Tensions were rising between Vincent and Klaus, but the people around them didn't notice, only the Awakeners from both guilds.
"If there's anything you want to tell, just say it, Mister. We're in a hurry," Klaus said. His words sounded friendly but the look in his eyes was deep.
Vincent glanced at the battered-looking members of the Rays of Hope guild. "They look a mess, but I think they can wait a little longer. Instead of looking badly injured from fighting monsters, they look like people who have just been beaten up. I'm sure you guys aren't in a hurry. By the way, I'm Vincent Thomsen."
The blond man smirked as Klaus squinted. He didn't like it when someone tried to mess with his plans. Nevertheless, he tried to look calm.
In the behind, Joanna seemed curious.
"Hey, hey! Do you know who that guy is?" Joanna whispered as she nudged Olivia.
Olivia snickered. "It's surprising that you don't know him. He's the Guild Master of Morning Star. They're the ones who hold the exclusive rights to the yellow and orange raid dungeons in New York. They're like heroes and assholes at the same time."
Joanna nodded though she did not understand.
Looking at Michael whose condition was getting worse, Sylvia wanted to tell Klaus to ignore them, but Akio held her back. The man knew that this situation was not as easy as it seemed to be.
Klaus and Vincent were in a silent war.
"Klaus Lee, right? I can't tell if you know this or not. If there's a dungeon break with a yellow rift, it's our right to raid it."
"Yeah, I know. Morning Star is the protector of New York. Who hasn't heard that," Klaus blasted, smiling.
Vincent hung up his hands. "Well then, you know that it's supposed to be ours."
The click of the camera echoed, and the blond man grinned bathed in white light as Klaus squinted. Vincent asked for the wendigo's head, wanting Klaus to hand him his trophy.
The trophy or the alpha's head did not have a high market value but it was proof that the person or group who owned it had conquered a dungeon. The Awakener Association would record it in their database and use it as a reference if they wanted to cooperate with a particular guild.
Vincent knew what game Klaus was playing. That man wouldn't let him go after Klaus stole the media's attention and looted the entire dungeon that should have been his. At the very least, Vincent would take the trophy.
"Do you want this trophy?" Klaus asked.
"Hahaha. I don't want it, but it's only fair that you give credit to Morning Star."
Of course, Klaus wasn't going to do that. He knew that Vincent was pulling the strings in this situation. In front of the cameras, if Klaus handed Vincent the trophy it would be tantamount to saying that Rays of Hope was subservient to Morning Star.
Now was the perfect moment to introduce the Rays of Hope to the world. Klaus wouldn't let Vincent ruin it even if it meant he had to wage war on Morning Star.
"This is going to be troublesome," Klaus muttered.
Secretly, he asked Laplace to show him Vincent's power if anything bad happened today. So he could match his strength to that of the blond man.
<Profile Information>
[Name: Vincent Thomsen]
[Age: 42]
[Role: All-Rounder]
[Talent: Gravity Manipulation]
[Elemental Affinity: Earth (Very Strong) & Fire (Strong)]
[Battle Power: 985,580]
[Rank: S-Class]
[Status: Certified]
Klaus looked up, looking at the rift that was emitting yellow light in the sky. "Ah, it turns out it was a yellow dungeon. I thought it was blue."
"Yeah. You finally understand, Mr. Klaus. Based on the agreement we made with the Awakener Association, Morning Star has the right to own 70% of the dungeon's resources and any activities of the awakeners who enter there must be based on our permission. So, legally it belongs to us." Vincent smirked.
It made sense, and Klaus understood that.
"But don't worry," Vincent continued. "You can have all the monster cores and drop items. Morning Star is quite generous when it comes to charity."
Suddenly, Klaus chuckled amidst the echoing clicks, and Vincent wondered why the man in front of him was laughing when it should have been him.
Klaus gave the blond man an arrogant look. "What if I turn it down? What will you guys do?"
Vincent opened his eyes wide, and some of his men reacted to Klaus' provocation. They wanted to teach him a lesson but the blond man held them back. What Klaus did was like insulting Vincent on the face.
"I'm sure you know well enough what that means, don't you? You and your guild are breaking the law. We will prosecute you in court." The intimidating words escaped Vincent.
At the threat, Klaus smirked, feeling challenged. "But when we entered, it was a blue dungeon. Even until we fought to the end and thousands of our comrades died. And I'm sure in your exclusive rights deal there's no mention of anomaly dungeons. So we still have rights. Besides, we completed this dungeon in less than 48 hours. Is Morning Star capable of doing it this fast?"
Vincent clenched his fists, his pulse throbbing. This wasn't the first time a dungeon had been completed in less than two days, but Morning Star had never done it before. This was the second insult Klaus had thrown at him.
"You're pretty confident just because you managed to behead the alpha after sacrificing hundreds of other awakener lives. I wonder where you get that confidence from?"
"Why? you don't like it?" Klaus taunted.
Instantly, the reporters were in an uproar. A small guild that had only been established for a few months, dared to defy orders from Morning Star, one of the Five Pillars, as well as the largest and most influential guild in the USA. For them, this was a declaration of war.
The longer Vincent faced Klaus, the more the blood boiled in his head. "You know what you're talking about, boy, don't think I don't know who you are and who's protecting you. I can't tell if you're brave or a spoiled brat who has no idea about real life."
Klaus chuckled. "If you think I got this far because of my family background, you're wrong, Mister Vincent. I don't have time to argue here. We can settle it in court if you don't accept my decision."
Instantly, the air became heavy.
Getting an unpleasant answer, Vincent gritted his teeth and squeezed his hand until it bled. Suddenly, the man radiated a terrifying aura. Some of his men took a step back
The members of the Rays of Hope guild were the same. They trembled and shivered in fear. Joanna and Olivia hugged each other. Sylvia who had wanted to intervene suddenly abandoned her intention as her instinct told her to run. Even an awakener of Akio's caliber could only do nothing but gulp.
"Your boss is really crazy. How can he stand up and cool in front of that guy," Akio whispered.
Sylvia shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know either."
When people were intimidated, Klaus confidently stood in front of Vincent, looking directly into his eyes.
"Is there anything else we need to discuss?" asked Klaus a little mockingly. "If not, give us a way to pass."
Vincent was incensed, wanting to crush the head of the man in front of him. However, he lost this game. It was impossible for him to throw a tantrum in front of the reporters.
Swallowing a bitter defeat, the guild master and Morning Star stepped aside to make way for the Rays of Hope.
Klaus and his men triumphantly passed them by.
