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Evan, the three-meter-tall Director of the Hunter Bureau, sat in his office working through some documents. His massive frame made the reinforced furniture look normal-sized, and his expression was focused on the paperwork before him.
BANG!
"Director!!"
Joseph pushed open the door quickly, looking anxious and out of breath.
"What's so important that you need to barge into my office like this, Joseph?" Evan looked up, furrowing his brow.
"Sorry for the commotion, Director." Joseph hurried to close the door behind him. "It's regarding Ren Hector. No, it should be Hunter Nox now."
"Huh? What about that mannerless guy now?"
"They ranked up."
"What? Rank up?" Evan asked, setting down his pen.
"The hunters that he cured. Our employees."
Joseph took a deep breath before continuing. "One C-rank became B-rank, and E-rank became C-rank. Even B-rank became A-rank."
"What!!!"
"The patients that Nox cured that day have all advanced by one rank!"
Evan's eyes widened in shock. The implications of such power were staggering. A hunter who could force rank advancement was beyond dangerous—it was world-changing.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, at the tomb of the Skin God, the team found themselves in a much more dire situation.
"We're screwed now! It's gonna follow and kill us!" Old Hans cried in despair, his hands shaking as he stared at the empty space where the Avatar had stood.
"Shut up!" Henry snapped. "If you have time to whine, then advance to S-rank now! The combat power will be more, and we'll have a chance. Even a slim chance is better than none."
Old Hans's face darkened. The weight of what Henry was suggesting hung heavy in the air.
"So it has come to this, huh?" Hans said quietly. "Very well."
"Stop!" Ren suddenly shouted.
"Huh?" Everyone looked at him questioningly.
"Henry, come with me for a sec."
He then dragged Henry away from the group.
"What's that about?" Sarah asked, watching them go.
"Probably strategy," Irene said quietly.
When they were far enough away, Ren turned to Henry.
"Hey Henry, do you trust me?"
"Huh? If you asked, of course I trust you. We hit it off as best friends, right?"
Ren thought to himself, This guy is definitely a good guy. I'm kinda touched right now.
"Yes, we are best friends. So I'm going to tell you another one of my secrets. But if you spill this, I will hunt you down to the end of the earth, okay?"
"Huh, okay. Mouth zipped. But why would you stop Hans from advancing now? It could give us maybe 5% more chance. If we combine the four of us including Sarah, it should be 20%."
"No, that's an unnecessary risk." Ren thought, If he died while advancing, I'm screwed.
"What if I say that I can make you a Challenger right now?"
"Huh? What did you just say!!!!"
"Shut up and listen."
Henry shut up immediately.
"I can make people on the brink of death advance to the next rank, but it can only be used once per person. And their mind must be heavily damaged, on the brink of madness too."
Henry swallowed his saliva, processing the implications.
"I understand now why you want this to be a secret. It would get even Legendary-rank hunters' attention."
"Thank you for trusting me with this. I agree to keep it secret."
"Huh? You're not scared of dying at all?"
"Why do I need to be scared? We got Nox, the famous Hollow Doctor, here after all."
"Pfft," Ren laughed. "Thanks, Henry. I needed that."
"Anytime, pal."
"But before you rank me up, may I advance first?"
"Huh? You can advance to Challenger rank? You sneaky bastard!"
"Yeah, but if I advance now, there will be a huge commotion in the news. I've just been an S-rank hunter for three years, after all, so I've been suppressing it for now."
"I hate too much attention, you know? I used my real name and face, so there will be people following me everywhere. It's a pain in the ass."
"But now that our lives are at risk, I guess I have to do it."
"Alright, bro. Go show that Avatar what a real Challenger can do. Good luck." Ren patted Henry's shoulder with a grin.
Henry then walked to an open space. Suddenly, white aura appeared around his body, swirling like mist made of pure energy.
In the white aura, there were chains—ten of them—connecting to Henry's body like shackles binding his power.
"Oh, great Moon Goddess, please unlock my seal!"
He then transformed into his werewolf form and began to use his raw power to rip off the chains. His muscles bulged with supernatural strength as he grabbed the ethereal bindings.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. And ten.
All the chains broke with sounds like thunder.
Then a white interface suddenly appeared before Ren. He recognized it—it was from the goddess, the world system.
[World System Notification]
A new Challenger has been born near you.
The previous last-rank Challenger has been demoted.
Let's give a warm welcome to the New Global Ranker
"Huh. It's so grand. Welcome, huh," Ren muttered, staring at the interface.
Henry stood in his werewolf form, power radiating from him like heat from a forge. The transformation was complete—he was no longer just an S-rank hunter. He had become something far more dangerous.
And somewhere in the distance, the Avatar of the Obsidian God was still hunting them.