Chapter 45

After the supremes took over control of the earth, another force was slowly created to regulate the hunters.

This force was called the Hunter's Association, a group that ran directly under the jurisdiction of the ten supremes, the president of the association being a man named Mr. Charles.

The emergence of the Hunter's Association marked a pivotal development in Earth's new order. With the Ten Supremes overseeing the world, the association played a crucial role in regulating the rapidly growing population of hunters.

Mr. Charles, the association's president, was a shrewd and highly intelligent figure. He was appointed by the Ten Supremes to manage the diverse and often unruly hunter community. His leadership skills were evident, having taken control of the majority of places in a short period of time.

Under the association's jurisdiction, hunters' abilities were systematically assessed and categorized; from young kids to adults, everyone had to be tested. They introduced a tiered ranking system based on combat power and ability proficiency, which brought a semblance of order to the otherwise chaotic world of hunters. This system allowed for better task assignments, ensuring that teams were well-matched for gate expeditions and other missions.

The ranks ranged from F-rank all the way to SSS-rank.

The association also assumed the responsibility of monitoring and policing the hunter community. They kept an eye on unlawful hunters who posed a threat to society or abused their powers. This, in turn, created a safer environment for the general populace, helping to maintain public trust in the hunters.

Outside the gate, a few minutes after Rui and the rest had entered, a massive crowd had gathered due to the strange changes that were happening to the gate. The gate itself had changed color, turning a deep red, signifying its danger.

A scrawny man with sunken cheekbones, wearing a suit, suddenly entered the area, bringing order to the situation. The man's deep black eyes slowly caused the crowd to back off.

Another man wearing a suit also came into the area, blocking off everything using his unique abilities, which created a giant white dome.

"Frank, what are the readings? Is the situation looking bad?"

Asked the man who had just created the dome.

The scrawny man, Frank Furt, had a sour expression on his face, his eyes showing a hint of despair.

"Sir Constantine, the readings show this is an abnormal SSS-grade gate. In fact, the readings go a bit over the SSS rank, so it might be even higher."

Frank's voice cracked a bit while relaying on the information. His hands were slightly shaking while he was holding the measurement device.

Constantine's expression also soured at those news, his hand immediately going to his phone, dialing up his higher up, the one and only association president.

However, at that moment, the gate once again changed colors, returning to a serene baby blue color, its turbulence lowering significantly.

The device displaying the ranking of the gate suddenly buzzed as the grade of the gate decreased rapidly from SSS-rank to S-rank and then A-rank.

Constantine still had his phone in hand, and he was in the middle of leaving a message for President Charles when he noticed the sudden change in the gate's condition. He quickly terminated the call and turned to Frank, confusion etched on his face.

Frank, too, was bewildered by the situation. He double-checked the measurements on the device, trying to make sense of the gate's fluctuating behavior.

"It's an A-rank now, Constantine. I don't understand. It just plummeted from an SSS-grade to an A-rank within seconds. Do you think it has to do anything with the hunters inside?"

Frank reported it with a puzzled expression.

Constantine and Frank exchanged concerned glances. Such erratic behavior from a gate was highly unusual and a matter of great concern for the Hunter's Association.

At that moment, another change took place as a few figures crossed over from the now calm gate.

Alexander Lemtov and his squad slowly exited the gate, their faces still full of disbelief. Behind them, Rui leisurely looked around, wondering why a barrier was set up and why a large crowd had gathered outside.

"What's going on here? Why the crowd and the dome?"

Asked Alex, as he had just slightly recovered from the unbelievable situation he was in.

The man who had created the protective dome, Constantine, stepped forward. His sharp eyes assessed the Hunters, especially Rui, who had no care of what was going on. He had a stern, no-nonsense expression.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Lemtov; the gate's abrupt change in rank raised concerns. The gate was originally S-grade, but as soon as you entered, the gate began changing, slowly reaching the SSS-rank. A few moments ago, the gate ranking lowered all the way to the A-rank. We had to take precautions to ensure the safety of the public."

Explained Constantine, trying to measure the raiding team's reaction. He knew that the squad had something to do with the situation, so he, of course, wanted to extract as much information as he could from them.

