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Boasting his strength was Oh Young-seok's unique way of greeting. It meant, 'I am strong, so crawl away on your own.'

When I was recruited into the Phoenix Guild in the past, I couldn't even breathe when faced with that energy.

The energy he let out made Lee Seong-jin and Woo Seol-ah pale.

It was the same for Lee Seo-yoon and Kim Gangsuk.

[Ho! This kind of inner power control! He entered the mature part of the Transcendent Stage.]

'It's not to the point where it becomes unbearable.'

Before the Bone Metamorphosis, I would have been suppressed by his energy, but not now.

As I let his energy flow naturally over me, a strange light flashed in his eyes.

Lee Seo-yoon and Kim Gangsuk seemed a bit surprised, but Kim Gangsuk's status window showed Unwillingness to Acknowledge Defeat.

After Oh Young-seok retracted his energy, he looked between Kim Gangsuk and me and smirked.

"I'm looking forward to the ranking matches tomorrow. Now, let me go take my seat."

Oh Young-seok moved to the VIP seats.

Lee Seo-yoon and Kim Gangsuk bowed their heads once again as he left.

And after he left, Lee Seo-yoon glared at me and said.

"You are quite arrogant for a mere Proby. Is it because you don't know who he is? Or do you just have some big guts?"

"As you can see, I'm a big guy. My guts are naturally bigger than other people’s."

"You have an answer to everything."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"I'll admit you did well, acting calm even after receiving the president's energy. But Mr. Gangsuk also endured it."

I could tell why Unwillingness to Acknowledge Defeat had been displayed in Kim Gangsuk's status window.

"Did I look like I was acting? Are your eyes failing?"

"What did you say?!"

"Manager, you're being too loud."

"Byeong-gi, what the heck are you doing?"

As our voices grew louder and people began to stare, Kim Gangsuk and Lee Seong-jin stepped in to stop us.

Lee Seo-yoon sighed and sat down.

"I want to see if your skills are as great as your wit. Since you're C-Rank, just like Mr. Gangsuk, it would be nice to face each other in the preliminary match tomorrow."

"Are the Ranking Matches a couples matching show? Will we become a pair?"

"Ha! You don't miss a single answer."

"I hate missing."

[That sounds like it should be my line.]

"Manager, if I face him, I just have to show my skills. Calm down."

"Please do so."

Kim Gangsuk calmed Lee Seo-yoon.

Then, he asked me for a handshake. It seemed like he was asking for a truce, as he was embarrassed now.

Indeed, this guy hated being embarrassed in front of others.

Before my return, he didn't want to be embarrassed about the motel incident, so he covered it up with money.

"Stop arguing like children, and let's introduce ourselves. I'm Kim Gangsuk."

"You already know us. Why should we bother introducing ourselves… and did you wash your hands? I like to keep myself neat and tidy, so I don't shake hands with strangers."

When I spoke informally, he grimaced but soon withdrew his hand with a stiff smile.

"I've put up with it this far, but it looks like you don't have enough manners if you’re going to speak like that at our first meeting. Anyway, I really want to face you tomorrow."

‘It may be the first meeting for you, but not for me.’

When I looked at him with no emotion on my face and remained silent, Kim Gangsuk furrowed his brow.

He returned to his seat and glanced over our guild.

'Look at that bastard.'

Before sitting down, Kim Gangsuk looked at Woo Seol-ah, and 'lust' was briefly displayed on his status window.

"Byeong-gi, why did you do that?”

"Yes. Oppa, this is the first time I've seen you like this."

It would have seemed to them that I was unnecessarily picking a fight with the Phoenix Guild.

"It's not like I had a reason."

There were many reasons, but I couldn't say I was picking a fight over an incident before my regression, so I kept my mouth shut.

Anyway, I was disgusted by Kim Gangsuk's condition.

No matter how much Seol-ah put on makeup to look like an adult, she was a well-known hunter. The world knew that she was a high school girl.

But even before returning, I knew Kim Gangsuk was involved with too many women. He was no different from Choi Yoo-hwan in that regard.

[You really sounded like a gangster. If he had acted like that in front of me, I would have killed him by bursting the veins in his limbs. Kukuku.]

***

On the day of the Proby Ranking Match, the Jangchung Gymnasium was filled with spectators, broadcasting station reporters, and guild officials since early that morning.

Only Seol-ah, Kim Ji-young, and I would compete for our guild.

Yoo Hye-jong and Min Eun-joo had been Awakened for more than two years, so they couldn't participate due to the tournament rules.

