The Rise Of The No. 1 Hunter

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Raito's lips curved into a small confident smile.

He stretched his hand, preparing to control the monster's blood.

[Blood Manipulation: Destroyed]

Immediately, Raito's eyes widened. The technique didn't work there was no blood.

This isn't a giant… it's just a vessel.

Raito's instincts screamed at him. He activated his senses fully, scanning the being in front of him. He could feel everything its essence, its movements, its intent.

It wasn't a monster. Not a human. Not anything he had faced before.

The power emanating from it… the strength… the blessing it felt ancient. God-like. Something from myths that people had whispered about for over 500 years.

His Blood Manipulation failed because there was nothing to manipulate. It wasn't its body it was controlling something else. Its soul occupied a massive empty vessel.

Raito gripped his dagger tighter.

"I just have to cut through it this is only a vessel. The real one isn't here," he muttered.

He advanced cautiously.

standing before him.

"So are you trying to claim you're above all beings?" he asked.

The giant's deep voice rumbled through the void.

"Well yes. Maybe. Maybe I am. Maybe I am not," it said.

"But I know about your system. And the warning you received it wasn't for you. It was for this guardian. This SSS rank monster I control. This vessel has the strength to destroy you human."

Raito tightened his grip on his dagger.

"What?" he muttered. "Monsters like this existed centuries ago?"

"Yes," the Guardian replied calmly.

"They are called Guardian Sith. Ancient beings built to protect sacred grounds. Their existence predates even the oldest records. Humans who lived back then they were far stronger than hunters of your era."

Raito clicked his tongue.

"I get it. You yourself I can't defeat you. But your SSS rank guardian I will take it down. It's the dungeon's guardian right?"

He raised his dagger, eyes blazing.

The Guardian laughed softly.

"Oh my. you really don't need to fight it. You have the potential to break through your limits," it said.

"The system warns you because this vessel's strength is beyond human comprehension. The odds of survival are slim 1 percent at best. Death is 99 percent. But I've seen what you've accomplished even when you were weak. So I cannot say defeating it is impossible."

Raito smirked.

"So if humans fought beings like this centuries ago how did they survive?"

"They weren't hunters then," the Guardian responded.

"They were simply warriors stronger than modern hunters by far. And among humans alive now the only one who might one day reach their level is you."

Raito's eyes sharpened.

"Maybe when you reach level 80 you will match two of them," the Guardian said.

"But even then your system will still see you as S rank. Rank doesn't mean everything.

"When if you reach level 100 you will become the strongest being in existence."

Raito inhaled deeply.

"So you're saying," he said stepping forward, "I have to take down this SSS rank monster right? Even if the odds are 1 percent survival and 99 percent death I'm going to do it."

Raito dashed forward.

The ground shattered beneath his feet.

He leaped, blue energy bursting from his body.

He raised his dagger.

"DIE!"

He swung

but before his blade connected, the giant's massive hand extended.

And suddenly

Raito was standing back in a normal stone hallway inside the dungeon.

The void was gone.

The giant was gone.

The Guardian's presence vanished as though it had never existed.

Raito blinked.

"That thing was actually strong," he muttered.

"But the system's warning wasn't wrong. It's SSS rank far above me."

He clenched his fist.

"I know I would've been injured. I know I would've suffered. But I also know I wouldn't have died."

He looked forward, eyes burning with excitement.

"So there really are beings beyond human or hunter understanding beings beyond dungeons beyond our world."

Raito smirked.

"My encounter with the Dungeon Guardian it wasn't the same as the ones others met before."

"This is unbelievable," Raito muttered, breath still unsteady. "People have claimed they defeated the Dungeon Guardian before sure. Maybe those guardians were A rank. But this" he shook his head, eyes wide. "This one talked. It had knowledge. It has been watching my every move."

He swallowed hard.

"Some guardians might be S rank but what I just saw wasn't human. It wasn't anything we've ever faced. It was something far beyond us something that may have existed over three hundred years ago."

Raito's voice grew quieter as he replayed the giant's words in his mind.

"He said I have potential," Raito whispered. "He said that before I can even think about defeating something like that I first need to reach the level of the humans who existed back then the ones who fought those ancient monsters."

His heart pounded with excitement, not fear.

"He said that when I reach level 80 I'll stand on the same level as those warriors the strongest humans from that era."

Raito clenched his fist, a grin slowly forming.

"And when I reach level 100"

His smile widened, confidence igniting in his eyes.

"I'm sure I'll be strong. No" he corrected himself firmly.

"I'll be the strongest."

Raito said it with a smile.

As Raito kept walking, a strange scent of water reached his senses. His eyes widened as the faint glow ahead revealed a massive river stretching across the dungeon floor.

Wow this takes me back, Raito thought, grinning. When I fought the dreaded Hydra could it be another one here?

The river was enormous bigger than any he'd encountered before. Flying through might be the fastest way but where's the exit? There's no door in sight.

A sudden ripple moved through the water. Raito froze. Emerging from the current were small two headed creatures baby Hydras, each about twelve feet tall. Their heads hadn't fully developed, but even in this form, they were dangerous.

[Notification]: Target identified Baby Hydra (12 ft, 2 heads) Total num 7.

Raito smiled. This will be quick. He stepped forward.