Chapter 146: Ch 146: Hatching the Guardian Detiy

The thing about idiots was that they were everywhere, and there were a lot of them. It was honestly impressive to see such low-IQ people survive the apocalypse, but that was only because they had enough fighting skill to survive against monsters.

However, when fighting other humans, one needed more than battle skills.

Before Rin caught the rebel, he wanted a few more of his questions answered. So instead of attacking immediately, he decided to talk first.

"How many of you are rebelling? I doubt all of you agreed to this. I’m well aware that some people in your group were tired of running all the time. So how many are there? Five...or six?"

Rin’s lack of fear clearly triggered his attacker. He could see the frown deepening in those angry eyes before the man summoned a knife from his inventory.

"Are you making fun of me? Tsk, don’t you realize what kind of situation you’re in? You’re going to die."

The attacker sounded confident that he could kill Rin. But Rin could not see a single way for the man to actually take him down.

Rin was not saying this because he was cocky or overpowered. He was simply stating a fact based on his current abilities and the abilities of the man standing in front of him.

That—and the fact that Myth had never left the room and was currently hiding behind the desk—also increased Rin’s overall chances of survival.

Sigh

"Do you really think I’m a pushover? Sure, I look weak compared to Shelly and Albus, but I’m not weak enough for you to break into my office this confidently."

Rin tried to give the attacker a chance to back down, but since the man had already underestimated him, he continued doing so even now.

"Why don’t you think about that after you die?"

The attacker pulled out one of the enhanced knives Rin had distributed throughout the settlement and lunged at him. Rin dodged the attack gracefully, not letting the blade even graze him.

That only made the attacker angrier as he kept trying to slash at Rin.

"Sit still and let me hit you!"

The attacker yelled as he wildly flailed the knife around. Rin could only look at him—and the knife in his hand—with pity.

"I don’t think you should use a weapon when you’re this clumsy."

Rin sighed and struck the man in the wrist.

Fighting someone this amateurish made Rin realize that he was actually better than most people when it came to combat skill. However, because he was constantly surrounded by even stronger hunters, his own abilities rarely had a chance to stand out.

He easily subdued the attacker, pinned him to the ground, grabbed the knife, and turned it against him.

"You son of a-! Ugh, it hurts. Why are you so strong? Everyone said you were weak and needed protection. That’s why we worked so hard to get you alone-"

Rin felt a wave of frustration hearing those words.

"Why does everyone keep saying I’m weak? Sure, I’m not on the same level as Shelly or Albus, but I’ve survived the apocalypse this far on my own. Do people seriously think I’m so helpless that I need protection all the time?"

Rin grumbled, not really expecting an answer. He was mostly venting his frustration out loud.

Of course, the attacker assumed Rin was talking to him and quickly responded.

"T-The research and all those rumors-"

"Oh please! As if rumors are ever accurate. And what research did you even do? The only public fight I had was against those people from GBF, and barely anyone saw it. I also never lost a single match."

That was technically because Alex had underestimated Rin’s weapons, and they had only fought once. But a win was a win, so Rin was not going to complain.

"I’m going to knock you out now, and when you wake up, you’ll have a few decisions to make. But remember this—I can be persuaded to give someone a second chance, but not a third one. Do you understand?"

The only reason Rin even allowed second chances was because some people truly could change. But repeated offenses were not something he was willing to overlook.

Before the attacker could respond, Rin knocked him unconscious and dragged him outside.

The guard stationed outside the door had not entered despite all the noise simply because Rin had never called for him. Rin handed the unconscious rebel over, and the guard accepted him without question.

"Make sure no one disposes of him for now. Tell the person in charge that he’s being given a second chance—but only if he shows signs of changing."

Rin instructed the guard before heading back to continue what he had been working on earlier.

The monster core was quickly returned to his inventory, and Rin began planning the team for the divine creature hatching project.

Since this was an entirely new development, he did not want to bring anyone from the main cast with him. That meant Shelly, Albus, and even Amelia would have to stay behind.

But knowing Shelly, she would probably follow him anyway. And honestly, having extra reassurance nearby would not be a bad thing...

"Am I...missing something? Is hatching a guardian really going to be this easy?"

A familiar was an incredibly powerful existence, and Myth was the perfect example of that. There was no way hatching one would be as simple as a walk in the park.

"I should hear everyone else’s opinion on this matter before making a final decision."

Unfortunately, that included Madam Yao as well. As much as Rin wanted to make this decision himself and leave immediately, he had a feeling he should hear her out first.

However, before he could contact Madam Yao, she arrived at his base herself with an unexpected person walking behind her. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Rin went out to greet her, though he was not sure whether her presence should be considered a gift or a disaster waiting to happen.

In the end, he called for a meeting, and all the important parties gathered within minutes of receiving his message.