I'm building a legacy out of hobby.
…
The Min family were hunters, their bloodline steeped in decades of monster-slaying tradition. The patriarch, Jae Min, carried himself with the weathered confidence of an S-Ranked Hunter, his calloused hands bearing scars from battles that would have claimed lesser men—each ridge and furrow a testament to survival. His wife, Lisa Min, moved with the fluid grace of an A-Ranked Hunter, her eyes constantly scanning for threats even in their own guild hall, her gaze sharp enough to catch movement in peripheral darkness. Both held the prestigious titles of guildmaster and vice guild master of their family guild—a legacy built on blood, sweat, and determination.
Now their guild, The White Fang Guild, had problems. The familiar scent of parchment and ink filled the administrative offices where ledgers told a troubling story, numbers bleeding red across aged pages.
They couldn't secure permanent dungeons. Each rejection letter felt like a knife to their reputation, the paper crisp and cold between their fingers.
Then the dungeon they'd won at auction ranked up—from A-Ranked to S-Ranked. The air around the entrance now thrummed with dangerous energy, the mana density so thick it made veteran hunters' skin crawl, pressure building against their skulls like an oncoming storm.
A higher ranked guild wanted it from them. The demand came on expensive letterhead, the words polite but carrying an unmistakable threat, ink so black it seemed to absorb light.
The gap between dungeon ranks was vast—like comparing a house cat to a tiger.
The resources in an S-Ranked dungeon eclipsed those in A-Ranked ones. Rare materials that could fund entire expeditions. Magical cores worth fortunes, pulsing with condensed power. Equipment that could elevate a hunter's career.
And the higher ranked guild wanted it.
Avalon. An SS-ranked guild. The name alone carried weight in hunter circles, whispered with equal parts respect and fear, the syllables heavy on the tongue.
Only one tier existed above them—SSS-Ranked guilds. Seven total, one per continent. These legendary organizations stood like titans above the rest of the hunting world, tasked with handling SS-ranked and SSS-Ranked dungeons in their territories. When they moved, the earth trembled.
They also trained the best of the best. Their training grounds were legend, where potential was forged into power through methods that would break ordinary hunters, grinding them down until only the strongest remained.
They rarely involved themselves in trivial matters. SS-ranked guilds were the real heavyweights, and an S-Ranked dungeon was fat meat in their sights.
Avalon had sent spokespersons to the White Fang guild. The tension in the meeting room had been thick enough to cut, the air dense and suffocating. The trio and a spokesperson clashed—voices raised, magical auras flaring, energy crackling between them like heat lightning.
With little strength on their side, the trio lost badly. The aftermath left them bruised, bloodied, and burning with defeat, their pride as damaged as their bodies.
When Yeon heard—heard her parents' guild had been bullied—she erupted. Her magical aura crackled like a lightning storm, ice crystals forming from the sheer intensity of her rage, frost spreading across nearby surfaces in jagged patterns.
Zeke, hearing that the brothers he hadn't seen in a year—the last time, they'd nearly died—erupted in colder fury. His anger was calculated, making the air around him feel dangerous, the temperature dropping several degrees.
The car in his garage, unused since he'd received it from SAGE, roared to life. The engine purred with advanced engineering and unlimited budget, the vibration thrumming through metal and bone.
Within fifteen minutes they reached the guild, thanks to the car's speed and Zeke's driving skill—courtesy of The Knowledge of All Mundane Miscellaneous Things. Tires screeched against asphalt as they stopped, leaving rubber marks that spoke of urgency, the acrid smell of burnt rubber hanging in the air.
…
When the receptionist and guild members saw Yeon, they attended to her quickly, relief and worry mixing on their faces, their movements hurried and deferential. They led her to the simulation grounds where the trio had fought, footsteps echoing down sterile corridors.
In the simulation room, Zeke saw the trio huddled together—clothes torn, faces bruised, dried blood crusting their lips—and another group he didn't recognize. He walked in, trench coat flaring. The entrance was intentional. Without turning to the trio, he spoke loud enough for all to hear, voice cold.
"Point."
The trio lit up at his voice—a lifeline thrown to drowning men, hope flaring in their eyes like struck matches. Jude understood immediately. With a vindictive grin, he shouted and pointed.
"The buff black one!"
Zeke grinned, promising violence, and zoomed toward him. His movement created a small sonic boom, air splitting around him.
"That's racist, Jude. But he is buff and black."
BOOM!
Zeke's fist connected immediately, the sound reverberating through the room, shockwaves rippling outward.
BAM!
The man slammed into a wall, creating a crater. Dust and debris rained down, concrete fragments clattering against the floor.
As he stood, brushing concrete dust away, a lightning bolt struck him, flooding the room with stark white light, afterimages burning into retinas.
"Zeldris, you bastard! You dare hit my adorable brothers? You're dead!" Yeon's voice crackled with electricity, fury manifesting as arcs between her fingers, blue-white energy dancing across her skin.
