Chapter 16: The Betrayal’s Price
The group barely had time to process what was happening.
One moment, they were walking out of the dungeon, laughing about how easy it was to trick another newbie.
The next, they were on the ground, gasping for air, as if they had been trapped in an endless void.
Then, a calm voice broke the silence.
"You guys left me to die."
They turned to see Mon, standing over them with his dual handguns holstered, his eyes cold and calculating.
---
A Hunter's Judgment
A broad-shouldered man with a scar across his cheek, clearly the leader, narrowed his eyes.
"H-How did you—?" he stammered.
Mon didn't answer immediately. He simply crossed his arms and let the silence hang in the air.
The other hunters scrambled to their feet, looking around in confusion.
"What the hell happened!?" one of them shouted.
"We were outside the dungeon already! How did we get back here!?"
Mon tilted his head. "Oh, you were never outside. You were in my skill."
Their faces went pale.
A tall, wiry man with a dagger at his hip stepped forward. "Skill? What skill!?"
Mon smirked slightly. "Dimensional Storage. I opened it right beneath you before you could escape."
They stared at him, horrified.
"That's not possible! Storage skills can't trap living things!"
Mon shrugged. "That's what everyone thinks."
The realization hit them hard. They weren't dealing with an ordinary E-Rank hunter.
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A Deal with the Devil?
The scarred leader clenched his fists. "Alright, man. Look—this was just a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding?" Mon raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah! Yeah! We didn't mean to abandon you. It was just—panic, you know?" The leader grinned nervously. "How about this? We split our earnings with you. More than half. We'll even take you on better raids next time—"
Mon sighed and tilted his head slightly.
"I'm not interested in your money."
The leader's smile froze.
"W-Wait—"
"I'm interested in justice."
---
Delivery to HAP
Mon didn't give them time to beg. He simply opened Dimensional Storage again, and before they could react, they were swallowed by the void once more.
---
The next thing they knew, they were somewhere else entirely.
The bright lights, the clean floors, the Hunter Association Philippines (HAP) headquarters.
They had been teleported directly into the middle of the Hunter Association building—where multiple HAP enforcers were now staring at them.
The receptionist looked up, startled.
"Uh… what's going on here?"
Mon stepped forward, completely calm.
"I'm reporting a crime."
The scarred leader and his gang whirled around, realizing they were surrounded by armed enforcers.
One of them cursed under his breath. "Damn it—this guy set us up!"
Mon remained emotionless. "No. You set yourselves up."
---
The Chief Inspector Arrives
Before anyone could say more, the heavy doors of the office swung open.
A man in a black tactical uniform walked in. His sharp eyes locked onto Mon and the traitors immediately.
It was Chief Inspector Choks Go, second-in-command of HAP.
The room fell silent.
He scanned the scene with a calculating gaze before looking directly at Mon.
"Explain."
Mon nodded and gave a detailed, concise report of everything—how the traitor party had lured him in, abandoned him in the boss room, and looted his earnings.
As Mon spoke, the chairman's office door opened.
A tall, imposing figure stepped out—Don Sy, the strongest S-Rank hunter in the Philippines.
His piercing gaze landed on Mon, then on the traitors.
For a moment, he simply watched.
Then, he smirked.
---
Don Sy's Interest
"Interesting."
His voice was deep and steady, commanding attention.
Mon turned to him, unfazed. "Chairman."
Don Sy walked forward, hands in his pockets. "You managed to take down a boss alone, capture these guys, and deliver them straight to us."
He stopped just inches from Mon.
"Tell me… how does your skill really work?"
Mon didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he met Don Sy's gaze and said, "It's still evolving."
Silence.
Then, Don Sy grinned.
"Good."
He turned to Choks Go. "Make sure these guys never hunt again."
Choks Go nodded, signaling the enforcers to take the traitors away.
As they were dragged out, the scarred leader snarled at Mon.
"You think you're better than us, huh!? You're just a weakling with a storage skill! You won't last long in this world!"
Mon watched him quietly before replying.
"I lasted longer than you."
The doors shut, and silence filled the room.
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The Next Step
Don Sy looked at Mon for a moment longer before chuckling.
"I'll be watching your progress."
Mon nodded.
Without another word, he turned and walked out of the HAP headquarters.
As he stepped onto the busy Manila streets, a thought lingered in his mind.
"I need a real offensive skill. Something that works even if I can't see my enemy."
His path as a hunter was just beginning—and now, the strongest man in the country was watching.