Meeting with the Big Man: Chapter 77

As the building of the Hunter association stood tall, at it's foot, one by one, hunters were seen leaving and entering the building, ever more experienced, ever more richer than before.

And at the top of the building, a man with red fiery hair and red eyes stood looking ever so calm but feeling ever so dismayed.

'My daughter…I wonder how the future will form before her sight…I pray that beyond the start of your fateful walk to this path, you will be loved by many and live a long life.'

The man stood with a glass of wine in his hand and stands by the side of a glass wall that sees over the streets of the kingdom he protected.

With a table behind him that was set with dishes fit for a noble and single waiter who accompanied his presence, he alone reserved the whole level of the top floor restaurant. As his authority of this capacity was but a single droplet to a hundred buckets.

'Your mother wouldn't have allowed for you to take such a path, but fate is...cruel'

His mind was ever saddened by what would come of her daughter. All he could do to assist her was by means that didn't seem to aggravate fate.

'…as long as she grows healthy, I'm satisfied with that.'

The man who stood in the restaurant was none other than Marcos Deus Dottingham, the Father of Martha and Liam Deus Dottingham.

As he stood ever so concerned for the future of his daughter, the sound of an elevator suddenly pushes fort and out came a boy who wore a school uniform of the Royal academy.

The boy had slightly curly black hair, blue eyes and a gazing look that seemed unshaken by this meeting. This boy was none other than Hamil Crux.

Along with Hamil was another boy who wore a black hood who carried a pistol holster around his hip. This boy who was around the same height as Hamil and his name none other than Eric, the sniper.

The two walk at the same slow pace when they approached Marcos, and when they came upon his presence, Eric quickly bowed his head towards the man.

"I've brought him here my lord." said Eric in a rather obeying tone.

"Leave us be." said the man as he swayed his hand in a gesture to excuse Eric.

"..." Eric bowed again and simply walked away as silently as he could. The same goes for the waiter who accompanied Marcos, as he too left the restaurant.

Now it was just the two who stood face to face with one another.

As Hamil stood to face Marcos eye to eye, an intimidating aura was felt the instant the two looked at each other. Almost as if an image of a glaring fiery bird emerges from behind the man.

Marcos looked ever so menacing to many who came at his visage but Hamil wasn't the least intimidated by this, he has seen and meet kings more threatening than him, so he only looked to him with a stare of a different matter.

He stood there with a gaze filled with good intentions.

Hamil approached Marcos with a single step further even though he was exuding such a intently aura.

Seeing as how the boy wasn't the least scared of Marcos, he smirked over how impressed he was that this boy wasn't showing a tinged of weakness towards his presence.

"It seems that I was right to call you here." Said Marcos with his arms crossed.

"I want to cut the chase, and asked why you think it was right to call for me, even though I'm just a student." Asked Hamil as to many, this was a very peculiar situation.

"...just a student, heh...your not wrong to say that your "just" a student, but your not right either if I can consider you to be a student more powerful than most are." said Marcos as he implied that Hamil was no ordinary student.

"..."

"...from your silence alone, I can tell that your not in the least concerned of who I am." said Marcos as he delicately swirls the wine at his hand.

"I know who you are." said Hamil, implying that this man wasn't really all that secretive of his identity.

"It's impossible to not know someone of my authority, especially to someone of your age." said Marcos as he find it natural for people whose age around Hamil, would idolize him for he was quite the known man of the kingdom. Almost everyone can say that they know of the name Dottingham because of his achievements throughout the years.

"...You're Marcos Deus Dottingham, Father of Martha Deus Dottingham." said Hamil as he added the name of Martha to insinuate the two's father daughter bond.

"...that's right. But I'm impressed that you were able to figure out who I am despite me not being so open with the media and articles." he said, inferring that he doesn't normally entertain with photo articles of himself in magazines or article post. He was only known in face through great parades or royal celebrations.

" it's not really hard to look up to people who I'm curious about. Since especially if they were leading guest of the Class Rumble that I was a part of yesterday." Said Hamil, lying for the fact that he figured out Marcos's identity towards his involvement with the event, even though he wasn't actually seen socializing with the other nobles. Hamil openly implied that he did deep research towards the people who were involved in the event because of his curiosity.

