Returning to the Mysterious Era-Chapter 415 - Florence Ghoul Incident

"Delayed? Why?" Soss set his teacup down with a snap, and his expression appeared as dark as iron.

George let out a sigh, turned around to close the door, then walked over to the sofa and said, "Just a moment ago, Hunter White Aster submitted an honorary badge and wanted to withdraw eight hundred units of sacred spring water from the resource management department. It was an emblem personally awarded by the Chief Mechanist, so I had no way around it..." He sat down on the sofa, shook his head, and poured himself a cup of tea.

"White Aster..." Soss narrowed his eyes, letting a dangerous glimmer flicker in them.

White Aster planned to take eight hundred units of sacred spring water from the Hunters' Association, which was nearly most of their reserves, so it was no wonder George said it would take another two or three weeks to replenish.

Under normal circumstances, it would not have been a big deal, but at that moment Soss was anxious to boost his strength using the sacred spring water. He had no time to wait another half month, because the battle for the seat would start soon.

"I know that Hunter White Aster, but isn't he just a Black Copper Hunter? Why would he need so much sacred spring water in such a short span of time?" Soss spoke in a low voice, "Couldn't you find some excuse to delay his resource exchange a bit? I supposed that kid wouldn't dare question it..."

"Uh..." George, who was sipping tea across from him, smacked his lips in slight exasperation. He had indeed thought that way at first, but...

"Sorry, Mister Soss. Our transaction can only be postponed. After all, it was the Chief Mechanist's honorary badge granted to a veteran hunter. If White Aster really went to report me, I would be the first one done for. I hope you can understand..." George gave a professional smile.

Across from him, Soss exuded a dangerous aura. His pair of lion-like eyes fixed on George, creating a strong sense of pressure. However, George's smiling face did not change in the slightest, and the teacup in his hand was gently placed on the table, making his stance unmistakably clear.

"Hmph." Soss snorted coldly, stood up, and walked out of the room without hesitation.

Only George remained there, letting out a slow sigh of relief. Soss's aura was indeed intimidating, but it was still minor compared to what he had encountered previously.

He had not wanted to offend Soss and the royal family, but George preferred even less to antagonize the four individuals in the waiting room. His instincts told him that those four were far more dangerous.

Out in the hallway, Soss shot a frosty glance at the door, then headed straight for the stairs. He truly had not expected that a mere Black Copper Hunter would cause him such a great hassle at this critical moment.

That Shadow Thorn Organization was also useless. Even several top-tier assassins could not kill a single Black Copper Hunter. No wonder they had been wiped out by an unknown force earlier. If only he had known, he would have handled it personally back then.

The more Soss thought about it, the angrier he became, and he quickened his pace. His hair, like a lion's mane, fluttered as he passed a corner, intending to rush out of the association.

Suddenly, he saw two staff members in the corridor, each lifting one side of a metal container and walking in another direction. His gaze swept over the container, and his brow rose slightly. It was the iron container used by the Hunters' Association resource management to store sacred spring water. It was the largest model, capable of holding four hundred units each.

Altogether, there were eight hundred units, which aligned exactly with the resources given in exchange for the honorary badge. Soss paused for a moment, then turned and followed them.

A minute later, in the corridor where the waiting room was located, three figures, two in front and one following, walked around the corner.

The two staff members panted slightly. Although they had promised to deliver within ten minutes, it was already close to fifteen, primarily because the warehouse was quite far from the waiting room.

They took a few relaxed breaths before knocking on the door. "Mister White Aster, your resources have arrived."

Footsteps sounded from within, and with a click, the door opened. A tall, muscular youth appeared at the doorway with an impassive look.

"This is your sacred spring water, a total of eight hundred units..." The two staff members held the metal containers, ready to walk inside. Unexpectedly, a gust of wind swept from the side, and a tall figure squeezed past them.

He moved so fast that it looked as if he would knock someone flying.

"Whoosh..." Cassius frowned, placed his hands on the two staff members' shoulders, and tossed them back. Then he positioned himself squarely in the doorway.

"Hmph!" Soss had initially intended to charge into the room to talk, but since the other party was so uncooperative, he did not mind using force. He stomped his right boot on the ground, increased his speed, and rushed forward like a charging lion.

Bang!

