Natee wore light armor reminiscent of a medieval European warrior.
His clean-cut appearance and physique made him look like a high-ranking warrior from a noble family. The tall, burly man beside him wore full heavy armor and a helmet with a removable visor, similar to a knight's.
Judging by his equipment, this man likely aspired to a tank class.
Two young women walked behind them. One was dressed in light yet agile clothing, with two daggers strapped to her waist.
The other wore a long white dress, like a nun in a popular game. Their classes were probably speed-based damage dealers or healers.
The outfits Natee and his friends wore were beautiful in design and gleamed like jewels in the light. Just a glance revealed these artifacts to be extraordinary, at least premium-level.
Even a single piece of this equipment cost many times more than the money Natee borrowed. Normally, only high-ranked players possessed such items; for low-ranked players, even one seemed unattainable.
But Natee and his friends, only Rank D, could wear artifacts of this caliber from head to toe. It indicated an extraordinary status; they must be descendants of high-ranking individuals or supported by large financial groups.
Not only that, but above their heads was the title (New Genius).
It was widely known that this title was bestowed upon exceptionally talented rising stars, a rare find in ten thousand. Those with this title were guaranteed to become top-ranked high-level players in the future.
Because of this, they were surrounded by crowds, both those wanting to join their teams and those hoping to introduce themselves and be listed in the system, because knowing someone of this caliber meant immense opportunities and benefits in the future.
But Natee and his friends weren't interested in anyone in particular. He didn't even add anyone to his friend list.
Natee's group entered The One Nest using the privilege of their title (New Genius), which allowed them to choose their login location upon their first entry.
Unfortunately, among the students from Asashi Academy who passed the same test, they were excluded. Only four of them have the nickname (New Geniuses).
This means their group is still lacking a ranged attack member. Natee and his friends have been searching for half a day, but haven't found anyone suitable.
Nawa looked at them with a touch of envy. He himself just wanted someone to hunt with, and even that was difficult. Who would be interested in a Rank E player wearing the guild's free uniform?
Nawa decided to walk away. The closer he stayed to this group, the slimmer his chances of finding a party. But he hadn't gone far when a woman from Natee's group half-ran, half-walked towards him.
"Excuse me, are you the one who came to test to become a player with us the other day?" the woman said to Nawa with a bright smile.
She was about 18-19 years old, and the outfit she was wearing resembled a priestess's attire from a famous RPG game.
"Yes, it's me," Nawa replied. He felt an inexplicable connection with this girl.
"What a coincidence to meet you here!" the girl said cheerfully before turning to shout at her group of friends.
"Hey, do you remember him? He's the one who took the test with us and got the 'New Genius' title! Let's invite him to join our team!"
As soon as the girl finished shouting, a commotion erupted. A top student from the Asashi Academy was inviting a player wearing only cheap, unused uniforms from the guild, and to make matters worse, this person was nicknamed the 'New Genius'!
"Ploy, don't talk nonsense. This piece of trash? The 'New Genius' title? He's just a cheat who used artifacts on the test. Someone like him isn't even worthy of being a player!"
A man in heavy knight armor strode in, shouting. His name was Somchai, one of Natee's friends. Just like the young woman in the priestess's robes.
"How dare you call me delusional? Don't you see how he got into The Oneness? If he cheated The Oneness, how could they give him player equipment?"
The young woman in the priestess's robes retorted, showing no sign of backing down. Somchai seemed to be quite intimidated by this young woman. He chose not to argue with her and turned to speak to Nawa instead.
"Hey... if you're so sure of yourself, prove yourself. If you can make me, Somchai, take even one step back, I'll let a piece of trash like you join our team." Somchai's words, gaze, and demeanor clearly showed contempt and disdain for the other party.
Nawa had no intention of accepting the challenge. No, he didn't even value such nonsense. Fighting just to satisfy ego was childish. Before Nawa could say anything, Ploi interrupted.
"Don't pay attention to an idiot like him, brother. I have faith in you. My team still needs a member with long-range attack skills."