"...I guess you're right. One can be curious towards things like those." said Marcos as he accepted Hamil's reason.

"You called for me because you wanted someone protected, is that right?" Said Hamil as he tried to remind Marcos of his reason for coming to meet him in person.

"...yes." said Marcos in a rather cold tone.

"...This is my first time being hired as a bodyguard for someone so I don't really know how this works." said Hamil as he didn't fully know the process of being a bodyguard.

"It's not really that difficult." said Marcos as he reassured Hamil over his worries.

"Can I assume that the person you want me protecting is your daughter?" assumed Hamil.

As he said this, Marcos reacted silently surprised by this assumption as he stopped turning his wine and he stared at it to a point that the red wine's stillness quickly reflected his image. He soon took a quick sip over it and he puts down the wine at the table near him.

"...why do you think that?" asked Marcos in a rather different tone. A threatening voice emerge from that question and hearing it made Hamil aware that his assumption towards Martha being a target made it seem like Hamil was digging over her indetity.

"Because of how I showed myself carrying a shield to protect her group against the Orc guard...when I was protecting her, you probably saw the potential I had that's capable of protecting your daughter from a threat like an Orc guard." he quickly made his excuse of reason, but all Marcos did was he took a step forward.

*Step*

"...I don't think that's not enough to reason with though." he said with a tone and presence that enveloped the whole restaurant. It seemed as if the room's temperature itself was getting higher by his single step alone. And as the temperature went higher, Hamil couldn't help but sweat a little.

"Probably, but I'm already here, so what do you want me to do?" said Hamil. He didn't really care for Marcos's change of tone or presence that seemed to burned the atmosphere. He knows full well that Marcos needs him as a guard for Martha, as her protection was more valuable than that of everything he owns, even his life.

"...*Sigh* I guess some kids are more Sharper than they seem..." said Marcos as he calms down and his presence slowly returns back to normal.

"...."

"... You're right, it's my daughter that needs protecting." said Marcos as he confessed the truth.

"..."

"All I need you to do is simple, watch over her from a distance." said Marcos.

"I don't think it's easy to watch her for the whole day at school. We're in different classes, so that means that I don't usually see her most of the day." said Hamil.

"...I'm not worried over that. I already hired student from her class to watch over her. If anything happens, this student will immediately call out for you and the other student." said Marcos, implying that he hired three students to watch over Martha.

"...so there's three students watching over her? That's what you mean." said Hamil.

"Yes, if you want more information, call for the sniper, he'll fill you in on what needs to be aware of." said Marcos as he gave Eric full responsibility towards the direction of this job.

"...Can I ask you why she needs three people to watch over her and why she even needs protecting in the first place?" said Hamil as he wanted to know if the reason for Marcos doing this was actually by the book or that something else happened.

"I only hired you for assurance of her safety...you don't need to know anything more than that." but Marcos didn't tell the main reason why his doing this.

"...why not just hire professionals in the first place?" asked Hamil.

"...If I could, I wouldn't be calling for you here in the first place." said Marcos.

"...So that means, it involves the school's principal?" assumed Hamil.

"...Sharp as always." said Marcos as he smiled towards Hamil's guess.

Seeing as how everything seems to be good for the day, Hamil asked if he was good for the job.

"...so does this mean that I'm in for the job?" asked Hamil.

"...Not quite." said Marcos as he raised his hand to the ceiling.

"W-what are you doing?" asked Hamil nervously as he could feel intent on that fist of his.

"I need to be sure that beyond everything, as a man that carries a shield, you must be able to handle this much power in your level." he then exudes mana around his fist and revolves it to a point that flames was engulfing his hand.

"..." Hamil could tell that the hand that was on fire could kill him if he wasn't right to defend. He could see the burning flames sway like the winds, but soon it changed into a fierce force that could burn almost anything.

"Ready your shield boy. If you can't handle this, you can't get the job." said Marcos as his eyes reflected the very flames on his hand.

*Gulp*

Hamil swallowed his spit as he readies himself to take on the fist.

He brought out his shield and carried upfront with both of his hands.

