In just a few short breaths, Ed's strength had surged from that of a mid-tier Silver Hunter to a low-tier Gold Hunter—a transformation that left everyone present utterly stunned.

City Lord Gavin of Dorey City, who had just been helped to his feet by Andrew, nearly stumbled and fell again from sheer shock.

His eyes widened as he stared dead at Ed, his mind racing through everything he had said to him back at the city gates, and just moments ago, when he had nearly kicked Ed out of the banquet hall.

If he had driven Ed away… Gavin felt like he might die of regret right now.

He carefully kept his eyes on Ed while trying his best to shrink into the background, praying that Ed wouldn't notice him or recall the things he had said earlier.

Beside him, Andrew was in such a state of shock he could barely comprehend what he was seeing. Was this really the same Ed he had mocked and belittled?

Andrew wasn't stupid—he knew very clearly that at this point, all their hope rested on Ed.

Noticing his father trying to disappear into the background, Andrew didn't hesitate. He followed Gavin inch by inch, trying to slip quietly into a distant corner.

Meanwhile, for Karot—writhing in agony from the conversion rod—Ed's sudden transformation was the most unbearable of all.

He stared at Ed, for a moment even forgetting to breathe, forgetting the pain in his body. His mouth hung open, eyes filled with disbelief and terror.

Karot repeated to himself over and over: "No… no, that's impossible! How could you be stronger than me? You even reached the same level as Master Arya—you became a Gold-level Hunter?!"

"This can't be happening!"

Hearing Karot's voice, Ed glanced down, then casually kicked the conversion rod deeper into Karot's body.

The momentary pause in Karot's screaming ended. A fresh wave of blood-curdling shrieks rang out as his strength began to regress rapidly—from a Silver-level Hunter down to a high-tier Black Iron Hunter.

Listening to the screams beside him, Ed actually felt much better.

He took a deep breath, tightened his grip on his steel sword, and walked toward the place where the Morton Family's guards were stationed. Standing at the front, he faced Vil directly.

Then, Ed turned his head to look at the still-dazed Finniel Morton, Eng, and the other Morton Family guards, and said firmly:

"I'll take the place of the missing Gold-level Hunter."

Eng licked his dry lips. The shocks Ed had delivered were piling up far too fast. Not only had he uncovered the hidden danger inside Dorey City, but he had nearly uncovered the full truth behind it all.

If it hadn't been for Arya's interference, none of this might've escalated to what they were facing now.

At the most critical moment—when they lacked the power of a Gold-level Hunter—it was once again Ed who stepped forward, breaking through from Silver-level to Gold-level Hunter strength.

No one knew how he had done it, but one thing was certain: the tide was starting to turn. There was still hope—they might yet overcome this crisis.

As for Finniel Morton, too weak to stand on her own, she was being supported in the rear. Her beautiful eyes had never left Ed.

She instinctively whispered Ed's name under her breath.

Clearly, the sight of a young man standing up in the darkest, most hopeless moment—facing everything alone and bringing hope to everyone—had left a profound impact on Finniel's heart.

No matter how today ended, she would never forget the image of Ed, standing at the front, sword in hand, unwavering and unafraid.

"Hunters, draw your swords!"

The voice of Jade, captain of the Blackstone Team, rang out suddenly. He had drawn his steel sword from his storage pouch and swiftly stepped up beside Ed, standing firm without a hint of fear.

Ed glanced at Jade and gave him a silent nod. Then, taking a deep breath, he shouted:

"A Hunter never dies barehanded! In this fight—we stake our lives!"

If they didn't fight, they would die. Even without weapons, they would fight.

With Ed leading the way, the Hunters who had moments ago been panicked and afraid suddenly realized the truth of their situation—now was the time to follow Ed and fight together.

When people are pushed into absolute despair, it's easiest to give up. But as long as there's even a flicker of hope, courage will rise, and they will fight with everything they have.

And now, Ed had become that flicker of hope for everyone present—whether it was the upper class of Dorey City or the countless residents outside who had been turned into rats.

Everyone was watching Ed—this young Hunter who, with nothing but his own strength, had shifted the tide and brought light into the darkness.

