"Ah, I forgot to introduce her. This Hunter Castorice is our rising star and a powerful magic-type hunter."
Go Gunhee reminded.
"I'll give her time to prepare her spells. We'll decide the match in three moves, that should be acceptable, right?"
Goto Ryuji spoke as if he hadn't understood the previous restrictions.
The earlier rule about mages not participating was just that—earlier. This was an ace versus ace match, so distinctions like mage or not hardly mattered anymore.
Still, he was aware of a mage's disadvantages in a duel and courteously offered preparation time.
Seeing this, Go Gunhee glanced toward Castorice.
Goto Ryuji also understood that some hunters weren't bound by association rules, especially since Castorice wasn't originally a Korean hunter—she was merely registered in Korea.
Though nominally under Korean jurisdiction, if she canceled her license and reregistered in another country, no one would refuse her.
Take Japan, for example.
If Castorice said she wanted to abandon her Korean license and join Japan, Goto Ryuji would personally roll out the red carpet.
"My apologies, sir."
Facing Goto Ryuji's challenge, Castorice declined with a calm, unwavering smile.
"My abilities aren't suited for sparring. Death is not to be tested—anyone who wishes to witness it, no matter how cautious, can hardly escape the touch of the ashen hand."
The goodwill in her tone was unmistakable, but it only stirred discontent among the Japanese hunters.
Who did this junior newcomer think she was, daring to challenge Japan's strongest hunter?
Just three moves, and she's already spouting death prophecies.
Goto Ryuji's mood wasn't great either. Even though he understood better than anyone that this wasn't meant as disrespect, it didn't change the fact that she saw him as weak.
"I've brushed shoulders with death countless times. Death cannot claim my soul."
Goto Ryuji released an overwhelming presence, his dense, high-quality mana causing everyone except Go Gunhee to frown in discomfort.
"Death never touches those whose time has not yet come."
Castorice remained completely unaffected by his aura, her face wearing a disapproving expression, as if dissuading someone from seeking their own demise.
"Your brushes with death, sir, were merely because death never deemed you a target. That is entirely different from actively rushing toward it."
To everyone else's ears, this sounded like, 'Fighting me is suicide.'
Not to mention the increasingly hostile glares from the Japanese side, even the Korean S-Rank Hunters wore subtle expressions.
This girl... really doesn't know how to talk, does she?
Cha Hae-in thought so too and stepped in to help. "Guild Master Goto, Castorice's wording might have been a bit off. She means she can't always control her power perfectly during a fight."
The others: ...
The blonde girl's statement wasn't much different from Castorice's—both implied Goto Ryuji could die if Castorice slipped up.
But Cha Hae-in had her reasons. She could sense clearly that Goto Ryuji was strong, but only to a limited, understandable degree.
In contrast, both the old man from before and Castorice possessed a strength she couldn't fathom.
In Cha Hae-in's eyes, even that ghostly old man from earlier could easily kill Goto Ryuji.
Having broadened her horizons, she no longer considered herself a true powerhouse, and by extension, didn't place Goto Ryuji on that level either.
Goto Ryuji couldn't remember the last time he'd been looked down on like this.
The frustrating part was that neither of these two held any malice—they genuinely believed he might die by accident.
Realizing he wouldn't glean anything from this test, Goto Ryuji said with a dark expression, "In that case, let's postpone this match for later. I have matters to attend to and must take my leave. Please, make yourselves at home."
With that, he nodded to Go Gunhee and shot Tawata Kanae a meaningful glance before leaving with his assistant.
As Goto Ryuji departed, the pressure in the training room instantly lightened.
The Japanese hunters exchanged looks, their gazes toward Castorice now tinged with complexity. On one hand, having their nation's strongest hunter so dismissed bruised their already fragile pride.
On the other hand, after Goto Ryuji unleashed his aura, not only Castorice but even that Dancer believed he stood no chance, which made them wary of Castorice's true strength.
The current situation was: the Dancer was a cut above them, Ryuji and Castorice's power levels were unfathomable to everyone else, the only one who might understand was the Dancer, and the Dancer believed Ryuji could die within three moves.
That didn't necessarily mean Ryuji would die after three moves—some abilities were deadly on first encounter but less effective once familiar—but still... this was Ryuji.
Compared to the other Japanese hunters, Kanae's feelings were even more complicated. She understood her mentor's glance perfectly—it was a signal to get closer to that Castorice.
She could see the logic.
Castorice didn't seem deeply attached to Korea, having stayed there for so little time. In that case, Japan could certainly try to poach her.
Even if unsuccessful, building a good relationship had its benefits, whether for backstabbing opportunities or other advantages.
Sighing inwardly, Tawata Kanae walked toward Castorice, who was now surrounded by Cha Hae-in and the other S-rank hunters.
"It's truly surprising. I never expected anyone could stand up to Captain Goto to that extent."
Kanae's voice drew the Korean hunters' attention.
Goto Ryuji was famous, but only he was. As for Japan's other hunters, the Koreans only knew their names and some abilities—a situation common to every nation.
Unless hunters made an international splash or accomplished something major, they weren't specifically known abroad.
"And you are...?"
Ma Dongwook clearly lacked a talent for remembering names.
"It's Hunter Tawata Kanae."
Cha Hae-in had remembered the name. As fellow top female hunters, she'd paid some attention.
"Hello, Ms. Tawata."
Castorice greeted politely.
"Hello, Hunter Castorice, and Hunter Cha." Kanae felt a bit complicated but managed a smile.
"I never imagined hunters as strong as you two had never attended international conferences before. Until today, I had no idea such powerful female colleagues existed."
Her words clearly steered toward 'girl talk.' The remaining men exchanged glances and reluctantly made space, moving elsewhere.
"You flatter me, Hunter Tawata Kanae. I only recently grew stronger quite suddenly."
Cha Hae-in waved it off, stating the truth without dragging Castorice into it.
"Just call me Tawata or Kanae. As fellow female hunters, I feel a certain kinship with both of you."
Being Japanese, Kanae wasn't accustomed to being addressed by her full name, plus she had an ulterior motive to get closer.
Cha Hae-in understood this feeling well. As Korea's only female S-rank hunter, she'd often lamented the male-dominated field.
Castorice didn't share the sentiment.
Though the long-haired beauty before her didn't seem bad, she didn't sense much goodwill either.
She'd never been fond of purposefully ingratiating approaches.
After a moment's thought, she spoke up with a reminder, "Is it really alright for you to approach us like this now?"
--+--
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.