Chapter 142: He awaits you

The last time Adam had checked, Kai was still hovering around D-rank. His performance during the previous raid, when the unexpected appearance of that mantis had forced him into battle, had made that much clear.

There had been no swift executions back then, either. Although Kai hadn’t struggled particularly hard, his strength had only been marginally greater than the monster he had killed.

Compared to that time, the Kai standing before him now belonged to an entirely different league.

’Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say he’s surpassed every league.’

Adam wasn’t wrong about his assessment of Kai. The young hunter was undoubtedly someone worth investing his time and resources in. In fact, he couldn’t imagine any hunter, not even the most accomplished ones across the world, capable of butchering sixteen high-ranking training bots within a single minute, especially when those machines had been pushed into killing mode.

It was simply absurd. Yet there he was, witnessing the entire spectacle with his own eyes.

"Is there anything better than these?" Kai asked after beheading the last remaining bot.

Adam offered a faint smile, though there was little to hide the defeat in his expression.

"I apologize, Hunter, but these were our best."

Kai hummed in response before checking the timer. He had been given five minutes of enhancement, yet barely seventy seconds had passed.

’Can I turn it off and use the remaining time later?’ he asked the system.

[Indeed, Host.]

Satisfied with the response, Kai immediately deactivated Berserk. The change was almost instantaneous.

It felt as though two enormous dumbbells had suddenly been strapped to his shoulders, weighing him down and making even the simplest movements feel laborious.

His body hadn’t merely become sluggish. Compared to the monstrous speed and strength he had possessed moments ago, he now felt almost pathetically slow and weak.

[Host, for immediate recovery, it is recommended that you consume a potion.]

Kai sighed. He couldn’t afford to let the others notice his sudden change in condition and draw the wrong conclusions.

Without making it obvious, he purchased a potion, slipped his hand into his pocket, and casually brought the vial to his lips.

"Hmm?" Adam hummed, noticing the movement, but chose not to question him.

Hannah, meanwhile, was far too stunned by what she had witnessed to pay attention to anything else, let alone the small vial in Kai’s hand.

Instead, she stepped closer and looked at him with undisguised amazement.

"I honestly don’t understand how no one noticed you or tried to recruit you before this."

Kai chuckled faintly. "Well, Sir Adam is certainly trying to."

Adam didn’t bother commenting on that. Instead, he replied, "I believe there simply wasn’t anything worth Hunter Kai’s attention in the first place."

With that, he shook his head and switched off the terminal.

Just then, his phone rang. After glancing at the caller ID, Adam excused himself and stepped away to take the call.

Left alone with Kai, Hannah decided it was the right opportunity to say what she had come here for in the first place.

She suddenly bowed, catching him completely off guard.

"Back then, thank you for saving my life. I wanted to help you, but I only ended up becoming a burden instead."

Kai looked somewhat flustered by her gesture.

"It’s fine. You don’t need to bow for that."

Hannah slowly straightened and looked at him with a hint of hesitation before asking, "Hunter Kai, would you be willing to spar with me sometime?"

Kai scratched his cheek, unsure how to respond. "I can’t make any promises, but..."

He abruptly stopped talking and suddenly reached out and pulled Hannah towards him.

His Void Sword flashed, piercing through a crawling bot that had approached from behind. Apparently, one of the machines was still operational and had been preparing to attack her when Kai intervened.

Hannah’s face turned slightly red as she gradually stepped away from him.

"Thank you for this as well. And don’t worry if you don’t have the time. We can always fight together if the opportunity arises."

Kai nodded, and the two exchanged a handshake before Hannah finally walked away.

Truthfully, his experiences during his early days as a hunter hadn’t exactly been pleasant. Back when he was struggling to make ends meet and barely had the strength to protect himself, he had encountered far too many arrogant D-rank hunters.

Their condescending attitudes and tendency to look down on anyone weaker than themselves had gradually shaped his perception of powerful warriors.

He had come to believe that the stronger someone became, the more likely they were to grow arrogant and unpleasant.

Meeting Hannah had changed that perception, at least a little.

Once Hannah had left, Kai took out his phone and dialled Jean’s number.

After a few rings, she picked up.

"Hey. How did it go?"

Kai shrugged, even though she couldn’t see him. "Well, the training ended earlier than expected. I’m going to meet the Vice-Chairman now, and then I’ll head back."

"...Oh."

Her brief response reminded Kai of something he had almost forgotten.

Right. Daniel was Jean’s former fiancé.

Kai couldn’t help but smile faintly. "Is there anything you want to say?"

"Nothing. I’ve only met the man twice, so I doubt he even remembers me."

Kai hummed in response, deciding not to press the matter. Instead, he changed the subject.

"How’s Elli doing now?"

"Back to her little adventures. I checked her oxygen levels, and everything seems fine."

Kai let out a quiet sigh of relief. Elli had seemed somewhat sluggish that morning, although it hadn’t been anything particularly unusual. Still, considering everything that had happened the previous day, he was glad to know she was back to her usual energetic self.

"That’s good."

A short while later, Kai spotted Adam approaching from a distance.

"I’ll be back in an hour. Bye."

He ended the call and slipped his phone into his pocket. Adam arrived beside him moments later.

"He’s waiting for you," the man informed him.

°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.