Ed managed to wipe out such a terrifying swarm of ants so effortlessly!
For a moment, Alex's gaze towards Ed shifted several times.
Could this guy really be a young, inexperienced Hunter?
Thomas was also ecstatic, unable to hold back as he asked Ed:
"Brother Ed, please forgive me for asking, but how do you know so much? You're amazing!"
Ed smiled slightly, casually brushing it off: "I have an old Hunter among my family elders."
"I grew up following him around and picked up a few things."
Upon hearing this, the people around them paused in surprise.
So, it was knowledge passed down from an elder!
Instantly, Alex's earlier look of arrogance and disdain nearly vanished.
Instead, he became much more polite towards Ed.
"Ah, I see. Our team is really lucky to have someone as capable as you, Brother Ed!" Alex said with a smile.
Ed didn't bother listening to the flattery and urged them:
"Alright, now that all the Red Poison Ants are paralyzed, let's go up and finish them off, and collect their bodies!"
"The effect of the Ringbell Herb is temporary. Once the scent fades, these Red Poison Ants will slowly recover!"
Upon hearing this, Thomas immediately drew his steel sword and charged forward!
Alex and Lucas also followed, drawing their swords as they eagerly rushed in to begin slaying the Red Poison Ants!
The Red Poison Ants on the ground didn't struggle at all, allowing the three of them to easily cut them down at will!
Such a scene sent shockwaves through the entire viewing arena!
"Damn, so that's what they were doing all this time, not wasting time after all!"
"What did they throw? How could it be so powerful?"
"My God, I never expected these terrifying Red Poison Ants to be completely subdued like this!"
As countless spectators widened their eyes in awe and excitement, commenting in shock...
Jason, who should have been commentating, was stunned in his seat for quite a while.
No way... did these people actually have something?
Meanwhile, the association leaders in the VIP section let out a collective sigh of relief, their expressions filled with amazement.
"As expected!"
There was no doubt that Ed was fully knowledgeable about the Red Poison Ants!
Not only did he understand them, but he also knew exactly how to deal with them!
At that moment, the association heads in the VIP section looked at Ed with new respect.
Their desire to recruit him had grown even stronger!
However, Reve, who had remained silent up until now, glanced at them and then smiled:
"Is it really that impressive? It was just a bunch of Red Poison Ants—low-level C-class monsters. In my opinion, there's nothing to be surprised about."
Reve chuckled and added, "This level of skill is barely enough to qualify someone for entry into our association!"
The other association members glared at Reve, silently cursing him in their minds.
Damn it, this old man is acting all smug, but deep down, he knows Ed is a real talent!
In fact, Reve did feel a certain level of admiration for Ed, but it wasn't as much as others might think.
After all, Ed wasn't yet a member of their association, and defeating the Red Poison Ants didn't seem like such a remarkable achievement.
Meanwhile, in the audience seats.
Uncle Du and the others were filled with excitement. Viktor couldn't contain his joy and cheered out loud:
"My God, Lord Ed's team just wiped out the Red Poison Ants that even Ivar struggled with! This is incredible!"
"And if I'm not mistaken, it was Lord Ed's idea, right? He's really amazing!"
Iris, too, felt secretly happy for Ed, unable to resist saying, "This guy... maybe he's not as useless as I thought."
She didn't even realize it herself, but perhaps it was Phirna's words that had planted the seed of expectation.
Iris found herself quietly hoping that Ed might truly be the skilled Hunter he claimed to be.
…
Meanwhile, on the screen.
As the others moved forward to finish off the Red Poison Ants, Ed stayed where he was, unmoving.
He reached for his steel sword and, almost imperceptibly, glanced over at Ivar and his team not far away.
"This group of guys hasn't left yet..." Ed muttered quietly.
At that moment, Ivar and his team were watching Thomas and the others, furiously cutting down the Red Poison Ants!
Ivar's heart was filled with disbelief, his face twisted in frustration.
From behind, his teammates exclaimed:
"Captain! Those damn guys actually took down the entire Red Poison Ant nest!"
"And they didn't even pay a price for it!"
All of them were wounded, with pain still lingering, and they had come away with nothing!
In contrast, the bitterness inside them reached its peak!
Every one of them was unable to accept it.
Only Ivar's face turned cold as ice: "Prepare to make a move."
His teammates were taken aback. "Hmm? Make a move? Captain, what do you mean?"
