"What bullshit is even this?"
The furious voice exploded throughout the underground chamber like a thunderclap, carrying with it an overwhelming pressure that seemed to possess physical weight. The already battered combat arena shook violently as chunks of cracked concrete broke loose from the ceiling, crashing onto the ruined floor below.
Kael immediately noticed something.
Scarlet Fist’s entire body stiffened.
The wild grin on her face vanished almost instantly, replaced by an expression that looked... nervous.
That alone was enough to tell him whoever had spoken wasn’t ordinary.
He turned toward the source of the voice.
A broad-shouldered, bald-headed man was calmly walking through the sea of rubble as though the devastation around him didn’t exist. Broken alloy plating, twisted steel beams, and shattered concrete littered his path, yet his footsteps never slowed.
Trailing several steps behind him was Director Ferris.
Or rather...
Trying to hide behind him.
The director occasionally peeked his head out from behind the larger man before quickly shrinking back again, looking every bit like a frightened rabbit following a lion.
Kael’s attention, however, wasn’t on Ferris.
The moment his eyes landed on the bald man, he froze for the briefest of moments.
Jonas Grieg.
There was no mistaking him.
The legendary Vice President of the Hunter Association.
A name known across the entire world.
Officially, Jonas carried the title of Vice President.
In reality...
He was the one who handled virtually every matter concerning the Hunter Association. The actual President rarely involved himself in administrative affairs. That mysterious powerhouse existed more as a symbol than an active leader, his mere presence serving as a deterrent against anyone foolish enough to provoke the Association.
As such, Jonas was the one everyone truly answered to.
Which only raised one question.
Why is he here?
Surely...
He hadn’t personally come just because of him.
While Kael was lost in thought, Scarlet Fist finally found her voice.
"V... Vice President..."
She actually stammered.
Jonas didn’t even spare her greeting a response.
Instead, he fixed her with a terrifying glare.
"I asked..."
"What in the fucking bullshit is this?"
His voice boomed through the ruined chamber.
"Were you trying to ki..."
His words suddenly stopped.
His gaze shifted away from Scarlet Fist and landed squarely on Kael.
A flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes.
He had naturally expected the young man to be in miserable condition after exchanging blows with Scarlet Fist for this long.
Instead...
Apart from several burn blisters scattered across his skin, most of which were already visibly healing at an astonishing rate, Kael looked far better than he should have.
Jonas narrowed his eyes.
He fought her for this long... and only suffered injuries at this level?
That alone was enough to shock even him.
He silently filed that information away before turning back toward Scarlet Fist.
"...Do you want to destroy the entire city, you crazy woman?"
Scarlet Fist awkwardly scratched the back of her head.
"Come on, Vice President."
She forced out an embarrassed laugh.
"Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration? It wasn’t that bad."
Jonas raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"Is that right?"
A dangerous smile slowly appeared on his face.
"In that case..."
"It shouldn’t be a problem if you cover every repair bill yourself."
The smile on Scarlet Fist’s face instantly froze.
Then...
It shattered.
"Pay... the repair fee?"
She slowly looked around the battlefield.
Collapsed walls.
Bent alloy plating.
Destroyed reinforcement pillars.
A ceiling on the verge of collapse.
The damage stretched as far as the eye could see.
Her face gradually turned pale.
Repairing all of this would easily cost hundreds of millions of credits.
To an ordinary S-rank Hunter, that amount wasn’t impossible to pay.
After all, every trip into the Tower or high-level Rift brought back treasures and monster materials worth astronomical sums.
Unfortunately...
Scarlet Fist wasn’t an ordinary S-rank Hunter.
She was perpetually broke.
Not because she didn’t earn enough.
Quite the opposite.
She earned an absurd amount.
The problem was...
She also had an absurd talent for causing property damage.
Every few weeks, she would get carried away during a battle and accidentally level a building, split open a mountain, or demolish some expensive facility.
Naturally, the repair bills always found their way to her.
Then there was her combat outfit.
Ordinary combat armor simply couldn’t withstand her ability.
Some armors possessed incredible defensive capabilities.
Others resisted high temperatures.
Very few could endure both.
The moment her body began expanding during combat, most armors either melted from the unbearable heat or burst apart under the strain of her growing physique.
In the end, she had been forced to commission a custom-made combat suit woven from the silk of high-level Shadowcritters.
An incredibly rare species.
There wasn’t a single Rift on Earth containing them.
The only way to obtain their silk was by bringing it back from the Tower.
Its price could make even wealthy Hunters wince.
Between replacing that suit whenever it became damaged and paying compensation for the destruction she constantly caused...
Scarlet Fist’s bank account had developed a long-standing habit of remaining empty.
Realizing she was now expected to pay for this disaster...
She immediately surrendered.
"I take it back."
She raised both hands.
"It was bad."
"Really bad."
She flashed Jonas what she believed to be an adorable smile.
"So..."
"Could the Association maybe cover it this once?"
She even clasped both hands together.
"Pretty please?"
The sight was painful to watch.
Especially since everyone present knew exactly what kind of menace she truly was.
Jonas stared at her with a completely expressionless face.
"The Association isn’t paying for shit."
"You made the mess."
"You clean it up."
Scarlet Fist’s shoulders instantly drooped.
She looked utterly defeated.
Then...
Her eyes suddenly lit up.
A mischievous sparkle flashed within them.
Her gaze slowly drifted past Jonas before locking onto Director Ferris, who was still cautiously standing behind the Vice President.
The moment their eyes met...
Ferris felt a chill crawl down his spine.
An overwhelming sense of foreboding surged through his heart.
Why is she looking at me like that...?
He didn’t even have time to think further.
Scarlet Fist suddenly raised her finger.
Pointing directly at him.
"It was his fault too!"
Ferris’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
His mouth opened wide in disbelief before the words escaped him almost instinctively.
"Warara I do?!"
# #
My dear readers, the rest of today’s Chapter might be delayed a bit as my battery is running low right now. I’ll find a way to charge up soon and release the remainder in a few hours.