Chapter: 40
The training hall of the Hunters Bureau echoed with silence as Takeda and Hiroto faced each other. Staff members and hunters crowded along the edges, whispering nervously.
Anya stood with her arms crossed, her face gloomy as she watched Hiroto grin like a child who had just found candy. She muttered to herself, her voice low but heavy.
"That idiot… he'll never learn."
Her gaze shifted to Takeda—the calm, towering figure, the man who stood as one of the Eight Pillars, the only hunters in the world who had reached the legendary rank of SSS. Their names alone carried weight that could silence nations. And here was Hiroto, charging forward as if the gap between them didn't exist.
But still… Hiroto isn't like other SS-rank hunters, she thought. Among them, he's already considered the strongest. He just doesn't care about fame, or power, or titles. He's different… but Takeda is on another level entirely.
She let out a sharp breath and muttered again,
"That idiot will never learn."
"Takeda-san!" Hiroto roared, his golden eyes blazing. "This time—I won't lose!"
With an explosive burst of mana, Hiroto shot forward like lightning, his blades flashing, his fists swinging with a speed that shook the ground beneath him. Hunters gasped at the sheer power behind each strike.
But Takeda didn't flinch.
He didn't even move his feet. His eyes tracked Hiroto with effortless calm, his body tilting ever so slightly, dodging every strike as though Hiroto's full speed was no faster than a child's swing.
And then..
BOOM!
Takeda's fist shot forward once, faster than the eye could follow. The impact sent a shockwave through the hall. Hiroto's eyes widened as blood spilled from his lips, and his body was launched across the arena, crashing into the far wall with a thunderous crack.
Gasps filled the room.
"Idiot," Anya sighed, tapping her forehead in frustration.
Hiroto groaned, clutching his stomach, but instead of sulking he screamed dramatically, tears practically flying from his eyes.
"Noooo! Not again! Takeda-san! Why do you always do this to meee?!"
Takeda chuckled softly, his deep voice carrying through the room.
"Still weak."
The crowd held their breath. That was all it took...just one punch.
But Takeda's gaze softened as he looked at Hiroto, his tone gentler this time.
"…But you've gotten stronger. Much stronger than before."
Hiroto's eyes lit up instantly. He leapt to his feet as if nothing had happened, a huge smile spreading across his face.
"Ehhhh? Really?! I knew it! I knew it, Takeda-san! Now all I need is to raid more dungeons, and then I'll be even stronger! Just you wait, next time I'll—"
WHAM!
Anya stormed into the training ground, her face red with fury. She kicked Hiroto so hard in the back that he tumbled face-first into the floor, his arms flailing.
"You never learn, idiot!" she screamed, her voice echoing across the hall. "You can't reach him....he's one of the Eight Pillars, you dumbass!"
Hiroto's muffled cry came from the ground,
"Mffffhh Anya-san! Why are you so cruel to meee?!"
Takeda laughed softly, shaking his head, while the onlookers struggled to hold in their laughter. The contrast between Hiroto's childish antics and Takeda's overwhelming strength left the entire Bureau buzzing.