"Lynn! Are you ok?!" False Witness immediately asked, sprinting towards Sylphina with a worried expression.

However, if one had high enough attentiveness to notice, the boss of Class 70's goon squad could've helped in the last few moments, as his bleeding status was already gone by that time, and he still had around a hundred and seventy hitpoints left.

Zach certainly wasn't as distressed about what happened as he appeared to be.

Yet, the snobbish lady still fell for it, finding comfort in his "concerned" arms.

The other members of the Havoc Hunting Party, on the other hand, were all currently looking in Daru's direction, with a majority doing so in an unfriendly manner.

While they do care about Sylphina, as she's the daughter of a fairly renowned family in the southern region of cluster 4, they care more about the fact that the unknown, tan-skinned, orange-haired B-ranker got all of the rewards for himself.

The bastard was even swiping his fingers to the right and faintly smiling, which meant he was closing all the notifications that had just appeared.

The problem was that the bastard could argue he only did it to "save" Sylphina, and if the troublesome lady sided with him…

How could Alopecion let such a thing happen?

Before Lynn could recover, the balding S-ranker decisively approached Daru.

"Hey, friend, that was our prey you stole. Mind explaining what that was about?" Alopecion questioned with a frown and a cold, threatening gaze.

"She was about to die, so I saved her," Daru explained in a nonchalant manner.

The balding S-ranker was quite displeased at the fact that the intimidation didn't seem to work.

And so, Alopecion tried again, thinking that the dense idiot in front of him might've simply not noticed the trial name written in red above him.

"Hmph. Fine, you can say that, B-ranker. However, if you truly intended to help, then couldn't you have helped earlier? I can't help but doubt you were simply trying to take advantage of the situation and were playing fisherman when you only came out at the last moment and took the kill."

Daru wasn't too experienced in conversing with others.

However, he believed that as long as he knew he did nothing wrong and spoke honestly, everything would be fine.

This was what his late father had always taught him.

"I was indeed watching earlier. But I wasn't trying to play fisherman." He began, frowning in displeasure at the accusations. "I was content merely watching. However, you guys always hesitated, lacking in courage and decisiveness, which resulted in the current situation. Had I not stepped in, she would've lost a life."

"Hoh…you're truly courageous, talking back to an S-ranker like me, wouldn't you say so, Okuni?" Alopecion responded, narrowing his eyes and highlighting his rank in another intimidation attempt.

"Fine then, let's say you simply did everything out of the goodness of your heart. If so, then give us everything you obtained. We were the ones who worked hard for that. You should also compensate us for the lost experience points. Give us all your Swordcoins so we can purchase experience boost scrolls."

"No, I saved the life of one of your members, possibly even more. It would be unfair to me if I compensated you for helping you." Daru stood his ground and firmly refused.

His last sentence somewhat tongue-tied the balding S-ranker.

But then, just when he was about to turn to leave, a familiar female voice sounded a few dozen meters away.

"Hmph! W-Who said you helped me? I could've dealt with that attack on my own!" Sylphina snorted in response, slightly stuttering.

Daru frowned, slightly disappointed.

Kicking one's benefactor in the teeth?

'Ungrateful…' he thought inwardly in disgust, remaining steadfast in his stance.

"No. To stop that sword skill, you must strike before Havoc splits in two and rushes in from different directions. You've clearly given up earlier, which was why I stepped in." Daru explained.

It was then that the baldy roared:

"Enough! I'm done with your excuses, B-ranker. Sylphina is an A-ranker, unlike you. How could you possibly understand her competence?! She said she could've dealt with the attack on her own, so she could. Your help, if you could even call it that, was unnecessary, resulting in this accident. Give us what you got, or…"

"Or what?" Daru cut in with a cold tone.

"We'll kill you, what else?" Alopecion sneered, revealing his ruthless side.

Daru's response, however, somewhat caught them off-guard:

"But killing is illegal and isn't allowed."

The entire hunting party froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Hahahaha! Brother, oh Brother Okuni…" False Witness suddenly chimed, walking closer to Daru.

"Look at my nameplate. We're of the same rank, right? We…are not untouchable. We are MERELY B-rankers, do you understand? The government would turn a blind eye to an S-ranker taking the life of a B-ranker once. After that, this guy has enough influence and money to pay someone off to take your remaining lives. He doesn't personally have to dirty his hands. Your career as a bladeborn will be over before it even begins if you're not careful, Brother Okuni…"

It seemed like Zach was merely concerned about Daru, but in truth, what he said was both a threat and a reminder.

The balding S-ranker was quite pleased with False Witness's intelligence, liking the guy more and more.

"Exactly what he said. I can take all three of your lives with a casual wave of my hand and proceed about my day without any consequences, Okuni. Now, all of this could be avoided if only you would give us everything you have. What do you say, huh? I can even let you join us in our future hunts to make up for your losses today."

"Hahahaha! What a nice idea, boss Alopecion!" praised False Witness with a rather fawning and friendly pat to the shoulder, which the balding S-ranker did not hate at all.

With everything they said, the B-ranker was sure to bend, right?

Wrong…

"Hmph, you're all nothing but filthy bandits. Why would I want to join your disgusting group? Come then, take my life if you can."

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