"If a skilled mage like you were to join our party, it would be amazing!"
Nawa smiled. He didn't know why, but he felt a special connection with this girl. However, he would still choose to refuse.
"Thanks, but like your friend said, I'm just a Rank E player. I'm not worthy of you guys. There are many players higher ranked than me around here."
"Our group isn't interested in such nonsense," Natee appeared behind Nawa, scrutinizing him.
"He got this close in an instant, even with that armor on? It seems I underestimated their abilities," Nawa thought to himself.
"What do you mean? There are even C-ranked players around here, but why are you inviting me, who's only E-ranked, to join your team?" Nawa said.
"Hmph. Rank only reflects basic stats. You can just eat monster meat to increase those. Combat skills and abilities are what truly measure a player's strength," Somchai interjected with a scornful tone.
"Somchai, shut up. Right now, our team lacks someone with ranged attack skills, and this guy is a rare mage. Even in the Asashi Academy, no one has ever wielded fire magic that powerfully without artifacts," the young woman in the priestess's outfit immediately countered.
"Grrr… Fine, I'll accept him into the group if he can prove he didn't cheat that day," Somchai said through gritted teeth.
"I agree. This is our first hunt. There can't be any mistakes. If our team has someone who's not skilled enough, the whole team will be in danger. You know that, don't you, Ploy?"
Nathee added, looking at Nawa with a cold gaze. Besides Ploy, it seemed the others didn't want Nava on their team.
They suspected Nava was secretly using some kind of item or artifact during the tests at the guild. Nava himself didn't intend to defend himself because he didn't want to team up with this group either.
Although Nava wanted to reduce the risk of hunting monsters alone, the real reason was that he needed to gather information and understand the situation in this city.
Even though Natee's team was strong, they were just newcomers, so Nava didn't see much benefit from teaming with them.
As Nava was about to leave, he noticed the girl named Ploy, the one who had invited him to join the team, crying and wailing like a little child.
"Hey, do you guys think I'm a little kid? How dare you talk to me like that… sniffle sniffle…"
For some reason, Nava felt he couldn't just walk away. He chose to walk over to her, patted her shoulder gently, and said,
"You're a grown-up now. Have some confidence in yourself."
Ploy turned to look at Nava, feeling as if she had seen a long-lost relative.
"You…" Natee exclaimed.
His usually cold gaze turned fierce, but before he could speak, Nawa spoke first.
"Honestly, I didn't intend to hold a grudge over such a trivial matter, but seeing this young woman who believes in me, I can't just let this go."
Nawa pointed at Somchai and said,
"I challenge you to a fight. If I lose, I will never show my face to you again. But if you lose, all of you must bow down and apologize to this young woman."
"Grrr… Who do you think you are to dare challenge me, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Asashi Academy? You will pay for your insolence!"
Somchai cursed angrily and was about to attack Nawa immediately, but Natee stepped in front of him and said,
"Stop. If you want to fight, you should use the player equipment's PK system."
"There's no need to make it complicated, Natee. I could take down a piece of trash with one punch,"
Somchai protested, clearly disagreeing. But Somchai's demeanor soon changed when Natee walked over and whispered something in his ear.
"Haha, alright then. We'll duel using the PK system," Somchai grinned triumphantly.
The PK system is a system that allows players to test their skills without resorting to life-or-death combat.
Players can specify the rules before the fight, such as who can reduce the opponent's HP below a certain level, who is faster, or even who can hunt more monsters. And of course, they can set prizes for the bet.
Another advantage of the PK system is fairness. If either side breaks the rules or cheats, the system in the player's device, connected to their mind, will know and immediately declare that side the loser of the duel.
The rules Natee proposed were that both sides would fight without using weapons or items. Whoever could reduce the opponent's HP below half would be the winner.
And this was the reason Natee suggested using the PK system in the fight. It would prevent Nawa from using any hidden items or weapons, as that would violate the rules.
