"Hmm.... It's the environment and opportunities brought by the Dungeon."
Leyana reluctantly admitted, but then immediately emphasized, unconvinced.
"But if there were no monsters from the beginning, everyone wouldn't have to desperately strive to become stronger for survival, right!"
"Then...."
Rod chuckled and shrugged.
"What if a more powerful enemy than monsters is coming in the future, and humans have to desperately strive to survive?"
Leyana's heart skipped a beat.
"Are you saying—...."
Rod smiled without speaking, narrowing his eyes slightly, his gaze seemingly penetrating the villa walls, looking towards the 'prey' outside the world.....
At the end of the Danmachi World, a Black Dragon naturally awaited, but this world's future held enemies far stronger than a Black Dragon!
This world's "Dungeons" were merely "catalysts" spread by the Rulers to cope with an even more terrifying war.
They opened portals to the Chaos World, allowing a massive amount of magic power to surge into this world, cultivating strong individuals among humans, reinforcing Earth as a "battlefield," to resist the impending embodiments of destruction—the Monarchs.
From a certain perspective, what the Rulers and Erebus wanted to do was not fundamentally different.
And Rod's primary goal in coming to this world was the power of the Monarchs and Rulers, who stood at the top of the food chain!
Even including the Genesis Power of the "Absolute Being" whom they jointly killed!
The Undead, Dragons, Demons, Giants, Yetis, Beasts, Insects, Demihumans, Spirit Monsters.... The Nine Monarchs, each possessing a fragment of the Primordial Darkness, were the pinnacles who governed their respective races.
If all nine of these immense powers were gathered within him, who knew what level he could reach then...
Rod was quite looking forward to it!
However, achieving such an accomplishment would likely require a huge amount of Prayer Points.
Thinking of this, Rod's heart stirred, and he said to Noin and Leyana.
"Pay more attention to the S-Rank Hunters in this world and see if there are any abilities you like."
After signing the contract, they would be his most trusted assistants.
They must have already guessed that he could duplicate and grant abilities to others.
Rod simply laid it all out.
"But our Contribution Points..."
Noin put down her phone, her eyes lighting up, but then she immediately thought of the practical problem and wrinkled her nose, somewhat troubled.
"Don't worry about the Contribution Points,"
Rod waved his hand dismissively.
"You can owe them for now."
He had no intention of destroying the Contribution Point exchange mechanism that the girls had worked hard to build, but the ultimate right to interpret the rules was still in his hands, after all.
"Then it's fine!"
Noin immediately beamed, she leaned over and gave Rod a loud kiss on the cheek.
"Hehe, Rod, you're so good!"
Looking at the girl's bright smile, Rod felt an inexplicable sense of strangeness.
I make you work for me, then help you get stronger, and after you get stronger, you continue to work for me more efficiently, and you even have to thank me in return....
Even capitalists would have to give up their lampposts to me, right....
"But..."
Although Leyana was also happy about this, her rationality led her to ask a question,
"Rod, didn't you say that most of the S-Rank Hunters in this world only have powers equivalent to our LV3 level?"
The fact that the girls were automatically granted S-Rank Hunter status upon transmigrating was one piece of evidence.
However, unlike Rod, their registration location was Singapore.
Rod did not deny it, but explained.
"S-Rank is just a threshold, but the difference between S-Rank and S-Rank is like the difference between Lili and Finn, both Pallum, understand?"
"Furthermore, above S-Rank, there are Hunters known as 'National Power-level'."
Leyana covered her forehead, unable to help but complain.
"While I admit your example is very vivid and clear... wouldn't it hurt that child too much if she knew you were teasing her like this in private?"
"Don't worry, Lili is stronger than you think."
"Uh, so you're not denying that you'll continue to make fun of her in the future, huh..."
He cleared his throat, choosing to move past the topic, and continued.
"In short, their powers will be very useful to you, especially since your magic will be restricted by the world's rules and slot limitations."
In the quiet night, moonlight streamed through the French windows, laying a silver veil on the floor.
Knock, knock—
The door was gently knocked. Rod didn't even lift his head, but lazily responded.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Noin, wearing a cute pajama set with a bear pattern and her cheerful, flowing short hair, bounced in like a victorious kitten.
Clearly, in tonight's "Holy Grail War"—that is, rock-paper-scissors—which determined who would serve him, she had defeated Leyana by a narrow margin, earning the right to be the Holy Grail tonight!
So, in the subsequent joyous concerto, Noin made no secret of her triumph, even letting out a high-pitched chant of victory, as if in provocation.
This directly led to a night full of dull thuds from the next room, along with suppressed, angry grinding of teeth.
If it weren't for fear of making too much noise, Rod estimated that Leyana would have loved to directly launch a firebomb to blast Noin into the sky.
