"Hmmm… they all wear the cloak of the Blue Rose."
Doros murmured to himself, knowing that this division usually took on scouting missions.
"That's exactly why I prefer playing solo. Nobody really knows anything about me since I'm not in any squad. Hahaha."
He chuckled quietly.
Then he raised his right hand, swiping upward through the air.
"Open Menu."
He opened the folder containing the list of all members of the Hunters' Guild.
The first hunter had an ability called Eagle Eyes — predictable for someone on a scouting team.
The next one was a Beastmaster.
Hmm, makes sense. If they're trying to tame that creature, they'd need someone like him.
And the last one was—!
That's when Doros noticed something very wrong.
Only two hunters were still trying to subdue the creature… the third one was nowhere to be found.
Doros immediately thought of one thing — to check the Blue Rose member files as fast as possible.
He searched like lightning, trying to find the third member's face, or at least the name of his ability.
But unfortunately for Doros… it was already too late.
From the shadows near his feet, a black dagger with an 8-centimeter blade flew straight toward his face.
Doros barely dodged it.
"Ufff… that was close. But a cheap trick," he said with a grin.
From behind the bushes, the third Blue Rose hunter stepped out.
"Didn't expect anyone to dodge that," the man said with an irritated tone.
"Normally I'd ask why a civilian is spying on us, but since you dodged my dagger… you're clearly not just a passerby."
The third member took a battle stance, bending his knees slightly.
From the shadows in his hands emerged more daggers as he introduced himself:
"I'm Tsukiro, hunter-assassin. And since you've seen what you shouldn't have… I have no choice but to eliminate you."
Assassin? Doros thought. That's unusual. I thought all of them were part of the Blood Moon faction.
Then aloud, with mock fear, he said:
"Oh no, I'm sooo scared."
His tone was dripping with sarcasm as he just stood there.
Tsukiro vanished into the shadows of the trees and reappeared behind Doros.
Three black daggers shot from his hands.
Doros dodged the first, deflected the second with his sleeve, but the third tore open his side.
Tsukiro (quietly): "Your reflexes are good… but not good enough."
Doros (smirking): "Heh, we'll see about that."
Doros realized this was going to be a serious fight.
He had to focus — but he knew he couldn't use his Ultra Instinct just yet.
He watched as Tsukiro's shadow blended with the branches above.
Using basic karate movements, Doros kept his stance low, preparing to counter.
When Tsukiro vanished again, Doros closed his eyes and listened — to the wind, the leaves, the faint jingle of daggers against a belt...
At the last second, he sidestepped and deflected a flying dagger with a spinning taekwondo kick.
Tsukiro appeared right in front of him, his hands glowing with dark energy — Shadow Strike.
Doros blocked it but felt the crushing pressure; Tsukiro's precision was incredible.
He dropped to one knee, blood running down his forehead.
Tsukiro: "Game over."
At that moment, Doros fell silent.
He took a deep breath — a pale light flickered in his eyes, his body relaxed.
Every movement became fluid — no thought, just pure instinct.
Tsukiro (startled): "What… is this?"
Doros moved.
He dodged every dagger effortlessly, as if he already knew where each one would go.
A quick karate strike broke Tsukiro's guard; Doros spun and sent him crashing into a tree with a taekwondo kick.
Tsukiro pulled out his final technique — Shadow Illusion, creating three identical copies of himself.
Still in Ultra Instinct, Doros breathed quietly, watching the motion of the leaves.
He noticed it — one shadow moved against the wind.
He disappeared from Tsukiro's sight and reappeared behind the rightmost clone — the real one.
Doros's elbow hit precisely; Tsukiro dropped to the ground.
But exactly two minutes later, Doros's eyes flickered, his vision blurred.
The Ultra Instinct faded.
He grabbed a tree trunk, clutching his head as pain surged through him.
Tsukiro, bloodied but still standing, spoke weakly:
"Looks like your gift… has a price."
Doros (smiling, breathless): "Maybe… but it was enough for you."
He dashed forward one last time, disarming Tsukiro with a sharp karate strike, then delivered a powerful kick to his chest that sent him flying — unconscious.
Doros collapsed to the ground, sweat pouring down his face, his head pounding.
Doros (to himself): "Two minutes… that's all I can handle. I'm still not ready…"
He closed his eyes and breathed deeply as the distant sound of more Blue Rose hunters echoed through the forest.
He knew… this wasn't over yet.