The Beginning Arc End - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: After Two Years

It has been two years after that meeting. So many things had happened during that period of time.

Kingscrown Corporation developed to be one of the most wealthiest companies climbing the rankings and becoming the new rank 3.

This can be attributed to the Rank Measuring Gun which the other countries sought after. It was not long before other countries created their own versions of these devices but during that time, the Kingscrown Corporation had already developed new technologies and introduced some of it to the public.

The one that was the most revolutionary was the Life Support device that was empowered by Mana Cores. It was specially made for those who fell ill to the Eternal Sleep and sustain their lives until a cure was developed.

Sam Kingscrown, the creator of this magnificent device was awarded for his astronomical contribution to the medical department. He also introduced some of the weapons and armors he had created and explained to them their uniqueness.

He created the three most popular series used by the Hunters of today namely the: WhiteBird Series, BlueTurtle Series, and the GoldenLion Series.

The WhiteBird Series sells auxiliary equipments that have functions such as scouting, detection, mapping, communication, or even emergency escapes. A popular series for beginner Hunters that are too afraid to take the risk. Many hunters had already petitioned for an increase in the number of equipment sold to increase because of its limited amount. Although this is the cheapest item amongst the three series, the equipment in the WhiteBird Series are the most sought after because of its use.

The BlueTurtle Series sells defensive equipment that can be either a shield or an armor. The signature part of this series is the basic self-healing effect on the equipment that will surely be helpful for small injuries that do not need to be healed by a healer. The most expensive equipments in this series are those items with additional skills such as blink, attract, or fortify. Every Tank Hunter will surely pick the Blue Turtle Series as their first choice but unfortunately, not all can buy an equipment that is from the BlueTurtle Series because of the limited amount sold every month.

The GoldenLion Series sells weapons that have additional skills that can be used once or twice a day. These kinds of weapons are usually very rare, not to mention that they have weapons that have attributes. From the common fire attribute to the most rarest lightning attribute, the Golden Series has almost every kind of weapon in every shape and size one could even think of. One of the most notable skills in the GoldenLion Series is the [Gold Mode] which increases the strength of the user by five times for 10 seconds.

The Rune Hero, Sam's alternate identity had created a guild though not the first one but definitely the strongest in Southeast Asia. The US was still one of the strongest countries in the world because of its long history in the military and its variety of experts. But the difference is not that big among the two guilds and it would not take long for Sam's guild to overcome the other.

The Philippines Hunters League or PHL for short was founded just a year ago. It is an organization that focuses on order and was supported by the Kingscrown Corporation. The organization manages the hunters to keep them from doing irrational things that may threaten the normal people, locating gates that had newly appeared and dissemination of information to different guilds. They are also responsible for measuring the ranks of the hunters with special types of equipment that measures the density of mana inside the hunters.

Because of the support from the Kingscrown Corporation, the PHL was successfully accepted in the Philippines quite easily. Even the most wildest hunters humbled themselves under the suppression from the strongest guild in the Philippines.

The King's Guild.

Founded by the first hunter in the Philippines, and the first one to successfully finish a red gate alone, Rune Hero.

His real identity was still yet to be known, some say that he is the heir of Kingscrown Corporation because of the similarity in their names and because of the close relationship between the guild and the company. But that is quickly dismissed when the Rune Hero and Sam Kingscrown are seen in public at the same time. Though that was not enough for others to believe what they saw because of the change in era, some things that were impossible before can be possible now.

Sam has also improved in these two years, so much that even 5% of his strength was already 5 times stronger than the 5% of his own strength two years ago. He also learned several skills and unlocked several functions of the system. The three functions he unlocked was the Mission Function, Taming Function, and the Organization Function.

The Mission Function, just like what its name says gives him missions that he had to complete. There will be rewards after he finishes a mission.

The Taming Function was unlocked after he accidentally tamed a Nemean Lion inside the dungeon. After that, he tamed several bosses and find out that his current limit was 150, which was already a lot considering that they are mostly bosses in A-rank dungeons.

The Organization Function was unlocked after he created a guild, it lets him teach skills to the members of his organization, measure their loyalty, and grants a boost in his experience.

