Chapter 323: The Haskins Family

Leon started walking outside the Hunter Association. Snow quickly picked up her license from the receptionist girl as well, then followed Leon.

Jason also left with Emily and Sol. Before leaving, Jason looked at Hank for one more time. "Hank, think carefully before you do anything next time." After that, he didn’t glance back anymore.

Dylan walked toward Hank. He crouched down beside him. "Father, what should we do now?"

Hank didn’t speak. He still had his head bowed to the ground. Dylan nudged him, but Hank still didn’t say anything.

He raised his head after a long time. His eyes were bloodshot with traces of tears.

"Mr. Pre..." The receptionist girl began to speak, but Hank snapped at her. "Get lost."

The girl shut her mouth. Steven was also present. He dragged her away. "Don’t you understand how bad the situation is?" He whispered in her years.

After they left, Hank finally started speaking. "We can’t let it slide. We need to take care of him." He said slowly.

"But how, Dad? He’s a Disaster Class hunter too. And it seems he’s even stronger than you... If what Jason Flemming said is really true, then he isn’t a person to be trifled with."

"If we don’t do anything, my position as president is good as gone. You can also forget about Emily. But most importantly, he humiliated me on my own turf. If I don’t settle the score, how can I make people respect me in the future? I have to make him pay no matter what. And most importantly, in a jungle, there can be only one lion."

Dylan stayed silent for a while. Memories flashed before his eyes. Memories of how Leon dealt with the three peak S-Class monsters inside the test. How he subdued his father easily. His body trembled on instinct. But then came Emily’s indifference toward him and the exact opposite toward Leon. Though she still looked ice-cold around Leon, he knew very well that she wasn’t.

Then he spoke. "Alright, Dad. But how do we do it?" Dylan asked.

At those words, Hank fell silent. He started thinking of a way to make Leon pay. And suddenly, an idea really popped into his mind.

"The death zone," Hank said.

"The death zone? You mean that permanent gate in the southern territory of our country?"

"Yes."

"And how’s that going to help?"

"We will make Leon enter that dungeon. If he does, then..." A wicked smile flashed across his face. "We won’t have to worry about him anymore. That dungeon is a den of dragons. Once inside, death is the only certain thing that can happen."

"But how are we going to even make him enter that dungeon? Emily and Sol are with him. Maybe even Jason will stick around. They will immediately know if we ask him to enter that dungeon."

"I have the power to assign missions to any hunter as the president. So it won’t be a problem. And even if he refuses to enter the dungeon, our purpose will be achieved anyway."

"How?"

"He’s a certified Disaster Class hunter now. So asking him to clear that dungeon isn’t excessive to begin with. But if he refuses to do so, he will be denying his responsibility as a hunter. You don’t get to say no that easily. That way, the higher-ups won’t favor him in the future."

"It doesn’t sound that effective," Dylan said, not convinced.

"You dumbass! It wouldn’t be effective if there was no dungeon break. But what will happen when monsters come out of that dungeon? What will happen when Leon is asked for help but he denies it? It won’t be difficult to make him look like a villain then."

"Dad, I don’t understand where you are going with this? Monster outbreak from the death zone? When did that ever happen? People only died when they entered that dungeon."

"It happened once. A group of hunters went inside the dungeon. They were fortunate enough to return alive because they hadn’t ventured deeper and they weren’t delusional about their own strength. But in that party, a female hunter found a relic inside the dungeon. It was an artifact sort of thing. And that was the only time dragons actually came outside of that dungeon. Those ferocious creatures destroyed that whole sector in just an hour. Three cities vanished like they never even existed. And then... They took the relic back. Those monsters didn’t stay outside even for a minute after that relic was recovered by them."

"So what you are saying is, someone will enter that dungeon and bring the relic out. Monsters will be forced outside. Leon will be called to take the mission. If he accepts it, he dies. If he doesn’t, his reputation dies."

"Hahaha. Now you are talking."

"It’s still too risky, Dad. Who is going inside to bring the relic out? And once the monsters are out, the surrounding cities will be destroyed too."

"So what if they are destroyed? They can blame Leon all they want. But if I lose the president position, you know what will happen."

"Okay, Dad. Let’s do it then. But who will go inside to bring the relic out?"

"I already have a plan. You remember the Haskins?"

"Yes. What about them?"

"They have been searching for a healing artifact to cure their family elder’s slumber."

"And you are planning to lure them into the death zone?"

"Yes."

"Will they really take the bait?"

"You have no idea what desperate people are ready to do. Their family elder was a legend once. He was expected to step into the Disaster Class realm. But a dungeon incident changed his whole fate. Since then, their family has been declining. And they desperately need someone or something to cure their family head so that they can rise back to their peak again. Because the fall from fame isn’t the only problem. You know Bella Haskins. She is a prodigy, no less talented than Emily. If not for the struggle of the family, she would have also reached the S-Class level by now. And now, many families are trying to force Bella to get married into their own family. If it were just a normal proposal, she would have agreed. But people are not after her because she is good and talented. They are after her physique. The Lunar Essence Physique. That physique can elevate one’s talent, level, and many other combat qualities. But the only drawback is, to make it happen, she will have to act as a source of energy. That means..." Hank paused for a little while before continuing.

"She has to die. So no matter what, if something inside the death zone is capable of curing Joel Haskins, they will definitely give it a try." A cold glint flashed in Hank’s eyes.

Meanwhile, Leon and others were already outside of the Hunter Association.

"You guys go ahead. I will enter a dungeon now." Leon turned back and told everyone.

Everyone stopped in their tracks.

"Right now?" Sol asked. He knew Leon was in a hurry, but it felt too rushed. He had just taken a test. Though he nailed it, he still should have been tired after all that fight.

"Yeah. With this..." Leon raised the license. "I won’t have any problem entering a dungeon even if I am alone. So you guys go ahead and rest. A lot of things happened in the last few days. You all should be tired. Don’t worry about me. I am going to be fine." Leon said. He could trust everyone present here. He had known Emily and Sol for over a month now. Though the duration wasn’t long, they had passed a life-or-death situation inside the hidden realm.

Jason Flemming needed no introduction. His whole life had been an inspiration for others. And Snow? Though she had started acting too weird and bold, Leon could feel that she meant no harm. If anything, she was even willing to take risks for him.

So he knew that everyone present here cared about him. If they wanted to stop him from entering a dungeon at the moment, that would be the right thing to do. But he had his own reasons, he had his own clock ticking.

"Huh! Like I would let you enter a dungeon alone. I am coming, too." Snow said firmly.

Leon sighed. "Trust me. You really don’t have to do it. You can take a rest for today and join me in dungeon raids from tomorrow. If you come with me today, I will feel like I am causing trouble for you."

"I am not troubled at all. It was barely any test."

Before Leon could say anything, Emily suddenly interrupted them. "I am coming, too."

Leon looked at her. "Seriously? You, too?"

Emily didn’t reply, but her intention was crystal clear.

"Big bro, then I am..." Sol started, but Jason didn’t let him finish. "You are coming back home with me, young man." Jason looked at Leon, Emily, and Snow. "You guys go ahead. Emily can help you find suitable dungeons." Saying that, he almost dragged Sol away.

"Father, what the hell are you doing? Let me go with sis and big bro."

"Stupid brat... Don’t you understand I am trying to help your sister?"