The entire door frame shook, and a muffled crash reverberated through the corridor. Pain flared in Soss's right shoulder, and he felt as though he had rammed into a towering iron wall. Even his powerful physique had not caused the slightest shift. It was akin to a lion slamming into an elephant—no, more accurately a lion crashing into an even larger whale. In the former case, there might have been a chance to budge it. In the latter, there was absolutely none.

"Could I interpret that as an attack on me just now, boy?" The burly man ahead, half a head taller than Soss, slowly twisted his neck with a cracking sound. That collision a moment ago had done him no harm whatsoever.

"So, this next punch of mine should count as legitimate self-defense." The moment he finished speaking, Soss's hair stood on end. From the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a black arc ripple across midair. The edges of that arc were streaked with compressed white airflow from the punch, producing a piercing whine.

Boom!

A tall figure was blasted backward, crashing through the corridor window like a cannonball, then hurtling straight out of the Hunters' Association.

A few seconds later, a dull thud came from afar as the body hit the ground. Cassius glanced at the shattered window, extended his left hand, and ripped away a strip of torn cloth from his heavily muscled right arm before closing the door behind him.

"All right, give me those eight hundred units of sacred spring water," he said.

Inside the waiting room, the two staff members exchanged looks of disbelief.

By four in the afternoon, a rumor had circulated within the Hunters' Association. They said that after Lion King Soss had been attacked a few days earlier, he started displaying symptoms of mental instability. He had supposedly jumped out of a second-story window at the Dark Hunter Organization's headquarters that day, flying dozens of meters and ending up in an extremely embarrassing state.

It seemed that the once-strongest contender for the Shadow Hunter seat was finished, leaving only Solomon the Thorn and Claire the Siren in the running.

That afternoon, Cassius left the Hunters' Association with eight hundred units of sacred spring water, having punched Lion King Soss out in one blow. He received no punishment, not even an inquiry. Presumably, Soss realized that he was the one at fault and felt it far too humiliating to have been sent flying like that.

Moreover, the two staff members who were carrying the metal containers had been potential witnesses. With Soss having made the first move inside the Hunters' Association, even royal backing might not save him from discipline.

***

Ever since he had obtained eight hundred units of sacred spring water, Cassius's research on the platinum sacred marks had proceeded smoothly. He cooperated with Ghost-Man in the World of Calamity and then went to Black Rain Manor to exchange for Soul Power, afterward merging the two.

After a week, the platinum sacred marks on Cassius's arm had increased to thirty-three in total.

Because his real body was in the Dark Hunter Organization, he usually tested the combined Southern Dipper Forces in the calamity world. There, numerous undying dark creatures provided the perfect test subjects. After a few days of experimentation, Cassius discovered that these dark creatures killed by his Southern Dipper Force exhibited four layers of undying damage traits, stacked on top of one another.

The traits were: Spiral, Decomposition, Explosion, and Shock.

Its destructive power was undoubtedly stronger than a single form of Southern Dipper Force. However, it had not yet reached complete perfection at that stage. The four-layer damage traits did not coordinate with each other or cause any special reaction, merely piling up layer by layer to savagely slaughter the dark creatures. This still needed improvement, and he planned to see what would happen once he gained even more platinum sacred marks.

...

Looking back almost a month on July 22, at eight in the morning, the Chief Mechanist issued orders to the Hunters' Association. The vacant Shadow Hunter seat was now set to be contested.

They confirmed that four people would be taking part. Lion King Soss, backed by the royal family. Solomon the Thorn, supported by the council. Claire the Siren, backed by the Dark Hunter Organization. White Aster, a Black Copper Hunter supported by the veteran hunters.

When the list was announced, the Hunters' Association went into an uproar. They had not expected White Aster to truly take part in the race for the Shadow Hunter seat. In their original assumptions, he would have quietly built up his strength and waited for the next contest. He was young and had time, after all, but the reality turned out entirely differently.

"Isn't that basically handing it away?"

"I don't get it. If that Black Copper Hunter White Aster wasn't thinking straight, then so be it, but how did all those veteran hunters become so muddle headed too?"

"Claire the Siren, Lion King Soss, Solomon the Thorn—each of them is a top-tier Dark Gold Hunter. Throwing a Black Copper Hunter into that group of vicious wolves is like adding a stray dog among them."