"Hey, fight your own battle. This one's mine," Zeke said.
"Bite me."
"Hah. Go ahead, your attack did nothing. Leave it to real men—not your puny lightning."
Zeke had already noticed Zeldris tanked both hits. The man stood casually, as if their assault had been a breeze, not even breathing hard.
Using observation, Zeke checked his stats.
Damn, what a beast.
"Hmph, then why are you copying my ability? Fight with your fists, man slut!" Yeon's voice carried mockery.
"That's a man. I'm a boy." Zeke snorted.
His stats had grown, but raw strength wasn't enough against this caliber.
(Status Window)
Name: Zeldris Kahn
Age: 25
Race: Human (Giant Variant)
Rank: S Rank
STATS
Strength: S(1100)
Agility: B(538)
Endurance: SS(1200)
Perception: A(700)
Magic Power: B(500)
INNATE ABILITY
Giant Domination (S Rank)
Grants 80% boost to physical stats—Strength, Agility, Endurance.
SKILLS
Hand to Hand Combat (S Rank)
Perfect Control (S Rank)
Grants perfect control of all physical exertion.
Hammer Combat Mastery (A Rank)
TRAITS
Giant Physiology (SS Rank)
You embody the raw, unrelenting power of ancient giants. Grants +675 Strength, +600 Endurance, and +225 Agility.
Pride King (S Rank)
Your very existence is oppression. In your presence, any creature A rank or below will have all their stats lowered by one rank, and anyone more than two ranks below you cannot breathe without your permission.
Wrath Made Manifest (S Rank)
You are wrath given form. All physical stats increase the angrier you get, caps at 60%.
{Remark: Meh, rip-off Escanor}
…
Zero calculated Zeldris's total boosts. With everything active, he was SS-ranked. With only his ability, SS-ranked. With only Wrath mode, still S-Ranked.
Zeke, meanwhile, was only S-Rank total. Best move: copy a high damage-dealing ability.
Praise be to magic power.
His stat distribution had fought against his perceived weakness. His magic power ran out against the Minotaur, so he'd increased it. His agility was lacking, so it became his second highest stat.
Now the decision would pay off.
…
"Ugh, you've pissed me off, rat."
A terrifying aura erupted from Zeldris, the air becoming thick and oppressive, pressure bearing down like a physical weight. Yeon buckled under the pressure before steadying herself through will, knees threatening to give way.
Zeke just zoomed toward him, cutting through the atmosphere like a blade through silk.
Zeldris had used Pride King, but Zeke exceeded A Rank.
"Huh?" Shock crossed Zeldris's face, his eyes widening fractionally. This kid was S Rank?
"Trying to compare pride with me? You're unworthy."
Lightning crackled around Zeke as he rushed in, the energy enhancing his physical stats and damage, electricity arcing off his body in wild spirals.
Before he could attack, a lightning bolt shimmering with icy aura hit Zeldris, frost spreading across impact in crystalline webs.
"I told you—I only bow to my parents. Don't use that ability against me." Yeon's voice carried regal authority, her stance radiating defiance, chin lifted.
She'd shaken off Zeldris's trait and attacked with Frozen Lightning—a skill mixing both elements of her innate ability. Unlike regular lightning, it was colder, freezing everything it touched, ice creeping outward from the point of contact.
"Ah, you again. Fighting me is pointless. Withstanding that debuff shouldn't make you cocky—though you did pack a punch." Zeldris's tone dripped condescension.
He walked out of the smoke from Yeon's attack, silhouette emerging like a monster from mist, his massive frame casting long shadows.
BOOM!
A golden aura surrounded Zeldris, light casting sharp shadows as he blitzed toward Zeke, the floor cracking beneath his feet.
"Begone, rat!"
His fist whistled through air, displacement creating a whooshing sound.
Zeldris's punch sent Zeke flying like a rag doll across the room.
Zeke's body caved as he skidded, tasting blood—metallic and warm—before he erected an ice wall to stop himself. The ice formed instantly, sparkling with inner light, surface gleaming like polished diamond.
He turned to Yeon, wiping blood from his mouth, the back of his hand coming away red.
"Does he always talk like that?"
"He's annoying. Even more than you."
"What's the plan?"
Zeke scratched his head, hair disheveled, strands sticking up at odd angles. "Honestly, I thought they were dying." He pointed to the trio, noting their minor injuries. "Now that I see they're fine—especially against someone like him—I think I was irrational."
"Hmph, pussy."
Zeke smiled sheepishly before his face turned serious, expression hardening. "That said, I still want to cave his face in. So what's the plan?"
He walked forward, then turned to Yeon.
"You do you. As for me?"
"It's clobbering time."