His current status was:

{Status}

[Name: Sam Kingscrown]

[Age: 15 years and 5 months]

[Race: Origin]

[Attributes:]

STR-432(8640)

AGI-380(7600)

END-402(8055)

INT-10355

SPI-689(13790)

[Talents:]

-Absolute Combat

+

[Combat Skills:]

Active Skills:

-Normal Sword Style (MAX)

-Elemental Manipulation (MAX) *NEW

-Mixed Martial Arts (MAX)

-World Steps (MAX)

-Attack Mode (MAX)

-Defense Mode (MAX)

-Stealth Mode (MAX)

-Speed Mode (MAX)

-Detection (MAX)

-Zodiac Empowerment (Lvl8) *NEW

-Armament Haki (Lvl5) *NEW

-Observation Haki (Lvl4) *NEW

-Conqueror's Haki (MAX) *NEW

-Normal Spear Style (Lvl6) *NEW

Passive Skills:

-Weapon Mastery (MAX)

-Adamantine Body (MAX) *NEW

-Elemental Affinity (MAX) *NEW

-Instant Regeneration (MAX) *NEW

-Body Control (MAX)

-Pure Core (MAX)

-Beast Instinct (MAX) *NEW

[Non-Combat Skills:]

Active Skills:

-Crafting (MAX)

-Enchanting (MAX)

-Heal (MAX)

-Cure (MAX)

-Bless (MAX)

-Purify (MAX)

-Alchemy (Lvl4) *NEW

-Cooking (Lvl7) *NEW

-Painting (Lvl5) *NEW

-Management (Lvl7) *NEW

Passive Skills:

-Eidetic Memory (MAX)

-Parallel Thinking (MAX)

-Halo (MAX)

-Charisma (MAX)

-Accelerated Thoughts (Lvl9) *NEW

Sam gained new skills over the past year but it was only a few and most of them were bought from the system leaving him with zero points.

He can only gain points from missions, but it has already been 8 months since the last mission. He had no idea why he was not given a new mission and Luna has also no idea. As she only acts as a guide to him, she has no direct access to the system's functions. She is also bound by the rules set by the creator of the system.

He was happy instead since he can finally guarantee the safety of his mother, he is not worried about the betrayal of his guild members since he can see their loyalty and can always find them if ever they do betray him.

His guild consists of exactly 327 members, where 2 are S-rank, 59 are A-rank, 174 are B-rank and the rest are C-rank. Most of the C-rank hunters are placed on managing the guild, mining team, and the gathering team.

They have two main parties named the Alpha Raiding Team A and Alpha Raiding Team B which both consist of one S-rank and 10 A-ranks each. While the other teams such as the Beta which consist of 3 A-Ranks and 10 B-ranks, and the Delta which consist of 20 B-ranks in each team.

Sam was really satisfied with this as he left 3 monsters that can shapeshift to a human, one A-Rank and nine B-ranks to guard his mother. Just the three monsters which are already at the peak of S-rank is enough. The other ten serves as a companion to his mother, and obviously, they are all ladies since his mother dislikes the company of other men. She said that they always give her those creepy looks that make her feel disgusted.

Another thing that needed to be mentioned is that Sam is almost finished with creating the cure for the illness, Eternal Sleep. Though He still needs a little bit more time to come with the solution for the final problem in his formula. After that, Eternal Sleep will be finally cured.

***

KBNS Corporation...

Daisy was writing an article about the "Five Most Desired Bachelors in the World". This was assigned to her personally by the Director and she can't complain even though she was already tired.

Looking at the article she had written, she can't help but praise herself for writing such a good article even though she was exhausted. But looking at the image of her crush, she will always feel like she is energized every time she looks at him.

The Rune Hero

The person that represents the whole country, with his unparalleled strength, created the Philippine Hunter League which later become one of the most important organizations in the country. His guild is recognized as the strongest guild in Southeast Asia. His identity is still unknown but the number of ladies falling for him was increasing every day. Dubbed as the 'One Man Army', he is the idol of the hotblooded teenagers who also dreams to be a strong hunter just like him. Rune Hero was even recognized as the strongest person in the world, even by the other countries admit that it is true. He was not only powerful but was also a kind-hearted person as he offers aid to countries that are struggling with the gates. Obviously, he is at ranked top as the "Five Most Desired Bachelors in the World".

The next person to attract her attention was the ranked two. This was a person that is respected by everyone in the world, even though he is not as powerful as the other four in the list, his intellect far surpassed them.

Sam Kingscrown

The heir to the Kingscrown Corporation and son of the Philippine's Pearl. He has several nicknames but he is popularly known as the "Golden Prince" and the "Cold Prince". Though his face remains expressionless, it cannot hide the princely features he inherited from his mother. Even the married women were not able to escape his charm. He invented the Life Support device that is now used by every hospital in the world. He was dubbed as the 'World's Savior' because of this creation as it saved the lives of millions of people. It was also rumored that he is working on the cure for the Eternal Sleep.