"Hey, the first stage in competing for the Shadow Hunter seat is the dangerous assignment from the Hunters' Association. The minimum requirement is Dark Gold level, and it's considered dangerous even for Dark Gold Hunters. That kid would probably be eliminated in the first round, and the Hunters' Association wouldn't pity him for being weak..."

At the hunters' gathering places, talk went back and forth without end.

In the Hunters' Association's central hall, four figures stood quietly, waiting for the Radiant Hunter to appear. As the president of the Hunters' Association, only he could distribute the assignments in the fairest way.

In the hall, three of them cast glances now and then at the person on the far right. This was especially true of Solomon, who was seeing Cassius for the first time—his usually calm, somber face revealed considerable surprise.

That big man was White Aster? He was obviously taller than Lion King Soss! Although his aura was subdued, making it impossible to discern his exact power level, he was clearly more than just some Black Copper Hunter—at least a Dark Gold-level expert. It appeared those veteran hunters really had hidden a lot, quite cunning indeed!

Beyond Solomon, Soss too was staring intently at Cassius, with anger seething in his eyes and a hint of humiliation as well. A week earlier, he had nearly lost his composure after being punched and sent flying at the Hunters' Association.

His plan to obtain sacred spring water from the resource management department had gone up in smoke. Coupled with his prior arm injury, it could be said to have been a double blow. Fortunately, the royal family had stepped in for Soss at last. They paid a hefty price to negotiate with the Sacred Bath Grand Cathedral and obtained enough sacred spring water.

Over the past week, Soss had relentlessly imbibed sacred spring water to the limit, enhancing his physique-based arcane energy to climb another level in power. His strength had returned to its original peak condition.

With his strength restored, Soss felt all his gloom vanish. Neither his old rivals—Solomon and Claire—nor this suddenly emerging White Aster intimidated him. He still had considerable confidence in winning the Shadow Hunter title.

Five minutes later, a slender figure entered through the hall's entrance. He appeared to be no more than forty, exuding a scholarly air, dressed in a black suit with a pocket watch on his chest and a monocle over his right eye.

It was Thunder Prison Deleshart, the president of the Hunters' Association.

He was also a hunter who had borne the Radiant Hunter title for ten years.

He wore a gentle smile that made people feel at ease the moment they saw him. This was Deleshart's typical demeanor in everyday life. However, once he assumed his hunter persona, he became the most terrifying and bloody sword.

"Good morning to you four. I will get straight to the point: your individual tasks were allocated yesterday, and they are all here." Deleshart waved the file folder in his hand.

Numbers from one to four were labeled on it. On the surface of each file was a danger sign stamped in red ink. Obviously, these were no ordinary assignments.

"You must complete these tasks by yourselves. If it is discovered that someone else has helped you, your qualification will be immediately revoked. Moreover, there is a time limit for each task. If you fail to finish within that period, you will lose your eligibility to compete..."

"In addition, if you encounter any unusual circumstances during your task, you may report them immediately. After all, unexpected incidents can happen at any time, and it is understandable if they go beyond the scope of your assignment. In that case, I will prepare a separate task for you." Deleshart spoke while distributing the four files in order to each of the four people present. Cassius received file number four.

Whether it was an illusion or not, he sensed that Deleshart's gaze lingered on him for a moment. Cassius paused briefly and released a slight aura, after which Deleshart quickly looked away.

"All right, everyone, you may go now." With Deleshart's words, the four slowly left the hall.

Cassius returned expressionlessly to the hunter's apartment where Herb lived. As soon as he entered, the bunch of old veterans eagerly gathered around him. With everyone crowding around, Cassius opened the assignment folder.

Assignment: Investigate the malignant ghoul incident in Florence's commercial district.

Difficulty: A

Information: Fifteen days ago, a serial murder case surfaced in the commercial district of Florence. The culprit acted viciously, roamed at night, and carried off part of the victim's body. Investigations by the Hunters' Association revealed that dark creatures were responsible, so a hunting operation began ten days ago. One day later, the operation failed, leaving one Dark Gold Hunter seriously injured and three White Dazzling Hunters dead. It is determined that this dark creature is an A-level dangerous target, extremely cunning, with formidable combat prowess and an assassin-like ability to conceal itself. The recommendation is for two or more Dark Gold Hunters to join forces and shoot it down on the spot.

Deadline: Ten days

Note: For more detailed information, please contact the relevant personnel.