Sadly, he couldn't put them into custody or imprison them in any way since they were part of Nayeli's personal force. As for Rui, Constantine had a feeling that he shouldn't cross him no matter what.

"Originally, we also thought it was an S-rank gate, and we were preparing to subjugate the boss. To our horror, though, the boss monster was an SSS-rank dragon.

Alex explained, his voice cracking slightly at the mention of the horrific dragon.

Constantine and Frank both opened their eyes wide at the mention of an SSS-rank dragon. The two of them instantly took out their communication devices.

Alexander, however, didn't finish speaking.

"Thankfully, Madam Nayeli sent a helping hand in this expedition, so we were able to eliminate the dragon."

Saying so, Alexander opened his system window and removed the enormous dragon head from it, causing a large dust cloud.

As the dust settled from the enormous dragon head, Constantine and Frank were left utterly astounded. The sight before them was nothing short of incredible. The dragon head, though no longer living, radiated a residual aura of immense power.

"An SSS-rank dragon... This is beyond anything we've ever encountered."

Constantine couldn't help but mutter to himself, his hands trembling in excitement.

"Sir Constantine, this is unprecedented. We must report this immediately to President Charles."

Frank, still shaken by the situation, chimed in.

Constantine nodded in agreement. The discovery of an SSS-rank dragon within an earth gate was a matter of utmost importance and required the immediate attention of the Hunter's Association leadership.

Meanwhile, Rui observed the interaction between the association members, silently contemplating his next steps. He knew that his actions within the gate might have caused a significant stir, and he couldn't afford to reveal too much about himself or his true capabilities to the world.

Thinking of this, his figure slowly disappeared from the spot, exiting the still-active dome without causing any changes. He had already gained more than enough from this situation.

Alexander Lemtov, who had been quietly observing the proceedings, cleared his throat and addressed Constantine and Frank.

"Gentlemen, I must emphasize that we couldn't have defeated this dragon without the timely intervention of our guest here."

He gestured towards Rui; however, to his dismay, Rui was no longer there; in fact, he was nowhere to be seen, as if he were never there.

Alex's eyes scanned the area in disbelief, not understanding how Rui could disappear without anyone's knowledge and, moreover, how he had exited Constantine's [Holy Barrier] without 

causing a single change.

In the sky between two worlds, a majestic bird flew, its wings constantly fluttering.

However, if one examined the bird closely, they would see that its eyes were extremely fatigued, as if it hadn't slept for a very long time.

The bird had colorful feathers and three strong legs, which were tucked tightly under its body as it rapidly flew forward like a speeding bullet.

This exhausted bird was none other than Sunny, who had gone through countless miles of the forest to no avail.

The number of beasts he had fought and the countless life-threating situations had brought him into a reckless decision. Out of sheer instinct, Sunny flew towards the sun.

It was the only thing that brought the weary gold crow solace in this desperate environment. The number of beasts he had encountered was too many to count, though some of them were weak enough to become his meal.

The young golden crow had survived by utilizing its instincts to the fullest, completely going feral in the process.

However, despite losing any semblance of intelligence and a glint of madness that could be seen in its eyes, for some reason it had not completely lost itself, as if a connection was keeping it afloat despite having already gone over its limits a long time ago.

Over the span of a week, Sunny flew relentlessly towards the sun, only stopping to hunt monsters for food from time to time.

Sunny had somehow developed a way to put his mind in a half-sleeping state while flying, giving him enough rest to continue his reckless pursuit of the sun. The techniques he had developed inside the realm gave him a new path forward.

Sunny's relentless flight toward the sun, despite his fatigue and the perilous environment of the mystical forest, eventually began to bear fruit.

After days of ceaseless travel, Sunny finally felt the warmth of the sun intensify. It bathed him in a comforting, golden radiance, rejuvenating his weary body and spirit. The fatigue he had accumulated through his journey started to wane, and his senses sharpened once more.

As Sunny approached the source of the radiant heat, he noticed a change in the environment. The mystical forest began to thin out, with the towering trees growing sparser. The dense foliage gave way to a more open, sunlit area. The air felt cleaner and easier to breathe, and the oppressive atmosphere of the forest gradually lifted.

