The content of the activity in the newspaper was simple.
This afternoon, a banquet would be held in the city.
At the banquet, the Hunter who had been in the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association for the shortest amount of time would attend and, at the same time, accept challenges from various other major Hunter associations!
According to the newspaper, the candidates were numerous!
Ed thought to himself:
"Is the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association really that powerful? Even the weakest Hunter in the association dares to be released and accept challenges from all the major associations?"
"What's more, this news is even the headline, which shows that, in everyone's eyes, this association is indeed the most influential!"
At that, Ed's interest was piqued. Since it was related to the Arya Association, he had no reason not to get closer!
He looked up at the sky, noticing it was almost noon. He then headed to the banquet location as indicated in the newspaper.
The banquet was being held in a hotel that looked like a palace.
At the entrance of the hotel, many people were coming and going—some were Hunters, and others were invited guests there to watch.
Just as Ed was about to enter, two guards stopped him.
"What are you here for?" the guard asked.
Ed replied, "Can't you see? Hunter."
He shook his armor, and on his back were the twin sword sheaths—his attire clearly identified him as a Hunter.
However, the two guards laughed skeptically. "You're a Hunter? But you don't even have a Hunter's cloak, nor do you have the association's emblem!"
"Which Hunter are you from? You're obviously an impostor!"
Hearing their tone, Ed furrowed his brow—these two didn't seem intent on letting him through.
The guard explained further, "Kid, you look like you're trying to impersonate a Hunter and sneak in, right? There are plenty of high-ranking officials at this banquet, and I'm sure some people want to make connections."
The other guard added, "Let me tell you—if you want to get in, one, you need an invitation as a guest; or two, as a Hunter to accept challenges, but you still need to prove you're not an impostor."
Ed squinted. "So how can I prove I'm not an impostor?"
The guard smirked. "Simple, just show us the emblem of your association, or better yet, show us a few moves!"
After hearing this, Ed fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "I don't have the emblem, but if it's about showing a few moves, that works."
The two guards, already convinced that Ed was an impostor trying to sneak in, laughed when they heard his request:
"Big talk for someone like you! Hunters are monsters with superhuman strength, their physical power surpassing that of ordinary people by dozens of times!"
"You're so young and inexperienced, you probably don't even have the strength to kill a chicken. I bet you're just a Level One Apprentice at most!"
"Level One Apprentice? What's that?" Ed frowned.
Another unfamiliar term.
Just then, a shout rang out:
"Level Three Apprentice, Lord Shawn has arrived!"
The expressions of many people in the crowd immediately turned respectful, and they all looked in the direction of the voice.
Ed turned his head and saw a man, around thirty years old, clad in heavy armor with twin swords on his back, walking toward them!
The man's face was filled with confidence, and it was clear he was none other than Shawn, the Level Three Apprentice.
People around him began to murmur: "That's Shawn from the Demon Goat Association! He's incredibly powerful; it only took him eight years to become a Level Three Apprentice!"
"I heard that within three years, he'll become a Black Iron-level Hunter! Truly remarkable!"
"Is he here today to challenge someone from the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association?"
Hearing the murmurs around him, Ed was immediately struck by surprise.
"Wait, so the apprenticeship level is actually above Black Iron? Does that mean this so-called impressive Shawn hasn't even reached Black Iron level yet?"
"As for apprenticeships, I just skipped that part when I set up my system, but these people have to train for years to get there?"
While Ed was frowning and pondering, Shawn swaggered up to the palace gates.
Upon seeing the two guards and Ed, who was still dressed as a Hunter and had been stopped, Shawn raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's going on here?"
The two guards, seeing Shawn, immediately showed deep respect and responded, "Mr. Shawn, this is someone who's trying to impersonate a Hunter to sneak in!"
"He doesn't even have an association emblem, so we stopped him."
"Oh, there's still people like this?" Shawn's eyes darted around, and a malicious thought quickly crossed his mind.
Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to show everyone just how strong he was?
He immediately put on a smug expression and, with a sneer, shouted at Ed:
"Kid, do you even know where this is? You can't just run wild here!"
"How dare you tarnish the noble status of a Hunter by impersonating one? It's disgusting! I'll give you three seconds to get out of here, or else!"
Shawn came up with a hostile attitude, but Ed, facing this arrogant and foolish guy, didn't bother to argue. He merely slightly darkened his expression and turned to the guards:
"Didn't you say that showing a skill would prove my identity?"
"Well then, I'll show you a skill right now."
Upon hearing this, Shawn immediately burst into laughter, eager to respond: "Heh, still playing this game, huh?"
"You want to show a skill? Fine, I'll be your opponent! If you lose to me, I'll break your arms and legs so you can never pretend to be a Hunter again!"
With that, Shawn drew his steel sword and waved his hand at Ed, taunting: "Come on! Let me show you what it means to be a Hunter!"
At this moment, the onlookers around them all showed enthusiastic expressions, eagerly crowding in to watch:
"Yes! Lord Shawn, punish this fool thoroughly!"
"Can we actually see a Hunter fight? This is so exciting!"
The existence of Hunters was like that of superheroes in this world.
Because of their overwhelming power, they naturally held a position in society that ordinary people could only look up to!
In rural areas, this phenomenon wasn't very obvious, but in cities, where people were densely packed, Hunters were the true rulers.
Even an ordinary person who could witness a Hunter fight would be excited for a long time afterward.
Seeing that Shawn was about to make his move, Ed lost all hesitation and drew his sword: "Then bring it on!"
"Kid, I'll make sure to ruin you!" Shawn shouted, charging at Ed with his steel sword, unleashing all his brute force!
Shawn's fighting style was unrefined, relying primarily on the raw power that came naturally to Hunters to attack his opponents.
He didn't see any problem with this; after all, this approach was sufficient for hunting low-level monsters.
But to Ed's eyes, Shawn's sword movements were those of an absolute amateur, full of openings!
Ed had only just realized that, after mastering swordsmanship, not only had his own combat ability dramatically improved, but now, when facing other Hunters who fought with swords, he could easily see through their moves and counter them with precision!
Without hesitation, Ed gripped his steel sword, his hand surging with power—
"Swish!"
He struck!
A flash of silver light cut through the air, and the sound of two steel swords clashing rang out.
In an instant, Shawn's sword was destroyed with a precise and powerful strike from Ed! It was snapped in two and flew several meters away!
Shawn was instantly stunned, his eyes wide with shock, his heart pounding in his chest!
Not only had his sword been severed with a single strike, but more importantly, the terrifying force from Ed's blow had transmitted through the sword and straight into his wrist!
His hand instantly felt as though it had been hit by a speeding car, the pain and numbness overwhelming, as though it were about to snap off!
"One more strike!"
Ed didn't stop there. Drawing upon his mastery of swordsmanship in his mind, he knew that after breaking an enemy's attack, he should immediately exploit the opening to launch a follow-up strike.
So, he swung his sword toward Shawn once again!
If this were an actual battle, the blow would have landed on the enemy's flesh, but Ed didn't intend to kill. Instead, he chose to strike the remaining half of Shawn's broken sword.
"Crack!"
The broken sword was cleaved further, leaving a massive gash, and the terrifying force behind the strike caused Shawn to lose his grip. He heard the sickening sound of bone cracking—dislocated and fractured! He couldn't contain the excruciating pain any longer and let out a loud, desperate scream:
"Ahhh! It hurts! It hurts so much!"
Meanwhile, Ed's sword was now pressed against his neck. Shawn was completely subdued. At this moment, he fully understood just how strong this person was!
He was a Level Three Apprentice! Yet, facing this person, he couldn't even put up a fight! If it were a real battle, with both of them going all out, Ed would probably only need one strike to instantly kill him!