Faced with this, the joy and confidence on Vil's face began to fade. He furrowed his brows tightly and looked at Ed with growing frustration.

He slowly said:

"Ed, you've disrupted the performance. I'll give you one more chance. I can let you walk away."

"The script has already been written. I don't want to change it now—it would throw off too many of my plans. You can even take a few people with you. I won't stop you."

Hearing Vil's words, many of the upper-class citizens, Hunters, and even the Dorey City residents who had been turned into rats looked at Ed with uncertainty. That faint sense of despair that had begun to fade started to creep back in.

If Ed agreed—if he nodded—he could leave safely. He could even take others with him.

Faced with a choice like this, most people would have accepted Vil's offer without hesitation. Many were now gripped by fear—afraid that Ed might actually agree.

Under countless watchful eyes, Ed gave a small smile and said:

"Vil, rather than walking away—I'd rather kill you."

Vil raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Oh? Why's that? I don't believe I've ever harmed you personally. Back in the cave, none of the people who died were your friends. So what exactly have I done to earn your hatred?"

Ed took a deep breath. He glanced at the steel sword in his hand, then at Karot, still writhing on the floor in agony, and finally at City Lord Gavin, who was desperately trying to hide in the shadows.

In this banquet hall stood people of all kinds—Arya, the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association's leader, who had sold innocents into slavery without a flicker of guilt; Reve, who colluded with the City Lord's mansion, lured monsters for profit, and aimed to wipe out all of Dorey City.

The world of Hunters was dangerous—filled with monsters, conflict, deadly moonlight, and countless unknown threats.

Ed had walked through life and death, and he understood this world well. Yet even so, deep down, he couldn't accept that the world was supposed to be this way.

There shouldn't be monsters that prey on humans. There shouldn't be villages wiped out in bloody massacres. There shouldn't be children like Alice, who died in such brutal, hopeless ways…

As he thought of all this, it felt as if something was lodged in Ed's chest, choking him.

He took another breath and answered firmly:

"I want to kill you—not for anyone else, but for myself."

"I'm not a good person. If someone wrongs me, I'll make them pay. If someone hurts me, I'll do everything in my power to destroy them."

"I don't care about reputation, or being a hero. I care about the fact that killing you will make me feel a whole lot better."

"This world shouldn't be like this. And monsters like you shouldn't exist. So no—I'm not leaving. I'm going to kill you."

Silence. Absolute silence.

The crowd in the banquet hall was stunned into stillness by Ed's words.

They had never heard a reason like that before. But in this moment, that answer—simple, raw, unfiltered—felt far more powerful and real than anything noble like "justice" or "for humanity."

Finniel Morton, the daughter of the mighty Morton Family, stood in the back staring at Ed's back in a daze. She hadn't expected that kind of response either.

There was no grand rhetoric. No grandiose ideals.

He simply felt like the world shouldn't be this way—and he was going to do something about it.

So Ed did.

Vil, the monster, was momentarily stunned after hearing Ed's reply—because he could hear in Ed's words a deep rejection of the world as it was.

Vil sneered and said, "This is the way the world is—filled with danger, death, and filth. You can't change that, Ed. But I'll remember you… a madman even crazier than I am."

In the next instant, Duke Morton's throat suddenly burst open, and several pale, serpent-like creatures slithered out from the torn flesh. The thickest of them took the place of Duke Morton's head.

At that moment, Duke Morton's upper body resembled a grotesque white chrysanthemum in full bloom—only the petals were long, writhing white serpents, a sight that was both repulsive and horrifying.

Without a moment of hesitation, Ed gripped his sword tightly, launched himself forward with explosive force, and shot toward the creature Vil like an arrow.

At the same time, the Morton Family's guards, Blackstone Team's captain Jade, and the other Hunters present all joined the battle.

Eng led the other three Morton Family guards against Arya, the harpy, Reve, and the swarms of red-eyed crows.

Meanwhile, the other Hunters began fighting the wave of creatures pouring in from outside—black-skinned, red-eyed rats the size of wild dogs.

These were Piper's reinforcements.

Ed swung his steel sword with all his strength, striking one of the white serpentine creatures. Sparks erupted as the blade clashed with its scaly flesh.

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