This was a task concerning Sloka City, posted just this morning. Every Hunter association in Dorey City had received this task.

It turned out that, half a month ago, Sloka City—home to ten Hunter associations and five Gold-tier Hunters—had mysteriously turned into a ghost town overnight. All the residents and Hunters vanished without a trace. No one knew where they had gone or what they had experienced.

Holy City had sent many Hunters to investigate and had also issued this task. Anyone with relevant information could take up the task and earn a reward from Holy City.

After hearing Reve's explanation, Ed immediately furrowed his brows. A city with five Gold-tier Hunters was far stronger than Dorey City. Up to now, Ed only knew that Arya, the president of the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association, was a Gold-tier Hunter.

It was hard to imagine that a city with five Gold-tier Hunters could vanish overnight, with no one left behind.

A faint sense of danger appeared in Ed's heart. He was just a Silver-tier Hunter, and if he faced such a danger, he would have no means of resistance—he would just become one of the missing Hunters.

Moreover, with the recent changes near Dorey City—the increasing monster activity, the growing number of killing incidents—Ed had a vague premonition that something significant might be about to happen.

Back when he used to play games, he understood that in games involving lords and large-scale wars, things were never quiet. The increased demand for steel, the rising prices of food—these were all signs.

Now, the monsters around Dorey City might be a signal for something big.

Reve seemed to notice the deep thought that inadvertently crossed Ed's face. He assumed that Ed was fantasizing about completing the task and earning the reward from Holy City, so he spoke up, "Stop thinking about it. Even Gold-tier Hunters would struggle to uncover anything in a situation like this."

"Sloka City is hundreds of kilometers away from here. Even if you wanted to get involved, it would be too late."

Reve's words made Ed's unease grow even stronger. For ordinary people and Hunters, a few hundred kilometers was a very distant distance, especially since there was little time to travel during the day, and they had to be cautious of monsters at night.

But for monsters, especially dark creatures, it was the opposite—they became more active at night.

Before Ed could continue his thoughts, three Hunters suddenly walked into the task hall. One of them was Anthony, the person who had been monitoring him earlier.

Reve quickly led the three people over and introduced them, saying, "Toronto, Ford, and..."

Before Reve could finish, Anthony cut in and said, "Vice-Captain, no need to introduce me. I've already met Ed before. Hello, Ed, didn't expect us to have such a fate."

Reve's face immediately showed a clear look of surprise, and he followed up with, "I see. Well, it's good that you two can form a team. You can pick your own difficult bounty task."

Soon, Reve gave a few more instructions to the others in the room and then left.

Throughout this, Ed pretended as though he had no idea what was going on. Reve certainly wasn't a great actor—his expression of surprise lingered far too long. Real shock and bewilderment wouldn't stay on someone's face for that long.

Once Vice-Captain Reve left, the three people who had just introduced themselves showed different reactions.

The man named Toronto was a Black Iron-tier Low Hunter, appearing to be around twenty-five years old. He had a timid and introverted demeanor, almost shrinking into himself.

Ford, a Black Iron-tier Middle Hunter, stood tall with his head held high, sizing Ed up.

As for Anthony, also a Black Iron-tier Middle Hunter, he had a friendly smile on his face, looking harmless and very approachable.

Ed didn't want to waste too much time. He turned and walked toward the task hall's front desk, ready to pick a suitable task.

Ford, who had been looking at Ed's back with an air of arrogance, suddenly spoke up, saying, "Hold on, when forming a team, only the team leader can accept the task. Your name is Ed, right? I heard you did really well in the previous tournament."

Ed stopped in his tracks, slowly turned around, and frowned as he looked at Ford. He replied coldly, "Yeah, do you have a problem with that?"

Ford was momentarily stunned. He felt like Ed didn't even regard him, and if he hadn't been delayed by important matters earlier, he too would have participated in the tournament.

Ford had, of course, heard about Ed's performance. It was nothing impressive—he had only defeated Ivar, a Black Iron-tier Low Hunter. Ford couldn't understand what had happened to Brian and the one-eyed man, causing them to let Ed, of all people, get so many advantages.

If he had participated, the result would have been completely different!