He has a close relationship with the Rune Hero because of the circulating rumor that the Rune Hero is courting his mother.

The next one was from the USA. Although he was older than the Sam, he is still a bachelor at his age. Mostly because he thinks that he hasn't found the woman that he deems worthy.

Thomas Andre

The strongest tank in the USA, he participates in almost every raid and he is also the guild master of the Scavenger Guild. The one thought to be the strongest guild in the world. He recruits other hunters from other countries while forming an alliance with them and helping them in their times of need. He is very tall and muscular and has a carefree but confident attitude to almost everything. The only times that he losses his cool is when he is in front of the Rune Hero who he admits, he fears.

Choi Jong-In

A young Korean mage from South Korea. He is currently the guild master of the Hunters Guild. He specialized in fire magic earning him the nickname as the 'Ultimate Soldier' because of his efficient hunting capabilities. Though he still can't be compared to Rune Hero because no matter how strong a soldier is, it still cannot defeat an army that consists of equally strong soldiers. His red hair seems to resemble his affinity to fire coupled with his fiery red eyes. This unique look of his similar to Sam Kingscrown lead to the fall of many ladies.

The last one was from Brazil.

Jonas Gama

He was a famous athlete before the appearance of the gates, now, he is the guild master of the Brazilian Guild. The Fastest Assassin with the most lethal attack with the exception of Rune Hero. He has a very faint presence influenced by his class, but even with that, he is still sought after by the ladies because of his bad boy appearance and the mocking smirk he always wears on his face.

Out of the five, only the Rune Hero's real appearance is not known while the other four had appeared in public many times. Daisy started imagining what would the Rune Hero look like when Hans suddenly interrupted her.

"Oi! Are you daydreaming again? Boss said that we need to go to Makati. An A-Rank gate appeared in the middle of the city, the King's Guild had already noticed this and had sent a team to close it."

Daisy was annoyed by Hans as her daydre...thoughts were interrupted by his loud voice. She gave him a disdainful look and said.

"I haven't slept for a day and you want me to go to work again? Are you trying to kill me?"

Hans smirked as he said.

"What if I told you that the Rune Hero is also there, it seems like the dungeon inside the gate is not a normal one but a Double-Dungeon."

"What?! He will be there?!"

"You're excited because of that?!"

"So what? It's not like it will be a problem with him being there."

"I guess you're right."

"What are you waiting for? Come one hurry up..."

"Oii! How did you pack up so fast? Hey! Wait for me, I forgot where I put the key...wait! You have it? Damn, your obsession towards him had reached a whole new level, you even brought your Runic Mask?"

***

{*Sam Kingscrown's POV*}

25 minutes earlier...

I was inside my office reading the progress report of our new recruits. It was really impressive to see their progress even though it was not as fast as mine, they are still very impressive.

I know that I can't compare myself to them since I kinda feel like my growth is absolutely not normal. I just keep on getting stronger even though I haven't trained for a while now.

Though I am wearing my newly improved Gravity Band which has about 500 times the gravity. I wear the anti-gravity boots so to avoid destroying Earth with 500 times the gravity.

The door to my office opened and a beautiful woman with a voluptuous figure entered. She has long black hair with split bangs and hazel-gold eyes with cat-like pupils. Her body measurement is [B39-W23-H35] just don't ask me how I know of this, please.

She is tall for Filipino reaching 171 cm. She has a black cat ear and a long fluffy tail. This is due to her body type which was the result of her extreme obsession with cats. That did not reduce her beauty though as she became even more beautiful with the addition of her unique features.

I have to say that those are some high-quality cat-ears *cough ahem...

Anyways, what is she doing here?

"Kuroka, do you need something?"

(AN: That's right people! Kuroka from Highschool DxD. Now, this is not a crossover, but I just thought that it would be great to include her in the story. To make it different from the cannon. If you want to see your favorite character from other novels or animes, you can comment it in and pray that I choose it. Lols)

She smiled at my question which confuses me, by the ways, I am inside my office in the King's Guild. And I am not wearing my hunting gear which means the I don't have a mask.

Kuroka is one of the few people who know my real identity. As she is the Vice Guild Master and a great friend.

"Master, an A-rank gate appeared just a few kilometers from here."

Oh, it is just an A-rank gate. Why is she telling me this though, I'm sure that she can handle it on her own. She may not look like it but Kuroka is an S-rank Hunter.

"Fufufu~ Master, the dungeon inside is not normal, it is a Double-Dungeon. And since it is an A-rank gate, there's a high probability that the second dungeon is an S-rank one."

