At that time, the top 1 percent of hunters were still busy fighting among themselves.
They had not reached any agreement.
Because of that, some people had room to grow.
"I don't care about that, Alex, as long as you have something to do. Just don't do it half-heartedly.
Do the best you can," Luca said.
"Of course, Mom. Don't worry.
You know me. If I decide to do something, I will make my way to the top," Alex said.
Luca transferred the money to his account, then left him alone.
'I should call Sis.
Mom only said I can't make my own guild, but if it is my sister, there should not be a problem,' he thought.
Alex had a few friends from college and high school who became hunters.
However, after graduating, he barely stayed in contact with them.
He needed someone he could trust to handle the guild.
He planned to fake many of the items they had brought back from the dungeon.
He also needed people inside the Dungeon Association who could help manipulate the information.
As the phone started connecting, Alex said, "Sis, are you busy?"
He heard ragged breathing from the other side.
"Just... say what you want," Emily answered.
He wanted to ask about her situation, but he knew Emily would only get annoyed.
After that incident, her personality changed completely. She became cold and spoke harshly, and Alex got used to it.
"What hunter rank are you now?" he asked.
Emily felt it was strange. Alex usually never cared about her rank.
But she was in the middle of something and did not have the space to think about it.
BANG.
BOOM.
Alex heard explosions through the phone.
"Just what are you doing, Emily? If you're busy, I can call again later," he said.
BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
KA-BOOM.
He heard machine guns firing in bursts, then a big explosion.
The connection turned to static for a moment, then cut off.
Alex stared at his phone screen with a raised eyebrow. Worry filled his eyes.
'Just what is she doing?' he thought. Different scenarios went through his mind, and each made him more nervous.
He was about to call the Hunter Association to ask for Emily's location when his phone rang again.
"Sis, are you alright?" Alex asked quickly.
Heavy breathing came from the other end, followed by a long sigh.
"I'm fine. I'm just doing some stupid cheap mission that is not worth the pay.
I'm still a two-star hunter. You know it is insanely hard to raise our rank, right?" she said.
Alex was surprised. He had heard about the difficulty before, but he thought it was just a rumor.
His sister had an S-grade ability, and it had been five years.
In his mind, she should have at least reached three-star by now.
"Well, I need a guild. I planned to make it myself, but Mom forbade it.
You know how she is after that day. So I was thinking of you being the one to establish it," he said.
"You what?" Emily laughed, as if she did not trust her ears.
"You're saying you want to build a guild? You, who always spent all day at home reading novels and playing games?"
She expected Alex to laugh along with her. But when he stayed silent, she added, "You're not joking?"
"I am serious. Why would I joke about something like that, Emily?" Alex said.
He felt wronged. Everyone acted like he had never done anything serious.
"And why would you be serious about that? I know you, Alex.
You just love wasting away at home all day. So tell me, why do you suddenly want a guild?" she asked.
Alex then told her what had happened. He changed the story in advance to hide the part about him getting the system.
He did that because he did not want the hassle of convincing Emily he was not lying.
Even in a world filled with superpowers, the idea of a "system" that usually only appeared in novels and anime would not be taken seriously.
"So, who is this Faerith? Do you like her?
I never knew you were into older women," Emily said with a chuckle.
"I told you, I am doing this because of the artifact she is researching.
I am sure it will bring our family to new heights," Alex said.
"Yeah, yeah. And the artifact you are talking about has shown no results until now, right?
Who are you trying to fool, my dear older brother?
"There are tons of artifacts with no results.
Each one is claimed to have a lot of potential, and you know that none of them give results.
"In the past, I already told you to use your abilities to help with the guild, but you kept making excuses.
"At first, I thought you were just coping with the incident.
But after five years, I realized you are just being lazy, Alex."
"Hey, you say it like I did not miss Dad at all," Alex said back.
"Hmph. And?
You don't need to mince words with me like with Mom, Alex. I know you think he is already dead," Emily said.
Alex sighed.
"You know why. My ability makes me think everything is based on data, and the highest probability is..." he started.
Emily cut him off with a stern tone.
"Shut it. I am not stupid.
I know."
"But just like Dad, who also had abilities related to his brain, he should have known if things became problematic.
The other guild members were not weaklings either," Alex said.
In the Suzaku Guild, his father had recruited two three-star hunters with SS-rank abilities.
The only other possibility was that they had somehow entered a portal and got stuck inside.
Alex had never shared this thought with his sister or his mom.
He was afraid they would recklessly rush into some portal.
"Let's not talk about that. I also hope Dad survived.
So, what do you think about my offer?" he asked.
"We need another hunter to be the face of our guild, Alex.
If the Campbell group decides to create a new one after the Suzaku incident, we cannot do it half-heartedly.
If only a two-star hunter like me is inside, it will give us bad publicity, you know," Emily said.