With the sun now above him, Sunny could see the world below in greater clarity. He realized he had reached the edge of the mystical forest and was about to enter a different landscape.

Descending gently, Sunny landed on the ground for the first time in days, his three legs touching the earth's surface. His eyes carefully scanned his surroundings as he took in the new environment.

It was a vast plain with rolling hills and a river running across it. However, strangely, there were no creatures on this vast plain, as if it were a place that was not to be touched. Even in the sky, Sunny had noticed that there were no flying beasts, which was extremely strange.

Sunny approached the river, his beak reaching in for him to drink. The water had a unique taste and was extremely refreshing. In fact, Sunny even felt an improvement in his cultivation speed after consuming it.

Although the environment was eerie due to the absence of life, Sunny felt at home in this strange space, as the sun's rays constantly shone on his bright feathers.

Sunny raised his head to look at the blazing sun. Unlike the sun Sunny was used to, which was located far away from the planet, this sun seemed to be right above the plain, its size being thousands of times smaller than a normal sun.

Sunny didn't even feel a threat from its heat, despite being so close to it.

Closing his weary eyes gently, Sunny let out a scream into the sky, as if liberated from a nightmare.

In that moment, his body relaxed as he covered himself in his feathers, falling into a deep sleep.

While Sunny was asleep, there were no changes to the plain, and nothing happened. The sun still blazed freely above.

After an unknown period of time, Sunny awoke, his well-rested eyes groggily looking around at the vast plain, which had not changed in the slightest.

In this period of rest, Sunny had slowly recovered his intelligence, returning to the prestigious and intelligent three-legged golden crow that he was supposed to be.

For some reason, Sunny felt like the vast plain was a safe haven for him, as if nothing could truly hurt him in this place, especially while the sun was still blazing.

Sunny spent a few hours flying around the plain, trying to observe any sign of life, but to no avail. The place seemed to be completely deserted of any life, not even inside the water of the river.

It was a completely lifeless place, but Sunny felt like there was more to it than met the eye.

For over a year, Sunny flew around the plain, exiting it only to hunt weak beasts once in a while. Strangely, the beasts existing inside the forest at the edge of the plain were extremely weak and docile, which made hunting much easier for Sunny.

Although a whole year had passed, Sunny didn't feel the passage of time in the slightest.

Sunny didn't know why he was wasting his time like this, but his gut was constantly urging him on. Sunny's mind was constantly contradicting itself, since he knew what he was doing was meaningless, but his body acted on its own.

However, after an unknown period of meaningless travel, Sunny finally had an epiphany.

His flight course suddenly changed drastically, directly flying upwards towards the blazing sun.

Sunny didn't know what came over him or why he was doing something so blatantly stupid, but his energy was constantly souring the closer he came to the sun.

For some reason, the blood inside his body began boiling at some point, making him release golden clouds from his body as it constantly poured out of his pores.

Sunny flew at a speed faster than sound towards the mysterious sun.

The sun was close, yet very far away. For some reason, from far away, it seemed massive, but as Sunny came closer and closer to it, its size decreasing at an unbelievable speed.

Finally, after exhausting himself to the point of almost dying, Sunny reached the sun.

However, the sight in front of him wasn't what he was expecting.

Instead of the sun, there was a person.

It was a young man with long, flowing golden hair who was covered in extremely luxurious garments. His eyes were closed, and he was sitting cross-legged in a meditating position.

As soon as Sunny properly examined the person, the young man opened his eyes, releasing a blinding golden light from them.

Sunny momentarily covered his eyes with his feathers, losing his balance in the process and falling down a few meters before promptly stopping in mid-air, as if a force were wrapped around him.

Sunny opened his eyes in disbelief, glancing at the young man who had descended along with the whole sun. Seeing the confusion in Sunny's eyes, the young man smiled.

"What an odd meeting, I must say... For my only living descendant to meet me while undergoing a trial created by that foolish lower realm god. Not only that, you are extremely weak, to the point where if I didn't kill all the beasts above the second level, you would've been dead the moment you entered."