As Ford thought about this, he believed that he should be the leader of this temporary team. The choice of task and the arrangement of personnel should all be up to him—after all, he had become a Black Iron-tier Middle Hunter before he was even twenty-five.

What strength did Ed have, that he thought he could give orders to a Black Iron-tier Middle Hunter like himself?

Ford immediately spoke to Ed, saying, "I'll be direct. Only those with strength can be the team leader. A proper team needs a leader, and I am undoubtedly the best choice."

"Toronto, do you have any objections?"

Toronto hesitated, glancing at Ford, and then shook his head vigorously, signaling that he had no objections.

With Toronto's support secured, Ford turned his gaze to Anthony, who spoke up, "I think Ed should be the team leader. His strength is greater."

Upon hearing Anthony's words, Ford sneered and casually responded, "Tch, he's just a kid barely past adulthood. How strong could he possibly be?"

Ford then took a few steps forward and stood in front of Ed, directly saying, "The position of leader is mine. If you have any objections, we can go to the training field. Whoever is stronger can take the position of leader. The rest will have to obey the orders of the leader!"

Ed looked around helplessly, then turned to Anthony and asked, "In the association, is fighting only allowed in the training field?"

Anthony immediately replied, "No, that's not the case. It's just that battles between Hunters can cause damage to the surroundings. If any property within the association is damaged, there's a tenfold compensation fee. So, any disputes or challenges are taken to the training field to fight."

Ed nodded slightly. With his current strength, fighting a Black Iron-tier Middle Hunter wouldn't cause any significant damage to the surroundings. The fight would be over in an instant. He didn't want to go to the training field just to come back to the task hall afterward. That would be too troublesome and a waste of time.

Ford overheard the conversation between Ed and Anthony, feeling confused. What was this supposed to mean? Did they look down on him this much?

Ed, uninterested in further conversation, drew his Steel Sword from his back, pointing the tip directly at Ford. He spoke indifferently, "Draw your sword. We have limited time during the day. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can head out on the task."

Seeing Ed's casual attitude, a surge of anger rose in Ford's heart. He was one of the strongest among the new Hunters in the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association, and no one had ever treated him this way!

Ford took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. He knew that Hunter battles required a calm mind.

Moments later, after calming himself, Ford drew his own steel sword and stared at Ed, saying, "Kid, you're going to regret this!"

Ed didn't waste any words. He pushed off the ground with his feet, and his figure shot forward like an arrow, rapidly closing the distance to Ford.

Ford was clearly startled by Ed's speed. He hesitated for a moment, missing his opportunity to counterattack, and could only fall back into a defensive stance. He raised his steel sword in front of him, bending his legs slightly to better absorb the incoming force.

Cling! A sharp, crisp sound rang out. Ford stared in disbelief at the steel sword now pressed against his neck, and the sword in his own hands, now severed in two. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened, but no words came out.

He had lost... in just one strike!

Ed had defeated him with a single sword strike!

If Ed hadn't shown mercy, Ford's head would have been separated from his body, lying on the ground.

Ford opened his mouth, still staring at Ed's youthful face, unable to accept the situation. "You... you're a Black Iron-tier High Hunter?"

Ed ignored Ford and casually flicked his Steel Sword, sheathing it back onto his back. He then turned and walked toward the front desk.

The front desk staff was clearly shaken by what had just happened. It was the first time they had seen such a young Black Iron-tier High Hunter.

Well, there was one other person—Karot, the disciple of Arya, the president of the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association. Karot had been close to breaking through to Black Iron-tier High Hunter before leaving for Holy City. After returning, Karot would certainly be even stronger, possibly even reaching Silver-tier Hunter.

It wasn't until Ed accepted the task and left the task hall that the people inside finally began to talk amongst themselves.

"That young man is incredible. A Black Iron-tier High Hunter's strength? He could almost become a core member of the association."

"He's still a bit off. The core member requirement is a Silver-tier Hunter level, but he'll get there soon. In one or two years, that guy will be a Silver-tier Hunter."

"Yeah, the higher the Hunter's rank, the harder it is to improve. After all, there's so little time during the day."

Sigh "Damn that moon. When will it finally live up to the legends? When will it stop being so cold and making the monsters more active, so that ordinary people can walk freely under its light?"

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