-REVIVE-

Ban had entrusted the zombified basilisk to me and Carter while he attempted to catch the necromancer before they could escape.

It seems that Ban was the main target of his attack but I can't help but wonder if this is to do with Cataclysm or someone else that might have had an issue with Ban for some reason.

I had no time to worry about Ban though as this zombie snake was getting angry. Carter was quick to react, throwing a chain of punches at the beast's body but to no avail. The creature didn't even react as the flurry of blows pummeled its scales.

I managed to swing at the beast again, hitting it in the same spot that had already killed it once but found little success. Even with my strength boosted it would seem this snake is truly undead, and won't die again until its body is fully destroyed.

Time to throw whatever spells I can at this thing till it drops.

******

[Unknown pov]

That disgusting necromancer revived the boss just like ordered but Ban isn't even fighting it. This whole plan is pointless if we can't eliminate Ban and I won't ever get that promotion.

Now the stupid snake is fighting those two brats. I have no idea who they are, I was told it would just be his one stupid but it seems there's another. It doesn't matter though since they will both die anyway. An undead of that level would need at least an A-Ranked mage, even then it would be a struggle.

For now though those 2 boys seem to be holding it off with their punches but it wont work. An undead won't stop until its body is destroyed.

That pathetic necromancer is about to be caught by Ban so I should probably step in and save him. From the shadows my form emerges. The darkness still clings to my form as if it's sad to see me go.

Dual blades fall into my hands, appearing from within my sleeves. If I attack from behind then I should be able to finish off Ban before he even knows I'm here.

It didn't take long to catch up to Ban and the fleeing necromancer. So much effort just to kill one man… What a waste of time.

I slash down at the unguarded back on the target but it never met its mark. Instead I found myself flying back a dozen feet as my ribs cracked under the pressure from the kick I suddenly took to my body.

Having my sneak attack countered sucked. Luckily I bumped into that useless undead snake or rules I would have been knocked back a lot further.

I place my hand on the snake's body, attempting to lean on it as I stand up so as not to lose my balance. When my hand touches the scales they wilt under my touch like a dying flower's petals.

Turning my eyes to what should have been a strong beast I instead saw yellow light billowing out from the sky. It struck the beast's head and it stopped moving. Its head crumbled to dust and the affliction quickly ran up its body until its tail. 

Those brats killed it? Not even Ban should have been able to kill it and even if one of them was a mage, it would take more than an A-Ranked mage to deal with it. This can't be happening…

******

[Miles pov]

The snake managed to take any kind of physical attack, including all the earthen spells that activated. Carter had done well to adapt to the situation, choosing to distract the undead so that i could finish it off.

It took about 30 more spells before I got a lucky effect that finished the beast. Most of the spells were useless against the beast's new undead benefits besides the fire spells which it actively avoided so they never landed.

Finally when the lucky effect triggered, a beam of holy energy smited the beast. Some kind of priest skill I assume as instead of destroying the body, it purified the undead energy within it. After that its body began to crumble away with the wind.

Joining back up with Ban we found a young girl's body on the floor beside him, a fist sized hole in her chest. Aside from the long dead girl, the necromancer who resurrected the basilisk was still alive. He was unconscious but Ban dragged in along, planning to question him when we returned.

******

The next morning I received a call to warn me that although I wasn't their main target, Cataclysm was indeed the one who sent those assassins. They were both former B-Ranked hunters but no one has seen them in over 4 years so it's estimated that they were both just about A-Rank. 

If Cataclysm weren't after me before, they definitely will be now when they hear that I was at the gate when it happened.

I also received a nice chunk of cash for beating the gate as well as another boost in my hunter rank. With that I got a big boost and pushed my way into D-Rank.

Given the nature of my abilities I've been considering asking Roland if he can help me obtain some of the privileges that are given to A-Rank hunters. Specifically the privilege to enter wild gates. Wild gates are gates that appear outside of any safe city, in the wilderness. Due to the large size of the world there's no way anyone could watch everywhere at once for gate openings so often gates break out in the wilderness leaving monsters to roam around. They rarely get close to cities though as those ranked A as well as some B-ranked hunters with special privileges are able to leave the safety of the city to hunt these monsters and clear the gates.

Naturally they cant allow lower ranked hunters out there since it's extremely dangerous but since i am in danger in the city anyway and it's not like i won't be able to fight when i'm out there since i can use high level spells, even if not consistently. 

It would be a great way to gain levels since finding dynamic gates at a high enough level isn't possible and static gates are split between too many people so it isn't always safe to use my abilities. I could always request to have certain static gates booked out for just myself but there's only so many i can claim before it becomes a problem, others need to earn a living too after all.

******

"Absolutely not."

"Please Roland sir, this would be perfect. I would be able to get stronger even faster, I'm more than capable and I'm in danger in the city anyway, using my abilities here could put others at risk. What if I get attacked and use a spell that causes a large explosion to go off?"

"It's dangerous and reckless. Even if you think you can handle yourself, your still only an E-Ranked hun-"

"D-Ranked now. And my stats are almost as high as a B-Rank."

"That doesn't matter. You lack the experience and if something happens I don't want to have to explain to your family why you are dead."

Mera stepped into the conversation to back me up which i hadn't expected. Normally in these situations she tended to sit back and watch it all unfold.

"Stop being so hard on the kid. His stats are almost high enough to survive without much trouble. Include his buffs and he could be a real powerhouse out there. I say we let him go and see how quickly he grows. This is a once in a lifetime chance to see just how fast he can grow."

The 4th and final person in the room, Ban, also steps forward to endorse me.

"As a mage he managed to defeat the boss of the D-ranked gate in a single punch. Not to mention he also killed that very same basilisk again when it was reanimated as a zombie."

I stepped in to hammer the final nail in the coffin.

"I know I might be more likely to be attacked by Cataclysm if I'm in the wilderness and no one will be able to protect me but it should make them target me exclusively and leave my family alone. They would stand to gain nothing by attacking them so me leaving is protecting them in a way."

Roland seems to sit and think for a moment, rubbing his chin. He is really worried about my safety and the safety of my family. If I left it would make sure my family was left alone but the threat to my life would increase by a large margin. 

"I will speak to some of the higher ups in the System Association that I know I can trust. I will see about getting you those special privileges."

"Thank you so much Roland! I promise i won't disappoint yo-"

"Only… if you promise to take Mera with you when you go. At least until you are B-Ranked. I won't allow it any other way."

Looking at Mera who also looked a little shocked that she was volunteered without her consent but she seemed to accept the idea quickly.

From what I've heard about Mera, she seems to spend months at a time in the wilderness which isn't very common. Most won't spend more than a couple weeks considering the lack of daily necessities found in the wilderness. I guess when I first met Mera it would have been right as she returned from the wilderness. That might explain why she seemed a bit annoyed at being called into Rolands office as well as why she looked like such a mess. Since that time she has taken the time to sort out her appearance a little. She still looks a bit brutish but in a cute kind of way.

Accepting the conditions laid out by Roland, I made my way to the market, eager to check out the new section for D-Ranked hunters.

END OF CHAPTER 16

A/N thought i would try change it up a bit by chaing character pov as well as skipping forward in time where i thought it was needed. Hope it wasnt too dizzying to jump around like that but i think it makes it more fun to read. Anyway please go check out my other novel, thats all thanks!