Requiem Of A Failed Hero

Rizo woke up with an indifferent expression on his face. He looked at the old lady in front of him and looked at his scarred-face assistant.

Slowly, he hauled himself from the bed.

"I'll go get ready."

With a drowsy voice, he said and made his way to the bathroom.

"Not even a thank you, what a spoilt brat."

She shook her head and looked back toward her left.

"Then, I will leave him in your hands. Make sure he does not fall asleep again."

She walked out after all. Jumping outside the window. The young lady followed her steps.

They landed softly on a car and catapulted into the sky without leaving a dent on the car.

"Mama, I don't understand something."

She softly called out while flying right beside Ruan Zhaohui.

"What is it, Gilly?"

"You said before that Soul Call is the strongest skill you have?"

"Yes…"

They descended and catapulted higher again before she continued.

"Then why are you using it to wake him from his sleep? It disturbs me every time this happens. He might be the strongest hunter but you are the beacon of hope. You are a symbol of heroism. If it gets out that you use your strongest skill to wake someone from sleep…"

She paused and gritted her teeth. Then she looked at Ruan Zhaohui's hair which had become more grayish after she woke the young boy up.

"...And you're expending your life force using such a skill. It is a skill that can be used to summon souls from the land of the dead and yet it is being used to wake…"

"I'll stop you right there before you say something that you will regret."

Gilly ate and swallowed her words.

"I'm sorry ma."

"There's no need to apologize Gilly. It is not a bad thing that you are so concerned for me."

They descended and catapulted again, this was the last time before they got to the conference hall.

"...but that young boy, is humanity's hope in all of this mess."

Ruan Zhaohui's words were still unclear to Gilly. What mess? Could there be a beacon of hope far stronger than the woman she looked up to?

Battle ability was not everything, one's wit to make decisions matters, intelligence in solving economic problems, and the smartness to keep greed in check.

All these Ruan Zhaohui possessed. It was what made her the strongest and the most respected.

She was never going to accept a young, lazy, nonchalant, and disrespectful boy like Rizo as the hope of humanity. To her, it just didn't make any sense.

They landed right in front of the building and walked in.

High ceilings and spacious layouts spread out before both their eyes, lending an aid of grandeur to the interior. Of course, for Ruan Zhaohui this was not her first time being in the facility, even though it was a new one.

Gilly, however, found it to be inexplicably amazing. She continued to stare with her mouth agape and no perfect words to fit the magnificence of this structure that only Ruan Zhaohui had managed to erect within a month of taking up the project. The fact was, if it was any less amazing, Gilly would still have the same expression.

However, it was beyond impressive:

Rows of comfortable, well-upholstered seats were arranged in a semi-circular fashion, ensuring excellent sightlines for all attendees.

The stage at the front was equipped with au courant audiovisual equipment, including large screens and podiums for speakers.

The room was well-lit, with elegant chandeliers hanging from the ceiling to create a warm and welcoming ambiance.

The walls were adorned with national symbols of all the attending countries, historical portraits, and flags, instilling a sense of patriotism and importance.

All this, Ruan Zhaohui had managed to do in just a month. Everyone who entered admitted it was an amazing work.

However, no one would have expected less, considering that it was Ruan Zhaohui.

With her walking to the podium in front, all attendees occupied their respective seats and sat down.

She put on her glasses and looked around.

"Before I begin, is there anyone who was invited but isn't here?"

Her voice resounded in the entire room, projected by the top-notch in-ceiling speakers.

She had barely finished talking when Turner raised his hand.

She exhaled softly, almost could recognize the trouble that always followed him. Then she called out to him:

"Yes, Hunter Turner."

"Hunter Raven Raith from Korea is absent. However, ma'am, what I find baffling is the fact that he dares to send a representative. Was he just clueless or is he too arrogant now that he is a catastrophe rank hunter? Regardless, I suggest that he should be disciplined and made to understand that when it comes to the Union of Hunters, no one is allowed to do as they please."

'That bastard...'

Mok Jae-Hwa gritted his teeth inwardly and clenched his fist.

Thud!

The door shot open as he concluded. It was so loud that everyone looked back.

Red-haired hunter Bastien strolled in with his hands in his pocket, not minding the judgemental eyes that stayed glued to him.

"Stubby sleeper is outside, dozing with every step."

He said as he settled into his seat which was away from every other seat. The seat was separated by ranks and where he was sitting, there was only four seats, one he had occupied.

Ruan Zhaohui was standing, and Li Mingwu… dead. And the last occupant slowly walked into the room, dragging himself, he dozed and staggered at times but he made it eventually.

Throughout the process, a perfect decorum dominated the room. No one dared to sneeze.

Almost everyone felt the words rise to their throat, 'What did you say again about no is allowed to do as they please' but no one could voice out the world.

The unranked were feared. Even if the catastrophe came together to fight them, they believed they still wouldn't win.

It was because no one had seen Rizo in combat, and yet he is believed to be the strongest amongst all four unranked. Of course, Li Mingwu never agreed, that was seen as an issue of his pride, no elder would say blatantly that they were defeated by a kid… a kid the age of their grandson, maybe even great-grandson.

Rizo wasn't the type to talk to people or care about gazes. The last meeting they held, he slept throughout. And was tasked with one thing:

Close the gate if the hunters do not make it after a week

But there was never a need to close the gate since they were able to defeat the dragon in one week.

Several hunters suspected that the same command this year is likely to be given to the sleeping hunter.

Seeing that everyone's gaze was returning to where it should be, Ruan Zhaohui continued:

"I understand what you mean Hunter Turner. And I will personally see that this disciplinary action be executed. However, the matters on how hands are far more sensitive than for us to be discussing and worried about disciplinary measures for some hunter that didn't make it."

She inhaled and exhaled.

"We are faced with a threat far greater than any we have ever seen."

The room air slowly rises mumbles. Then slowly, descended again as she continued.

"A gate far beyond our expectations has been recently found in California, America. And I believe it is not news anymore. We lost an important man while he was trying to confront this gate…

…according, to the witnesses the gate when it was first raided was home to a phoenix. The phoenix was too strong so they had to retreat."

She paused and inhaled… looking around one last time, she continued:

"Li Mingwu volunteered to help with the second raid based on his disciple's plea. However, the gate changed. Monsters that used to be there weren't anymore. And traces of the phoenix were completely gone…

…what we suspect is that the boss monster of the gate was what killed the Phoenix."

"Then we just have to go into the gate, kill the boss monster, and avenge Li Mingwu's death!"

His voice stood out in the silence in the room. The person who had dared to speak his opinion, interrupting Ruan Zhaohui was none other than Russia's catastrophe-ranked hunter Mikhail Sobakov.

Talk about balls, he's got it the most. Perhaps it was because of his nationality or because he was just one hell of an uncultured and disrespectful hunter, even back then when the first world summit was held and now. He had made a habit out of interrupting Ruan Zhaohui.

She sighed, this was not a time to raise issues and arguments, if not she would have blasted a whole right through his mouth.

Li Mingwu's death in the gate has caused her to be more sensitive than she ever was. She was doing her best to keep all the anger that boiled within her locked.

"I will have you sit hunter Mikhail. Do try not to interrupt me also."

She tapped the microphone twice, causing the mic to screech then she continued again.

"Firstly, I will have you all know that this time will be different from the dragon gate. If I am correct, this gate is unranked and might be stronger than the dragon gate."

The entire room gasped and mumbles began to rise again.

"Secondly, there will be only one group… which will be led by Rizo."