A Double-Dungeon eh...it has been a while since I entered a Double-Dungeon, the last one was really messed up. I can't believe that there was a place like that.

"Gather the Omega Team, I will be bringing them to the dungeon."

"Ohhhh...Are you planning of training them inside Master? I guess it would be the best time to do that, they are getting a little bit arrogant nowadays."

The Omega Team that I mentioned is a secret team that I have been training since the time I founded the guild. The team consists of only twelve individuals but their strength is already at the peak of A-rank.

They actually represent the twelve zodiac signs, with the use of the new function I unlocked, I taught the twelve of them the [Zodiac Empowerment].

It is one of the new skills I bought from the system and the idea of creating the Omega Team was suggested by Luna. She told me that the twelve of them may serve as the pillars of my guild in the future.

Though it is really saddening that all of them are females since none of the male members had an affinity with the skill [Zodiac Empowerment]. I was tempted to try forcing it one of the members but Luna told me that it would do no good to the said person and may even cause his death.

So a year and a half had passed since the start of their training, I will be seeing them once again after three months of not seeing them. Kuroka said that they are getting arrogant so I should teach them a lesson and humbled themselves.

"Yes, I will be training them inside the dungeon. I just hope that the second dungeon will be an S-rank. Come to think of it, the public has no idea that we have already cleared three S-rank dungeons, right?"

I suddenly remembered that we haven't really publicized the result of some of our hunt. Three of those are when we close three S-rank dungeons. The others were about some other reason that I can't tell anyone.

"Yes, Master. You said that it will be troublesome to gain more fame than what we have right now."

That was the reason that I came up with to convince myself, the real reason, I have already buried deep inside of me.

"Okay then, Kuroka. I'll wait for the twelve of them at the location, make sure to them to hurry up, or else they will be punished."

"Okay, Master."

Kuroka answered as she turned around to leave. Just as she took her first step, I remembered something that is of great importance to me.

"By the way Kuroka-"

She stopped and turned around to look at me.

"Yes, Master?"

"Is there any news about her?"

I asked her as the image of a girl with a short blonde haircut appeared in my vision.

"Ah! You mean regarding the girl named Dawn?"

"Yes. Have you found out where she is now?"

"Sorry Master, but it is really difficult to look for a person if you just give us a name. The picture you have even given us was when the two of you were five. The world is so big and there are many people that are name Dawn. We are not even sure if that is her real name as you said that it is just her nickname."

Kuroka answered sadly. I could have asked Luna, but because I have abused her connection with the internet, the system banned me from using Luna in anything internet-related.

It was also partially my fault, if only I have asked what her real name was, I would not be having a hard time looking for her. All I know is that she was nicknamed 'Dawn' because she as a 'Sunny Person'.

It has already been eight years since we last seen each other. I wonder how she is right now? Is she still alive, I just really hope so. She was my first ever friend and I can't bear the thought of losing her.

"It's okay Kuroka. You may go now."

I waved her with a smile to lessen her worry. Kuroka is not just any vice guild-master, she is also someone who has feelings for me. Though I can't reciprocate to it at the moment, I am not so dense to not notice it. So I just sometimes take her on a date(inside a dungeon), go shopping with her(buy weapons and armors), and spend some quality time with her(train her in fighting).

As she left my room, I returned to reading progress report for a few minutes before I stood up from my seat. Equipping my Hunter Gear, I then vanished from the office and appeared in front of the newly appeared, A-rank gate.

There were already a few reporters around the gate, it seems like they are way faster than the hunters which makes me curious as to how can they respond so fast.

I waited for the Omega Team to arrive.

{*Sam Kingscrown's POV end*}

***

Daisy and Hans arrived at the location where the A-rank gate appeared. When they reached the place, they saw that there was already a crowd surrounding the gate and some reporters already recording.

Daisy turned to look at Hans who was also looking at her, she nodded at him and he nodded back at her. As they have spent several years working together, they now don't have to say anything to each other, just their eyes is enough for communication.

"Daisy, look over there."

Hans pointed somewhere as she then looked over what he was pointing at. She then gasped as she saw her crush standing in front of the massive gate.

He was still the same as she remembered, though there was nothing much to be different since he is always wearing a robe and mask.

"I still can't believe that I fell for him."

She said as Hans just smirked at her words. Even him have no idea how the Daisy he knows, who was not interested in love, suddenly became so love-struck.

"We should start recording."

"Okay..."

***

As Sam waits for the Omega Team, he recalls one of the moments in his childhood with his childhood friend.

