No longer strangers

A cold ripple of tension shot through the area.

The surrounding security team men in full tactical gear and bulletproof vests couldn't believe what they were witnessing.

A child.

Threatening a grown man.

And meaning every word.

But the most terrifying part?

No one doubted he could.

Section C – Rising Stakes

A gasp rippled through the crowd like a wave crashing against rock.

"Wait what?!" someone near the front nearly choked on their soda drink. "That's Nikolai! In the suit!"

The revelation hit like thunder.

"Gabriel better pick Claus fast are they seriously trying to end his winning streak?"

"I knew this open challenge was a bad idea. Of all places… who would've thought those two would show up?" another voice called out, just loud enough for the forming Secretary Birds to catch from their corner.

Iwazumi leaned in, brows furrowed, his voice tinged with concern.

"Grandpa Kenta, Samira do you have any clue what's going on? They're just kids… right? Why is everyone so anxious all of a sudden?"

Tabaki looked just as stunned as well. "Those two literally flipped the whole mood. The arena shifted."

Samira shook her head slowly, brow knit in confusion. "I've never heard of them before… this is the first time I'm even seeing them."

But Kenta, as always, knew more than he let on. His face was unreadable, but his voice was heavy.

"They're members from the Chimera Guild."

"And if those two boys are here… it means their young guild master is nearby. This is definitely not good for Gabriel."

Samira smirked, her confidence in Gabriel unshaken.

"They won't be that difficult for Gabriel. Like we said earlier, there aren't many A-rankers most are B-tier at best by your own metrics. I doubt any of them will walk out easily."

Kenta nodded slowly.

"You're right but let's not get too cocky, Samira. The Hunter list and the Brawler list aren't on the same playing field."

She looked puzzled for a moment, brows furrowed.

"Wait… so when you said Gabriel was B-rank, you meant as a brawler?"

Kenta gave a firm nod.

"Exactly. I've got my biases I've been in that world. No rules. No referees to call timeouts. Just survival. It's jungle law in there. That's why I don't rank hunters and brawlers the same."

Samira's expression shifted as she processed the difference.

She realized she might've miscalculated her rankings hadn't factored in the raw brutality of dungeon combat.

Now she understood why new hunters always started at F-rank:

Because the abyss doesn't care how confident you are.

Gin, who had been silent until now,he took a deep breath, his eyes locked on the hexagon.

He had hoped to test his strength against Prime but this wasn't a bad alternative.

This moment… it was what he'd been waiting for.

Gin spoke, eyes sharp and focused like a hawk zeroing in on its prey.

"Grandpa Kenta. Samira. Iwaizumi. Old man Jiro. Tabaki. And you bodyguard fellas," he said evenly, voice steady.

"Before I officially join the Secretary Birds… there are some things I need to confirm."

Everyone turned to him, caught off guard.

Samira blinked, puzzled.

"What kind of confirmation? Living conditions? Outfit options? Gear access?"

She rattled off the usual concerns, still unsure what he meant.

But Gin didn't answer.

Instead, to everyone's disbelief…

Gin slowly rose from his seat.

A few rows behind him, someone groaned, "Hey, buddy sit down. You're blocking my view. Why are you standing?"

Gin turned slightly, voice calm but firm.

"Sorry about that. I stood up because… I'm challenging Gabriel."

The guy blinked. "Is this dude serious?"

A beat of silence. Then a sharp gasp rippled across Section C.

Heads turned.

Voices overlapped.

"Wait he's volunteering?"

"Drop your hand, man! You're gonna get cooked!"

"He's crazy dead meat!"

Before anyone could stop him, the arena lights shifted locking onto Gin like a spotlight from the heavens.

The cameras zoomed in. His face was now plastered across every screen in the stadium.

And we officially have the third challenger the monitor showed visible to everyone.

Even Jiro and the others sprang up, arms outstretched, trying to stop Gin from moving.

"Gin! Don't!" Jiro called out, urgency in his voice.

"Is this what you wanted to confirm?" He softened his tone, trying to reason with him.

"I get it. it's your first time, and you're excited to take on the open challenge. But there's no need to prove anything right now. These guys… they're way out of your league."

Iwa stepped forward, trying to knock some sense into Gin.

"Please, sir… If you get injured, how am I supposed to explain that to Mom? It's only your first day with me!"

Tabaki, clearly impressed by Gin's courage but siding with Iwa, chimed in.

"Yes, sir Gin. this is too risky. And we don't even know how this'll end. I doubt that guy will pull his punches now… not with those so-called Chimera hunters around. Please, don't go."

Samira, still speechless and visibly unhappy with his decision, finally spoke.

"Mr. Gin, please. You're scheduled to take the exams. Getting yourself injured now would be a serious problem for all of us."

They kept pressing, each voice laced with concern, but Gin's eyes stayed fixed forward.

Before anyone could speak again, Old Man Kenta's voice rang out calm but commanding.

"Let him go."

The words sliced through the tension like a blade.

"If he wants to confirm something for himself, we shouldn't be the ones to stop him. He wants to know how strong he really is there's no harm in that. And if he gets banged up, the medical team will patch him up. So let him go."

The others fell silent, hesitating, but ultimately nodding. There was a mix of fear, respect, and understanding in their eyes. Kenta's reasoning was sound and his authority hard to argue with.

Gin gave a small grin, nodding in gratitude. He turned to Iwa and Tabaki, pointing his thumb at himself.

Gin gave a lopsided grin, thumb tapping his chest.

"I just need to know where I stack up. That's all. Hahaha."

Samira let out a slow breath, reluctant but composed. You could see it in her eyes her mindset was already shifting.

She stepped forward, voice calm, but resolute.

"Honestly… I would've preferred you stayed back."

"But if first Guild Master Kenta believes this is what it takes to build a great guild…" she paused, then nodded to herself, "…then my first action as Second Guild Master is to trust first guild masters' decision and believe in our teammates."

The group stilled.

Shock flickered across their faces.

Something had shifted subtle, yet powerful.

It wasn't just about allowing him to go.

It was a clear and empowering statement.

A silent but bold declaration:

There were no strangers here anymore.

Only simply family now.

And at that moment, everyone felt it.

From the way Tabaki's usual grin softened...

To Iwa's stunned silence…

To the proud gleam in Old Man Kenta's eyes

They all understood.

A new bond had been formed.

Not through words alone,

But through trust.

Unspoken, yet louder than anything else in the room.

Her voice softened, but her words hit deep.

"As the Second Guild Master of the Secretary Birds… I grant you permission, Mr. Gin."

She looked away, clearly flustered.

Old Man Jiro chuckled, teasing,

"Wow, Samira really now? Second Guild Master does have a nice ring to it, huh? Great call!"

She met his gaze with a calm smile and replied,

"It's only natural that we support one another. So… don't let us down. Mr Gin"

Tabaki threw up a fist, eyes gleaming.

"I agree! Go, Sir Gin! Show 'em what we're made of!"

Iwa sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Man… Mom's gonna kill me if you get hurt… but screw it."

He pointed forward.

"We're guildmates now. Go, Sir Gin… and hey try not to pass out before facing Prime!"

He gave a small smirk, clearly proud.

Gin blinked.

Samira's words, the others' support it caught him off guard.

Something inside him was shifting.

Since transmigrating into this world, he had never imagined he could make this much progress in just a single day.

And the support genuine, unwavering from people he had only just met…