The S-Rank’s Waltz

Before the sonic boom could even propagate, her blade had already sliced through the Steam Squid’s tentacles. The heat, intense enough to melt steel, effortlessly cleaved them in two.

A severed tentacle plummeted into the seabed, splashing a large volume of water that drenched the stunned Luo Bin, leaving him looking like a drowned rat.

He stood rooted to the spot, his body rigid.

‘Had reinforcements arrived?’

Though he had only glimpsed a fleeting red and white afterimage, he still unconsciously gaped, almost forgetting to breathe.

Concurrently, perhaps due to the searing pain from its severed tentacle, the suckers across the Steam Squid’s entire body began to vibrate violently, emitting an eerie, spine-chilling sound.

“Gurgle, gurgle—”

The next moment, a torrent of steam surged forth, a hazy mist obscuring the area around it.

For an A-rank Hunter, this level of high temperature would have no adverse effect on their internal organs for a brief duration.

The same held true for Ming Yu.

Her blade cut through the white mist, pierced the Steam Squid’s vulnerable eye, and swept upwards in a crescent arc of crimson light. She plunged deeper into its flesh, performing a relentless dance of death.

In an instant, crimson shadows swirled, and gore splattered.

The hazy white mist was stained crimson, and the eerie howls gained a distinct note of terror.

“Gurgle, gurgle!”

Before the Steam Squid could even react, an indescribable wave of pain surged through it.

It began to thrash violently, its suckers suddenly spewing viscous, inky liquid as it desperately tried to retreat beneath the waves.

It succeeded.

But not completely.

Once certain the Steam Squid’s central nervous system had been severed, Ming Yu immediately disengaged, flipping to land on its massive head.

The Steam Squid soon ceased to move, its submerged body slowly rising to float motionlessly on the ocean’s surface.

Ming Yu wrinkled her delicate nose, catching the stench that clung to her, and couldn’t help but frown.

‘How utterly disgusting.’

‘This smell is truly pungent. I need to get back and wash it off quickly.’

She glanced around. The most troublesome foe had been dealt with, and the remaining creatures would pose no significant threat.

“Cough, cough—”

Ming Yu wiped away a trace of blood from the corner of her lips, her complexion slightly pale.

Such an intense burst of power had indeed taken a toll on her body.

Under the strain of overexertion, the accumulated weariness and fatigue within her now surged over her like a tide.

****

The Steam Squid’s desperate gurgle echoed far and wide.

After dealing with the remaining Ghost Sharks, Jeston immediately headed toward Luo Bin’s coordinates.

Upon reaching his destination and seeing Luo Bin’s back, he secretly let out a breath of relief.

“Quite capable, aren’t we? This big fellow isn’t easy to deal with. How did you… Hmm? Your arm…”

Seeing the young man’s empty right arm, Jeston’s gaze sharpened. His expression subtly shifted as he shed his casual tone and offered a solemn comfort.

“Ah, well, at least you saved your life.”

As he spoke, he pulled a few pieces of bubblegum from his pocket and popped them into his mouth.

Jeston didn’t notice Luo Bin’s dazed expression.

Even if only for an instant, he had still caught sight of the elegant figure standing proudly atop the Steam Squid’s head.

‘Was that what an “S-rank Hunter” truly was?’

The gap between A-rank and S-rank, between him and that person, could no longer be described as a chasm.

They simply weren’t on the same plane of existence.

He couldn’t even discern the movement of her blade. The Steam Squid that had utterly suppressed him moments ago had its life cleanly extinguished in the blink of an eye.

In that moment, Luo Bin’s hidden dissatisfaction vanished completely, replaced by an unprecedented fervor.

A fervor for pursuing strength, a fervor for reaching S-rank.

If he could go back half an hour, he would surely punch his arrogant past self twice.

Luo Bin let out a long breath, his gaze steadily hardening.

The commotion preceding the Steam Squid’s demise continuously drew people to investigate.

Among them were the S-rank duo who had rushed from District Fifteen, having just finished hunting another Steam Squid together.

Across the sea, a burly man, his arms transformed into chainsaw swords, sped towards them. Above his head, a three-meter-tall steel giant flew at a low altitude, following closely.

From afar, upon seeing the Steam Squid’s corpse, Chainsaw slowly halted the high-speed rotation of his weapons. His alloy chainsaws folded, retracted, and inverted, revealing two silver-grey metallic arms.

Xingtian adjusted its flight posture, hovering in mid-air behind Chainsaw.

Chainsaw, wearing hover boots, walked directly up to Luo Bin and Jeston, his face betraying no emotion.

“Who did this?” he asked indifferently, pointing at the squid’s carcass.

At his words, Luo Bin finally snapped out of his daze, exchanging bewildered glances with Jeston.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Jeston immediately burst into laughter:

“Haha, let me tell you, my brother here, he single-handedly took down this…”

“I didn’t do it.”

Luo Bin stated succinctly, cutting Jeston off and leaving the other man utterly dumbfounded.

Chainsaw’s gaze immediately shifted to Jeston.

“It wasn’t me either.”

Jeston waved his hands repeatedly while subtly gesturing to Luo Bin with his eyes.

‘Buddy, what’s going on?’

Luo Bin took a deep breath and offered a helpless smile:

“I wasn’t the one who dealt with this fellow. It was someone else… likely an S-rank Hunter.”

“S-rank?”

Chainsaw frowned, glancing back at the large machine hovering in mid-air, a puzzled expression on his face.

‘Did headquarters send other S-ranks here?’

“Elaborate,” Chainsaw pressed, staring into Luo Bin’s eyes.

“Hey, wait a minute, who the hell are you? Acting so arrogant?” Jeston interjected.

Hearing this, Chainsaw didn’t take offense. Instead, he activated a holographic projection, displaying his certified rank.

“My heavens, an S-rank?!”

Jeston’s eyes widened, and he instinctively shut his mouth.

‘Another S-rank.’

Luo Bin’s eyes lit up, and he recounted everything he had witnessed.

After hearing the description, Chainsaw’s expression grew peculiar.

A white-haired woman extinguished the life of an S-rank sea beast in mere seconds…

He roughly inspected the carcass; all the wounds were precisely on vital points, clearly the work of a seasoned hunter.

‘But how could he not recall any women among the S-ranks?’

‘Could it be that some senior with a unique preference had undergone surgery to experience being female?’

Chainsaw felt a bead of sweat trickle down his back.

Such a possibility, he had to admit, was not zero.

‘Oh well, never mind. Time to clock out!’

He had no intention of working even a second of overtime.

****

The sea beast tide had receded, but the rain persisted.

Ming Yu no longer bothered with an umbrella, preferring to let the rainwater wash away the fishy scent from her clothes, ensuring Nightingale wouldn’t be uncomfortable.

Dragging her weary steps, she returned to the entrance of the pet café, where the pure white Ragdoll cat still waited, unmoving, even as its fur became soaked by the rain.

As she drew near, the little white cat was shaking its head and licking its paws. Its sparkling, watery feline eyes seemed filled with curiosity for the world.

Ming Yu lowered her gaze, a faint smile gracing her lips.

“Come on, let’s go home.”

“Meow~ (≧▽≦)”

Ming Yu walked ahead, the little white cat following close behind.

Amidst the curtain of rain, she seemed to be talking to herself, murmuring:

“What should I name it?”

“Hmm… never mind, I’ll let Nightingale decide once we get back.”