Chapter 36
The dungeon boss's body had just scattered into ash and light. Silence filled the chamber for a moment only broken by Hiroto's loud, dramatic sigh.
He dropped onto the broken floor, clutching his daggers like he had just finished a morning jog. Then, with a pout, he cried out:
Ehhh!
"Ahhhhhh! I went too hard again!"
The other hunters blinked in disbelief.
Hiroto threw his arms up and stomped one foot like a child. "I wanted to bring back a specimen for Takeda-san! You know, to show him I'm getting stronger! But noo… I destroyed the poor bug completely!"
He turned toward Anya, eyes watery like a child on the verge of tears. "Anyaaa, I worked so hard… now Takeda-san will never know I'm improving!"
The guild members stared. The man who just single-handedly obliterated a dungeon boss was crying like a kid who lost his toy.
Anya's lips twitched. Her eyes narrowed, veins throbbing on her temple. "Shut. Up."
Before Hiroto could blink, her fist smashed into his face with enough force to send him flying across the cavern.
"GYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Hiroto's scream echoed as he tumbled into a pile of rubble, clutching his nose. "OUCHHHHH! Anya-san, why do you always hit meee?! My noooose!"
The other hunters couldn't stop themselves they burst out laughing, their fear of Hiroto replaced by secondhand embarrassment.
But their laughter ended when the cavern began to shake violently.
CRRRRACK—BOOM!
The walls split. Dust poured from the ceiling. The dungeon itself was collapsing.
"Damn it! Everyone, move!" Anya barked.
They ran as the walls crumbled behind them. Hiroto, still clutching his nose, whined while sprinting, "It's all your fault, Anyaaa! My beautiful faceeee!"
"SHUT UP AND RUN!" she screamed back, punching him in the head mid-sprint.
By some miracle, the entire party made it out before the dungeon fully collapsed.
The officers of the Hunter Bureau were already waiting. They expected heavy casualties, maybe even retreat requests. But instead…
The Obsidian Fang guild emerged without a single scratch.
The bureau officers gawked. "That was… too fast. It ended already?"
Anya walked behind Hiroto, her expression calm but her voice inside whispering her true thoughts.
Although he's cocky, loud, and an absolute show-off… Hiroto-san might just be the strongest SS-ranked hunter in Japan. Just behind Takeda… the SSS-ranked legend himself.
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
But then Hiroto turned suddenly, his golden eyes sparkling with childish energy. "Anyaaaa-san! Anyaaaa-sab DRINK!!! DRINK!!! Let's go for a drink!!"
He hopped in circles around her, pestering nonstop. "I killed a talking bug! We should celebrate with sake! Drink, drink, drink, drink!"
Her face burned red, both from rage and embarrassment.
"Shut. Up."
BAM!
Her fist slammed into his jaw again, launching Hiroto across the street like a ragdoll.
"GYYYYAAAAAAAHHHH! ANYA-SAAAAANNNNN!" he cried dramatically, tears flying from his face.
The bureau officers froze. "…This… this is the strongest SS rank in Japan?"
The guild members nodded with tired expressions. "Yeah. This is him. Every day...
Far away from the chaos of collapsing dungeons a, Renji walked quietly down a calm street with Choji at his side.
The evening air was cool, the streetlights flickering softly. Lily skipped happily a few steps ahead, humming to herself.
Choji stretched his arms, his keen senses still scanning the area out of habit. Then, with a little smirk, he said, "You know… I still can't believe how you talk to people, Renji."
Renji raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"The Bureau calls you a monster, hunters whisper about you in fear…" Choji looked at him seriously for a moment, then chuckled. "But when I see you? You're just a guy who cracks jokes, eats too much, and teases people like an idiot."
Renji laughed softly, scratching the back of his neck. "What can I say? Life's already heavy enough. No point in acting scary, right?"
Choji smirked, nudging him with an elbow. "Careful, though. With the way you were blushing earlier when that Bureau girl smiled at you, people might think you've gone soft."
Renji's face heated instantly. "H-Hey! Don't bring that up!"
Lily spun around, giggling. "Renji's blushing again!"
Renji groaned, covering his face. "Why is everyone against me today…"
The three of them continued walking under the quiet night sky...