Their usual sisterly affection was so fragile in matters like this...
The next morning, at the dining table.
As Noin picked up her milk, she was met with a gaze that seemed capable of killing.
Leyana, with two heavy dark circles under her eyes, stared fixedly at her with a resentful gaze that was almost tangible.
In response, Noin took a sip of milk without changing her expression, her heart completely unfazed.
Heh heh, it was her coming-of-age ceremony, what's wrong with being a little arrogant!
Besides, if she returned to Orario, with Goddess Astrea supervising, she wouldn't be able to be so unrestrained, so why not indulge herself now?
However, that evening, when it was Leyana's turn to win, Noin immediately sat in her chair and painfully declared that she regretted it.
An even more intense and thorough "revenge" unfolded in Rod's room!
The battle was so fierce, with lightning and thunder, and a torrential downpour, that by the next morning, Noin also had the same panda eyes.
Thus, for the next few days, Rod enjoyed the benefits of the fierce competition between the two beautiful girls at night.
During the day, Noin and Leyana temporarily transformed into harmonious homebody sisters, either holed up in the villa frantically catching up on various common knowledge of this world, or dragging Cheng Xiaoya along to go on shopping sprees in major malls.
As for going to clear the Dungeons of this world to improve their ability values?
On this, the two girls' opinions were surprisingly consistent—are you kidding me!
We worked so many years in Orario to maintain world order, and now that we've finally come out for our honeymoon, can't we just enjoy ourselves properly?!
H Nation, Hunter Association Headquarters.
In the president's office, the atmosphere was as heavy as iron.
Gao Jianli, the president of the H Nation Hunter Association, had his brows furrowed into a deep "river" (river) character.
His gaunt fingers tapped on several photos on the desk, making dull thudding sounds.
"Three S-Rank Hunters, entered the country silently! They were only discovered now! What are those useless customs officials doing?!"
Although he was over eighty, his still burly and upright physique, and the sharp gaze emanating from behind his glasses, still exuded the aura of a ferocious beast, making the secretary opposite him sweat profusely.
"P-President..."
The secretary trembled as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Then... do we need to meet with this Mr. [Rod]?"
Gao Jianli's gaze fell on the photo.
It was a young man's profile, with distinct features, and his gaze, which seemed to penetrate hearts through the photo, made even Gao Jianli, an old man who had seen many storms, feel a tremor in his heart.
He shook his head, his voice hoarse and heavy.
"It's too late, the other party already detected the presence of our investigators."
"These photos are both a [notification] and a [warning]—warning us not to interfere with his affairs."
"But!" The secretary clenched his fists, his face full of unwillingness.
"Are we just going to let these three [Calamity-level] beings roam freely in our country without supervision?! What if they have some conspiracy...."
"Otherwise?"
Gao Jianli leaned heavily back in the wide chair, letting out a tired sigh.
"Do you want our H Nation to have a direct conflict with that terrifying neighboring country, which has the most Hunters in the world, the most S-Ranks in Asia, and also has a [National Power-level] Hunter stationed there?"
He tapped the desk with his knuckles.
"Think about it, if we really did that, what would be the fate of our H Nation?"
This series of rhetorical questions, like a basin of ice water, sent a chill down the secretary's spine, instantly rendering him speechless.
"What's more…"
Gao Jianli slapped a file onto the table with a "bang."
"Z-Country, their internal ranking mechanism doesn't use the internationally recognized SE standard, but a more intuitive one-to-five-star rating."
"An ordinary S-Rank Hunter, at most, is a Five-Star. And that National Power-level Liu Zhikang is the only Hunter to be awarded Seven-Stars, to show his unparalleled strength."
As Gao Jianli spoke, a complex emotion, a mixture of admiration and apprehension, flickered in his eyes.
"But this young man named Rhode…"
He took a deep breath.
"Two years ago, he was already exceptionally granted the title of Six-Star! Yet he has always kept a low profile internationally; I didn't even know such a monster existed until now!"
"Six, Six-Star Hunter?!"
The secretary's voice changed pitch, as if he had heard something out of a fantasy.
"Haha, yes."
Gao Jianli gave a wry smile.
"When I first saw this information, I was also startled, thinking it was a system error."
In his eyes, a hint of unease gradually emerged.
"Moreover, his data hasn't been updated for two years."
"Now, no one knows how strong he truly is… I always have a feeling that something big is about to happen…"
He suddenly sat up straight and issued an order.
"Notify immediately! All Guild Masters currently in Seoul, come for a meeting at once!"
"I must ensure that no idiot provokes that crossing dragon before the situation becomes clear!"
On the other side, at the Dimensional Gate entrance.