[B-Rank is the highest here. Only three people, including Seol-ah in the women's division, are in the B-Rank.]

The Heavenly Demon, who checked the match schedule at the event management headquarters, said.

'There are no A-Rank Awakeners now. F and E-Ranks are the most common.'

[Right. How do the ranking matches play out?]

'They’re divided into men's and women's divisions, with F to C Ranks in a tournament format and above that in a league format. The matches take place in an octagonal ring like a UFC arena. And the winner of each Rank nominates one of the top-ranked participants and challenges them. If there is no challenger, the ranking is determined as is.'

[But I don't know why they divide men and women. If we go hunting, everyone will be equal anyway.]

'It is a sensitive matter. It's better not to mention it.'

[Hmm… The ranking matches are like the Dragon Phoenix Tournament hosted by the Martial Arts Society Alliance.]

'Is it something similar?'

[Looking at this matchup, it seems it’s gone as you intended... not for the other kids, though.]

As the Heavenly Demon said, the rest of my guild was dissatisfied as they checked the rankings.

"Isn't this bracket too mean?"

"It's because of you, Oppa."

"That's right! I heard everything from Seol-ah."

"I don't mind mine….”

They thought this bracket's outcome was because of my actions yesterday. That was because all our opponents belonged to the Phoenix Guild.

Only Kim Ji-young stood there calmly petting the red-dyed Mitchell without any fuss.

"Now, everyone, calm down. It's already been decided, so we can't help it. Let's just focus on the match."

Lee Seong-jin calmed Yoo Hye-jong and Min Eun-joo, who were more agitated than the rest of us.

[So, what are you aiming for?]

'The Phoenix Guild has its eyes on the BnS Vitality Potion. They'll try to bother us somehow in the future.'

[Looking through your memories, I see they are those types of guys.]

'So, I'm thinking of making a show of force through the ranking match. I also wouldn’t mind paying off my debt to Kim Gangsuk.'

[You're saying you will show him your power and not let him pass.]

'They're not the type who would give up so easily, so I need to scare them.'

[Is that why you acted like a gangster yesterday?]

'I wasn't sure if it would actually work.'

After general meeting, Oh Young-seok had convened the presidents of the guild association separately.

They probably gathered because of our monopoly on the BnS Vitality Potion, and because of my provocation, Oh Young-seok must have pulled some strings to change the bracket.

[Association? Are the Management Bureau and the Association different organizations?]

"The Hunter Management Bureau only manages the guilds. Initially, the Association was established to keep the Management Bureau in check."

What the Association did was represent the interests of guilds, mediate disputes between them, and improve the treatment of hunters.

However, unlike the good intentions they started with, the large guilds now almost entirely dominated it, and corruption ran rampant like in any other association.

At the center of it was Oh Young-seok of the Phoenix Guild, the president of the Association.

[By the way, will Ji-young be okay? You said she has little combat experience.]

'I brought Ji-young to give her experience. I wish she could win, but... Seol-ah and I will be enough for our show of force.'

While I talked with the Heavenly Demon, Lee Seong-jin looked at the table and started talking to me.

He was also well aware of the Association's corruption, so he had an uneasy expression.

"Only you don't have the Phoenix Guild as your first opponent."

"Yeah."

"It seems you really made a bad impression yesterday. Manager Lee Seo-yoon must have pulled some strings."

"Those Guild Association guys must have heavy pockets."

"That's right. Anyway, those Association bastards… I think I did well by not joining as you said."

"I don't know why the hell they would do this."

Seol-ah wasn’t used to hunter politics yet, but her look made it clear she found it unreasonable.

"But you're not an easy opponent either, Oppa. I'm not too worried."

"Thank you for thinking like that."

My opponent was a Proby from the Turbo Guild, the fifth largest in the industry. His name was Kim...

[That's a jungler name.]

'Is that a joke?'

[Well, anyway. That man named Oh Yeongseok might be testing you.]

'I think so. Is he telling me to try him? It's ridiculous.'

[I think the same. Let's definitely show our skills this time.]

Seol-ah, thinking I was spacing out again, said sulkily.

"Are you not even nervous in this situation? I don't know what the hell you're thinking about."

"Do you feel pressured by the Phoenix Guild? You're not thinking of losing, are you?"

"The Phoenix Guild's Probies are rookies in title only. It is a known fact there is a difference in combat power even within the same rank."

Like Seol-ah said, the Phoenix Guild members were of a different caliber, even if they were also Probies.

