The Reek of the Chimera
Unlike his pristine state before, Yoshida's condition was a complete mess.
However, setting aside his clothes covered in traces of all sorts of battles, there wasn't a single notable wound to be found.
"As expected of Kazuki. Still too much for a direct confrontation?"
The new power bestowed by his boss was hardly insufficient, but the gap between S-rank and SA-rank was not so easily bridged, after all.
"The survivors..."
After the battle with Kazuki, the number of Yoshida's subordinates who had lived was not great.
A considerable number had sacrificed themselves to block Kazuki, who had come at him with eyes ablaze, intent on killing Yoshida.
Gazing at his few remaining underlings, Yoshida clicked his tongue sharply.
There was no trace of gratitude to be found, even if one scoured with wide-open eyes, for the subordinates who had given their lives for him.
To Yoshida, the men under him had always been nothing more than replenishable pawns.
"Gotta recruit some usable ones."
As long as he had the blessing from his boss, bulking up on capable underlings wouldn't be difficult.
The problem lay in the off-chance of failing this mission and disappointing his boss.
Anything else he could tolerate, but that one thing? Absolutely not.
To prevent it, first he needed to rendezvous with Zhang Wei.
"The lower levels sound pretty rowdy... Someone beat us there?"
Who under Kazuki's hunters could pierce the Chinese hunters' defenses and clash with Zhang Wei?
Yoshida racked his memory for a moment.
Two names sprang immediately to mind.
"...I've fed them all the intel they need... If they still broke through, does that mean Kazuki's crew is that competent? Or Zhang Wei's side is just incompetent?"
Clicking his tongue once more, Yoshida adjusted his cracked glasses.
The alliance with Zhang Wei extended only to eliminating Kazuki.
After that, they were ultimately foes to be crushed.
They were temporary partners for the sake of his and his boss's goals, so incompetence wasn't so bad.
The more incompetent, the easier they'd be to topple later.
"Even so, Zhang Wei shouldn't go down easy to those subordinates who aren't even Kazuki."
Even if public opinion ranked him below Kazuki or Kazuma, he was still an SA-rank hunter.
Yoshida had no doubt he could dispatch several S-rank hunters with ease.
"Gotta link up with Zhang Wei quick and take out Kazuki first. Unlikely, but if he bolts, the plan's shot."
As Yoshida muttered under his breath and moved to rally his surviving men,
From beyond the stairs leading underground, a man and a woman approached, heading their way.
'...Who the hell? Zhang Wei's side got people like that?'
At a glance, the pair looked anything but ordinary.
The woman's beauty was exceptionally striking, but Yoshida's attention fixed especially on the man.
Sharp features aside, nothing particularly stood out at first glance—but not to Yoshida.
'Dangerous...! Kazuki and Zhang Wei aren't even the issue...!'
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't just the man.
Hidden beneath that stunning beauty, the woman radiated a threat no less potent.
No—in one sense, she seemed far more dangerous than the man.
As the two strolled leisurely toward them, Yoshida sprang into action.
They hadn't done a thing yet, but he ordered his men to attack anyway.
Unlike Yoshida, who had instantly clocked their danger, his subordinates sensed nothing off and obeyed faithfully.
The woman's eyes sparkled as the men lunged at them out of nowhere.
"Hoo...? What curious creatures. All sorts mixed in."
Her eyes gleaming with intrigue, the woman snatched the neck of one charging her.
"Gurk—!"
"Hmm... Can't quite tell from here, but surely you know?"
"...I haven't the foggiest what you're on about."
"Hm. In humanoid form, it is hard to detect. Even I might've missed it without a close look."
The woman nodded calmly, then slammed her captive face-first into the ground.
Another rushing her joined him in the dirt.
"These vermin are monsters."
"...Hm?"
The man beside her furrowed his brow at her matter-of-fact declaration.
He leaned in to inspect one of the sprawled bodies.
"Monsters? Like us?"
"Hmm. More precisely, a haphazard human-monster blend. Not even half-and-half—roughly an 8:2 ratio. Some as high as 7:3."
"...Incredible. How'd you spot it?"
"That foul, mingled stench is so overpowering, how could one not notice?"
She tossed the words out breezily, then smashed another assailant into the floor.
Unlike the earlier ones, this attacke's traits were blatant.
"Legs aren't human at all."
Thick fur sheathed them—indisputably inhuman.
They resembled the limbs of an advanced monster, like the werewolf or lycanthrope often called.
"...Incredible. Not a mere skill. They can graft it like this?"
"Hmm. Wonder aside, it displeases me somewhat. The revolting reek keeps jabbing at my nose."
While the man showed keen interest, the woman wrinkled her brow in distaste.
Disgusted by their mere presence, her strikes against the rushers grew ever harsher.
She usually just subdued them lightly, but now she was pulping them outright.
Already several had become bloody clumps under her hands.
"Hm—. I'd like more details..."
"Why not check that one? Looks the ringleader. Worst stench by far."