He then proceeded to cover his upper body with both the shadow skin skill and all of his mana into his body.

'I don't think this is enough to take him on…shit, I think I'll die if I don't do this right.' Thought Hamil as he glared at Marcos with the intention to fully take on his force.

Uncertain but determined, he was now fully prepared to take on the man.

"One hit…that's all it well take." said Marcos.

So as he lowered his fist to form a martial strike, he pushed his force and he struck with power.

*BOOOOMM!!!*

The fist met the shield, and boy met a force that was more powerful than he thought.

"!!!!!" He struggled and he struggled and he struggled for all he had in him.

As the two clashed, Hamil struggled to hold on his foot on the ground. He didn't want to be carried by the force of the strike to a point that he would be thrown away, so in an act to push forward, he didn't just stayed standing to block with the shield, instead he used his strength to push forward using his legs.

"!!" he gritted his teeth on his like it was his last power struggle and through this struggle, Marcos could tell that his fist was being pushed back.

"...?" Marcos was amazed to see the prowess that this boy was giving in the activity, as he has not met a person this strong at such an age. He looks to the boy and saw that beyond his manner of speaking, he could see that this boy was purely determined to take on such power, almost as if he was betting his life on this struggle.

So at a quick second, he then pushed a bit further on with his force to see how much the boy could take on. The strength of his punch became more fiercer and stronger than it was before.

"!!??"

Hamil could tell that the power was growing stronger as he feels his arms bending and breaking almost to fast.

The push between the two continued for another extra seconds and soon he let the force end and simply grabs on the shield to stop the boy.

"...!?" to his surprise, the boy was found standing still in position, yet he was conscious to tell. he was breathing ever so rough like a thirsty dog who was at his life's last stand.

The clashing force of the fist didn't last long for more than 6 seconds, but yet to Hamil, it felt like a minute passed.

This fist itself at the start was that of a peak B-rank hunt but at the added strength, it was comparable to that of a Hunter that was at peak A-rank. And for the boy to be able to take on such a strength was unimaginable. If the man himself poured all of his strength in his punch, he could not only break the boy but also erase his physical existence.

"...I'm impressed boy." said Marcos.

"..." Hamil simply called off his shield and he stood in front of Marcos with a cold gaze while his knees was shaking and his arms were broken as he Marcos could tell how swollen they were..

"...how strong was that…p-punch." said Hamil as his blood was soon seen dripping from his nose and mouth.

"...Hmm, your curious? That was but a simple punch of an A-ranked hunter." said Marcos in a smug way as he crossed his arms.

'...This boy is great.' thought Marcos as he looks over the boy's battered body. Not only could he take on such a punch but he was found standing and alive no less.

'...that was an A-rank punch!?' thought Hamil as he was shocked to see the power difference between his rank and that of an A-rank. He could only imagine how terrible it would be to face of such a monster at his current level.

"Congratulations boy, you passed." said Marcos as he reached out his hand for a handshake.

"I-I can't." said Hamil as he raised his shoulders, implying that his arms were to broken to even go for a handshake.

"Oh, I'll have that fix in no time. Just go to the medical center and have them operate it as soon as possible by my name." said Marcos, saying that to get extra attention from the doctors, he could use the Dottingham name for this fix.

Hamil shrugged his shoulders and made his way to the elevator.

As he did, he was meet with Eric waiting by to greet him.

"W-What happened to you?" asked Eric.

"...I passed." said Hamil in such a dejected way.

"...Oh." Eric simply accepted the answer and soon he assisted Hamil to the center.

As they left, Marcos was all alone.

"...I can't believe a boy like him is this strong despite being in such an age…I don't think I know anyone els-" before he could assume that no one was this strong, a person suddenly came to mind.

"...No, there is someone as strong as him…but his already at the second year, and his friends with my daughter and son…but despite that, Hamil is still in the first year but their the same age…I think."

"If I were to compare the two…I'm not certain who could win."

"...Maybe…just maybe he could win."

The day ended with Marcos in thought of who was stronger and Hamil being operated by one of the most professional doctors in the room with the most high techy techy healing vessels.

In the next day, Hamil was found completely fine and well to attend the academy, almost as if nothing happened yesterday.