1.21 Am I an SS-Rank Hunter?

Chapter 21

“You will need to keep in mind that your task, at all times, isn’t necessarily to complete the quest. It’s to show the System your ingenuity, your strength, and your dedication. Ruthlessness, for better or for worse, is what seems to be recognized by the System,” I said aloud, watching as Richard practiced with the sword in his hands.

“If I don’t complete the quest, don’t I fail?”

“Tutorial Rifts don’t seem to have a fail condition like the Common Dungeon Rifts. They are tailored to test you, not necessarily to kill you.”

“Then why did so many die?” He scoffed.

I paused at that, noting he had a bit of a point. The System Tutorials were not as brutal as the Common Dungeons, but they certainly weren’t easy. It was like a culling field, cutting away the people that it deemed unworthy.

“Because sometimes, you cut away the atrophied flesh to make sure the organism survives.”

“Sounds like what the military would say,” Richard lowered his sword to look at me, his brows furrowed.

“A broken clock…” I waved my hand. “Gerard is right as well, power is corruption at its finest, and humanity will kill itself over it. Barry is also right, humans need to work together to overcome this. But nothing is ever so damn simple.” My own sword appeared in my hand and I stepped forward, positioning myself across from him. “Humanity is strongest when working together, but its flaws need to be culled, and its edge tempered. Sometimes, people wanting to help in the fight are more detrimental than they are helpful. It would be great if that wasn’t true, if the world worked as we think it should, but just as Death doesn’t care if you are a king or a peasant, neither does Life.”

Richard only stared at me for a moment, his expression cycling through confusion, disappointment, to understanding, and resolve. “Can’t we change things, then?”

“Yes,” I brought my sword up and waved him at me. “But only if you’re strong enough to enact that change.”

Richard nodded and ran at me, his sword clattering against mine with barely any force. I moved slowly, carefully, as I trained him to use the blade. It had been nearly a week since this started, and he was already showing a lot of promise.

I really hoped it would be enough.

***

“So you decided to join us after all? Excellent, I’d hate to see the party split up.” Francis called out to me from across the lobby.

I stood in the center of the ground floor to the corporate office-building for the Paragon Guild Headquarters. It was like being in a high-class hotel. Couches, potted plants, lush carpets accenting the marbled flooring, the whole nine yards.

“Well, I couldn’t let you all be facing monsters without me, could I? You’d all end up dead after the first Dungeon.” We clasped hands as he reached me, and gave the standard manly half hug required of males afraid to truly share their feelings.

“Barry will be ecstatic. He’s in a meeting right now, but he’ll be down in a moment.”

“I hope he isn’t rushing on my account, it’s not like I have anywhere to be. Unemployed, remember?”

“Not for long, though.”

“True that,” I smiled and made a show of looking around. “Quite the set-up you all got going on here. I’m guessing the investors Barry was talking about are some big hitters.”

“Things are truly moving, yeah. We got three rift contracts squared away already, and half a dozen more in the works. There are already four hundred applicants for the guild, and we are having a hell of a time trying to screen them all. Barry doesn’t want people looking for glory, or wealth, but the ones that meet our vision.”

Then why the hell does he want me? I thought, though refused to say out loud. I gave an understanding nod instead.

“Sounds like Barry, already got a plan and all.”

“I just happen to have good people helping me out.”

I looked up to see Barry walking towards us, and elevator doors closing behind him. I was surprised to see he wasn’t alone. A brunette woman in a smartly tailored blazer and pencil skirt walked alongside him. I recognized her immediately, Clara Reedtz, the congresswoman.

Things made more sense to me at that moment, in more ways than one.

Having the political support leveraged by a political official meant a lot for Paragon, and explained how they had made such progress in such little time. Not to mention the high budget they seemed to enjoy.

But more than that, I noticed the powerful aura that Clara was giving off next to Barry. The Paladin was like a raging golden inferno, a force of nature harnessed in an amiable smile and kind heart. Clara, on the other hand, was a wildfire, sweeping and powerful, but controlled and directed for a purpose. Next to each other, their comparative strengths were clear in my [Aura Mastery]

She is Mythic Class, has to be.

It wasn’t really fair to compare someone to Barry, it would always be an impossible bar to reach for almost anyone, besides other Legendary Hunter, or myself. But Clara still gave a good effort, even if she didn’t realize she was.

More than likely, she was subconsciously flexing her Aura just to be able to stand so close to the man without losing her breath. And she walked seemingly casually, even if her instincts might be screaming at her.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Or maybe it’s me?

I checked my own Aura, making sure I was holding it back. With my skill, I had enough practice to contain my power and hide it, making even people’s natural instincts unable to truly gauge my strength. Before the skill, I’m sure I had been a walking nightmare for everyone for weeks. Which might have been why Lucilla hadn’t been completely fooled by my lies, and why Barry was so insistent I was more powerful than I seemed.

There was so much I didn’t know I had to hide. But I was doing better.

“Hey Barry!” I called out cheerfully, a smile on my face doing its best to match the Paladin’s.

“Sorry we kept you waiting, there’s a lot of logistics that goes into running a Guild that I hadn’t really thought about. Ms. Reedtz has been helping us.” He turned to Clara. “This is Adam Pierce, he’s one of the other Hunters that were in the Missouri facility with us. Adam, this is—”

“Clara Reedtz,” I held out my hand. “I’m aware of you, and your outspoken support for the Rift Hunters. Thank you for that.”

“Good to meet you Mr. Pierce,” she accepted my hand, squeezing with a delicate care that hid her ability. “Please accept my condolences for your brother.”

The corner of my lips twitched slightly, almost making me lose my face. I recovered almost instantly, but I doubted that I had managed to hide it from her as she pulled her hand away quickly and offered a well practiced political smile.