Besides winning, he wanted to humiliate Nawa. The other side's trickery was evident.
"Are you sure you don't want to use weapons?" Nava asked again, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Somchai.
"Hmph... Don't play dumb. You want us to use weapons so you can use your tricks, like you did at the association, right? Don't think others are dumber than you.
A crappy Rank E player like you, if you can't use tricks, you're no different from a punching bag. Haha!" Somchai said mockingly, his face clearly showing contempt.
In truth, Nava suggested using weapons because a tank player's combat ability is reduced by more than half without weapons. But since his good intentions were misunderstood, Nava had nothing more to say.
When both of them accepted the challenge through the PK system, their names appeared in dark blue text above their heads. Next to their names was a red bar showing their health points. Only other players could see this information.
During the match, if an unrelated player interferes, that player is subject to system punishment in the form of a fine. The fine amount is determined by the system, but it's at least more than 50 silver coins.
Because of this, players in the vicinity began to disperse, creating an open space between Somchai and Nawa.
When the 10-second countdown ended and the signal to start the PK appeared in the system window, Somchai immediately charged towards Nawa.
He didn't even use any skills in combat, knowing that Nawa's base stats were almost no different from an average person.
Compared to himself, who was at the mid-Rank D, it was like a full-grown lion clashing with a lamb. Even without skills, Somchai was confident he could crush his opponent in an instant.
But what happened wasn't as expected. Before even halfway there, a small fireball was fired from Nawa's palm directly in front of him.
Somchai was stunned, almost forgetting to breathe. Even though he thought his opponent might use another trick, he didn't expect it to be done so quickly.
Despite the shock, Somchai reacted quickly, raising his arm to block the incoming fireball just in time.
"Boom!"A loud explosion echoed.
A high-temperature blast appeared in front of Somchai. The force of the explosion instantly separated his arms, but Somchai managed to remain standing.
It seemed the fireball's destructive power was less than the one Nava used against The One Association. Combined with Somchai's high defense stats (over 200) and premium armor, the damage he received was minimal. His HP only dropped by less than 5%.
But that didn't please Somchai. The system window didn't show any violation alerts, meaning his opponent could use fireball skills without relying on artifacts.
"Not bad. Even without weapons, you can use magic skills like this. But even so, a Rank E player like you has limited mana. Just one attack almost depletes your mana."
"Bringing you on the team will only make you a burden to us…"
Somchai couldn't finish his sentence before his eyes widened again. A fireball even bigger than the previous one had arrived, and this time, Somchai hadn't even had time to defend himself.
"Boom!"
A much more violent explosion sounded. Somchai's large body was sent flying over ten feet into the air before landing on the ground and rolling several times. Not only did Somchai disbelieve what had happened,
but those around him couldn't believe their eyes either. A Rank E player wearing the complimentary outfit from the guild had used a fireball skill, without relying on artifacts, to send a player in premium armor flying.
Somchai wasn't seriously injured; his HP was still more than two-thirds, allowing him to quickly get back on his feet.
"Damn… don't think a piece of trash like you can defeat Somchai!" As he shouted, Somchai's body released a yellow aura that enveloped him.
This was his Detection skill, a C-rank skill, the same level as a Blade skill, but its effect didn't focus on attack power like a Blade skill. Instead, the focus will be on increasing the user's defensive power.
Somchai decided not to be careless anymore. Even though he thought the previous fireball was everything his opponent had, he unleashed his skills at full power. His HP was almost at 50%, and another attack like that would mean defeat.
But looking ahead, the fireball in Nava's hand had grown larger and was continuously increasing in size.
"Impossible! It's just an E-rank player. Why does he have so much mana?" Somchai exclaimed, sweat pouring down his face, his confidence dwindling.
"Surrender, if you don't want to end your player life here," Nawa said calmly, releasing a powerful killing intent, just like he used at the guild. Somchai felt like he was facing a high-level monster, or even a legendary demon.
In truth, with his premium armor and activated detection skills, Somchai could withstand this attack. However, his mind was wavering due to the opponent's killing intent, so he wasn't sure if this fireball was truly the final one.
