After he was done reporting to Crimson, Marlon placed the telephone carefully atop the signal box.

Bola had stayed with him throughout the call and heard everything that was said. His expression gradually turned solemn as he listened to how Marlon described their relationship with the gang and the details surrounding the death of his brother.

He was also quite surprised when he heard the sympathizing tone in Crimson's voice once the death was revealed.

The conversation between the two completely changed Bola's view of the world outside the Deadlight District.

"Can you help me inform your boss that more hunters will be arriving?" Marlon asked.

Bola nodded and picked up the signal box before leaving the room.

Marlon finally laid down on the comfortable bed and fell asleep within a few minutes.

===

Since there were no clocks in the room, he could not tell how long he had slept.

Nevertheless, his body felt completely relaxed. The strain on his muscles was gone, and his cognitive functions felt sharper than before.

Judging from the refreshed expressions of the others, it was clear they had also gotten adequate rest.

At the moment, they were standing outside the black tower alongside Tinubu and his men, as well as dozens of hunters sent by the Hunter Association.

There were over thirty hunters present. All of them were at least C-rank, with only three B-rank hunters among them.

One of the B-rank hunters stood directly in front of Marlon.

She was very beautiful, carrying a reserved aura around her. Her black hair was tied into a neat ponytail, and she wore light steel armor over a black, body-hugging battle suit.

She stretched out her hand.

"My name is Sandra, an enhancer," she introduced herself.

"The name's Marlon."

They shook hands briefly.

According to Sandra, Crimson had personally sent her to team up with him, as she was one of the rarest enhancers in Arden.

She was the only enhancer capable of casting her skills on both herself and others, making her an extremely valuable supporter and a capable attacker at the same time.

With her abilities, Marlon's clones would be able to fight far more effectively.

While the two of them were exchanging introductions, the other hunters began getting acquainted with one another. Some even spoke with the gangsters.

Nevertheless, there were a few prideful hunters who only made the situation worse.

Two young hunters bearing the same resemblance and wearing identical arrogant expressions made rude comments toward the gangsters.

"I hope you're not planning to let those dirty-looking people raid with us," the taller one said, his tone dripping with disgust.

He was adorned in expensive armor, with a golden cape attached to his back, making him resemble an ancient knight.

"Eww…" the other responded, his voice sounding somewhat feminine.

His movements were also rather feminine as he waved his hands exaggeratedly, like a teenage girl trying to act cute.

Tinubu and his men glared at the two youngsters with barely concealed anger.

They did not act, however, as Marlon had taken the time to plead with them beforehand.

There were other hunters who also spoke rudely, especially after learning that the gang was demanding half of the loot.

Altogether, six hunters openly protested.

The remaining hunters were either friendly, introducing themselves to the gang and getting acquainted, or stayed neutral and watched from the sidelines.

After finishing his conversation with Sandra, Marlon turned toward the two arrogant young men, who looked to be around twenty years old.

They were currently standing in front of Bola, pointing fingers and speaking rudely.

Marlon noticed Bola's clenched fists and could tell that he was holding himself back with great effort.

"Hey, you two."

Marlon called out loudly as he strolled toward them.

His voice immediately drew everyone's attention, and all eyes turned in his direction.

The twins turned to look at him and smiled.

Despite their arrogance, they knew better than to speak rudely to Marlon.

"We were only teaching these people their place. That's fine, right?" the feminine one said, giving a playful wink.

Marlon scoffed in disgust.

"You two—what are your names?" he asked.

"My name is Jonah, and this is John. We're the grandsons of Guardia—"

"I didn't ask about your family," Marlon interrupted coldly before they could finish. "Why are you causing trouble?"

"Causing trouble?" John, the taller one, asked with a smile. "We weren't. We were only teaching these people their place."

"And who gave you the authority to do that?" Marlon demanded.

Before either of them could answer, another hunter stepped forward from the crowd—a B-rank summoner.

He walked up and positioned himself in front of Marlon.

"Why are you chastising your own people over these… these mobs?" the summoner said, glaring at him.

Even though he knew who Marlon was, he was still a B-rank hunter and believed that Marlon should show him respect.

After all, how could a D-rank defeat a B-rank? It was unheard of.

"Guys, now isn't the time to quarrel," Davison said as he stepped forward alongside Emma, attempting to de-escalate the situation.

They both knew who the summoner was. He was quite popular within the Hunter Association and served as the vice head of a powerful party.

However, they had also witnessed Marlon's prowess.

Even as a D-rank, there was a high chance that he could defeat the summoner.

"Stay out of this, weaklings," the summoner barked at the two before turning his attention back to Marlon.

"Answer me!" he snapped.

Marlon didn't even glance at him. His gaze remained fixed on the twins.

The twins, on the other hand, were confused. This development was not what they had expected.

Why would someone go so far as to defend the Deadlight District dwellers?

"You're all standing here unscathed because I pleaded on your behalf beforehand," Marlon said in a cold, steady tone. "If you insist on causing trouble, I'll take it upon myself to punish you."

He had anticipated something like this from the very beginning, but now that it was happening right in front of him, he realized he could not remain as calm as he had expected.

"Are you ignoring me?" the summoner demanded, his anger flaring.

How dare a mere D-rank ignore him?

He stepped closer and placed his hand on Marlon's back.

"Get your hands off me."

Marlon spoke in a low tone without even bothering to look at the summoner, yet the coldness in his voice was clearly evident.

Everyone who was observing gasped in shock.

The summoner grew even more embarrassed.

"You little fucker!"

He raised his fist and sent a punch flying toward the back of Marlon's head while everyone watched.

However, just as his fist cut through the air, the ground beneath him suddenly trembled, causing him to lose his balance.

Before he could even understand what was happening, the sharp sound of arrows cutting through the air reverberated loudly in his ears.

His eyes widened instantly.

Sensing the danger, he immediately poured all his energy into his feet and leapt backward without hesitation.

At the exact spot he escaped from, dozens of arrows pierced the ground. Most of the arrows were laced with poison and flames, making the attack especially dire and deadly.

"What?!"

The summoner was completely stunned.

So were the onlookers.

Tinubu, Bola, and Ramson all glared fiercely at the summoner.

Bola's hands were wrapped tightly in aether, as he was the one who had used his earth manipulation to make the summoner lose his balance at the critical moment.

Seeing the hostile glares coming from the three of them, the summoner felt a wave of surprise wash over him.

"We might allow insults, but if anyone dares to hurt or even harbor the thought of hurting Marlon, do not blame us for killing you."

Tinubu declared coldly, his voice heavy with killing intent.

The hunters shivered slightly when they heard his declaration.

The summoner gritted his teeth in frustration.

The twins who had been making trouble earlier quietly stepped back and rejoined the hunters, as though they had finally come to a realization.

Seeing how everything was developing, a faint smile crept onto Marlon's face.

"The entire raid in this region will be headed by me. As you have already heard, the loot will be divided equally between us and the owners of this territory."

"In order to prevent cheating of any kind…"

Marlon paused briefly, then activated Mirror Clone Unit.

Ten identical doppelgangers appeared at once, causing everyone to gasp in surprise. Even the summoner, who had been arrogant just moments earlier, shivered slightly as he sensed the power within the doppelgangers and the sharp intelligence shining in their eyes.

"I'll be sending two of my clones with each party."

Marlon continued speaking, laying out his arrangements, and within five minutes, he was done with his speech.

After that, he proceeded to select his new party members.

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