They received full support and systematic training from their guild. Even if they had the same Rank and magic power, there would be a big difference in combat experience between them and Probies belonging to other guilds.

In addition, the person who directly coached and supervised those C-Rank Probies was Oh Young-seok, the top ranker.

For that reason alone, Probies from other guilds felt quite pressured in dealing with the Phoenix Guild.

"Don't worry, just show your skills. I believe both of you. Ji-young, don’t you think so too?"

"I think I can do anything as long as I have Mitchell."

My hair stood on edge when I saw Ji-young pet Mitchell as she quietly answered.

It felt like I was watching the start of a terrifying horror movie.

Seol-ah looked at me with a similarly disconcerted expression.

"Ji-young Unnie, you can't use Mitchell in the match."

"Ehhhhh?"

Ji-young began to tear up.

She didn't know it, but they couldn't use real weapons in their match.

They used a fake weapon with the same weight and shape as their primary weapon.

These were prepared separately for each guild and approved by the match management committee before combat.

"Now, we shouldn't stay here like this. Let's go to the waiting room. There is still time, so we can at least warm up."

"Okay."

The monitors in the waiting room were set up to watch the significant matches, so I decided to move there with Team Seolhwa.

Seong-jin said he would stay in the stadium to check the match's progress.

"Guys, Ji-young Unnie, let's go!"

"Okay."

"Yeah."

At Seol-ah's cheerful attitude, the members of Team Seolhwa all stood up.

Jiggling, jiggling-

“…”

While moving to the waiting room, I ran into Kim Gangsuk preparing for his match.

Of course, Lee Seo-yoon was with him.

"What? Are you giving up?"

As soon as Kim Gangsuk saw me, he picked a fight.

The members of Team Seolhwa frowned, and in particular, Woo Seol-ah made a sour face as Kim Gangsuk blatantly ran his eyes over her body.

His status window was no different from yesterday.

[This guy might be worse than Choi Yoo-hwan.]

'He's asking to get beaten up.'

As I remained silent, Kim Gangsuk continued to provoke me.

"It seems your big guts have grown smaller after looking at the match-ups."

"No. You're just not worth answering."

"Ha, seeing as you can still act cheeky, you must be relaxed. Don't get nervous and slip up. See you in the next round."

I didn't know where the hell that confidence came from.

"Don't worry about me. You should worry about yourself."

He responded by raising his thumb and pretending to slit his throat.

'Does this bastard suffer from being a chūnibyō?'

As his match approached, Lee Seo-yoon urged Kim Gangsuk to move.

"Mr. Gangsuk, please focus only on the match."

She grimaced upon seeing me, but now she seemed to concentrate only on Kim Gangsuk's match.

She was wearing large glasses, but they were no ordinary glasses.

They were equipped with a tiny camera that could record and transmit the match and check the magic power level of the Probies involved.

It was an object being researched by the Phoenix Guild, and to put it simply, it served the same purpose as the 'Scouter' from the 'Dragon Ball' manga. Hunters in Japan had already begun using it, but Korea was still in the process of commercializing it.

"What are those glasses? Are you using them to fix your rotten eyes?"

When I targeted Lee Seo-yoon, who had been quiet, Kim Gangsuk became flustered and furious.

"I've had enough of this! Apologize to the manager immediately."

He was the one who provoked me first today, but he seemed troubled when I involved Lee Seo-yoon.

"Mr. Gangsuk! He is not worth dealing with."

Lee Seo-yoon restrained Kim Gangsuk and glared at me.

"I can't wait to see if you can still move that cheeky tongue after the match."

"I will repay you with results."

Lee Seo-yoon's eyes grew wide and fierce as she hurried into the arena with Kim Gangsuk without replying.

"I don't like him."

"Only his face is handsome, and he acts like a gangster."

"Byeong-gi Oppa sounded more like a gangster to me."

When they disappeared, Yoo Hye-jong and Min Eun-joo began chatting.

After that, I could make out Kim Ji-young's softer voice, but the others didn't appear to be paying attention to her.

Seol-ah quivered slightly, then she encouraged the group onward with a jovial expression.

"Ignore them. Let's go to the waiting room quickly. And Oppa, I hope you give that guy a good beating."

"You mean I should win?"

"Explode him good!"

"Huh? Explode what?"

"Nothing. Let's go."

"I think I know what she means."

Ji-young spoke quietly again, but her voice was drowned out by the crowd's cheers announcing the start of the match.

Finally, the curtain rose for the start of the Proby Ranking Match.