Ding-dong—
Rhode, who was sprawled on the sofa playing PS4, caught a glimpse of his phone screen out of the corner of his eye, and his fingers instantly paused.
A pleased curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Finally here, huh."
In front of the newly opened Dimensional Gate, the atmosphere was quite relaxed.
Hunters gathered in twos and threes, enjoying the free coffee provided by the Association staff while warmly greeting each other.
"Yo, Old Wang, over here, over here!"
"Oh! It's Old Park! Didn't you cry and complain that your wife wouldn't let you do this job anymore?"
"Sigh, don't even mention it, my wife is pregnant with our second child, no choice!"
The man called Old Wang, Wang Jianshe, patted his chest, reassuring everyone.
"Don't worry, this team battle is officially supervised by the Association, so the difficulty isn't high. And Little Cheng is coming today, so it's definitely safe!"
"Little Cheng? Who is that? Is he strong?" a newcomer asked curiously.
"Pfft—"
Wang Jianshe almost spat out his coffee. He laughed and waved his hand.
"No, no, no, that guy's nickname is the famous 'Weakest Weapon of Humanity'! Everyone knows him now!"
"Huh? Are you sure it's not 'Ultimate Weapon of Humanity'?"
"That's the nickname of S-Rank Hunter Cui Zhongyin! That kid, it's not an exaggeration to say he's the weakest Hunter in our H-Country!"
Park Xingfeng's brows immediately furrowed upon hearing this, his face filled with displeasure.
"Hey, hey, what kind of joke is this! If that's really the case, then why are you all so happy? Bringing a burden along, are you trying to make us die faster?"
Wang Jianshe laughed and soothed him.
"It's precisely because the Guilds sent him that it means this mission is so simple you can do it with your eyes closed! This is an officially certified safety signal!"
Park Xingfeng's inner dissatisfaction hadn't vanished, but he could only reluctantly accept this explanation.
He glanced at his watch irritably.
"So why isn't that dead weight here yet?"
"I heard a rookie was seriously injured in an E-Rank Dungeon a few days ago, could it be him? Is he too scared to come this time?"
Before he finished speaking, a slender figure ran over, drenched in sweat, panting and bowing apologetically to everyone.
"Sorry! Sorry! I'm late! Because a friend wanted to come protect me, I led him, so… so it took a little time…"
The newcomer was Cheng Xiaoyu.
Upon hearing this, Park Xingfeng's anger immediately flared, and he rushed forward, shouting.
"I've never heard of adding people last minute! Are you some young master from a rich family? Treating the Dungeon like an amusement park?!"
Cheng Xiaoyu flinched from the shouting but still gritted his teeth and bowed his head deeply.
"I'm very sorry! That… my friend won't participate in any loot division! I, I don't want my share either!"
"This isn't about money!"
Park Xingfeng, however, remained relentless. He grabbed Cheng Xiaoyu's collar, spitting as he spoke.
"We're working at the risk of our lives! We don't have time to play house with young masters like you!"
"Who knows if the guy you brought is an even more useless burden than you are!"
The word "burden" was like a switch.
When Cheng Xiaoyu heard that, his heart tightened fiercely.
The next moment—
Buzz!!!
A terrifying pressure, capable of freezing souls and crushing bones, instantly swept across the entire area like an invisible tide!
All the Hunters present, regardless of their rank, felt their legs give way under this aura. They couldn't even form a thought of resistance before uncontrollably dropping to their knees with "thump, thump" sounds.
Their eyes widened, their faces filled with extreme terror, and even their breathing became difficult.
"Wh-what's going on?!"
"Could it be… the Dungeon Boss came out early?!"
"Such a terrifying feeling… I, I can barely breathe…"
Park Xingfeng was also startled by this sudden change. Just as he was about to turn back to check the situation, a hand silently covered his face, then gently lifted him upwards!
He was forcibly lifted off the ground!
"Mmmph mmmph mmmph—!"
Park Xingfeng desperately gripped the other person's wrist with both hands, his feet flailing in the air, trying to break free, but he found that hand was like an iron-forged torture device, unmoving.
A bone-chilling, emotionless voice sounded in his ear.
"Who did you just say was a burden?"
Rhode held him up with one hand, expressionless, his five fingers gently tightening.
Park Xingfeng's eyes instantly bulged, feeling as if his head would explode like a watermelon the next second.
The Guild staff nearby, seeing this, turned pale with fright and were about to step forward to stop it, but Cheng Xiaoyu quickly turned back, shouting anxiously with all his might.
"Don't! Please don't! That senior just now offended him, so he's just teaching him a small lesson!"
"This is… Mr. Rhode, an S-Rank Hunter from Z-Country! He was entrusted by my elder to protect me and, by the way, persuade me to give up my Hunter career!"