Ivar coldly turned around: "What do you think? This Red Poison Ant nest was supposed to be ours!"
"Since these guys took care of the ants, it's only right that we take care of them!"
As Ivar spoke, a cruel smile spread across his face.
The rules didn't state that participants couldn't compete for spoils.
Since there were no such regulations, then it was fair game!
His teammates immediately caught on, smiles appearing on their faces. They were all ready for action.
"Right! We should kill them and take the points for the Red Poison Ants for ourselves!"
Ivar licked his lips: "Well said. If we pull this off, when the competition is over, I'll add an extra 10% to your rewards!"
"Now, follow me! Watch my move!"
Alex and the others had already made quick work of things. Compared to actual combat, cleaning up a bunch of motionless Red Poison Ants was almost too easy!
And they were in high spirits, clearly enjoying the process.
Soon, all the Red Poison Ants were taken care of! Thomas pulled out a storage cloth bag.
Since he was too lazy to cut off the heads of each of the ants, he simply stuffed the bodies into the bag.
Just as they were finishing up, suddenly, Ivar and his team walked up to them:
"Hey, quite the haul here! I didn't expect you guys to handle those troublesome Red Poison Ants so easily! I'm really impressed!"
Ivar spoke with a broad smile as he approached.
"Ivar?" Alex exclaimed in surprise.
He had just finished off the last of the Red Poison Ants and was about to sheathe his sword, but his movements froze the moment he saw Ivar!
His guard instantly went up.
Ivar, being a well-known figure, was someone Alex understood was not to be trusted easily.
Moreover, they had already suffered at the hands of the Red Poison Ants earlier. Now, with Ivar approaching, it was clear he probably didn't have good intentions!
Beside him, Thomas and Lucas also abruptly stopped their actions, their faces visibly tense.
They shared the same thoughts in their minds!
"Hahaha, no need to be so tense, I don't mean any harm," Ivar chuckled, seemingly noticing Alex's tightly gripped sword.
He quickly shrugged and spoke in a relaxed tone, "I'm here to talk about a potential partnership. May I ask who's the captain of your team?"
Alex stepped forward, "I am."
Ivar continued, "I see your team seems pretty strong. I have an idea—how about we team up? That way, we can kill even more powerful monsters, right?"
Alex was clearly stunned by Ivar's proposition.
He wasn't sure whether to trust him and suspected that this was just a trick by Ivar!
But the problem was, whether he accepted or rejected the offer seemed almost meaningless.
Ivar was far stronger than him, and this guy could simply take what he wanted by force at any time. Alex would have no way of stopping him!
Alex could only force a smile, doing his best to avoid provoking Ivar:
"Haha, Brother Ivar, I've heard so much about you. A weak team like ours doesn't have the right to team up with you."
"I just wanted to know… if we refuse, will you… get angry?"
Alex asked, his tone humble.
Ivar, however, didn't hold back and laughed:
"Apologies, you've really asked the right question. I rarely invite others to join me."
"If you refuse, I might really get angry."
As Ivar spoke, he began to reach behind him, not intending to waste any more words.
He was ready to act and take all the spoils!
However, just as Ivar's hand reached for his sword hilt, Ed suddenly appeared.
"Hey, didn't you see that we just finished cleaning up the prey? According to Hunter rules, if you're an outsider and you don't step back, are you trying to provoke us?"
Ed's expression was cold as he asked, his hand already gripping the steel sword he had unsheathed at some point.
"According to the rules, I give you three seconds to retreat thirty steps. If you don't, we'll take action immediately!"
The moment Ed finished speaking.
Both Ivar and Alex's faces changed drastically, and a shock ran through them.
Alex was stunned because Ed's attitude was so incredibly hostile!
"Does he have no idea who Ivar is? Even if this guy isn't a good person, his strength is undeniable!" Alex thought to himself, feeling a sense of helplessness.
He had done his best earlier to prevent giving Ivar any reason to lash out.
But now, Ed, without hesitation, had taken the most provocative stance before Ivar even had the chance to react.
Now, even if they wanted to avoid a fight, it was impossible.
Ivar's face, indeed, turned ice-cold.
He hadn't expected that while he was speaking to the team leader, a young, insignificant nobody would suddenly emerge from behind and boldly make such threatening remarks!
He couldn't help but be both angered and amused at the same time!
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