier, after the group matches, there's also a singles match. After all, we need to understand each other's 'Trump Card' to establish trust. You wouldn't want an ally you've invited to prove untrustworthy, would you?"
He put on the act of standing up for his guild members.
"Hmm."
Go Gunhee wasn't surprised by this move. Frankly, the other side just wanted to test Castorice now, something he understood perfectly.
Still, he played dumb. "In that case, our side will send Hunter Cha Hae-in."
Her performance was plain for all to see—clearly possessing strength beyond an ordinary S-Rank.
"Not quite," Ryuji countered, refusing to accept that. Then he turned his gaze directly to Castorice. "If we're talking about the 'Trump Card,' isn't there a more suitable candidate over there?"
At these words, apart from Go Gunhee, Choi Jong-In, and Cha Hae-in, everyone's expressions shifted.
In their eyes, Goto Ryuji was nearly invincible, a figure comparable to the Chinese Hunter, Liu Zhigang. Such a powerhouse wouldn't make mistakes in judgment, they believed.
Cha Hae-in's power was glaringly obvious. For Ryuji to still point out Castorice under these circumstances meant that in his eyes, Castorice possessed strength surpassing even Cha Hae-in's?
The DFN Hunters hadn't expected this small country of Korea to be such a den of hidden dragons and crouching tigers—though Castorice wasn't Korean, of course.
The other Korean Hunters also stared at Castorice in astonishment, before several of the guild masters shot fierce looks at Choi Jong-In, whose smile hadn't wavered.
'Well, well. No wonder you blocked us so firmly. Now it's clear—Castorice must be more than just powerful. Combined with Cha Hae-in's situation, she likely has methods or techniques to enhance other Hunters' strength.'
'Choi Jong-In, you sly dog!'
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.