Chapter 66: Ignorance
"Are you done?"
Hide’s voice was quiet, completely devoid of inflection. He didn’t blink. He just stared up at the massive C-Rank Exterminator with detached curiosity, as he were a loud insect.
Marcus Vance blinked, clearly not expecting that response. A muscle in his thick jaw twitched. "Excuse me?"
"I asked if you were done," Hide repeated, his tone deadpan. "You wanted to stand in my way, flex your armor, and give a little speech so your squad could feel tough. You did it. Are you done, or is there a second verse?"
One of the lackeys stepped forward, his face flushing red. "You little piece of—"
Marcus held up a massive, gauntleted hand, stopping his subordinate. The mocking smile was gone from the captain’s face, replaced by an ugly, swelling anger. He leaned down, bringing his face inches from Hide’s.
"You’ve got a lot of mouth for an F-Rank rat," Marcus hissed, his voice dropping to a dangerous rumble. "I don’t care what gimmick you used in that swamp. You’re standing in front of a C-Rank Captain. People like you breathe when people like me let them."
"Is that so," Hide said flatly. "Then I must be suffocating, because all I smell is insecurity."
The lobby went dead silent.
A few Exterminators standing nearby actually gasped. You did not talk to a C-Rank like that. Not unless you were a B-Rank, and certainly not if you were an F-Rank Exterminator, who just awakened a few days ago.
Marcus’s eyes went wide with pure, unfiltered rage. The veins in his thick neck bulged against his armor. "You little bastard," he roared.
Without another word, Marcus drew back his massive right fist. Mana surged around his gauntlet, the air whistling as he threw a devastating punch aimed directly at Hide’s jaw. It wasn’t a warning strike. It was a blow meant to shatter bone.
Hide didn’t flinch.
He didn’t even step back.
In a fraction of a second, his left hand blurred upward. Two thick, overlapping layers of pitch-black scales rippled across his knuckles and forearm. He didn’t try to block.
He threw a punch of his own, aiming directly for Marcus’s incoming fist, fully intending to shatter the C-Rank’s gauntlet and the hand inside it.
The two fists rocketed toward each other.
But they never connected.
BANG.
A shockwave of compressed air exploded outward, rattling the nearby glass partitions and forcing the lackeys to stumble backward.
Hide’s scaled fist was stopped dead in mid-air.
And same could be said about Marcus’s gauntlet.
Standing perfectly between them were two men.
To Hide’s left stood the man in the emerald-green suit. His immaculate leather shoe was planted firmly on the ground, and his right hand was wrapped casually around Marcus’s massive, mana-infused gauntlet, completely halting its momentum. He didn’t look like he was straining at all.
To Hide’s right stood a lean, heavily scarred man with a massive broadsword strapped to his back. His calloused left hand was wrapped around Hide’s scaled fist.
Hide’s eyes narrowed instantly, his combat instincts flaring. He tried to pull his arm back, but the scarred man’s grip was like an industrial vice.
"Now, now," the man in the green suit said smoothly, his eyes locked coldly on Marcus. "Is this how the Green Dragon Agency trains its newly appointed squad captains? By assaulting F-Ranks in the lobby of a federal facility?"
Marcus’s face drained of color. The rage instantly evaporated, replaced by sheer panic. He hastily ripped his fist away, stepping back and bowing so deeply his armor clattered.
"V-Vice Master!" Marcus stuttered, sweat suddenly beading on his forehead. "I—he was—this brat disrespected the guild!"
"He disrespected you," the Vice Master corrected, his voice dropping to a freezing whisper. "And frankly, Marcus, you earned it. You were given the Ironhorn squad to train D-Ranks, not to stroke your ego in public spaces. Report to internal disciplinary committee immediately. You are stripped of your captaincy pending review."
Marcus’s head snapped up, his eyes wide with horror. "Sir! You can’t—my brother—he won’t let this go!"
The Vice Master’s eyes narrowed, a terrifying pressure suddenly leaking from his suit. "Tell your brother he can bring his complaints to my office. Now get out of my sight before I strip your registry as well."
Marcus gritted his teeth, his face pale with humiliation and fury. He shot one last, venomous glare at Hide before turning on his heel and storming toward the exit, his lackeys scrambling after him like frightened dogs.
With the distraction gone, Hide shifted his attention to the man still holding his left fist.
The scarred man let out a loud, booming laugh and released Hide’s hand, shaking out his own fingers.
"Damn, kid!" the scarred man grinned, showing a row of slightly crooked teeth. "There was some real meat behind that punch! You could have easily blown a hole through a concrete wall with that. If I hadn’t stepped in, you would have shattered that idiot’s arm."
Hide took a slow step back, his scales retracting into his skin. His eyes were cold and wary. He didn’t know who these men were, but they had stopped his and Marcus’s attacks effortlessly.
The Vice Master adjusted his cuffs and turned to Hide, offering a polite, perfectly practiced smile.
"My apologies for the scene, Exterminator Hide Volter," the Vice Master said smoothly. "I am Li Que, Vice Master of the Green Dragon Extermination Agency. I must ask your forgiveness on behalf of that former captain. He is... lacking in refinement."
Li Que reached into his breast pocket and produced a sleek, emerald-green metal card, extending it toward Hide.
"I noticed your clearance time in Zone 14," Li continued smoothly. "I also notice you are wearing an NEA Independent Operator badge. A rare distinction for someone so young. I understand the government offers certain... protections. But if you ever find yourself desiring better compensation, elite raiding teams, and absolute freedom from government oversight, my door is always open."
Hide stared at the card.
’Don’t they care about this badge? ’he thought dryly. The whole point of the Operator status was to keep private Agencies away from him. Yet here was one of the top executives in the country, completely ignoring it.
He took the card anyway, slipping it into his pocket without looking at it. "Sure."
Li Que smiled knowingly, gave a slight bow, and walked away, clearly satisfied that he had planted the seed.
As soon as Li Que was out of earshot, the scarred man snorted loudly.
"Don’t listen to that snake, kid," the scarred man said, hooking a thumb toward his chest. "Green Dragon treats their people like disposable assets. I’m Kaelen. Third Ranker of the Silver Vanguard. We actually value strength over politics."
"..." Hide looked at him and blinked. Was his status with the NEA of no meaning to them?
Kaelen stepped forward, clapping a heavy, overly friendly hand onto Hide’s shoulder. "Listen, you just ran a Two-Star gate and set a facility record. You gotta be starving. Come on, let’s head to the cafeteria. I’ll buy you a steak."
"No thanks," Hide said immediately, stepping out from under the heavy hand. "I’m busy."
Kaelen blinked, clearly not used to being rejected so casually by rookies. "Kid, I’m—"
Before he could finish, a sharp, repetitive chime broke the tension.
Hide paused. It was his communicator.
He pulled the sleek device from his pocket. The screen was flashing with an incoming call.
The caller ID simply read: UNKNOWN*
Hide frowned. Very few people had this number... cuz it was the new one, who could be calling him so suddenly?