"Sir, may I have that weapon temporarily if you don't mind?" Hearing Jonathan, Kang smiled behind the mask, knowing his plan worked well.
'Finally, took you long enough to bite the bait!' Knowing Jonathan's efficiency would either drop significantly or become useless, Kang intentionally destroyed his spear to force him into this situation where he needed an equal weapon to ensure his victory.
"Here, have this one until the battle ends. However, don't get addicted." Changing his sword's form into a spear, Kang handed it to Jonathan, who received it and bowed in respect.
"Never mind me and go win your battle. I will await your return patiently." Waving his hand, Kang sat down before responding to Jonathan. Having executed the first half of his plan, Kang waited for the results, knowing very well that it would most likely succeed. A lethal weapon that could devour its target was far above one that could merely damage them or force them.
"Hunter exam, guild registering... what else could I use his help for? Perhaps advertising these weapons for me." While waiting for Jonathan's return, Kang began planning his future carefully. If everything went well, then that guy would most likely boast about his new weapon, which would, in return, bring Kang some good attention. And for Kang to recruit enough hunters, he needed a stable source of income beyond normal means.
These acid weapons allowed him that, and in case the weapon he destroyed effortlessly was an A-ranked weapon, then he could easily mess around with his pricing. At the end of the day, it only cost him a single D-ranked beast to replenish his consumed blood.
"Even though it will probably bring some unwanted attention, I can deal with such idiots easily." Weighing the cons of his plan, Kang shrugged his shoulders, not really intending to dwell on it. Since it was necessary for his plan's advancement, he didn't hesitate to act.
"Hmm, let's see if I could find some information here." Left alone in Jonathan's office, Kang searched for anything that could potentially risk his plan if he was caught. After finding no one spying on him, he continued searching for what he wanted, hoping to find relevant information that could help him.
"Hmm, so we're relatively high up the left wing. Definitely at the borders of Paradise." Looking at the map in front of him, Kang knew where he was.
While Paradise was a massive area, it wasn't a single country as one might imagine. The thing that brought these countries together was their military cooperation to build the wall that kept the beasts away from civilians. Each country had its own military and rulers, contrary to what some might think.
The northern stronghold was one of eight bases built by the joint efforts of the countries Paradise consisted of. Each country had a strong military, but if any of these bases faced a situation they couldn't handle, the others could offer assistance in return for valuables like beast corpses or mana stones.
Having nothing else to investigate, Kang rested in Jonathan's chair, only to notice the woman standing before him.
"Sir, it's rude to look through others' belongings." Entering the room, the woman glanced at Kang, who was focused on the detailed map on the desk. Feeling ignored by Kang's actions, she gritted her teeth in frustration. Fortunately, Kang was almost done.
"Come again?" Glancing at her, Kang responded quietly since he didn't catch what she said the first time. It wasn't particularly disturbing, but he decided to take advantage of the situation.
"Sir,…" Repeating her words, Kang felt as if he had pressed a trigger button that caused her to flare up for some reason. It made him smile; an easily provoked person could be dealt with effortlessly.
"Silence, woman!" Revealing his true voice for a moment, Kang sent a shiver down her spine, causing her to step back in fear. While effective, the woman quickly regained her composure.
'What was that?' Stabilizing herself, she pondered whether Kang might be inhuman. Though the thought was brief, it faded when she heard his voice again.
"Will you leave me alone, or should I report this foolish behavior to your superior?" Speaking in a more human-like tone, Kang waited for her response.
'Yes, it must have been an illusion or some ability!' Nodding in agreement with herself, the woman cleared her throat before replying.
"I deeply apologize for intruding, Sir. But it's my duty to keep an eye on you since we haven't yet confirmed your identity." Eyeing Kang's mask, her suspicion was evident in her response.
"That's unfortunate, dear. If you couldn't handle that voice, then what will you do about this?" Leaning forward, Kang raised his left hand, covering it with his right before resting his chin on both hands. Tendrils extended from his back, morphing into beast-like heads that moved toward the woman.
"S-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-siiiiiAAAAAAAAA!" Screaming in terror, the woman panicked, her voice echoing through the stronghold. She collapsed, crawling backward toward the door as the 'monsters' chased her.
"Hmm, what's the matter?" Jonathan pushed the door open to see the terrified woman trembling on the floor.
"How do you plan to compensate me for this fool's intrusion? And when will you introduce yourself properly?" Acting as if nothing had happened, Kang glanced at Jonathan, who seemed concerned about the woman's state.
"I promise she will be dealt with accordingly, Your Majesty! Take her away for now, and I'll handle this later!" Bowing, Jonathan apologized and thanked Kang for lending him the weapon.
"I'm Jonathan Steele, Sir, an A-ranked hunter and the Sergeant in charge of this base." Stepping forward, Jonathan introduced himself before returning the acid weapon to Kang.
"Tell me, Sergeant, how did this weapon compare to your previous one? No, what was your previous weapon's rank?" Kang adjusted his posture, crossing one leg over the other as he gestured for Jonathan to sit.
"Sir, if there were any weapons ranked S, this one would rival them easily. Though I'm not strong enough to fully tap into its potential, it greatly outperformed my previous one." Jonathan paused, eyeing the spear in Kang's hand before continuing.
"Thanks to it, we held off the horror wave before reinforcements arrived. Otherwise, we might have fallen due to the horror's unusual behavior." Hearing this, Kang clapped before posing another question.
"So, Jonathan, I think it's time we formalize our deal." Holding the spear, Kang offered it to Jonathan before continuing.
"You see, I need to establish a guild, but I can't do that without some funds. So, after thinking it through, I figured the best solution is to sell some of these."
"You get this one for free, and in return, you recommend my services to your superiors. What do you say, Jonathan?"