City Of Adventures [Pt 5]

"W-what did you just say?"

Sango's face seemed to depict a fair bit of shock as soon as he heard the response of the stranger in black. His brows were raised in genuine surprise.

"You heard me well enough. Step back if you know what is good for you."

More surprise filled Sango's face.

"Do you… not know who I am? Who we are?"

"How would we know that? We just got here." The response from the hatted man made Sango nearly frown.

Surely, his name was known even beyond the confines of the City. Any aspiring Adventurer would know the name of one of the strongest Adventurers in the City, as well as the top Party in all of the City.

Yet, none of that recognition seemed to be coming from the fellow before him.

The girl beside him also said nothing. She just stood there like a statue, almost as if she wasn't witnessing anything that was happening.

'Do they both not recognize me? Are they messing with me, or…?' Sango's thoughts trailed.

The cackles of his subordinates brought him back to reality, though, as they started making fun of him.

"Seems like your popularity has plummeted, Sango!"

"Being Rank 7 is apparently not enough for the newcomers to recognize you!"

"Pfft! You're not gonna let it slide, are you?"

At this point, Sango couldn't help his frown. He raised his voice at the drunks that he called subordinates.

"Would you stop already? You guys are already drunk!"

He was only met with more ridicule.

"We're drunk? Look who's talking, pfft!"

"Maybe we're all sober and you're the one that's drunk!"

"Hahahaaha!"

At this point, Sango slapped his hand on his face and stood upright, removing his face so close to the gentleman who stood before him.

"These guys are bumming me out…" He sighed.

Despite having lots to drink, Sango wasn't drunk in the slightest. He had his Barbarian genes to thank for that fact. Unfortunately, the embarrassments caused by his comrades was enough to wish that he wasn't sober.

"I-in any case, let's not waste any time and get to the point…" Sango pointed at the two, who patiently waited for him to recover from his mortification.

"You two should withdraw from the Heroic Rank Test!"

"No way."

"WHAT?!"

"I said… no way?"

"Why no way?"

"Because it's not possible?"

"Why isn't it possible?"

"It's just not."

"Why not, you stupid bastard?!" At this point, Sango was exasperated.

He was nearly running out of breath due to the quick back and forth. He wasn't used to this kind of defiance from people—especially from people younger than him.

Only those who had proven themselves as stronger could do that, and he wasn't getting that vibe from the two of them.

"Look here, you punks…" Sango's tone took a deeper and more aggressive tone. "You're just a bunch of newbies. Do you have any idea how insulting it is to opt for the most difficult rank from the start?"

The man with the hat cocked his head slightly and asked a very, but pertinent question. "It's not against the rules, is it?"

Sango felt slighted by that response.

He really wasn't used to people talking back to him like this, so he responded in the only way he knew how to.

"LISTEN HERE, IT MIGHT NOT BE AGAINST THE RULES, BUT IT IS STILL WRONG TO DO!" Sango simply raised his voice.

That always did the trick for him.

As his thunderous voice filled the area, the air itself vibrated, and everyone who watched the scene shivered.

Well, everyone except the two who stood right in front of him.

"How is it wrong? It's lawful."

'H-he's still running his mouth? How…?!' Sango's eyes widened.

The man in front of him clearly wasn't normal. However, that didn't stop the Barbarian from speaking even more.

"It's wrong to the Adventurers that are here. Your seniors who have been working their butts off for so long… how do you think it looks like to them when a bunch of amateurs show up and want to skip the process?"

"If you're strong enough, I see no reason why you can't just get a Rank suited for your strength." The response of the gentleman was reasonable, but Sango did not accept it.

After all, that line of reasoning only applied to those who were 'strong enough'.

And these two… Sango wasn't sure that they qualified.

"Look, you don't get it. When guys like you just pop up and throw your money around to get the exams, it pisses off honest Adventurers who look up to that Rank and work hard every day so that they can get to that level one day."

Sango wasn't just pulling words out of his ass. Majority of the Adventurers who watched this entire scene nodded in agreement to the Barbarian's words.

"We have the way we do things here. I'm saying this for your sake too. So you should just go back there and change the kind of test you want to have."

Silence engulfed the area, and the gentleman placed his hand on his chin as if deliberating on what to do.

Sango grinned widely, happy that he was able to knock some sense into the haughty newcomers without resorting to violence.

Unfortunately, his happiness was cut short by the hatted man's response.

"No. It's not possible."

"Why is it not possible?"

"It's just not."

"Why not, YOU STUPID BASTAAAARD?!"

In response to this, the gentleman merely shrugged. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we'd best be on our way."

The dark coated man and his white-clad maiden walked past Sango in a calm and elegant stride.

But—

"Hold on…" Sango held the shoulder of the man, his frown deepening to a monstrous degree.

Sparks of lightning flashed in his eyes, and his muscles began to bulge to an unbelievable extent. Everyone who saw this took the hint and stepped back.

"It seems you weren't paying any attention to what I was saying…"

Sango until he became at least twice as tall as the man whose shoulder he held. His deadly gaze echoed violence, and his overwhelming power overflowed through all parts of his body.

"YOU WILL CHANGE THE RANK OF YOUR TEST."

"And if I refuse?" The man responded, his calm voice an antithesis to the rough echoes of Sango's growl.

Upon hearing this, the ebony giant grinned like a maniac and gave the only response he could render at this point.

"Then… you DIEEE!"

~BZZTTZZZ!~

Sango's hand crackled with electricity as it rushed towards the face of the stranger faster than the eye could process.

This blur of a fist was capable of breaking the toughest boulders and tearing apart buildings. Against a single man, it was overkill.

~WHOOOSH!~

The blow neared the target, and all closed their eyes, expecting hear the squishing sound of flesh.

What they heard, instead, was a slapping sound.

… Almost as if, somehow… the blow had been stopped by a palm.

All opened their eyes, and to their unanimous shock, that was indeed the case. Sango's blow was stopped by the white partner of the dark gentleman.

"W-WHAT ARE YO—!"

~BWOOOOOOSHHHH!~

Before Sango could even say anything, an invisible gale of wind blew him away, sending him flying far away.

… Perhaps into oblivion.