The Hunter who cut in line swung his steel sword directly at Ed's arm. While killing wasn't allowed here, causing a bit of pain to the other person was still possible.
With this strike, the Hunter believed that it would surely make Ed back off.
However, Ed didn't even bother to draw his sword. He simply threw out a punch, and it was executed so fast.
He didn't even apply much force.
"Boom!"
This punch landed squarely on the Hunter's chest, and in an instant, it was as if the Hunter had been hit by a car—his entire abdomen caved in.
At the same time, his body was sent flying several dozen meters before crashing into a wall, which was shattered upon impact!
Amidst the series of loud crashes, every other Hunter in the area stared in shock.
They had initially been enjoying the scene from the sidelines, but never in their wildest dreams had they expected such an outcome.
Ed walked toward the man who had been sent flying.
The man, after being slammed into the wall, lay on the ground, with several bones in his body shattered and blood pouring from his mouth.
Struggling, he lifted his head but only saw Ed's shoes.
"The cost for the damaged wall, you'll pay for it. Got it?" Ed said, his voice devoid of any emotion.
The light words, though, caused the man to tremble uncontrollably.
Using every ounce of strength left, he said, "I... I understand."
Only then did Ed turn back toward his team. Although he had walked away earlier, none of the dozen or so Hunters in line had dared to take his spot.
Everyone was staring at him with expressions of utter shock.
"My God, he just took down a Black Iron-level Hunter in an instant? How terrifying must his strength be?"
"He looks so young... and doesn't even belong to any association. Wait, could it be... is he the one?"
Amidst the exclamations from others, Ed approached the registration desk.
The registration staff were extremely respectful. Holding a pen, they struggled to keep their hands from trembling.
"Sir, honorable Hunter, please provide your information. And if you belong to any association, please provide its name."
Ed replied, "My name is Ed. As for my rank, I'm a Black Iron-level Hunter, top-tier. As for my association... I have none."
While the staff member was registering, they were secretly astonished.
Such a young person was already a top-tier Black Iron Hunter?
It was well-known that there was a young and incredibly powerful Hunter in Dorey City.
But since his name was kept secret, no one could confirm whether it was Ed.
"Your registration is complete. Here's your credential. Please walk safely."
Ed nodded and turned to leave, while the other Hunters all watched him with an expression of awe.
It wasn't until they saw Ed leave the registration desk that they felt a sense of relief.
...
After leaving the registration desk, Ed checked the competition schedule—it was set for the next day.
So, he used the remaining time to continue his training, and at night, he meditated under the moonlight.
The next day.
Ed woke up early, before the sky had even fully brightened, and set out for the arena.
This same scene was unfolding throughout Dorey City, in various associations across the city.
Many doors opened, and one by one, the Hunters donned their Nightcloaks and made their way to the arena in the center of Dorey City.
The only difference with Ed was that he didn't need a Nightcloak. He simply bathed in the moonlight, feeling completely at ease.
One hour later.
At the inn, Uncle Du and the others had also woken up. The inn had closed early today, and both Uncle Du and his daughter, Iris, were visibly excited.
Today was the day they had all agreed to watch the competition together as a family!
"I've been waiting so long for this, finally, the competition is starting! I'm so happy!" Iris said, her face flushed with excitement.
Uncle Du called out to Viktor, "Hey, come with us. Call Ed too."
"Alright, I'll go get him," Viktor replied as he headed toward Ed's room.
"This guy, really... It's such an important day, and he's still sleeping so late," Iris said, in a much livelier mood today. She and Viktor went to wake Ed up. When they opened the door, both of their faces turned to shock!
"What's going on? Where's Ed?"
"He said he had something to do today... Oh my god, I can't believe it, he's actually skipping such an important competition!"
Iris stomped her foot in frustration. "What a man of no taste."
In the end, Uncle Du's family had to give up on Ed and headed to the arena.
Just as they were about to leave the house.
A delivery person arrived at the door. Without saying a word, they attempted to leave a package at the inn's entrance.
Seeing this, Uncle Du immediately stepped forward. "Hey, what's that you're delivering? Why are you leaving it at my doorstep?"
He was feeling suspicious. After all, he hadn't ordered anything recently.
The delivery person gave him a brief glance. "Who are you?"
"I'm the owner of this inn. What are you delivering?" Uncle Du replied.
The delivery person answered directly, "It's the prize for a challenge competition. Inside is 100 gold coins, along with an A-level meditation technique."
Upon hearing this, Viktor and Iris were immediately stunned.
"Oh my God, it's the prize for that competition! The one where the mysterious person defeated Brown!" Iris gasped, her voice trembling.
Uncle Du frowned. "Are you sure you haven't delivered this to the wrong place?"
The delivery person appeared a bit impatient. "No, I'm sure. You don't have the right to ask me so many questions."
"Anyway, the address my client filled in was this one."
Uncle Du's frown deepened. Though the delivery person's attitude was unpleasant.
Uncle Du knew that the person appeared to be just a delivery worker. But their role was specifically for this kind of task, which meant they were likely connected to significant forces in Dorey City.
Uncle Du could only say, "This is really strange. My inn is already closed. There's no one here."
"Maybe the person you're referring to just stayed at my inn before, but they're not here now. Are you sure you can hand it over to them?"
Iris and Viktor both felt a shiver run down their spines.
It turned out that the mysterious person had once stayed at the same inn as them, but they had no idea who they were.
The delivery person remained calm and unfazed. "This is nothing. I must ensure that this reward is delivered directly to the winner."
"If he doesn't return soon, then I will stay here and wait by the door until he does."
Uncle Du was taken aback. "Can you at least tell me what he looks like and his name? If he shows up, I can hand it over to him."
Iris and Viktor grew even more excited.
The delivery person responded flatly, "Sorry, I can't reveal that."
...
In the end, Uncle Du was unable to convince the delivery person. He simply stood by the door, waiting for the mysterious person to arrive.
Uncle Du's family couldn't stay here any longer, as the Hunter competition was about to start!
They decided to head to the arena.
However, after this little incident, Uncle Du couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Viktor and Iris spent the entire walk discussing the young people who had been coming and going at the inn these past few days, trying to figure out which one could have been the mysterious person they had missed.
Half an hour later...
"Welcome to all the contestants and spectators of the Hunter competition!"
The arena was an enormous stage.
There were over a thousand seats below, all of which were filled to capacity, with not a single spot empty.
In fact, many people, unable to find a seat, were standing or had brought their own chairs, showing just how popular the event was.
At the top of the stage stood a well-dressed event organizer, who was there to introduce the main details and flow of the competition.
With a slight smile, he introduced himself:
"First of all, my name is Jason."
"You all should already know that this competition is hosted by the Imperial government, with the goal of selecting the strongest Hunter association and the most powerful Hunter!"
"Before we go into the detailed rules of the competition, let's bring out all the contestants!"
As soon as the announcement was made, the entire audience's eyes widened. Several teams emerged from backstage, each wearing different cloaks and carrying different badges.
But they all wore the same Hunter armor!
Hunters from the same association walked together, appearing as a group.
"Look, that's the Goat Demon Association!"
"The Blackstone Association is here too!"
Each association that appeared was met with cheers and shouts from the audience.
And when one particular association walked out, the cheers completely drowned out everything else!
"Look, it's the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association!"