After all, DFN's morale had just taken a blow, and even Ryuji Goto's departure seemed rather hasty.
Under these circumstances, Tawata Kanae approaching them like this should have stirred discontent among the other hunters.
Knowing this and still making such a move meant she had an ulterior motive.
And if the hunters from DFN didn't show any displeasure toward her coming over to chat, that indicated it wasn't just her—the whole DFN delegation had something up their sleeve.
Either way, her approach felt off.
Castorice seemed concerned about her situation, but in reality, it was a warning to Cha Hae-in.
For the other party to come over now was clearly inappropriate—either foolish or malicious.
Having spent a fair amount of time with Castorice, Cha Hae-in naturally picked up on the implied meaning, though she didn't grasp the specifics.
Tawata Kanae, lacking Cha Hae-in's experience, simply took Castorice's words as a gesture of goodwill.
After all, from what she'd seen so far, this Y Country hunter named Castorice seemed rather mild-mannered and easy to get along with.
"No worries, we're all comrades who'll soon be fighting side by side," she said.
"Besides, a bet's a bet. Hunters from DFN aren't the type to hold grudges—at least, not those from our Draw Blade Guild."
"Kanae~ you're getting along so quickly with girls from another team?"
Shimizu Akari walked over as well. Her somewhat petite height and twin buns on either side made her look less like a hunter and more like someone without any serious aura—cute and a bit childish, really.
"Well, as fellow 'working women,' it's only natural to want to get to know each other, right?"
Tawata Kanae smiled gently.
"Is that so?"
Shimizu Akari shifted the lollipop in her mouth, feeling a bit puzzled by Kanae's unusual behavior.
But since they were on the same side, she didn't press further despite her misgivings. Instead, she brushed past the topic and turned to Castorice and Cha Hae-in with a bright smile.
"But really, this is my first time leaving DFN for a mission. Honestly, there are way too few female S-rank hunters, aren't there?"
Unlike Tawata Kanae, who had hidden motives, Shimizu Akari gave Castorice a much cleaner impression, which widened Castorice's smile a little.
"This is my first time meeting hunters from another country too. Pleased to make your acquaintance, ma'am."
"No need for 'ma'am'… Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet."
Akari waved her hand, then remembered the other didn't know her name.
"I'm Shimizu Akari. You can call me Shimizu or Akari. Even though we won't be fighting together this time, if you ever need healing, feel free to come find me. First time's a friendship discount~"
"So Hunter Shimizu is a healer type."
Cha Hae-in nodded in understanding, then grew curious. "This is my first time meeting an S-Rank Healer."
"Yep! But as for S-Rank Healers, I hear Korea has one too, right?"
S-rank healers were indeed rare, so Akari had been quite interested to learn that Korea also had one.
"Mhm, though we've never met."
Cha Hae-in nodded.
"If we're talking rarity, Miss Castorice's ability might be the only one of its kind in the world."
Tawata Kanae subtly steered the topic toward Castorice.
"I heard it's called 'Death'—not necromancy, but Death itself. Such an ability name is a bit hard to wrap one's head around. As companions who'll be fighting together soon, would you mind satisfying my curiosity?"
"Apologies, ma'am."
Castorice's smile faded slightly. "It's not that I intend to hide it, but this isn't an ability that can be easily explained in words. And speaking of it might not be for the best."
"I understand."
Kanae wasn't disappointed; after all, they'd just met and weren't familiar with each other.
"But you must be terrifyingly strong, right? Even Guild Master Goto was roused to such fighting spirit—that's pretty rare."
Shimizu Akari sighed in admiration.
"Chairman Goto's strength also puts a lot of pressure on me."
Castorice couldn't bring herself to be overly modest, so she chose to praise her opponent instead. Besides, she wasn't lying.
Though she was confident her control over the Taixu Sword Qi wouldn't accidentally kill Goto within three moves, if Goto ended up dead through his own carelessness, there really wasn't much she could do about it.
Would her underworld claim him or not?
Just thinking about it did feel rather stressful.
"Haha, well, Guild Master Goto is the strongest hunter in DFN, after all. He's the only one in Asia who can rival Liu Zhigang."
Naturally, Akari was pleased to hear a strong hunter praise their own strong hunter—after all, praise from the strong carried more weight.
Still, Castorice's words made both her and Kanae mentally narrow the gap between the two fighters, even bringing them to roughly the same level.
So, Akari simply turned her gaze to Cha Hae-in.
The hunter known as the Dancer had just delivered quite a shock to both sides.
If Castorice and Goto were the untouchable powerhouses among this group, then the Dancer was the formidable presence sandwiched between them and the other S-ranks.
"Hunter Cha is insanely strong too. Watching her fight is like watching a dance—no wonder they call her the Dancer… By the way, in Hunter Cha's eyes, if Guild Master Goto and Hunter Castorice fought with full knowledge of each other, who would win?"
Akari's reasoning was simple: Castorice's ability was a mystery, and she seemed unwilling to reveal it.
It was likely an ability that relied on secrecy to secure a first-strike advantage.
This wasn't uncommon; many hunters relied on such tactics to overcome stronger opponents—though usually against monsters, not people.
Whether for Korea or DFN, Castorice was someone worth paying attention to.
Even as hunters chatted or discussed the upcoming training, they kept an ear tuned to this conversation. Those not actively listening still paused due to the tense atmosphere.
In short, the moment Akari's question landed, every hunter in the training room was focused on their group.
Caught off guard by the question, Cha Hae-in blinked.
"Castorice and Guild Master Goto? Shouldn't it be obvious? I can't imagine Castorice losing."
Her answer made the atmosphere in the training room grow heavy once more.
"So you mean, if both sides knew about Hunter Castorice's ability beforehand."
Akari's expression shifted slightly as she added that condition.
"Uh…"
Cha Hae-in thought she'd been clear enough, but since the other insisted, she patiently replied again, "Even if they knew about Castorice's ability, the outcome wouldn't change."
Considering that matters regarding the Monarchs were still classified, Cha Hae-in couldn't be too explicit.
She could only state her conclusion plainly: "I believe Castorice might be the strongest hunter in the world."
Such a huge difference in assessment?
Even though everyone could tell Cha Hae-in and Castorice were clearly friends, no amount of favoritism should elevate someone from "stronger than Ryuji Goto" to "the strongest in the world."
Did she not know about National-Level hunters?
Wait… hold on?
Suddenly, everyone realized something.
The abilities of National-Level hunters were generally incomprehensibly powerful, and a hunter's potential was largely determined from the moment their magical power awakened.
In other words, this wasn't a profession where seniority alone decided strength.
While experience and combat skills certainly mattered, they rarely allowed a hunter to leap ranks easily.
Which meant… the possibility that Castorice was a National-Level hunter wasn't just plausible—it was highly likely.
After all, in their eyes, Goto was already National-Level; he just hadn't been officially recognized because he hadn't cleared an S-rank dungeon yet.
So… did Korea have a National-Level hunter now?
No, Castorice wasn't from Korea…but then again, a National-Level hunter could stay wherever they wanted. Who could stop them?
But… this was a National-Level hunter they were talking about…
Choi Jong-in's gaze toward Castorice burned with unprecedented intensity.
His gamble had paid off—spectacularly.
--+--
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.