A golden aura burst from Zeke, mimicking the power he'd witnessed, energy wrapping around him like liquid flame. He'd copied Zeldris's ability, stolen power flowing through him like liquid fire, burning through his veins.
With him pulling aggro, Yeon could attack from long range, lightning strikes painting the air in brilliant streaks, ozone sharp in the air.
Though, Zeldris's stats eclipsed Zeke's—his base stats plus the boost from his innate ability and wrath form—about 13% now—created a more even field.
The real battle began—two against one, lightning and stolen power against pride incarnate.
Zeldris was able to deal more damage to Zeke, each impact resonating through the room like thunder, shockwaves rippling outward, but as an undying, Zeke traded blows with him. Sometimes even swapping copied abilities for Yeon's ability, disrupting Zeldris's flow and keeping him off balance, electricity crackling between his fingers.
"You cockroach!" Zeldris spat as he gutted Zeke, his frustration finally beginning to show, veins bulging at his temples. Zeke, having copied Yeon's ability, without the boosted stats from Giant's Dominion, found his endurance was not enough to tank hits from a wrath-boosted Zeldris with 24% stat boost as well as Giant Dominion active.
"Oh, you changed my title," Zeke taunted him, blood running down his chin but his grin never wavering, teeth stained red.
"Though a cockroach is smaller than a rat."
"Just how much pride do you have, Temu Escanor?"
Zeke mocked, copying Zeldris's ability as a golden aura burst out from him once more, light flaring.
As they clashed, with each other's fists meeting in impacts that shook the very foundations of the building, concrete dust raining from the ceiling, a booming voice interrupted them.
"Enough!!" The command carried the authority of absolute power, reverberating through the space.
Jae Min said as he entered the simulation room, his presence immediately changing the atmosphere. The very air seemed to grow heavier with his arrival, pressure building.
"Do the people of Avalon think my White Fang weak?" His expression was furious, the carefully controlled mask of diplomacy finally slipping to reveal the predator beneath, eyes blazing.
Zeke, smiling sheepishly, had moved from Zeldris to Yeon's side, recognizing the shift in power dynamics. He then bent towards Yeon's ear, his breath warm against her skin.
"I mean, they are an SS-ranked guild, and you guys are S-Ranked, so…"
He waved his hands in a gesture that managed to be both apologetic and infuriatingly logical.
"Whose side are you on?" The question carried more hurt than anger.
"Hey, I just fought that black guy for you,"
Zeke pouted, his lower lip jutting out in an expression that would have been comical if not for the blood still staining his clothes, dark splotches across fabric.
As Yeon raised her hands to smack him, she saw her father, Jae Min, throw her a death stare that could have frozen lava, his gaze arctic.
That Asian parent stare.
Zeke and Yeon immediately composed themselves, their postures straightening as if pulled by invisible strings, spines snapping rigid.
"Cough cough, no interruptions from this side," Zeke said as he coughed, suddenly finding the floor fascinating.
Yeon growled as if telling him to behave.
"Guildmaster Min, our Avalon guild had come in peace, but your guild members seem to have problems with us, and as the young behave, they choose to settle it in a brawl. It's all children's sparring. We still have a friendly conversation to have, don't we, Guildmaster?" One of the spokespersons walked up to Jae Min, his movements smooth and calculated, each step measured. He wore that snake smile that never reached his eyes and a generic black suit with eyeglasses that reflected the room's light, hiding his true expression, lenses flashing.
Medicated.
Generic.
"Bah, that was not a spar. I wanted to kill him," Zeke shouted from his place, his honesty cutting through the diplomatic pretense like a blade.
All eyes turned to him, looking at him incredulously. The silence that followed was deafening, heavy and absolute.
Can't you tell this is part of the bureaucratic process?
"Tch, I'll leave."
He walked towards the door to leave the room, his footsteps echoing in the sudden quiet, each step deliberate. As he walked away, Yeon gave an apologizing stare to her father, then gave a death glare to the trio, telling them to follow her without needing to speak a word, the command clear in her gaze.
"Can't even say the truth in peace nowadays. His eyes already tell the story—he's a snake. Why believe him? Just beat him down," Zeke muttered as he walked out, his voice carrying just enough volume to ensure everyone heard, words echoing off walls.
His commentary on the situation delivered with the casual brutality of someone who had never learned the art of political speech.
Bam!
Yeon had slapped him at the back of his head, the sound sharp and decisive, palm connecting with skull.
"You—"
"Oh, hey guys, long time. You guys should definitely pick your battles more wisely,"
Zeke had wanted to curse out Yeon until he saw the trio and changed his mind, his expression shifting from irritation to something approaching brotherly affection as he took in their disheveled appearance, noting every bruise and tear.
The trio gave a sheepish smile as they joked and walked out of the room, their earlier defeat momentarily forgotten in the warmth of reunion. Their footsteps echoed down the corridor as they left behind the tension and politics of the simulation room, the sound gradually fading into distance.