{*FLASHBACK*}

"Dawn, hurry up."

A boy with spiky gold hair said to the girl behind him. Her blond hair was tied into two ponytails which makes her look really cute.

"Kuya Sam, wait for me."

(AN: 'Kuya' is the Tagalog word for Big Brother.)

"I am waiting for you."

"But you're still walking!"

"Then should I stop?"

"NO!"

"*sigh But you can't catch up with me."

"Don't worry Kuya Sam, I will catch up to you."

"Okay then."

"You're leaving me again!"

"But you said I can continue walking."

"I-I..."

Dawn teared up as she tried to come up with an excuse. Sam seeing this sighed again as he smiled and approached her.

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying! This is just water coming out of my eyes."

Little Dawn defended herself, but a tear still drop from her eyes. Sam helplessly smiled as she stubbornly refused to admit that she is crying.

"Okay, okay, Dawn is not crying."

"Hmmph! That's right! I'm a big girl now and big girls don't cry."

Sam patted her head as he said.

"Dawn is a big girl."

"En."

Dawn nodded her little head as she enjoyed her head being patted. When Sam stop patting her head, she pouted as she glared at him.

Sam was pierced by an arrow when he saw her expression. Just how can she be so cute, he thought as he pinched her cheeks.

"Stop looking at me like that."

"Stawp ith, Kyuya Sham!"

Sam laughed as he released her cheeks.

"Come on. Mom said she placed it here somewhere."

"Really?! I wonder what auntie Wendy hides."

"I also have no idea, but that is why we have to find it."

"Treasure Hunt! Treasure Hunt! I'm on a Treasure Hunt with Kuya Saaaam!"

Dawn started running ahead like she was not even tired earlier, Sam just shook his head as he followed her.

"Kuya Sam, look!"

Dawn pointed at something under the tree, Sam turned to look where she was pointing and he saw a large chest just under the tree.

'How could this be considered as hidden? It is literally out in the open.'

He thought.

"Let's take a closer look, shall we?"

"Yey! We found the treasure! We found the treasure! Hurry, hurry! Kuya Sam!"

Dawn run towards the treasure chest as Sam followed after her.

"It is locked."

Sam said as he looked at the treasure chest.

"Oh, men...How do we open it?"

"We need to find the key. Luckily, unlike someone, I pay attention to my surroundings."

Sam said as he gives Dawn a look before taking out the key he found on their way to the treasure.

"hehehe"

Dawn just giggled at his look. She then changed the subject causing Sam to sigh once again.

"Kuya Sam, why do you think pirates put their treasures inside treasure chest?"

"Because they don't want to lose it."

"Why is it that they don't want to lose it?"

"Because it is something precious to them."

"Eh? Then should I also put you inside a treasure chest?"

"hmm..? Why?"

"Silly Kuya Sam. It's because you're also precious to me."

Dawn said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Sam looked at her like he can't believe that she could say something so seriously without her usual goofy smile.

"What are you looking at Kuya Sam?"

She asked innocently.

"I was just thinking that maybe I should also put you inside a treasure chest."

"What?! No, you can't do that!"

"Why not?"

Sam asked curiously.

"If you put me inside a treasure chest, then who would put you inside a treasure chest?"

"How about we both go inside a treasure chest?"

Sam said to her as Dawn started pondering. She looked so quiet even though she was thinking seriously. It just can't be help that she was very adorable.

"Okay then."

She answered with a bright smile, but as if she suddenly remembered something, she got sad.

"Oh? Why did you suddenly quietened?"

"Mama said that we will be leaving tomorrow. B-But I don't want to be separated with you..."

Dawn said sadly as she started crying.

Sam was also saddened when he heard what she said because he can't also bear to be separated from her. He then thought of something as he then took out the necklace his mother gave to him on his birthday.

It was a heart-shaped necklace made of gold. An expensive gift for a seven-year-old kid, but it doesn't really matter for someone as wealthy as his family.

He did not hesitate to break it into two pieces as he then gave the other piece to Dawn. She received it confused as she asks him.

"What is this?"

"It will serve as a remembrance for the two of us, every time you look at it. You can always think of me while I do the same, in this way, we will not feel sad."

"En."

She nodded, as Sam then hugged her. They stayed like that for a while before Dawn separated herself from his embrace. She then said excitedly.

"Kuya Sam, let's open the treasure chest and see what's inside."

{*FLASHBACK END*}

"Boss!"

Sam heard a yell from a distance, he turned to look at who called for him and saw twelve ladies rushing towards him. He then answered to the girl who called him boss.

***

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