The Hendrick Mansion.
A man wearing a butler's suit walked through the brightly lit but empty hallway. His footsteps were soft and nimble, as he walked without making any loud noise.
The man then turned to the right as he reached the middle of the hallway and faced a large wooden door. He tapped his finger on the door two times before slowly opening it and entering the room.
The interior was dimly lit, with only the small yellow lamp placed on the large table in the middle of the room being the source of light.
Next to the table sat another man, his face mostly enveloped in shadow. His green eyes were focused on the laptop in front of him, and the butler noticed an unusual smile slowly appearing on his face, which along with the shadows made him look like a terrifying monster.
"Sir," The butler whispered softly at the man at the table, who suddenly raised his arms in the air, making the butler flinch, and yelled out, "Hahahaha! I always knew! My blood never lies!"
The man's loud voice echoed throughout the room and the empty hallway, and the butler looked nervous.
"Master Hendrick," The butler raised his voice a bit more and called out the name of his master. The man in the shadow, Leonard Hendrick, tilted his head up and shifted his gaze from the monitor to the butler. "Henry! You came at a good time!" Mr. Hendrick looked delighted to see Henry, his butler, and motioned him to come closer. The butler, although seemingly reluctant, walked towards his master, and Mr. Hendrick turned the laptop to the side to show Henry a video of George Hendrick taking down the C-rank Dungeon boss.
"Isn't he a great hunter?" Leonard Hendrick spoke with a loud chuckle before turning the laptop back to face him. "Sure, he might be a little rough around the edges, and maybe he puts his life on the line for his weak teammates a bit too much, but it's nothing that can't be polished and improved upon."
The butler didn't reply to his words. Mr. Hendrick tilted his head towards Henry once again and asked, "Oh yeah, did you come here to tell me something, Henry?"
"Yes, Master Hendrick." Henry nodded his head and began speaking with a neutral expression. "The Hunting Director of Anfield Alliance Guild had called."
"And?" Leonard Hendrick closed the laptop and turned his full attention towards butler Henry, tapping his fingers on the table in a rhythmic manner as he continued, "What response did he give?"
The butler paused for a second, contemplating on how to tell his master, before replying with a nervous look. "He said that he wouldn't entertain the idea of exchanging any of his Guild members."
"... Did he now?" Leonard leaned forward, the unusual smile on his face now even wider as the rhythmic tapping stopped. "Well, that won't do now, will it?"
Leonard Hendrick leaned back on his chair and placed his index finger on his chin, softly giving it a tap as he began thinking, and Henry tilted his head and looked at the carpet underneath his feet.
"...Call the Mayor." Mr. Hendrick said his fingers and spoke after a short while, and
Henry the butler's eyes widened. "S- Sir?"
"I've heard that the government is thinking of renovating some of the older dungeon entrance buildings. That's going to require a hefty sum of money." Leonard looked at Henry with a knowing expression on his face, and Henry nodded his head. "Ah, yes, sir. I'll ask Secretary Francis to contact the Mayor immediately."
"You do that, Henry." Leonard said with a smile, and Henry did a short bow before exiting the room.
Leonard opened the laptop and started to play the broadcasting highlights of his son once again, and leaned back on his chair while flashing his unnerving smile. "Oh son… I know that we've had our differences, but it's time to come home."
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"You were quick to agree. Are you really that confident?" George tilted his head and stared at Ray before asking him.
"Oh, I am definitely confident." Ray said with a chuckle as he took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes. "Not in winning, but in knowing that I'll enjoy this fight."
Ray turned his gaze onto George as he finished his words, waiting for his reply. There was one more thing that Ray had in common with George; they both enjoyed the thrill of fighting a worthy opponent.
"Oho, that's definitely one hell of an answer…" George laughed with delight before replying, "Because the feeling is mutual."
The small crowd of people who had gathered within the gym whispered amongst each other as the two conversed.
"Seriously, what the hell is that guy saying, being so confident in front of George Hendrick?!"
"Hey, hey, hey… I'm pretty sure George acknowledged him as a sparring partner, so zip it, Mr. Jealous!"
"I can't believe that we won't be able to see the fight though. It would've been so cool to watch. Who do you think is going to win?"
"Who else but George?! Duh! He's a genius, and the other guy is a nobody. It's not even a competition."
"I like an underdog story, so I'll go with the other guy winning. It'll probably won't happen, but it would definitely be cool if it does though."
"Apologies for the wait," The woman with the clipboard said as he ran back to the two of them. "The dual training room that you requested has been set up. You can take the elevator and head over there."
"Thank you," The young men gave nods of gratitude to the lady, who nodded back with a tired smile on her face before continuing to breathe loudly, attempting to catch her breath.
The elevator took him to the bottom floor of the gym, where the dual training rooms were located.
The two walked up to the entrance of their assigned training room, and George took out his gym pass and pushed it against the scanner. The door opened after the scan was complete, and the two men stepped inside what was a large, white room.
"Good luck. Let's have a good spar." George turned to Ray and said. Ray nodded his head in response. "Good luck to you as well."
The two men walked towards opposite sides of the room and took their positions, facing each other. George pulled both his arms up, forming fists, alert but not moving, and looking pretty confident.
'And that confidence is definitely not unfounded,' Ray told himself. He may appear arrogant, but he was also a one of a kind genius, and there was valid reason for it. He could learn and adapt quickly, and possessed extremely fast reflexes as well. With his quick learning ability, he was destined to become one of, if not the best.
'So I'm going to make sure that you don't kill yourself this time around, George.' Ray thought as he made a promise to himself in his mind.
Ray didn't believe himself to be a saviour. He didn't think he deserved such an amazing ability. After all, there were many more who would've put this skill to good use. But nevertheless, it was he who received it, and thus, the responsibility fell into his hands. And to save the world, he needed to unite the best of the best.