Darius took a mont to reassess the situation. This kid was strong, and if he wasn’t lying about his rank, then his potential was ridiculous. Soone like that... would be an incredible asset.
Adopting a more careful approach, Darius kept his voice steady.
"I was wondering if you’d be interested in ditching your current party and joining mine. We’re planning to raid the boss soon, and I could use soone with your skills."
Liam raised a brow.
"You seed pretty focused on Elaine’s potential earlier. What changed?"
Darius exhaled through his nose, crossing his arms.
"It’s not that I’m no longer interested in Elaine. She has potential, and I could train her into sothing great. But she’s a lost cause."
Liam tilted his head slightly, silently prompting him to continue.
"She refuses to leave her twin brother. And her current teacher, Zane? He’s holding her back. She’s afraid to step out of her comfort zone. A magician who refuses to push past their limits is useless."
Liam listened, his expression unreadable.
Darius smirked slightly, thinking he had won Liam over.
"That’s why I’m asking you instead. You don’t seem like the type to be tied down by dead weight. Soone like you would thrive with the right team."
A beat of silence passed between them before Liam spoke.
"No."
Darius’s smirk faltered.
"No?"
Liam crossed his arms, his posture relaxed but firm.
"I prefer to hunt alone."
Darius opened his mouth, then closed it, montarily stunned. He had expected so resistance, maybe even hesitation. But Liam’s answer had been imdiate, absolute.
"Are you serious? Do you even know who I am? What I can offer you?"
Darius asked, his brows furrowing.
"I know enough. And I’m not interested."
Liam said dismissively.
Darius’s jaw clenched. He was rarely turned down—especially not by soone of lower rank.
But there was sothing about Liam’s unwavering confidence that made Darius hesitate to push further.
Liam turned away, glancing at Asger, who was still struggling against his magical restraint. With another flick of his fingers, the silencing spell dissolved, and Asger imdiately let out a string of complaints.
"That was unnecessary, human! I had it under control—"
Liam ignored him.
Darius watched Liam’s retreating back, his mind racing.
This kid... There’s sothing more to him.
And now, Darius wanted to know exactly what that was.
As Liam disappeared into the trees, Darius smirked to himself.
’Fine. If you won’t join willingly... I’ll just have to find another way to bring you into my fold.’
______
Liam continued walking through the dense, vine-covered terrain of the dungeon, his steps soundless as he made his way toward a more isolated hunting ground.
However, despite the distance he was putting between himself and Darius, the man’s magic signature remained persistent.
Darius wasn’t following openly anymore, but Liam could still sense him lurking sowhere nearby. His magic brushed against the edges of Liam’s awareness like an irritating fly that refused to be swatted away.
Asger, still curled around his shoulder in his small lizard-like form, clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Tsk. That annoying human is still following us. Do you want to do sothing about it?"
Liam exhaled sharply, considering his options. He was tempted to use magic to lose Darius for good, but before he could, Asger suddenly spoke again.
"By the way, human. You still owe for muting earlier."
Liam’s brow twitched slightly.
"Owe you?"
"Yes. I wasn’t able to properly express myself back then, and I think you should make it up to . Also, how dare you do that to soone as dignified as ?"
Asger said smugly.
Liam narrowed his eyes.
"I already told you, you’re not allowed to harm humans."
Asger let out a long, exaggerated sigh.
"I know, I know. But still, what’s the point of having around if I can’t even bite the annoying ones?"
Liam shook his head, ignoring Asger’s continued grumbling.
Darius was still tailing him, and it was starting to grate on his nerves. He had hoped the man would give up and move on, but it was clear Darius was stubborn.
Fine. If he wanted to follow, let him.
Liam picked up his pace, heading toward a hunting ground he had scouted earlier. It was one of the more dangerous areas in this dungeon, ho to a mini-boss that most C-class hunters wouldn’t dare face alone.
But Liam wasn’t like other C-class hunters.
He smirked slightly to himself.
If Darius wanted to follow him so badly, then Liam would give him sothing to watch.
He continued to walk around until he found a magic signature that looked promising to fight.
A few minutes later, Liam arrived at a clearing where the mini-boss lurked.
It was a towering, steel-clad beast, its glowing red eyes locked onto Liam the mont he entered its territory. Its massive arms, covered in rusted tal plating, dragged against the ground, carving deep gouges into the dirt as it let out a guttural growl.
Liam rolled his shoulders and readied himself.
He didn’t plan to kill it outright—at least, not imdiately.
This was an opportunity. Not just to fight, but to practice.
He could feel Darius’s gaze on him, watching from a distance, analyzing his movents. Liam didn’t want to reveal too much, so he would use this battle as a test—to see how well he could control his power without drawing suspicion.
With a flick of his wrist, Liam sent a thin arc of magic slicing through the air, aiming for the creature’s legs. The mini-boss reacted imdiately, its heavy form shifting as it raised one of its plated arms to block the attack.
Liam smirked.
Good. It wasn’t completely brainless.
"Co at , you big guy. Let’s have so fun with each other."
Liam threw the first punch and the boss responded in kind. It was not a tough battle, but Liam made sure to not end it in one hit like the previous ones he had fought. He had sothing to prove here.
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