The young man spoke, his voice resonating everywhere inside the strange world. Every beast trembled, as if prepared to face the calamity that was the voice.

With a wide grin on his face, the young man continued speaking to Sunny, who had so far not understood a single word he had said.

"To think that my bloodline has to rely on a weakling like you Thankfully, though, I was able to send you to that variable. You know he is quite unpredictable, even amongst the other 'outsiders' that have entered the upper, middle, and lower nine heavens. Well, since fate brought us together so soon, I shall give you a small gift. Think of it as successfully completing your foolish trial."

With those words, the young man snapped his fingers, and Sunny was instantly covered in a bright barrier.

Sunny, panicked by the sudden imprisonment, tried to exit through brute force, but he only ended up hurting himself in the process.

Sunny screeched in anger, not understanding his current situation.

"Calm down, Brat, It's just a sun barrier... I will send you to a special place, so shut up and cultivate. Also, in the process, you will forget everything about this place and return to that lower nine realm of yours, though if that variable hasn't finished his test yet, you will have to wait a bit longer."

The young man muttered in displeasure, his golden eyes looking at Sunny with contempt.

Sunny, trapped within the radiant sun barrier, had no choice but to obey the enigmatic young man's instructions. As he calmed down and ceased his futile attempts to break free, he observed his surroundings within the barrier.

The barrier itself was a dazzling mix of gold and white, with countless mysterious patterns covering it like a painting. It felt both warm and intimidating, as if he were trapped inside the core of the sun. Sunny, despite his initial panic, began to calm down his seething emotions.

As he focused his senses, he couldn't feel any energy coming from the young man, as if he were nothing but a normal human, but Sunny knew that was but an illusion.

Sunny could tell that the young man was somehow related to him through the bloodline resonance inside his body. It was as if the blood inside him wanted to leave him and follow the young man's orders.

"You may not understand the significance of this encounter, but you are now in the presence of your forefather, the one who gave rise to your lineage. I am known as the second true sun, Helios."

The young man continued to speak, his tone carrying an air of superiority. However, halfway through speaking, he noticed the constant confusion in Sunny's eyes.

He was stumped.

"I won't tell you anything more; I really didn't expect you to be this ignorant at this point in time... Just what the…"

The young man sighed, not knowing how to handle the situation. He could only be speechless. Despite his status and power, his only living descendant was still a child.

"It's fine; you don't have to understand anything I'm saying; that will just confuse you more. Just focus on increasing your strength."

said the young man, rubbing his glabella.

Sunny cawed in agreement, shutting his eyes to cultivate and gain something from the encounter.

'Is my bloodline doomed to go extinct? Maybe I shouldn't have passed this little guy to the variable, though his strength has increased rapidly while he was next to him. Ah, the problems of being an ancestor are truly troublesome. How dare that bastard Yangwu pass this problem onto me?

The young man thought to himself, barely containing his anger.

Meanwhile, back on earth, Rui was meditating inside a jacuzzi.

He had come to a very obvious conclusion. If he was about to cultivate, he would remove any clothes before doing so. Right now, he was just relaxing his state of mind after cleaning himself from a long cultivation session that lasted a few days.

Runic masters are usually cultivated for long periods of time, especially when they enter a higher stage. After reaching a certain stage, it wasn't worth eating pills to advance, as the body had built a considerable tolerance to them in the process of advancement.

Rui didn't have this issue thanks to his physique, but he was currently in a situation where pills were unavailable due to his lack of knowledge of production.

He had already consumed every pill he owned while inside the trial.

Suddenly, while Rui was thinking of his progress, a system prompt appeared before him, giving him a pleasant surprise.

[Growth (1)]

[The three-legged golden crow is a mythical creature that requires a vast amount of experience and treasures to mature into a true myth.

Quest Clear Conditions:

Upgrade beast companion "Sunny."

Help beast companion obtain its "core"

Quest Clear Rewards:

Upgrade in Bloodline]

[Quest 'Growth(1)' has been cleared]

[Distributing rewards]

[Bloodline upgrade commencing]