If he were hit by fireballs like this continuously, his armor alone wouldn't be enough to withstand it. It wasn't just about whether his HP would drop below 50%, but the risk of being killed. Even if he didn't die, he would be severely injured. If he was unlucky, he might even lose limbs.
Somchai's face turned pale with fear. He was assessing the other party's words, wondering if they were just threats. But finally, Somchai couldn't withstand the pressure. He summoned his weapons from his dimensional storage: a large shield and hammer.
With a weapon in his hand, Somchai's fear began to fade, replaced by confidence. He lunged forward, aiming to finish Nawa off with a single blow.
Nawa, far from panicking, dispelled the fireball in his hand.
"What the hell are you doing?" Somchai shouted furiously.
"The fight is over," Nawa said calmly, averting his gaze.
Somchai regained his composure. He looked at the system window, which displayed a warning that he had lost. The rules clearly stated that weapons were not allowed; his use of a weapon meant Nawa had won.
"No way! One of the Four Heavenly Kings of Asashi Academy would never lose to a piece of trash like you! Let's continue fighting, and this time without any rules!"
Somchai yelled, intending to engage in combat, but a two-meter-long Kremeo sword blocked him.
"Enough. Don't tarnish the Asashi Academy's reputation any further. If you still want to fight, I will be your opponent," Natee said in a harsh tone.
Somchai's demeanor remained furious. But he didn't dare disobey Natee's orders.
"Damn it!"Somchai cursed angrily before slamming his hammer to the ground to vent his frustration.
"Boom!"A loud clang echoed, cracking the ground in a spiderweb-like pattern several feet long.
Natee merely glanced at Somchai's actions before turning to look at Nawa thoughtfully and saying,
"How could you do that?"
What Nawa had just demonstrated was not only the use of magic skills without relying on artifacts, but also the casting speed of a high-ranking mage. And above all, even after using so many skills, he showed no sign of weakening.
Nawa didn't intend to answer the question. Instead, he asked back, ignoring the other's demeanor completely:
"Right now, you two should be the ones answering that question. Since the outcome of the duel is clear, why haven't you bowed your heads and apologized to that young woman yet?"
"Damn it..." Natee gritted his teeth in anger, gripping his sword tighter. Besides his older brother and father... No one had ever dared to speak to him like that before.
"It's alright. We're friends, and I don't need an apology," Ploi quickly interjected, stepping between the two.
"Natee, do you see how accurate I was in judging people? His older brother is really skilled. You shouldn't have a problem with him joining our team, right?"
Ploi spoke, but Natee didn't reply. He simply walked towards Nawa, bowed his head, and spoke in a serious tone:
"We apologize."
Natee's action surprised everyone around him, including Nawa himself.
Natee looked up and continued:
"We want to create a hunting team that can rival the teams of the three giant guilds. That's why we've set a criterion: our team members must be top-tier experts with exceptional skills. Right now, our team lacks a member with long-range attack skills.
Your skills, combined with your 'new genius' title, are enough for us to let you join our team."
With Natee and his friends' skills and talent, the three giant guilds would undoubtedly welcome them with open arms.
It wouldn't be difficult for them to rise to become the guild's main assault team, but these kids are planning to create their own hunting team to compete against the three giant guilds.
Nawa admired their determination. He nodded in acknowledgment before speaking in a normal tone:
"I understand. You want to start a team with only members who have the title 'New Genius,' right? If so, I'll have to decline, because I don't have that title."
"Why not? We saw with our own eyes that you scored so high on the test. Why don't you get the 'Rookie Genius' title? Or are you still angry with us?"
Ploy said in a pleading tone, while Natee frowned, wondering what kind of joke the other person was playing.
"I don't know the reason either. The only title I have right now is 'The Talented One',"
Nawa replied nonchalantly. But this answer caused both Ploy and Natee, who were nearby, to widen their eyes and hold their breath for a moment.