Pinching her nose with one hand, she pointed at Yoshida with the other. The man's gaze followed suit.
Disconcertment rapidly spread across Yoshida's face.
"Rank-wise, S... no, closer to SA on second look?"
"Patched together like the trash here. I shan't bother—the stench. You take him."
With a grimace, she stepped back.
The man, who had been eyeing the fallen, straightened up.
"He looks plenty strong. You sure?"
"As I said, the stench is intolerable—like rotten food, no different. You're not planning to feed me spoiled scraps, are you?"
At her sidelong glance, the man gave a wry smile.
"So I get the rotten stuff?"
"Don't you devour anything without fuss? Just the other day, you ate an undead—a walking corpse..."
"......"
The man said no more and advanced.
Yoshida, who had been watching hawk-eyed for an escape opening, swallowed hard.
Their chat seemed casual, but from start to finish, both had him squarely in their sights.
Their stares so brazen, Yoshida had no choice but to shelve any flight plans.
Only Kazuki or Zhang Wei could bar his path here—and even they couldn't match him at full power, he'd thought.
But this pair? Different story.
'Thirty percent, tops?'
Even unleashing the full might of his boss's blessing, his odds topped out below 30%.
And that was judging by their outward aura alone—if they cut loose...
Yoshida swallowed unwittingly again, feigning composure as he adjusted his glasses.
His last underling had slumped lifelessly to the man's hand, but Yoshida betrayed no further panic.
Such crises had been countless before.
He had surmounted them all; this would be no different.
With his boss's blessing granting near-SA-rank power, he could even trade blows with Kazuki.
No matter how strong this pair, if he got serious, he could at least save his own skin.
They couldn't possibly be SS-rank, after all?
'Came up from below, where Zhang Wei waits. He's likely subdued, not killed—Wang Feng behind him.'
Whatever their aim, they were hostile now.
Yoshida's mind raced quietly.
'Could turn this crisis into opportunity.'
One thing certain: the man was deeply intrigued by the boss's blessing.
Play it right, and he might bend the board to his will.
'Use them in Zhang Wei's stead to neutralize Kazuki... Perfect timing too. Need high-rank hunter like him for experiments.'
Calculations done in seconds, Yoshida flashed a bright smile and took a step forward.
Rather than evade the man approaching leisurely, he meant to meet him head-on.
"Pleased to meet you? To encounter such fine folk in a dump like this—fortune smiles. Delighted. I'm Yoshida..."
"—Indeed. I see what Snow meant. The reek is real. Faint on the others, but you? Overwhelming."
Striding right up to Yoshida's nose, the man stated flatly.
"...Pardon?"
"Just that. Your carcass reeks so fiercely, my tongue's gone numb from it."
Frowning faintly, the man lashed out with his hand.
It happened before Yoshida could react.
The claw aimed at his throat—Yoshida barely twisted aside.
"...How rude."
"You don't strike me as chatty material. Subdue first, talk later."
Without pause, the man lunged again.
The prior strike like a mere hello; this one vicious, hand thrusting sharp.
Bare-handed, yet oppressively tough to counter.
"Kuh...!"
Yoshida scowled, leaping back as he weighed options.
'Second time today already... Body'll take a hit, but...'
No other way now.
Time to tap the new power from his boss again.
Once resolved, Yoshida wasted no motion.
Fssshhh—
His body underwent massive transformation.
Reptile-like scales erupted over exposed skin; arms and legs warped into something inhuman.
Behind the glasses, his pupils slit into reptilian verticals—no longer human.
In a blink, he became a grotesque midway between man and monster.
The man's eyes lit up.
"Draconian monster vibe. Drakes mixed in?"
"Grrrh—."
Yoshida's parted lips leaked a guttural rumble.
Not fully bereft of reason, yet far more beast than man.
"Mid-SA-rank at a glance? Elevating S-rank to SA in one go..."
—Impressive feat, stench notwithstanding.
The man muttered flatly, sidestepping as the half-feral Yoshida launched.
A stark reversal from moments ago, when he'd pressed Yoshida hard.
Now Yoshida hounded the man ferociously.
Draconic talons raked wildly.
"Kraaaah—!"
"Seems instinct-led, but plenty of reason left... Smell aside, all upsides."
Dodging fluidly, the man murmured.
"Not dragging it out? Said it was urgent."
The woman, who had watched silently, spoke up.
Still nose-pinched, glaring dissatisfied—the man gave a wry smile.
"Wrap it quick."
"Stench's intensifying. Make haste."
"......"
A short sigh at her fresh complaint, then eyes back on Yoshida.
Yoshida halted, heaving breaths, baring fangs at the man.
"Would love to savor more, but the lady insists... Apologies. I'll extract details myself. Wonder how far suggestion works on SA-grade."
With those words, the man's body changed—as Yoshida's had, but grander.
A transformation so vast even half-beast Yoshida recoiled in shock.
Nay—precisely because of his instincts, it hit harder.
Shhh——
A colossal serpent manifested underground for the second time that day.