Leonel really didn't expect that he would be the subject of so many glares again so soon, but this was the reality before him.
At this moment, he stood on the deck of a ship anchored a distance away from an island covered in a forest so thick one could hardly see in a few meters from its coasts. However, even with such a beautiful destination before him, Leonel found it difficult to enjoy because the youths that took part in the gathering were all sending looks toward him that just might tear him apart.
??
However, Leonel really couldn't mind any of this now because compared to a few days ago, he was even more excited to go on this hunt.
According to what the leading Commander of this Hunt just said, a Commander that just happened to be the very same Violet Rain who oversaw the gathering, this Hunt would decide who would gain a quota to enter an SS-grade Zone.
This was most definitely an unexpected surprise for Leonel. Since Old Hutch hadn't known that Leonel had been scouting out high level Zones, he had never said anything about it. The old man hadn't said a word about it, thinking that he was successfully tricking Leonel into another task. He had no idea it would have convinced Leonel to join much quicker had he been more honest.
As for the reason why Leonel was looking for high level Zones, that was obviously so that he could earn a Tier 9 Black Reward so that he could go to Terrain and find Aina. Unfortunately, Leonel had vastly underestimated just how rare high level Zones were. It could be said that he was both lucky and unlucky to stumble upon the France Zone the way he had.
Still, if others knew that Leonel was dissatisfied with the rarity of high level Zones, he would probably be beaten to death. After all, each Zone needed to be cleared, it was a requirement. If Zones weren't cleared, a world would never be able to finish their Metamorphosis and could even have its timeline swallowed. It was most definitely in Earth's best interest that these Zones were as rare as possible.
Of course, such being the case, entering such a high level Zone wasn't a joke. This Zone apparently had a 12 person entry limit, and only three spots would be available to them. The rest would go to high ranking officials of the Slayer Legion who had great combat experience.
But, this alone was enough for Leonel to take this Hunt more seriously. Entering this Zone was essentially his ticket to seeing Aina again. If it could be said that before he was only a bit curious about what benefits this island might bring him, now he wouldn't allow anyone to get in his way.
"… those who collect the most Beast Crystals will be ranked accordingly. However, do keep in mind that this island isn't a controlled environment like you're used to. There's no way to know what kind of abilities these animals have awakened nor is there anyway to tell what sort of threat they pose.
"And, if you believe the beasts are the only danger, you'd be wrong. The Eastern Lookout will be participating in this Hunt as well. Be wary of the human heart."
Violet Rain scanned the youths with an apathetic gaze.
Though her eyes landed on Leonel for a moment, it didn't linger there any more than it did on another person. It seemed that she had regained her bearing as a Commander in recent days. At the very least, her one sided hatred of Leonel wasn't bubbling to the surface anymore.
"I've said all I've needed to say. You all can go."
The youths were stunned.
They could go? What was that supposed to mean? They were still hundreds of meters from the island!
Even if it was before the Metamorphosis, swimming in the ocean like this wasn't exactly the safest thing. Even if one disregarded the potential dangerous creatures, just swimming against the waves alone would sap up their energy.
All of this was amplified several times more after the Metamorphosis. It was widely accepted that the oceans of Earth were practically a forbidden zone now. If it was already difficult to explore the oceans before, it was at the point now where no one even dared to do so.
It was at that moment that the boat they were all on suddenly rocked, caused by someone using it as a spring board to leap toward the open waters.
When they saw who it was, flames of competition couldn't help but be lit in the depths of their souls.
This was the man they all hated. If they lost to him in strength, it was still fine. But, if they lost to him in courage too… where would they put their faces?
Thunderous Clap watched Leonel's figure leap through the air. The eyes he had toward the latter didn't seem to contain the hatred it once had. Instead, there was a deep unwillingness and the fire of a competitive spirit.
In truth, he still didn't believe he had misjudged Leonel. Since the others still weren't aware of the circumstances behind 'Indomitable's' rise, they still thought Leonel was an arrogant prick. It was just that he happened to be an arrogant prick with the strength to back it up.
However, hatred wasn't the emotion he had for Leonel. All he had said was the truth. He really could beat them without Hutch's help. In that case, it wasn't arrogance, it was simply a fact.
'I wonder, between him and those top few… who's stronger?'
Thunderous Clap was only ranked fourth. Yet, he knew that those the Slayer Legion truly saw as their future pillars wouldn't even be risked by being allowed to appear on the rankings. It was quite a joke. His goal was those people, yet he couldn't even rank first on the list they disdained to appear on.
This was all to say that he couldn't fathom why it was they had allowed Leonel to appear on the list… But to him, this was a good thing. He could finally measure himself to those hidden monsters, he finally had a target to chase after.
The gazes of the youths watched on as Leonel glided across the waters as though it was solid ground. Then, one after another, they dove in.
Violet Rain's watery eyes twinkled at this scene.
'I guess it isn't so bad even if he might be a spy. Like this, these little pups can have a fire lit beneath them…'